Page 29 of My Gentleman Spy
If she did, there was a good chance her mask would slip a little and he would be granted a further glimpse of her true self. He wondered just how much of that she had already revealed tohim.
Whatever her truth, he had to know more of it before they reached London. While they were on the boat, she could not hide easily from him or the multitude of questions which were currently swirling around in hishead.
Will pursed his lips. He was a patient man when the mood took him, but Hattie was surprisingly testing his mettle. He reached out a hand and gently brushed his fingers against hercheek.
Sheshivered.
“It's cool in the sea breeze,” she said. His touch had been so light, she had not seemed tonotice.
Her Spanish made cotton gown gave her little protection against the chill of the sea wind. Will quickly unbuttoned his greatcoat and offered it to her. When he had purchased several new functional day gowns for her, it had not occurred to him that she would need a coat. Gibraltar was not exactly a place for heavy English woolovercoats.
“Thank you,” she said, slipping her arms into his oversized coat. The coat went all the way down to her feet. It looked a little ridiculous, Will found it utterlycharming.
She is getting under yourskin.
“Well you shall not be cold up on deck if you make sure to wear it,” Willobserved.
Fortunately, he was returning to England with all his belongings and somewhere within his travel trunk a second wool coat wasstored.
With the ship now clear of the harbor, the captain turned the ship’s bow northward. Hattie looked back over her shoulder toward the south, toward Africa. The mountains of Morocco slowly became a tiny speck in the distance before finallydisappearing.
She sniffed back tears and wiped her eyes with the palm of herhand.
“Regrets?” heasked.
She met hisgaze.
“None,” shereplied.
Conflict wracked Will’s brain. If he was to return Hattie safely to her family, he had to know who in London would take this young woman in and offer her a home. Her parents were on their way to Africa, and no matter the circumstances of her leaving them, he still owed them a duty to ensure he delivered her into the hands of someone in England who cared for her. His questions demandedanswers.
The view from the ship's deck soon became one of repetition, the blue ocean stretched out for miles on the portside with only a thin brown line of land on the starboard. Within an hour they had both retired to the cramped cabin. Hattie curled up asleep on the bed while Will squeezed into the seat at the tiny writing desk and continued to make notes for his first few days back inLondon.
He had a few personal belongings with him in his travel trunk, the rest of his possessions had been shipped home the day he left Paris for the finaltime.
Having lived in lodgings for several years, he had not required much in the way of furniture but upon deciding he was moving permanently back to England, Will had set about purchasing enough elegant and expensive pieces of furniture to fill a house. When he got to London, he intended to rebuild his life. A wife and family lay ahead in thoseplans.
When Hattie finally stirred from her slumber, Will decided it was time to confronther.
* * *
She knew it was inevitable.The only thing which truly surprised her was that Will had left his questioning until this late into the seajourney.
From the moment they had stepped on board, she had been waiting for him to press her further about her origins. About herfamily.
As she opened her eyes she could see him seated on the chair facing her, his hands held tightly together infront.
“Hattie, we need to talk,” hesaid.
“Yes.”
The word was out of her mouth before she realized what she had said. Will had called her by her real name, and she fool that she was, had answeredhim.
Her sense of gratitude that the door of the cabin had a lock was instantly diminished by the sight of Will holding the key in his hand. Any hope for escape was effectivelyblocked.
How had Will discovered her realname?
The only sign of emotion he displayed at her response was to sit back in the chair and let out a low whistle. His face remained implacable. From his outwardly indifferent demeanor, she knew this was not the first time he had sat someone down and interrogated them. The tale of him being a merchant was a convenientlie.
