Tomas had no idea that Grae did not want to see Arista, so he was more than willing to take her to the docks. She’d never been there dressed as a girl before, and more than one admiring glance was thrown her way as Tomas maneuvered the carriage through the tight spaces created by the crates of goods in the process of being loaded and unloaded. Shouts and loud thumps and the sharp smell of unwashed bodies filled the air. How had she never noticed it before? Dozens of men from various ships moved about as if they were following the steps to an intricate dance. How they didn’t crash into each other, especially while pushing carts piled high with cargo, she’d never know.
When Tomas finally stopped in front of a massive three-masted ship, Arista could not stop the warm rush of admiration. It was beautiful. Moored next to the wharf, bobbing on the river, the ship’s elegant design was on display. Intricate carvings covered the hull, and a figurehead of a woman stretched proudly out in front. Small windows lined the front of the hull in a neat row, and the mahogany wood gleamed in the sunlight. Hundreds of lines of ropes stretched in all different directions, creating a weblike effect that she could make neither head nor tail of.
On board, men rushed all over, checking ropes and scrubbing down the decks. Arista and Nic had sat watching enough times to know that the rituals of sailors rarely deviated. They were preparing the ship for another departure. Grae would sail away from her in the near future.
Small panels in the side of the ship brought Arista back to the reality of how dangerous Grae’s job was. If attacked, cannons would be pushed through them to fire on pirate ships. Had he fought another ship on the open ocean? Faced pirates?
There was so much she didn’t know about him. That she wanted to know. She rubbed her arms to push away the chill at the thought of Grae in danger.
“I’ll go get Mister Graeden, miss. You stay in the carriage. The docks ain’t no place for a lady.” Tomas jumped down and tethered the horse to a post, then jogged to the gangplank that led to the deck.
She almost protested that she’d spent plenty of time in the area, and had never suffered more than a swipe to the ear, when she remembered that it was different now. Then, she had been dressed as a boy, and had garnered nary a glance; but now, men eyed her as they passed. They grinned with interest, and a few were brazen enough to say hello. Arista ignored them all. Instead she sat quietly, clenching her hands tightly in her lap. She had her knife strapped to her thigh if she needed to use it, so that provided a small measure of comfort.
It was only a few minutes before Grae appeared. The top buttons on his crisp white shirt were undone and he had rolled his sleeves up, revealing tanned forearms. He had on black pants tucked into tall black boots, and he stood with his feet wide apart. In this light he looked less a highwayman and more a pirate.
She saw Tomas point to the carriage, and Grae’s gaze caught hers. He stood, hands on hips. From this distance she wasn’t sure if he was happy to see her or not. Tomas jogged back to the carriage.
“I’ll just grab a pint at the tavern there. Send for me when you’re ready, miss.” Tomas nodded politely and walked away down the dock.
Arista braced for more anger. Given their last conversation, she didn’t doubt Grae would dismiss her altogether. When he started down the gangplank toward her, she couldn’t stop her pulse from quickening.
The wind blew his dark hair across his eyes and he pushed it back absently. He looked as wild and strong as his ship. Possessiveness washed over her, though she had no claim to him. He stopped next to the carriage and cocked his head at her. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
God, he was beautiful to look at. Every time he was close, she found it hard to breathe. To even remember what excuse she had invented to see him again. “I needed to talk to you. About Sophia.”
“Is she okay?” Worry immediately replaced everything else. His knuckles turned white where they gripped the side of the carriage.
“She’s fine. She took me…” Would Grae tell his parents what Sophia did when they thought she was shopping? Coffeehouses were not exactly the place where proper young ladies went. “There’s a boy. Louis. I’m worried that he may not have her best intentions at heart and she seems…very fond of him.”
She couldn’t tell Grae that he was working with Wild without revealing her own connection.
“You’re worried about Sophia?” His expression bordered on disbelief.
“Of course I am. She is young and beautiful and trusting and I don’t want her to get hurt. Maybe you should look into this boy, make sure…” She stopped talking. Grae had started to smile at her and it was very distracting.
This close, she could see flecks of dark blue mixed in with the grey of his eyes.