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“I’ll recover. I always have.” A wave of dizziness hit me, and I gripped the rail with one hand, groaning. “My father always says the quickest way to heal is to ignore the pain.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I agree with him.”
“You don’t have to,” I said, “but I do.”
“About everything?”
I hesitated, trying to make sure my answer wasn’t just what I wanted to be true. “He’s the smartest person I know, so yeah, I think so.”
“So he’s smart.” He looked me in the eye. “But that doesn’t make him right. Look at Cambria. The Academy. So intelligent—and so wrong.”
My eyes itched to escape from his intense stare, but I didn’t want him to see it as a surrender, so I kept mine focused on his. “Don’t compare my father to the Academy. Everything he’s done has been to improve the world. But sometimes it doesn’t go how you plan. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, terrible things happen.” I stopped and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly to stave off the pain in my side.
He was silent.
I waited for him to speak, but he only looked out to sea. I used to know that expression, but his sadness had evolved; it was compounded by a layer of distrust that hadn’t been there before. Something had broken between us.
I stood by him, mentally debating what to do or say.
In the end, I turned and walked away slowly, mourning the loss of something I wasn’t sure I ever really had. Before I climbed beneath the deck, wincing with each movement, I checked to see if he was looking my way, but he hadn’t moved at all.
A question dominated my mind:Does he know who I am?
And if he did, why would he still go to Tramore?
When my feet hit the floor of the lower deck, I couldn’t tell which way was up. A bright red blot expanded across the side of my shirt. Fuzzy black spots layered themselves over my vision until I saw nothing. I clutched the ladder and sank to the floor, my stomach churning and my face unbearably hot.
“Whoa, there,” said a man’s voice.
Hands pulled me up and supported me down the hall and back to the cabin. When I was lying down, my vision gradually cleared and my head cooled. Keane was crouched beside me.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
He stroked his beard, studying my face. “How’d a girl like you get herself into this mess?”
“A girl like me?” I started to laugh, but it turned to a groan and I clutched my side.
“You’re not really from Tramore, are you?” he asked.
I lifted my head from the mattress and blinked. “What makes you say that?”
He tapped the side of his head. “I spent most of my life among nobles. Even a really good accent isn’t enough to hide who you are.”
“Did Graham say something?”
Keane laughed. “He didn’t tell me, if that’s what you mean. But for those who know where to look, you’ve got noble written all over you.”
I swallowed. “There’s nothing noble about me.”
“Huh.” He pursed his lips. “If you say so.”
I stared, afraid of what he knew, and what he might do about it.
“Don’t get all wide-eyed on me, blondie. I won’t tell a soul.”
I relaxed and rested my head again. “I doubt it makes any difference now.”
“How about some dinner?” he asked, changing the subject. “This boat has the best food I’ve seen in years.”
