Free The Elusive Flame by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss Page A

apparel. The only choice that remained was for him to leave the ship. Perhaps when he had the time, he could search out a wench who might satisfy his manly needs. Only then would he be able to act the gentleman in this one’s presence.
     
    Later that afternoon, Billy Todd rapped his knuckles lightly against the captain’s cabin door and called through the wood, “Miss, are ye awake?”
    “Yes, Billy, just a moment please.” Cerynise clutched the robe closer around her neck and lifted its long skirt as she hurried to answer the summons. She greeted the boy with a smile, but it was no brighter than his. “What is it, Billy?”
    Billy held forth a small bundle of clothing. “Yer pardon, miss, but the cap’n said ye were in need of somethin’ ta wear for the time bein’, an’ what with me bein’ the smallest seaman aboard, he asked if’n I’d be willin’ ta share with ye for a spell.” Seeing her eyes widen in sudden dismay, the lad rushed on to plead, “Please don’tthink me forward, miss. The cap’n said ye might be wantin’ ta wear somethin’ ‘sides that there robe o’ his, seein’ as how it’s so big an’ all.” His eyes passed quickly over the length to the slender bare feet and trim ankles showing beneath the raised hem, which dropped abruptly at his inspection. Billy’s freckled cheeks flushed darkly, and in some confusion, he pressed the garments into her hands. “They be clean, miss. I washed ‘em meself.”
    “Oh, I have no doubt they are, Billy,” Cerynise assured him, worrying far more about the propriety of a woman wearing a boy’s clothing. “And it’s very kind of you to offer, but I wouldn’t want to put you out.”
    The look of adoration that briefly swept his face conveyed a willingness to do much more if she but asked him. “Please take ‘em, miss,” he cajoled, “else the cap’n’ll wonder if I even offered ‘em ta ye.”
    Cerynise laughed, brightening the lad’s countenance. “In that case, I think I’d better. I wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble on my account.”
    “Anything else ye need, miss, ye be sure an’ let me know.” Blushing even more fiercely, he added, “I’d be only too glad ta see ta yer wishes.”
    “Thank you, Billy. I’ll let you know if I should think of anything,” she replied, and then directly began to wonder if she would have time to try on the clothes before Beau returned to his cabin. “Will the captain be on deck for a while longer?”
    “Oh, no, miss. The cap’n left ta visit some friends o’ his ‘bout an hour ago, but he said for me ta tell ye he’d be comin’ back ta have dinner with ye later this evenin’. Till then, he asked if’n ye wouldn’t mind stayin’ in his cabin…” Billy sensed that she was waiting for him to continue and, with a lame shrug, explained, “Seein’s as how the men might gawk an’ forget ‘bout their duties if’n ye come up on deck.”
    “The captain bade you to tell me that?” Cerynise queried in surprise.
    Billy winced in chagrin and seemed suddenly unsure ofhimself. “Well, maybe the last part wasn’t meant for yer ears. Ye won’t tell him I said that, will ye?”
    Cerynise shook her head and smiled. “No, Billy, ‘twill be our secret.”
    The cabin boy sighed in relief. “We ain’t ne’er had a woman on board longer’n a couple o’ hours, miss, so ye can expect our manners ta be a bit raw.”
    “If the other seamen are as gallant as you, Billy, then I have no doubt the Audacious is manned by a crew of gentlemen.” Her smile widened, bringing a glow to his cheeks and a buoyant grin to his lips. She guessed the lad to be only a few years her junior, and although life at sea could sometimes be terribly harsh on the young, in Billy’s case it was obvious that he had landed on his feet. Though as lean as a reed, he looked well nourished, clean and happy, all indications of the integrity of the man who captained the ship upon which he sailed.
    “I’d best get