On the foot of the bed, atop the deep blue throw folded neatly across it, lay the information packet Captain Freemont had told them about. She picked it up and opened the flap. Tucked inside the front cover was a thick cream-colored card. Embossed lettering in gold ink invited her and a guest to dine with the captain on the fourth night of the trip.
She tapped the card on the top of her thumb and bit her lower lip. “I wonder if Elizabeth would accompany me.”
A knock on the door made her jump and she dropped the card. She picked it up and crossed the room. When she pulled it open, she scowled. Elizabeth stood outside, but her back was to Billy. She was squeezed against the doorframe by a tall, middle-aged, sandy-haired woman in front of her. Elizabeth stumbled when she took another step away, and Billy’s arms shot out and caught her before she fell onto her backside.
Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and smiled her thanks. Once on her feet again, she addressed the woman. “Can I think about it? It’s our first day on the ship and I want a chance to explore and settle in before I make any plans.”
The hairs on the back of Billy’s neck rose as the green-eyed monster within her awakened. Calm down. You have no right to lash out. That didn’t stop her from placing a hand on Elizabeth’s back and taking a step closer.
Her eyes met the other woman’s as Elizabeth moved into her and put her arm around her hips.
“Please, think about it. My room is at the end of the corridor.” The woman moved back and glared at Billy, her hatred undisguised.
“I will, and thank you for the kind offer.” Elizabeth walked into the room and jumped when Billy slammed the door shut behind her. “Holy hell! She was persistent. Definitely a player who thinks she’s God’s gift to lesbians.” She shuddered and contorted her face in revulsion. “No, thank you!”
Billy’s laughter filled the room as she picked up one of her suits from the case and hung it in the wardrobe. “Be careful with her. She didn’t like it when you grabbed hold of me. She may cause you problems.”
“I hope not.” Elizabeth picked the invitation up and waved it in the air. “I’ve mine as well. It’s for Friday night.”
“Mine is Wednesday, and I’m allowed to bring a guest with me.” She stopped what she was doing and scuffed her foot against the beige carpet. “Would you consider being my date?” She didn’t look up, her eyes focused on the thick pile beneath her toes.
Elizabeth walked to her and used her fingers to tilt her chin up. “I’d be honoured to accompany you. I was going to ask if you’d like to come with me as well.”
“I’d love to. I hope the captain doesn’t mind us sitting at his table twice.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. Let me help you unpack. I was hoping you’d come with me to watch the ship leave port.” She picked up Billy’s toiletry bag. “I’ll get you set up in the bathroom while you deal with your clothes.”
Billy pulled another suit from her case and slid the protective sleeve off of it. She frowned. There was a deep crease running diagonally across the front. “I need to find out if there’s a dry cleaner on board, or at least somewhere I can get my suit steamed.”
Elizabeth poked her head out of the bathroom. “There is. I also need to use it as a couple of my evening dresses didn’t fare too well, either. The number for it’s in the information pack.”
The rest of her clothes had no issues and Billy unpacked them quickly. From the deep recesses of her cargo shorts, her mobile rang and vibrated against her leg. The ringtone was for her video-calling app. Careful not to touch the sensitive screen, she pulled the phone out and cursed under her breath when she saw a picture of her mother. Damn, I told her I’d call her as soon as I could.
She poked her head around the corner of the bathroom door. Elizabeth was still busy with her toiletries and had a little more to set out. She slid open the large doors that led to her private balcony and stepped out into the sunshine to take the call.
“Hi, Mum. I’m on board and we’re getting ready to leave the dock.”
“I’m glad to hear you’ve made it okay. What’s your room like? What kind of things are there on board for you to do?”
“Slow down! I haven’t had a chance to explore yet. I’ll let you know what I think as soon as I have. Would you do me a small favour and call Aunt Sarah to let her know I’m okay?”
“Sure, she’s carrying her phone with her everywhere now I’ve downloaded the video-calling app to it.”
