[Yukon Quest 01] - Treasures Of The North (15 page)
‘‘But why run away? Surely no one expected you to marry him after he revealed such a violent nature.’’
‘‘My father apparently owed him. Perhaps in more ways than one. I don’t pretend to understand or know why he made the arrangement in the first place, but once he knew how I was treated, I expected him to release me from further obligation.’’
‘‘But he didn’t.’’
Grace shook her head and reached up to wipe away a tear. She’d tried so hard to be brave about the entire matter. She loved her mother and father and missed them terribly. She could still see her mother’s tear-stained face as Grace climbed into the carriage with Karen. She could still feel the panic that rose up inside her as the carriage passed through the back gate and took her away from the home she loved.
‘‘So I have become a part of your little scheme,’’ Peter said, almost good-naturedly.
Grace suddenly realized he could make life difficult for her. ‘‘Please, I beg of you. Please do not tell anyone of my passage north.’’
‘‘I wouldn’t,’’ he assured. ‘‘I’m quite sorry for what you endured, Miss Hawkins. I would be the last one in the world to see you back in such a predicament. I have a younger sister, and should a man treat her in a similar fashion, I would probably break his neck.’’
Grace looked up at the captain, feeling he had become an immediate champion to her cause. ‘‘Thank you for your understanding. I do apologize again for breaking your rule about remaining in the cabin. It’s just that it’s so dark there, and with no light and little fresh air, I found myself quite overcome. I’ll do my best to see that it doesn’t happen again.’’
‘‘I’m the one who is sorry. I’ll do what I can to arrange better quarters for you on the morrow.’’
‘‘Oh, please don’t feel that you must go to any trouble,’’ Grace replied. ‘‘I wouldn’t wish to see anyone inconvenienced.’’
He reached out toward her again, this time more slowly. Hesitating before touching her arm, he seemed to ask permission with his eyes. When Grace didn’t draw back, he placed his hand atop her forearm.
‘‘I’ll escort you back to your cabin. Tomorrow morning I would like to have all three of you as my special guests for breakfast. Do you suppose your companions would agree to this?’’
Grace smiled, feeling almost giddy from the closeness of him. ‘‘I’m certain I can convince them. After all, it will get us out of that cabin.’’
He laughed softly. ‘‘Good. Then I will send someone to show you the way.’’
They walked back to the cabin and paused in the dim light of the hallway. Grace thought the captain even more appealing than she had before. His chin was covered with a light stubble and his wind-blown hair seemed hopelessly tousled. His lips were moving as he spoke of some matter, but Grace found herself unable to concentrate. Suddenly her mouth felt dry, and she had no idea what she should say or do.
‘‘Until tomorrow,’’ he said. ‘‘Sleep well.’’
Grace nodded and went quietly into the cabin. Sleep? How could she sleep after such a wonderful moment? Her heart felt lighter than it had in weeks.
‘‘Where have you been?’’ Karen called out in a hushed voice as Grace climbed back into her bunk.
‘‘Arranging breakfast with the captain,’’ she replied rather coyly.
‘‘What?’’
Grace giggled and settled into her berth. ‘‘Go to sleep and I shall tell you all about it in the morning.’’
GRACE SLEPT THROUGH the night with nothing but pleasant dreams of her time with Peter Colton to mark the hours. She had surprised herself by realizing the awakening of her heart. Could this be what it was to fall in love? Smiling to herself, she stretched as best she could in the narrow berth and yawned.
‘‘Are you going to tell me what happened last night?’’ Karen’s voice questioned out of the silence.
Grace leaned up on an elbow as Karen managed to light the overhead lantern. With her golden red curls hanging limp to her waist, Karen looked years younger than her matronly thirty.
‘‘I found the cabin closing in on me,’’ Grace said, forcing herself to get up. She climbed down from her bunk and stretched. Aunt Doris moaned and rolled to her side from the bottom of the opposite berth.
‘‘Oh, my dear girls, this is without a doubt the most uncomfortable bed in all of North America.’’
‘‘I’m sure you are mistaken,’’ Karen replied, ‘‘for I am certain my berth holds that honor.’’ She grinned at her aunt’s appearance, then laughed aloud. ‘‘We all look as though we’d experienced a tornado last night. Sleeping in our clothes, wrestling comfort from beds that refused us comfort.’’ She turned to Grace. ‘‘Only Grace appears to have faired well through it all.’’
