Upon Your Return by Marie Lavender Read Free Book Online Page A

for more than twelve hours, she wondered if she'd been wrong to believe such. She had never considered any servant to be her equal though she treated every one with kindness. Now, as she examined the obvious respect Capitaine Hill held for Eric, and vice versa, which had surely been earned at some point, she acknowledged that her life had certainly taken a strange and sudden turn.
    How long had she been so blind? Who had thought up the class divisions? Why did people accept them? What made one person so different from the next? Were they not all human?
    She had never wanted to be some random man's wife; there had to be other options. Wasn't there something to look forward to besides marriage to a person of her own status? Looking across the deck at the crew, she felt compassion for them. Though each had adequate clothing, one could count a tattered appearance on every man. A pair of pants might be threadbare in places or most had patches sewn into the fabric for reinforcement. And every sailor was scruffy and dirty. She knew this was not uncommon on board a ship.
    Even though they were all clothed, it was obvious they were used to living with less. Suddenly, she wanted to help somehow, if at least to improve their current condition. There was no doubt they were all used to working hard to get what they had. But, what if they were given access to a better education? Would their status still be the same or could they acquire a position like Capitaine Hill had earned?
    It was a hard question. She was not used to thinking of others; it seemed there was such a thing as being too privileged. She knew what she had been pondering would not be proper to entertain openly. Her uncle wouldn't hear of it.
    However, there was no harm in thinking.
    “There are advantages and disadvantages to this kind of reflection,” she heard Eric observe.
    She laughed, appalled that she had been silent that long. It wasn't often she had the time to reflect on anything. It was odd that she had felt free to do so aboard Grant's ship. “I'm sorry. I did not miss anything, did I?”
    “Nothing important, Mademoiselle .”
    “I am relieved to hear it. I do hope you are not disappointed.”
    “Not at all.”
    So it seemed he knew his place in several ways, yet still acted as more of a confidante to Grant Hill. It was a strange relationship. “How long have you been under the employ of your captain?”
    He looked over at her, a wide-eyed look on his face. Then suddenly his lashes swept down, hiding whatever it was he wished her not to see. “It is a story that would most likely bore you, Mademoiselle .”
    “I do not mind. I would like to know.” She knew little about Grant and clamored for more. It was also a widely known fact that most servants had a knack for tattling about their employers.
    “I have worked for Capitaine Hill for many years, but I have been his friend for much longer.”
    “Oh?” It wasn't often that a man chose a companion as his valet. “How did you meet then?”
    “My master, at the time, was not the most honorable of men. He was a scoundrel to say the least. It is not as if I needed saving. I knew my way around the elements, but I served the man nonetheless. I knew my place. I was not supposed to question my master. The captain was in town often to trade and upon many occasions had called the man out about his treatment of us.
    “You see, I wasn't the only one subjected to the man's wrath. There were women and children working under him as well. As you know, a man cannot be challenged based on his behavior toward his servants, but my master was not without his other vices. There was gambling and…” He stopped with a look of wariness as if suddenly aware of his audience.
    “Yes?”
    “Debauchery of the worst kind. Capitaine Hill used every means he could think of to expose my master's true nature, and before long my master left town, his reputation effectively destroyed. And of course, a man without money cannot afford