GRACE SLEPT THROUGH the night with nothing but pleasant dreams of her time with Peter Colton to mark the hours. She had surprised herself by realizing the awakening of her heart. Could this be what it was to fall in love? Smiling to herself, she stretched as best she could in the narrow berth and yawned.
‘‘Are you going to tell me what happened last night?’’ Karen’s voice questioned out of the silence.
Grace leaned up on an elbow as Karen managed to light the overhead lantern. With her golden red curls hanging limp to her waist, Karen looked years younger than her matronly thirty.
‘‘I found the cabin closing in on me,’’ Grace said, forcing herself to get up. She climbed down from her bunk and stretched. Aunt Doris moaned and rolled to her side from the bottom of the opposite berth.
‘‘Oh, my dear girls, this is without a doubt the most uncomfortable bed in all of North America.’’
‘‘I’m sure you are mistaken,’’ Karen replied, ‘‘for I am certain my berth holds that honor.’’ She grinned at her aunt’s appearance, then laughed aloud. ‘‘We all look as though we’d experienced a tornado last night. Sleeping in our clothes, wrestling comfort from beds that refused us comfort.’’ She turned to Grace. ‘‘Only Grace appears to have faired well through it all.’’
‘‘That is because she is younger,’’ Doris declared. ‘‘Youth has its advantages.’’
‘‘I’m not that old,’’ Karen replied.
A knock sounded on the cabin door, and Karen quickly pulled back her hair and tied it with a ribbon. ‘‘One moment,’’ she called.
Aunt Doris got up out of the bed, holding a hand to the small of her back. ‘‘Oh my, there is no way to make ourselves presentable. Someone’s at the door, and here we are looking a fright.’’
Karen unlocked the door and opened it only a fraction of an inch. ‘‘Yes?’’
‘‘Captain Colton says I’m to escort you three ladies to breakfast in his quarters.’’
Karen looked back at Grace before replying. ‘‘We’ll need a few moments to freshen up.’’
‘‘Aye. I’ve fresh water for you,’’ the young man replied.
Karen opened the door a bit wider. Grace could see that the boy couldn’t have been more than sixteen. ‘‘Here, I’ll take it,’’ she said, reaching out for the gray enamel pitcher and galvanized wash bowl. ‘‘Give us ten minutes, and we’ll be able to join you.’’ The boy nodded and Karen quickly closed the door.
‘‘Well, what a pleasant surprise,’’ Aunt Doris declared. ‘‘See there, Karen, our sea captain isn’t quite so harsh as you would make him.’’
Karen placed the pitcher and bowl on the table and eyed Grace carefully. Grace felt her cheeks grow hot under the scrutiny. ‘‘What have you to say about this, Grace?’’
Shrugging, Grace went to the pitcher and poured water into the bowl. ‘‘I say we have less than nine minutes left. You promised the boy we’d be ready.’’
Dipping her hands into the icy water, Grace splashed it against her face. It was only then that she realized she had no towel. ‘‘Oh, bother,’’ she said, then without ceremony, she lifted the hem of her skirt to dab the water around her eyes.
‘‘What are you doing?’’ Karen questioned. ‘‘One night on this ship and you’ve taken on the manners of a sailor?’’
‘‘I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a sailor dry his face with his skirt,’’ Grace said, laughing. ‘‘I’m merely doing what you’ve always taught me. I’m making do with the provisions at hand. I have a feeling we’ll be doing a lot of that in the days to come.’’
Karen eyed her suspiciously. ‘‘You’ve taken on a new attitude. When we left, you were afraid—terrified, in fact. The world and everything around you was a threat to your well-being. What has changed?’’
Grace hadn’t realized her feelings were so transparent. She shrugged. ‘‘I guess the salt air agrees with me.’’
Aunt Doris took a comb from her bag. ‘‘A new attitude could suit us all. We’ve taken on a big challenge, and we’ll need the heart of a lioness to fearlessly march into the days ahead.’’ She combed out her long brown hair, then began braiding it. ‘‘I, for one, intend to be prepared for the change.’’
‘‘As do I,’’ Grace said, smiling. ‘‘Now, as for breakfast, I told you I had word from the captain last night that he would like to have us as his guests this morning.’’
‘‘You spoke to the captain last night?’’ Doris questioned.
‘‘Yes, she did,’’ Karen answered for Grace. ‘‘I heard a noise and awoke to find Grace sneaking back into our room in the middle of the night.’’
