She blinked at him, trying to decide if the plan could work.
“Is it that bad of an idea?” he asked.
She smiled. “No, not at all. Actually, it’s weirdly brilliant. You really came through, Ellis. Thank you.”
“We should get some sleep. They load the luggage before the passengers, so we’ll have to be up well before dawn.” He set the alarm clock. “Good night kiss?” He winked.
She flushed. “Here … in … in a bedroom?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s just a kiss. I don’t want ...” His face reddened. “You’re right. Bad timing. Sleep well, Nyss.” He turned down the gaslights, still in his shirt and trousers. The mattress creaked as he settled into place for the night.
Nyssa wanted to pull her hair out. He hadn’t meant anything by that. Why did she have to overreact? Why couldn’t she just accept normal affection like a normal girl? Normal girls did that, right?
Blast, I don’t even know what normal is. Certainly not breaking into houses and running from the police.
Nyssa slipped off her knee-high boots and unlaced her corset. Even in the dark, the process of undressing near him made her breath quicken. She kept on her blouse and leggings then dove under the covers, pulling the blankets tight against her chin.
This traveling together, so close every night, has to end sometime. I’m only sixteen, too young to marry. She nestled her head into the pillow.Please God, I don’t want to lose him. Let him wait for me.
Chapter Three
Themassive pill-shapedJuliet floated above them, tethered to the mooring tower. The zeppelin blocked out the pale morning light that crept over the airfield. Nyssa parked the horseless carriage next to the hangar and leaned out the window to stare at the airship.
“How can something that big stay in the air?” she whispered.
“A mixture of buoyant gases, mainly,” Ellis replied. “We’ll leave the carriage here. The crew member I spoke to will have it towed into the hangar for loading. Come on. We need to get covered up before he arrives. If he finds out the contraband is us, he might have second thoughts.”
She lay on the floor. The space was tight, perhaps a foot across, but if they rested on their sides they’d fit, barely. After some maneuvering, Ellis reclined beside her, his chin brushing the top of her head. He pulled a travel blanket over them.
The heavy woolen blanket weighed down on Nyssa’s face, stifling her breath and making her skin itch. She shifted, her shoulder blades rubbing into Ellis’s chest. He squeezed her hand.
“Just a bit longer,” he whispered. “Once they’ve loaded us, we should be able to sit up.”
She breathed through her nose. The space smelled of dust and Ellis’s soap.
And to think we could be traveling in style and comfort if not for those two idiots in the alleyway. I hope my passport picture gets them both arrested.
Their luggage was stacked on the carriage’s bench: a suitcase for Ellis, and Nyssa’s leather satchel of tools and clothing. There was also a basket of bread and cheese and a few canteens of water. Not a feast by any means, but enough to see them through the three-day journey without starving.
“Try and sleep,” Ellis suggested.
He didn’t let go of her hand, even when his muscles relaxed and his breathing steadied, suggesting he’d taken his own advice. Nyssa sighed. She ran her thumb up and down the back of his hand. It was good to have him near.
She’d almost drifted off when the carriage jerked forward. Ellis stirred, so she tightened her hand around his, hoping to remind him where they were and not to move.
“I don’t remember this carriage being on the manifest,” a muffled voice said.
“It was added late last night, rich passenger. The captain made him pay through the nose for all the added weight, but the fellow didn’t flinch.”
“Well, we were under weight. Ticket sales have been down sinceThe Viola crashed.” The first man snorted. “If it keeps up, we might both be looking for another job. Here, hand me the cables.”
“Hold on,” Ellis murmured in her ear, his breath warm.
She gritted her teeth to avoid crying out when the carriage jerked upward. It spun and wobbled.
Sparks and shocks! Oh God, please let those cables hold. I hate heights.
Every muscle in her body tightened. Ellis’s arm slipped around her waist. “It’s okay. It’ll only take a few minutes. Breathe.”
She concentrated on his scent, the pine soap … How could something so mundane be so intoxicating?
The carriage bumped down, and the light changed, going from the weak illumination of dawn to pitch black. She dared to push back the blanket.
The only light in the hold filtered through a large, open hatch. A crane sat beside this, bringing crate after crate into the empty luggage compartment.
She settled next to Ellis again. “Well, at least that’s done with.”
He laughed. “Could be worse. Once we’re underway, we should be able to move about down here, as long as we’re quiet. They say these airships fly so smoothly we won't even know we’re moving.”
“I wonder if we can get into the passenger areas. After all, we paid for our cabin, so we know it’s empty. We could hide in there, and if anyone catches us point out that we’re both on the passenger manifest.”
“It’s risky.”
“So is staying down here. Think of it. If they find us in our cabin, we can claim we lost our tickets. If they find us down here, it’s pretty obvious we’re stowaways.”
“Maybe … I think you should let me scope things out, though.”
She furrowed her brow. “You? Why?”
“Because, one thing I’ve learned since my accident is that people assume invalids are basically incapable of everything. The crew sees me in my chair, it isn’t going to occur to them that I could’ve sneaked on board.” He wiggled into a sitting position. “Between that and people’s tendency to treat the infirm as inconvenient furniture, I should be able to investigate
