He was beginning to rethink the idea of riding the vessel all the way to Spain. He just hoped they made it to Ibiza.
“In this corner you may store your belongings. Afterward return to the middle of the deck and take a seat. Please remain perfectly still while the ship is in motion.”
He struggled to withhold the fear from his voice. “Why don’t you go ahead and I’ll store our baggage?”
Magnolia didn’t argue. He hurried to the front of the ship and placed their bag in a trunk with a lock. The trunk was secured to the deck. Good. Otherwise one sideways slap of water and their meager supplies would be overboard.
He returned to Magnolia and sat down behind her. He put his hands on the sides of her waist and drew her closer to his chest. She didn’t protest. That was a good sign. Maybe there was hope for them yet.
He drew in a deep breath. Happiness was his. Not only to be touching her again, but that she allowed him to keep her safe.
“Captain Drake, may I ask, where is your crew?”
Magnolia asked a valid question and one he’d wondered upon himself. Even with their recent setback, she was still an investigator.
“You may ask, but I may not answer.”
A mocker. Wonderful.
“Pardon me, but I would like to know how you plan to navigate this vessel without assistance.”
“Cheeky, isn’t she?”
Justin hid his smile behind his hand even though Magnolia wasn’t facing him. She probably sensed it though. She read him well.
Captain Drake grabbed the wheel. “As you wish, my lady. I plan to navigate this vessel with my invention.”
He swallowed. He didn’t care for the sound of that.
“Invention?” Magnolia squeezed his knee. She didn’t care for it either apparently.
One finger pointed to the sky. “But of course! I just push a button and my rigging springs out and the sails catch! Then the ship is on its way.”
“A button?” She swallowed.
“But of course! Do you wish to see?”
“Are we ready for the button?” Justin knew he wasn’t ready. And the ship had only narrowly escaped the dock. Shouldn’t they be farther out to sea before the sails were lifted?
Captain Drake massaged his chin. “It is highly irregular to use it so close to shore, but I don’t see what it could hurt.”
Magnolia lifted her arm out, but it was too late. Captain Drake brought his hand down with a thud. Creaks and groans were followed by the sails catching a gust of wind and flaring. Justin wrapped his arms tighter around Magnolia’s middle, enjoying her scent as it wafted up his nose. To be sure, it was a struggle to focus on their predicament. Currently nothing anchored them to the ship. If they went flying off now, would there be enough water to cushion the blow? He hoped they didn’t have to find out.
Chapter Three: Undiscovered Territory
Magnolia spit the briny water from her mouth as she hunched over the sand. She remembered sliding from the deck of the Barco Fantasma, but then nothing.
Justin had been with her, hadn’t he?
She rose to her feet. The heavy wool dress tugged her down and it took several tries to stand upright.
She shielded her eyes. The wind had slackened and the ship bobbed off the coast as if nothing untoward had happened. Captain Drake waved from the helm. He was actually smiling!
“Sorry!” The words drifted over the water. “I guess I shouldn’t have stuck the button so close to shore after all.”
She muttered under her breath, “That is an understatement.”
“Apparently, I need to work on the button. But that will be for a later date. Shall I come and retrieve you?”
“Not yet!” She needed to find Justin. “Don’t go anywhere!”
“As you wish!”
Captain Drake squatted. She could see him through the railing as if he tinkered with his toy.
Why was she cursed?
She lifted her skirts and headed farther along the shoreline. The button had lifted the sails and they’d drifted into the ocean in a rush. She’d lost her bearings, but she was sure they weren’t on Formentera. The landscape was all wrong.
She shielded her eyes. Justin had to be close by. He couldn’t have— No, she wouldn’t even think it.
“Justin? Justin? Where are you?” Her voice grew louder and shriller.
There was no answer. Her heart hammered in her chest. Could he be so far away that he couldn’t hear her? Or could he be harmed in some way and unable to respond?
A ruffling caught her hearing. She lifted her chin. The ship’s sails had flared and it was moving away!
She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Where are you going?”
“Sorry. There is a glitch. But I’ll repair the button and return. I promise…”
His words faded away as the wind kicked up and sent him further out to sea.
She stomped her foot. Incompetence!
She’d dealt with incompetence before. Constable Roskin had caught everyone but the man behind Tyrrel. He’d even blamed her for the theft of Hesper Rotherham’s jewelry. They’d been working together to find his master, and he thought she was to blame! Apparently, incompetence was catching as if a disease.
The Barco Fantasma disappeared behind a wall of fog. The smoky air seemed to be headed for the beach. Once it reached her she wouldn’t be able to see her hand before her face, much less find Justin.
What was she going to do now?
****
Justin held tight to the valise. The trunk had opened with the sharp jerk of the vessel and the baggage had drifted into the water. He’d grabbed it with one hand while holding onto Magnolia with the other.
The water had been warm and slick. He’d felt his fingers loosen on Magnolia’s garment. Then she’d slipped away. He’d yelled, he’d screamed. But she had not responded. Was she all right? Had she reached the shore?
