After a short bow that seemed to pain him as much as it did for Henry to return, James gestured to his compatriots. They followed him away from the docking area and disappeared from sight.
A man cleared his throat. A ship’s officer stood beside the cart loaded with their luggage. “Your cabin is ready, sir.”
“Thank you, Captain Dunn,” Henry said. He clasped the captain’s hand in greeting. “I will not be returning home today, but I do appreciate you letting my friend’s occupy my family’s quarters.”
“Better they be used than stand empty, sir,” Captain Dunn said. “We are honored to host guests of the Delacour family. Would you care to show them the way?”
“Absolutely,” Henry said. “You go get her ready to depart. I’ll make sure I’m off board before you leave.” When he returned the captain’s
