After McGee and I washed up the dishes, I had a book selected to read to the men. Yet when Davy gathered a few of the lamps together, I realized my knees were beginning to tighten up. The floor was swaying gently.
O’Doule turned to the Captain, who gave a nod. “The storm swung south much faster than we thought. Davy, put out the lamps. Flora, stay with Larry," the Captain commanded.
As most of the lights went out and the men all bolted for the deck, Larry took my hand and helped me navigate the swaying steps.
"Don't be scared, Miss," he said, flashing me his warm smile even in the near dark. "We are perfectly safe. Just come up for a moment and I’ll show you how to watch the sky properly."
There were no stars to be seen. The sky was a menacing rolling blanket of deep black and gray clouds. A few last blue streaks showed the sunset to the west, but from the north, the winds were blowing briskly.
Larry pointed to where it looked like the edge of the sea had become blurry. "That's the line of rain," he said. “If we had any land in view, we could calculate how long it would be before we got there. But without a reference point, all we can say is that it's coming soon."
The waves were becoming choppier, and I had to see them for myself. Clutching the railing, I held tight to look down at the waves that were now topped with frothy white peaks.
The wind seemed to take three seconds to turn from a stiff breeze to an outright gale. Before I could even pull in enough breath to squeal, the clouds released. The rain hit us in sheets. It didn't seem like it was falling, more like it was being fired at us from a canon. It was freezing. My bones began to shake before I even fully realized that I was wet.
Larry's strong arm gripped my waist almost roughly, hauling me down below decks.
Before I could even wipe the frigid water from my eyes, he had me wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the Captain's bed. "Promise me you'll stay right here," he said urgently.
"Yes, of course."
Even over the roar of the rain, I heard the Captain bellow, "Where is–"
"She’s safe in your quarters, sir," Larry hollered.
Then all I heard was a blur of voices yelling back and forth to each other as they lashed down a few stray barrels, quickly changing course.
I couldn't tell how much time had passed, as the room was nearly pitch black. I was shaking, afraid to try to take off my wet things when I couldn’t see. The chill began to wear through me, and my bones felt brittle.
After what seemed like a long time, the swaying of the ship settled back to a gentle roll. Not too long after, the door opened and the Captain came in with a lamp. “My sweet girl, we’re anchored in an inlet for the night. Everything’s fine.”
“Ok-kay.”
“You’ve survived your first storm, my lassie.” The way he called me his warmed my heart, though the rest of me was so chilled I couldn’t feel my feet.
“Lass, is that your teeth chattering?”
“Yeth,” I muttered, trying to stand up to get out of my cold, wet clothing now that I could see.
As soon as the Captain saw that I was wet, he took over. Ripping everything off of me, he threw me naked into the bed, ignoring my shocked gasp. He turned the lamp up high, and lit another. Then he tore his own clothing off, getting under the blankets with me.
“Now is not the time for shame,” he said. He turned me away from him so that my entire back was pressed against his wide chest, his strong legs up against mine. His arms curled around me so that his hands were flat against my stomach, pulling me tight. “Skin on skin is the fastest way to warm you through.”
“I bet-t-t you’re g-g-glad it’s me that’s frozen, and not-t-t Larry,” I chattered, with a little giggle.
“You have no idea,” he said with a snort.
It didn’t take long for me to warm up, and soon the quaking stopped. But the feeling of being naked in his arms was starting a different sort of trembling. His hands parted. Slowly the right slid up to my breast, as the left glided down to rest against the mound between my legs.
Gently running his fingers through my short curls, he asked, “Lassie, are you warm?”
“Yes,” I breathed.
“Should I let you go now?”
“No.”
His hand cupped the soft skin of my breast, squeezing gently, traveling lazily around in a circle as my head tipped back against his shoulder.