Page 82 of The Swan Syndicate
She wasn’t familiar with this ship, but she closed her eyes and ran through a quick replay of the tour on theDaphne. Her first thought went to where the rest of the gunpowder was stored, but it would be with the guns, and there would be men preparing them for battle.
She considered the crew’s quarters, but there could be men there as well. Then she remembered spotting the navigation station when she’d been released from the hold.
Charts made of paper. What better tinder than that?
She grabbed a lantern and hurried into a passageway that should have led to the navigation station. It only took a few steps to realize she’d gotten turned around and had to backtrack down a different hallway until she stumbled across the room. She glanced over her shoulder, concerned she hadn’t run into anyone. Cheval probably needed all hands on deck, and she almost laughed out loud at finally understanding how the phrase must have started.
She set the lantern on a bookcase and got to work. The question was the best way to start the fire. A chart was already spread out on the table, and she quickly unrolled another one and spread it across the top of the first, ensuring the edges of both covered the wooden table. She piled the rest of the scrolls on top of the charts.
A lone unlit lantern sat on the table. She poured oil over the rolls. It was a start, but she wasn’t sure it was enough.
She took the cartridges from her pocket, thankful they weren’t wet, though the paper was damp, and she held her breath as she ripped the first one open. The powder was dry. She released a shaky breath and dumped the powder into a pile on one corner of the chart, then repeated the step with the second cartridge on the opposite side.
Then she discovered her problem. She needed a fuse that would give her time to get topside before the blast. The nextproblem was whether the charts were enough to keep the fire going. They would have to do. She lifted her lantern then looked down at the bookcase it had been sitting on. It was filled with books. She grabbed several and set them on the edge of the table and around the legs, dribbling what was left of the oil over the books.
After giving it a full ten seconds of consideration, her best option would be making the charts the fuse. The fire would spread quickly to the powder but there was no way around it. She ripped a few pages from one of the books and rolled them up, and using it like a torch, lit the end from her lantern. She touched it to the topmost chart, which immediately burst into flame. She dropped the torch near the pile of books, not caring if it went out or not, and ran.
A sailor entered the galley a second after she did. She picked up the bucket and tried to storm past him.
“What are you doing down here, girl?”
“I had to pee. There’s no privacy up top.”
If he was shocked by her words, she didn’t waste time to find out. Since he didn’t stop her, she dragged the heavy bucket up the stairs. She grinned when his words floated up to her as she breached the doorway.
“What’s that smell?”
She squinted at the brightness. The sun had been playing hide-and-seek as soon as the rain had stopped. She turned in time to see Cheval baring down on her.
“Where have you been?”
“The first bucket got knocked over. I needed fresh water and privacy to relieve myself.”
He gripped her arm and stared at her. Had he caught her deception? If he’d seen her take the dagger, he’d have already ripped the dress from her to search for it. She held her ground, even though her heart was ready to burst out of her chest.
“I’m beginning to understand why women shouldn’t be aboard a ship. You’re nothing but trouble.” He glanced around then pointed toward the back of the ship. “Go aft. You should be out of the way for the battle.” His grin made her take a step back, which was all she could do since he still held her arm. “Your ship won’t save you, little bird. And there’s nowhere for you to fly.”
He pushed her back and stormed off.
She held her smile as she watched him head toward the bow.
Let’s see who has the last laugh, asshole.
27
The ringing of a bell woke Beckworth from a dead sleep.
He barely remembered stumbling to the cabin and falling fully clothed onto the bed. His constant need to stay busy while not worrying about Stella, which only worked for five minutes at a time, had completely exhausted him.
When the clanging of the bell continued, he popped up, Stella’s robe still clutched in his hand. He held it to his nose. Her scent was a balm, and he sucked in a final deep breath before tossing it on the bed and racing from the cabin.
The top deck was a flurry of activity. He searched for Jamie or Fitz but spotted Lando first. By the time he reached the bow, Jamie and Fitz were there. He didn’t need to use a spyglass to seeThe Horseman.
TheDaphnewas bearing down on it.
“What’s happening?” Beckworth shouted as he approached.
No one turned around, their eyes fixed on the ship that appeared to be turning to port. When he reached the railing, Lando gave Beckworth his spyglass.
