He looked out into the horizon, steadying the altitude of Urania and making certain that she flew truly. He loved nothing more than his ship and all she represented. She was more than his home, she was the outer representation of his soul, and it hurt to have people he disliked walk aboard her. But sometimes he had little choice, and he had simply to pray that their journey would be a short one.
He turned, then started slightly as he realized that Lady Mara leaned against the railings behind him, seemingly oblivious to his presence. She had let her hair loose and it blew behind her, dancing and swaying in the wind generated by Urania's passage. He felt a blush creep up onto his cheeks, and sternly banished it, trying to get himself under control. When he could once more speak, he cleared his throat.
She turned, exhibiting no embarrassment at all that he had caught her in such a position. Indeed, she seemed almost as though she had been expecting it, which, considering where she had been standing, she probably had.
"Might I inquire why you are not below with the other passengers?" he asked stiffly.
She laughed. "I, who have travelled on this ship more than any save you? I would not stay below for a take off any more than you would."
"I have duties here," he reminded her. "You have not, and you risk being an encumbrance to my crew."
She turned completely, so that her hair dangled over the railings. "Captain, you seem to think that I know not what to do here. I assure you, I encumber no crew, and bother none who are working. You yourself did not notice my presence until your duty was complete, did you?"
Captain Trevallion did not respond to this, and she nodded. "As I thought." She turned once more, facing again into the wind. They stood in strained silence for a time, each looking out at the earth below, not wishing to speak.
At last, so quietly that he at first thought it was simply the wind, Lady Mara remarked, "In all my years of travelling, I have never seen anything as beautiful as the earth below me, unfolding in silence as though just for us."
Captain Trevallion nodded. "It is not a sight to which one grows accustomed," he agreed. Almost unconsciously, he moved closer to her, standing by her shoulder as they watched the ground pass beneath them.
"Each trip is slightly different," Lady Mara continued. "Even if they take off from the same place." She turned ever so slightly to look at him. "And I have never seen any so beautiful as those I have experienced from this deck."
They passed through a small cloud, temporarily obscuring their view of the ground of Egypt giving way to the shimmering Mediterranean Sea. Lady Mara shivered as the moisture of the cloud penetrated her light gown, and Captain Trevallion drew slightly closer, offering the heat of his body to warm her. She did not refuse, and they stood close as lovers for a time.
At last, Lady Mara sighed. "I wish I could see this always," she said. Then she stepped away and straightened her dress. "But I fear I have work to accomplish and I should not distract you from your duties any longer. I bid you good afternoon, Captain."
He nodded. "And to you, Lady Mara," he agreed. She walked away, not looking back as she descended the stairs to the main deck, then vanished below. The captain allowed himself one more long look over the edge of Urania, then went back to his instruments, though he knew as well as any that nothing had gone wrong while he was occupied.
Below, Lady Mara hesitated. She knew she should call upon the Compte, though seeing him in what was customarily her room had been more difficult that she had thought it would be. She did not want to call upon him, but that meant very little. She had used up all of her store of want when she went to pay a visit to the captain, and she would not be able to allow herself any more such indulgences for a long time to come.
Thankfully, Rilla the stewardess allowed her to use up the last of it when she stepped out of the Compte's room and informed Lady Mara that he slept. Mara nodded gratefully.
"Have you urgent business?" Rilla asked, glancing around to see that they were indeed alone.
Lady Mara shook her head. "None that cannot wait," she said. "Why do you ask?"
"Devon has found something of interest," Rilla explained. "He asked that I come to see. I am certain he would not mind your accompanying me, and I thought you would be intrigued."
Mara frowned slightly. The name Devon jogged something in her memory, though she could not recall quite what.
Rilla, seeing her confusion, leaned closer. "On certain voyages, the Captain asks that Devlin dress as a boy for the comfort of the passengers. It happens less frequently these days, which might be why you had never yet experienced it."
Mara nodded, suddenly understanding. If it was indeed Devon that she had seen the day before on the deck, it would explain why the man had looked so familiar. She knew Devlin well, and naturally the two would be similar in appearance. She nodded, both to show that she understood and to signify that she would come with Rilla to see the mechanic. Rilla smiled brightly, then beckoned for the Lady Mara to follow, which the Lady did without a care for the damage the greasy engine room would do to her dress.
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