“You needn’t apologize. And I know very well what sort you are.”
They collected Rachel and Cornelius on the way topside, and Deverill deposited them at the railing on the foredeck, out of the way of the crew, who were preparing to weigh anchor.
“Excuse me, I shall return shortly,” he said with a polite bow.
Kate regretted his departure at once, even though her relatives were standing right beside her.
For a while they said little as they watched the crew at work and listened to the unfamiliar sounds: Captain Halsey’s firm commands, the creak of timber and mooring cables, and finally the snapping of sails overhead as the canvas caught the wind.
Feeling the ship begin to move, Kate clenched her fingers. In response, Cornelius put one arm about her shoulders, and the other around his wife.
Kate sent him a grateful smile. Her middle-aged uncle boasted a tall, refined build and aristocratic features, but his thinning silver hair and spectacles gave him the vague air of a bookworm. Rachel was shorter but slender, elegant, and still a beauty, despite her pale complexion and the ample gray streaking her dark hair.
Kate noticed that Rachel didn’t appear much more at ease than she did.
“I am no better a sailor than you are,” Rachel confessed. “I am too susceptible to seasickness.”
“At least you have a valid excuse.” Kate glanced at her own white knuckles where she gripped the rail. “Aren’t we a pair?” she asked with a weak attempt at humor. “I regret putting you both through this. If not for chaperoning me, you would not have to take this journey.”
Cornelius shook his head. “No, no, this was my decision as well. I want to find my brother’s resting place as much as you do.”
Some time passed before the Galene had threaded a path between other ships and was sailing down the Thames toward the English Channel. Gulls swooped in low circles about the bow while the breeze that blew in Kate’s face carried the scent of brine. As the canvas spread, she felt the schooner leap forward.
Almost immediately, Rachel professed queasiness from the rising and falling motion of the ship. “I think I should lie down,” she murmured, looking a bit pale.
“Shall I go below with you?” Kate asked with concern.
Instantly Cornelius grew worried also. “No, I will escort her below.”
Kate watched as, with great care, he guided his wife toward the hatch. His love for Rachel was blindingly obvious, in no small part because they had been separated for decades before being reunited by Skye.
Kate disliked being alone and so counted herself fortunate when Deverill appeared at her side. “I have made a hundred voyages and I am still in o
ne piece,” he remarked as if he could read her thoughts.
“That is gratifying to know,” she said with little enthusiasm.
“You should look upon this as an adventure.”
She fingered her medallion of St. Nicholas that he’d given her. Normally she craved adventure, but the possibility of drowning scrambled her rational mind. “I have been abroad only once. Our family accompanied Jack to France when he went to meet his royal father for the first time. If not for my dislike of sailing, I would be eager to see other parts of the world, yet I cannot help imagining what my parents went through in their final hours….”
Realizing she was close to babbling, Kate bit her tongue.
“It is understandable,” Deverill said, “that you are not comfortable sailing when you’ve had so little experience on board a ship. The first time I climbed the rigging, I was terrified.”
She couldn’t picture him being terrified of anything. He looked in his natural element, with his easy stance on the swaying deck and his raven locks ruffled by the wind.
When she didn’t respond, he tried another tack. “What is this? The intrepid Princess Katharine admitting to weakness? I must say your fragility is unexpected. You are usually quite fearless.” He gave her a teasing smile. “The Kate I know would never let a little apprehension stop her. Remember the ruins when you risked your life to save an injured lad?”
“That was different. That was dry land.”
“Not so very different,” he countered. “You resolved then not to let fear rule you because there were larger goals at stake. Just think of the end results of this voyage. You will give your mother a proper memorial and perhaps your father and other kin as well.”
“I suppose you are right.”
“Of course I am right. I always am.”
When that didn’t elicit a rise from her, he arched an eyebrow at her. “This is a twist I relish. You require me to coddle you.”