A Heart's Masquerade Read Online Free PDF Page B

invited Cat to join them, they were shocked to find she did not possess a blade. Nothing would have it but that they teach her how to throw, and they were laughing loudly at Cat’s first efforts when the captain strode into their midst.
    "Williams, you couldn’t hit a barn," Ransom said, sending Harry into guffaws. "Watch, Cat," he ordered.
    With that, a blade sang through the air, landing squarely in the middle of the knot. Harry’s laughter was silenced, and Joe looked at the captain, dumbfounded, for Ransom had drawn the knife from his boot and hit his target before any of the three could "spit nails," as Harry liked to say.
    The captain chuckled at their astonishment, and, to Cat’s delight, he proceeded to instruct her in the fine art of knife throwing. They whiled away the afternoon, honing her skills, until she could send the captain’s handsome blade with its mother-of-pearl handle flying straight toward any target.
    All agreed, however, that the cabin boy could not attain the stealth necessary to pull the knife undetected. But Cat refused to accept that judgment. And in the weeks that followed, hardly a day went by that she did not pester one or the other of her fellows to borrow a knife and practice, until all swore to get Cat her ow upon making port..
    Knives were the last thing on the sailors’ minds, however, when the Reckless anchored off Tortola. They were thinking of the Cock and Bull , an infamous brothel, and precious little else, as they prepared to head for shore.
    Harry and Joe insisted that their new friend accompany them on what promised to be a rewarding expedition, but Cat, ill at ease with the idea, declined politely, to the distress of her companions.
    "Maybe the lad’s a bit young yet," Joe muttered.
    "He’s not! You’re never too young," Harry said. "Look at Danny." He pointed at the youngest member of the crew, a twelve-year-old even smaller than Cat, who was joining a party bound for sure. "And he went last year," Harry added.
    At that moment Mule, a less civilized member of the crew, walked past. "Maybe he’s got his cravings satisfied better right here," he said, sniggering.
    But Cat had the last laugh, for Mule did not realize the captain stood nearby, his eyebrow cocked at the seaman’s crude comment. Although taller and heftier than Ransom, Mule backed away without a word and joined his fellows.
    Dismissing Mule without another glance, Ransom turned to Harry. "If the boy doesn’t want to go, let him be," he said curtly, leaving the three to stare after him.
    "That man reminds me of a cat," Harry said, shaking his head. "He’s always turning up in the damnedest places and without batting an eye."
    "You’re right," Joe said. "Sometimes you just think about him, and he’s there. Gives me the willies."
    Cat paid no attention to their chatter, but she watched Ransom walk away, admiring the lean lines of his body. "The captain’s going, too?" she asked.
    "Of course," Harry said. "He’s a real favorite of Sally Knotts, who runs the place."
    Cat felt her insides churn at the thought of the captain and anyone from the brothel, especially the woman in charge. Oddly piqued and curious, she decided to have a look at this Sally.
    "All right, then, let’s be off," she said, drawing whoops of approval from Harry and Joe.
    However, Cat soon had cause to regret her decision.
    Sally was not the sort of female Cat had expected to be practicing her trade with the likes of the crew. She was beautiful, with hair as black as midnight and eyes the color of the sky. Her grin was wide and friendly, despite a chipped tooth, and she looked round and smooth in all the right places - places where Cat, especially in her boy’s guise, was not.
    Try as she might, Cat could find nothing lacking in the brothel owner’s looks, with the possible exception of her hair, which hung loose to her waist and could use a good brushing. Or maybe the men liked it that way, Cat thought, unconsciously fingering the cap