Grace nodded when Doris looked at her in sheer horror. ‘‘I did leave the room, but I was not unescorted. I felt the walls closing in on me and the air was so heavy I could scarcely draw a breath. I went up the stairs at the end of the passage, planning only to get some fresh air, but Captain Colton found me there and offered to see me safely to the deck. We spoke on the matter of this cabin and he even said he would try to arrange better accommodations. Then he told me we were to be his guests this morning. Which, I suppose we must hurry to do or risk making him angry.’’ She pulled down her own handbag and took out the key to her trunk.
‘‘Well, I’m not convinced of his goodwill,’’ Karen replied. ‘‘Suppose he just wants to have us to his cabin in order to announce that he’s putting us off at the next port? You did break the rules, after all.’’
Grace unlocked her steamer and retrieved her brush. ‘‘I apologized for that.’’
‘‘And he accepted?’’ Karen questioned. ‘‘That doesn’t seem to fit the personality of the man who barked out commands to us just yesterday.’’
Grace thought Karen a very harsh judge. ‘‘I believe him to be concerned with our general well-being. Rather like you when you worry over a collection of children, wondering whether or not they are being schooled properly. You can’t really control their destiny, but if you have anything to say about it—’’
‘‘Which I usually don’t,’’ Karen interjected.
‘‘But if you did, you would voice your opinion and seek to aid them as you could. Captain Colton holds the responsibility for the crew and passengers on this ship. I’m certain he was only seeing after everyone’s best interest.’’ She finished combing out her hair, then twisted it into a lazy knot at the nape of her neck. ‘‘Now, will you help me pin my hair in place so that we aren’t late?’’
———
Karen said nothing more until they were marched to the captain’s quarters and seated at his table. Grace felt suddenly shy and rather dowdy as Peter Colton joined them. He looked simply marvelous in his navy-colored coat and trousers. His white shirt was buttoned to the top, while the opened coat revealed a smartly cut waistcoat, complete with a gold watch fob, which he pulled from his pocket. Checking the time, he smiled.
‘‘I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.’’ He snapped the watch case closed and returned the watch to his pocket.
‘‘Not at all,’’ Aunt Doris said, acting as spokeswoman for the group. ‘‘We were rather surprised at your invitation and prayed that we had not tarried too long in our morning routines for your sake.’’
Peter shook his head, and Grace noticed his clean-shaven chin. It was such a lovely chin, not too pointed or too square. There was just a hint of a cleft in the middle, and Grace found it rather attractively placed. Somehow, it added true character to the captain’s face.
Peter motioned for them to take their seats but actually came to assist Doris as she pulled her chair out from the table. Grace could not fault him for his deference to the older woman’s status. Among the three women, Doris was certainly the one who should receive the most consideration.
The women couldn’t contain their surprise when breakfast arrived. Brought to them by two of Peter’s men, Grace found the service quite commendable and the menu most appealing. Scrambled eggs, fresh biscuits and gravy, and thick slices of bacon were the order for the day. This, accompanied by strong black coffee, left Grace no doubt how Peter managed to maintain his muscular frame.
‘‘This looks fit for royalty,’’ Doris announced.
‘‘It does look good,’’ Karen muttered.
Grace couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard her friend whisper something about being poisoned. She smiled to herself.
Peter started to dig into his food, but the three ladies remained motionless. He looked at them oddly for a moment.
‘‘Might we ask a blessing?’’ Grace suggested.
Peter put down his fork and nodded. ‘‘If that is to your liking.’’
She felt a minor strain of disappointment that asking God’s blessing was obviously not to his liking—or at least not to his routine. Bowing her head, Grace quickly asked God’s guidance and safety for the trip and thanked Him for the food and Peter’s generosity.
With the unison of amens from the women, Grace looked up to find Peter having already returned his attention to the food.
‘‘Miss Hawkins mentioned the discomfort of the cabin,’’ he said after several bites. ‘‘I have arranged new quarters for you. Even now your things are being moved. I hope you’ll find the new cabin to be more to your liking.’’
Grace was deeply touched by Peter’s generosity, but before she could comment, Karen jumped in. ‘‘You must have known it would be like a tomb,’’ she said sarcastically. ‘‘Why your sudden change of heart?’’
Captain Colton smiled rather stiffly as he addressed Karen. ‘‘I found your friend’s manner and genteel expression to appeal to my sense of duty. She treated me with consideration, and in turn I find it quite natural to extend the same to her—to you all.’’
