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“You couldn’t have changed things, Devin,” she said and let him pull hercloser.
“I know, but I don’t even have anyone to blame. Mine accidents are so common place. I don’t have anyone to seek justice or vengeance from,” he said, referencing Mia and the commodore’s fight to find and bring to justice those responsible for the attack that left Mia’s mother and brotherdead.
“It’s taken a lot of years of Papa’s time from me. It’s why I’d have it done sooner than later. You don’t want to have this need for vengeance take any more time fromthem.”
“Are you telling me to sink it?” he asked as his face pressed into her neck and nipped at herskin.
“I only advise,Captain.”
“Such a fine first mate you make, pirate,” he said then kissed herear.
“It’s easy with a good captain. You know, one I don’t have to go behind and retie everything after,” Mia teased and hoped he’d catch on. Hedid.
“Now how might we manage any of that with a house full of guests? The way you scream, you’ll scare my mother to death.” His tongue swirled around herlobe.
“I can be quiet,” Mia told him then moaned loudly when he bit down on herear.
Devin laughed, “You can’t. I’d not want you to be. I love hearing you scream and yell and moan.” His hand worked its way down to her ass and hesqueezed.
With the heavy robe she could barely feel it, still she ground against him andsighed.
“You’re wearing too many clothes, Mia mine,” Devin said then stopped her with a laugh when she pulled away and tried to pull off the offending object. “And it is too cold. Back to the house withyou.”
“Ah, yes you can warm me up there,” Mia said taking his hand and hurrying back up to the house. Only when they slipped in, they found Devin’s father sitting alone in the dark of the parlor. At her urging, Devin went in and sat to talk with him. When he finally made it to bed the dark night was turning grey and she could hear weeping coming from the other bedroom. “All’s well, Captain?” she asked as he slid in against her and wrapped her in hisarms.
“No, but we’re afloat and we’ve a course so perhaps soon,” Devin said and kissed her shoulder once before she heard his softsnores.
“As long as we float captain. As long as wefloat.”
* * *
“Mia?”Devin called as the bell over the door rang. It was Mr. Hong who stepped out. “Where’s Mrs. Winthrop?” Mr. Hong pointed back out the door and said something that sounded like ‘oo-dot’, a word Devin tried several times to master as he knew it to mean docks. But Mia’s hysterical laughter over how he pronounced the word made him give up. “Very good,” Devin said, tipped his hat, and made toleave.
“No you wait, Captain. You going dock you taking this to Mia. She forget take her,” Mr. Hong said, scrambling around the counter and putting a pistol in Devin’shand.
“Mr. Hong,” Devin started in the tone he used when he wanted the man to understand trying to protect Mia from something at the moment would be a bad idea. “Why does my wife need to have a pistol on her?” he asked sliding the thing in hispocket.
“Oooo,” Mr. Hong started, and Devin knew the man advised her already to say something about the matter. “Mia say…” he seemed to search for the words. “Watching bad… no, no. Looking bad?” The man’s frustration showed and he rambled off for a long minute in his own language before trying again. “Bad looking at Mia. Bad, you know? Bad like with…” he said the word in Chinese, one Devin didn’t have a clue about, before he rushed around the counter and rummaged through the things there. He came up with a spyglass and raising it he looked around the room. “Looking badMia.”
“Someone is spying onMia?”
“Spying, yes. Spah-eye-ing.Chin-de-etShu-dah” Mr. Hong said, and Devin knew that last word to beyes.
He didn’t bother to question Mr. Hong. It would take too long and he would’t know much from the answers. Turning, he headed out and down to the docks where he had to dodge the huge nets being lowered and the piles of crates already stacked there. He found Mia about halfway down, standing with several men bent over one of the stacks of crates. They looked to be discussing a bill. One of the men spotted him first and tapped Mia on the arm before pointing in his direction. She paused long enough to look, smile, and wave but went back to talking with the crew. In Italian noless.
Devin stood to the side out of the way and greeted those he knew. He’d not met many of the crews. The only one he knew was the crew of theBobbing Sally,a larger sloop that made short, fast trips around the Western European coast. And he only knew the crew because three weeks ago he’d put his entire family on theship.
At Mia’s suggestion and with her convincing, his mother, father, both brothers, sister-in-law and nephew stepped on board and sailed to Florence. Robbie was set to work as he’d be expected to if he joined any of the ships. Mia had the rest get on board to both show the job was safe and that it was indeed honest work. She’d gotten the impression his family thought sailing to be the easy life. When they stepped off ten days later, they had a better appreciation and Robbie was jumping about asking for his next ship. The send off was teary a few days later when Mia set him on her own barque theBlue Ribbon, but it wasn’t filled with fear and grief as Devin thought it mightbe.
He’d made sure to tell the captain of the ship the boy needed his education and that he’d ensure his expenses until he started earning his own way. The man, a well-aged one with a cheery smile, slapped his arm and told him it wasn’t their first go at it. Devin still felt a bit of heat in his face thinking about it. He hadn’t thought he would be so protective of a boy he didn’t even know existed only a few weeks before. His family returned then to their home in South Yorkshire, though he did offer that they might think to move from the area permanently. Dock work could always be had and Ronald could maybe take a place with Mia in the office so she wasn’t alone in the work she did. Perhaps an accord with his family could bemade.
“Grazie, grazie, grazie,” Mia said moving quickly to him, a smile on her face. “Devin, what brings youhere?”
“The commandant sent everyone home for four days. I think they have enough troublemakers now to have the halls painted,” he said and saw Miachuckle.
“Well they’ll have to do it on the ship, though I guess when they do it hanging off the rails it won’t seem quite the boringchore.”
“No. It’s rather a daring bit of work,” Devinagreed.
