Things were different from that day on, or at least that is the way they seemed in Katherine’s mind. Anne had been surprisingly sweet to her since that afternoon, going out of her way to see that Katherine was being taken care of.
At first, Katherine thought it was because she was scared she would tell Lord Mickelson what his daughter had been up to while at sea, but it was the way that Anne looked at her that told her the real story. Someone had told her about the incident in the kitchen and now Anne looked on her with pity. Katherine had always hated that look; she had no need for other people’s pity, it never changed anything.
Perhaps the most wonderful thing about this voyage was that she had found a man who seemed to be in love with her. Philip had spent much of his time talking with her about different things and every time she saw him, she couldn’t help but smile. Such a strange effect that a person could have on you, Katherine mused as she went through her chores. Not only had he saved her life, but he made her feel happier than she had been in years.
He’ll just leave you.
A little voice in the back of her mind would scream every time they talked or saw each other across the deck, but Katherine refused to believe that this gentleman would leave her just like that. She would tuck the little voice into the back of her mind, focusing on the present.
It was late in the night, just one day after the awful incident. The ship was passing through the straights near Gibraltar, heading into the Mediterranean Sea and the southern coast of Italy seemed so close that Katherine dreaded the end of her voyage. Katherine stood in the cabin, brushing out Anne’s long hair as she readied her for bed. Anne sat there in her night gown, very calm and compliant as if for the first time in her life she had nothing to say. Her dark brown eyes were staring at Katherine in the mirror, tracing the shape of the dark bruise on her cheek silently.
“You don’t have to make my meals anymore, Kate.” Anne said suddenly, causing Katherine to stop brushing and raise her eyes to the mirror.
“I don’t mind, Miss Anne.” She whispered, blushing slightly under the close scrutiny of the lady before her, her grip on the brush painfully tight.
Anne turned in her seat, looking up at Katherine as she searched for the right words. The air in the cabin was tense, the wrong statement could set everything off. Anne had been scared of Katherine since she had seen her in the cabin with the sailor, wondering if she were really going to tell her father about what happened. On top of all that were the rumors that Katherine had been attacked by the cook, something that Anne felt responsible for. When she looked at the bruise, she felt like she were the one who inflicted it just so that she could give herself a few moments of pleasure.
“I don’t want you to cook for me anymore.” Anne said, standing up and brushing Katherine aside as she made her way over the her bed, pulling back the covers and settling in. “I must say that the food is much improved since the old cook has gone away.” She added, an air of haughtiness in her voice made her sound like her old self, even as she was being torn apart inside.
Katherine just shook her head, too tired to argue as she blew out the candles in the room, and slowly made her way to her bed. She had been unable to sleep last night, thinking about Philip the entire night. The way he made her heart jump with just a smile, the way that his blonde hair had a curl to it that refused to be tamed, or the way that his eyes crinkled when he laughed. Everything about him enchanted her, she thought as she lay down on her bed, looking up at the rough wooden ceiling, not bothering to undress.
“Kate.” Anne said in the darkness, her voice wavering slightly as she turned in the bed, causing the wood to creak slightly. “You won’t tell Papa about what happened, will you?” Her voice was small and childlike, the fact apparent that her father’s wrath weighed heavily on her mind.
Katherine thought for a moment, weighing her options in her mind. She could tell him and watch Anne get shipped off to a convent, leaving her free to do as she willed, but what was there for her to do? She was a girl without a past and certainly didn’t have any future to speak of, so that only left the present. If she did tell Lord Mickelson about Anne’s tryst with the sailor, he would find out about what happened with Charlie, and she couldn’t let that happen either.
“No. I won’t tell him.” She whispered into the darkness, her decision final. “He doesn’t have to know… about any of this.”
Anne gave a loud yawn, curling up in her sheets, a smile spreading across her face. “Thank you, Katherine.” She said, before drifting off to sleep, the sound of her soft snoring filling the cabin.
Katherine lay there for a few moments, smiling at the fact that Anne had actually used her name correctly for the first time since she had known her. Sitting up in the bed, Katherine looked up the wall, catching sight of a beautiful night sky out the porthole. Stars brightly shining with a full harvest moon glowing over the ocean. It was too nice to just stay here, especially since sleep was eluding her, so Katherine quietly made her way to the door, pulling it open and sneaking outside without disturbing Anne.
