I brushed past him and slipped inside my cabin, gazing at the floor. Stubbornly, he followed me inside and shut the door. I was alone with him!
“Monia, I...” He scrubbed the back of his neck, shoulders hunched.
“We’re alone in my cabin.” Sheer shock and outrage caused my voice to quiver. “You should leave.”
“Yes, sorry. Of course.” He opened the door, then closed it. “It’s that... I... All right. I’ll leave you alone.” In a flutter of grey fabric, he staggered out of the cabin, leaving behind a heady male scent.
Blimey. My shoulders sagged when I was finally alone. That had been embarrassing. No. If I was being honest with myself, it’d been exciting, too. A little. Watching him lose his cold composure because he was staring at me had been empowering, different, and adventurous.
I shook my head, discarding the shawl and the half-ripped dress. Forget fashion. I was going to wear a dress I could button on my own. TheSS Florentiarocked gently, as if in agreement, before giving a lurch.
“Dash it all.” I gripped the table to steady myself. And they said big ships didn’t rock around.
After I changed into a blue afternoon dress that buttoned on the front, I was surprised not to see Rennie waiting for me in the passageway. I must have scared him away. I was alone. Good. Yes, it was good. Freedom at last. What I wanted, right?
After glancing right and left to be sure he wasn’t lurking somewhere, I strode towards the reception area. The ship inclined again with a violent jolt, and I was thrown against the wall. Pain exploded in my shoulder after the impact. Thank goodness nausea wasn’t a problem for now. Wincing, I rubbed the sore spot and resumed walking. A young woman stood behind the reception desk, struggling to stand up while keeping the ink bottle straight. Since Rennie wasn’t tailing me, I should take advantage of the rare moment of freedom to do some investigation.
“This is perfectly normal, madam,” she said before I asked her anything. “The captain said we’re leaving behind the rogue waves. In a few minutes, everything will be fine.”
“That’s great, but I meant to ask you something else.” As I straightened, so did the ship.
The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling jingled when the crystals hit each other, casting shimmering lights on the white walls.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
I searched around again. Rennie could be awfully silent. “I’m looking for a passenger, Mr Edward Marston. I’d like to know the number of his cabin.”
“Let me see.” She brushed her dishevelled locks from her face and flipped through the pages of a register. Her brow furrowed. “Are you sure the gentleman’s name is correct? I can’t find any Marston.”
“I’m sure. I met him at dinner.”
“Maybe he isn’t a passenger but a member of the staff.” She opened another register and went through it.
A pricking started at the base of my neck. Edward wasn’t part of the crew. He didn’t wear a uniform.
She shook her head. “No, madam. I’m sorry. There is no Edward Marston on board.”
“But I talked to him. I danced with him.”
Sighing, she put the registers aside. “Then perhaps there was a misunderstanding about his name. Maybe the gentleman has a longer name, and he gave you his middle name.”
Or he’d lied to me. Dash it. I didn’t know what to believe. “Thank you.”
Why would Edward lie? Was he implicated in Sandro’s problems? Was he a spy? What advantage would he get from lying to me?
I returned to my cabin to see if Rennie was waiting for me there. But no. The corridor was empty. Odd. I loitered, torn between going to dinner and enjoying an evening alone, or going to his cabin and checking on him. But he could take care of himself, and Edward might be in the dining hall. Without Rennie breathing down my neck, I would have time to talk with Edward undisturbed. I spun on my heels and started heading for the dining hall, only to come to an abrupt stop. I chewed on my bottom lip, doubt gnawing at me. What if Rennie had fallen and hurt himself? There had been a few mighty jolts, and he hadn’t been himself when he’d left my cabin. The fact he wasn’t here bothered me more than I wanted to admit. I sighed.
Fine. I would go and see him.
The ship slanted right and left, but not with the same wild energy as before. I could walk along the passageway without tripping on my feet. Rennie’s cabin was on the lower floor, second class. My cabin was suffocating, but I had a clear view of the sea and sky. I guessed Rennie’s cabin must be even more oppressive.
The polished wooden floor and the golden decorations that abounded in first class were replaced by ugly brown tiles and dull wallpaper in second class. The corridor was narrower than the one upstairs, and the lights were few and far between. Even the floorboards were uneven.
I knocked on door number seventeen. “Rennie?” A muffled noise, like a strangled moan, came from the other side of the door. “Rennie? Are you all right?”
Another groan.
“I’m coming in.” Pulse spiking, I turned the knob and inched the door inward. “Are you?—”
