Free Sail With Me (A Discovery Series Book) by Christy Major

someone caught her eye. Caught her heart is more like
it, I should say. Aidan O’Roarke was the lad’s name.”
    Captain Finley finished his apple and tossed the core into the fire. It
crackled and hissed as the flames rose higher, illuminating the faces of all
who listened. The captain scratched his beard and paused for a long moment.
    “Now this Aidan O’Roarke was a fine gentleman but just a fisherman by
trade like his father and grandfather before him. Janie’s father had seen
wealthy and powerful men look at his daughter and hoped to marry her off to
someone of position so he too could benefit.”
    Captain Finley paused again and rubbed at his beard.
    “Of course, Janie fell in love with simple and poor Aidan O’Roarke. One
of those once-in-a-lifetime-loves. One she could not deny or abandon. Her father
was furious and forbade Janie to accept Aidan’s hand in marriage when the
fisherman asked.”
    Another pause hung over the men as one of the rum bottles made its way
into the captain’s hands. He took a long gulp of it and passed it to the sailor
closest to him. As I waited for him to continue the tale, I was amazed at the
silence. Not a sound came from the men. The only noise was the fire popping
occasionally.
    “Now everyone here knows a woman in love cannot be stopped.”
    A few of the men nodded in agreement. “Forbidden or not, Janie planned to
marry Aidan and live with him on his boat as his wife. Her father refused to
see possible wealth and comfort for him sail away with this foolish fisherman
who had somehow stolen his daughter’s heart. While he puzzled out a scheme to
keep them apart, another suitor, Lord Ian McShane, happened by. Janie’s perfect
features and voice enchanted him as they had every other man. McShane
approached her father and offered him an enormous parcel of land along with
other valuable items if he could have Janie for his wife.”
    “She can’t marry him!” the smaller of the two boys squeaked. He was
seated at the captain’s feet and listening closer than any of us.
    Tousling the lad’s hair, Captain Finley continued, “You’re quite right,
Timmy. She couldn’t possibly marry Lord Ian McShane.”
    “She loves Aidan O’Roarke,” the other boy next to Timmy said.
    “That she did, Jonah,” the captain agreed, winking to the sailors nearest
to him. “So, Janie’s father didn’t tell his daughter of Lord McShane’s proposal.
Instead, he tampered with fate to make things turn out right for his own self.
He told Janie she could marry Aidan if he proved his love for her. Now,
she quarreled with her father saying she needed no proof of Aidan’s love. She
knew with her whole heart that Aidan loved her.
    “Her father insisted he needed the proof. She was his only daughter, he
told her, and he wanted to make sure Aidan was worthy. Janie agreed if only to
satisfy her father. Triumphant, her father issued a challenge to Aidan. He was
to sail out to the farthest tip of Africa and bring back a bagridae, a fish
similar to a catfish. Only too willing to prove his love, Aidan accepted the
challenge.
    “Though it pained Janie and Aidan to be separated while he sailed to
Africa, they knew when he succeeded they would marry. Nothing would make them
happier. Bidding Janie farewell, Aidan set off.”
    The captain shifted his legs and rested his hands on his knees. Lowering his
voice a bit, he said, “Janie waited each day and well into the dark evenings by
the seashore for Aidan to return. While he was away many other men vied for her
attention. She ignored them one and all. Secretly, her father got word to Lord
McShane that Aidan had accepted the challenge and was en route to Africa.
McShane immediately sent out a trio of his own ships.”
    “Were they going after Aidan?” Timmy asked, wide-eyed.
    “Aye, they were. Caught up to him in no time too, with their fancy boats
outsailing Aidan’s simple and older vessel with little trouble at all. Aidan
didn’t get too far when he