Free The Bedroom Barter by Sara Craven

companionway, aware of a sudden uneasiness.
    'So there you are,' said Ash, appearing from nowhere. He was wearing a pair of elderly navy shorts and the rest of him was tanned skin, she realised with a totally unwelcome flicker of excitement.
    'Good morning,' Chellie returned coolly. Excitement notwithstanding, he could do with a lesson in .politeness.
    'Only just.' Unsmilingly he consulted his watch. 'And breakfast is well overdue.'
    'I—lost my watch,' she said. 'And I overslept.'
    'I'll give you an alarm clock.' He paused. 'You'll find ham in the fridge. We'll have it with scrambled eggs, toast and strong coffee. And sooner rather than later, if that's all right,' he added pointedly.
    Oh, God, Chellie thought, her heart sinking. She'd forgotten this particular detail.
    She said, 'Scrambled eggs?'
    'That's what I said. Is there some problem?'
    'Not at all.' Chellie lied in her teeth. She gave him a bright smile. 'Just checking.'
    'There's a bell in the galley. Ring it when the food's ready.'
    For whom the bell tolls, Chellie thought glumly as she made her way down to the galley and looked around her. There was an electric oven, with a hob, and—oh, joy—a toaster and a cafetieré waiting on the counter beside it So far, so good, she thought, opening cupboards and drawers and finding crockery and cutlery. At least that bit would be easy-peasy.
    She knew the theory of scrambled eggs, of course. Butter and milk, she told herself, and a lot of stirring. And, in her experience, someone else to do it.
    She laid one of the tables in the saloon, then spooned coffee into the pot, added boiling water, and carved some uneven slices off a loaf, slotting them with difficulty into the toaster.
    She arranged the ham on plates, and began to beat up the eggs in a basin. The butter was beginning to turn brown in the pan as she added her mixture quickly and began to scrape at it with a fork, watching with dismay as it separated into long leathery strands.
    At the same time a strong smell of scorching signalled that the bread was stuck in the toaster and needed to be poked out with a knife.
    She felt like a wet rag as she finally rang the bell.
    When Ash and Laurent arrived, she saw their brows lift as they inspected the plates she set in front of them. The ham, fortunately, was excellent, but no one lingered over their meal.
    'This coffee's so weak I'm surprised it could crawl out of the pot,' Ash told her crushingly. 'You've cremated the toast. And as for this…' He stabbed at the rubbery mixture on his plate. 'I could use it to mend the tyres on a four-wheel drive. You said you could cook.'
    'Or did you just make assumptions because of my gender?' Chellie shot back, furious at this condemnation of her efforts.
    'Don't start that,' he advised brusquely. 'Preparing food is your job as part of the crew. The sole justification for your existence on this boat, as it happens, and gender doesn't feature in the equation. So make sure dinner is better.'
    My God, did I really ever find him even remotely attractive? Chellie asked herself incredulously as he stalked out of the saloon and back up to the pilot house. It must have been temporary insanity brought on by stress.
    Laurent accorded her a sympathetic smile. 'I bought some fresh beef in Santo Martino,' he told her. 'You can make a stew with it,
hein
?'
    'No,' Chellie said in a hollow voice. 'I don't think I can, actually.'
    Laurent sighed. 'I think maybe I should help,
cherie
, before Ash makes you walk the plank.'
    Chellie stared at him. 'But he said you couldn't cook either.'
    He shrugged. 'Maybe that was to arouse your sympathy,
cherie
, and make sure you sailed with us.' His eyes danced. 'After all, you are a very beautiful girl, and better to look at than the horizon all the time.'
    She bit her lip, putting a self-conscious hand up to her hair. 'I'm a scarecrow.'
    He patted her on the shoulder. 'It will grow,' he said gently.
    He was brisk and competent as he supervised her cutting the