Miles Before I Sleep (11 page)

“Yes, miss,” Phillip said. A look of relief washed over his swarthy features to have the decision taken out of his hands.

“If he doesn’t return, will you see that his meal is put on a tray and taken to his cabin before the galley closes?”

“Yes, miss,” he answered before giving her a healthy serving of soup.

Andrea recognized the green turtle soup in front of her and proceeded to bring a spoonful to her mouth. She held the morsel in her mouth a moment, savoring the taste and texture before she chewed and swallowed.

“You had no right to take it upon yourself to have Mr. Huntington’s meal set back. You are not even an invited guest. How presumptuous of you to assume Mr. Huntington would want to find cold food in his stateroom later.”

Andrea took another bite, then set her spoon down and folded her hands in her lap as she slowly counted to ten. She really did not understand Lady Pike’s objection to common courtesy.

“Madam, would you have him come back to cold food, or to have his untouched dishes taken away with our empty plates? And should he be delayed until midnight, would you have him go to bed hungry? Once the galley is closed, it is not opened again until it is time to prepare the next meal. Under those circumstances, I would think he would be glad for a cold meal.”

Lady Pike glared at her. “My objection is that you overstepped your bounds,” she seethed.

“My apologies, Lady Pike, Lady Callie,” she said coolly. Much of the table, no longer engaged in conversation now that the food was served, had turned their attention to the argument at the head of the table. She raised her mockingly bowed head and added, “Again, I defer to your judgment. When the waiter comes back, you may change my instructions as you see fit. As you said, I am an uninvited guest at this table. Since Lady Callie is one step away from being his fiancée, in the future I shall yield to her decisions.”

Lady Pike pursed her lips in anger, and Lady Callie flushed with embarrassment over the reminder of their previous conversation. Meekly, Callie ducked her head and steadily spooned her
pottage aux choux
into her mouth. Andrea also returned to her soup, but not with as much haste as Lady Callie.

Lady Callie finished before Andrea had eaten half of hers. “You know that you’re eating turtle, don’t you, Miss Andrews,”

“Of course. It’s been a favorite of mine for years.” At Lady Callie’s subtle face of distaste, Andrea continued “It’s considered a delicacy all over the world. If it is on the menu again, you really should try it. This is quite the best I have had. But I suppose Mr. Huntington knew how delicious it was when he took the liberty of ordering for me.”

The entrées were served with a rush of excitement as the ship was felt to be underway again. The engine remained silent, attesting to the fact that the sails had been unfurled and the ship was now at the mercies of the capricious winds. The ship’s arrival in New York would be delayed, but by how much would be determined by how long the engine was out of commission. If it was only a few hours, the time could be made up by running with the sails and engine. If it remained strictly under sail power, they could be delayed by a week or more.

The captain returned to his dinner a few minutes later without any announcement or explanations, other than, perhaps, to the people at his own table.

When Miles Huntington did not return, Lady Callie turned to her mother and whined, “When is Miles coming back? The captain’s been back for ages.”

Lady Pike had no answer.

Andrea swallowed the bite of goose in Champagne sauce that was in her mouth. “It stands to reason if he’s not back soon, he will not be back until the trouble is resolved.”

“And what makes you such an expert? The captain has returned with the problem unresolved.”

“And I’m sure if the matter is minor, we will be rejoined by our host. No doubt, the captain has delegated the matter to his senior officers. His interests lie in getting the ship to its port safely, whereas Mr. Huntington’s lie with his investment.”

“So now you’re a mind-reader as well as an expert on steamships,” Lady Callie bit out, spitefully.

Andrea wished she had just kept her mouth shut and finished her meal in strained silence, but for some reason, she just could not stop herself. “I believe any student of human nature would agree with my logic,” she said, gesturing with one hand. “As for steamships…this is the first one I’ve been on, and I claim no knowledge of their workings. However, if you but look around, you would have to agree that Mr. Huntington has gone to great lengths to make this one of the finest ships of our day. He has obviously put more than just his money into its building.”

“Thank you,” a deep voice said from behind her. “It’s good to know our efforts did not go unnoticed.”