Billy opened her mouth to reply but the voice from behind her stopped her.
“Billy, do you want your toothbrush left in the glass next to the sink?” Elizabeth glanced at the phone in Billy’s hand. A slight flush raced over her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise…”
The words came out in a whisper, and if Billy hadn’t been able to read lips, she’d have missed it entirely.
A small window at the top of her screen reflected her image, and she winced as she took note of the redness in her cheeks.
“Who’s that?” Diane shifted closer to the screen and tried to peer over Billy’s shoulder.
Billy blew out an explosive breath. She arched an eyebrow and smiled at Elizabeth.
Silence ensued as their gazes met. Elizabeth was the first to break and her laughter broke through the room. Billy couldn’t help but follow her, and she raised her free hand to cover her mouth. She could hardly hear her mother’s questions over Elizabeth’s giggles.
She raised a finger and wiped her tears away. “I can’t tell you at the moment. As soon as I’m able, I will. Listen, I need to go. We’re leaving port soon and I want to get up on deck to get some photos.”
“Okay, I won’t ask any more questions. But you’ve got until Saturday to tell me who you’re travelling with. I’m intrigued.”
“Okay, okay!” Christ! She’s going to be like a dog with a bloody bone until she finds out. “Don’t forget to ring Aunt Sarah. I love you and Dad and I’ll speak to you again soon.” She finished the call, walked back into the cabin, threw herself down on the sofa, and covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry, my mother now knows I have a beautiful woman in my room, and the ship hasn’t even left the dock. It’s even worse as the beautiful woman in question wants to know where I want my toothbrush. Hell! Mum’s not going to let this go and is probably already on Google researching lesbian weddings.” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Shit, and now I’ve blurted out that I think you’re beautiful…twice!” She screwed her eyes closed and leaned her head back. “Someone please shoot me now!” Stop blurting stuff out without thinking, you idiot! “As per normal, I open my mouth and insert my size eight.”
Elizabeth chuckled and sat next to her on the sofa. She reached out and placed a hand on Billy’s knee. “It’s nice to know, but I think you need to put your glasses on.” She gave Billy’s knee a brief squeeze and jumped to her feet. “Come on, we have to go and wave to the people on the pier.”
Billy stood to her full height and stretched, then took hold of Elizabeth’s hand. “Come off it, Beth, you’re stunning, and I don’t need my glasses to see that.”
“Thank you. It means more than you know coming from you.” She glanced down at their clasped hands.
On their way out the door, Billy grabbed her camera bag. “We’re starting to sound a little cliché. Come on, we can talk about how beautiful you are later.”
“I need to collect some bits from next door and then we can go.”
The smaller hand encased in her larger one felt right. It was going to be agony when the time came to let it go. “Hang on, I’ll come with you.” She ditched her camera bag and took the body and another lens with her then slipped the strap of her rucksack on her shoulder.
When she walked into the corridor the next door down was open, waiting for her. She stepped inside and shut it. Elizabeth was fussing with an aluminium case that had a thick metal padlock on each of the catches at the front and a recessed keyhole on the top.
“Bloody hell, Beth, I’ve
never seen a case with that much security.”
“This is the Fort Knox of briefcases. Wait until you see what’s inside.” She fiddled with the combination and key then flipped the lid open. “I need the captain to lock it in his personal safe. It’s a lot tougher than the ones we have in our rooms, and if it’s in the purser’s office it will be easier to steal. In his hands, it’s perfectly safe.”
Billy gawped and her mouth fell open as she took a step forward and saw the name of a famous jewellery company stencilled on top of the velvet black boxes inside. “Why the hell did you bring those with you?”
“I’ve been asked to do a couple of performances in New York. I also wanted to wear something nice if I was asked to dine with the captain. I have a beautiful white evening gown and I wanted to add some sparkle to it.”
Billy’s mind flashed an image of Elizabeth in the dress, her long red hair held in a clip at the back of her head. Would she wear the front loose and curled to frame her face, or smoothed back to highlight her lovely cheekbones?
