Boone offered, “He couldn’t do anything with yer brothers nearby. But, now that ye’re away, ye have a clean slate. A fresh start.”
“But ten months? I’m not that patient. Is there a way to hurry things along?” She looked at Darcy expectantly.
A pushy pirate asking him for romantic advice? Elizabeth would appreciate the humor in that. There had to be a way he could gain the upper hand here. Some way to convince Alex to let him go. Maybe if he played along…
Swallowing down his reservations, Darcy spoke before he could take back the offer. “I could teach you how to act like a lady if you will let me go. One week should suffice.” A lifetime would not be enough for a woman such as Alex to transform into the crudest lady. She made Elizabeth’s younger sisters look saintly.
Alex laughed. “I’m not that naïve, Mr. Darcy. I’llneed much longer than a week. I’ll take yer week and up ye three more. If I’m happy with me lessons, I’ll leave ye at the nearest port after the fourth week.”
“London port.”
“And here I was thinkin’ of droppin’ ye at A Coruña or Amsterdam. Ye ever been to Boston?” She wiggled her eyebrows.
Darcy was not amused. “Four weeks,” he mumbled, weighing his options (of which, in reality, he had none). His family would tear England apart, searching for him. They would leave no stone unturned. His uncle had friends in high places, and his cousin had many sources who would be eager to return a favor. They might find him before the passing of a month.
Then again, they might not. In which case, Darcy could guarantee his own release in four weeks. It beat being stuck on this godforsaken ship or left marooned on some uncharted island.
Still, Alex enjoyed all the leverage. Darcy needed more. His lack of knowledge was his greatest disadvantage. If he only knew the workings of a ship, he could better formulate a plan for escape. To do so now would be the height of stupidity. He could not even find the chart room. “Teach me the skills I need to be a worthy sailor during the twenty-eight days starting from my abduction, and I shall teach you how to be a lady.” He held out his hand.
“Hey, ye’s tryin’ to cheat me. One month.”
“Twenty-eight days from thetime Bauer and Cotton struck me over the head outside the tavern. That leaves you twenty-five days.”
“Not countin’ today.”
“Counting today.” He pushed his hand closer to her.
With a marked scowl, Alex tugged her dagger free of the table, slicing her palm and handing him the knife. Blood dripped from her palm onto the edge of her plate. “Ye’ve a deal.”
Darcy stared at the knife, the edge still wet with her blood.
“It’s a blood oath, Darcy. When I give me word, I keep it. This is yer guarantee.” She shoved the dagger toward him.
Taking the weapon, he wiped it with a clean-looking linen napkin and pulled it over his hand.
Alex gave him a funny look, but they shook.
Twenty-five days. Twenty-five days to freedom.
Boone handed Darcy a flask and a length of cloth, and Darcy pondered how best to begin their lessons as he cleaned and wrapped his wound. Handing the flask back to Boone, he saw Alex stab another chunk of meat, and Darcy decided what the theme of their first lesson would be. “A lady cuts her meat into small bites, which she eats with a fork.” He sat on the bench across from her and showed her on the plate of food that had been set out for him there.
“Does it have to be so small?”
“Yes.”
She ate her first bite in one swallow.
Darcy exhaled. “You must chew”—he adjusted the number to one more manageable for a complete savage—“thirty times.”
Her eyes widened. She sliced another small piece and began chewing. “With all these little bites and all this chewin’, how long does it take to eat a meal?”
Darcy raised a finger. “A lady never speaks with her mouth full.”
She opened her mouth and pointed at the tiny blob on her tongue. “Ye call this a full mouth?”
To call her savage was to insult the word. Darcy had always considered himself a patient man, but Alex required the forbearance of a martyr. “You are the one who requested lessons.”
“How long?” she insisted, swigging down the contents of her glass.
