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“Mia,if you take that boat out on the water, the captain will have your skin as a sail,” Hong Chin continued to chide. “It’s too cold and you know it. Stop being stubborn and come back here to theblanket.”
Mia clamped her jaw tighter and pushed her little raft into the lapping waves. The small bay was hardly big enough for the raft she’d made while on the ship and even with the waters whipping up beyond the breakers, here they were hardly more wild than any found in a ship’s wake. “I need to get offshore, Hong Chin. I can’t stand the stillness any longer.” She pushed out until she was past ankle deep and then sat down and swung her legs up. She heard Hong yell when she almost tipped before she could center her weight, but she’d done this enough she wasn’t as concerned as he was. She settled and let the raft balance before she set the little rudder as far port as she could, so her creation simply bobbed in a small circle as the waves pushed in and pulledout.
“Mia, enough,” Hong called and waved her back. “You’re going to get soaked and if you get chilled the Captain will skin us both and I like myskin.”
“Five more minutes,” Mia said. Knowing with the cold wind blowing over and cold water splashing up from beneath, she’d be lucky to last that long. She closed her eyes and tried to relax into the movement. But she couldn’t quite find what she was seeking. She’d thought the only thing she’d been missing of late was Devin. But he was back sure as the tides and she still couldn’t find balance. She felt tossed about, in a storm, waves swamping over the decks. There was a disquiet abounding. Like when she sailed close to the poles, her compass wasn’t effective. She needed to know something she was familiar with. The sea she knew. The sea sheunderstood.
But either it wasn’t enough this moment on the waves on her raft or it was something else, because her skin pricked from the sensation of being watched, the dreaded feeling of sinking had nothing to do with the fact the water she floated on was deep enough to swallow herunder.
“Mia Lynn, I’ll tell the commodore and the captain if you don’t come in right now,” Hong called and Mia looked up to see Grim marching up from behind. He passed Hong and came right to the water’sedge.
With a shake of her head and a sigh, she took the rudder and straightened the raft so it would drift into shallower waters. “Fine, I’m coming,” she yelled back, but had no time to brace when she heard the water rush back and crash in from the leeside. Had she a sail up she might have countered the wave by hooking the wind, but she didn’t and before she could get a full breath she was dumped off the raft and plunged into the icy waters. She came up sputtering, able to set her feet down and grab for the rope so she could bring the craft ashore with her. Before she waded more than two steps Grim hauled her up and stomped through the waters to thesand.
“I told you,” Hongscolded.
Mia blew the water from her nose and huffed as she brushed her wet hair back. “I was coming back, damn it. Can’t I have five minutes ofpeace?”
“You’re going to be praying to have five minutes to sit down if the captain finds out you went sailing.” Hong said yanking the rope from her hands so he could pull the raft to a safe place on thebeach.
“I didn’t gosailing,” Mia denied. “I didn’t even have a sheet on there with me. And you better not say I did,” she yelled over Grim’sshoulder.
“Oh, I’m going to tell him,” Hong threatened but Mia knew it was only a threat. He wouldn’t tell on her. He never told on her even when maybe he shouldhave.
“You tell him and I’ll ship you back to Siam to work the fish nets,” Mia threatenedback.
“Better fish net work than fish net be, and if the captain finds out about this that is what he’ll tie us into, fish nets.” Hong hurried past them to open the door and Grim set Mia down next to the stove where the most warmthwas.
“Damn that water was cold,” Mia said trying not to prove Hong right by giving in to theshivering.
“Mia?”
Mia swung around to find an open-mouthed lady Alice standing in her kitchen. “Alice, I wasn’t expectingyou.”
“I know. I ran into Devin and he said you were bored and that I should visit,” Alice said, stepping closer so Mia was forced back, closer to thestove.
“You should have arrived ten minutes sooner you could have sailed with me,” Mia tried for humor, but the clattering of her teeth ruinedthat.
“Oh yes, that should have been fun,” Alice said, very good at sarcasm in Mia’s opinion. “You are turningblue.”
“No worry, captain he turn her red when come home,” Mr. Hong informedthem.
“Shut up youPhi Phong,” Mia snapped and watched Hong draw back at the insult while Grim gave a silent laugh and slapped the man on theback.
“Mia, you need to come get out of these wet clothes. You really are blue,” Alice said, taking Mia by the hand and starting her towards the steps. They had set one foot on the bottom step when someone knocked, Hong rushed past to answer and it was then Mia knew she was sunk. Hong and Alice wouldn’t tell on her but His Grace, Lord Lovelace wouldn’t bequiet.
“What happened?” the man shouted, sounding a bitpanicked.
“Nothing,” both womenanswered.
“Mia go sailing, boat tip over. Mia sink,” Hong said with a malevolent smile on hisface.
“Sailing? Mia that’s hardly appropriate for someone in your condition,” Phillipsaid.
“What’s hardly appropriate, darling?” Lady Johanna asked stepping inside. “Mia, heavens you’re sodden,” the lady said, her hand going protectively to her ownbelly.
“And she’s freezing,” Alice added, pulling Mia up thesteps.
