Time for Love (7 page)

“Well, I’m not sure what the punishment is for stowaways, but I suspect it’s not good, and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” She shrugged. “You seem harmless, and we have plenty of supplies, so I don’t think anyone needs to know.”

Evelyn peered closely at her face and suddenly gasped. “You’re a woman!”

Alex flinched. She tasted salt as drops of sweat met her tongue when she bit her upper lip.

Evelyn just smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone either.”

“How did you know? Is it so obvious?”

“Not obvious, no. There are subtle signs, the gentleness of your eyes, the way you hold yourself… Things a man would never notice. They would never believe a woman capable of passing herself as a man, so it wouldn’t occur to them to question. They’re so convinced of their superiority and that women are weak and stupid.” She sounded bitter and much older than she appeared.

Alex didn’t want to know all the girl must have gone through in her short life. “Well, now that we’ve agreed to keep our secrets. Tell me how you got here.”

Evelyn shrugged. “I came to America with my employer. She died shortly after.”

Alex waited for her to continue. When it appeared she wasn’t going to, Alex prompted, “And…?”

“And her new husband had no use for a lady’s maid. Particularly one who did not wish to return his affections. He turned me out without a reference. As my family resides in England, I wished to return.” She looked around the cramped space. “This seemed my only option.”

“So he just threw you out with nowhere to go?” Alex fisted her hand and slowly released it. “The bastard.” She ignored Evelyn’s gasp and peered closely at the girl’s face. “How old are you?”

“I’ve seen fourteen years.”

“Fourteen! Aren’t you a bit young to take a job so far away from your family?”

“Mrs. Ashton lives, lived, in Cambridgeshire, not far from the Thorpe country estate. My mum is an abigail to Lady Thorpe,” she explained. “This visit was to last a few months. I was hired when her previous maid could not accompany her on the journey.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Mrs. Ashton became ill on the passage and never recovered.”

They talked for a few hours, until Alex realized how late it must be and said goodnight. She promised to return as often as she could with food and water so Evelyn would not have to risk leaving the hold.

As Alex drifted off to sleep, she thought about her plan to spend the voyage relaxing and making plans to find Charlotte. She had barely given her sister a second thought since stepping on board. Oh well, she thought, still plenty of time.

Although, if things continued as they were, she would be lucky to survive the trip.

Chapter Five

April 12 (47 Days Remaining)

Two days after finding Evelyn, Alex slumped against the rail and watched the sun dip into the sea. She tried to dig out some of the dirt from beneath her fingernails, but it was a lost cause. She was going to have to get a bigger hot water heater when she got home. She could probably spend a week showering and still not get clean.

There were compensations. The view, for one. She’d never been on a cruise—who could afford it—but now she got the appeal. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking. The riotous display of color and the way the fading light glistened off the ocean as far as the eye could see was incomparable. Exhausted as she was, the sight still managed to fill her with awe.

The deck shivered as heavy footsteps approached. It was
him
. She knew it. Damn, she should have known better than to relax at the rail during sunset. The captain and his first mate were almost always hanging about at this time of day.

“I was beginning to believe you avoided me.” Nicholas leaned an elbow next to hers. “But I could not fathom any reason why you should.”

She
had
been avoiding the rail the past few days. The view wasn’t quite as relaxing with the two of them around. They would politely include her in their conversation, but they made her so nervous she could only mumble vague replies.

It didn’t help that they seemed intent on finding out more about her. A topic about which she was fluent, but couldn’t exactly share.

“Of course not, sir.” A big fat lie. Alex hoped he couldn’t hear the loud and rapid beating of her heart, thundering in her ears. She inched to her left to put space between them. He stood to her right, his scar prominently displayed when she glanced at his handsome profile before staring back out at the horizon.

He tended to flaunt the scars, practically daring people to stare. Of the few new members of the crew on board for this trip, she was the only one he hadn’t lambasted with some scathing remark about their rudeness when they did. The old crew took it in stride.

