The Gilded Stone by Candace Osmond

Author:Candace Osmond
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: pirate, fantasy romance, pirates, time travel, time travel romance, pirate romance, time travel fantasy, romance series, outlander, gabaldon
Publisher: Guardian Publishing

***

It’d been a few days now and The Queen smoothed along the West Coast of Newfoundland, heading North so we could hug the tip of the peninsula as we emerged into the Labrador Sea. After that, we’d be surrounded by never-ending horizons until we crossed the Atlantic and docked in Scotland.

I busied about the kitchen, reorganizing it to my liking. I assumed the role of the ship’s cook once again, being the best candidate, but also welcoming the distraction from all the tension aboard. Everyone was still so full of silent anger. Gus and Lottie, who hardly exchanged a word, with each other or anyone else. Lottie had yet to even come up on deck.

Henry made small advances by sleeping in my bed each night, but he made sure to slip out in the morning before I awoke. Ben was nowhere to be found, spending most of his time in his cabin or up in the crow’s nest. I obsessed over his pattern of actions. How he was ecstatic to discover I’d come back, but completely shut me out after we saved Henry. Was he uncomfortable around us? It couldn’t be. I hated to think that he still had feelings for me after all these years. But what other reason could there be for his odd behaviour?

The door swung open and I looked up from the bowl of dough I mixed and heaved a sigh. Then there was Finn. He stood there in the doorway and waited hopefully. I rolled my eyes and pointed at a tray on the farthest counter.

“There are rosemary buns over there.”

He took a bun and groaned loudly as he slumped down in a wooden chair. It buckled under his weight. “Dianna, if ye don’t soon forgive me, I’ll lose me Jesus mind.” He lobbed off a chunk of the bread and stuffed it to the side of his bearded mouth. “I was only doing what I thought to be right. I couldn’t very well leave the captain there with the wretched beasts.”

I swam through my thoughts. “I know, Finn.” He brightened. “I know you didn’t mean any harm. But look where it got us. We’re embarking on another flimsy mission in the hopes you can find a mythical door.”

He sat up straight. “I can. I will find it. I swear.” His head cocked to the side and his eyes filled with tears. “Christ, if I were a Viking, I’d whisk us away in the blink of an eye but I cannae. I’m sorry. Just please forgive me for the love’ a God, Dianna. I cannae stand it.”

I stopped kneading the dough and my face twisted in confusion. “Viking?”

He rolled his eyes and waved it off. “Ahh, the buggers were always leavin’ portals wherever their boats landed. Wherever they conquered or settled.”

My pulse quickened. “Portals?”

He muttered something Gaelic under his breath. “Aye, it’s how the savages moved around. Dinnae ye ken that in the future? In yer history books?”

I laughed. “Viking portals? No, can’t say I learned anything about that in high school.

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