‘‘I hope you will not be so unreasonable as to toy with her affections,’’ Karen stated without warning. ‘‘As her guardian on this journey, I must say I would brook no nonsense in affairs of the heart, either real or imagined.’’
Grace felt her face flush with embarrassment. She wanted to melt into the rough wooden floor beneath her and never be seen again. She threw Karen a look that suggested it was uncalled for, but Karen would not be silenced.
‘‘I suppose you are a worldly man, Captain, but my dear friend and charge has led a sheltered life. As a good Christian woman she believes the best of everyone around her, thinking that all people are honest with their intentions.’’
‘‘Perhaps you would benefit by learning from her example,’’ Peter suggested.
‘‘Captain, you are an ill-mannered man!’’ Karen declared, pushing back her plate.
‘‘And you are a self-centered woman who, seeing another, less sour-dispositioned woman receiving kindness, questions the motives of the giver without any real knowledge of the person or his desires.’’
‘‘I know full well about the desires of men such as yourself,’’ Karen answered angrily.
‘‘That, Miss Pierce, truly surprises me, for I cannot imagine any man taking the time to express his feelings to you for any extended length of time.’’
Grace saw her friend’s face redden and knew her temper to be clearly pricked by Peter’s upbraiding. Looking to Doris for help, Grace prayed that the matter might be put behind them.
‘‘Captain, I wonder if you might tell us of a reliable hotel in Skagway,’’ Doris said as if nothing were at all amiss.
‘‘No, ma’am, I am not at all familiar with anything being reliable in that town. Deviousness runs rampant and decent people are not without risk to their well-being.’’
‘‘Sounds like life aboard your ship,’’ Karen said, lifting a cup of coffee to her lips.
Grace could not understand why Karen had so completely taken a disliking to the captain. Certainly he had spoken his mind on the matter of women traveling unescorted, but that was his prerogative. She knew Karen to be outspoken on her views and to have a view on nearly every matter, but her response to Captain Colton was so intense and so evident that Grace couldn’t help but wonder if her reactions were born of something else.
A sinking feeling came over Grace. Surely Karen couldn’t find the man attractive and therefore be miffed to find her interest not returned. Or perhaps it was returned. Perhaps this was how people in love reacted to each other. There was a sarcastic playfulness to it. Neither one seemed completely disturbed by the other’s actions, and the captain had positioned Karen at his left, while Grace had been appointed to sit directly opposite him at the small table.
The idea of her governess, who was so obviously closer to the captain’s own age, falling in love with this fascinating man left Grace feeling rather under the weather. She pushed her food around the plate as if she were participating in the feast. But she never managed to eat more than a few morsels.
‘‘Are you ill, Miss Hawkins?’’ the captain asked as one of his men returned to pour more coffee.
Grace looked up to find all eyes fixed on her. ‘‘I suppose I’m still trying to get used to sea travel. It is my first time.’’
He nodded sympathetically. ‘‘It sometimes takes a bit of an adjustment.’’
Grace nodded, then bowed her head and ignored Karen’s look of concern. Please don’t love him, her heart silently begged of her friend. Don’t be in love with Captain Colton, for I fear my heart has already taken up that occupation.
———
Peter Colton knew his time would be better spent elsewhere, but nevertheless, he chose himself to deliver the trio of ladies to their new quarters. He was unexplainably drawn to Grace Hawkins, and even now had no desire to return to his duties. He wondered if she had slept well after her time with him on the deck. He wondered if she was still haunted by the painful memories of the fiancé she’d left behind. There was, of course, no opportunity to ask such personal questions, but that didn’t stop Peter’s mind from pondering the answers.
He stopped abruptly outside the door to the cabin and smiled. ‘‘Here we are,’’ he announced. He hesitated, his gaze meeting that of Miss Hawkins. She smiled. Grateful for the excuse to further his stay, Peter spied the Barringers coming up behind the women and decided introductions were in order.
‘‘Mr. Barringer, this is Miss Pierce, her niece Miss Pierce, and their friend Miss Hawkins. Ladies, this is Mr. William Barringer and his two children, Leah and Jacob. They have the cabin next to yours.’’
Doris extended her hand. ‘‘Glad to meet a family man, Mr.Barringer. Is your wife traveling with you as well?’’
Mr. Barringer looked to the deck. ‘‘My wife passed on some weeks back.’’
‘‘Oh, I am sorry,’’ Doris replied. ‘‘Life is such a precarious act. One minute we walk the wire with the greatest of ease and the next moment we find ourselves falling to the net below.’’
