Page 9 of A Sea Captain and A Stowaway (Gentleman Scholars #7)

“Well, he wasn’t a suitor. He didn’t try to court me.

Not that I would have wanted him to. I really didn’t know him very well, but he was not well-liked in my community.

The whispers throughout the village were of the abuse his servants and animals suffered.

None of the matchmaking mamas set their cap at him despite his title, which was telling in and of itself.

And his being so much older didn’t appeal either, although, I suppose, I could have counted on him removing himself from my presence one day. ”

Docila offered a twisted smile at that, seemingly embarrassed to wish an early death upon her unwanted suitor.

“Just looking at him made my skin crawl, and the way he looked at me… I knew he would not treat me well. If only I could just give my uncle the money! But apparently, my father wrapped it up well to ‘protect me,’ in his mind, I’m sure.

How could he know his brother would treat me this way?

Although, considering the poor relationship he and his brother had, I cannot say I’m extraordinarily surprised.

But even I didn’t think family members could treat each other this way. ”

There was an innocence to her shock at her uncle’s betrayal that suggested she had led a sheltered life until her father’s death.

Despite her current predicament, she had been loved and protected, spared the harsher realities of the world.

Sidney found himself oddly protective of that innocence, reluctant to see it further damaged by returning her to her uncle’s clutches.

And there was something about her description of this Cragswell that stirred a deep unease in Sidney. He had seen men who looked at women that way, who treated them as possessions rather than people. The thought of Miss Archer in such a man’s power was...distressing.

Sidney rose from his chair and walked to the window, staring out at the endless expanse of ocean. The decision he was about to make went against all logic, all practicality, all his years of experience as a ship’s captain. And yet, he knew it was the only one he could live with.

“There’s no place for a woman on a ship like this,” he said, his back still to her. “The quarters are cramped, the work is hard, and the dangers are real. You’d be safer on land, even with your uncle.”

“I would rather face the sea than face him,” she replied, her voice steadier now but no less determined. “At least the sea is honest in its dangers.”

Sidney turned to face her, struck by the wisdom in her words. The sea was indeed honest — brutal at times, but never deceitful. There was something to be said for facing a straightforward threat rather than a hidden one.

“Very well,” he said at last. “You may stay aboard until we reach a suitable port where you can find passage to... wherever it is you wish to go.”

The relief that flooded her face was almost palpable, her shoulders sagging as the tension drained from her body. “Thank you, Captain. You won’t regret this decision.”

“I already do,” Sidney replied dryly, but without the anger of before. “And don’t thank me yet. You’re not going to be a passenger, Miss Archer. If you stay on my ship, you work.”

She nodded eagerly. “Of course. I told you, I’m willing to do whatever tasks are necessary.”

Sidney shook his head, laughing at her way of speaking. Even as he agreed to her presence, he knew it was going to be something he would regret.

Sidney shook his head and sighed once more. “Tell me again which chores you are willing to take on in exchange for us not throwing you to the fish.”

Docila grinned.

“I don’t mind going to the fish,” she said. “They’re my friends. But I will happily cook and clean and keep watch. I can do any task that the lowest hand on deck can do — all the way up to reading your maps and keeping your log.”

Sidney’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Do you even know what a log is?”

She lifted her chin and met his gaze with a grin. “I do,” she said simply, not bothering to explain herself.

Well, it wasn’t as though he would let her touch his maps and logs, so it didn’t matter what sort of claims she might make.

And yet, there was something in her confidence that gave him pause.

If she was William Archer’s daughter, perhaps she had learned more from her father than Sidney had assumed. Many merchants’ children were taught the basics of the family business from a young age, and if Archer had taken his daughter with him on his travels, as she had implied...

No, it was ridiculous.

Reading a log was one thing, but the delicate work of navigation, the precise calculations required for charting a course — these were skills that took years to master. He would find her simple tasks to perform, tasks that would keep her occupied and out of the way of the crew as much as possible.

“Very well,” he said. “We’ll try it out for a couple of days.

You’ll have to work to earn your place on my ship.

You’ll have to work extra hard for several days, or perhaps the entire time you’re here, considering that you have stolen passage from me.

We do not look at that kindly in the shipping world.

Space is not something we have to spare, even if you weren’t a female. ”

“No, of course not,” Docila agreed immediately.

“And if it weren’t so dire, I never would have done so,” she added. “And I thank you so much for being willing to overlook such a slight.”

Sidney shook his head, laughing at her way of speaking. Even as he agreed to her presence, he knew it was going to be something he would regret.

But as he watched her stifle a yawn behind her hand, her earlier energy fading as exhaustion reasserted itself, Sidney found himself wondering if perhaps there might be some benefit to having her aboard after all.

Not in any practical sense — she would be more hindrance than help, no matter what tasks he assigned her — but in ways less easily defined.

There was a simplicity to her gratitude, a directness to her manner that was refreshing after years of navigating the complexities of command.

And despite his better judgment, he found himself curious about her — about what she knew, what she had seen in her travels with her father, what she might contribute to this voyage beyond the complications of her presence.

“You need rest,” he said abruptly, realizing that she was swaying slightly in her chair.

“And proper food, not just biscuits. I’ll have Mr. Fletcher find you a real cabin where you can sleep.

It won’t be comfortable by your standards, but it will be private and secure.

You must also be prepared for the crew to be disgruntled about you.

Or worse. Especially whoever is forced to give up their cabin for you. ”

The smile she gave him was tired but genuine. “Thank you, Captain Peters. I’m grateful for your kindness.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he warned, opening the door to call for his first mate. “Tomorrow, the work begins.”

As Fletcher led her away, Sidney returned to his desk, staring down at the charts and logbooks that represented his life’s work, his future plans. Everything had changed in the space of a few hours, all because of one young woman’s desperate bid for freedom.

And yet, as he traced the course they would follow to St. Augustine, Sidney found himself less troubled by the decision than he had expected to be.

Perhaps it was the right choice after all, for reasons he couldn’t yet articulate.

Or perhaps it was simply the decision he could live with, regardless of its wisdom.

Either way, Miss Docila Archer was now part of his voyage, for better or worse. And Sidney Peters, master of the Seraphim, would simply have to adapt his plans accordingly.