Call of the Sea (5 page)

Daniel had known the instant Ellie had been told about the impending trip, despite not trailing close enough behind them to actually hear her mother’s words. Usually a barely contained whirlwind, the girl had deflated like a windless sail.

He ambled a bit closer.

Now what, taffard?

Daniel glanced down at his useless front flippers. He couldn’t even put an arm around her, so how was he supposed to console her? Determined to lend her whatever comfort he could, he shuffled the remaining few feet to Ellie and nudged her with his snout.

She jumped back with a small squeak. Her wide eyes swung his way. Recognition lit her expression and she let out a rush of air. “Jaykers, you scared the devil out of me.”

Daniel lowered his head, moved closer, and nudged her leg again.

Ellie tilted her head, brow gathering. She wiped at her damp cheeks with the heel of her hand.

He had no words to console her even if he could have spoken. He knew what it was like to be tossed away, to not fit in. The captain had told him sending her away was for her own good, but the sadness in her eyes told a different tale. Daniel rested his chin in her lap, turned his most pathetic gaze up at her, and whimpered.

The tiniest sliver of a smile pulled at her cheeks, but vanished like an apparition, leaving Daniel to wonder if he’d just imagined it being there.

She reached out and patted his head. A long sigh shuddered past her lips. “I don’t want to play right now, Skip.” She waved a dismissive hand at him. “Shoo.” Ellie adjusted her position, turning away from him. Her attention returned to the moonlit sea.

He cringed at her pet name. Skip was short for Skipper—everything Ellie did or said had something to do with sailing—but Daniel still didn’t care for it. Whenever she used it, he had to remind himself why he couldn’t just change form and tell her his real name. Aside from the captain’s orders, the look on Ellie’s face when she’d seen him sitting at the breakfast table with her father told him she’d not be pleased with his true identity. She hated Daniel.

Not one to give in so easily, he propelled himself forward until he stood between her and the waves. Daniel lifted his head and barked.

Ellie’s eyes narrowed. She folded her arms over her chest. “Go away.”

Daniel rolled over on his back and clapped his front flippers. He glanced at her from his upside down position, pleased with himself when a grin replaced her scowl. He flopped back onto his stomach and nudged his round body forward until his length rested against her thigh. He set his chin on her knee.

A merry chuckle bubbled from Ellie. “Aren’t you the stubborn one?” She gave his torso a soft rub. “Fine. You can stay.”

Daniel stayed beside her until long after the rhythmic rolling of the waves and the heat of his insulated body had lulled her to sleep. It wasn’t until the sky grew light to announce the coming dawn that he dared leave her side, and then only long enough to retrieve something from its rocky hiding place. With his gift held in his teeth, Daniel lumbered back to the curled up form on the beach.

He deposited the small driftwood carving of a seal beside her left hand. Leaning forward, he pushed at her shoulder with his nose.

Ellie’s eyes fluttered open. Upon spying Daniel, a smile lit her face. She moved to sit up, her hand catching on the wooden carving. She glanced down. Her eyes widened as she scooped up the prize. “Where did this come from?” Her pert nose wrinkled as she studied him. Confusion clouded her eyes.

Something to remember me by.
Daniel bobbed his head and lifted a flipper in a rudimentary salute.

The smile that lit Ellie’s face warmed his very soul. Her fingers curled around the token as her gaze sought the brightening sky. The smile vanished. “If Mama wakes and finds me gone, she’ll lock me up until it’s time to leave for Truro.” She scrambled to her feet and shook the sand from her nightgown. Ellie bent and placed a kiss on the top of Daniel’s head.

In that moment, Daniel found himself grateful seals didn’t blush.

“I’ll be back after breakfast. Promise.” Ellie straightened, turned, and darted across the beach toward the winding path.

Daniel watched her go, pleased to see that her usual pluck and energy seemed to have returned. He blew out a puff of air.

If he could just keep her that way until she left for school.

Chapter Six

Newquay, England, 1660

Ellie squinted at her reflection in the mirror hanging outside her parents’ bedroom. Her hand ruffled the short mop of flaming red hair. Dressed in black boots, knee breeches, and a linen shirt, her transformation from female to male was complete. She had to bind her chest to hide growing breasts, but her gangly long legs and skinny frame helped with the effect.

