Free Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall Page B

me.” The ship suddenly bucked over a wave, causing those standing to stumble. The parson struck the bulkhead with a thud.
    “Not if you’re a thief or murderer.” Mr. Scott stiffened his jaw.
    “Or a ravager of women,” Magnolia spat.
    Hayden snorted. “So what’s it to be? Clapped in irons and locked below for the entire voyage?”
    “That’s for the captain to decide.” The colonel deferred to Captain Barclay with a gesture.
    The old sea dog circled his desk, stuffing his watch into a pocket. “When you’ve recovered from your wound, you may prove your strength and capability by joining my crew. That way you can at least pay for your passage.”
    Hayden flinched. “I know nothing about sailing.”
    “You’ll learn quickly.” The captain winked at his two officers, one of whom chuckled.
    “I suppose I have no choice.” Flattening his lips, he released a sigh. “Though, the work is beneath me.” He tugged at his cravat, the lace of which was not only out of style but stained.
    “And just what is your normal enterprise, Mr. Hayden?” Eliza spoke up, though she had yet to make up her mind about the man.
    Eyes the color of jade assessed her. “Investments, Mrs. Crawford. I deal in land and commodities, foreign and domestic.”
    Something in the quirk of his lips and flash of his eyes made her wonder if he was being forthcoming.
    Colonel Wallace shifted his boots over the deck and glared at the man. “If you so much as look at a lady for more than two seconds, or if I find anything missing on this voyage, I won’t hesitate to feed you to the sharks.”
    Instead of cowering beneath the colonel’s authority, Hayden gazed up at him, a playful sparkle in his eyes. “Such drastic measures, Colonel. Won’t I even get a trial?”
    “God sees all things done in the darkness,” Parson Bailey interjected.
    “I’m the law here,” the colonel replied.
    Hayden sat back in his chair with a huff. “You won’t have any trouble from me.”
    This seemed to satisfy all present, except the Scotts, who approached the captain’s desk spewing further complaints. The captain dismissed them with a wave and a hearty declaration that all would be well, sending them leaving in a stew of huffs and “I nevers.” Just as quickly, he released Eliza, the parson, and Hayden with the excuse that he needed to discuss business with James and the colonel. The latter glanced forlornly at her as she left the cabin, his eyes full of promise. Was he as disappointed as she was at not having a chance to speak to each other? Or perhaps God was protecting her from her own foolish heart—a heart that had led her astray once before.
    Just as Eliza was leaving, a sailor brushed past her and barreled into the cabin. “Captain, the compass is crushed. Broken clean through.”
    Her ears burning from the resultant curses behind her, Eliza headed toward the galley for some tea, wondering who would destroy a compass and why.
    With a hot cup in hand, she finally entered her cabin to the moans and groans of Sarah, swinging in her hammock. The poor dear had also succumbed to the cruel whip of mal de mer, and Eliza hated that she couldn’t do more to ease her suffering. Halting beside the pregnant woman, she wiped sweaty strands of hair from a face as white as the foamy wake off the stern. The foul stench of sickness emanated from the chamber pot on the table.
    Slipping an arm behind Sarah’s back, Eliza helped the woman sit, bunching pillows behind her and lifting the cup of mint tea to her lips. Her gaze wandered past the sunlight winking off Sarah’s gold cross down to her distended belly, so round and firm with child, and a sad thought jarred Eliza. She would probably never have children.
    When she’d first married Brigadier General Stanton Watts, she’d hoped to have a houseful. She could still see him standing at the altar the day of their wedding in his crisp blue uniform with sparkling brass buttons and the single gold star adorning