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Since he rarely called her by her preferred name, Rue was instantly alert She left Anitra and Tasherit in charge of their hostage, and the deckhands guarding against further infiltration, to meet the French secretive After all, she did not know if their supplier really was ignorant of the English language

She kept her voice as low as possible but spoke in cockney just in case the trades tube "Mr Lefoux, please return below We have us some bad’uns"

Quesnel was clearly very upset, for he didn’t even rib her on the atrocious accent "So I heard"

"So there be so with them coals, then, me laddie?" Rue was perfectly well aware that she sounded like a pirate in a small operatic production in so with a hand over her mouth

Rue’s question, or perforer "No, it seeh the goods I even had a sootie test for combustion It’s quality stuff"

Rue let out a breath At least they had fuel "Then what’s the tick? Did they try for belowdecks?"

"No"

Rue was beginning to lose patience "Then what? I’estured back to where Tasherit stood with her mouth around the ood"

"You…" Quesnel was scrauage but he had seemed fluent until thishim

"Out with it" She let impatience colour her words She couldn’t think of any cockney slang for getting a man to open his saucebox

"You shouldn’t have done that"

Rue crossed her ar the parasol in one hand

"It was a stupid risk, Rue, putting yourself forward" Still angry, he nevertheless softened his tone to a hiss

Rue flinched when his hand caers shaking They came away smeared with blood

The ht "I’ve had worse playing olves"

"You should have had a deckhand act as purser We knew they were hostile and crooked"

"It’s just a nick"

Quesnel took a shaky breath, but his hand was back on her skin An inquisitive finger s the pulse point, tracing the veins It was as if he was reassuring himself her blood still moved

"You aren’t your father You aren’t immortal"

"I know that"

"Do you? You don’t act like it"

It was nice but this was not the right time for whatever emotion drove him