Page 19 of The Girl Out of Time
This wasn’t too strange. They overlooked the promenade, and people walked by all the time. But this one wasn’t moving, and even though the stained glass blocked Emmeline from seeing the person clearly, she couldn’t help but think of Leon.
It’s probably a man stopping for a smoke.Emmeline shook her head and tried to get back to the game. When she glanced up half a minute later, the figure was still there, at the next window down.
Emmeline stood.
“Darling,” Mother said in a clear “you’re not supposed to move more than a foot away from me” tone.
“I need to go to the restroom,” Emmeline said. “Or must I be accompanied there, as well?”
Mother pursed her lips. “Very well. Fifteen minutes, and not a second over.”
“Understood.” Emmeline turned to the exit, trying to look calm as her feet urged her to run. She walked down the hallway, picking up pace as she put the lounge further behind her, and rushed through the revolving door, past the grand staircase, and out onto the promenade.
The bright, sunny day, paired with an ocean as smooth as glass, had brought many passengers to the deck, either strolling or lounging on deck chairs with blankets. Emmeline scanned from head to head. A mother, calmly instructing her two children not to run on the deck. A young pair on a walk, the lady twirling her parasol. An older gentleman helping his grandson put his small feet on the first rung of the railing to get a better view of the ocean.
All so happy, so carefree. She couldn’t help but feel envious of them.
“Emmeline!”
She turned at the call, her panic subsiding as she matched the voice to Leon’s tall figure. Clutching her book, he stopped a few feet away.
“I’ve been looking for you all day,” he said. “I read the book.”
Emmeline glanced at the lounge windows. If she hadn’t been able to see out clearly, then her mother wouldn’t, either, but they still weren’t safe here. They weren’t safe in any public space, so what remained? A cabin? The third class cabins were far down in the bow; Mother would began to worry before they even reached it. But hers was on this deck, only a hallway and a few doors away.
“Come.” She took his hand and led him to her room.
He didn’t object, but he did pause as she opened the door and gestured him inside.
“These are your private quarters.” He shifted on his feet. “I couldn’t.”
“It’s the only place where they won’t see us. Please.” She nudged her head, and he finally entered.
Her cabin was a small but cozy space with a blue carpet and white-painted walls. A single bed was nestled along the far wall, while a marble-topped sink with a mirror cabinet and an upholstered sofa in a crimson net pattern took the walls across from each other.
Leon handed her the book, and she took it to the small trunk on her writing desk, packed with the rest of her collection. Leon cleared his throat and sat on the sofa, hands clasped in front.
“It’s all right,” she said. “It’s just my cabin. You can relax. Did you like the book?”
“Very much,” he said, tension seeping from his shoulders. “I found Neverland to be an interesting concept. Exciting on the surface, but brimming with traps beneath.”
“I loved it. Don’t you think you’d enjoy visiting?”
“Oh, no, it has its merits. Everyone needs a bit of Neverland in their life. But it’s not perfect, and eventually, you must return to reality.”
“Or you could keep reading and find new worlds.” She picked up a few books and sat next to him. “I’ve read this one recently.The Phantom of the Opera. Strange, but interesting. Not quite romance, and not quite horror. My aunt and I are split on which male hero to support; perhaps you can settle the score.” She put the book between them on the sofa. “Oh, and these! They’re from my favorite author, Miranda Stormcliffe. Romance and mystery and tortured heroes with complicated pasts—I have all of her books, and I’m only sad I can never get more.”
“Why not?”
“She lived in the eighteenth century. So what I have is what I get. Would you like to borrow …” She sighed, looking at the floor. Borrow until when?
“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You look worried.”
Her eyes stung. “We have so little of the travel left, and afterward, I can never see you again. And I wish I could. You’ve been—well, I had great fun in your company, which I’m sure I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
“Me, too,” he said.
“But my parents don’t approve.”