‘‘That is because she is younger,’’ Doris declared. ‘‘Youth has its advantages.’’
‘‘I’m not that old,’’ Karen replied.
A knock sounded on the cabin door, and Karen quickly pulled back her hair and tied it with a ribbon. ‘‘One moment,’’ she called.
Aunt Doris got up out of the bed, holding a hand to the small of her back. ‘‘Oh my, there is no way to make ourselves presentable. Someone’s at the door, and here we are looking a fright.’’
Karen unlocked the door and opened it only a fraction of an inch. ‘‘Yes?’’
‘‘Captain Colton says I’m to escort you three ladies to breakfast in his quarters.’’
Karen looked back at Grace before replying. ‘‘We’ll need a few moments to freshen up.’’
‘‘Aye. I’ve fresh water for you,’’ the young man replied.
Karen opened the door a bit wider. Grace could see that the boy couldn’t have been more than sixteen. ‘‘Here, I’ll take it,’’ she said, reaching out for the gray enamel pitcher and galvanized wash bowl. ‘‘Give us ten minutes, and we’ll be able to join you.’’ The boy nodded and Karen quickly closed the door.
‘‘Well, what a pleasant surprise,’’ Aunt Doris declared. ‘‘See there, Karen, our sea captain isn’t quite so harsh as you would make him.’’
Karen placed the pitcher and bowl on the table and eyed Grace carefully. Grace felt her cheeks grow hot under the scrutiny. ‘‘What have you to say about this, Grace?’’
Shrugging, Grace went to the pitcher and poured water into the bowl. ‘‘I say we have less than nine minutes left. You promised the boy we’d be ready.’’
Dipping her hands into the icy water, Grace splashed it against her face. It was only then that she realized she had no towel. ‘‘Oh, bother,’’ she said, then without ceremony, she lifted the hem of her skirt to dab the water around her eyes.
‘‘What are you doing?’’ Karen questioned. ‘‘One night on this ship and you’ve taken on the manners of a sailor?’’
‘‘I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a sailor dry his face with his skirt,’’ Grace said, laughing. ‘‘I’m merely doing what you’ve always taught me. I’m making do with the provisions at hand. I have a feeling we’ll be doing a lot of that in the days to come.’’
Karen eyed her suspiciously. ‘‘You’ve taken on a new attitude. When we left, you were afraid—terrified, in fact. The world and everything around you was a threat to your well-being. What has changed?’’
Grace hadn’t realized her feelings were so transparent. She shrugged. ‘‘I guess the salt air agrees with me.’’
Aunt Doris took a comb from her bag. ‘‘A new attitude could suit us all. We’ve taken on a big challenge, and we’ll need the heart of a lioness to fearlessly march into the days ahead.’’ She combed out her long brown hair, then began braiding it. ‘‘I, for one, intend to be prepared for the change.’’
‘‘As do I,’’ Grace said, smiling. ‘‘Now, as for breakfast, I told you I had word from the captain last night that he would like to have us as his guests this morning.’’
‘‘You spoke to the captain last night?’’ Doris questioned.
‘‘Yes, she did,’’ Karen answered for Grace. ‘‘I heard a noise and awoke to find Grace sneaking back into our room in the middle of the night.’’
Grace nodded when Doris looked at her in sheer horror. ‘‘I did leave the room, but I was not unescorted. I felt the walls closing in on me and the air was so heavy I could scarcely draw a breath. I went up the stairs at the end of the passage, planning only to get some fresh air, but Captain Colton found me there and offered to see me safely to the deck. We spoke on the matter of this cabin and he even said he would try to arrange better accommodations. Then he told me we were to be his guests this morning. Which, I suppose we must hurry to do or risk making him angry.’’ She pulled down her own handbag and took out the key to her trunk.
‘‘Well, I’m not convinced of his goodwill,’’ Karen replied. ‘‘Suppose he just wants to have us to his cabin in order to announce that he’s putting us off at the next port? You did break the rules, after all.’’
Grace unlocked her steamer and retrieved her brush. ‘‘I apologized for that.’’
‘‘And he accepted?’’ Karen questioned. ‘‘That doesn’t seem to fit the personality of the man who barked out commands to us just yesterday.’’
Grace thought Karen a very harsh judge. ‘‘I believe him to be concerned with our general well-being. Rather like you when you worry over a collection of children, wondering whether or not they are being schooled properly. You can’t really control their destiny, but if you have anything to say about it—’’
‘‘Which I usually don’t,’’ Karen interjected.
