give me your names, then I’ll inform the captain that you’re here.”
In a moment Beau appeared and questioned the pair briefly before venturing down to his cabin. He had shared his mate’s quarters during the night, but he had found little rest in the hammock while images of Cerynise in all mannerof disarray flitted through his mind. He could only wonder if seeing her in actuality would be any worse than confronting her in his imagination.
Beau tapped on the cabin door, heard what sounded like muffled scrambling, and waited in the lengthy silence that followed. The portal was finally snatched open, and he found himself staring into the flushed, utterly beautiful visage of a woman who had been caught unprepared for visitors. He espied the reason, which she was trying desperately to hide behind her back. Undoubtedly she had washed her undergarments, spread them around the cabin to dry and, at his knock, had seized them up again. Now she was making every effort to keep the apparel out of sight while she clutched the lapels of his robe together in some embarrassment. She had good reason to be disconcerted, Beau decided, for the velvet cloth molded her unfettered breasts sublimely.
“There are two servants on deck who’ve come from the Winthrop house with some of your possessions,” he announced, and repeated the names that he had been given. “Shall I have them come down to the cabin?”
“Oh, certainly!” Cerynise replied eagerly, and then reddened profusely as she recalled her state of dishabille. “But give me a moment, will you?”
Beau threw a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the bell behind him. “Ring it when you’re ready, and I’ll send them down.”
“Thank you.”
Beau hoped sincerely that her own clothes would be less disruptive to the coolheaded poise he was striving hard to maintain. “My men will bring down your trunks and things once your company leaves. I’m sure you’ll be delighted to have something other than my robe to wear.”
“It’s a nice robe,” Cerynise murmured with a smile, running a hand over the sleeve.
His eyes flicked down her slender form, admiring all that the garment contained. Now that he had seen her in all of her naked glory, he was hard-pressed to see anythingbut what he wanted to see. “I rather fancy the way it looks on you. It certainly never looked as nice on me.”
Cerynise could feel her cheeks warming from the pleasure of his compliment. “You’re being most gallant, sir, in view of my poverty.”
“If others looked as delectable in their poverty as you do, my girl, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind it so much.” Taking a blue frock coat from the recessed closet, he gave her a wink reminiscent of those he had once bestowed upon her in years gone by. “I’ll send down your guests.”
When Bridget came through the cabin door a few moments later and saw Cerynise, she gave a glad cry and rushed forward to give the girl an exuberant hug. “Oh, mum, we were so worried about ye, an’ here ye are, looking so grand.”
“But why are you both here?” Cerynise asked worriedly. “Mr. Winthrop hasn’t dismissed you, has he?”
“Only for the day, miss. We’ll have to be back in the morning,” Jasper explained. “Mr. Winthrop said he had some business to take care of and didn’t want servants underfoot disturbing him.”
Cerynise breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid I had been the cause of you both being let go.”
“We brought your easel, miss. Mr. Oaks said that he’d send it down shortly,” the butler informed her. A smile sorely tested the stiff muscles of his face as he swept a small wooden coffer from behind his back. “And I believe these are your paints, are they not?”
“Oh, yes!” Cerynise cried, gathering the chest to her with a joyful laugh. “But how in the world did you ever manage to sneak them out of the house?”
“We did it early this mornin’, mum, whilst Mr. Winthrop an’ Miss Sybil
In a moment Beau appeared and questioned the pair briefly before venturing down to his cabin. He had shared his mate’s quarters during the night, but he had found little rest in the hammock while images of Cerynise in all mannerof disarray flitted through his mind. He could only wonder if seeing her in actuality would be any worse than confronting her in his imagination.
Beau tapped on the cabin door, heard what sounded like muffled scrambling, and waited in the lengthy silence that followed. The portal was finally snatched open, and he found himself staring into the flushed, utterly beautiful visage of a woman who had been caught unprepared for visitors. He espied the reason, which she was trying desperately to hide behind her back. Undoubtedly she had washed her undergarments, spread them around the cabin to dry and, at his knock, had seized them up again. Now she was making every effort to keep the apparel out of sight while she clutched the lapels of his robe together in some embarrassment. She had good reason to be disconcerted, Beau decided, for the velvet cloth molded her unfettered breasts sublimely.
“There are two servants on deck who’ve come from the Winthrop house with some of your possessions,” he announced, and repeated the names that he had been given. “Shall I have them come down to the cabin?”
“Oh, certainly!” Cerynise replied eagerly, and then reddened profusely as she recalled her state of dishabille. “But give me a moment, will you?”
Beau threw a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the bell behind him. “Ring it when you’re ready, and I’ll send them down.”
“Thank you.”
Beau hoped sincerely that her own clothes would be less disruptive to the coolheaded poise he was striving hard to maintain. “My men will bring down your trunks and things once your company leaves. I’m sure you’ll be delighted to have something other than my robe to wear.”
“It’s a nice robe,” Cerynise murmured with a smile, running a hand over the sleeve.
His eyes flicked down her slender form, admiring all that the garment contained. Now that he had seen her in all of her naked glory, he was hard-pressed to see anythingbut what he wanted to see. “I rather fancy the way it looks on you. It certainly never looked as nice on me.”
Cerynise could feel her cheeks warming from the pleasure of his compliment. “You’re being most gallant, sir, in view of my poverty.”
“If others looked as delectable in their poverty as you do, my girl, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind it so much.” Taking a blue frock coat from the recessed closet, he gave her a wink reminiscent of those he had once bestowed upon her in years gone by. “I’ll send down your guests.”
When Bridget came through the cabin door a few moments later and saw Cerynise, she gave a glad cry and rushed forward to give the girl an exuberant hug. “Oh, mum, we were so worried about ye, an’ here ye are, looking so grand.”
“But why are you both here?” Cerynise asked worriedly. “Mr. Winthrop hasn’t dismissed you, has he?”
“Only for the day, miss. We’ll have to be back in the morning,” Jasper explained. “Mr. Winthrop said he had some business to take care of and didn’t want servants underfoot disturbing him.”
Cerynise breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid I had been the cause of you both being let go.”
“We brought your easel, miss. Mr. Oaks said that he’d send it down shortly,” the butler informed her. A smile sorely tested the stiff muscles of his face as he swept a small wooden coffer from behind his back. “And I believe these are your paints, are they not?”
“Oh, yes!” Cerynise cried, gathering the chest to her with a joyful laugh. “But how in the world did you ever manage to sneak them out of the house?”
“We did it early this mornin’, mum, whilst Mr. Winthrop an’ Miss Sybil