Slowly opening the door Ariadne peeked her head out the door to make sure the controlling captain hadn't posted a guard to insure she did as he ordered and stayed in her cabin. the small hall leading to the companionway was clear. She reached the deck without meeting another soul. ducking out onto deck Ariadne crouch behind a large crate, not wanting to be noticed by the suffering captain. sneaking around the far side of the mast and giving a very wide berth to any of the bustling sailors she made her way to the bow. placing herself between a large water barrel and the rail she was completely hidden away from those on the deck and above in the rigging. Sitting in her own little hideaway the tension and turmoil of the previous hours just melted away.
The sky was a bright blue and the open sea before the bow, so enthralled by the great world literally unfurling before her she didn't notice the flutter of excitement or the snapping of the sails as they opened to the seaward winds at their backs. She could of jumped ship while they were still in the Thames she could have demanded release, but some invisible thread kept her tethered to this course of action. Ariadne felt it. In some way this was the last leg of her quest. She knew emphatically that no matter what the outcome maybe her life would never be the same.
Ariadne knew it was wrong to perpetuate the misunderstanding. however it was much easier to have Reyes believing she was betrothed to another. It explained her need to make this voyage, without actually divulging the details of her mission. It wasn't a bald lie. It had in fact been arranged for her to marry a foreign nobleman. she was merely withholding information; Ariadne simply wasn't telling Reyes that it would be a cold day in Tartarus before she ever agreed to enslave herself to a man she didn't love.
Sitting there on the deck looking out to sea Ariadne watched the day start to fade. She knew she'd have a lot of explaining to do on her return. It would be one thing to have to explain away her little voyage to Beau and it would be a completely different matter to try and explain it away to her brother and cousin. Especially since she'd just had her solicitor set in motion her legal seizure of all her brothers unentailed assets. It was something that should be explained in person. A carefully broached topic, not something sprung on him by a tactless employee. Yet it couldn't be helped. Here she was sailing into the setting sun with a self indulgent rouge.
Regardless of her present company for the first time since she' awoken that morning Ariadne felt herself relaxing. Not the drained relaxation of exhaustion, but the contented relaxation of one being lulled to sleep. Cradled in the vibrant rich colors of the rosy hue'd sky and the gentle rock of the ship as it sailed through the choppy waters of the English Channel. The calm sense of peace she found in these few moments of waning light were for naught. She sensed his presence even before the large strong hands snatched her up from behind, pulling her from her comfortable little hiding place.
"What the bloody hell do you think you doing?"
All she could see and all she could think of were the sparking grey eyes boring into her.
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