Feeling lighter, she set the scissors on the table and bent to scoop up the long tendrils littering the floor. She tossed them on the fire and scrunched her nose at the acrid scent of burnt hair. The pile disintegrated in the hungry flames. Ellie pulled a cap over her scarlet scruff, grabbed her packed satchel and tossed it over her shoulder. She turned and scanned the room.

Papa’s pipe sat on the end table beside his chair, awaiting his return. His books and papers lined the shelves beside it. Her mind could almost conjure him sitting there. The lingering scent of his soap tickled her memory. Mama’s knitting lay stacked in the far corner alongside an ever-growing pile of clothes that required mending.

As much as she loved her parents, Ellie couldn’t imagine spending even another week trapped on shore, another birthday waiting for a day that would never come. The sea called to her, beckoned from just outside her window every night for as long as she could remember. She’d done as her parents expected for the past five years, stayed at boarding school, applied herself to her lessons, all the while pining for the shore and the familiar sound of crashing surf. And still her father wouldn’t let her sail with him, despite her being fifteen—two years older than Daniel had been when he started working for Papa. Ellie knew if she stayed at home any longer, Mama would have her betrothed to a stranger with a fancy name.

And I’ll never step foot on a ship, let alone captain one.

Ellie blew out a sigh. Mama would be back from town soon.
Time to get going.
A worm wiggled in her stomach.
She’ll be so upset.
With no way for Mama to contact Papa aboard ship, it’d be months before he could be made aware of Ellie’s absence.
Then he’ll come looking for me.

Her skin prickled. With a jerk of her shoulders, she forced the intrusive thought away.

Ellie tucked a dagger into a hidden sheath in her left boot, took a deep breath, and straightened her shoulders. A knot of doubt formed in her throat. Before she could change her mind, Ellie left her childhood home, obliterating her parents’ plans for her life. She wiped a rogue tear from her lashes and lifted her eyes to the sky.

Soft fluffs of cloud sailed across the azure expanse and bright sunlight kissed her cheeks. She filled her lungs with salt air. A grin bowed her lips.

Light steps took Ellie down the dusty road to the wharf. A surge of excitement vibrated through her and she couldn’t wipe the silly grin from her face.

She didn’t bother to try.

***

Within an hour of leaving home, Ellie stood outside the office of Harris Shipping, her father’s biggest competition. Papa complained that Harris was a menace, hiring anyone with a pulse, and that was just the sort of captain she happened to be looking for.

Hands shaking, Ellie reached for the brass doorknob.

Captain Harris sat behind a massive oak desk, head bent over a stack of paperwork. Clear green eyes swept up to meet Ellie’s from below the furriest eyebrows she had ever seen, as if two fat caterpillars perched on his forehead. “What have we here?” He stuffed his quill pen back in the ink stand and folded beefy hands on the desk.

Ellie shook her head and forced her gaze from the captain’s captivating eyebrows. “Afternoon, sir. Name’s Ellis. I was hoping you might have some work for me.”
Flatter him.
“Word on the docks is you’re a fairer boss than the Winters bloke.” Ellie relaxed her shoulders, trying to stand more like the boys she’d seen hanging around outside the tavern on her way there. She stuffed a hand in her pocket.

“Ye don’t say?” Captain Harris looked her up and down. The scraggly caterpillar above his right eye jumped upward.

Her stomach squirmed under the intensity of his silent gaze. Ellie pulled the hand from her pocket and clasped it with her other moist palm behind her back. She forced herself to maintain eye contact. “That’s the word, sir.”

Captain Harris grinned. “Who am I to argue with the masses, eh? How old are ye, boy?” He leaned back in his chair. The wood creaked in protest.

Ellie shaved a few years, hoping the falsehood would explain her small stature. “Thirteen, sir.”

Captain Harris snorted. “Where the hell are yer parents?”

“Dead, sir, for over a year now.” The lies slipped past her lips with an ease that startled her. She thought about expanding on the tale to play on his sympathies, but something in his stoic expression told her the effort would be futile. Plus she’d have to remember any lies she told.

Captain Harris rubbed his dimpled chin. “Ye’re awful skinny, boy. A stiff wind’s liable to blow ye right off the deck. Ye ever sailed before?”

Ellie lifted herself to her full height, as if doing so would make all the difference in his judgment. “No, sir. But I promise if you give me a chance you won’t regret it.”

