Page 13 of The Pirate's Daughter

Quiggly passed him a concerned look but nodded, “Aye,Captain.”

Devin waited for him to leave, then made his way to the door Mia hid behind. “Mia, might you come out? We’re almost to the cove. I could use your help navigating it. Mia?” Nothing, not a sound. “Mia please come out, I’d like to apologize.” This time he at least heard her sniff. She wasn’t dead inthere.

“Why Captain need apologize?” Mr. Hong asked, appearing in the common space of the captain’s quarters. “WhereMia?”

“Hong Chin?” Mia called out from behind the door. Those were the last words Devin could understand as a frantic conversation ensued between his wife and the Asian man. Any number of words flew out so fast it was a wonder anyone in the world understood what was said, but given Mia’s occasional sobbing and the cutting looks Mr. Hong threw his way, communication between the two was clear. The conversation ended as abruptly as it began when Mr. Hong pulled himself to his full height then turned to faceDevin.

“Is she coming out?” Devin asked,hopeful.

“Why you dishonor Mia?” the manaccused.

“I didn’t,” Devin snapped. There was nothing dishonorable about what took place. They were married. “Sheismy wife,” he reminded theman.

“Mia say you think her dirty. That she not good enough. She say you call her whore. You dishonor her. You dishonor whole family that we let Mia not be good girl. Mia good girl. Mia raised good by Commodore. Hong, Grim, Daylon, all us keep Mia good girl, keep Mia happy girl. You shame her, dishonor whole crew, allfamily.”

Devin groaned and spinning around walked back into his cabin. But like before the little man wasn’t giving up. He stayed chewing at Devin’s stern all the way to thebunk.

Mr. Hong reached past him and grabbed the sheets. “There you see Mia not whore,” the man yelled waving the evidence of what took place last night in Devin’s face. “You wrong shame her. You wrong dishonor her. Dishonorfamily.”

“Ididn’tdishonor her,” Devin snarled, grabbing back the sheets and tossing them on the bed. “Iamher husband. There was nothing dishonorable about what tookplace.”

“Then why you shameher?”

Was that what he’d done? He didn’t see how or why Mia would feel ashamed over what they did or even what he said. Angry, aye. Hurt even. He thought she was a woman of loose morals, but she more than proved she wasn’t. She shouldn’t feelashamed. If only she’d come out and speak with him. “Is she coming out?” Devin asked, as the smaller man moved around the room and picked up Mia’s discarded dress, shoes andstockings.

Devin barely recalled undressing himself let alone stripping Mia. He’d not bothered to try and savor any of it. He’d been in such a damn fool rush to have her. A young woman had an expectation of perhaps a little romance, a little courtship. Especially from a man she’d barely known a week, and on what did, in a way, amount to her wedding night. Mr. Hong only glared at him as he shook out the expensive formal dress. Devin took a deep breath and released it. “I didn’t intend to make Mia think… feel… Get her to come out so I can speak withher.”

“Captain,” Mr. Asher appeared at the door, like Quiggly his eyes surveyed the room and he didn’t miss the rumpled bed or the bloody linen. He did, however, manage not to show his feelings on the matter in his expression. “Sir, we’re about to put down anchor. The cockswain are loading the skiffs with barrels and the longboats areready.”

“Secure a party to forward advance, and make sure a landing can be had. I’ll be topside in a moment,” Devin said. He couldn’t ignore the duties on the ship but he didn’t want to leave things with Mia adrift. He turned back and looked at Mr.Hong.

The little man glared at him then sighed, shrugged, and said, “Captain leave now, Mr. Hong make Mia happy. No go down with ship. Happy Mia, goodMia.”

Devin lifted his coat from the back of the chair, “Happy Mia, good Mia,” he muttered as he made his way out. Passing the door keeping him from his wife he paused, setting his hand on the wood. “Come out Mia,” he whispered. He was topside in threestrides.

“Captain, this cove is amazing,” Mr. Brinks said, smiling. “It’s as deep as Mrs. Winthrop said and you can see the waterfalls from here.” The man pointed and Devin let his eyes drift over the somewhat choppywaters.

“Not much of a beach,” Devin noted, taking in the rocky flat where the tide rolled up. “Good enough for a landing though.” Mia was correct in her assessment. This was a far better spot to resupply the ship. The first long boat was in the grip of the tide being pushed towards shore. Two of the party jumped out, landing in calf deep water to drag the boat in. There was activity and one of the cockswains lifted a small flag from the boat and gave it a wave. “Go ashore then,” Devin said. The crew who’d drawn lucky enough to go first scrambled for theboats.

“You’re not going, sir?” Mr. Asher asked, coming up on his otherside.

Devin looked down, scuffing at a spot on the deck with his toe. “I’m going to wait to see if Mrs. Winthrop will joinme.”

“If I may, sir,” Asher began, “that’s a very fine lady you’ve taken aswife.”

“You may, and yes she does seem tobe.”

“Even finer a sailor,” the man said with a smirk as Coventon passed on the way to board alongboat.

“She seems to be that as well,” Devin admitted, lifting a finger to rub his brow. Marriage to Mia would at least not be filled with boring talks about fashion. He saw Asher lookaround.

“I might have thought she’d be shoving to get in one of the first boats thismorning.”

Devin sighed, “Mrs. Winthrop is a bit displeased with me thismorning.”

“Perhaps not the wedding trip she had inmind?”

Devin snorted, more like not anything she’d inmind.

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