Just as I was beginning to drift off, she shifted, as her arm reached out to me, draping over my stomach. My arm wrapped around her shoulders, and I heard a tiny humming sigh.
Something shifted deep in my heart, as I realized without a doubt that I was going to have to take a chance at wooing a woman again, and hang the consequences.
The poor girl needed someone to care for her properly. To teach her the ways of the world. To help her learn what sort of woman she wanted to be.
Just as the darkness of sleep was pulling me under, I realized that I’d taken on many new and exciting adventures in my life, but this one was going to be the most important of all.
Not just the job of caring for Maggie. The process of making her mine, in an honorable, respectable way.
~ C hapter 5 ~ Maggie ~
* Ship Life *
I’d never been pulled out of sleep so gently and peacefully before.
Instead of my brothers crashing around the kitchen demanding breakfast, all I could hear was the waves against the hull of the ship, and a low, almost purring vibration.
Instead of being cold and confined, I was warm and…free. There was plenty of space for my limbs to move around, and I didn’t feel like the walls were closing in on me.
Slowly opening my eyes, I realized that the humming sound was the Captain’s gentle snoring, coming from right beside my ear. His arm was loosely slung around me, tucking me into his shoulder.
Back in Claytonsfield, I would have been obligated to jump away, since this was completely improper for an unmarried woman.
I should think of my reputation. I should think of the path to finding a suitable husband.
But there were no town gossips anywhere near the ship. Instead, all I could think about was how warm and wonderful it felt to have such a powerful man watching over me. As if he truly cared about my feelings.
Early morning light shone through the small window, allowing me to take a better look around the room. It was spotless, with everything perfectly in place.
I appreciated the level of order. It told me that the Captain was a disciplined man, and had probably never been a spoiled brat a day in his life. Certainly he was not someone who avoided work at every opportunity, like my father and brothers.
On several hooks in the corner were various items of clothing, along with lengths of rope, and some unfamiliar tools and instruments. Goodness, I was going to have to learn so much, so quickly.
The Captain hadn’t been clear on how long I would be permitted to stay with them. Although I didn’t think that he would throw me out just anywhere, it was highly possible that he was thinking of taking me to a girls’ home, or a convent. Somewhere he thought it might be for my own good.
I was going to have to prove to him immediately that I could earn my keep aboard ship, and that I belonged here on the Midnight Treasure .
For just a few more moments, I enjoyed the warmth of his firm, strong body beside mine. My hand moved lightly across the planes of his chest, examining the thick shapes of his muscles. I had no idea where this boldness came from.
Every time we touched, a strange warm tingle traveled through my entire body. Sort of like when I was allowed to have a half glass of wine at my nineteenth birthday. But much more intense.
Maybe that was another way I could make the Captain want to keep me. Maybe he would want…
I would have shaken my head if it wasn’t wedged so perfectly into his shoulder. There was no way such a handsome, worldly man, with his own ship no less, would be interested in such a small town girl who had few skills, fewer stories to tell, and not much else.
Slipping out of bed as carefully as possible, I tiptoed over to the chair to retrieve my dress. As I pulled it on, my fingertips dragged along the arm of the well-worn upholstery.
Not many men would take their mother’s chair on their travels. It showed that he was thoughtful. Sweet. Sentimental.
As soon as I was dressed, I snuck out and walked up the few steps onto the main deck.
“Morning, Maggie,” Dobbs said, giving me a nod. He was sitting on a crate, scrubbing a large piece of metal with what looked to be a wire brush.
“Good morning. Where is the kitchen? I was hoping I could help with breakfast.”
Dobbs pointed to the steps going down. “On a ship, the kitchen is called the galley. It’s below decks.”
I frowned, feeling my fingers clench into awkward fists.