“Another decadent meal,” she said, handing me a basket of hardtack.
I picked up one of the stiff biscuits with a scowl and then added some pickled cabbage from a serving platter. Our lessons in fine dining and etiquette weren’t of much use at the moment as we subsisted on this simple ship’s fare. The food in and of itself didn’t bother me so much as eating the same thing each day did.
I’d lifted the hardtack to my mouth when Clara suddenly said, “Isn’t it raining up above? Why aren’t you wet, Adelaide?”
I froze as all eyes once again swiveled toward me. “I . . . kept under cover,” I said at last. “I knew Miss Bradley wouldn’t want us to ruin our clothes—or even our hair. Maybe we aren’t in Adoria yet, but we should still maintain certain standards.” Sure of my footing now, I smiled sweetly at Clara. “I can understand why you might not think of those things on a trip like this. But as our cohort’s diamond, I find it’s something I must constantly keep in mind.”
“Excellent point,” said Miss Bradley. “Just because we’re in rough conditions, it doesn’t mean we should be any less diligent about our manners and appearances. You are going to have to be in best form the instant we reach Adoria. As soon as word of our ship’s arrival spreads, there’ll be prospective suitors down at the docks to watch you come ashore and size up this year’s group.”
Those words took all of us aback for a moment. It wasn’t anything that had ever come up before. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, however. Everything we’d done had been scrutinized at Blue Spring Manor, with the understanding that we’d continue to be scrutinized in the New World. Why not from the first moment we stepped on shore?
“Sized up like livestock.” Mira pitched her voice low, but Miss Bradley heard her.
“There are young ladies begging in the streets of Osfrid who’d love to have the opportunity to be dressed up and ‘sized up,’” she said sharply. “I’m sure if you’d like to join them, arrangements can be made for you to return with the Thorns to Osfrid at the end of the summer.” While most of our household now accepted Mira, Miss Bradley obviously hadn’t come to terms with having a Sirminican in our cohort.
“Of course not, ma’am,” said Mira. “Forgive me.” Her tone was as apologetic as mine had been, and like me, she wasn’t sincere.
“I think if Mira had her way, she wouldn’t get married,” I told Cedric on our way to the cargo room one day. Long weeks had passed, and amazingly, this ocean journey was nearing its end. “Sometimes I just feel like she’s here because she has nothing better to do.”
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.