Sea Scoundrel by Annette Blair Page B

girls, the sailors, her gaze stopping at Jasper. She smiled, careful y grasped the fish by its tail-fin and picked herself up. She went to Jasper, who tried to look stoic with a wiggling fish hanging topsy-turvy before his face. “By way of apology,” Sophie said. “I would like to fry this myself and give it to you as a gift. Wil you let me make amends, Jasper, for popping you?” Jasper gave a half nod.
    Sophie served the succulent morsel for breakfast the next morning, and Jasper declared it, “The finest eating since leaving the Emerald Isle.”
    That same day, the Captain’s voice cal ing, “Ahoy,” through the speaking trumpet caught Patience’s attention.

    A regal blue-sailed vessel glided toward them. It came so close, Patience thought she might jump to its deck, but when she looked, the ocean gap between ships was much wider than she thought.
    “What ship?” a man from Blue Sails cal ed through his horn.
    “ Knave’s Secret , from Newport,” the Captain responded.
    “Where bound?”
    “London.”
    “How many days out?”
    “Nineteen, What ship?” Captain St. Benedict asked.
    “ The Connecticut , from Dover.”
    “Where bound?”
    “Providence.”
    “How many days out?”
    “Twenty-eight.”
    “Permission to come aboard?” Captain St. Benedict asked, surprising her. Half an hour later, she watched a dory carry him over. He climbed a rope ladder and went over the side to be greeted by a bearded man. They shook hands and strode from sight.

    * * *

    At nearly midnight Grant finished his errand, shook Captain Davenport’s hand and thanked him, satisfied with his night’s work. When he returned to his ship he gave orders the dory await his return.
    “Shane, wake up.” His brother sat right up, always ready to respond in an emergency. “Captain Davenport is wil ing to take you aboard. I just want to know one thing.”
    “What?” Shane pushed his hair from his eyes, and scrubbed at his face with both hands.
    “Does Rose want her daughter back?”
    “Of course she does!”
    “Captain Davenport needs an extra man. Two of his crew were lost in a storm. He’l take you on. Go back to Rhode Island for Rose’s daughter. From what you said about her mother, she’l do more harm than good to a little one. After that, fast as he can load his cargo, Captain Davenport’s sailing to London. You get the baby in Updike’s Newtown and return to Providence in time to join him. You’l arrive in London, two, maybe three weeks behind us.” Shane listened, his face registering stunned amazement. “I can’t believe you’d do this for Rose. I mean, I’m important to this ship. You can hardly do without me.” He grinned.
    Grant cuffed him. “Your watering pot is not going to be happy ‘til her chick’s back in the nest, and you’re not going to be happy ‘til you’re in there with them.” Grant tried to be stern, but from Shane’s grin, he could tel it wasn’t working.
    “You know damn wel , you’re the best mate a man could want, but I’ve got Jasper and Sven.”
    Grant began to pace. “I must be getting soft, but since you told me about Rose’s little girl, I’m plagued by the memory of us, barely out of leading strings, setting off in the middle of the night to find Mother. The look on the old man’s face, when he caught us, tel ing us she was no good, that we were better off without her; it’s haunted me. I hated him for that as much as I hated her for leaving. And I hated myself, most of al .
    “Rose’s baby should be with Rose. She shouldn’t grow up thinking her mother deserted her, or, dammit, that it was her fault her mother left. Go get her, Shane.”
    “Aye, aye Cap’n.” He pul ed on his pants. “I’m going to let her meet her new papa ‘cause I’m going to marry Rose soon as I get to London.” He threw clothes into his sea bag.

    “Don’t tel anyone where I’ve gone. I want to see Rose’s face when I put Amy in her arms.”
    “Whatever you say. Get going.