“That’s hardly fair, Captain. They don’t know me.”
“They say you cheat at cards, slack off on your work, and sleep on night watch. A complete disregard for your duties. I can’t abide that in a man, much less one who works for me.”
Duran’s anger was barely under the boiling point. He’d never tolerated a man insulting him—not even someone in the position of being his boss. “Look, I’ve done nothing wrong. Those men are just jealous. I don’t have to cheat to beat them. I can’t help it if they aren’t able to hold their own in a game of cards, but I’ll just stop playing with them. It’ll give me more time to sleep—when I’m not on watch,” he said, his sarcasm thick enough to spread.
“I used to be just like you, Duran.”
“I doubt that, Captain. You don’t strike me as the kind of man who’s been kicked around like I have.”
Captain Wright squared his shoulders. “You’d be surprised. Before I made my peace with God, I was in quite a few jails for beating men half to death. My temper always got the best of me.”
Duran could see the truth of it in the captain’s eyes. “Why are you telling me this? I have to finish this jib.”
For a moment the captain stared hard at him. Duran didn’t like the sense of the man’s disdain. He’d read it on the faces of others every day of his life. People didn’t like him. He didn’t fit in their world, and they despised him for it. Well, one of these days he’d see that they learned to accept him, and if not that, then they’d tolerate him with respect ... or die.
“Booker, like you, I used to fight my way through everything. I did it so no one could claim a hold on me or the right tocontrol me. I even became a captain because I wanted no man telling me what to do. What I didn’t realize was that having all the authority meant I’d also have all the responsibility. While you’re on theMary Elise, you answer to me, and that in turn makes me responsible for you—just like all the others. I want ...needmy men to get along. I’m suggesting you find a way to make that happen.”
“Aye, Captain.” Duran refused to look him in the eye. He hated the captain almost as much as he hated his first mate. The day was coming when he’d show them both that neither of them had command over him. Booker Duran—Robert Wayfair—was his own boss, and no one else would ever take that from him.
Elise finished rearranging the room and stood back. This was how it used to be when she and Caroline shared a cabin. It had bunk beds that Caroline would no doubt hate even though she was raised in them. Elise had already decided she would take the upper bunk. As the youngest of the two, Caroline would have slept there when they were children, but her years of being a socially perfect lady would never allow her to climb up to bed, so Elise had resigned herself to the position. She wanted Caroline to be as comfortable as possible.
With this job complete and still another week to reach Oswego, Elise felt anxiety course through her. She’d tried to keep herself busy, but there was so much going on that she couldn’t figure out how to tell her father her concerns about Duran. She had started to on more than one occasion, but the conversation always led back to Caroline’s situation and the coming winter. Father was very glad things had happened when theydid so that Caroline wouldn’t be forced to remain in Oswego. He couldn’t imagine her wanting to leave her uncle’s care, but since she did, he feared things had developed into an even more critical situation. It appeared to Elise that he was barely able to keep his mind on sailing.
After supper, the men took up their various instruments and played a little serenade for the captain and Elise. Mother had been the one to encourage them to form a small band. Two of the men played guitar, and of course there was Tom’s harmonica. Ollie could handle a squeezebox well enough to charm them all, and Sam managed the fiddle. It was quite the merry band.
Duran seemed unhappy with the affairs of the evening and went to bed early. Elise found herself glad for his absence. She had never known such a dislike for anyone, but more than that, she feared what he could do to the rest of the crew. He always seemed ready for a fight or insult.
She walked to the rail to look out on the black water. The boys broke into their own rendition of “Cottage by the Sea.” Those not playing an instrument joined in by singing. Elise thought it all quite lovely. The lake ... the music ... the night.
“You look so contented here that I hate to impose myself,” Nick said, joining her. “But I’ve given something a lot of thought and would like your opinion on the matter.”
Elise smiled up at him in the soft glow of lantern light. “I would be happy to hear your thoughts on most anything.”
“Good. That makes this easier.”
She waited for him to continue. Even though he said it was easier, he looked nervous. He glanced out at the water as if tryingto find the right words, then finally straightened and looked her in the eye.
“Elise ... I ... well, I have feelings for you.”
She smiled. “I have feelings for you, as well.”
He let go a sigh and seemed greatly relieved. “I’ve never felt this way, so I can’t say for sure exactly what the depth of those feelings are ... but they seem very deep.”
She chuckled. “I’ve wrestled with the same thing, but I believe it must be love.” She surprised herself by speaking so frankly and hurried to apologize in case she’d said too much. “I hope that doesn’t offend you.”
It was his turn to laugh, and for the first time since joining her, he relaxed. “You haven’t offended me at all. In fact, just the opposite. I wasn’t sure I could use that word without offending you.”
Elise leaned back against the rail and gazed at Nick. “I’ve never known anyone like you. I’ve always avoided getting to know any man very well for fear of falling in love, because you know of my pledge to care for my father. Yet you like my father and sailing, so I see the possibilities of us all being able to remain on theMary Elise... together.”
Nick nodded. “I’m not trying to push for something at this point. I just wanted to share my feelings and see if there was a chance you might feel the same way.”
“I think we both knew we were feeling the same thing. Sometimes I see it in your eyes, and I know you can see it in mine. I think in important matters it’s best just to be forthcoming.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.”
“You two seem mighty talkative over here,” Elise’s father said, coming to join them.
“We’ve just declared that we have feelings for each other.” Elise’s tone was serious.
