Page 71 of The Swan Syndicate
“Aye. I sat in for the first of it, but with Jamie and Lando in the meeting, my time is better spent up here.” He glanced up, then stepped aside to loosen a line before tightening and retying it. “Why aren’t you at the meeting?”
“I’m nervous enough. I think talking about it would only make me more anxious.”
He turned to her, and this time his tone was serious. “There’s only one thing to keep in mind with these blokes. As kind and nice as they might seem, underneath it all, a smuggler thinks about money first and his men second. Anything or—” he pointed a finger at her, “—anyone else isn’t worth their time. Even a pretty lady. You’re a smart woman, just like AJ. Keep your dagger close, and don’t be afraid to use it. I don’t mean to scare you, but MacDuff is a ruthless man. Don’t let his charm make you forget that.”
She sobered instantly. And while his words should have scared her, they snapped her out of whatever fugue state she’d been living in while onboard the ship. She nodded. “That helped more than you know.”
He studied her for a moment, then his good-natured grin appeared. “That’s a good lass.” He rubbed his stomach. “You wouldn’t by any chance know if lunch is almost ready?”
She laughed. “Let me go see what Cook is up to. Come down when you’re ready. I’ll find something you can eat.”
She patted his arm before striding down the deck, taking a last look at the clearing sky before descending the stairs. After helping Cook with lunch and cleaning the galley, she fell asleep. When she woke, she’d expected Beckworth to be back. Then she found a swan lying on the pillow next to her. He had been there and had let her sleep.
Did he do that on purpose? He wasn’t happy with this latest change in the mission. Did he blame her? He would never admit it. And on the surface, he would believe it. But down deep—buried in his subconscious—was he sorry he’d fallen in love with such a bold woman? The jury was still out on whether she was smart or stupid, sane or just plain crazy.
It was too late to do anything about it now. They were in too deep, and while she could tell Jamie she couldn’t go throughwith it, she wouldn’t disappoint Hensley or the rest of the men who would have to come up with another plan.
The cold truth was that she was the only one who could get close enough to MacDuff within the time period allotted. With any luck, she and Beckworth would come out of it unscathed. Then she’d play the good little woman the entire hunting party weekend.
She tugged on the day dress, though, in her opinion, it was too nice for daytime. Beckworth said they were from France. Even now, with the war, Paris was the height of fashion. She couldn’t reach the ties and struggled with pulling her hair back while trying to keep the sleeves from slipping down her arms. Frustrated with the entire situation, she stabbed the hairpins in her hair, but try as she might she would never tame her hair like Libby could.
She was in the middle of yanking the pins out of her hair, which made her curls turn into knots when the door opened with barely a knock.
Beckworth strode in, a frown on his face and a storm in his gaze until he saw her and stopped. He tried. She could tell. But the laugh slipped from him until she felt like throwing something at him.
“Stop laughing and help me.” She flapped her arms. “I can’t do anything with the dress untied.”
He held a hand to his side, his laughter still bubbling out. When he was able to catch a breath, he worked hard to cover his grin. “Why didn’t you wait for me?” He strode over and turned her around so he could get to the ties.
“I haven’t seen you all day. And you didn’t even wake me when you came back. How long were you here before leaving again?”
“Only long enough to see you sleeping. Somehow, we’ve simply passed each other without knowing it.”
She grunted. Unlikely, but she wouldn’t push. She picked up the brush and attacked her hair. After two tangled pulls, Beckworth stayed her hand, then pried the brush from her fingers.
“Let me. The last thing MacDuff will be interested in is a bald woman. Nice cheekbones or not.”
She let his complement pass, not willing to engage. He was upset, and the last thing they needed was a fight. She had to keep her head in the game, and second-guessing herself worrying about his mood wasn’t helping.
When he was done with her hair, she took a quick look in the mirror and nodded. “Thank you. That’s better.”
She folded the other dress and put it away. Silence between them had never been a problem before, but she felt the tension increase and released a thankful sigh when the knock came.
She let Beckworth answer it.
It was Lando.
“It’s time. MacDuff’s ship is already here.”
Without another word, she picked up her new cloak, wrapped it around her, and followed Lando to the upper deck. Beckworth trailed behind. He’d be out there somewhere—watching. Protecting. But he stopped at the gangplank with Fitz, Michelson, and Lane as Lando led her to the dock and toward an inn.
“Where’s the crate?”
“It’s already been moved to a warehouse.” He pushed their way through a throng of sailors. “We have a handful of sailors watching it until Fitz and the others arrive.”
“Do we know where MacDuff is?”
He tapped her arm, and she glanced up.
