Freya’s announcement silenced the room more effectively than if she’d said she was planning on turning Reaver.

Of all of them, only River wasn’t staring, more concerned with Caleb not choking on his food than her surrogate mother’s announcement she was intending to accompany the Reilly girls on their cruise.

Besides, she knew anyway, having picked it up while Freya and Mal were still arguing.

“You’re going with them?” Simon asked finally, getting his tongue under control.

“Mal’s right,” Freya said, glancing at her husband. “I don’t feel happy about the girls being let loose on an unsuspecting ‘verse either, considering the damage I think they could do.” She smiled at Val and Phoebe, whose budding objections were silenced as they realised she was joking. “And the truth is they need some kind of bodyguard, if nothing else to fight off all the young men who are bound to fall in love with them. And it really wouldn’t be fair to make them wait any longer. So I’ll be it, at least until the liner gets to Persephone.”

“How long’ll that be?” Kaylee wanted to know, visions of scented oils, huge bath towels and pampered from head to toe until she was sick blooming in her mind.

“Ten days or so. Two weeks, tops, if we pick up the liner at Beaumonde.” Freya laughed. “And I wasn’t thinking of going alone. I think Zoe should come as well.”

The dark woman’s eyes widened. “Me?”

“Zoe?” Hank echoed.

“I think it would do her good, make sure she got some rest and relaxation.” Freya looked at Simon. “The strapping’s coming off soon, isn’t it?”

“In a few days,” the doctor agreed. “Then it will just be a case of gentle exercise.”

“Something she might not get on board,” Mal put in, for some reason glancing at his pilot as he did so, who managed to look affronted.

“I'm fine, sir,” Zoe said. “And don’t I have a say?”

“There’s low grav pools, gymnasia, massage therapists …” Freya laid out the extras on the table, making Kaylee drool even more. “I don’t think she could be in better han