‘‘And sometimes there’s no net to catch us when we fall,’’ Barringer countered with a sad sort of smile.
Peter thought the circus analogy rather amusing. The older woman was quite a character. Her trim little frame seemed more imposing than most. She could hardly have stood more than five foot two, certainly no taller than Grace Hawkins. She had been a schoolteacher, he’d been told, and given her prim and proper appearance he could well envision her in that position. No doubt she would have tolerated little nonsense from her charges. Still, he knew the woman to have a sense of humor. She’d entertained them with several stories over breakfast, and in spite of her independent nature, Peter found her to be enjoyable company.
Not so her niece, who seemed to take great delight in tormenting him. Her gold-red hair suggested trouble from the start, but even with his own superstitious tendencies, Peter had tried to give the younger Miss Pierce the benefit of a doubt. She had quickly proven his concerns on target, however.
Watching the women exchange pleasantries with the Barringer family, Peter found himself studying Grace. He had thought himself thorough in his assessment of her, but with each new opportunity to observe her, Peter found something new to consider. She wore her hair rather simply. Parted in the middle and pulled back into a casual loop at the base of her neck, the rich cocoa color beckoned his touch. The style seemed to suit her, but Peter couldn’t help but wonder what her hair would look like, feel like, once Grace released it from the confines of the bun. Last night she’d been a bit disheveled, but nevertheless her hair remained in fair order and all the while he had envisioned it blowing in the wind.
As if realizing his consideration of her, Grace looked up and smiled. Peter felt his heart skip a beat. Her smile warmed him from head to toe. Chiding himself for feeling like a schoolboy, Peter couldn’t help but enjoy the gift of her open friendship. He was glad she had defied her father and cruel fiancé to run away. If she’d remained in whatever place she called home, he might never have met her. And that, Peter decided, would have been a grave injustice to them both.
‘‘So, Mr. Barringer, are you headed to the Yukon for gold?’’ Doris questioned.
‘‘We are. We’ll work a bit in Dyea or Skagway. I didn’t have enough for supplies and passage north,’’ Bill Barringer admitted, ‘‘but we’ll manage it just fine. My children are hard workers and together we’ll soon earn enough to send us north.’’
‘‘Your children should be preparing for the school term,’’ Doris said in a stern manner. ‘‘I spent my life teaching school, and I would not see a gold rush push aside the importance of education.’’
Barringer shrugged. ‘‘Folks have to do what they have to do. Jacob here is fourteen. He’s had enough schooling to get him by. He can read and write better than I can. Leah is twelve, and I don’t rightly figure a man is going to much care whether she has an education or not. She’s as pretty as her ma was, and when she grows up she’ll have suitors enough to keep her from having to worry about such things.’’
‘‘Mr. Barringer, that is hardly a proper attitude to take,’’ the younger Miss Pierce joined in. ‘‘We stand on the threshold of the twentieth century. Education is of the utmost importance for our children.’’
‘‘I didn’t realize you had any children,’’ Peter couldn’t help but comment.
Karen glared at him, her blue eyes narrowing. ‘‘I do not have children of my own, Captain, but like my aunt, I have dedicated myself to educating other people’s children.’’
‘‘Then perhaps you can start up a school in Dawson City or Skagway or help an existing one,’’ Peter replied. ‘‘Either way, this man has the say over his family.’’
‘‘I am fully aware Mr. Barringer is in charge of his family,’’ Karen retorted.
‘‘I wonder,’’ Grace interjected, looking a bit tired, ‘‘if we might be allowed to go to our new quarters. I fear I’m feeling a bit overcome.’’
Peter wasted no time. ‘‘Mr. Barringer, please remember to keep your family contained to this end of the deck.’’ Bill Barringer nodded as Peter turned. ‘‘Come, ladies, your cabin is just here on the other side of Mr. Barringer’s.’’
He was grateful for Grace’s interference, but at the same time he felt it necessary to put Karen Pierce in her rightful place. He had a low tolerance for arrogant women. Perhaps it was because they grated on his sense of propriety, but it was even possible they simply threatened Peter’s own sense of power. He didn’t like to think of it in that way—didn’t like to imagine his own arrogance going toe to toe with someone else’s, yet he knew very well that he could be a most prideful man.
She isn’t going to usurp my authority on this ship, pride or no pride. I am in charge here. This is my domain, Peter thought quite seriously. He looked past Grace to Karen Pierce and decided then and there that he would do whatever it took to make her realize she had clearly met her match. He would stand his ground with her, and she would not get the better of him in any manner.