Dismissing it as inconsequential, Devlin informed her he probably wouldn’t be seeing her again until later. “Monty needs to sleep so I’m hoping to give him a couple of extra hours by giving myself a longer shift.”
“What about food?” She made a sweeping motion with her arms, and his stomach instantly grumbled in response.
“Well, I certainly don’t want to miss the fine meal you’re preparing, so perhaps you can bring a plate up once you’ve checked on Penelope?”
“Of course. I’d be happy to.”
He paused to study her face, or more precisely her features, while doing his best to examine her manner and speech. There was something different about her somehow, something less guarded, more open, not quite so… He wasn’t sure what but he sensed with a fluttering beat of his heart that Cassandra had changed while he’d been asleep. Regrettably, he had no time to determine what, how, or why at that precise moment. Not when they both had jobs to do.
So he merely nodded and walked away, allowing his feet to carry him to his post even though his heart would so much rather have remained in the galley. But since he’d slept the entire day, there was so much for Devlin to check on, so many updates for him to listen to while maintaining their course, he scarcely noticed the passing of time until Cassandra arrived.
Dismissing the sailor with whom he’d been speaking, Devlin gave her his full attention, although to be fair, his hunger for food caused his gaze to go straight to the plate she carried. She grinned. “You look like a starved man.” And without further comment, she stabbed a diced piece of meat and held it up to his mouth.
He ate it, almost sighing in response to the savory flavor. She offered him another bite, followed by a spoonful of peas, then some potato and yet more meat.
“It occurred to me,” she said while he chewed, her voice a little unsure, “that you wouldn’t be able to use your hands to eat while steering the ship, so I cut everything into bite-sized portions.”
“I’m glad.” He couldn’t care less as long as his stomach stopped burning. “How’s Penny?”
“Much better.” She gave him another spoonful of peas. “Thank you.”
“It’s not my doing.”
“Hmm.” She said nothing more. She just kept feeding him until the plate was empty. “Do you know where we are?”
“Of course.” It might be dark, but that didn’t mean he did not know their position with perfect accuracy. “We’re passing Mauritania.”
“Oh.”
He grinned. “You’ve never heard of it have you?”
“I must confess my African geography isn’t quite up to par.”
“Can’t really blame you,” he said with a shrug. “It’s not exactly the sort of thing you’ve needed to know. But perhaps you have a sense of where the Sahara is?”
“Yes it’s…” She scrunched her nose as if unsure of how to describe its location. Her hand made a swirling motion next to her head. “I can find it on a globe.”
“Right.” Devlin hid his amusement by glancing off to the side. “Well, most of Mauritania’s land is within the desert, so the population is largely concentrated near the coast. In a week, maybe less, we should reach the Gulf of Guinea.”
“Where the continent curves to one side?”
“Precisely.” They could manage a few delays here and there if necessary. Devlin always made sure adverse weather conditions and minor mishaps were accounted for. But it was still vital they stuck as close to their schedule as possible since he’d no desire to sail through another Harmattan.
“Devlin?” Cassandra’s hand was on his arm. “Is everything all right?”
“Quite.” No need to worry her with the prospect of nosebleeds, cracked skin, and burning eyes, which was what he and his crew had suffered during their last encounter with the wind blowing down from the desert. “Thank you for dinner and for handling all the other meals these last two days. I’ve been told Mr. Talbot is expected back in the galley tomorrow.”
Cassandra cleared her throat. “Perhaps I could help him from time to time.”
Surprised, Devlin caught her gaze and held it. “You want to keep working?”
She shrugged. “It gives me something to do and… Well, if life at Clearview has taught me anything, it’s the joy of accomplishment and sense of purpose one can find by getting things done yourself. As opposed to relying on servants.”
He’d always admired and respected her so much he wouldn’t have thought his opinion of her could improve. Yet it did. Every day, it seemed. His heart swelled dangerously with an emotion he’d rather not dwell on.
Attempting to hide his response, he gave a stiff nod. “I’m sure Mr. Talbot would be grateful.”
Cassandra beamed. “Excellent. I mean, thank you. I…” She looked strangely out of sorts. “I should probably see how Penelope’s doing and keep her company for a bit. When I left her, she was reading.”