Sand filled his shoes. He sat on the bank and dumped the gritty substance. The ship was nowhere in sight and a heavy fog had rolled in.
Behind him tall trees loomed. Trees such that he had not seen on any other island they’d visited. The area resembled an English landscape. He almost thought he’d arrived home. Then again, he could have died and gone to the other side. English trees would be indigenous to the island of his afterlife, as well as stag hunting and bread pudding. His mouth almost watered.
He sighed and slid his feet in the overly large borrowed shoes, grabbed the valise, and stood. He was too wet to not be alive.
The beach, what he could see of it, stretched far. Maybe he’d drifted farther than Magnolia and she waited up the beach, and he just needed to find her.
The first couple of steps had him stubbing his toe against sharp rocks. He moved up the shoreline until the water no longer drifted over his feet. He tried to keep the surf to his left as he continued to walk.
He should have known better than to board a vessel with a man who conversed as if a guide. He believed Sir Walter had the best of intentions, but was it so hard to escort people off an island?
Water rushed over his feet once more. He’d allowed himself to drift closer to the surf. He would need to pay better attention to his surroundings, or he might never find Magnolia.
****
Magnolia shivered as the wind cooled. The wet woolen gown wasn’t helping. If she had the valise she could have changed into the outfit Vernon Shelby had given her. It wouldn’t be warmer, but at least it would be dry.
Pain struck her foot. She hobbled toward a boulder and leaned against the smooth, damp surface. She slid down to the base. Her toe looked no worse for wear.
Round, jagged rocks circled around her. Flint! Now all she needed was tinder and she could start a fire. That should warm her and draw Justin; if he was able to see the smoke through the fog.
She ignored the pain in her heart as she gathered the wood and started the fire. The wood burned and she took a seat as close as possible and held out her hands. Heat, precious
heat.
Once her fingers were no longer numb, she removed her shoes and holey-toed stockings and stretched her legs out. She leaned back on her hands and flung her head back. The sun still hid behind a cloud of fog. If Captain Drake attempted to return, he wouldn’t be able to find them.
Smoke drifted skyward and mingled with the fog. She narrowed her eyes. The fire would hardly be a beacon for Justin, if he couldn’t see it.
She crossed her arms over her chest. She’d wasted so much time worrying about his affections when she should have told him how she felt. If he didn’t want to be with her or around her, he would have said something by now. Justin wasn’t one to keep his feelings silent. Most of the time.
If she ever had the opportunity to see him again, she would tell them the truth. That she was in love with him and wanted to be with him forever.
****
Justin scrunched his nose. Smoke.
He quickened his step. Maybe Magnolia or the captain had made it ashore and started a fire. He stumbled, righted himself, and kept going.
Wisps of darker gray filtered through the fog. Someone had started a fire!
“Captain Drake! Magnolia!”
“Justin!”
The voice was the sweetest he’d ever heard. She was alive. She was well. She was warming by a fire.
“Where are you?” He held out his hands. If he tripped into the fire, his exuberance would be squelched rather quickly.
Her voice quivered. “I’m beside the fire. Do you see it?”
“Maybe.” Just a moment longer, dear. I’m coming.
As he neared the place he thought she could be, he began to scoot his feet.
“Ow!”
He’d struck the soft flesh of her leg. He’d make it up to her.
He dropped the bag and scooped Magnolia into his arms. He buried his face in her damp hair. “I’m so glad you’re all right. When I woke up and found that you weren’t with me, I-I—”
He couldn’t finish the statement. He was just glad all his thoughts had been wrong.
He smoothed the tendrils of hair off her face. “Are you all right? Do you have any new scratches? Bruises?”
She laughed and grabbed his hands. Her eyes sparkled. “I’m well. I floated onto shore rather easily. I think.”
Her nose scrunched, but he ignored it. Her travel to the island had likely occurred with her in a sleeping state. He didn’t want to bring that up. “And what of the captain?”
She sighed. That didn’t sound promising.
“I fear that he manipulated his button once more.”
“And that is not good?” It couldn’t be. Luck had left him long ago.
“No, it is not good. He drifted farther offshore, with the promise to return.”
“Ah.” So they were stuck. Again.
“And I don’t think we’ve visited this island before. It appears abandoned.”
“That has been my assumption as well. I’ve strolled across a good portion of it and I’ve not come across a soul.”
“I’ve been here, waiting. I haven’t seen anyone either.”
She bit her lip. The spot would be sore. Maybe he should kiss it. Maybe he should tell her how he felt. How he wanted to be with her always. How he loved her beyond all measure. Then he would have the right to kiss it.
“I believe we are in undiscovered territory.”
In more ways than one.
Chapter Four: The Truth Will Set You Free
He released her and settled on the sand. Granules scratched his legs where his pants hitched up. One day he would wear his own clothes. He might have Keane dress him multiple times a day just for fun.
Sturdy sticks littered the ground. He picked one up and grabbed a nearby rock.
“What are you doing?”
He shaved off the end until it was at a fine point. “I’m going hunting.”
“Oh.” There she was sucking on her lower lip again. Did she have any idea how crazy she was driving him?