The captain slammed his hands on the table. “Enough!”

Ellie nearly jumped out of her skin at the impact and bit down on a squeal of terror. Tension knotted her neck.

“I’m convinced. Report to Gorgon aboard
The Surf Runner
. He’s a huge fella, size of a small house, can’t miss him. Tell him I said to give ye Briar’s job. He’ll know what to do with ye.” Captain Harris stretched a fat hand across the desk toward Ellie. “Welcome to the crew, Ellis.”

Her eyes widened.
I’m going to sea!

Ellie’s head buzzed. A prickle shivered along her arms as she clasped the captain’s hand. “Thank you, sir. I promise I’ll work real hard.”

“Captain, Ellis. Now ye get to call me Captain.”

Ellie wondered if a heart could burst with joy. A wide grin split her face. “Aye, Captain.”

She managed to keep a tight lid on her excitement until she closed the shipping office door, but once she had, Ellie glowed with it. She scooped up her satchel and threw it over her shoulder.

Her feet barely touched the ground as she walked along the docks to where
The Surf Runner
lay anchored. A pang of worry stuttered her steps and dropped her back to reality.

Mama will be frantic.

She swallowed hard, forced the traitorous thought away.

In an effort to convince herself she was making the right decision, Ellie’s eyes swept over the dark hull of the snow-brig
The Surf Runner
, up along the polished wooden rail, and higher still to where the twin masts touched the cobalt sky. She inhaled fish-scented air while forcing the image of her mother in tears from her mind. Ellie climbed the gangplank.

Reaching the top, her mouth fell open. Men of all ages and sizes scrambled from place to place like bilge rats storing rations. A barrel-chested deckhand held a wooden crate at the end of a pulley in one hand while cursing and waving his free hand at a group of sailors standing below the crate’s landing spot.

A giant mass of muscle stepped in front of Ellie, blocking the view and casting her in shadow. “What do ye think ye’re doin’, boy?”

Ellie tilted her head back to look up at the dark-haired hulk. A tingle of fear slid down her spine.

Harris wasn’t kidding, he’s huge.
“You must be Gorgon. Captain Harris said to report to you.”

“Did he now?” Gorgon lifted a brow. He nestled boulder-sized fists on his hips. “Don’t s’pose he told you what I’m supposed to do with a scrawny thing like you, did he?”

Ellie lifted her chin. “Aye, sir, he did. The captain said for you to give me Briar’s job.”

Gorgon shrugged massive shoulders. “Come with me, then.” He turned and ambled across the deck toward the bow.

Ellie hurried to keep up with his long strides. When he reached the mainmast, Gorgon stopped and looked up the long pole to the crow’s nest perched at the top. “Nelson! Get your arse down here.”

A bald man peeked over the rim of the lookout basket. “Aye, sir!” Nelson crawled over the edge of the nest, and with surprising agility climbed down the rigging. He landed on nimble bare feet in front of Gorgon and flashed a row of white teeth. “At your service.” His brown eyes shifted to Ellie, looked her up and down with slow deliberation.

“I got a new cabin boy for you.” Gorgon thumbed toward Ellie before folding his huge arms over his chest. “Show him the ropes and keep him out of trouble. He’s your responsibility.”

Nelson nodded. “Understood.”

Without so much as a glance at Ellie, Gorgon turned away and headed back toward the gangplank, where a group of men had just dropped a large wooden crate. “You can’t leave that there, you taffards!”

“What’s your name, boy?” Nelson asked, drawing Ellie’s attention. The gold earring looping his left ear flashed in the sunlight, lending him a dubious quality.

“Ellis, sir.”

Dressed in cutoff pants and a threadbare shirt, Nelson reminded Ellie of a shipwreck survivor. His lack of hair made it hard for her to guess his age, but the creases at the corners of his eyes told her he was older than Papa. “Okay, Ellis, first lesson. Respect is earned through actions, not words. Drop the ‘sir’. I go by Nelson.”

Straight to the point. She liked him already. “Got it.”

He waved a beckoning hand. “C’mon, I’ll show you around.”

After Nelson’s extensive tour of
The Surf Runner
, he took her to the galley and put her to work cleaning pots and pans for Sven, the ship’s cook. Dinner would be served in the forecastle at seven, he’d told her, so he expected her to report back to him at the mainmast before then.