Lewis threw his head back in dramatic agony. "Come on."
Vivienne’s nails dug into her palms.There’s no way my parents had to scrub decks or wash dishes.Her stomach twisted.This proves it. They don’t see me as my parents’ equal. They see me as beneath them.
Fear slithered beneath the anger. Despite the cold judgment she’d endured her whole life, they were her family. And she still desperately hoped they were alive.
* * *
Lewis restedhis elbows on a stack of grimy plates. “You could just sit there, you know. I’m the one who ran my mouth.”
Vivienne wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, smearing salt and sweat. “If we both wash, we finish faster.”
The lukewarm, questionably soapy water sloshed over the edges of the tin basin as she reached for another plate. After watching how ‘clean’ the utensils weren’t getting through the process of being dunked in salt water with a splash of alcohol, and set aside still damp, she silently vowed never to use a spoon again.I should have packed my own.
Even with both of them scrubbing, the task dragged on for hours, tin plates and dented mugs piling up like an endless tide. Her hands, already raw from swabbing, now burned beneath the gritty lather. Every muscle throbbed, her fingers aching from the repetitive scrape of cloth over metal.
She could already picture it. Sinking into a hot bath and soaking until her joints didn’t feel like they belonged to someone three times her age.
“Looks like you two survived your first round of dish duty.”
Commander Thorne’s voice drifted down the staircase, interrupting the dull clatter of their work. Vivienne and Lewis snapped their heads up, their expressions too blank, too innocent. Neither of them dared speak. One wrong word and they’d probably end up scrubbing the entire galley.
The commander gave a slight tilt of his head. “Come with me. There’s something you should see, given it’s your first voyage.”
Vivienne exchanged a wary glance with Lewis, but neither objected. Their feet felt like lead, but anything was better than another round of scrubbing.
They followed him up to the main deck, where a warm breeze stirred the sails, the scent of salt and brine carried on the wind. Thorne stopped near the railing, his gaze fixed on the horizon, where the sky had erupted into color. Strokes of molten gold, deep crimsons, and dusky violets stretched across the rippling expanse of the sea. The waves caught the dying light, shifting into bands of silver and amber, glowing as if the ocean itself had been set aflame.
Vivienne inhaled sharply, spellbound. Lewis, slack-jawed, gave a quiet, reverent whistle.
She’d watched plenty of sunsets before, but this was unlike anything she’d ever seen.
“It’s something, isn’t it?” Thorne’s voice was stripped of its usual edge.
Vivienne turned her head, catching an unfamiliar expression on his face. A look of quiet admiration, a faint smile curving the left side of his mouth.Is that a…dimple?
As if sensing her stare, he glanced down at her, the flecks of gold and burgundy in his espresso eyes ablaze in the last rays of light.
She tore her eyes away.Gods help me. He’d almost be handsome if he weren’t such a self-important ass.
“Commander Thorne, during the tour earlier, I didn’t see where the washroom was,” she stated, running a hand over the ship’s railing.
He blinked as if she’d spoken in another language. “Miss Banner, do you mean the head?”
Lewis leaned closer, grinning like a man about to cause trouble. “Those are the holes where you relieve yourself directly into the sea.”
Vivienne scrunched her nose. “Gods, no. I meant where to bathe.”
Thorne’s lips parted slightly, his expression shifting from mild surprise to something bordering amusement. “Miss Banner, we don’t have such luxuries aboard a ship. If you’re lucky, your cabin has a small barrel of fresh water and a sponge.” His mouth fought a smile. “You’ll find no spa experiences aboard the Zephyrus.”
Her face burned, and she pressed her damp palms against her trousers. “Right. Of course. Thank you for the clarification.”
Thorne, still clearly entertained, straightened. “Mr. Blume, Dr. Mercer requires your assistance in finishing the medical inventory. Miss Banner, you are dismissed for the time being.”
Lewis and Vivienne trudged across the deck, too drained to even complain.
As Lewis peeled off toward the infirmary, she dragged her feet toward her cabin, every movement a monumental effort. By the time she reached her door, her fingers barely had the strength to turn the iron key.
The moment the lock clicked open, she stumbled inside, shut the door behind her, and collapsed face-first onto the bunk. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.
