Page 19 of The Swan Syndicate #1

When Stella returned to the galley, Beckworth was gone and Lando had taken his seat. Curious where he might have gone but unwilling to sound like a harpy who had to know his every move, she focused on helping Cook.

His name was Stiller, but everyone called him Cook.

While he was in charge of the meals, he was also an accomplished sailor and often spoke about his days at sea.

He was a few inches shorter than her but claimed his height made it easier to climb the ratlines and help with the sails.

He kept his hair short, and it was always messy as if he constantly ran his hands through it, though she’d never seen him do it.

The pinky on his left hand was missing, and the scar looked old.

He didn’t offer how it happened, and she didn’t ask.

She hadn’t known what to expect working with the crew, but she spent most of her time in the galley laughing at his tales.

Cook advised to finish the stew and serve it with fresh bread and cheese.

A skeleton crew was kept active, and the men came down in shifts to eat.

Once she was satisfied the crew was moving through the buffet line she’d set up, she dropped into a chair where Jamie and Lando were looking over a map, their empty plates and bowls pushed to the side.

“Are you working out the next leg of our journey?” Stella asked.

Lando looked up from the map. “The next two stops, actually. Unless something changes along the way.”

“You mean if we hear any more about MacDuff or Cheval.”

He nodded and pointed to a spot on the map. “This is where we are currently.”

Stella leaned closer. It was impossible to tell how far it was between points. “This is Bristol here?” She tapped a spot near the mouth of a river just south of where Lando had pointed.

“Exactly. And this is our next stop. Baglan on the River Neath just short of Swansea, which is too populated for our purposes. Baglan is a bit larger than this port and is favored by some of the smugglers in these ports for restocking their ships.”

“This sounds more promising.”

“Possibly, but we’ll have to be more careful.” Jamie sat back and gave her a long look. “Thank you for helping Cook. He’s been waiting for a chance to visit his family.”

She shrugged. “I know my way around a kitchen, though I’m not much of a cook.”

“One of those modern-day women things?” he asked.

She laughed. “I suppose that’s part of it.

Both men and women enjoy cooking, I’m just not one of them.

Being a broker—or what you call an Estate Agent—tends to make for long evenings.

If I need to show a house, a lot of times it’s after the client gets off work or on the weekends.

” She winked at Jamie. “And there’s as much paperwork in my job as there is for a ship’s captain. ”

Jamie grinned but he seemed to consider her again. For what, she didn’t know. “Which is why you recognized the estate contracts Gemini had hidden away.”

She laughed at the memory, which wasn’t so funny at the time. “I’d just been kidnapped by Gemini’s henchman, Gaines, and walked for miles in shoes that weren’t meant for walking, let alone over dirt and mud paths, only to be surrounded by crazy, scary men once we’d reached our destination.

“I knew AJ and Finn would come for me, but I had no idea how long that would take, and Beckworth hadn’t shown up yet.

I’d been going through the trunks, somewhat interested in the fashions.

” She chuckled, and the men laughed with her.

“But when I found the stack of papers, it was the first thing that reminded me of home.”

“You were quite brave from what Beckworth shared.” Lando crossed his arms and his brows knit together. “And stubborn.”

She barked out a laugh. “I have my moments.”

“I’d say several,” Jamie looked in his mug before taking a drink. “Beckworth gave me an earful about letting you come with us on this mission.”

She shrugged, then played at the edges of her sleeves, almost laughing at the thought she might have picked up Beckworth’s habit of pulling at his cuffs. “He’s not talking about sending me back to Waverly, is he?”

“Not yet, but depending on what we hear about Cheval, that might change.”

She felt her temper rise but took a deep breath instead. She considered using AJ’s technique of counting to ten, but it had never worked for her. “I’m not going to be sent home like some errant child.”

Jamie raised his hands in surrender. “I’m only stating what Beckworth might ask. I agree with Hensley that your role on this mission is between you and me. But it would be unwise not to listen to his advice and opinion. Though he’ll be looking at it from a different perspective.”

