stones.’ He heard the grit in his words.
Her eyes rose to his. And he saw the face of the nymph who’d risen from the sea. Her image outshone every painting he’d seen of mermaids, even the ones he’d commissioned to his specifications.
Her eyes rose to his. ‘So she is well?’
Benjamin nodded. ‘She married my eldest brother.’
She sighed. ‘I cannot believe my sister would marry a man not of our own island.’ Her lip trembled. ‘She would sacrifice so much for us.’
Benjamin tilted his head to one side, turned his body slightly away, putting her from his vision while he collected his thoughts. ‘He’s an earl.’ He glanced sideways, gauging her reaction to his words.
This time her shrug was almost invisible. ‘I’m sure you think as much of him as I think of Melina.’
‘I’d agree with the miss,’ Gidley said, wobbling his head. ‘Wouldn’t want my sister to marry an Englishman neither.’ He smiled at Benjamin. ‘We be a foul lot.’
Benjamin glared.
Gidley grinned. ‘I like bein’ part of a foul lot myself. Saves on washin’ and makin’ pretty words with the widows.’
‘The treasure?’ Benjamin turned his words to Thessa.
‘Malista.’ She nodded while she folded the shawl carefully and put it atop the other things she’d not examined in the bag. Raising her eyes, she said, ‘It’s no treasure. Just broken carvings. When the man from the French museum came, he said we should look for such things. That people would buy shaped rock. Father was excited and had us hunt because he wanted to have a discovery. We found nothing at first. The Frenchman left and Father...left.’
‘I’ve promised Melina I’d get the carving for her.’ Benjamin watched Thessa’s face. The change in her eyes and her voice when she mentioned her father leaving told him she had no more love for the man than her sister had. He couldn’t blame them. He’d met the man.
She looked at the sky. ‘This is not a good time for it. The light will be gone soon and the stones—my sister left them under the dirt. I’m not certain I know...where they are.’
Ben’s breath caught. ‘You don’t...remember?’
She frowned. ‘I remember... It’s somewhere on Yorgos’s land.’ She squinted. ‘And there are other rocks scattered about. Pieces of an arch. I didn’t notice much. Melina was the one who was excited. I just did not wish to tell her no one wants broken rocks.’
Gidley kicked at the ground. ‘Just my blasted luck. We sail a near lifetime to get some whittled rock on a stinkin’ island smellin’ of brimstone and the stones is broke and no one knows where the pieces is buried.’
‘We’ll dig up the whole island if we have to.’ Ben wasn’t letting the ship get away.
She looked at Benjamin. ‘I would not do that if I wanted the stones and I wanted to live.’
Her lashes swooped down into a long blink. ‘The island is small and, since the English ship took my sister, Stephanos has not been pleased. He had noticed my sister and to him all the women of the island are more his than anyone else’s.’ She shrugged. ‘We thought it best to tell him she was taken against her will. He planned to go for her, but I told him...I told him I did not want him to leave for her. I told him he should think of me instead.’ Her face turned in the direction of the sea. ‘I thought I could give her time to return to us.’
‘Then I need the stones before I have to fight someone. I’ll dig tonight.’ He had to get the rocks back on the ship. If the winds changed, they needed to take advantage of it. Waiting around for months in a harbour with an angry man on the island wanting to stir up trouble wouldn’t be good for anyone.
‘I’ll carry the bag to your house.’ Benjamin reached to take the gifts. ‘It’s heavier than it looks. And then Gid and I can start searching. You know how much the sculpture means to your sister. Let me give it to her.’
She stepped from his reach and pulled the canvas close. ‘My other sister is in the house. I’ll tell her Melina is safe and be back.’ She glanced at the trail they’d followed. ‘When Stephanos discovers you are here, I might need to soothe him.’
He saw a shadow pass behind her eyes, something she wouldn’t speak of. Then she turned away, scurrying up the path.
Even though her slippers looked to be no more durable than a few strips of leather, she moved as easily over the pebbles and stones as if she walked a hay meadow. He followed, unaware of where he put his own feet.
* * *
When she reached the steps which led up the side of her house, she put a foot on the lowest plank. He thought the whole house swayed with each movement and she had no railing to hold, but she made it to the top and darted inside, as nimble on land as she was in the sea.
‘Close yer mouth, Capt’n. And be glad yer brother’s not here to see you lookin’ at his wife’s sister that way.’ Gidley swallowed a chuckle, shaking his head. ‘The ship’d be needin’ a new capt’n.’
‘Ascalon needs a new first mate now.’
Gidley grumbled while he scratched under his arm. ‘Yer wouldn’t give me the spyglass to look at her and then yer dropped it when your fingers fell open like yer mouth. Ain’t no way it survived a tumble down the rocks like that. Reminds me of the time we seen them lightskirts and I had to pay full cost and yer services was requested by the bawd. Yer could have bedded her and she promised yer afterwards yer could have one of the others at no cost.’
‘She was jesting.’
Gidley snorted. ‘She’d ’a been bumpin’ yer head into the bed frame ’fore you finished sayin’ yer agreement. And me standing there and she didn’t even note my manly form.’
‘You overwhelmed her. She took one look at you and saw your experience showing through—’
Gidley interrupted, waving a hand. ‘Save yer perfume-y words for them that wears such. I know better’n believin’ any yer treacle.’ Then he paused and squinted at Ben. ‘Well, in this case, yer might be right.’ He puffed himself taller. ‘Probably shows right from my eyes what I can do to make a woman beg for my attentions. Just takes once and they be talkin’ about ol’ Gidley for the rest of their lives...assumin’ they survive the pleasure.’ He turned to Ben. ‘I ever tell yer about that woman who fainted dead away at the sight of my manhood?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well it won’t hurt yer to hear it one more time...’
He let Gidley’s words fade from his hearing. He watched the fading sky, wanting so much to step foot on Ascalon and know he finally owned all of her—not just part.
Gidley’s talk penetrated Benjamin’s thoughts when he heard the woman’s name mentioned. ‘Too bad that Thessa one sprouted legs.’
Benjamin thought of Thessa in the sea. He couldn’t get the image of her stepping on to the sand out of his mind.
‘Capt’n,
