When the doctor had almost finished removing the entire sleeve, Ann couldn’t help but notice Will’s strong, exposed bicep. Sitting there helping him felt intimate and tragic, and she wasn’t sure how she should process it, but she didn’t regret coming to the doctor’s aid. Will’s arm twitched as the last of the fabric was removed, and she tightened her hold on his wrist. Her mind wandered to the many interactions they’d had. It was as though the very walls of the ship kept pushing them together, and despite the way Mr. Boyd had tried to stop it, here they were again.
“Now, I’ll show you the proper way to dress a bandage.” Dr. Rowley held up some liniment. “Apply this liberally to the arm. It will help to seal the infection, and even if it gets wet with seawater, it will provide a barrier. We must avoid infection.” He demonstrated how to apply the liniment. “Now, wrap it with this cloth in this direction.” He raised a bit of cloth and wound it around until the entire arm from the wrist to the elbow was covered. “WhileMr. Boyd is here, I want you to attend to him. He is essential to the success of the voyage.”
Dr. Rowley tied off the bandage, and Mr. Boyd groaned. “I will be returning to my duties soon enough,” he said through gritted teeth.
Surely, he felt it important to return quickly, but part of her wondered if he also said it to clarify that he wouldn’t be with her long.
The doctor turned his head. “Do not be too eager, Mr. Boyd. This is a serious wound.”
A knock sounded on the sick bay door, and Dr. Rowley went to answer it.
As he did so, Mr. Boyd opened one eye. “You can let go of my hand now, Miss Fowles.”
Ann pulled back. She hadn’t even realized she was still holding it. “I beg your pardon, Mr. Boyd.”
Something akin to a laugh, but more pained, escaped his lips. “One of the many reasons I don’t take laudanum is so that I can be aware enough to stop young ladies from taking any liberties with my hand.”
Ann sucked in a breath, and Mr. Boyd’s mouth drew into a smile, as nearly as he could muster it. He was teasing her, like he had before he warned her off. Apparently even with the drug, she still had to be quick on her feet to match his wit.
“What other reasons, sir, do you have for not taking laudanum?”
His eyes grew dark and sad. “I’ve seen how people rely on it, Miss. I never want that to be me.”
Ann logged that information away. His tone had turned so serious she worried what dark pasts his mind had turned to. She must try to change the subject somehow.
“I was under the impression that you didn’t wish to be around me so often. Should I ask the doctor to have someone else take care of you?”
He clamped his eyes shut for a moment. “I am a great many things, Miss Fowles, but one thing I am not is a skilled conversationalist around distractingly pretty females.”
Ann stared. She’d never been called distractingly pretty before, that was certain.
He blew out a tight gust of air. “I’m sorry for how it came across before. I merely meant that though Idoenjoy talking to you, I should not, under the direction of the captain and as an example to the other crew, show favor toward any one lady.”
She chuckled lightly. “Well, that is a very different take from the original message, Mr. Boyd.”
“Yes, I know,” he muttered, his face drawing tight, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of his lack of eloquence or his sudden pain.
She leaned a little closer to him, noting the doctor had gone into the other room and the other two sailors were sleeping soundly due to the laudanum.
“So do you wish me to stay as distant as possible while I attend to your wound?”
“Before I was trying to clarify the captain’s rules about the sailors keeping their distance from the women passengers. But here, I doubt anyone will be cognizant enough to criticize my actions, except the doctor, and he assigned you to me.”
He was forming complete and comprehensible sentences, but she marveled at the changed sentiment.
As though he was adding to the ideas in her mind, he continued. “And there’s one more thing. I’ve saved your life multiple times, watched over you on deck by day and even by night, and now you’ve been caught holding my hand.” His drawn face tried for a smile. “I think, Miss Fowles, that while we are here together, that list of circumstances warrants you calling me by my first name. If you please, the name is William, but I go by Will.”
Ann swallowed down her surprise and tried for a riposte. “Will, is it? Wellthatsuits you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” One eyebrow lifted slightly.
“I’ve noticed you are ... opinionated.” She added some tease into her voice. “Will-ful, as it were.”
“Ahh,” he said softly, “so youdounderstand me.”
“Yes.” She crossed her arms in triumph. “And please note that I am helping you out of a scrape this time, not the other way around.”
He laughed and tried to resituate his arm but flinched.
