The Glittering Court
Page 35

He put his hand on my back to guide me around a pile of netting taking up part of the hall. Since this enterprise had begun, we’d grown remarkably casual around each other. “Compared to Sirminica, this is probably better,” he said.
“I suppose. But I wish she was more on board with what’s in store. Whatever the means, this journey ends in us marrying in Adoria. She’d be happier if she was excited about that, just like the rest of us.”
As we neared the cargo room, we saw the captain and one of his men hurrying through. We stepped to the side, letting them pass. As they did, I heard the sailor say, “It’s no problem, Cap’n. I can handle it.”
“I’m sure you can,” came the gruff response. “But I don’t like the looks of it. It came up too fast. I’ll steer us the next hour and then hand off.”
Once they were clear of us, Cedric came to a halt. “Did you hear that?” he asked.
“Which part exactly?”
“The part about the captain taking the wheel.”
“So?”
Cedric’s face was alight with excitement. “So, it means he won’t be in his stateroom for a while. How would you like to add another crime to our growing list of offenses?”
I eyed him warily. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on.” He linked his arm through mine and turned us in a different direction from the cargo room. We soon entered the part of the ship used mostly by the crew. It made me uneasy, but Cedric walked with self-assurance. It seemed to make the crew members assume we were supposed to be there, and most of them were hustling about and preoccupied anyway.
We reached an ornate door that marked the captain’s chambers. After a furtive glance around, Cedric pushed it open and hurried me inside. “I’m surprised it’s unlocked,” I said.
“He usually only locks it when he sleeps. During the day, most crew wouldn’t have the nerve to come in.”
“And we do?” Even so, I couldn’t help being fascinated by what I saw. The captain’s room was a combination office and bedroom and was more than twice the size of my room at Blue Spring Manor. An ornate desk immediately drew the eye to the center of the room, as did the window behind it. I couldn’t even believe there was a window in here. Gray sky and a deeper gray sea showed through it. Brocade cloth hung around a bed on the room’s far side, and other rich furnishings warmed the space as well: candelabras, leather-bound books, and more. It was incredible to believe such a room existed when the rest of us were crammed into such humble quarters.
Another wave sent us rolling, and Cedric put a hand on the desk to steady himself. “I know you once said I could sell salvation to a priest . . . but there are some things even I can’t get a captain to barter for. So . . . we’ll just, ah, take them.”
“We steal now?” I asked.
“He won’t miss it. You’ll understand soon.” Cedric walked up to a wall covered in shelves, directing his gaze to a closed cupboard up by the ceiling. He glanced around, expression turning puzzled. “We want to get in there . . . but the ladder’s gone. There was a small one in here the last time Father and I ate with him.”
I walked over to the desk’s chair, but it was bolted down. Perhaps I should’ve viewed that as a sign we needed to get out, but I was too intrigued. I had to know what would actually reduce him to stealing. Seeing no other options, I returned to Cedric’s side.
“Okay, then. Lift me up.”
“Hold on, what?”
“I can climb on those bookshelves—use them for footholds. I’ll just need you to get me started. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
“Eh, no . . .” The shocking suggestion seemed to give even him pause. “But can you climb in a dress?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I said, thinking of childhood days when I used to get scolded for climbing trees on our country estate. “I could take it off, but then you’d have to deal with the shock of seeing me half-naked again.”
“I’m still recovering from the first time,” he said wryly. He stood by the shelves. “Okay, let’s go. No risk, no gain.”
He put his hands around my waist and helped hoist me high until I could place my feet on one shelf and grip a higher one with my hands. I was pretty sure he got a face full of skirts and petticoats in the maneuver, but in a few moments, he was able to let go as I maintained my hold and slowly scaled upward.
“I’ll catch you if you fall,” he said helpfully.
“I won’t fall. You’ve got me confused with some helpless girl who balks at dishonest behavior.”
“My mistake.”
Despite my bold words, I nearly lost my grip when the ship rocked sharply again. We’d had relatively calm waters so far, and today’s troubled conditions had already made normal movement around the ship difficult—let alone when attempting to climb shelving in a dress.
I reached the upper cupboard and opened it, marveling at what I saw. Food. But not the dried, flavorless kind we consumed daily. A variety of jarred delicacies were displayed before me: dried currants, nuts, caramel brittle, lemon cookies . . . Along with them, mysterious boxes and bags contained other hidden delights.
“Do you see a small green tin?” Cedric asked. “That’s what we want.”
After several moments of searching, I found it. I tossed the tin down to him and began my descent. It was a little easier this time, both because I was surer of my footholds and less scared of injury the nearer I got to the floor. When I was almost there, Cedric took hold of my waist again and swung me down the rest of the way.
“Easy,” I declared.
He started to let go, but another wave threw us both off. He held me tighter, shifting his weight so that we stayed upright. Some of the items in the room slid around with the sudden movement, but most were bolted down. Only when things calmed did he release me.
“Well?” I asked. “Was it worth it?”
He opened the tin. “You tell me.”
“Honey cakes! How?”
“The captain has a sweet tooth, and after you said you’d kill for some, I figured I’d better take action for everyone’s safety. Want one?”
“No, I want them all,” I said. “But let’s go back to the cargo room before we’re caught here.”
We checked the hall before making a break for it, but again, most crew barely noticed us. They moved swiftly and deftly over the rolling floor while Cedric and I had to occasionally stop and hold the walls. When we finally completed the journey to our room, we hurried back to my art corner to divvy up our spoils.
“You said you wanted them all,” Cedric teased when I held the tin out to him.
“You can have some as a commission of sorts. Even though I really did all the work.”
I plucked one out and popped it into my mouth, closing my eyes as that sweetness flooded me. “I ate these all the time back home,” I said after I’d swallowed it. “Never thought much of it. But after all that hardtack . . . I swear, this is now pretty much the best thing I’ve eaten in my entire life.”
We quickly went through the tin, and Cedric urged me to take the last one. “I should give this one to Mira,” I demurred. “She’s the only friend I’ve got left.”