Her fingers itched to feel the softness of Elizabeth’s cheek. As the back of her fingers caressed the satin smoothness of Elizabeth’s skin, a heavy pounding knock sounded on the door.
“Damn it!” Elizabeth stepped away from Billy and marched to the door.
She forcefully pulled it open and Billy saw the glare that crossed her face before her expression smoothed. She peeked over Elizabeth’s shoulder. Her stomach dropped, and she snapped to attention, her spine ram-rod straight. It was the woman who’d cornered Elizabeth earlier.
“Hello. What can I do for you?” she heard Elizabeth ask, her shoulders stiff. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a defensive stance.
“Sorry to pester you. I just wanted to introduce myself properly. My name is Emma Hart.”
“Bethany Mason.” Elizabeth reached her hand out and briefly shook Emma’s.
When Emma’s hand lingered, Billy’s forehead furrowed. When Emma’s leaned closer her concern grew.
“Listen, I’ve been given the opportunity to go up onto one of the observation decks to enjoy a champagne reception. Would you care to join me?”
Billy ran to the bed. She shut the jewellery case and relocked it then grabbed Elizabeth’s bag. She walked casually over to the door and wrapped her arm around Elizabeth’s shoulder. “Here are your things, darling. I’ve also got your briefcase.”
Relief flashed in Elizabeth’s eyes. “Thank you.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed Billy’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Emma, but we have other plans. Maybe we could all have a drink together one night.” She captured Billy’s hand and held it tightly. “I’m afraid we’ve already made plans for the next couple of nights.”
“Oh, well…I suppose if you’re sure. Are you certain I can’t tempt you with some champagne?”
The bloody cheek! She’s seen her kiss my cheek and she’s standing here holding my hand, yet she still has the nerve to ask her out. I don’t think so, buddy! She stepped in front of Elizabeth and straightened her back. Standing to her full height, she towered over the woman by nearly six inches. “Excuse me?”
Elizabeth jumped in front of Billy and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Thank you, but no.” Each word was enunciated clearly, so there was no mistaking what she was trying to say. “If you’ll excuse us, we have somewhere to be.”
A smug grin of satisfaction spread across Billy’s lips when she was dragged from the room and down the corridor.
“We need to find Captain Freemont to ask if my jewellery can be locked away in the ship’s safe until we get to New York. Then we can head onto one of the decks to watch the departure.”
She may have been small, but Billy struggled to keep up as Elizabeth route-marched them away from Emma.
Before they turned the corner at the end of the hallway, Billy glanced to see if Emma had disappeared. But the other woman was still outside of Elizabeth’s door. She had her phone in her hand and was tapping away at the keys as though her life depended on it.
“We’ll have to be careful around her. There’s something about her I don’t like and I think she’ll try to cause us trouble.”
“Nah, she wouldn’t. She doesn’t seem the type. She’s a player, and once she gets the message I’m not interested, she’ll move on to her next victim.”
Or she could turn nasty and become a royal pain in the arse.
“There’s another problem we need to think about. My mum wanted to know who you were. If I tell her I had Elizabeth Knight in my room, she’d go mental. She’s one of your biggest fans.”
Elizabeth pulled hard on her hand, bringing them to a stop. “Is she likely to leak it to the press? I mean, I don’t hide my sexuality, and it wouldn’t hurt if people found out I was gay. But the alias is for my privacy. I want to enjoy my holiday and be around people, not stuck on some isolated beach.”
“She knows what discretion means. Mum, Vanessa, and Aunt Sarah have a gossip circle, but that’s as far as it goes.” Her phone rang and she groaned when she looked at the screen. She held it up for Elizabeth to see. “Looks like Vanessa and Mum have already been on the phone with each other, and they’ve probably already come to the wrong conclusion.”
“I’ve got nothing against them thinking that about us.”
She had a habit of rendering Billy speechless. Elizabeth smiled and ducked her head. She gave Billy’s hand a gentle tug.