“The correct form of address is my lord or captain.” His lofty tone was belied by the twinkle in his eye, giving the impression he teased.

“Of course—Captain.” She couldn’t bring herself to call him my lord. It just didn’t feel natural.

He chuckled. “I prefer that one myself, and yet, I don’t seem to have much choice in the matter.” He sighed and leaned against the rail while he stared out over the water. “I was never supposed to have the title. My brother was raised for it, I never was. If only Lucius had had a son—but alas, he had four daughters. How he must have hated the thought I would inherit the title.”

Alex wasn’t sure what to say but felt some type of response was necessary. “I was sorry to hear about your brother.”

He shrugged. “We did not get along well. And we were only half-brothers. Our father married my mother shortly following Lucius’s mother’s death. I don’t think Lucius ever forgave him, and he certainly never forgave my sister and me.”

“That’s terrible—to have family and not appreciate it. I would have given anything to have a brother or sister as I grew up.”

“I thought your business in London had to do with a sister.” His brow furrowed as he turned slightly to look at her.

“We weren’t raised together. I was told she died in the fire that killed our parents, though I didn’t believe it. We’d just found each other again when she disappeared. So I need to get to London as soon as I can. I’m hoping it won’t be too difficult to find her once I get there.”

“You don’t know where she is?”

“No.” Alex cringed inwardly at how she must sound—running off to find her sister with no clue how to do it. He probably thought she was an idiot. “But she was raised in England, and we apparently have some distant family connections in London she may have asked for help.”

He nodded. “I see. Was it your family that alerted you to your sister’s disappearance?”

Alex shook her head. “No. I have no idea if she ever got in touch with them.” She shrugged. “I guess I’ll find out when I get there.”

“Perhaps I can help you.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I wouldn’t want to impose. I’m sure I’ll be fine on my own.” She didn’t plan on staying around any longer than necessary once they arrived in London.

“I insist. My mother knows virtually everyone in London society. I feel sure she can help you. Besides, you are a member of my crew, and I feel compelled to help.” Fine lines crinkled the corners of his eyes as he smiled, his face softened by the pleasant tilt of his lips.

Her heart did a little flip, and she tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling he was being so generous while she was deceiving him. Her disguise was definitely beginning to lose its charm.

She nodded. “Thanks,” she said, not knowing how to get out of it gracefully and fully intending to leave before it became an issue. She liked the captain far too much already. Any extra time in his company would make it harder to leave. A complication she didn’t need.

A faint pang in the vicinity of her heart made her wonder if it was too late.

****

Nicholas stayed at the rail for a while after Turner left. What had caused him to speak of Lucius? He didn’t discuss his brother with anyone, yet tonight he had revealed more to a stranger than he ever had, even to his closest friend.

Somehow, the boy didn’t feel like a stranger. From almost the instant they met, Nicholas had felt comfortable in his presence. There had been a brief moment, when he thought Turner was like everyone else who saw his scarred face for the first time, transfixed by the sight and unable to look beyond to the man beneath. The familiar leap of anger died quickly as the moment passed, and the boy seemed to take no further notice of his scars.

Turner’s determination to become a valuable member of the crew certainly impressed him. After Grayson had explained his reasons for hiring the lad, they had agreed he would most likely be of no real use during the journey. Instead, he had proved to be as hard a worker as he claimed. No matter how menial the task, he had done it without complaint and done it well.

Nicholas had surprised himself again with his offer to help the lad find his sister. An offer he suspected Turner had no intention of accepting. Why would he? He obviously had money since he had planned to travel to London as a passenger, so he probably had his own resources to use in his search. Yet he had accepted the change in his plan without complaint and set right to work, not the usual reaction of a person accustomed to wealth and leisure.

He had even earned the respect of the crew without appearing to try, by simply keeping his head down and working hard. As though the respect of the crew was nice to have, but not something he strived to get.

Turner had lost some of that respect by not standing up for himself against the new carpenter, Duff. Nicholas sensed it wasn’t fear that kept him from fighting back. He found Turner to be a courageous young man, and his reluctance to face Duff seemed at odds to his personality.

