Belle - Lesley Pearse [153]
At nine that same night, Arnaud Germaine went up on the bridge to see Captain Rollins.
‘Good evening, sir,’ Rollins greeted his passenger. ‘How is your wife now the sea is calmer?’
The storm had blown itself out around six o’clock and although the sea was still choppy the ship was no longer lurching up and down.
‘She ees much better now,’ Arnaud replied in his heavily accented English. ‘We have Miss Cooper to thank for that.’
‘So I hear,’ the captain said. ‘Ironically, I almost refused her passage because I felt she would become ill and demand attention.’
‘I am embarrassed now at the way I treat ’er. My wife say she saved her life.’
Captain Rollins smiled. He hadn’t imagined that the pugnacious little Frenchman was capable of embarrassment. ‘Then maybe you should reward her,’ he suggested. ‘I happen to know she will struggle to get the train fare back to England.’
‘Umm, maybe so,’ Arnaud murmured. ‘But tell me, captain, do you find this girl something of a puzzle?’
‘You mean because she is young and beautiful, yet so kindly?’
Arnaud nodded. ‘She also has a curious way of flaunting what she ees. Those knowing looks, the sharp retorts. I theenk she is laughing at us all. She pointed out to my wife that we made our money by selling liquor to sporting houses, so we were no better than ’er!’
Captain Rollins chuckled. ‘If she had said that in the mess when your wife was well, that might have created a storm.’
‘Yes, indeed. But I do not share your amusement. I am afraid now that she will try to gain my wife’s sympathy in order to be invited to our home in France.’
‘I don’t think that is her way,’ Captain Rollins smirked. ‘I think you are judging her by your own standards.’
Arnaud puffed up with indignation. ‘Why, sir, that is very rude!’ he huffed.
The captain let his First Lieutenant take the helm later and went below to his cabin to write up the ship’s log. But he found himself just sitting staring into space, thinking of what Arnaud Germaine had said about Belle.
She was something of a curiosity, bold, forthright, and brave too, for most young women in her position would never have dared travel all the way to France on a cargo ship. But what he liked most about her was that she wasn’t ashamed of being a whore. It was as if she’d decided at one point that even though it wasn’t her job of choice, she was going to excel at it. And he had no doubt she had, with those devastating looks and perfect body.
He wanted her himself, he had the moment he met her, but she’d made it plain enough that she wasn’t available. He thought she was very honest, and he liked her sense of humour too. It made him smile to think of her putting Avril Germaine in her place by reminding her that her husband made his money by supplying brothels. It had also amused him when she’d told him how she’d settled on becoming the railway man’s mistress, only to find him disappointing as her lover.
Rollins had met many men who treated their beautiful wife or mistress in the same way as a miser hoards his gold, never letting them shine in public and belittling them at every turn. He had to assume that they felt in some way unworthy, or were afraid another man would steal her from them. He could not imagine himself behaving in such a way, for if Belle was his mistress he would want to flaunt her, show her off, feel every other man envy him. What point was there in having a great treasure if you had to keep it hidden?
But he was a trifle concerned at Germaine’s interest in Belle. Although the man had professed that he didn’t want any further contact with her in Marseille, Rollins had got the distinct impression that the Frenchman’s sole purpose in coming up to the bridge was to try to sound him out about Belle, as if he had some scheme in mind for her.
He wondered if he ought to warn her not to accept any invitations from the couple. But if he did, she was fiery enough to say something to the Germaines. Sadly, that would mean Germaine was likely to find another ship in future