Page 38 of The Swan Syndicate
He gave her a wink, and, still smiling, she met Michelson at the stairs.
Jamie sighed when she handed him the sweet roll and mug of coffee. “I’m not sure we’re going to be willing to let you go when the mission is done.”
“As long as you only plan on sailing the English coast I might give it some thought.”
He grinned. “I’m afraid that would be a problem.”
“Well, I suppose it wasn’t meant to be.”
“You are a bold one, Lady Stella.”
She followed Michelson as he strode to where a massive number of taut lines from sails and masts wrapped around a row of wooden pegs.
She leaned against the railing, grateful they were port side, otherwise she’d spend all her time focused on the cliffs, waitingfor Beckworth to appear. Michelson had to be aware of that and was simply trying to keep her busy.
The tangle of lines wasn’t as complicated as they appeared, but the terminology wasn’t something easily grasped. She pointed to a set of lines. “So you use these lines to keep the sails taut so they can catch more wind to make the ship go faster?”
“If speed is what the captain wants then yes. But we can manipulate the sails to catch less wind if we need to slow, heave to, or prepare for a turn.”
“Heave to?”
“Stop.”
“Ah. I see. What if something happened and one of the lines broke?”
“That depends on which line and whether it was one or several. Typically, one or two wouldn’t be a problem, but too many could be disastrous.
“How so?”
“If the ship caught a good wind and we lost a set of sails, the ship would turn without us expecting it. We could lose someone overboard or hit something if we were riding close to shore or another ship. If it happened during a storm, and the ship caught a rogue wave at the same time, we could capsize.”
Stella paled. “I see.”
Michelson must have noticed because he tried to backtrack. “I shouldn’t have said any of that. It would be a rare occasion to be sure and could never happen on theDaphne.”
She tilted her head. The poor guy thought he’d upset her. He did, but it hadn’t been his fault. She hadn’t needed the finer details, but she had asked. “So tell me why it wouldn’t happen on theDaphne?”
He took a breath and focused on her question. “Because caring for the rigging and the lines is one of Captain Jamie’s primary tasks for the crew. I mean, he has several, but everyoneknows to look at the lines for signs of chafe whenever we work them. And they’re always part of regular maintenance.”
She chuckled, feeling better, but wondered what would happen if a cannonball hit the rigging. With her stellar memory, parts of Michelson’s words would probably carry over into her dreams. Then she remembered something AJ had told her when she’d first met Finn. Every time she visited the ship, he was always carrying a bucket around, working on the ship.
“I’m guessing Jamie learned that from Finn.”
Michelson nodded and smiled. “Captain Murphy was the finest captain. Captain Jamie is certainly following in his shoes. Of course, he has Lando and Fitz to help mold him.”
She touched his arm. “He has the whole crew to help him. Loyalty is important.”
Before Michelson could respond, a shout came from the other side of the ship.
“Prepare for sail.”
They must be on their way back. She raced across the deck a step behind Michelson. Before they reached the railing, Michelson swung to his right and began climbing the shroud—one term she’d learned from Beckworth on their first Channel crossing. He must be going to his duty station, or whatever they called it.
She kept her trajectory for the railing with the best vantage point. Jamie strode down the deck, yelling orders. She leaned over the railing, assuming the jolly boat was alongside. It wasn’t. She looked toward the beach, holding a hand over her eyes to shield them from the reflective glare of the morning sun on the water.
They were still quite a ways out. Even over the shouts of the crew, she heard the command to weigh anchor.
She didn’t understand. Why wasn’t he waiting for the boat?
