lost the necklace?"
She started, for she had forgotten that those keen gray eyes of his saw everything, that they could tell paste from real. The fake "diamonds," he claimed, lacked the light-gathering brilliance of the real ones-no one else had ever seemed to notice, but, then, she usually wore the original.
"I sent it to my mother," admitted Carolina. "They were about to lose Level Green and-and I couldn't let it happen, Kells. No matter what they think of us."
"How very noble of you," was his dry comment. "At least it makes my decision easy,"
he added cryptically.
She frowned at him. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Nothing," he said with a shrug. "Let us go in to dinner." He proffered his arm.
And so they went sailing into the green dining room to feast on the best repast Cook could create. Kells pulled back Carolina's chair and seated her with ceremony. He had changed from the casual leathern breeches and flowing shirt he had worn up the Cobre and was dressed in good civil English clothes again, a dark gray suit, wide-cuffed with silver buttons, a froth of white lace spilling over his fine hands and highlighting the handsome emerald ring he wore, which matched a similar stone in the snowy Mechlin at his throat. Carolina was inescapably tempted to compare the deep green fire of his jewels with the single pink stone Monsieur du Monde had sported. But, then, she told herself, Monsieur du Monde was not the Lord Admiral of the Buccaneers.
The pantry door swung open.
"Kells," said Carolina, looking at him across the forest of silver that graced the frosty white linen cloth, "this is Gilly. She will be serving us tonight."
And Kells's dark head swung about as he turned to gaze upon the young girl who had just entered the room. Gilly stared back at him avidly, her brown eyes bold and sparkling. Indeed she was so fascinated she did not move.
"Gilly," said Carolina with a sigh. "Captain Kells would like his dinner served now."
Gilly gave a start and quickly bobbed a curtsy. She gave the handsome buccaneer captain a brilliant, admiring smile. She made all of her usual mistakes in serving, but Carolina did not chide her. Obviously Gilly was bedazzled just being in the same room with the famous buccaneer.
Kells's gaze upon Gilly was thoughtful as she left the room, and Carolina, afraid he did not like her, said quickly, "Gilly is most amusing. She has spent some time upon New Providence."
"That does not recommend her," he growled.
So she had been right: Kells did not like Gilly! "I mean, she tells interesting stories that entertain me," she explained.
"Most stories about New Providence-if true-would not entertain you," Kells told her bluntly. "They would horrify you."
She watched, nettled, as he finished his conch soup. Perhaps a good dinner would put him in a better mood! She let Gilly clear the soup bowls away and bring in the fish before remarking airily, "Gilly told me she knows Rouge!"
Kells looked up from his fish. "That does not recommend her, either."
"Indeed? What do you know about Rouge?"
"Very little. I have seen her but once."
"You have actually seen her? This woman everybody talks about? You never told me that! Tell me, what does she look like?"
He grinned at the consternation in her face. "She has horns instead of hair," he said.
"And gigantic muscles that bulge when she walks."
"Oh, stop teasing me!" she cried in exasperation. "Gilly insists Rouge is beautiful-and kind. Tell me what she looks like!"
"She is indeed very beautiful," he said meditatively, and Carolina felt a bit chilled.
"But as for being kind?" He snorted.
"Where did you see her?" she demanded.
"I put in at New Providence once for repairs after a storm. I saw her on the beach, standing there in men's clothes with her red hair streaming down, inciting two fellows to kill each other with cutlasses."
"And did they?" she asked, fascinated.
"No," he sighed. "They staggered away-they were both very drunk-and she pulled out the cutlass
She started, for she had forgotten that those keen gray eyes of his saw everything, that they could tell paste from real. The fake "diamonds," he claimed, lacked the light-gathering brilliance of the real ones-no one else had ever seemed to notice, but, then, she usually wore the original.
"I sent it to my mother," admitted Carolina. "They were about to lose Level Green and-and I couldn't let it happen, Kells. No matter what they think of us."
"How very noble of you," was his dry comment. "At least it makes my decision easy,"
he added cryptically.
She frowned at him. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Nothing," he said with a shrug. "Let us go in to dinner." He proffered his arm.
And so they went sailing into the green dining room to feast on the best repast Cook could create. Kells pulled back Carolina's chair and seated her with ceremony. He had changed from the casual leathern breeches and flowing shirt he had worn up the Cobre and was dressed in good civil English clothes again, a dark gray suit, wide-cuffed with silver buttons, a froth of white lace spilling over his fine hands and highlighting the handsome emerald ring he wore, which matched a similar stone in the snowy Mechlin at his throat. Carolina was inescapably tempted to compare the deep green fire of his jewels with the single pink stone Monsieur du Monde had sported. But, then, she told herself, Monsieur du Monde was not the Lord Admiral of the Buccaneers.
The pantry door swung open.
"Kells," said Carolina, looking at him across the forest of silver that graced the frosty white linen cloth, "this is Gilly. She will be serving us tonight."
And Kells's dark head swung about as he turned to gaze upon the young girl who had just entered the room. Gilly stared back at him avidly, her brown eyes bold and sparkling. Indeed she was so fascinated she did not move.
"Gilly," said Carolina with a sigh. "Captain Kells would like his dinner served now."
Gilly gave a start and quickly bobbed a curtsy. She gave the handsome buccaneer captain a brilliant, admiring smile. She made all of her usual mistakes in serving, but Carolina did not chide her. Obviously Gilly was bedazzled just being in the same room with the famous buccaneer.
Kells's gaze upon Gilly was thoughtful as she left the room, and Carolina, afraid he did not like her, said quickly, "Gilly is most amusing. She has spent some time upon New Providence."
"That does not recommend her," he growled.
So she had been right: Kells did not like Gilly! "I mean, she tells interesting stories that entertain me," she explained.
"Most stories about New Providence-if true-would not entertain you," Kells told her bluntly. "They would horrify you."
She watched, nettled, as he finished his conch soup. Perhaps a good dinner would put him in a better mood! She let Gilly clear the soup bowls away and bring in the fish before remarking airily, "Gilly told me she knows Rouge!"
Kells looked up from his fish. "That does not recommend her, either."
"Indeed? What do you know about Rouge?"
"Very little. I have seen her but once."
"You have actually seen her? This woman everybody talks about? You never told me that! Tell me, what does she look like?"
He grinned at the consternation in her face. "She has horns instead of hair," he said.
"And gigantic muscles that bulge when she walks."
"Oh, stop teasing me!" she cried in exasperation. "Gilly insists Rouge is beautiful-and kind. Tell me what she looks like!"
"She is indeed very beautiful," he said meditatively, and Carolina felt a bit chilled.
"But as for being kind?" He snorted.
"Where did you see her?" she demanded.
"I put in at New Providence once for repairs after a storm. I saw her on the beach, standing there in men's clothes with her red hair streaming down, inciting two fellows to kill each other with cutlasses."
"And did they?" she asked, fascinated.
"No," he sighed. "They staggered away-they were both very drunk-and she pulled out the cutlass
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