“No.” He slid it into his pocket.
“Why? I’m not going to drink it in one sip.”
“When you need it, you’ll tell me.” His eyes narrowed to slits.
“But—”
He offered me his arm. “I guess you’ll want to return to your cabin before dinner.”
“Dinner?” At the mention of a meal, I stiffened, worried the nausea might surge again. But my stomach remained quiet. No lurching. No odd noises from my belly. No funny taste in my mouth. “I think I should keep my stomach empty for the moment.”
A breeze ruffled his rich chestnut-coloured curly hair, giving him an even wilder look. “You’re wrong. You haven’t eaten much in the past few days. You need your energy, and trust me, it’s better to have food in your stomach when you have nausea. At least you’ll have something to puke up if your stomach roils again.”
My word, his informal tone would make Mother angry. Again, I wondered why she’d chosen Rennie as my chaperone. Officially, to protect my reputation, he was my cousin, but anyone who saw us together would understand we weren’t remotely related.
“I’m not sure I should eat,” I said, wringing my hands.
“I insist.” He stepped closer, all tall and male, still waiting for me to take his arm.
A hint of fear washed down my spine as his sheer size dwarfed me. I was alone with him. I had no means to communicate with my family unless we docked at a port. He could do whatever he wanted to me.
“I’m not going to kill you and then dump you into the sea, you know?” he said, a wicked smile worthy of a pirate stretching his lips. “I’m here to assist you.”
“I was thinking nothing of the sort.” I put my hand in the crook of his arm.
“Yes, you were.”
As we walked towards the stairs that led below deck and to the cabins, I remained silent. I wasn’t used to conversing with gentlemen who were so direct and explicit. I didn’t know what to say. No gentleman I knew would be so frank about having guessed my thoughts. Yes, he’d been right, but wasn’t pointing out the truth rude? Oh, dear. I rubbed my forehead. I was making no sense.
Now that I wasn’t casting up my accounts, I could appreciate the polished wood and golden leaves decorating the walls of theSS Florentia. It was a luxurious ship with restaurants, shops, and even a gymnasium. Almost ridiculous. But I’d only seen my cabin and the deck so far.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” he asked, pointing at a porthole that opened to a view of the dipping red sun. Orange ignited the waves, turning them into fire-breathing dragons.
I angled towards him. Somehow, I hadn’t pictured him as the type of man who would appreciate a sunset.
His eyebrows rose again, disappearing under his thick curls. “What? Can’t I like the sunset?”
Drat. What had I said about Sandro understanding me well? It seemed Rennie understood metoowell. “Actually... Oh, all right.” I waved a hand. “I’m guilty as charged. I was thinking that. I guess I should apologise again.”
He grinned, his crooked nose twisting further. “Thank you for your honesty.”
“You’re welcome. From now on, I’m going to tell you exactly what I think about you.” I meant it as a joke, but he nodded solemnly.
“Great. I’m curious. What do you think of me?” There wasn’t an ounce of humour in the question.
Why had I told him I was going to be honest? I wiped my face again with his handkerchief to buy some time. “I don’t know you.”
“But you know me enough to make assumptions.”
“Don’t take that personally. I make assumptions about everyone, even about myself and I’m usually wrong. For example, before leaving for this cruise, I assumed I would be well enough to enjoy the cruise.”
He chuckled, and the sound was so charming it made me laugh too.
“So what are your other assumptions about me?” he asked.
“Well, you’re a middle-class pugilist who doesn’t have a wife or a betrothed.”
He resumed walking along the passageway as the red light of the sunset was reflected on the walls. “No wife or betrothed?”
