Heading back to the hotel, Will spied down at the dockside, the Canis Major, the ship he had booked passage on board for Hattie and himself for the return journey to England.

He thought of the piece of paper in his pocket. It was odd to think of Sarah now being Hattie. Yet somehow the name better suited her. The time would shortly come when he would confront her about what he had discovered at the shipping office. That conversation though would have to wait until they were well out to sea. Will was taking no chances.

As he drew closer to the ship, his heart sank.

It may have been a sister ship to the Blade of Orion but that was where any similarity between the two vessels ended. While the Blade of Orion had been a sturdy, well-kept ship; the Canis Major was well past its best days.

The top of the portside of the ship, below the chains, had originally been painted a deep blue color, with gold detailing. In places patches of the paintwork were still evident, but for the most part it was either badly peeling or completely gone.

The figurehead on the bow of the ship looked like it had once been a gold painted dog holding a shield with stars picked out in red. Now half the dog’s head was missing, as was one of its legs.

Will began to reconsider the wisdom of sailing in such a vessel. He walked alongside the ship until he reached the gangplank. As a crew member walked past him, carrying a large barrel, Will stopped him.

“Is the captain on board the ship?” he asked.

The sailor nodded in the direction of a small table, at which sat a white-haired gentleman furiously writing in a ship’s manifest. He appeared well dressed which gave Will a flicker of hope. He headed over.

“Good morning. I understand you are the captain of this vessel,” said Will.

The captain looked up, sized Will up in an instant and got to his feet.

“I am. Who wishes to know?”

Will shot out his hand, and the surprised captain was left with little choice but to take it. Will’s time as an undercover operative had taught him the value of an easily offered handshake, over that of a gold coin. Men by nature wanted to trust likeable men.

“I have passage booked on board for my fiancée and myself. Do you still intend to sail with this evening’s tide?”

The captain nodded.

“If we can get all the cargo loaded on board by midday, then yes.”

Will looked up at the deck of the ship and could see it was already heavily laden with barrels and crates which the crew were lashing tightly together with heavy rope.

“You have quite a cargo there. Won’t it be a little tight for the passengers to move about on deck?” he asked.

The captain shook his head and pointed toward the rear of the deck.

“There is only the two of you, so we won’t be needing much deck. This ship wasn’t meant to do the run up to London until next week, but one of the company’s other boats hit a reef off the Canary Islands last week and tore a hole in its side. We must take as much of the cargo as we can on this trip. Every cabin apart from your one and mine is full of cargo.”

Will frowned, unsure if he had heard the captain correctly.

“Did you say there is only one cabin for the two passengers?” he replied.

“Yes, and you were lucky to be able to get that. But don’t worry, there is ample room for the both of you. That’s of course if you still wish to sail with us today, I have plenty of takers for your cabin if not.”

Will looked back at the ship, and the captain snorted.

“Don’t be fooled by her rough edges, she is a sturdy vessel. I’m retiring to a wife and a little cottage in Dorset come the end of the year. I wouldn’t be setting out in anything that would send me to a watery grave before then. My wife would kill me.”

Will took heart. Cramped though the ship might be, if it got them both safely home, he was prepared to endure a little discomfort.

And much as it was not ideal, he knew he had little choice. It could be another week before he was able to secure passage on the next ship to England. He was not going to risk waiting around in Gibraltar. If the local port authorities got wind of who Hattie really was they might decide to take her into their protection. As far as he was concerned, he was the only man who would be protecting her.

“Your ship will do just fine, thank you. My fiancée and I shall be ready to board early this afternoon.”

He turned on his heel and headed along the waterfront to the series of stone steps which led back up to the town and the hotel.

He would find a strong coffee and some breakfast before he broke the news to Hattie that she would be sharing a cabin with him for the duration of the journey home.