another, and haven’t spent much time in port, you see. Is that somehow important?”
The woman’s face softened. “Oh, dear, yes, I think it is.” She smiled. “But you just trust old Chelsea here, I’ll see you right.” She turned to a screen hanging on the bulkhead which showed rows of red and green circles. “Yes, that’ll do nicely,” she said, tapping one and changing it from green to red. “The whole night, you said?”
“Yes, I’ve to be back aboard for the Forenoon Watch.”
“All right, then. One pound seven and we’ll see you on your way in time to meet your ship.”
Alexis stared at her in shock. A full pound and seven shillings for a night’s stay in a room? Well, I did ask for something nice, I suppose . She’d never before even priced a room, so had no idea what it should cost. And she was definitely feeling the effects of the drink, her head felt stuffed with cotton and she wanted nothing more than to lay her head on pillow and sleep the night away.
And it’s not as though I’ve aught else to spend my pay on otherwise. Without taking new stores aboard ship with her, and there was only so much she could eat and drink in port on those rare occasions she was allowed off Hermione , her accounts had accumulated a tidy sum on top of her earlier prize money. She’d also saved what she would have spent that night, what with Williard treating her to a fine dinner and finer drink. Nodding, she pulled out her tablet and made the payment.
“Compartment seven, dear, just at the top of the stairs there.”
“Thank you.”
Alexis climbed the stairs and slid the hatchway open on room seven. Though space was at a premium on board stations, it wasn’t so bad as aboard ships, and the compartment she entered was, perhaps, four meters square — a large compartment aboard station. Softly lit, with chairs and an inviting divan. The bed itself was larger than the entire midshipman’s berth she shared with Timpson. And all to myself . There was another hatch on the opposite bulkhead, which she assumed led to a private head. She smiled widely and slid the hatch shut behind her, then tossed her beret onto a chair and shrugged out of her uniform jacket and tunic. A real bed again , she thought, tossing her trousers after her jacket and climbing onto the bed in her underthings. And a proper bath in the morning. She spread her arms and legs to the corners, reveling in the space and the softness of the mattress.
“So y’ave me fer the night entire, eh, lass?”
Alexis sprang up. There was man standing in the now open hatchway to the head. The light silhouetted him from behind. He wore a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing else. A short towel . His long, curly, dark hair was tied back and his teeth shone brightly against his tanned skin. Muscles rippled under his skin as he stepped toward the bed and raised one leg to kneel on it. A very short towel …
“Oh … dear.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Alexis came awake slowly and reluctantly. Her eyes felt filled with grit and her head pounded. She moved her mouth slowly, grimacing at the feel of her coated tongue. She clenched her eyes shut and burrowed her face into the smooth, warm body next to her.
Her eyes flew open, blinking.
Her cheek was pressed against someone’s chest and she was looking down an expanse of brown, muscle-rippled skin to where her arm was draped over a blanket-covered waist. Her own legs were pressed against bare skin, one of them thrown over the man next to her.
Alexis froze, trying to make sense of the previous night. She remembered most of the dinner clearly, but things became quite … blurry thereafter. She remembered looking for a room and following a boy who’d promised her something nice. And wasn’t that a brilliant thing to do. A vague recollection of falling into a soft, warm bed. And, curiously, a towel, which made little sense. She blinked again and the clearer view of the swathe of skin she rested against brought a
The woman’s face softened. “Oh, dear, yes, I think it is.” She smiled. “But you just trust old Chelsea here, I’ll see you right.” She turned to a screen hanging on the bulkhead which showed rows of red and green circles. “Yes, that’ll do nicely,” she said, tapping one and changing it from green to red. “The whole night, you said?”
“Yes, I’ve to be back aboard for the Forenoon Watch.”
“All right, then. One pound seven and we’ll see you on your way in time to meet your ship.”
Alexis stared at her in shock. A full pound and seven shillings for a night’s stay in a room? Well, I did ask for something nice, I suppose . She’d never before even priced a room, so had no idea what it should cost. And she was definitely feeling the effects of the drink, her head felt stuffed with cotton and she wanted nothing more than to lay her head on pillow and sleep the night away.
And it’s not as though I’ve aught else to spend my pay on otherwise. Without taking new stores aboard ship with her, and there was only so much she could eat and drink in port on those rare occasions she was allowed off Hermione , her accounts had accumulated a tidy sum on top of her earlier prize money. She’d also saved what she would have spent that night, what with Williard treating her to a fine dinner and finer drink. Nodding, she pulled out her tablet and made the payment.
“Compartment seven, dear, just at the top of the stairs there.”
“Thank you.”
Alexis climbed the stairs and slid the hatchway open on room seven. Though space was at a premium on board stations, it wasn’t so bad as aboard ships, and the compartment she entered was, perhaps, four meters square — a large compartment aboard station. Softly lit, with chairs and an inviting divan. The bed itself was larger than the entire midshipman’s berth she shared with Timpson. And all to myself . There was another hatch on the opposite bulkhead, which she assumed led to a private head. She smiled widely and slid the hatch shut behind her, then tossed her beret onto a chair and shrugged out of her uniform jacket and tunic. A real bed again , she thought, tossing her trousers after her jacket and climbing onto the bed in her underthings. And a proper bath in the morning. She spread her arms and legs to the corners, reveling in the space and the softness of the mattress.
“So y’ave me fer the night entire, eh, lass?”
Alexis sprang up. There was man standing in the now open hatchway to the head. The light silhouetted him from behind. He wore a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing else. A short towel . His long, curly, dark hair was tied back and his teeth shone brightly against his tanned skin. Muscles rippled under his skin as he stepped toward the bed and raised one leg to kneel on it. A very short towel …
“Oh … dear.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Alexis came awake slowly and reluctantly. Her eyes felt filled with grit and her head pounded. She moved her mouth slowly, grimacing at the feel of her coated tongue. She clenched her eyes shut and burrowed her face into the smooth, warm body next to her.
Her eyes flew open, blinking.
Her cheek was pressed against someone’s chest and she was looking down an expanse of brown, muscle-rippled skin to where her arm was draped over a blanket-covered waist. Her own legs were pressed against bare skin, one of them thrown over the man next to her.
Alexis froze, trying to make sense of the previous night. She remembered most of the dinner clearly, but things became quite … blurry thereafter. She remembered looking for a room and following a boy who’d promised her something nice. And wasn’t that a brilliant thing to do. A vague recollection of falling into a soft, warm bed. And, curiously, a towel, which made little sense. She blinked again and the clearer view of the swathe of skin she rested against brought a
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