The Madman’s Daughter. Megan Shepherd

caught the undercurrent in his voice, and it intrigued me. Whatever he was insinuating wasn’t good, and it was awfully bold to speak it aloud. Maybe there was more to him than a sea-mad castaway who’d never worked a day in his life.

      I picked up the dice. ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘What would make a man give everything up to come out here?’

      I shook the dice and spilled them out across the deck. ‘I could ask you the same thing, Mr Prince. What made you leave England if all your family is there?’

      His jaw twitched again. ‘You’ve come to find your father. I’ve come to get away from mine.’ Once more, that subtle layer of anger laced his voice.

      ‘Why? What did he do?’ I moved my tokens like an afterthought.

      He paused. ‘He didn’t do anything. I did.’ And then he shook the dice and threw them, abruptly, as if he’d said too much. A three and a six. He started moving the token in the wrong direction.

      ‘Captain Claggan isn’t exactly pleased I’m here,’ he added, and the change in subject caught me by surprise. ‘Did you know he came with that first mate of his, last night after Montgomery was asleep, and dragged me to the rail? He was going to throw me over until I told him I had relatives in Australia who would pay dearly for my safe return.’

      My hand was frozen in midair. The game suddenly didn’t seem to matter anymore. ‘Did you tell Montgomery? He won’t let the captain get away with that.’ I shifted on the rough floorboards. ‘Just the same, it’s lucky about your relatives.’

      He gave me a guarded look, though something like amusement peeked through. ‘I don’t know anyone in Australia. I just made that up. I sought passage on the first ship I could from London, regardless of its destination. The Viola just happened to be it.’

      ‘So what happens when you get to Australia and he finds out there are no wealthy relatives?’ Once we were gone, without Balthazar and bribery and guns, Edward Prince would be on his own.

      His fingers drummed on the wooden board. The last ray of sun slipped below the horizon, casting half of his bruised face in shadows. ‘I don’t know.’

      A cry from the crow’s nest made me drop the token in my hand. The castaway and I exchanged a breathless glance.

      ‘Land ho!’ the watchman called.

      Night fell quickly that day, obscuring the land the scout had spotted. The sailors sent Edward back to the galley and me to my quarters and told us to stay there. But obedience wasn’t one of my virtues. I found Montgomery on the quarterdeck speaking in hushed voices with Balthazar below the glowing mast light. The captain and first mate stood by the gunwale with a lantern held above the sea charts.

      I leaned over the rail and studied the black horizon. Moonlight reflected on the waves like scales of some dark dragon. I couldn’t tell where the night ended and the sea began. Between them, somewhere, was my father.

      Montgomery caught sight of me and rushed over, a spark of energy to his movements. I’d forgotten that this place was his home. He pointed to the horizon. ‘It’s volcanic. Do you see the plume?’