Deep scarlet stained her cheeks at being overheard praising the cousin of the man she had jilted. She did not want to praise his effort or anything about him and she certainly did not like arguing with his female friends over him.

“My apologies for the interruption, Miss Andrews. You were saying…?”

“I was finished.”

Lady Callie stopped pouting as soon as Miles rejoined them. The sudden transition was uncanny. Her dark stable eyes gleamed in a sultry fashion that made Andrea feel as if she had walked into someone’s bedchamber unannounced.

“It was nothing serious, I hope,” Callie said, briefly touching Miles on his arm. “I was just telling Jayne that if it was serious, we might not see you again tonight. She seemed to think we were on the verge of sinking, but we have finally managed to calm her down. Who would think with all that gangly height of hers, she would be as scared and excitable as a little mouse?” She spared a surreptitious glance at Andrea.

Lady Callie’s lie did not work and whatever she hoped to gain was lost. Miles placed a large palm on Andrea’s hand and held it reassuringly.

“I find it hard to believe that you would be so easily upset.”

“I find it hard to believe myself,” she said dryly, sparing a glance at Lady Callie. She nearly laughed when she saw her lamented expression. It wasn’t that she was unsympathetic to the other woman’s feelings; she just thought Callie deserved a little aggravation for telling lies.

Lady Callie had not noticed Andrea looking at her; all she saw was Andrea’s slender fingers peeking out from under Miles's hand.

“It must be true,” Miles said. “I can feel your hand still trembling.”

She tried to pull away from the warm, strong grip, but he held fast. Her eyes met his and for a moment, she was transported to a ballroom five years before. She could practically feel his arm around her waist as they moved in unison around the crowded floor and smell the sweet floral perfume of the honeysuckles and roses as they passed the open garden windows. For that moment, her chest filled with joy and a slight smile formed on her lips. With his beard, it had been easy to forget he was the man with whom she had danced. Now, as he gazed into her eyes, she felt suddenly breathless and warm.

Only when Phillip leaned between them to set the bowl of soup in front of Miles, did he release her hand and break the spell, returning her to the present. Andrea picked up her fork and knife to cut another piece of goose and saw that her hands were indeed trembling. The once delicious food now seemed to have no flavor at all, and she signaled for Phillip to take the half-eaten dinner away.

“You didn’t like the goose?” Miles asked.

Andrea gave her chin a dignified lift. It was an automatic response when she was pushing her feelings down inside where no one could sense them. A dazzling smile came to her lips. “Actually, it was wonderful. But the green turtle soup was so hearty, I fear I filled up on it. So, if your chef complains because I sent the plate back only partially eaten, he has no one to blame but himself for making the soup too good to stop halfway.”

An engaging laugh escaped between his lips, and Andrea could not help but chuckle herself. “You sound as if you have met your share of these temperamental French chefs.”

“I have. But you have never seen temperament until you’ve met an Italian chef who has been to one of those fancy French cooking schools. 
Mon dieu
. Put that famous Italian temper in with the French oversensitivity, and beware. The food is second to none, but it takes the saltiest bo’s’on to keep from blushing under the abuse.”

Across the table came a strangled cry of outrage. Lady Pike’s face was livid. “Once again you insist on bringing the dinner conversation down into the gutter, Miss Andrews. I have had more pleasant meals in the common room of country inns where I was forced to eat in the company of rustics and common laborers. In the future, please remember that you are in the company of quality.”

“Madam,” Miles Huntington ground out. “I have sat back while you have been rude and insulting to this young woman. I have said nothing, because I wanted to avoid an unpleasant scene. But your persistent badgering is too much to be borne. Ever since she arrived, you have balked like a jackass with a burr under your pack, and Jayne has politely apologized for all your imagined wrongs. If you are as thin-skinned as you maintain, I suggest you stay in your stateroom for the remainder of the voyage, because I can guarantee you are going to hear much worse.”

“Well, I never…!” Lady Pike sputtered with her face in high color.

Miles Huntington rose from the table. “Are you ready for our walk, Jayne?”

She nodded and he pulled back her chair. “Thank you, Miles,” she murmured as she wound her arm around his.

