Till Dawn Tames the Night (34 page)

Rebellious tears slipped down her cheek. She would never give in to him again. Her heart was at stake now. And for that she
would
fight him to the end.

In the days that followed, like a daughter of Neptune she wandered the prow, a wild, furious sea spirit seeking revenge. The wind molded her thin blue gown to her lithe figure, outlining every curve, every sweet attraction. But her eyes, furious and now all too knowing, easily kept all at bay. While the sun emboldened the watercolor tint of her hair, sweeping it back from her face in a wild banner, and while her beautiful blue-green eyes searched the horizon, their expression as mercurial and dangerous as the ocean beneath a storm, she stood alone, unforgiving and unapproachable.

From the decks and the rigging, the men of the
Seabravery
couldn't stop staring, their gazes held in a trance while Aurora leaned back from the prow. She was like a changeling in their midst, evolving from a timid brown wren to a furious wind-borne gull. But though they were compelled to look, none dared speak to her on the chance that they, too, might find the wrath of those lovely aqua eyes upon them like the man who stood on the quarterdeck, his own green gaze punishing and devouring her with the same glance.

"She's not the girl who first boarded this ship, is she?"

Immediately Vashon's gaze tore away from Aurora. He found Isaac by the companionway, the captain's gaze also captured by the picture she made at the prow.

"And she'll be another girl yet, when we arrive at Mirage. I'll see to that personally." Angered, Vashon rang for Benny. When the boy arrived, he snapped, "Escort Miss
Dayne
to her cabin. This crew needs to get their minds and all other parts of their bodies back on the sailing of this ship."

"Aye, sir!"
Benny moved as fast as he could to the
fo'c'sle
. Vashon watched as he approached, the boy's gait becoming more tentative with every step. Finally Benny
paused
several steps away as if unsure about his welcome. But when Aurora turned and saw him, her entire face lit up in a warm smile and Vashon's face hardened even more, as if he begrudged Benny his welcome.

Encouraged, Benny spoke. It was obvious his words angered her, but she didn't misdirect her fury at him. Instead she looked straight at its source, the man who stood on the quarterdeck, answering her every furious glare with one of his own.

"Tell Vashon that I'll not be cooped up in my cabin all day," Aurora said to Benny. "That should stir him sufficiently." She ended this statement with a goading glance at Vashon. She smiled when his annoyance showed on his handsome face.

"I'm not sure you should do that, miss," Benny warned. "He's in a foul mood. We're two days from Mirage and he's anxious to be home."

"What will he do, Benny? Keelhaul me?" She lifted her brow.

"I don't want to speculate on what he might do, miss."

She was just about to give him an answer when she suddenly noticed something was missing. "Why, Benny," she exclaimed, "wherever is
Koonga
?"

Benny let out a shaky sigh. "She's done taken ill, miss. I had to leave her in my cabin today."

"Goodness, what's wrong?"

"Don't know, miss." Benny's face suddenly revealed his worry. "
She
wpuldn't
eat nothing yesterday, and this morning she was curled up in a little ball. Not moving." The boy's voice broke.

"Oh, Benny."
On impulse Aurora threw her arms around him and hugged him. Benny looked rather shocked, but his need for comfort seemed to outweigh his self-consciousness.

"Will you take me to her?" Aurora asked when they parted. "Perhaps I can see what's wrong."

"But, miss, Vashon said you were to—"

"A curse on Vashon!" she said vehemently. "First and foremost, we must see if we can help your little friend."

"No, miss. Vashon won't like it."

"I shall not go to my cabin willingly, Benny. Are you prepared to drag me there?"

"No, miss." Benny sent a wary glance in the direction of the quarterdeck.

"Take me to your cabin, then. We'll see to
Koonga
, and if Vashon doesn't like it, then I shall be most happy to butt horns with him."

"All right, miss." He relented. "I'd be obliged if you could care for
Koonga
. I'm right worried about her." His voice quavered.

"I'll do everything I can." Aurora took his arm. He helped her descend the companionway and they disappeared inside the deckhouse, not once paying attention to the wrathful green glare of the man on the quarterdeck.

"Where are they going?" Vashon snapped to Isaac, his gaze riveted to the deckhouse.

"Perhaps she wanted to take tea with Flossie."

"Did you see her hug him? What's going on between those two . .
. ..?
"

Isaac chuckled and finished charting their course. "Is that jealousy I hear in your voice, Vashon, or am I going deaf now?"

"Don't be absurd. Benny's a lad, hardly seventeen."

Isaac looked as if he couldn't help himself. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes and he added, "Of course. Little Aurora's only about nineteen.
Much too old for him.
Oh, but they're probably just friendly-like. You know—"

Vashon slammed his hand on the railing. "She blatantly disobeyed me by going to Flossie's cabin."

"Well, then, perhaps she's not with Flossie."

Vashon whipped around. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nothing, Vashon."
Isaac looked about ready to burst. "Perhaps Benny and she are taking a stroll on the
gundeck
. She does like the boy, you know. It wouldn't be impossible that she just wanted to spend a moment with him."

"I'll tell her whose company to like!"

"You can't beat her into liking you, Vashon."

Vashon stiffened. His voice turned cold. "I don't care who she likes, or hates, for that matter. I just want her submission."

"Well, it seems clear to me you aren't getting it this way. You two get along as well as thunder and lightning."

"Then she'd better expect a little rain today." Vashon swung down the companionway and strode toward the deckhouse.

"Oh, the poor little darling," Aurora cooed softly as she looked down at
Koonga
shivering upon a paltry
bundie
of soiled rags. The little monkey stared up at her with such soulful eyes, Aurora was beside herself. She felt as if she were back at the Home, tending to a sick babe.

