Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles) (18 page)

worries tonight. In fact, Jenny had told him that Smokey had five new dresses.

The one she had chosen for tonight was a pale gray silk

with a rounded neckline and long, tapered sleeves. The fitted

bodice revealed her small rounded bosom and trim waist. The

skirt flared into yards of folds and tucks that dropped in layer

after layer all the way to the floor.

In truth Smokey looked like a princess. Jenny had brushed

her hair straight down her back and then carefully swept the

sides back with matching dark gray combs, letting the back

hang free. She put her own hair atop her head, but she had

never seen Smokey's hair down before, and after she did, she

refused to put it back up.

"Well, Tate," Jenny turned to him and spoke so that Smokey

could hear. "What do you think of our guest of honor?"

Tate bowed low and spoke with a twinkle in his eye. "You

are enchanting, Miss Simmons."

Smokey didn't smile in return; she wrung her hands in

despair. "Do I really look all right?"

"Yes, Smokey," Jenny told her patiently, "You look lovely."

"What if I spill something down the front of me? This pale

fabric will show the smallest drop."

"You're not going to do that," Jenny told her, and Tate's

heart turned over a little. She was so unsure of herself. For a

moment he wondered if Smokey might think this was more

trouble than it was worth. He found himself wishing he had

gone himself and tried to convince Darsey and his sister to

come. Tate was certain that Smokey would be more at ease if

they were present.

"I'm acting silly," Tate heard her say at last. "I know all the

people who are coming--well, almost all--and I've no reason

to be nervous."

"Right!" Jenny agreed with a decisive nod. Then both

women went into gales of laugher because Smokey hadn't

convinced herself in the least. A moment later, however, they

quickly tried to school their faces as the first guests started to

arrive.

"Kathleen!" her mother barked as she came into her

daughter's bedroom and found her sitting in front of the

mirror at her dressing table, the hairbrush forgotten at her

side. "Put that book down and finish with your hair this

instant! He's going to be here any moment."

"But Mother, this book is all about the pyramids in Egypt.

There are even some drawings."

Mrs. Wagner snatched the book from her daughter's hand

and tossed it onto the bed. "How many times do I have to tell

you, you're never going to find a husband like that. Dallas is

the finest catch this town has to offer, and if you don't play

your cards right, you'll never land him!"

"He's not a fish, Mother," Kathleen said tiredly.

"You watch your mouth, young lady! Now I want your word

that you'll say nothing this evening of the latest mathematics

or history book you've read."

Kathleen continued to work on her hair without answering.

She knew that now was not the time to tell her mother

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125

._ _ ^ x* o, ulh mure 10 oo witfi herself and lingering

feelings over a man she hadn't seen for months. She stayed

quiet a little too long, and a glance in the mirror told her that

her mother was furious.

"All right," she agreed to avoid a scene.|

"Good" Mrs. Wagner's demeanor changed as if by magic. J

She was always easy to live with when she got her way, and

Kathleen hated confrontation. It was a relief when her father

called up the stairs to say that Dallas had arrived

"I'll go down and talk with him. You stay here awhile."

"But I'm ready to go," Kathleen told her as she adjusted the

last hairpin. "It's already a little late."

"Do as I tell you," Mrs. Wagner hissed at her. "A man hates

to be kept waiting, but it adds mystery to the romance." On

that note the older woman sailed out the door, and Kathleen

was left looking at herself in the mirror.

How awful to live your whole life as a lie, Kathleen thought,

not for the first time. It had started when Kathleen had been

ten and a neighborhood boy had called her a bookworm. Her

mother had overheard and given her a long talk that evening

on how she must never appear to be smarter than a man.

Kathleen remembered her words very well.

"I always got better marks than your father did, but I was

a poor girl from a poor family and I knew if I didn't play it

right, I would never better myself. A man wants his wife to be

slightly dull in a cute sort of way, and helplessly dependent on

him."

Kathleen could never get her mother to explain why a man

wanted this, but that had been the way she was raised Looking

in the mirror again, Kathleen wondered if it was time to go

down.

She knew she would never get the hang of this deceitfuless.

She also knew that her mother had never fooled her

father, not with herself or her daughter. Every time she left for

evening out, as she was now doing with Dallas, he would

lug her and whisper for her ears alone.

"Be yourself, honey; just be yourself."

The ride from Kathleen's home to the Pembertons' would

take nearly 30 minutes. The first part of that half hour was

spent in silence. Kathleen was dying to ask Dallas about his ship's repairs, but she knew her mother would be furious.

Of course, Kathleen told herself, you're just friends now.