“I know he wants to protect me. And though this trip back in time was supposed to be a holiday for us, I wouldn’t think of stopping him from following his heart. But neither will I step aside and let him go on his own. Besides, if trouble starts, the ship should be a safe enough haven.”

Jamie smiled. “Then we don’t have a problem.”

She gave them her best broker smile. “Excellent. Then I’ll finish up in the galley and take a rest before our evening at the inn.

” She picked up their plates and mugs and spent the next hour cleaning the galley.

When she returned to the cabin, Beckworth hadn’t returned.

She managed to untie her dress and crawl into bed.

She didn’t have time to wonder what he might be up to before sleep took her.

B eckworth leaned against a stack of crates and watched the schooner make last-minute preparations for sail.

There was nothing special about the ship, no different than the four others floating dockside.

It wasn’t The Horseman or MacDuff’s ship, but he’d overheard two men at the pub talk about their next destination and the apparent secrecy of their cargo, so he followed them back to their ship.

If this were any other mission, his gut instinct would be to follow the lead.

But the only way to follow was by ship, and that was too much of a risk for the slim information he’d overheard.

For now, he wanted to ensure he’d recognize the ship if they came across it again.

He took note of her name, and his patience finally won out when a man strolled to the railing, looked up to the sails, and yelled an order.

Though daylight was fading, he was able to make out the man’s features, and whether he was captain or first mate; it was enough for now. Once the man moved away from the railing, Beckworth backed up several steps then turned and headed for the Daphne .

His thoughts turned to Stella. Would she be mad that he took off without telling her?

He didn’t think so. In Baywood, they always told each other where they were going when leaving the house.

It made sense in that timeline. But this wasn’t Baywood or Waverly.

They were on a mission. One that might have grown more dangerous than anticipated.

His natural instinct was to send her back to Waverly.

He chuckled to himself as he strolled along the docks, keeping an eye open for anyone who looked familiar.

She would fight him at this point of their travels, and he doubted he’d have any support from Jamie.

Not yet. Rumors weren’t enough. The problem was, the more trouble they found, the less likely she’d agree to return to Waverly.

The damn woman was as protective of him as he was of her.

And the sentiment made him smile. Not that long ago, he once believed he’d find a woman who followed normal conventions.

A wife like Hensley’s Mary, who managed the manor, went to dinner parties, and planned ones for Waverly.

A woman excited about the London season and would spend months there visiting friends, going to balls, and attending luncheons.

There would be friendship and tenderness between them, and perhaps eventually some form of love.

Then Stella dropped into his life and ripped away all his future plans.

At first, he’d thought it nothing more than a passionate love affair, knowing she’d go home to her place in the future. He’d had no desire to leave Waverly. Yet, once she’d returned home, his manor held nothing for him but memories of her.

Fortunately, Sebastian—the monk who’d been the one to get them involved in the Mórdha stones in the first place—had provided him the answer.

He’d given Beckworth one of the stones and a new incantation that would allow him to live in both worlds with little risk.

But to be honest with himself, even without the new incantation, he would have walked away from Waverly for her.

The question was whether their infatuation with each other would survive everyday life. Their first meeting and eventual romance had occurred under dire circumstances. Yet, when they’d found safety in London, she wanted to meet his friends from the old days when he was running with the crews.

He snorted. That had been part of his problem.

He’d lived in two worlds his entire life, and chances were, with any other noblewoman, he would have to hide his past from her.

But not Stella. She saw him for who he was and seemed to love him all the more for it.

And while she continued to chip away at the hard shell he’d placed over his heart, she also made him crazy with her willingness to jump into the fray, risking her own life for him.

That had been unexpected, unnecessary, and downright irritating. She knew the risk—to a point. But he’d seen loved ones die for nothing. Ones he wasn’t able to save. And he didn’t like how his chest tightened with the thought he could lose her just as quickly.