Free Passion's Tide by Sarah West Page A

suit, filling their plates with fish, meat, fruit and bread . Amber decided manners would be wasted on such a group and grabbed a turkey leg, moaning as she tore off a section with her teeth, ignoring the juice running down her chin .
    Dropping it to her plate she reached across the table for the bread and ripped off a hunk, bringing it straight to her mouth . She paused . Looking around, she realized that everyone was staring at her .
    She could feel the color creeping up her cheeks as she returned the bread to her plate and picked up her knife and fork, which, in her haste to eat, she had failed to notice the others using .
    “Would you like some rum, Amber?” Logan asked in an attempt to break the awkward silence . He held out the bottle to her.
    “I would prefer water, if that’s possible,” she replied, lifting her napkin to wipe the grease from her chin .
    “Of course.” He motioned to the man leaning against the wall, half hidden in the shadows . “Please bring Miss Amber some water . The freshest barrels are the ones we took from the Queen Charlotte , they should be next to the stairs.” With a curt nod, the man left .
    Logan turned to Eli . “I walked the length of the ship earlier, and it appears that everybody is adapting well enough.”
    “It didn’t take them long to discover the advantages pirating has over sailing . Our men seem especially pleased to have Noah with us,” Eli said, nodding his head towards the blond carpenter, who smiled into his mug .
    Jackson threw down his napkin with a flourish, startling Amber . “Daniel was a right foul ass, always slacking, never doing his fair share . He was always stealing from the galley, too . Bastard deserves to rot in—” He noticed Logan’s glare and cleared his throat, picking up his napkin and replacing it in his lap . “May God rest his soul.” Amber ducked her head to hide a smirk .
    “I will agree with you that Noah is a much more amiable substitute for Daniel,” said Logan before turning to Noah . “I only hope your carpentry skills are equal to his.”
    “They are better,” Eli assured . “He’s already cut a gun port for the new cannon we picked up from the Santa Anselma . ”
    Logan looked impressed . “I’m glad to hear that.” At that moment someone knocked on the door and Logan bade him enter . “Thank you Andrew,” he said, as the man brought a silver pitcher filled with water to the table and filled Amber’s mug, then returned to his spot against the wall . Logan waited until Amber lifted the mug to her mouth and took a sip before continuing .
    “Now, tell me . Is the Captain of the Queen Charlotte on my ship, scrubbing the deck as we speak?”
    Elijah shook his head as he reached across the table to grab a bunch of grapes . “He died defending his ship.”
    “It’s a pity they felt the need to fight. We offered them the obvious choice.”
    Amber gaped at him . “Surely you must be joking!”
    He turned his steel eyes towards her. “You must recall us firing a warning shot before we even boarded . We always give the other ship the opportunity to surrender, in which case we need not even draw our weapons . Your Captain,” he said, “refused to surrender . That is the reason for his death.”
    “Well, if you are under the impression that every captain will stand by and watch a bunch of pirates loot and raid his ship, I think you’re sadly mistaken.”
    “I never mentioned being under such a delusion, Miss Amber . And do not think for a second that just because we offer the other ships an opportunity to yield, that we are not capable of fighting if they choose not too.” His gaze narrowed . “All of my men are trained in cutlass and pistol alike, and would not have boarded your ship were they unable to defend themselves . I do not put the lives of my men so willingly into other people’s hands.”
    Amber was silent, sta ring at the bones on her plate and moving them around with her fork . Logan turned to Eli