Free A Leap of Faith (The Hands of Time: Book 2) by Irina Shapiro Page A

weren’t like the men of her time who felt free to admire a woman, flirt with her, and even sleep with her; with no obligation.  These men meant business, and to lead them on was dangerous.  She had no idea what the first mate’s designs on her were, but she had to tread carefully. 
    It was easy enough to fob off the reveren d on Miss Collins, or to be coy with the captain, but this man made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time, not since she met Doug.  His warm gaze left her breathless, the sudden sight of him across the ship giving her butterflies in her stomach.  Louisa leaned against the railing of the deck in an effort to push away her dangerous thoughts.  She was simply scared and lonely, trapped in a world so vastly different from her own.  She longed for affection, and she was drawn to the first attractive, charming man she saw. 
    She wondered what Valerie felt like when she found herself in the past.  Did she fall in love with Finlay because she was scared and lonely?  Why did she choose him over the other brother?  What drew her to him?  From what Mrs. Dobbs had said, Finlay sounded a bit wild, untamed.  Did Valerie see him as a challenge, or did he take advantage of her fragile state and seduced her?  She had so many questions for her sister.  She only wished she would get the chance to ask them.

Chapter 15
     
    Louisa waited a little past ten o’clock and slipped out of the cabin.  Agnes was already asleep, and she hoped that the reverend was asleep in his cabin as well.  She had no desire to see his eyes narrowed in speculation as he watched her go up on the bridge to join Mr. Sheridan.  She suddenly wondered what his name was.  Sometimes she was amazed by the formality that ship life demanded.  Everyone called each other by their surnames.  Even the twelve-year-old cabin boy was called Mr. Willis.  She hadn’t heard her own name since she spoke to Mr. Taylor in the shop two weeks ago.  Everyone referred to her as Mistress Jamison, not Louisa, and the only person she called by her name was Agnes. 
    The night sky was a velvety black as Louisa came up on deck.  She liked the ship at night.  There was much less activity since most of the crew was already down below, sleeping in their hammocks; resting up for another day of hard work.  A lamp swayed gently from one of the beams, the candle inside throwing flickering shadows on a coil of rope and a barrel of tar.  Several shadowy figures moved about the deck, but they were just sailors going about their evening tasks.  She looked up at the bridge.  The first mate was there alone, one hand on the wheel, eyes staring off into the distance.  She walked up the steps and joined him at the wheel. 
    “Good evening, Mistress Jamison.  I hoped you would come.”  Louisa could see the moon reflected in those dark eyes, taking in her appearance.  She hadn’t bothered to put her hair up, and it tumbled around her shoulders, gently blowing in the breeze off the sea.  In her modern life, she used a flat iron to make it straight, but here, she had no choice but to let it dry naturally whenever she was lucky enough to actually wash it.  The honey-blond waves framed her face, making her look younger than her twenty-nine years.  Most of the time she wore a ruffled cap, that served the dual purpose of making her look modest and keeping her hair clean and vermin-free. 
    “Would you like to steer?” the first mate asked, his eyes never leaving her face.
    Mr. Sheridan moved away from the wheel, making room for Louisa.  She stepped in front of him and put her hands on the spokes, enjoying the smoothness of the polished wood beneath her fingers.  The wheel felt surprisingly heavy.  She couldn’t have turned it on her own even if she wanted to.  The first mate came up behind her, putting his hands over hers, his body almost touching her, but not quite.  She could sense his warmth in the coolness of the night, suddenly longing to