Billy’s legs seemed to follow the beautiful redhead of their own accord.
No, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. I think I’d pass out with joy if it were actually true.
***
Bethany Mason? Seriously? She couldn’t come up with a better fake name?
Emma sniggered and snapped a picture of Elizabeth and Billy standing close together. I’ve admired her for years. I have all her CDs, a couple of signed programmes, and some promotional posters from productions she’s been in. All I’ve ever wanted is to spend time with her, in any way I can…
Her grip on her camera tightened painfully and she felt her knuckles cracking with the force.
Nobody turns me down! Okay, I haven’t got a hope in hell with her. But, she won’t get off lightly for rejecting me!
They walked away from her and turned a corner out of her line of sight. Like a panther stalking its prey, she crept along the corridor as quick as she could to catch up with them. When she got to the corner of the corridor, she peeked around it. The hallway in front of her was empty.
Great! How am I going to get pictures of them together now? If I can snap one of them kissing and Elizabeth’s face is clear, I can make a fortune selling it to the papers. I may even be able to market them internationally because of who she is.
A devious, cat-that-ate-the-canary grin spread across her lips. Maybe this trip won’t be a waste after all.
***
They found a steward to help them locate the captain and were escorted to the bridge. Captain Freemont took them to his personal cabin, where the safe was located, and secured the case.
Once out of his room, he bid them goodbye. “This is my favourite part of the journey. Navigating this beauty through the port! Enjoy your first day aboard, ladies.”
Hands entwined, they strode outside onto the nearest deck.
“I think this’ll do us.” Billy led them over to a space at the railing and raised her camera to take a couple of pictures of the cityscape of Southampton.
“I can’t really see anything from here.”
Billy peered down at her and realised her predicament. She was too short to see the view. “Hang on, I’ve an idea.” She bent and tapped the bottom of the metal railing. “Get up here.” She pointed down to it and offered a helping hand.
Elizabeth eyed it suspiciously. “I don’t think I’ll be able to stay on there.”
“Oh, come off it, Munchkin. It’s not that hard. Work your core muscles and focus on balancing on it.”
Elizabeth glowered at her, but she stepped up on the railing. Her foot
slipped off and she staggered to her right. “Damn it, I told you. Okay, I’ll have another go.”
When she attempted it again, Billy moved in close behind her, ready to catch her. When Elizabeth didn’t wobble, Billy glanced around her body and saw she was holding onto the wooden railing with a white-knuckled death grip.
“Relax, enjoy yourself.”
“Easy for you to say when you’re not the one staring down at a sheer drop into the sea.” She teetered and swayed forward.
Billy put her arm around her waist and held her close to her side. “Take my camera. I want some shots as we leave the harbour.” She put the strap over Elizabeth’s head and moved to stand behind her.
“Billy, what—” She didn’t finish her sentence, as Billy wrapped her arms around her waist and held onto her. “Oh, wow, that makes me feel safer.”
They were nearly the same height with her standing on the bottom railing. The same tantalising patchouli fragrance Billy had smelled earlier once again filled her senses, and the heat from Elizabeth’s body pressed against her breasts. The hairs on her arm rose as goose-bumps erupted.
“Are you cold?” Elizabeth’s face was a mask of concern, and she ran her hands up and down Billy’s arms.
The urge to lay her head on Elizabeth’s shoulder was overwhelming. “No, no, I’m fine. Are you okay?” She rested her forehead against Elizabeth’s temple as she turned to whisper in her ear.
Elizabeth leaned her head into Billy’s and pulled her arms tighter around her middle. “I’m perfect.” The floor beneath their feet vibrated. “Here we go!”
They’d chosen the right side of the ship to watch from. In front of them was a hive of activity in the houses and green hills, but on the opposite side, it was pandemonium. Dockworkers and container-moving trucks and cranes jostled about as they loaded or unloaded larger ships. The scenery slowly moved past them as they headed out of port.
Composing Love Page 11
