The Jezebel (Taskill Witches 3)

I am the captain of this ship. I will not fail. N

o woman was going to make him lose his good sense and his command of the men. His brain was addled because of the pleasurable tousles they shared, that was all, and Roderick knew he must keep his head. Yes, that was what Clyde was telling him.

Roderick stayed above deck overseeing the night watch for a full hour before he retired, filling his thoughts with matters of ship routine. But as soon as he prepared to make his way down to the cabin, caution ran alongside the rife curiosity that was always in his blood. What would he say to her? Would it be necessary to quiz her about what she had done?

He paused to collect some provisions from the locked store, realizing that she mustn’t have eaten since they left Lowestoft. Even that caused him to worry over her. It was nothing he had experienced before, this concern for a woman’s welfare. The sooner he delivered her to her destination the better.

Maisie rose from the bed, where she’d obviously been sitting, awaiting his arrival. When he held out the apple and the hunk of cheese he’d brought for her, she nodded and thanked him, but did not reach for the food.

He could see the tension in her expression, and he longed to hold her in his arms. There it was, unbidden and instant. His inability to step away from her remained, despite the unrest going on all around them. “I’m sorry I didn’t come down earlier. There was much to see to above deck.”

“I’m afraid it was all my fault, what happened with Adam.”

Roderick frowned. It was the last thing he expected her to say, and it unsettled him greatly. He set the food down nearby, hoping she would eat later. “Why so?”

“I encouraged him to leave me with the cooking pot until it had to go below, and that meant he was tempted to try other tasks that appealed to him.”

Relieved she meant nothing more sinister than that, he stepped over to her and wrapped his hands around her shoulders so that he might study her while they talked. “It wasn’t your fault, don’t think that. Adam is often ahead of himself. I should have taken charge of his supervision myself weeks ago. It was time to give him some mannish work to engage him.”

Studying her, he could see that particular worry was not the only thing on her mind. She seemed fretful and the glance she gave him was beseeching. It took him back to their first encounter. She’d been so much stronger since then, and he hated to see her look this way again. Was it because she sensed the crew mistrusted her?

A chill went up his spine, a feeling of fear for her. Even if it were true what they said about her, he could not believe she would harm them. “Why so fretful, my lady?”

“What did they say about me?” She blurted out the question and wrung her hands together as she spoke.

“Fear not. It’s only the men growing restless about your presence. I did warn you.”

Her expression did not change.

He smiled, attempting to put her at ease. “You’re a woman, and you made them feel inadequate with your good and kind care, tending Adam’s injury the way you did. Having a woman aboard is no easy thing. It is a betrayal to some of the men. Many of them will mistrust you. Most of them will desire you.”

His gaze drifted over her body, and he imagined how he might feel if he was watching and wanting, while only one man amongst them was able to take her to his bed. It was little wonder the mood was tense.

“Roderick, please do not think badly of me. I care very much for your good opinion.”

“Hush now, I don’t think badly of you.” It was important to her that he hadn’t been turned against her. Roderick knew why: he was her protector aboard this vessel. He didn’t flatter himself it was more than that. This woman had been desperate to travel to Scotland when she offered herself to him. He couldn’t believe that she might ever harbor any affection for him or care for him. It was a lucky encounter, for him. He had enjoyed her immensely. For her it was only a necessity, a bargain struck. The mystery surrounding her actions and her reason to leave London in such haste was something he might never fathom. Almost everything about her had remained a mystery. Unless her secret was indeed witchcraft... He wasn’t afraid of her, even though some of the crew thought he should be.

“What did the men say?” she repeated.

She would not rest until she knew.

He kissed her forehead. “You should sing more.”

“Roderick...”

“I’m serious. When you sing to them above deck you have their hearts.”

“And when I do not sing to them all?” Stubbornly, she pursued the subject.

“It’s something and nothing. Some of the men have it in their heads that you used Pictish words, and that’s not a good sign.”

Her eyelids dropped and she pulled free of his embrace, stepping aside. “It’s only because they are words my mother said to me.”

Roderick wondered how old she was. It was the first time the question had occurred to him. He had the suspicion she was younger than he’d at first assumed. Her solemn eyes and her serious approach—and that wily bargain coming from her lips—had made her seem older. “Are you going back to your mother in Scotland?”

She shook her head. “My mother died when I was a child. It was a cruel death, too, one that my siblings and I were forced to witness.” Maisie took a deep breath and met his gaze again. “The old words make me feel closer to her, and to my beginnings. That is all.”

Her eyes flickered and for a moment Roderick had the odd feeling that she was not telling him the whole truth. He wanted the truth. He also wanted her. The two combined to make his lust ruthless, and he felt as if he truly could fuck the truth out of her, given long enough.