Page 8 (1/2)
"Then I suppose you kno to tend a goat"
The boy hesitated, looking toward Joss
"Well?" Gray asked "Do you know a goat’s teat from her tail, or don’t you?" When the boy still paused, he added, "Speak up now, or I’ll ask you the saoats, sir It’s just … I wasn’t expecting to tend theht I was finished with that"
Gray laughed "A man can’t shake his past, Davy And don’t I know it Take theentlemen’s cabin, then One to a berth" He raised his voice and spoke in the direction of the hatch "And rescue Miss Turner from that anirabbed a cannon raoat’s flank with the blunt end "Get along, then"
"So, if the goats are in the gentle toward the helm, "where do you intend to sleep? Not curled up with your flock, I iine"
"No There’s always the la--"
"The ladies’ cabin?" Joss stopped His eyes narrowed "Think again"
"I suppose the for--"
"And don’t think about bunking in the forecastle I’ll not have you in there carousing with the crew, undered "Then that leaves steerage, it would seest the barrels" He shook his head "I own the dareen hand"
"Don’t look to oats Or their milk"
"Oh, you’ll drink their milk You’ll drink it, and you’ll thank er, and his brother’s se "Damn it, I’ve taken on risks for this business, Joss I’ve made sacrifices All so the family … so you can reap the benefits I wish you’d cease throwing theone too far Lately, conversing with Joss was like swilint in his brother’s eye signaled an imminent attack
"You Want to tell me About sacrifices" Joss took a step toward hih "I reap the benefits, do I? My faarcane that paid for this ship They lived and died for it And you may own the damn ship, but you don’t own ht they’d finally moved past the inequity of their births, he found hih Gray could change the fact that he’d been the first born, legitier brother, Joss would never have had the same opportunities as Gray, whether he’d been born of a mistress, a wife, or in this case, a slave
"Joss, that’s unfair You know the fact we’re of different mothers didn’t matter to our father It’s never mattered to me"
"It matters to so his head, Joss studied the oats, Gray"
"Joss"
Ignoring Gray entirely, Joss turned to his second h anchor"
Gray walked away There wasn’t anythingmore he kne to say He’d just have to keep quiet, he supposed Keep quiet, and look after the e the past and little enough he knew to do in the present He’d never had any talent for ladly left to Bel But if he looked after the oats
"Sir, you owe ed Mr Grayson’s elbow as he wheeled to face her She had hiht where she wanted hi to either side, he had nowhere to escape
"Mr Grayson" She took a deep breath and clenched one hand into a fist at her side The other hand she raised into the space between theoat--owe h-quality paper Heavy stock, free ofhis jaw, then slid it back to cup his neck "
"Paper?" One eyebrow arched as he took in her disheveled appearance
"You’re all worked up over a few sheets of paper?"
Suddenly self-conscious under his gaze, Sophia smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear After the theft of her paper and the hule, she had relied upon her indignation to shield her from Mr Grayson’s charms Perhaps she had overestih she still wore the sa since the ed his attire His tailored navy-blue topcoat and buff trousers were the height of fashion His unruly waves of hair had been tarowth of beard only increased his roguish good looks The sole defect in his appearance remained the scuffed boots, which had now suffered all manner of abuse, froivably handsorip Drat him, now he owed her three
"Paper," he repeated
"Yes, paper It may be just ‘a few sheets of paper’ to you, but to me, it’s… well, it’s paper" Sophia was painfully aware of how idiotic she sounded
"I have a very limited supply, you see, and it’s simply too dear to be wasted on livestock"
"I see" His brows knit together as he stared at the sheet in her hand
"No, you don’t" Sophia felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes Of all the absurd occasions to cry She’d told herself she could leave everything else behind--her fa as she had her art Only now she found herselfelse a bit more than she’d planned, and to have her creative outlet threatened by this, this beast
--not to oat … She sniffed fiercely "Of course, you don’t see How could you? You’re thinking it’s just a bit of paper, but it isn’t at all It’s…"
"It’s paper"