Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney

broken shoulder and maybe a cracked rib, I think. With binding, he should heal well.”
    â€œBut he won’t be diving for a while.” Bogle frowned. “I can replace the chains, but diving is a two-man job and Wee Geordie can’t do it alone. We’ll have to return to Greenock for another diver.”
    â€œI can dive,” Will said. “I lived in the West Indies as a boy and learned to swim as soon as I could walk.”
    â€œAre you sure?” the captain said doubtfully. “It’s hard, dangerous work even for men experienced with a diving bell.”
    â€œI had experience with a bell when I worked on a salvage ship looking for Spanish treasure in the Indies,” Will replied.
    Kirkland, who had joined them, said, “I didn’t know that.”
    Will smiled. “We all have our secrets. How long until you can send the bell down again, Captain?”
    Bogle assessed the sky and the surface of the sea. “There’s weather moving in, so we’d best do it soon as possible. Maybe half an hour.”
    An amazing amount of cursing was required to replace the chain. Will wished he understood the Glaswegian dialect: the blistering oaths were downright poetic.
    As the bell was readied Will changed into the crude leather suit used to ward off the cold. This was Duncan’s suit, so it was clammy wet and not really large enough, but he’d be glad for the protection when he went under.
    Wee Geordie was a muscular young man as large as Will himself. It was damned chilly in the bell as they sank beneath the surface. As he perched on the cold metal bench that ran around the inside of the bell, Will thought wistfully of the clear, turquoise waters of the West Indies.
    During the descent, the water level slowly rose to his feet, then his ankles. His ears began to hurt. He’d forgotten about that part. “Lucky the wreck is only a few fathoms deep,” Wee Geordie said. “Else our ears would feel stabbed by needles.” He frowned. “Are ye sure ye know what ye’re doing?”
    â€œI think so, but you’re the expert here.” Will guessed the Scot couldn’t believe an English lord would be good for anything useful. He had a point, but Will hadn’t always been an English lord. “You’ve already studied the site.”
    â€œIt shouldn’t be hard to recover the aft end of the ship,” Wee Geordie said. “The chains went down with it, so it’s just a matter of attaching them again. We’ll be back up ta the surface before ye know it.”
    Will peered through the heavy glass window set into the wall of the bell. Those dark shapes that loomed through the water must be the broken bones of the Enterprise.
    When they were in position, Wee Geordie inhaled deeply several times over. Will did the same. “Don’t try to spend too long out of the bell,” the diver said. “The captain paid a right fortune for the compressed-air equipment, and he likes it to be used.” He leaned forward, then slid through the watery floor feet first.
    Will followed a few seconds later. The water was cold! Once more he thought regretfully of the Indies. Even with the protection of the leather diving suit, they’d have to work fast, or risk becoming dangerously chilled. With smooth, powerful movements, he swam after Wee Geordie.
    As the younger man had predicted, the recovery operation was straight forward. The hooks on the ends of the chains had to be secured again, then the crane hook attached where the three lifting chains came together. Multiple returns to the bell were required, Will more often than Wee Geordie. His wind wasn’t as good as when he swam regularly.
    When the chains were solidly in place and they were ready to return to the surface, Will asked, “Did you and Duncan check the rest of the wreckage for bodies?”
    Wee Geordie nodded soberly. “Aye, we did. Most of the wreckage is open and any