The deck was still filled with sailors, most enjoying the cool night air and the night sky as they drank and smoke their pipes. One man with a violin was playing a simple tune as another joined in by beating out a rhythm on the deck with his fists, much to the delight of the rest of the crew, who were singing along to the old sea song. Katherine stood in the background, watching all of the men with interest, smiling as she felt at home among the noise and clamor.
“I see the little miss can’t stay away from the action, can she?” Thom stated, just beside her, causing Katherine to jump and spin to face him, startled by his voice.
“It’s so peaceful out here. How could I just stay inside on a night like this?” She asked, giving him a smile as he took in the bruise on her cheek with sad eyes. Katherine stared into his brown puppy dog eyes for a moment, feeling uncomfortable in this large grouping of men all of the sudden.
Nothing is going to happen to you, Katherine. She scolded herself as the violinist changed his tune to a fast beat kale dance, some men making the comment that they wished they had a lass to dance with.
Katherine smiled to herself, pulling her loose hair back behind her ears as she held out her hand to Thom. He stared at her for a moment, his eyes knit together in confusion.
“Wot’s this for?”
Katherine said nothing, reaching down to grab his huge hand, and pulled him out onto the deck, into the middle of the men. Some shouted lewd comments, but meant in jest, not to be harmful as they saw her leading the big sailor towards the music. “You do know how to dance, don’t you?” Katherine whispered to him as the other sailors started clapping out a beat, encouraging the two of them.
Thom grinned, flashing her a brilliant smile as he blushed slightly, something that Katherine had never seen a man do. “Of course I can dance!” He shouted, sounding offended as the crew around them laughed.
“Don’t listen to ’im lass!” A man to the left shouted. “Got two left feet, ’e does!” The comment followed by laugher from all around as Thom looked at the deck, shaking his head as the blush deepened, covering his face in a deep crimson.
“Well, I can’t let this song go to waste.” Katherine announced, looking all around her as the men stared at the beauty before them. Their eyes weren’t filled with lust, as she would have thought, but with respect as if they considered her one of their own. She was, after all, considered common by society, just as the rest of them were. She knew a world that Anne and Captain Richards would never experience, a world that had thrown them all together by circumstance. “I need someone to dance with. Who‘s up for the challenge?”
A few men stood up, shoving and jeering at each other as they stood in front of her like school children, just waiting to be picked. Katherine looked over each, her eyes taking on a sly look as she rejected each, pouting slightly that no one else wanted to dance with her. She knew that if Anne were in her position, men would be climbing all over each other just for a chance at a few moments with her.
“I’ll dance with you,” came a voice from behind her.
Katherine slowly turned around, coming face to face with Philip as he smiled, his green eyes lively as he held out his hand for hers. Just behind him stood the Frenchman that Katherine had seen him talking to many times before, his hazel eyes looking her over with a gentle yet calculated gaze, as if he were sizing her up. Katherine smiled at Philip, taking her hand in his as he turned to the violinist, requesting a certain song as the sailors watching the scene shouted things at the two of them.
“Look at mister high and mighty!” One shouted, causing Philip to laugh and shake his head. “Thinks ‘e’s better then the rest of us just cos Ocean Blue chose ‘im.”
Katherine stiffened at the comment, her eyes turning serious as she turned to look at the man. He was laughing to a few men around him, oblivious to what his comment had meant. Of course, they probably all knew about the Ocean Blue and it’s legend, but none were smart enough to put two and two together, or at least that’s what Katherine thought. Philip noticed her sudden mood change and gave her a gently kiss against her hand, bringing her back into the moment without letting on of his little secret.
“Just enjoy yourself, beauty.” He whispered, leaning in to talk into Katherine’s ear .
The music started, a fast pace beat causing Katherine to move her feet quickly, trying to keep up with Philip as he moved around with ease, his hand gripping hers as they turned in a circle.
As the crew clapped, Philip moved in, grabbing her around the waist and spinning as fast as he could. Katherine let out a squeal, her skirts and hair flying around them as she struggled to hold on. He gave her a twirl, watching as she spun around his hand before he pulled her back in, their bodies pressed close together for a moment.
