Jeremy raised a brow. “Reeves?”

“Yes.”

“You waited this long to say so?”

“It only sounded familiar when he said it, but I’ve just recalled why. There was a scandal a while back, well, longer than a while, over twenty-five years ago, actually, when I was a young buck going around with Nick and Derek. Lady Reeves’s daughter, who was quite a beauty, went on holiday to the West Indies and briefly returned with a husband with whom she’d eloped. Her family didn’t approve of the chap because he was only a planter, so she returned to Jamaica and was never heard from again. Her family assumed she died, but it was whispered they disowned her and that’s the real reason she never came back again.”

“You sure it was Jamaica and you’re not remembering that name from me, because I lived there briefly with my father and his first mate, Connie?”

“I’m not confused, dear boy. You told Derek and me that story long ago.”

“I’m afraid our captain is a bit too young to have been the planter Lady Reeves’s daughter eloped with.”

“No, no, I wasn’t suggesting anything of the sort. I was just surprised to recognize the name. But you’re right, Captain Reeves wouldn’t be any relation a’tall to the East Sussex Reeveses, and besides, the planter wouldn’t take his wife’s name, now would he?”

Jeremy chuckled. “Highly doubtful, but then you can’t discount pirates coming from upper-crust English families, either.”

“Course not, point being your father—”

“Percy . . . ,” Jeremy cut in warningly.

Percival delivered a soft snort. “I don’t know why you still deny—well, I do know why, because you think I’ll blabber it all over London, but—”

“Was it ever confirmed for you?”

“No,” Percy grumbled.

“Then stop guessing over something that’s such an old rumor. Why don’t you help me figure out what’s wrong with this crew instead.”

“Wrong? Well, they’re pirates, that’s wrong enough, ain’t it?”

“But I don’t think they all are, and that’s what’s odd. That group who beat me down on Wapping Street were definitely the hardened sort, but listening at the door when the crew comes and goes from their quarters, it appears some of them aren’t pirates a’tall, just typical sailors. And the first mate and captain are clearly not ordinary sailors themselves, might even be gentlemen.”

“Oh! You mean from East Sussex?”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “I concede that could be possible, since the Reeves family probably had other children, even grandchildren, cousins, nephews, et cetera, at least more’n one disowned or dead child.”

“Don’t know. Didn’t know them personally.”

“Percy, it’s irrelevant where the captain and his mate come from. They could be royal bastards for all I care. My point is that it’s clear the pirates don’t like or trust their captain, so we should figure out how to use this fissure in the crew to free ourselves and Jack.”

Chapter Twenty

JACQUELINE WAS RUDELY AWAKENED by two of the crew who were talking to each other quite loudly, as if they hadn’t noticed she was still sleeping.

She gasped when she opened her eyes and saw that one of them was standing next to her cot staring down at her. A fearsome-looking pirate, he had a jagged scar running from cheek to ear on the left side of his face. Giving her a lopsided grin, he at least moved away from her now that she was awake. It didn’t diminish her unease, which rose instead when she sat up, holding the blanket up to her neck, and realized Bastard wasn’t in the cabin. She was alone with these two pirates. Had she slept all morning? She shouldn’t have, not when she’d fallen asleep so quickly last night after her exhausting swim. If Mort had come back last night as Bastard had warned her, she hadn’t heard it.

Indignation overwhelmed her when she saw the other pirate examining the clothes she’d hung on the chairs the night before. “Get away from my clothes. I assure you they won’t fit you.”

The scarred-cheek pirate laughed at his friend’s red face. She didn’t care. But she couldn’t get out of bed with the pirates in the room. She noticed that the door was wide-open. A thoughtless mistake on their part? Or was there a guard out there again?

Her shoulders slumped when she saw a man’s arm wave across the opening as whoever was out there stretched, likely bored with his duty. So she glanced about the room as she wondered why Bastard wasn’t in it.

The drapes had been drawn open to let in the morning sun, and a tray of food was on the table. But nothing explained why two pirates were loitering in the room with her. If she was to have in-room guards now as well as one at the door, something must be amiss. With Bastard? If his wound was worse than he’d let on and he’d collapsed, they’d tell her, wouldn’t they? Maybe not.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked.

“Changing the cap’n’s bedding,” the embarrassed one said belatedly, heading to the bed to do that.

“We are?” The other one looked confused.

“Get o’er here and help,” his friend ordered.

She watched them for a moment yanking at the sheets before she raised her brow and asked the man in an amused tone, “So he has servants now?”

They both glanced at her at once, though only for a second before getting back to their supposed task, although Scar Face mumbled, “Not bleeding likely.”

The other volunteered, “We help as needed, and just now it is. The captain doesn’t need to be doing this in his condition—thanks to you.”

“He probably won’t appreciate your babying him just because of a little wound.” Jack shrugged carelessly. “But make sure you tell him you changed his bedding. I don’t want him to think I did it. Does he even know you’re in here?”

At least one of them revealed a little nervousness at her guess, but it was nothing compared to the near panic he displayed when Bastard walked in. The captain was more than a little angry as he approached both men. One man made a wide circle around him and bolted out of the room. Scar Face backed away more slowly. He appeared more annoyed than afraid that he’d gotten caught.