Free Whirlwind by Cathy Marie Hake Page B

on the string.
    “Me do!” Arthur grabbed the string and pulled. The toy undulated toward him, and he squealed with glee. “Me boat!” Arthur dropped the string and tried to step onto the boat.
    “No, no.” Mr. Clark jerked the toy away from certain destruction. “You’re too big to ride this boat.”
    His forehead creasing exactly like his father’s, Arthur lifted his foot again.
    Millicent swept him backward. “Arthur, go get Buddy. Don’t you think Buddy wants to see your new boat?” While he went to fetch the rabbit, she smiled at her boss. “The toy is charming. Children don’t understand about size differences until they’re a bit older.”
    “Then he’s too young for this.”
    “Not necessarily.” Millicent seized the opportunity. Perhaps she could coax him into spending a little more time with his son. “As long as he’s supervised, Arthur will enjoy playing with it. Imagine how much fun he’ll have, tugging it along as he strolls the deck! I’m sure he’ll be very proud to show everyone his father’s handiwork.”
    “There’s only one problem with that, Miss Fairweather.” Mr. Clark pressed the toy into her hands and headed for the door. As he turned the knob with one hand, he slowly withdrew his handkerchief from his pocket with the other. Studying the handkerchief, he asked in a blasé tone, “Do you know what that problem is?”
    “Yes.” She couldn’t muffle her laughter. All this time, he’d pretended as if he hadn’t noticed his son’s makeshift nappy. “Everyone aboard might not have heard the story of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.”
    “Indeed, Miss Fairweather.” Arthur rounded the corner, without a stitch on him. His father nodded at him. “The king is wearing nothing at all.”
    “This one. Isn’t it exquisite?” The Haxtons’ nanny showed Millicent a copy of a recent Godey’s Lady’s Book . “I adore the brightly colored puffy sleeves, don’t you?”
    “They’re beautiful.” Millicent closed her drawing pad and rose. She’d been copying drawings and making notes about fashion. Being up-to-the-minute with the styles would help get Frank’s business off to a good start. “Would you mind allowing me to sketch it sometime?”
    “You can take it with you as long as you promise to give it back tomorrow.”
    The other two nannies and a pair of maids all rose and straightened their aprons. Whenever they had a few free moments, the servants gathered in an alcove near the stern. One sighed dreamily. “If I were you, Millicent, I’d be sewing a wedding gown. Mr. Clark is handsome and rich.”
    “Nonsense.” Millicent slid the Godey’s atop her sketchbook. “I have other plans for when I reach America. This is just a temporary job.”
    Waggling her brows, the maid said, “Plans can change. It’s not like you’re really one of us servants. Don’t think we don’t notice your fancy words and pretty ways.”
    “Leave off, Jilly.” One of the others scowled at the maid. “You’re in the right of it, sayin’ Millie’s a lady. Her bein’ a lady means she wouldn’t imagine settin’ her cap for a man in mournin’.”
    “But he’s got himself a poor, motherless son. Them’s the kind what aim to marry up fast again.”
    Millicent shook her head. “Jilly, my dream is to start up that dressmaking shop with my sister and brother-in-law. I want an adventure, not an anchor. Who knows? Maybe someday you’ll see one of the fashions I design or an article I write in one of the magazines.”
    “I never pay much attention to who writes the articles,” the Haxtons’ maid said. “I just read them. From now on, I’ll make it a point to see if Millicent Fairweather is below the title.”
    “I want to make something of myself.” Millicent held the magazine and sketchpad to her bosom and stared off into the distance. “I’ve had to live by a schedule all my life. For the first time, I’ll be able to do as I want.”
    Jilly huffed. “If you marry a