‘‘But if you did, you would voice your opinion and seek to aid them as you could. Captain Colton holds the responsibility for the crew and passengers on this ship. I’m certain he was only seeing after everyone’s best interest.’’ She finished combing out her hair, then twisted it into a lazy knot at the nape of her neck. ‘‘Now, will you help me pin my hair in place so that we aren’t late?’’
Karen said nothing more until they were marched to the captain’s quarters and seated at his table. Grace felt suddenly shy and rather dowdy as Peter Colton joined them. He looked simply marvelous in his navy-colored coat and trousers. His white shirt was buttoned to the top, while the opened coat revealed a smartly cut waistcoat, complete with a gold watch fob, which he pulled from his pocket. Checking the time, he smiled.
‘‘I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.’’ He snapped the watch case closed and returned the watch to his pocket.
‘‘Not at all,’’ Aunt Doris said, acting as spokeswoman for the group. ‘‘We were rather surprised at your invitation and prayed that we had not tarried too long in our morning routines for your sake.’’
Peter shook his head, and Grace noticed his clean-shaven chin. It was such a lovely chin, not too pointed or too square. There was just a hint of a cleft in the middle, and Grace found it rather attractively placed. Somehow, it added true character to the captain’s face.
Peter motioned for them to take their seats but actually came to assist Doris as she pulled her chair out from the table. Grace could not fault him for his deference to the older woman’s status. Among the three women, Doris was certainly the one who should receive the most consideration.
The women couldn’t contain their surprise when breakfast arrived. Brought to them by two of Peter’s men, Grace found the service quite commendable and the menu most appealing. Scrambled eggs, fresh biscuits and gravy, and thick slices of bacon were the order for the day. This, accompanied by strong black coffee, left Grace no doubt how Peter managed to maintain his muscular frame.
‘‘This looks fit for royalty,’’ Doris announced.
‘‘It does look good,’’ Karen muttered.
Grace couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard her friend whisper something about being poisoned. She smiled to herself.
Peter started to dig into his food, but the three ladies remained motionless. He looked at them oddly for a moment.
‘‘Might we ask a blessing?’’ Grace suggested.
Peter put down his fork and nodded. ‘‘If that is to your liking.’’
She felt a minor strain of disappointment that asking God’s blessing was obviously not to his liking—or at least not to his routine. Bowing her head, Grace quickly asked God’s guidance and safety for the trip and thanked Him for the food and Peter’s generosity.
With the unison of amens from the women, Grace looked up to find Peter having already returned his attention to the food.
‘‘Miss Hawkins mentioned the discomfort of the cabin,’’ he said after several bites. ‘‘I have arranged new quarters for you. Even now your things are being moved. I hope you’ll find the new cabin to be more to your liking.’’
Grace was deeply touched by Peter’s generosity, but before she could comment, Karen jumped in. ‘‘You must have known it would be like a tomb,’’ she said sarcastically. ‘‘Why your sudden change of heart?’’
Captain Colton smiled rather stiffly as he addressed Karen. ‘‘I found your friend’s manner and genteel expression to appeal to my sense of duty. She treated me with consideration, and in turn I find it quite natural to extend the same to her— to you all.’’
‘‘I hope you will not be so unreasonable as to toy with her affections,’’ Karen stated without warning. ‘‘As her guardian on this journey, I must say I would brook no nonsense in affairs of the heart, either real or imagined.’’
Grace felt her face flush with embarrassment. She wanted to melt into the rough wooden floor beneath her and never be seen again. She threw Karen a look that suggested it was uncalled for, but Karen would not be silenced.
‘‘I suppose you are a worldly man, Captain, but my dear friend and charge has led a sheltered life. As a good Christian woman she believes the best of everyone around her, thinking that all people are honest with their intentions.’’
‘‘Perhaps you would benefit by learning from her example,’’ Peter suggested.
‘‘Captain, you are an ill-mannered man!’’ Karen declared, pushing back her plate.
‘‘And you are a self-centered woman who, seeing another, less sour-dispositioned woman receiving kindness, questions the motives of the giver without any real knowledge of the person or his desires.’’
‘‘I know full well about the desires of men such as yourself,’’ Karen answered angrily.
‘‘That, Miss Pierce, truly surprises me, for I cannot imagine any man taking the time to express his feelings to you for any extended length of time.’’
