Brice wiggled his fingers. “They are rather capable.”
“Right.” Stephan pointed to the mainsail. “It is luffing and I am holding a steady course, so use your nimble fingers on bringing it in.”
Brice laughed. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon concentrating on timed runs between buoys and practicing tacking maneuvers with no more mention of women, which Stephan was thankful for. He already acted too much like a besotted green lad, and he didn’t want to put up with the amount of bedeviling Brice was capable of delivering.
TheSea Masterwas already berthed when they headed into the small harbor shortly before sunset. There was no sign of Tisdale, but Eric stood on the dock, his duffel bag beside him. He moved forward to catch a line as theLadyglided into her slip.
“I need a few minutes to explain to Eric what has been happening,” Stephan told Brice after they’d secured the boat. “Feel free to go to your hotel and freshen up for whichever lady you are seeing tonight.”
Brice grinned. “Sure you are not jealous?”
Stephan shook his head. “I will see you at dinner.”
He would be seeing Caroline, too, for the first time since she’d been so abruptly taken off his boat. His cock stirred at how they’d left things last night. He shook his head again as he gestured for Eric to join him down below.
Damn. He really was acting like a besotted fool.
…
Caroline waited until late afternoon to slip out of the Pavilion. She had pleaded a headache to keep from attending high tea. Most of the ladies would have retired by now in preparation for dinner, and the gentlemen who were not involved in the regatta were probably at one of the private clubs, so it was the perfect time to leave unobserved. Hopefully, theLady of Fortunewould be dockside when she arrived.
She had to admit that the breeches she was wearing were certainly comfortable, not to mention practical. Caroline smiled as she remembered Elle’s shocked face last night when she was told Caroline needed to masquerade as a boy. But the maid had quickly agreed to help once she learned Caroline intended to warn Stephan about the rumors.
One of the stable lads was probably wondering why a lady’s maid was willing to pay a full gold guinea for a set of worn boys’ clothing.
Caroline made sure her hair was tucked up and pulled the cap down more firmly as she made her way past the stables, careful not to draw attention by walking either too fast or too slowly. She breathed a sigh of relief once she was out on Church Street. No one had questioned her, and she had made it away from prying eyes.
She cut over to Steine Road and headed for the docks. There were a few couples strolling, and she hoped none of them were Prinny’s guests. To be safe, she avoided eye contact. After a block or two she realized she needn’t worry. None of those well-dressed ladies and gentlemen paid any heed to a boy in rough clothes. She might have been invisible. The idea left her feeling somewhat disconcerted.
As she reached the waterfront, she saw both theSea MasterandLady of Fortunewere in their slips. Caroline caught her breath and stopped across the street to watch for movement on theSea Master. She hadn’t donned a disguise and come down here alone just to get caught by the earl. After some moments when no one appeared to be about, she breathed normally again.
The companionway hatch was open on theLady, and as Caroline approached on the finger pier, she heard Stephan’s voice and another man’s down below. Silently, she mouthed a very unladylike oath. She couldn’t very well announce her presence, especially dressed as she was, if Stephan had a visitor on board. Nor could she warn Stephan of anything with a stranger here. She bit back another string of bad words. If she returned to the Pavilion, she didn’t know when she’d have a chance to speak to Stephan alone. She didn’t want to wait a whole day and risk getting caught, either.
Better to stay and wait. Stephan would have to leave the boat soon if he were going to put in an appearance at dinner. But she couldn’t stand here. The magistrate patrolling the area would probably take her for a street urchin trying to steal something. Caroline looked around. Each of the slips had a large dock box bolted down; perhaps she could hide in there.
She walked the few steps to the box and lifted its lid. There was only a coiled rope and a chamois cloth at the bottom. Carefully, she stepped inside and lowered the top, making sure she had the rope latch to open it safely inside with her. The space was cramped, but if she pulled her knees to her chest and tucked her chin, it wasn’t too bad. Thank heavens for the breeches. A gown and petticoats would never have fit.
Once she was settled, she realized she could still hear the men’s voices, thanks to slatted air vents on the sides of the box.
“Did you send the schooner back, Eric?” Stephan’s voice.
“Aye. I figured you did not want it seen near here.” The other man’s voice held a hint of a northern accent. “I did bring John with me. He’ll hire on as dockhand and keep an ear open.”
“Good. We cannot afford to take any chances, what with Tisdale nosing around,” Stephan said.
“The men were disappointed, though,” Eric said. “They make good money off the raids.”
The raids? Caroline wrinkled her forehead. What was the man talking about?
“The money is going to do them no good if they are rotting in Newgate,” Stephan answered. “I hate letting those shipments go through, too, especially the one due in Portsmouth in three days. She’ll be sailing right past us.”
Shipments? Caroline tried to wiggle so her ear was closer to the vents. Stephan couldn’t possibly mean…
“With Prinny offering a substantial reward, I cannot take the chance of risking the crews,” Stephan continued. “I already sent a post to my contact in France. Once it is safe, we will resume the piracy raids. Until then, we hold off.”
Caroline stifled a gasp. Could she possibly have misunderstood? Maybe they were talking about something else? Maybe… Her stomach suddenly felt as though she’d swallowed lead. The brandy they’d shared last night had been French.A de Fussignyto be exact. The same brand that had been on the raidedLa Mer Espritthat the prince had hoped to serve at his house party. No. No. No. It couldn’t be.
