“Yes, yes, you can. I am looking for Captain Andrew Wilkins. I wish to speak to him about someone he might have signed on as a crewmember.” I tilted my chin up just a bit.
“He is right over here, if you’ll just follow me.” He led me to the starboard side of the ship.
“Captain Wilkins, there’s a Miss . . .” He turned to me.
“Graham,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. “Miss Graham.”
The captain stood with his back toward us, staring out at the sea. He was tall and had dark hair, and from behind, he almost looked like . . .
The captain turned, and his face was nothing like Halstead’s. His skin was tan and wind-chapped, and his nose looked like it had been broken at least once. He inclined his head in a slight bow. “Miss Graham. How can I be of service?”
“You must be a busy man, sir, so I will get straight to the point. I was informed you may have taken on my brother, Harry Graham, as a cabinboy.”
He looked at me carefully, a thin smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “A Harry Graham, you say? About this tall?” He held up a hand to his chest. “Red hair like yours?”
The flood of relief almost made my knees buckle.
“Juliet!”
The sound of Harry’s voice had me turning instantly, opening my arms just in time to catch him as he barreled toward me. But the force of his weight’s impact made my already-trembling knees give way. We fell to the deck, a tangled heap of brother and sister.
“Harry, how could you?” My voice held no anger, only deep relief. “I’ve been sick with worry.” I held his head against my shoulder, my fingers deep in the red tangles of his windblown hair. I held him to me, the tightness in my chest gone all at once.
He pulled back, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. “I am sorry you worried. I shouldn’t have run away. I only did it when I couldn’t stand that school another minute.” His mouth was set in a grim line, as if I might try to send him back.
“It doesn’t matter now that I’ve found you.” I shook my head. “And you don’t have to go back.” I tried to pull him in for another embrace, but he ducked under my arm.
“Everyone’s watching, Juliet,” he whispered. He got to his feet and then helped me up. A few months at school, and he’d practically grown up already.
The captain cleared his throat. “You’ll have to excuse me for cutting short your reunion. If we delay for much longer, we’ll lose the tide.”
The tightness in my chest returned immediately, and I took an involuntary step closer to Harry. The slight swells that made the ship rock beneath my feet threatened to make me seasick. If Harry had already signed on, would I be able to convince this man to let Harry come home with me? I knew nothing of how these things worked. I’d expended all of my time and worry on finding him, not considering what I would do in a situation such as this.
“No.” The word pushed itself free. “No, he cannot go with you.” My hands still hadn’t stopped their slight trembling.
“But I want to go to sea!” Harry said. His eyes shone bright with hope, with desire. It was the same look my father had had whenever he’d spoken of the sea.
“I believe Darrow wanted to show you the figurehead.” The captain inclined his head to where one of the sailors worked on the rigging. “You go ahead while I speak with your sister.”
And just like that, Harry was gone, his mop of red hair whipping in the wind.
I took a moment to read the captain’s face, to try to determine what the best approach might be. The man’s face was tanned and leathery, attesting to months and years under the sun and sky. In that way, he reminded me of my father.
I began tentatively. “I don’t know what the typical way of doing things is aboard your ship, sir. But Harry was a student at Harrow up until a few days ago. He ran away, leaving only a note behind, and I have been looking for him ever since. You see, our father was a ship captain, sir. And I believe he hoped . . .” I ran out of words, lost as to how to explain. “Harry is my only family now, sir. I beg of you to release him to me.”
“Come with me, Miss Graham.” He removed his hat and tucked it under his arm. I had no choice but to follow, even as my insides roiled. He led me belowdecks. The sun’s watery light grew dim, the cramped space only lit by a few lanterns that swayed as the ship rocked.
“Of course I will release your brother into your care. I was made aware of his . . . situation just this morning.”
A tiny sigh escaped me. Mr. Grimshaw.
The captain stopped just outside his cabin. He turned to face me, one hand on the doorknob. “I’ve got one of my men out scouring for another cabinboy right now, as a matter of fact. But the truth is, if not for the visitor I had this morning, we would have set sail already, with your brother on board. The man seemed quite anxious for your brother’s welfare, and he willingly paid a hefty sum for me to delay my departure so you might have time to come and collect Harry.”
I sucked in a breath. Another debt.
“His one condition was that he be allowed a few minutes to speak with you before I released Harry to you.”
I angled my head in confusion, but the captain only prodded the door open. “He’s been waiting for you in here.”
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light filtering through the wall of windows that brightened the space. My
