Chapter 35: Getting to know the man.

Books filled a bookshelf near the window and on an end table. A book lay open next to an easy chair, worn out at the armrests.

That was his place of solitude. Many times, he would sit there and pull her in his lap, and they would listen to the crashing of the waves against the hull of the ship or the wind’s wailing when the sea was boisterous and playful. Those were the times she cherished the most because then he opened himself to her and she would learn more about the man. The pirate was in the back, lingering.

Dark colours covered the bed and windows. In the one corner was a glass cabinet filled with weapons and swords.

The desk was well-organized. No papers lay around. In fact, everything was organized neatly, and yet it had a sense of homeliness.

Roberto watched her as she studied his cabin and then asked, “Do you like what you see?”

“Yes, it is you. I don’t want to change anything. Your love for books astounds me.”