The gentleman in him realized he should have done the polite thing and escorted her to the galley, but he didn’t think he could have done so without snapping at her. And while asking her for a stroll about the deck perhaps wasn’t the wisest decision—because he remembered exactly how fetching she looked without trousers—he reasoned he couldn’t very well keep her locked away for the duration of the voyage. No, if he planned to return her to her brother untouched, he simply needed to avoid scenes like last night’s until they reached New York. Then he’d hand her over to Lucky and let him deal with her.
He also considered having one of his crew escort her so she could take in the fresh air, but couldn’t think of an appropriate man. When staffing his ships, he sought the best, most experienced
