Swept Away (The Swept Away Saga, Book One)

Chapter Twenty-Five

"And there she was, sitting in the corner, holding the gun she'd just shot me with. I swear, it's the truth!" Tristan laughed with everyone at the table, glancing at me over the top of his wine glass as he took a sip, a happy sparkle in his eyes. He was dressed in his finest, in a long, black coat, white button up shirt, knee length pants, stockings, and buckle shoes. He'd shaved his face as well and had his hair trimmed back to its normal length.

The dining area was lined with large windows, showing views from all around the house and out into the garden. They were set into the white walls, pictures and tapestries hanging between them. It was a long room, with the stretched out table in the center, loaded with flowers and our feast, which was being served to us course by course. Gran sat at one end, her husband Brian at the other, with Tristan and myself seated in the middle with their other two houseguests.

"I hadn't realized it was him when I fired," I continued, smiling at the interested faces around me. "I was just trying to stay alive."

"Brave girl," Gran replied proudly. "I would have done the same."

"Now, that's not true, Gran," Brian, a tall man with big owl eyes, said. "Ye would have taken the lot of them out single handedly and still had time for tea afterward."

The table roared with merriment and she did as well, raising her glass to toast her husband before drinking deeply.

"So what then?" The man who asked was one of the members of company for the evening, named Mr. Allen. He was a heavier man, with spectacles that rested precariously on his nose, his wispy white hair slicked back.

"Before I could decide, the captain saw her, but he didn't recognize her. So I said she'd joined up. That's how she became a man on a pirate ship."

"You never told us how you ended up on Oak Isle in the first place," Brian butted in, looking at me curiously. "Just what were ye doing there?"

"I was on a walk from the mainland," I replied, smiling. "It felt like as good a day as any for a swim, but I guess the ocean had a different mind for me."

He nodded, seeming to accept my story. At the same time, I wondered if he was a Templar as well, checking to see if my tale held true. In any event, dinner continued on without interruption, another narrative starting up once mine had finished. As things began to wind down, my stomach full from the delicious meal, I sighed happily, simply enjoying being a part of it all. Tristan, who was sitting directly across from me at the large table, grinned, gesturing with his head toward the garden outside. Nodding slightly, I wiped my mouth with the cloth napkin in my lap.

"If ye'll excuse us," Tristan announced, rising. "Miss Greene and I need to discuss future plans to get her home."

Standing as well, I beamed at everyone and moved around the table, thanking the men who'd risen as I left.

"They like ye," Tristan said comfortably as soon as we were outside and away from prying ears.

"You think so?"

He took my arm, wrapping it around his own as we walked through the cool night air, following the wall line. The grass underfoot was soft and smelled sweet, flourishing in the southern climate. Everything felt so completely relaxed, like we hadn't a care in the world.

"Gran would have told ye outright to go away if she didn't like ye," he chortled. "I've seen her do it before, to a minister who wouldn't stop pestering her. But ye," he stopped, turning to look at me as he pulled me up against him. "She likes ye. I can see it in her eyes."

"I guess that's good," I laughed, leaning on him. "She is a wonderful woman. Very strong, I imagine."

"Ye don't imagine anything. She's the strongest woman I know."