The Sailor And the Siren by Reina Torres

Author:Reina Torres [Torres, Reina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-04-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

It had been almost an hour since Dollie had left them to seek her own bed, but Rosemary was glad that Edmund remained at the piano, ready to play another song.

Lately, Rosemary had slept little at night, her mind working over and over her newfound feelings and curious thoughts. Meeting Andrew and getting to know him as she’d known no one else in her life had unsettled her as much as it had elated her.

“Your thoughts are far away, Miss Tillman. Careful. If you let them roam too far away, they might not be able to find you when they try to come back.”

She sighed and folded her arms on the top of the standing piano as she watched him go through the sheet music he’d brought out.

“They aren’t so far away, Edmund.”

“Oh? Is this about someone I know?”

There was a bit of humor in his voice, but also a little hesitation.

She wanted to ask him about it, but he spoke before she had a chance.

“What song should we work on next, Miss Tillman? I have a few choices…”

“Can’t you call me Rosemary? We’ve known each other ever so long.”

She knew that it wasn’t really done to just pop out the question like that, but Edmund has been a part of her life as long as she could remember even if he had only been on the cursory edges of her life. “You know,” she leaned down until her chin touched her forearm, “my first memory of you was close to the time that I arrived on the Siren. I distinctly remember you telling me… ‘Little Miss, get down from there before you break your neck!’ For the life of me,” she laughed, “I can’t remember what it was that I’d climbed upon, but I remember how it felt to have you chastise me.”

She tilted her head until her forearm was under her cheek.

“I was so worried that you were really cross with me and that I’d done something unforgivable. I hoped that I hadn’t been so much trouble that you’d decided to stay far away from me.” She nibbled on the plump flesh of her bottom lip. “And when I hugged you, you went as still as stone.” She tried to push away the tears that welled up at the long-forgotten memory. “Was it so wrong, Edmund? Hugging you like that?”

The room grew so silent that she could hear the whisper-soft tick tick tick of the clock.

“The hug was sweet, Rosemary.”

She bit her lip to keep from interrupting him.

“But I was worried. It was one thing to be around you, that couldn’t be helped since we were both aboard the same boat. It was more for the sake of propriety. A little girl as pale as you were, with your arms around… well, embracing a-”

“Why does that have to matter so much?” She couldn’t help the rush of frustration and anger pouring though her veins. “It was an innocent embrace, from a little girl who wanted to thank her friend for watching out for her.

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