“You’ll ruin the girl’s reputation, Mr. Huntington, and then that brother of hers will force you into a wedding or a duel. I hope she’s worth it.”

Miles and Andrea looked at each other for a moment then burst out laughing, knowing there was no brother.

12

Andrea paused as soon as they were outside the dining room and pulled her arm free of his.

“Thank you, Mr. Huntington. I appreciate you extracting me from that situation. However, I am certain you would like to finish your meal. I can make my way to my stateroom if you want to stay to eat.”

“Trust me,” Miles said with a mischievous smile. “I have been looking for an excuse to avoid eating with the Pikes.”

Andrea looked wide-eyed at Miles, her head canting slightly sideways. “But you invited them to dine with you.”

“I’m just currying to the aristocracy. They are exactly who we need to buy tickets on this ship if we want to be successful. I’m sure I will invite them again before the voyage is over to make up for any slight.” He leaned down and lowered his voice into a conspiratorial tone. “I may even feel obligated to walk Lady Callie around the deck.”

She leaned in and spoke in a similar tone. “Don’t feel obliged to walk with me.” In truth, Andrea did not want to walk back to her room alone. She had no way of knowing where Clyde Sully might be or exactly what he wanted, but deep down, every pore of her body prickled with alarm knowing he was a danger to her.

He thought a moment before he answered. “I was hoping you would feel obligated after I rescued you.”

Had Lillian been there to see it, she would have known Andrea was veiling her emotions by the way she pulled her shoulders back, lifted her head and smiled placidly. But Miles only saw the smile and a nod of acquiescence.

“So, Miss Andrews,” Miles said as he placed her hand back on his elbow and they began their stroll. “I’m afraid I am wildly curious why you donned glasses, a mustache, and trousers to obtain passage aboard my ship.”

Andrea looked out over the ocean hoping he would not see the lie in her face. “I could not afford passage for a chaperone or even a maid, and I knew I’d never be able to travel alone without one.”

“You’re not afraid to travel alone?”

How could she explain to him that what awaited her at home terrified her more?

“I have traveled quite extensively,” she said trying to evade his question.

He nodded seemingly in acceptance of her explanation. And when you get to New York, will you work in your father’s textile office as Jayne or as Jim?”

He placed his free hand on top of the fingers she had wrapped around his elbow. Her first instinct was to pull away, but she managed to keep her composure.

“As myself,” she said hesitantly.

“You’re trembling still, Miss Andrews. Are you cold?”

“No,” she answered honestly. “I-I am unaccustomed to male attention, and I worry that you may think, because I am unchaperoned, that I lack a moral compass.”

“I frighten you?”

She hesitated before answering. “Yes.”

~*~

Miles had not expected the blunt answer. Most women would have hedged around it. He should have realized that she was straight from the schoolroom and had never had her first season. Of course, she was nervous to take a stroll with him. Most young women take their first steps into the marriage mart under the close supervision of their mothers. They were never alone with a suitor until they were engaged.

“I shall return you to your cabin at once,” Miles said. “Or shall we go in search of a chaperone?”

Andrea looked at him with wide eyes. “I think I’d like to go back to my stateroom.”

A flash of disappointment crossed Miles’s face. “As you wish,” he said, but continued walking in the same direction.

“This is not the way to my cabin,” Andrea said.

Miles cast a boyish smile at her. “There is a companionway just ahead. Am I not allowed to take the long way to enjoy your company just a few moments longer?”

Andrea bit her lip and nodded her acceptance.

“Perhaps tomorrow, you will allow me to show you the ship. Two years of my life went into its build.”

A shy smile graced her face. “Will you show me the steam engine?”

His look of surprise was replaced by a wide smile. “That was the one place in which I had thought you would have no interest. If that is what you want to see, I will be more than happy to include that in our tour. Are you mechanically inclined, Jayne?”

“I have no idea if I am or not, but I know this is the future, and I want to know what the future looks like.”

Miles smiled widely at her as he patted the hand resting on his arm. “Be sure to wear a dark-colored dress tomorrow because the coal dust tends to get on everything. I would feel terrible if your dress was ruined.”

“Perhaps Jim should go with you. I had not planned to wear his clothes again. It won’t matter if they get ruined.”

