As a young man, though, the world would open up a bit more. She had a mad plan which she’d turned over and over in her mind. It was a hazardous leap, but might just work.
From time to time over the years, theArethusahad transported animals - chickens, sheep, goats, hogs…and sometimes horses. When the creatures were injured or seized with one ailment or another, the captain often would rely on the ship’s surgeon to suggest or implement a treatment. Since her father frequently had his hands full with the crew, she was usually dispatched for the odd duty to treat animals.
She dusted off her jacket, jammed a hat onto her head, and headed down the road toward the Still and West stables.
Cullen sat across from Captain Still and mulled the best way to break the strained silence between them. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with his commanding officer, but he didn’t have time to deal with this latest delay.
Finally, the man spoke. “I should have put a stop to this nonsense earlier, but when I first met you, I thought…”
“You thought what?” Cullen leaned forward, his jaw clenched.
“I thought you might divine for yourself Mr., that is Miss, Morton’s dilemma.”
“And how would that have been helpful to the situation we currently find ourselves scrabbling to address?” Cullen could not stop the scowl darkening his face.
“I thought, well really hoped, that the two of you might find each other’s company…”
“Please, stop.” Cullen raised his hand toward the captain. “You did not give me the first clue as to the Morton whelp’s true identity. You listened to my concerns about the young ‘man,’ and his insolence, and it never occurred to you that it might have been helpful to explain the situation fully?”
Cullen suddenly stood and towered over the captain seated behind the chart table. He knew he was out of line, but could not turn down the heat of his Scot’s rage. “You didn’t think I might want to be made aware of the fact that I was unknowingly compromising a young woman in your care…that I was sharing a tiny cabin with an unmarried woman?”
Captain Still stood as well and made the hands-open sign of peace. “Yes. I was wrong. I wronged both of you, not to mention my old friend, Dr. Morton.”
“Now, I have the rage of my own clan down on my head. I must confront Miss Morton, get her consent to marry, take her somewhere to prepare for our wedding, and then return with the former Mr. Wills Morton, transformed into the current Willa Morton MacCloud as my bride. Have I missed anything?”
The captain did not answer, but flushed deeply and flinched. “I’m not sure how to tell you this, but…”
“What? There’s something worse?”
“I’m afraid Wills, that is Willa, left immediately after you did.”
Cullen bit back a curse and raked his fingers through his already unruly hair. “Where did she go?”
“I can’t be certain, but she mentioned she would go work for one of her father’s former colleagues.”
“And who might that be?”
“The only other physician he ever mentioned, and I believe once or twice met the man for dinner when we were in port…”
“Who?” Cullen’s demand thundered in the enclosed cabin.
“Mind you, I’m not certain, but Dr. Morton did occasionally associate with Dr. Partlow in Peterfield.”
The shattering thoughts in Cullen’s mind came together like a cloud of birds ascending to fly south. A sudden vision stabbed at his gut: a drab, ill-fitting mourning dress, gray eyes and dark lashes he’d glimpsed on the woman leaving the post stage at Peterfield.
Cullen pounded a fist onto the chart table. “I will find this impossible woman and bring her back to this ship as my wife. And then I assume I have your permission to bring her along as my assistant on our voyage to service off the St. Helena station?”
“Of course.”
After Cullen took his leave of the captain, he made his way down to the surgery to check on his patient.
The senior surgeon’s mate, Samuel Parker, was already at the bedside of the sailor who’d fallen from the rigging. The patient was sitting up and being fed some thin porridge.
The surgeon’s mate looked up and smiled. “He’s coming along. No fever yet.”
Cullen lifted the woolen blanket and peeled back a corner of the dressing binding the man’s broken leg. “You will have a limp for a long time, Mr. Grimes, maybe forever. But so far, it looks as though we won’t need to take the leg.”
The young man bobbed his head and gripped Cullen’s hand. “Thank you, Doctor, thank you.”
