Devil of the High Seas by Lauren Smith

Author:Lauren Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781958196137
Publisher: Lauren Smith

CHAPTER 10

Pirating, it turned out, was not as easy as Josephine had imagined.

Despite the number of books she’d read on the subject, nothing had prepared her for the sheer intensity of work that went into being a sailor. There was no question that she loved the ocean and being on the ship, but she simply hadn’t fathomed the sheer intensity of a sailor’s duties. The first part of her morning had been a mental test in her ability to memorize and recite the names of the masts, yards, rigging, and sails, all while running up and down the ratlines to point at each one. There was the foremast, mainmast and mizzenmast. She’d been most familiar with those, but she had no idea that even the wooden spars affixed to the masts had names.

When the masts and spars were completed, a ship was considered “rigged,” which meant all the ropes, cables, and chains used to support the masts and bars were set up. Gavin had drilled all of this information into her over and over with rigorous quizzing while she’d run about the ship like an excited young powder monkey, learning the work to be done on the deck level.

“Climb the shrouds,” Gavin ordered for the second time that day as Josephine reached wearily for the rigging that ran from the ship’s sides up to the masts. A ratline had been constructed on the ropes that formed a ladder for any sailors going aloft. After the second ascent and descent from the rigging, her lungs heaved and her arms and legs shook with the effort. Sweat dewed on her skin, and now that she was standing still, she shivered a little as she started to feel cold.

Gavin, hands clasped behind his back, watched her closely, his face a polite but cool mask. “Perhaps a third time will help you master the climb.” The stern persona he assumed when he was playing the part of captain sent nervous flutters through her and made her heart pound from something other than excitement. It was so different from the man who’d been such a sweet lover the night before. With a shock, she realized she liked when he pretended to be stern with her. It made her more aware of him as a man, in a way a woman is when she can barely think of anything other than wanting to be in his bed and in his arms. In short . . . Gavin, the captain, aroused her.

“I think I’ve mastered scaling the shrouds.” Josephine’s hands rested on her hips as she took in a few deep breaths. Her heart was still pounding hard. Gavin arched a dark brow, his lips twitching as he seemed to fight off a smile. If she hadn’t been so bloody tired, she would have smacked him for that.

“As a member of this crew, there are things you must always be aware of . . .” He began to drone on about her duties, but she was more interested in the crew who’d been observing her as she learned her tasks.

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