A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright

Author:Julie Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Published: 2020-12-23T22:51:39+00:00

Later, when the ladies settled in the dining room to escape the direct burn of the afternoon, the talk turned to the men on the ship. First, it was Mr. Miller and Mr. Liechty, then some of the officers. But when the topic switched to the captain in particular, Caroline felt her heart begin to race.

“My aunt got a look at him as we were saying goodbye,” Miss Luke said. “She nudged me and declared me the luckiest girl on the planet to be in such company for three months. She said she only wished she had such luck.”

“Scandalous!” Miss Cole laughed delightedly.

Miss Luke smiled, clearly pleased with herself for gaining Miss Cole’s approval.

“Tell me,” Miss Cole said. “Do you have any preference for the captain?” She smiled as she asked the question, though the bite in her words was obvious.

Miss Luke was no fool. Whether she had preference for the captain or not, she would never have admitted it aloud. “Of course not.” She dropped her stitchwork to the couch and dramatically placed her hand to her chest, her mouth falling open in horror at such an idea. “What sane wo—” She stopped, stammered a moment, and then resumed. “I mean to say that I would never want a man who spent the majority of his life away from home.”

Caroline had to give Miss Luke credit for her quick recovery. Obviously, Miss Cole fancied such a man.

“To me,” Miss Cole said, “a man who is gone is far preferable to one who is home and underfoot. And, for the short times he is around, it helps if he is pleasing to the eye.”

“Are you saying you think the captain handsome?” Miss Jeffries asked as if the idea had never occurred to her in spite of Miss Luke mentioning how handsome her aunt found him.

Miss Cole adjusted her shoulders and smoothed her skirts. “I would daresay there is a young lady among us who thinks so. Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Gray?”

Caroline should have been expecting the confrontation, but she hadn’t been. She fumbled for a response before saying, “Which lady are you thinking?”

“How charming. You play such games and think us ignorant.” Miss Cole offered a thin smile.

“I do not believe I am playing any games. Miss Jeffries asked if you thought he was handsome. You are the one not answering a direct question.”

Miss Cole blinked, clearly not expecting Caroline to turn the conversation back to her. Her fleeting surprise melted into one of her sugary smiles. “Do they not say beauty is in the eye of the beholder?”

Caroline smiled patiently. “They do. That still doesn’t answer what it is that your eye beholds.”

Miss Cole laughed. “We’ll get nowhere in this conversation, neither of us. We are women of mystery, are we not?”

“Are we?” Caroline looked down and pretended to focus on her drawing. “For my part, I hope there is no mystery. I try to speak plainly and appreciate when others do the same.”

Miss Cole’s laugh sounded more scandalized than amused.

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