Not releasing her hand, he pulled away slightly, turning so he could look at her better. “I should not like that at all. What if you needed a steadying hand? And we would look rather odd strolling as we are now.” He stopped. “Worst of all, I could not kiss your hand as I bid you
adieu
.”

They had stopped next to one of the many lamps that illuminated the deck and passageways so the guests could safely move about at night. A pretty blush stained her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell quickly. He could see her mind working, trying to find the right thing to say.

A moment later, his lips met hers, briefly, tenderly.

As soon as her eyes opened, he began strolling again.

“Why did you do that?” she asked, raising her free hand to her lips.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else giving you your first kiss.”

Miles knew he should not have done it, she was so incredibly innocent, and yet, he could not stop himself. He hoped because she had not slapped him or stalked away with justifiable anger, that she was open to his suit.

“It should’ve been my choice,” she murmured. “It was my first kiss, not yours.”

Had it not been for Clyde Sully, Andrea might have walked away from him.

Suddenly, the sails above them went slack and flapped as a cold north gale blew in. The helmsman turned the wheel, and sailors began adjusting the jib to catch the wind. Andrea automatically looked into the heavens and watched as distant clouds rolled closer, cloaking the stars one by one.

As much as he hated to break the slight contact of having her hand wrapped around his arm, Miles pulled away, removed his frock coat, and placed it over her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she murmured. She wanted to add that they would be to her cabin in a few minutes, so it had not really been necessary, but no one had ever taken off their coat for her before, and the way his warmth clung to the wool felt oddly comforting.

When she smiled at him, he forgot instantly about the cold wind.

“Would you care for a glass of sherry to warm you before you go to your room?”

Her first instinct was to say her mother would not approve, but realized she need not worry about that anymore. However, her mother had warned her that some men might try to ply her with spirits in order to take advantage of her.

“No, thank you,” she said. “I’d just like to go to my room now.”

If she heard his sigh of resignation, she made no comment. “Anything my Jayne wants, if it is within my power, you shall have it.”

They did not speak again until they were standing in front of her door. Andrea removed his frock coat from her shoulders and handed it back to him.

“Thank you for seeing me back to my cabin and for the use of your coat.”

“The pleasure was mine. I know decorum dictates I should apologize for kissing you, but I don’t know if you hate scoundrels or liars more, so I will take my chances and not apologize.”

Andrea affixed a placid look on her face. Her chin lifted and she spoke in her most refined accent. “I suppose all first kisses are mostly the same,” she said straight-faced. She stared at him wide-eyed and blinked twice before a wide smile brightened her face making Miles laugh.

“Minx.”

She leaned forward slightly and dropped the volume of her voice. “I shall never forget it.”

“Nor shall I,” he said, knowing it was the truth.

“Miles…?”

“Yes, Jayne?”

“I shall like it very much if you collect me on the way to the dining room in the morning.”

Andrea knew it was a bold request. However, at the moment, she feared Clyde Sully more than she was afraid of embarrassing herself.

A grin slowly widened under his beard. “I would like that very much, as well.”

“It’s such a large ship, I worry I might get lost if my brain is still clouded with sleep.”

Miles put a hand over his heart. “You just couldn’t let me think it was because mine was the first face you wanted to see after waking.”

Andrea knew she was figuratively crooking her finger at him with one hand, while pushing him away with the other. She could not help herself. Her mother had been so thorough in frightening her away from the wedding bed, that she was terrified of all men. However, she had conflicting feelings about Miles. Ever since she met him five years earlier, she thought warmly of him. Yes, she had been humiliated to learn that he only asked her to dance because he had been asked to fetch her. Regardless, when she thought about marrying an Earl or Marquess, in her imagination, he always looked like Miles Huntington. She had never thought she would see him again until she realized her father had betrothed her to his cousin. That would have been the worst part of marrying Shamus O’Shea. She would be married to the toad and have to regularly see the man who had been her idea of perfection. He was not married yet, but someday he would be and Andrea knew instinctively that she would hate the woman because that woman would have what Andrea wanted.

“Good night, Mr. Huntington. I look forward to seeing your face before all others.”