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“Think about it—maybe it will come to you.”
“No, I can’t believe it. You can’t still be angry at me for not coming with you when you ran away from school all those years ago.”
“Can’t I?”
“But that’s crazy.”
He shot me an evil, brooding look but said nothing else.
“Are you really going to hold me for ransom?”
“Yeah, I really am,” he said, leaning back in his chair.
There seemed to be little to say to that, so I decided to concentrate on more practical matters. “Where are my clothes?”
“At the bottom of the sea by now, I suppose. You were soaking wet, so I kindly stripped you so you wouldn’t freeze. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“But…but surely you brought my sea chest aboard then.” I spoke as calmly as I could as I was determined not to start shouting at him. “With all my clothes?”
“It seems not.”
“What will I wear?”
“No idea. That seems like your problem and not mine.”
I gave up and started shouting. “Don’t be insufferable, Roxbury!”
He slammed his fist on the desk and glared at me. “It’s Captain Devane, damn it.”
I turned my face to the wall and refused to look at him. I would not allow him to shout at me, no matter how glad I was to see him. I was determined not to speak to him again until he apologized.
His eyes swept over me once and then he looked away frowning. He jerked a book on his desk toward him that looked like the logbook I’d seen on Captain Arlin’s desk. He picked up his ink pen to write something in it, deciding to ignore me now, I supposed.
After a few minutes of silence, though, he threw down his pen. “Don’t sit over there and pout like a spoiled child.”
I continued to stare at the wall. It wasn’t me who was acting like a child, after all. Well, not only me.
“Did you hear me? I said, stop your damn pouting!” He jumped from his chair so violently that he overturned it and came storming over to me, standing in front of me, but not touching me. He wouldn’t dare.
“Are you deaf? Answer me!”
“No. And stop shouting at me, or I’ll never speak to you again. I mean it, Roxbury. Either apologize right this minute and stop this, or I won’t say another word to you no matter what.”
He looked astounded. “What did you say to me?”
“You heard me. I’m not afraid of you so you might as well stop trying to intimidate me with all this…whatever it is. You want to strike me? Go ahead, but I warn you, you’ll get struck in return. Speak to me with civility and apologize for your rudeness, or I swear I’ll never willingly speak to you ever again. I mean it, Roxbury. Never again!”
He huffed and glared and seemed to consider several replies as his face turned an interesting shade of purple. I thought for a moment he wouldn’t say anything at all but then he surprised me by taking a deep breath and giving me one of those fancy, sweeping little bows, like he’d done on deck. “My dear Lord Bedford…I apologize. Would you please give me the honor of your forgiveness?”
“Well…” I replied, a bit sullenly, “I’m sensing a good deal of sarcasm in your tone, but all right then. Apology accepted, I suppose, despite all that attitude. But call me Brandon. You always did in the past.”
“I did a lot of things in the past that I now regret. And you still utterly refuse to call me by the name I prefer. Oh, very well, will you stop pouting if I do?”
“I’m not pouting. Don’t be ridiculous. I simply asked for some clothing after you allowed mine to be sunk to the bottom of the sea. Pray tell me, what should I be doing? The dance of the seven veils?”
He raised an eyebrow and seemed to be considering it. “That might have some entertainment value. But no, just stop being a prick for now. Maybe you can dance for me later.”
“Oh, I don’t think it’s me who’s being the prick.”
