Castaway Dreams by Darlene Marshall Read Free Book Online Page A

sun was low in the sky, under clouds looking like anvils poised to fall on the horizon. Alexander heard a familiar "yip" as he was spotted by Miss Farnham's little dog, straining at its leash to reach him. Recalled to his duty at the sight of his charge deep in conversation with Mr. Carr, Alexander walked over to where the couple chatted at the starboard rail.
    "Oh, Dr. Murray!" Miss Farnham chirped, waving her free hand in the air. "Mr. Carr was admiring my ribbon, and I told him you gave it to me."
    She wore a pale gold straw bonnet with an explosion of lavender roses and greenery, the braid snaking over her left shoulder, its end now tied off by the tri-colored braid Alexander used for his demonstration.
    Carr leaned forward to pick up the ribboned end of the braid where it rested on Miss Farnham's bosom. A noise sounding suspiciously like a growl welled up from Alexander's chest, startling the younger man so much he took a step back.
    It startled Alexander, too, who finished on a throat-clearing gesture.
    "No doubt Mr. Carr has duties to see to, Miss Farnham, and little time for admiring your attire."
    "Not at all, Dr. Murray," the mate said with a satisfied smile. He took Miss Farnham's hand gloved in rose-colored leather and placed it on his arm. "I am at liberty to stroll with Miss Farnham before supper."
    He, too, looked at the clouds on the horizon and frowned.
    "We may be in for a blow tonight or tomorrow, so it is good to take advantage of this opportunity while the weather is still fair."
    "Perhaps Dr. Murray would care to join us as we walk around the deck?"
    Carr looked dismayed, and Alexander was sure he had never met a young woman so ignorant of human behavior and motivations. She appeared completely oblivious to the mate's attempts to court her, but putting a spoke in the younger man's wheels was part of a chaperone's task. Alexander bowed in her direction and said, "I would be pleased to join you, Miss Farnham, and Mr. Carr."
    "Mr. Carr, do you truly think the weather will change? Are we in danger?"
    The deck was not wide enough for the three of them to easily walk abreast, so Alexander was to the rear and couldn't see their expressions. He knew he was not an expert sailor, but even he had been at sea long enough to recognize trouble signs. The thunderheads building to the southeast were like black boulders piling one atop the other. Remembering previous encounters with bad weather gave Alex an idea.
    "Miss Farnham."
    The couple ahead of him stopped walking and Miss Farnham turned to look over her shoulder, knocking Carr in the head with her oversized bonnet, which immediately started a chorus of apologies between the two of them.
    Alexander stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for them to stop twittering like starlings.
    "Tomorrow morning, Miss Farnham, report to sick bay after breakfast. You will roll bandages and help me organize my supplies. If we encounter rough weather then I can expect men to show up with sprains and contusions at the very least, and possibly more serious injuries."
    "See here, Murray, you can't order Miss Farn--"
    "Will that make me useful, Dr. Murray?"
    She'd ignored the mate's protests and was looking at Alexander, her eyes reflecting the color of the late afternoon sky.
    He watched her for a heartbeat before answering.
    "You will be performing a useful task, Miss Farnham. It is not the same as being a useful person. But it is a beginning."
    Carr still protested, but Alexander was not listening to him. He watching the play of expression on Miss Farnham's lovely face and found her small smile oddly unreadable. And challenging.
    "Yes, Doctor, I will be in your sick bay after breakfast. To perform a useful task."
    Carr glared at Alexander.
    "You have no business ordering a passenger about, Murray!"
    "Mr. Carr, do not scold poor Dr. Murray," Miss Farnham said, patting the man on the arm. "He cannot help himself, I am sure. After all, he has spent years and years ordering people