Early the next morning James flagged down someone who wore the uniform of an Ordinary Seaman, the lowest-ranking sailor besides a cabin boy, “I wonder if you could help me.” James said. “I finished my book and would like to switch it out with another in my luggage.”

“Of course, sir,” the Seaman said, without a hint of annoyance. It wasn’t so the first few times James had asked, he had been met with such incredulous disdain for the request that he had almost taken it back. But the offer of gold could ease even the worst of tempers.

Word must have gotten around that James paid handsomely for the slightest request, let alone such an arduous task of retrieving luggage from the ship’s hold because though James had never spoken to this specific Seaman before, the man seemed almost eager to help.

“I shall retrieve it for you at once,” The Seaman said.

“No need to bring it up,” James said. “Just lead me down to the hold, it shouldn’t take me long.” James had made the trip on three prior occasions, he could find it himself but he didn’t want to be caught unaccompanied in the cargo hold and accused of thievery.

When they reached his trunk, which remained on the outskirts of the hold at his request, the Seaman was polite enough to turn around giving James privacy as he dug through the large trunk he had brought along with him. After some rifling, he retrieved two books.

James left the ship’s hand at the entrance of the hold, with a fist full of coins; he planned to spend the day on the deck, reading in the light of the sun. He was almost to the entrance when a man stepped into the hall. “Excuse me,” James said, stepping around the man. The hall was dark, no light coming through except for where the door stood ajar at the end of the hall but James's eyes adjusted enough to the dark that he could see what the man was wearing. He was dressed ostentatiously. He wore a wide-brim hat, a knee-length coat fitted at the waist, and a sword hung at his hip. This was the ship’s captain.

James didn’t linger, not wanting to give the Captain a chance to demand what he was doing down there, or to forbid the crew from allowing him to access his luggage. If the good weather held, they still had two weeks left of their journey, if they did hit a storm it could double it or even triple it. Not being able to access his luggage for that amount of time would make the trip all the more unbearable. The Captain didn’t stop him and James breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out onto the quarter deck, into the light of day.

James had only read through two chapters of his new book by the time Becca approached him. He smiled in greeting and she scowled back, “This is for you,” James said, handing her the larger of the tomes.

She took the book looking down at the title, “Hamlet?”

“You can read? Please, excuse me. I didn’t mean to sound so surprised. I wasn’t doubting your intelligence, but so few have the opportunity and good fortune to learn.”

“I taught myself,” Becca said her tone wasn’t a brag, but defiant.

“Did you really? That’s quite impressive,” James said. “That novel, unfortunately, won’t ease your boredom but I think you’ll find it stimulating nonetheless. Hidden in those pages is a story of a scheming, audacious young woman who tricks an old man out of his gold.”

Becca held the book flat in the palm of her hand, opening the cover, her eyes darted over the contents, quick as a striking snake, and closed the book again. The book's insides had been hollowed out, and gold coins had been layered inside; he had several other novels in his luggage that had the same treatment done to them. Becca’s lips thinned in displeasure, “there’s more here than I won. Why.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

James laughed, “You're not too trusting.”

“I’ve learned not to be.”

“Consider it an advance.”

“For what.” She said clipped.

“For keeping an eye on that one,” James nodded at Thomas who stood at the entrance of the deck, he was wringing his hands nervously, obviously wanting to join them but unsure of his welcome.

Becca whipped her head around, glaring at Thomas as he took a step towards them, the boy faltered and stopped where he was. “You,” Becca hissed, turning back to James. “You’re the reason he’s been following me around like a lost puppy.”

“I might have made the suggestion.” James said, “If his attention is so unwanted, tell him to leave you alone. He’s not the sort that would persist where he isn’t wanted.”

“... I don’t mind it. I had thought… a lot of people have started to talk to me now that won so much money from you. People who wouldn’t look at me twice before.”

“He’s not so shallow as to lust after the wealth of others,” James smirked, “He offered to pay me back every cent I had lost.”

Becca looked at him in disbelief, “Is he mad or just stupid?”

“I thought it was rather sweet.”

“There’s clearly something wrong with you as well.” Becca scoffed. “So what, all this money to keep him from tripping over his own feet?”

“Exactly.”

“What an arduous task,” Becca muttered. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Good. I am curious though...”

“About?”

“Your backup plan. It all could have been a trick, my losing… well, more so than it was. I could have been luring you into a false sense of security, only to indebt you into servitude when someone made a bet too large for them to feasibly pay back. A woman as clever as you would surely have a plan in mind?”

“Of course I did,” Becca said. “Do you think there hasn’t been talk of robbing you? Especially at the start. This arrogant Lord swanning into a place he clearly doesn’t belong throwing about money. I overheard some men discussing it late at night. Strangling you in your sleep and throwing you overboard, taking all that money for themselves. The talk had died down as of late. Why commit a crime when the money was freely given to you with little to no effort? Especially when so many have grown fond of you.

“But if you had broken that goodwill you had built up by collecting on debts, it would be easy to stir up the talk again. I wouldn’t have to do anything myself, just a few words in the right ears… with you gone, there would be no one to collect on my debt.”

“Rather harsh.”

“Such a man would deserve no less.”

“And what sort of man am I?”

She gave him an assessing look, “the same as Thomas.”

“Naive? Or mad and stupid?”

“Lonely,” Becca said. “And so desperate for a shred of positive attention you would promise your life away to get it.”

James felt his smile fade. “You’re wrong. I’m perfectly fine on my own.”

“That so? Because I was going to offer you a job at my Inn, if you were lonely that is.”

James laughed, “you? Offer me a job?”

“Yes. I think you’d make a great bellhop…or maybe being a chambermaid would suit you better?”

This girl…

He only had the widening of Becca’s eyes and the flicker of fear in them as a tell before he was ducking beneath the blade of a sword, it whistled through the air mere inches above his head where his neck had previously been. He turned as he ducked beneath the sword, stepping back and away from his assailant, he reached out his arm, forcing Becca to back away with him. “Get away from me,” James told Becca, his voice harsh with authority. He felt her back up farther, the press of her dress against his arm disappearing entirely.

The sword had been aimed at his neck. There was no hesitation in the swing. No second thoughts slowing the blade. The man across from him was an older gentleman. He had only seen him once, just that morning when he was retrieving Becca’s money from his luggage in the hold.

It was the captain of the ship.