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His lips pressed a kiss on her hand. “No, I can assure you the pleasure is all mine.”

She blushed under his gaze, as she removed her hand. Anna was sure she could see a devilish look in his gorgeous blue eyes. Something about him tugged at her heart, she wasn’t sure what it was, just that this darkly handsome man made her pulse beat faster. Anna quickly gathered her wits and stood up as best she could, considering the low ceiling, and walked over to where Edward and Henry were.

“Edward or Henry, can one of you sit with the Major, and make sure he doesn’t fall asleep. I’d like to make sure he stays awake for a few hours just till I know his head injury isn’t going to affect him.” She said with concern in her voice. “Then can the other one help me with the other passengers?”

Edward spoke. “Henry can sit with the Major and I’ll help you with the passengers.” He picked up a bucket of water and some rags and went to help Anna.

She spent most of the night helping the other passengers, when she wasn’t wiping down brows or bringing water and biscuits she was telling stories to the passengers because they seemed to enjoy it. As the day turned into weeks, she organized passengers who felt better into teams, to take turns at different tasks. Anna had always been a natural born leader and the situation at hand had flipped her natural instincts back into gear.

As time allowed during the next three weeks, Anna would grab her sketchpad and draw pictures. One day she sketched some of the crewmembers, dressed in their sailor’s slops. They explained how they were called slops, because they were loose fitting breeches, which allowed them to slop around the rigging comfortably. The sailors also wore white gathered neckline shirts, and brightly colored neckerchief, which she noticed they used to mop sweat on their brow or tie back their hair in the wind. She thought it was funny that the sailors never wore shoes or stockings, but they told her it was easier to move about without them. They were the first men she had ever seen that went barefoot in public.

She wasn’t feeling so dizzy now and she wondered if it was because she was staying busy helping or just the sitting up, but whatever it was she was glad she felt better.

“Here are the items you asked for, Miss Pemberton.” Captain Drake said wearily and looking down at Major Marsh. “I’d like to apologize Major for my assumption earlier, but after this morning you can understand how I could have thought such a thing.” He explained looking anxiously.

“Quite alright old man. I probably would have assumed the same thing myself.” He replied graciously, with a slight smile.

“I’d also like to thank you Major, because this could have been me laying there with that nasty gash, if you hadn’t shielded my fall.” She whispered in a soft voice. “When I’m finished with your dressing, I think you should lie here for a while, just till we’re sure the bleeding has stopped.”

“I’d also like to apologize to you for all the mishaps we had on the main deck, but I can promise you I had no intention of us falling on the deck either time.” He promised with a most charming smile. “In fact, let’s start over.” He said as he extended his hand to her. “I’d like to introduce myself to you. I’m Major Robert Marsh, can I ask your name?”

She gave him her hand as her green eyes twinkled. “Miss Anna Pemberton sir. I’m glad to meet your acquaintance.”

Captain Drake walked through the opening to the between-decks just after they both hit the floor. “Unhand the lady, Major Marsh! I’ve never seen such outrageous behavior by a gentleman in my life, even while Miss Pemberton is ill, you attempt to manhandle her once again. I will bring you up on charges in Jamestown, if you continue in this behavior sir!” He blasted as he reached down to help Miss Pemberton.

“Thank you for your help Captain, but the Major is not at fault here. I was trying to stand up and I felt dizzy. When I started to fall he leaped to my rescue.” Anna explained to Captain Drake, and then she looked at Major Marsh and asked, “Are you okay?”

He regarded her for a moment before answering. “My head hurts a bit, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Anna kneeled down beside him as she turned his head to look at the back of his head, and instantly saw a bloody gash and a knot about the size of an egg forming. “Captain can you get me a wet rag so I can clean this injury?’ Showing the Captain. “Also can you get me some clean rags I can use for a dressing.” She asked, her voice trailing off, while she examined the injury further. She could see that the gash was about two-inch long, but she was glad to see it wasn’t a deep cut.

Robert could hardly contain his amusement, another insight into Miss Pemberton he thought. The exhausting woman could speak Spanish! He wondered where she had picked up Spanish, since she had no trace of a Spanish accent, and would take a guess with that red hair that she didn’t have an ounce of Spanish blood in her. Well, just one more mystery for him to unravel about this woman. What was he thinking! He knew he needed to stay away from this despicable, contemptible… incredibly beautiful woman.

“Anna vous regardez rince, se sentant bien? Ou etes-vous juste embarrasses?” He replied in French. If she wanted to play that game he would just play right along with her.

“I most certainly am not flushed sir nor do I have anything to be embarrassed about!” She said defensively, replying before she realized what she was doing. She heard more than a few gasps around throughout between-decks.

He walked over to where she lay and whispered in a deep voice as he raised one eyebrow. “The lady has a few more secrets?” He was clearly finding her intriguing.

Anna knew it was unusual for women to be educated, much less in different languages, and especially women from middle class families, which all of the women on the ship were from, except her. How was she supposed to blend in and not be noticed if she kept making these blunders? She had to get out of this room, he took too much of her energy, so she staggered to her feet. The dizziness was too much though and she started to fall.

Major Marsh lunged for her the minute he saw her sway on her feet and once again they ended up in a heap on the floor, with Anna on top of him, as his head hit the hard wooden deck floor.

Robert went back up on the main deck and bayed his friends to come help. First he sent Edward to tell the Captain, then he tied a cloth about his face to help cover up the stench in the air, while he worked tirelessly with Edward and Henry helping the other passengers who were ill. They put water into a bucket that they drew up out of a rainwater barrel on the main deck, to offer water to the passengers or just dampened their foreheads. The job of dumping the chamber pots, he gave to Edward and told him it was his punishment for laughing at him earlier.

“Henry you take care of Miss Pemberton. I’ll leave her under your care, since she has attacked me already twice.” He informed his friend, making sure he said it loud enough for her and everyone else to hear.

The nerve of that dreadful man! She held his gaze for a moment. “I’m thrilled Major Marsh, since I was afraid you might fall and smother me while I lay here helpless, unable to take care of myself.” She flung back, with venom.

“Something tells me you are never helpless or unable to take care of yourself, Miss Pemberton. Even though someone should probably lock you up before you harm someone, but it won’t be me.” He muttered, with a strange smile on his lips.

“Roberto, me estas amenazando? Termita!” Her green eyes drilled threw him as she responded in Spanish, and he grinned.

“Oh yes, Miss Pemberton, I most certainly am threatening you, and if you don’t mind I’d prefer you not call me a termite.” He chuckled as he looked at her, which annoyed her even more.