Maybe it would be all right to be yourself. But old habits die

hard, and when Dallas asked her how she'd been, she once

again fell into the helpless female routine.

"Mother and I are doing some decorating on the house.

We're starting in the kitchen. I love to sew, and of course

Mother will hire someone to do the painting. Father is too

busy, and mother and I don't know how."

Dallas nodded, not sure what to say. He'd have been

surprised to know that Kathleen was biting her tongue to

keep from telling Dallas the truth--that she could paint an

entire houseful of rooms if she put her mind to it, and for that

matter, probably learn to make her own paint to boot. Kathleen

found herself wishing she had refused Dallas' invitation;

it was certain to be a long evening.

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kathleen was right. The evening did prove to be long, but

despite the fact that she was learning some hard lessons, she

had a good time. Since Dallas clearly had eyes for another

woman, she was thankful that she'd never fallen head-over-heels

in love with him.

Smokey Simmons, the guest of honor, was the object of

Dallas' attention, and Kathleen couldn't blame him. She was

the most fascinating woman she had ever encountered, and

clearly Dallas shared that belief. At first Smokey seemed a bit

nervous, but as the evening progressed she laughed and

shared in all of the conversations.

Some of the couples left early, so by 11:00, Smokey, the

Pembertons, Buck, Greer, Dallas, Kathleen, and the Chases

were all who remained It had just come out that Smokey was a

ship's captain, and Pastor Chase was truly intrigued.

"Where do you usually sail?"

"Wherever I need to in order to receive or deliver goods."

"England?" Mrs. Chase wanted to know.

"Yes, all over Europe actually."

"How about the east?" Kathleen put in.

"It's been some time since I've sailed in those waters, but

I'll be headed in that direction when we set sail next week."

"Do you ever see Dallas and the Zephyr?" Greer asked.

"Not often, but I have seen him."

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"I never see anything but the wake of her rudder as she

i back out of port with a holdful of treasures." Dallas' tone

so wounded that eveyone in the room laughed Smokey,

i was as relaxed as she'd ever been, teased him, her eyes

I wide with innocence.

"You could always remain a crewman, Dallas."

"Ohhhh," both Buck and Tate interjected when they saw

the mischievous light in Dallas' eyes.

"And run the risk of being stuck with another Captain

Bly?"

Now Smokey's eyes took on a glint, but Dallas, who was

warm to his subject, ignored the signs.

"Do you know that she's cruel to her cook?" he said to the

room at large, but never took his eyes from her face. "Her cook

brings perfectly good food to her cabin, and she refuses to eat

it. She forces him to put his own meal aside and make her

something else."

The occupants of the room were on the edge of their

chairs with fascination. Dallas and Smokey sparred back and

forth as though they were alone in the room.

"This is insubordination, sailor," Smokey told him, trying

to look stern.

"We're not on ship, Captain," Dallas reminded her smugly.

"Lucky for you."

This last comment caused everyone to roar. When the

laughter died down, Buck had a very serious question that

only led to more hilarity.

"Smokey, how do you handle disobedience?"

Smokey and Dallas chuckled

"I don't," she admitted, and Dallas went on to explain.

"Smokey has the most unusual crew I've ever met. No man

is under 40, and they all have appointed themselves guardians

of their captain. I was watched like a hawk."

"Why?" Buck asked

"They do tend to be rather protective," Smokey answered,

"because they've known me from the time I was a child On

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the other hand, they don't know Dallas, and trust for a new; man comes hard in a crew as close as my own."

"So you really never discipline anyone?"

"It wouldn't do a bit of good," Smokey said with a wry

shake of her head.

Dallas jumped in at that point and told the story about the

spinach. Jenny and Pastor Chase had tears rolling down their

faces as he recounted the tale. Smokey laughed at Dallas*

version of the event and added when he was done that it

happens nearly every voyage.

Pastor and Mrs. Chase said their goodbyes soon after that,

and everyone stood to stretch their legs. The room was very

warm to Smokey, so when Jenny and Tate saw them to the

door, she headed out the French doors of the parlor for a bit of

air. Dallas watched her exit and without a word to anyone,

followedV

Kathleen took all of this in without distress. Turning away

so Dallas would feel free to follow his heart, she began to visit

with Buck and Greer.

It was cold outside, but the cool air felt wonderful as

Smokey stood above the beach and listened to the pounding

of the waves against the shore. The nearly full moon sent a ray

of light across the surface of the Atlantic that was mesmerizing,

shimmering and winking at her like a thousand tiny

jewels.

She felt more than heard Dallas' presence behind her on

the grass and turned to find him approaching. He stopped

beside her and stared at her for a long moment.