Page 48 of Tempest

“I can hardly blend into the streets of Alvaris or Nera with a Meridian captain and his man-o’-war on my heels,” she snapped. “Your Lordship, I am of little value if I fail but—”

The shark circled—and struck.

“Ah, so kind of you to try to protect a ship of His Majesty’s navy,” Fell said, facing her as if they stood in the center of a ballroom and not a hurricane. “But I’m afraid you must be realistic in these matters, Lady Rose. You are a woman alone.” Fell clicked his tongue in a way that made Cat want to set the mansion on fire. “You can hardly be expected to navigate the waters of the Lyrian Sea unaccompanied.

Women do it all the time, you fucking rat, she thought, biting down on her tongue.

Fell took her silence for acquiescence.

“It would be ungentlemanly of us to send you alone. The King would hang his head in shame to even hear of it,” Fell went on blithely. “Besides, I would not want you to be frightened off your goal. Who knows what awaits you out there? Old friends. Old enemies?” His eyes sharpened, and Cat knew she was seen through. “A woman’s heart is easily unnerved. I shall help you walk this path and protect you from any danger you might face.”

There was nothing she could say aloud. But Cat pleaded silently, hoping Fell could read her eyes as well as she could read his.

Just let me go, Fell. Let me walk away like you promised.

“I would hate to see you lost in this, Catrine,” he murmured, his voice taking on a lower tenor, his gaze like cold steel.

“You served me with a warrant of execution not twelve hours ago,” Cat shot back, nearly growling. She did not miss the ripple of amusement in his gaze. “Captain Fell—”

“Is correct.”

Governor Osprin’s voice was the fall of a hammer or a judge’s gavel.

“We cannot expect a lady such as yourself to take on this endeavor alone.”

Cat opened her mouth to argue. “But—”

“Nor can we send Captain Fell and the Scorpion into the unknown,” Osprin added, acknowledging her. “There is no disguising a Meridian warship.”

Huffing, Fell squared his shoulders. “My lord—”

The governor cut him off with a blistering look. “You will command a merchant vessel. Take your best men and whatever Lady Rose requires.”

I require a pistol and four bullets, Cat thought, biting her lip to stifle a frustrated scream.

Despite the loss of his ship, Fell looked triumphant. He bent into another sharp bow, lower than before. Cat glimpsed a swath of freckles on his bare neck, exposed for a second. For all his peacocking, Fell was a sailor too.

A formidable ally—and an even worse opponent.

“Yes, my lord,” he said, stepping backwards.

Cat pursed her lips, feeling the eyes of the officers and Osprin on her. She did as expected and swept into a low curtsy.

“Very well,” she murmured, her eyes on the floor.

The game board in her head lay upended, the pieces scattered, her victory beyond reach. Again, she wished herself at the card table, with a trump card up her sleeve, instead of hopelessly cornered, with only one path left.

Fell’s hand wound beneath her arm. He played the part of a charming escort well, and no wonder. It had been the truth once, in this very mansion long ago.

How did my partner become my jailer, she wondered bitterly.

It was not the noose she felt now, but chains.

She barely heard the governor as he spoke, his words suddenly far away, filtering as if through deep water.

“You sail at dawn.”

Chapter Ten Before