An Officer but No Gentleman Read Online Free PDF Page A

work!”
    “Aye-aye.”
    Charlie didn’t know why she was so harsh dealing with Morty that morning. It was not like her to yell like that. Normally, she was direct and concise , but rarely raised her voice. Was she mad at him for stumbling upon her secret, knowing she was obligated to tell her father and he would insist that Morty be put ashore? Criminy! The bond she felt for Morty was stronger than any person in her life, including her father. Why did he have to find out?
     
    Although sailing the ship fell mostly in the hands of Mr. Byron and Charlie, Captain Sinclair preferred to be on the quarterdeck as the ship entered or departed port. They were just hitting open seas when Charlie began noticing the ship’s complement distracted by the passing of another ship off the starboard bow. Baltimore clippers were a relatively new design and although not large, they were sleek and nimble and most of the men had never seen one before. Where the crew admired the refined lines and cannons at the rails, it was the captain who captured Charlie’s attention as he stood on the quarterdeck. They were too far away to clearly see his features, but she could not pull her eyes away from his striking presence. The ship was abuzz with activity yet he stood akimbo on the bridge observing. It seemed time had ceased to move in his presence. He cut a fine figure with narrow hips and wide shoulders—his black hair, unbound and bluntly cut at the length of his open collar and blowing in the wind. He looked young and hard bodied. Charlie tried to memorize everything about him in hopes of bringing him forth in her dreams.
    Suddenly, Charlie’s father blocked her view and scowled menacingly into her face.
    “I know a young man who has work to do,” he gritted.
    “Sorry,” Charlie said, knowing her thoughts must have shown on her face. Then she said the first thing to pop into her mind. “I was just contemplating the color choice of the officers’ uniforms on that ship.”
    “Fashion is a woman’s pursuit,” he said. “We’ve worn black since your mother died. I see no reason to change it.”
    “Aye, sir.”
    Charlie began calling out orders as she headed to the boatswain’s locker to pass out tools and supplies they’d need to do their work.
    She cast one last glance at the other ship, carefully schooling her countenance and trying not to sigh. How she longed to stop pretending to be a man and to sail away in the arms of a man like that. Exciting as that might seem, the prospect frightened her more than she cared to admit.
    Charlie kept the watch busy until 8:00 AM when their four-hour shift ended and went straight back to her quarters to get four hours of sleep until her next four-hour watch started.  Normally, the watch coming off the 4:00-8:00 AM shift went to the galley for breakfast when their shift ended, but Charlie had barely slept an hour the previous night and the idea of food turned her queasy stomach. 
    As far as she could tell, Morty acted normally. Maybe he had been so drunk; he blacked out the whole thing.  Deep down she knew it was only wishful thinking on her part.  Something this monumental would be hard to forget.
     
    Morty suffered the aftermath of his debauchery the rest of the day.  They were back on duty at noon—off at four and then back on for the two-hour dogwatch at six.  She felt bad for him. His hangover made his skin pale and blotchy with a fine sheen of sweat making him look clammy.  When she was still a crewman, she would have teased him mercilessly about his condition.  She would have made retching sounds to see if she could make him throw up every time they were near enough to speak without getting caught.  She would have made excessive noises at her task to see him wince and rub his temples. 
    Charlie saw Benjy coming out of the forecastle and stopped him.  “Go ask Dr. Kirk to make up two cups of willow bark tea.”
    “Aye, sir.”
    She really wanted to yell at him for going back