Time for Love by Emma Kaye Page A

worry about me. I can handle myself.” She looked him up and down. “Did you need some help? You seem to be having a bit of trouble carrying that heavy board.”
    She kept an all-too-innocent expression on her face as she said it, but she could have bit her tongue the moment the words were out of her mouth. The result was satisfying, but she had a feeling she’d pay for it later.
    Mr. Duff’s pockmarked visage turned purple with rage. She was saved from his response as Nicholas and Mr. Grayson appeared from below deck at that moment.
    “Is everything all right here?” Nicholas asked, a slight frown upon his face.
    She smiled. “Everything’s fine sir. I was heading to the galley to help Cook serve dinner.” She nodded to Mr. Duff and left, but not before noting the scowl on his face.
    Next time, she’d have to keep her big mouth shut. And there would be a next time, she had no doubt. She couldn’t afford to get into it with the carpenter. She’d avoid him whenever possible and keep her head down when it wasn’t. She knew it wasn’t over.
    ****
    The next night, another encounter made Alex desert all hope for a peaceful journey. The night shift was on duty with the majority of the crew asleep. Alex was returning from the galley after helping Cook clean up from Nicholas’s weekly dinner party for his senior staff. The time was much later than usual, and when she walked around a corner, she almost collided with a young girl coming out of the cargo hold.
    The girl stopped dead in her tracks, and her eyes widened in terror. It took Alex a second to overcome her surprise and realize the girl must be a stowaway who was probably terrified at being discovered. Alex gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile and held one finger to her lips as she motioned with her other hand for the girl to precede her back down to the cargo hold.
    Alex used her lantern’s meager light to find the girl in the dark after closing the hatch. The girl cowered on the far side of the hold, half hidden behind some large crates piled high to the ceiling. She looked to be about fifteen, with long, brown hair pulled back into a single braid and dirt smudged along her cheekbones. She was a tiny thing, maybe five feet at most. Alex’s heart went out to her.
    Alex was unsure of the punishment for a stowaway, but it wouldn’t be pleasant. She remembered reading that throughout history punishments for stealing were very harsh. Cutting off a hand or something? Alex couldn’t remember exactly, but she shuddered at the thought. Not only did a stowaway steal passage, but to survive she must be stealing food and water as well. “Don’t worry, I won’t give you away,” Alex whispered as she moved closer.
    The girl’s jaw dropped, but she quickly clicked it shut and looked wildly around for a way to escape since Alex blocked the hatch. Alex’s brow furrowed as the girl seemed ready to panic.
    The girl gave up her search and raised her chin in a defiant manner. “I know what you want, but I won’t do it. I’ll scream if I have to.”
    Alex gaped at her and then realization came. The girl thought she was about to be raped.
    Alex hurried to reassure her, “No, no. I don’t want anything, I promise. I won’t hurt you. Let’s sit, and you can tell me how you came to be here.” Alex approached the girl, squeezed into a tight spot next to a water barrel and sat, her knees tucked practically to her chin. She patted the floor of the narrow aisle by her side. “Have a seat. My name’s Alex. What’s yours?”
    After a few moments of shifting from foot to foot, the girl sat. “Evelyn Burges.” Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head to the side as she peered at Alex. “You won’t reveal my presence? Why?”
    “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