Page 7 of Hooked By a Hero
“It’s a fine cabin,” Caspian said, running his hand along the polished wood of one wall. “Although I prefer sleeping out on deck under the stars.”
“Have you not been given a cabin?” Elias asked, blinking in surprise.
“Oh, I have,” Caspian lied. “But if the weather is fair, sleeping on the deck is so much nicer. Any crewman will tell you as much.”
“I see,” Elias said, though he studied Caspian for a long time as if he didn’t quite see.
Caspian helped Elias settle into his tiny space as best he could. There wasn’t much to do as Elias’s trunk would not be delivered until later, so once Elias deemed the space fit to inhabit, they left and made their way back to the stairs that would take them to the deck once more.
As they waited for a pair of fellow passengers to come down the stairs, they heard a commotion from the hold below.
“Quiet, you!” Mr. Tumbrill shouted, presumably at the convicts. “You’re all a bunch of thieves and murderers who deserve what’s coming to you. You’ll accept what you’re given and be glad of it.”
“I’m no murderer,” someone replied in a voice Caspian could just barely hear. “None of us are.”
“Thief, murderer, it’s all the same to me,” Mr. Tumbrill said. His words were followed by the thumping sound of someone receiving a blow and chains rattling.
“I do not think I’m going to like that part of the journey,” Elias said in a wary voice, hurrying up the stairs and into the sunshine as soon as he could.
“There’s no cause for cruelty like that,” Caspian agreed.
He could breathe easier once they were out in the sun. Caspian drew in a long breath and followed Elias up to the stern deck, where many of the more distinguished passengers had gathered. When the two of them looked down over the railing, Lady Eudora and her mother were nowhere in sight and the men on the dock were working to unwrap the thick ropes holding the ship in place from their moorings.
“It looks like the tide is right to carry us away,” Caspian said, pressing his shoulder into Elias’s as they took places along the crowded rail to watch their departure.
“It seems that way,” Elias said, sending Caspian a friendly, pink-cheeked smile in return.
They’d only just met, but Caspian felt as if he and Elias had been friends for decades. He was a good judge of character, if he did say so himself, and already he liked what he had seen from the agreeable doctor.
As the ship slipped out of its moorings and was cheered on by those on land and on sea, Caspian smiled, his heart feeling light. That morning, when he’d come aboard the ship, he had mostly been looking forward to going home at the end of a long stretch of travel and exploration. Now he was anticipating all the joys of the voyage itself, and of his new and exciting companion.
Three
Despite the suddenness of Elias’s flight from England, the first few days of his journey were actually quite lovely. The weather remained in their favor as they sailed to the mouth of the Thames, and then as they rounded the southeastern corner of England and continued westward along the Channel.
“I never would have imagined seeing the land of my home from such a position,” Lady Adelaide commented to Elias and Caspian on the second day of sailing through the Channel. “Cornwall appears so distant.”
Elias and Caspian, who had been enjoying the view from the stern deck as theFortuneslid easily through grey-blue waters, turned to the young woman in unison, which made Elias smile secretly.
“You would never have imagined leaving England?” Caspian asked, rather boldly, if Elias was honest.
“Well, I….” Lady Adelaide stuttered a bit, her cheeks pinking. “Father insists we must travel to Australia to remake our fortune.” She sent a knowing look to her maid, Emily, who blushed and looked down.
A hundred stories of what might have happened to Lord Dunstable that would require him to need to remake a fortune filled Elias’s thoughts. It was early days still, but he was delighted by how many mysteries and stories his fellow travelers had. He looked forward to learning so much more about all of them.
That included the mysteries and stories he knew Caspian had to be carrying. The beautiful young man spoke very little about himself or his origins, though Elias had determined that he must have been the son of merchants, possibly English, but also possibly Portuguese, who had settled in Hindustan and somehow borne a son of unusual coloring with one of the locals there. Caspian deflected all of Elias’s questions on the matter, but there were few other explanations.
Truly, it did not matter to Elias where Caspian had originated. As long as he could spend time with the beautiful man, talking about England and the sea, their fellow travelers and the crew, Elias did not care who Caspian and his people were, whether high or low. After only two days, Elias was smitten, though he was quick to acknowledge as much and temper his feelings by admitting it was merely an infatuation brought on by Caspian’s alluring appearance and the excitement of the voyage.
The voyage turned far more exciting than any of them would have liked once they left the English Channel and made their way across the Bay of Biscay.
“You can expect rough seas over the next few days, Captain Woodward announced to the more prestigious passengers over supper at the end of the third day.
They had all been invited to take supper in the captain’s study, a rather large room at the ship’s stern. It contained a single, long table with benches along either side, two chairs at either end, and a lantern hung above the table thatswung precariously as Button, the ship’s cook, served them a surprisingly good meal.
“How rough, sir?” Mr. Ferrars asked, already looking a bit green.
Captain Woodward sent him a frown that lacked sympathy, in Elias’s opinion, and said, “Very rough.”