No matter his reasons, Nicholas worried if Turner didn’t do something soon, it was going to get worse. Not only would he have to worry about the carpenter, but the rest of the crew as well. The men wouldn’t care to have a coward in their midst.

Nicholas was fully aware of Duff’s actions. He knew everything that occurred on
The Reliant
. All the incidences had been minor, and since they needed the carpenter, Nicholas had yet to intervene with any punishment. He had surreptitiously requested Grayson switch duty shifts around so the people Duff bullied were generally kept out of his way. He hoped this would be sufficient, but he had some doubts, especially since Duff seemed to make more of an effort to torment Turner than anyone else.

Perhaps it was time for Grayson to have a word with the boy.

****

As Alex was finishing her breakfast rations the next morning, she was surprised to have the Adonis plunk down next to her.

“When you have finished, I would like a word with you, Mr. Turner.” Deep lines marred his forehead, and his perfect lips turned down in an uncustomary frown.

Wondering what she possibly could have done wrong, she swallowed the last of her hard tack, which settled like a lump in her stomach. “Yes, sir.” She wiped her mouth and stood, waiting nervously for the first mate to rise.

He led her down several corridors until they came to a stop next to the hatch leading into the hold. She tensed.
Oh no. They can’t have found Evelyn, can they?

He turned to her and said, “We can talk here.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, hiding her trembling hands behind her back. In a small voice, she asked, “Is something wrong?” Best to get it out in the open as soon as possible. She might die from nerves before he got around to it. It could take hours to figure out what he wanted while he danced around a subject.

He looked slightly taken aback at her bluntness but seemed to shrug it off before saying, “As you wish, I will get right to the issue at hand. I am—concerned—about you.”

“Concerned? Why?” she asked in surprise.

“My concern is not entirely for your welfare, to be honest.” He smiled slightly. “More about the potential for disruption you may cause among the crew.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, although the little knot in her stomach whispered that she knew all too well, better than he did she hoped, trying not to glance at the hold door.

“Do you know anything of the history of this crew?” he asked.

“Uh, a little.”

“We fought in the war together and know each other well. We can count on one another in battle and handle whatever the situation demands. Other than Mr. Duff and a few sailors we hired for this final trip, the captain handpicked each member of this crew. They have all proven themselves under the most difficult of circumstances. This ship runs as smoothly as it does because we know each other so well.”

“I had wondered whether it was common, the way everyone works so well together,” she interjected. “I mean there are minor fights here and there, but I would have expected more when you coop up such a large group of men together for such a long time.”

“Actually it’s particularly uncommon. The captain pulled us out of the alleys and slums of London when he bought
The Reliant
. Most of us were left to starve after the war was over, and we were no longer needed to serve in His Majesty’s Royal Navy.” He gave a harsh laugh. “Deserted by the very people for whom we risked our lives. They had no more care for us than a cavalry cares for its horses, probably less so. For saving us from the slow starvation of our families and ourselves, we would each gladly give our lives for the captain, yet he has done even more for us. Not many captains treat their crew so well.” He paused for a moment, as if considering his next words. “Before the captain’s mother discovered where he had gone and managed to secure his lieutenant’s commission, he served a few years as a common sailor and never forgot the experience. Life on board a navy vessel is extremely harsh. He vowed it would be different when he had a ship of his own.”

“I don’t understand, what do you mean, secure his commission?”

His eyebrows lifted. “You really know nothing about sailing or the navy, do you?”

“I didn’t grow up near the water, so it never came up.”

In a voice that sounded like he was teaching the alphabet to a two year old, he explained, “Despite his humble beginning in the Royal Navy, the captain worked his way up to midshipman, and after the required time, he passed his lieutenant’s exam with ease. However, he did not have sufficient funds to pay for the confirmation paperwork, nor did he have anyone of influence to secure a position for him. It would have taken many years before one became available to someone without connections. However, his mother contacted a few of his late father’s friends and made it all possible.”