"Get me some weak tea, Benny," she directed. "And a little bit of hardtack. We'll see if we can't get something into this tiny wretched creature."

Benny nodded and Aurora picked up
Koonga
, letting the rags fall away.

"Do you need anything else, miss?" he asked.

Aurora cradled
Koonga
to her bosom. The little monkey trembled like a Quaker.

"All we need now is a blanket," she said, cooing softly to her charge.

Outside, Vashon was just passing by Benny's closed cabin door. He stopped dead when he heard Aurora's strange request for a blanket.

"Will this one do?"

Vashon looked at Benny's door. Again he heard Aurora's voice.

"Yes, that one's perfect. Isn't it, my darling?
My dear little sweetheart?"

"Don't we need something more?" he heard Benny ask. "I've heard sometimes that bleeding—"

"Oh, no, don't even think about that now. Let's take our time with this. This should get much further along before we need to consider that happening." Her voice softened. "This is really very simple, Benny. You needn't be afraid. Something like this can occur anytime. It's beyond your control. Just be gentle with your hands and soft with your voice and I know you'll be well rewarded for it."

Vashon's eyes opened wide. He looked as if he'd just been punched.

"Don't be afraid now," he heard Aurora coo. "I've been taught well. You can trust me. There, that's it. Yes, yes, that's it—"

Vashon burst into the cabin like a madman. Aurora and Benny looked up. Benny was holding
Koonga
wrapped in a blanket like a proud father showing off his newborn.

"Do you always make such a spectacle of yourself, Vashon?" Aurora asked coolly.

"What's going on in here? I heard—" Vashon stopped himself short as if he suddenly realized how ridiculous his thoughts were.

"
Koonga
is ill, sir," Benny said. "The miss here said she could tend to her. I'm sorry I disobeyed. Sir," he added helplessly.

Vashon looked down at the monkey shivering in Benny's arms. He closed his eyes, and it was clear he thought himself all kinds of a fool. "Take Miss
Dayne
to her own cabin and let her care for the monkey there. It's not . . . quite the thing for her to be in your cabin, Benny."

"Oh, what shocking hypocrisy," Aurora began, feeling as if she could have slapped him right in front of Benny. She looked Vashon straight in the eye, and a lesser man would have fled from the cabin with his tail between his legs.

"Take her to her quarters, Benny," Vashon ordered impatiently.

"Aye, sir.
Right away, sir."
Benny handed
Koonga
to Aurora and led her out the hatch. All the while she stared daggers at Vashon.

Benny deposited Aurora and
Koonga
in her cabin and promptly went to get the tea and hardtack. When he returned, Aurora coaxed
Koonga
to take a spoonful of the tea. She hardly noticed in the warm Caribbean heat that Benny had rolled up his sleeves, until she looked up and saw his knobby elbows pop out while he broke the hardtack.

She was, of course, taken aback by the black-stained skin at his joint. Not that she'd
never
seen that before; on the contrary, at the Home more boys than not had soot irreversibly ground into their knees and elbows and feet. The Home had always taken in more than its share of abused chimney sweeps' apprentices. She was just surprised to find one on the
Seabravery.

"You were a climbing boy, weren't you, Benny?" she asked softly.

Benny looked down at his elbows and hastily rolled down his sleeves. He blushed and Aurora was suddenly struck by what a handsome fellow he was.

"You worked in Spitalfields?" she asked gently.

"No, miss. Bristol. That's where Vashon picked me up."

"How old were you?"

"
Ten,
miss. My mum died when I was three. That's when I began climbing."

"I see." She quickly averted her gaze, not wanting Benny to see the pity in her eyes.

Of all the cruel businesses, being a sweep's apprentice was the most abhorrent. A boy was forced to climb those narrow chimneys—naked, of course, so that he would not catch his clothes on fire from all the burning soot clogging the airflow—only to find
himself
trapped in a black, choking labyrinth of tunnels. If he did as he was told, he nearly suffocated from the lack of air; if he should by chance want to retreat,
his
master urged him higher by the pins stuck into the soles of his feet. Adding to this that the average age of a climbing boy was under six—the smaller the better, "Small boys for small flues" being a common sweeps' advertisement—she could think of no more deplorable institution. It broke her heart that dear Benny had ever been subjected to it.

"It weren't so bad, miss," Benny said. "Vashon put me out to sea. I've been on this ship nigh six years now."

She didn't want to feel admiration for Vashon, but in spite of
herself
she found it admirable that he'd helped Benny. Not wanting to belabor the thought, however, she quickly said, "It's only right that someone saved you, Benny. You're such a hard worker, Vashon couldn't ask for more."

Benny blushed again. She was completely charmed.

"I hope Vashon
ain't
too mad at me because of
Koonga
," he finally said.

"No, no! I shall speak to him on your behalf if you like."

"Thank you, miss." Suddenly shy, he hobbled to the door.

But before he left, Aurora couldn't squelch her curiosity any longer. Chastising herself for being so shockingly forward, she asked, "Did you lose your leg when you were a sweep then, Benny?"

"No, miss," he answered, appearing not at all bothered by her question. "I was twelve when my leg came off."

"I see," she said, unwilling to probe further.

"Vashon had it done."

She gasped. That was not the answer she had expected. "Why—why would he . . . ? I can't imagine . . ." she stuttered, tripping over her words. Her horror only increased when she saw how uncomfortable she was making Benny. She stumbled all over herself, trying to smooth things over. "But, of course, this is none of my business. I should never have asked, Benny, I'm sorry. I only meant to—"

Suddenly a terrible thought occurred to her. It was so terrible she couldn't even think it, but it persisted until it rose like an ugly specter, unable to be vanquished until she spoke the horrible words.