For a distraction he said, “I thought I would search for food. Our good captain may not return in good time.”
The wind kicked up and blew ashes around them. The wind and fog would keep the vessel from reaching them. If the captain tried to approach, he might run aground, which would leave them all stranded. Justin hoped the scatterbrained captain had enough sense to think of such things.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
He took her hand and looked into her eyes. “Keep the fire burning. If I can smell it, then I can find you.”
“Of course.” She looked at their clasped hands.
Was she going to say something? Maybe now was the time to mention how he felt.
She sighed. “I can’t wait to return home. Look at the dirt beneath my nails! I shall never get them clean.”
No, now wasn’t the time.
“Yes, well, I assume we’ll both be scrubbing away the grime from this adventure.” He rose to his feet, leaving the valise behind. He’d noted her tugging at the woolen gown—maybe she’d appreciate privacy to change. “I’ll be just within those trees. I won’t go far.”
She nodded, but there was a certain amount of fear in her eyes.
He squatted beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder. The wool was wet, scratchy, and had an unpleasant odor. “While I’m gone, why don’t you change? I can’t imagine that dress is too comfortable.”
She nodded. “It’s not. And honestly, I think it smells as if animals have urinated on it.”
He cleared his throat to hide his laughter. “I-I hadn’t noticed. But as I said, I’m sure the gown is heavy and you might be more comfortable in other attire.” He couldn’t wait for her other attire.
“I might as well.” She paused. “However, I do have a concern.”
“Yes?”
“If I place my back to the sea and the captain returns, he will you know…see. And if I place my back to the trees, I-I—”
He understood. He didn’t want anyone looking at her either.
“What if you enter the trees and I wait for you until you change? We can converse about what we plan to do when we arrive home and that way I’ll know some creature hasn’t absconded with you.”
She rose to her feet, their faces mere inches apart. “That could work.”
She didn’t move and neither did he. Here was the moment.
A squeal breached the silence. She turned around and placed her back to his chest. A wild hog burst through the tree line, followed by a great lumbering beast of a dog. Jaws dripped drool that pooled on the sand floor as the dog lumbered after its prey.
The dog clasped the hog’s neck and slung its head back and forth. The boar wasn’t to be bested. It turned its head and poked a sharp tusk into the dog’s side.
“What is that?” Magnolia’s voice trembled.
“I don’t know.” Breathing was difficult. His sharp rock and stick would hardly be enough to keep them safe if the dog or boar decided they were a better meal.
Magnolia read his mind. “I hope it doesn’t think we are its next tasty treat.”
“As do I.”
At any moment he expected a savage man complete with leather butt flap and fur-trimmed coat to burst through the trees. He would take one look at Magnolia, throw her over his massive shoulder, and haul her away. Magnolia, of course, would not fight. He would have a title and lands and charm and she would be too enamored to protest.
It happened every time they began a new adventure. He’d have expected Captain Drake to vie for her attentions if time in his presence hadn’t been limited. Justin should count that as a blessing.
She poked her elbow into his ribs. “Justin, look! The dog has skittered away and the boar is coming for us!”
He shifted his whittled stick, point forward, and waited for the boar to approach. If he superimposed every face of Magnolia’s suitors on the boar the exercise should be quite entertaining.
****
Justin had gone after the boar with s
uch gusto that Magnolia had squeezed her eyes shut. He appeared as if he was attacking an enemy of long standing.
The dying sounds of the animal reached her hearing but she continued to squeeze her eyes shut, only slitting her eyelids and peering out occasionally.
“You can look now.”
“Are you sure?”
“The animal has been skinned and is now roasting over a spit. Therefore, I’m sure you may.”
She opened one eye completely and then the other. Smoke rose around the beast. Juices dripped and sizzled as they struck the fire below. A tantalizing aroma tinged the air. She inhaled.
“Smell good?”
“Heavenly.”
“Sorry I don’t have spices with which to tease your senses even more.”
She cocked a brow. “Do you cook, Justin Blakemoor?”
“On occasion I’ve been known to dabble in the culinary arts.”
“How did I not know that?” She sat on the log, bent her knees up, and cupped her chin.
“You might be surprised by the things you don’t know about me.” He poked at the roasting boar.
She relaxed and stretched her legs out. “I doubt that.”
He cocked a brow. “You do? So you believe you know everything about me that there is to know?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “Not everything of course. I just don’t believe there are that many things I don’t know.”
He tapped his chin. “I see. So what is my favorite color?”
She pulled back her shoulders. Such an easy question. “Green. You enjoy foliage as it comes alive in spring and the green is your favorite part.”
“Hmm, very well, point one for you. What is my favorite food?”
He was offering her no challenge at all. “Pork pie. Are you going easy on me?”
“What is my favorite activity?” He rotated the spit.
“Horseback riding, but only with Rodchester. All the other horses in your father’s collection irritate you.” She was satisfied with herself and crossed her arms over her chest. The smirk that slipped onto her face was purely accidental.
The Case of the Lost Island (A Justice and Miss Quinn Mystery Book 6) Page 2