Free War of Hearts, A Historical Romance by Lynn Hubbard Page B

army desensitizes you a bit. She gratefully grasped their
outstretched hands and allowed them to pull her up the last couple
of feet. Standing on the deck she thanked them and turned to watch
Tristan climb. He looked up as she was looking down. Taken aback by
the intensity in his eyes, she again looked away. He quickly
climbed up and over the edge with no assistance.
    A man stepped forward to greet them. “Didn’t
think I would see you again so soon. Is this an inquisition?” he
asked, eyeing Randall in his British Finery.
    Tristan grinned, looking almost boyish. “No
it’s a tour for my new house guest.”
    He turned to draw Sarah forward. “Sarah,
meet Gabriel.”
    “Gabriel,” Sarah repeated, offering her hand
to him. She was surprised when he brought it to his lips and kissed
it. “Sarah, a beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”
    She blushed genuinely, withdrawing her hand.
Randall frowned at the new competitor. Perhaps his idea of a tour
was not the best. “We won’t be long,” he added with an air of
superiority.
    “A pity, any guest of Tristan’s is a guest
of mine,” Gabriel said with a wink.
    Sarah turned to take in the view from the
ship. The constant rocking made her a bit queasy and she grasped
the railing to help steady herself. In the distance she could see a
ship with no mast. A shadow crossed over her when the men joined
her.
    “What is that ship?” she asked. “Why is it
different?”
    “It is a hulk,” Randall supplied. “The mast
was removed so it can’t be moved.”
    “It is a prison ship,” Gabriel added. Sarah
glanced at him, there was a faint tone of disgust in his voice and
she wondered at it.
    Sarah turned back to stare at the dark boat.
She wished they were closer so she could tell more about it. A hand
touched her back and she looked up into Tristan’s blue eyes. “There
are more pleasant things to see.”
    She allowed herself to be guided away; she
was lead to the front of the ship to the captain’s bridge. She
looked at the sturdy oak wheel and trailed her hand along its
length. It was hard to believe this small piece of wood could steer
a ship of this size.
    “How does it work?” she asked.
    “The wheel is attached by rope to the
rudder. Turning the wheel turns the rudder and directs it on its
path.”
    The galley was next on the tour; it held
enough seats to feed the entire crew. They bypassed the men’s
quarters due to decency, but explained the men slept in hammocks.
The thought of men sleeping in a swinging gunnysack intrigued her
and she was gravely disappointed.
    Sarah asked any question that popped into
her mind. Anything to delay getting back into the audacious
carriage.
    Randall stifled a yawn, looking at his
pocket watch. “We have a whole city to see, unless you would like
me to visit again tomorrow.”
    “No, I wouldn’t want to keep you,” Sarah
supplied. “I can return another day?”
    “Anytime you wish,” Tristan added, and
earned a smile.
    She caught Gabriel staring at her intently,
it was not lust in his eyes but something else, intrigue maybe? It
was time to return to the rowboat and they did so in reverse order.
Tristan first, and then Sarah.
    Stepping up to the rope ladder and looking
down she felt ill. It seemed so far away. Her head whirled a bit
and she took a deep breath before gathering her courage and
throwing one leg over first, and then the next. It was much more
difficult going down. She dreaded looking beneath her to find the
swaying rungs for her feet; so she used her foot to locate it
instead. About half way down a gust of wind caught the ladder and
ripped it from Tristan’s grasp. The sudden movement caused Sarah to
lose her grip; her heart lurched in her chest as she felt herself
falling. A second later, she had toppled into Tristan’s out
stretched arms and knocked him flat on his back. Sarah lay
straddled atop of him, their faces only inches apart.
    “Need some help?” Gabriel shouted down as
the men on the ship hooted