___

T

he bridge was quiet when Hara came up for her watch. Alice was still at the helm. Alice looked tired but she soon could head to her own bunk.

Hara asked, “Everything shipshape?”

“Yeah,” Alice said warily.

Alice rubbed her face and Hara asked, “You alright?”

Alice nodded. “Just we could do with more crew.”

A ship this size often had a dozen crew members. There wasn’t much Hara could do about it in the meantime. While they were still classed as ex-pirates, they only attracted the shady or the downright criminal. She had been contemplating automating much of the ship but that would take money and time. Neither one of the abundant while they were running from authorities.

Hara asked, “How is Demetrius doing?”

“If he can get the stick out of his arse, he will be all right.” Hara laughed. Alice wasn’t one to use vulgar language so she knew she had strong opinions on the young nobleman. Hara wasn’t surprised by that. Hara had developed her own strong opinions of noblemen and they were still very much accurate.

It had only been Gideon that had made her rethink some of her assumptions.

Hara asked, “Not pining for him to warm your bed, then?”

Alice snorted. “Hardly, though I do think I might like to have a man. I see the way you are with Gideon. It isn’t even about the heat between the two of you. It would be nice to have someone care about me. Is all. You aren’t going to ask me if I could like anyone already on board?”

Hara shook her head. “Who is there to choose from? Henry is a bit old for you. Liam is too young. Murphy is not your match brain wise.”

Alice raised an eyebrow. “What about Talen? You know he has tried to get his way into my bed?”

Hara wrinkled her nose. “Definitely not Talen. He is a scoundrel. He doesn’t have a moral bone in his body. And he is even older than Henry.”

Alice frowned. “Then why do you have him on board. I know he annoys Gideon. Talen has been trying to get between the two of you from the beginning.”

“Because Talen is actually trying to figure out how to go the straight and narrow. It is alien to him so he needs help. When he figures out that why he is here, he’ll leave Gideon alone. He isn’t in love with me but he still needs me and he is worried that Gideon will stop me from helping him.”

Alice shook her head. “So if he is the last option, there really is no option on this ship for me.”

Hara had to agree with her. But as long as Alice travelled with them, they were unlikely to come across someone like Gideon for Alice.

Hara took her position at the helm. “I swear we will only take on passengers who are kind and handsome and once we have our pardon, I’ll hire young virile men who can keep you company.”

Alice snorted with laughter but there was a seriousness to the whole conversation that neither of them could deny. It would be difficult for Alice. In the world they lived in, people had a set view of what women were supposed to be like and how they should act.

Hara knew better than anyone how those views could make a woman feel stifled. Alice was a bright woman who had taken to being first mate like a fish to water. Surely Hara could do her bit and see if she could play matchmaker for the girl.

Hara had a better idea. She would put Gideon on it. He had a good sense of people and what made them good people. Anyone he found for Alice would be a decent fellow and they would see how things went from there.