“I’m serious.” He lifted his hands. “It may be news to the great Lady Vice, but there are other treasures in life than gold.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Perry—you sound just like her.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment—she’s very wise.”

“I didn’t mean it as one.” She rolled her eyes but softened it with a grin. “Although, speaking of treasure, what happened to that box we took from the wreck?”

“FitzRoy took it while you were—ahem—replenishing energy.”

“Stuffing my face, you mean.”

He lifted one shoulder, a smirk teasing at the edge of his lips. “I’d never speak of a lady in such a manner.”

Lords and Ladies, she’d never have believed it a few weeks ago, but the dread pirate hunter Blackwood was actually loosening up. Wonders would truly never cease.

A slight frown darkened his expression as he glanced fore. “So, you haven’t looked in the box yet?”

“I haven’t seen it since we got back that day. Why? What’s in it?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen it either.”

She narrowed her eyes. FitzRoy had spent a lot of time alone in his tent on shore and now was in his cabin. She’d assumed he was sulking about having to cut his nose off to spite his face by refusing to pursue the Hesperian treasure ship but …

“Maybe it contained something interesting.” She pursed her lips and glanced down—they were immediately above FitzRoy’s cabin. Swallowing, she lowered her voice. “If it were just gold or jewels, he wouldn’t hide that—as much as he loves riches, he shares it with the crew, it would go to Perry to be accounted for and divided, but …” She looked aft, but the island had disappeared, only the horizon’s sweeping curve remained. “But we found no clues to Drake’s treasure on that island. What if that wreck had already made landfall, investigated the caves and found something? Saba said the ground had been disturbed.”

Knigh watched her, one eyebrow raised. “Vee, do you—are you seriously saying you believe in that old wives’ tale?”

“You mean, you don’t?” She leant in. “Come on, what else would be important enough to keep locked in a box, if not gold and jewels?”

He stroked his cheek, fingers rasping against the stubble he’d let grow. “Government secrets? Naval orders? A map of troop stations and movements?” He cocked his head. “Details of a treasure ship’s movements? Which my colleagues took a lot of time and risk to gather and yet we’re only just picking up the trail now, over a week late because …” He took a long breath and shook his head, jaw and shoulders hard. He understood exactly why FitzRoy had delayed following the treasure ship.