Touching the Stars Read online

  He stood rigid with distaste and fixed her with his most baleful look.

  “My dear Lord Castleton, please do not upset yourself. Miss Mansell’s quite extraordinary ability to withstand conditions that we females with a frailer constitution find quite oversetting, has, of course, made her an object of interest.”

  “Now that more clement weather has enabled those frailer constitutions to emerge from seclusion, no doubt she will return to being a quite ordinary passenger,” he responded repressively.

  He was more alarmed at Mrs. Arbuthnot’s words than he dared show.

  Here he had been trying to protect Justina and it now appeared that he was in danger of compromising her. He had to look to his own situation as well. Better men than he had been accused of compromising a girl’s reputation and found themselves trapped into marriage.

  “Mama,” said Charity. “The only person who has mentioned Justina’s friendship with Lord Castleton is Sir Thomas. I am sure he is mistaken in his conclusions.”

  “I certainly hope so,” Mrs. Arbuthnot said in an unusually sharp voice.

  “And you may be assured, Lord Castleton, that I will see that dear little Justina’s conduct for the remainder of the voyage will be above comment.”

  He gave a small bow of acknowledgement and prepared to move on.

  “My Lord,” Mrs. Arbuthnot called after him. “I would be most grateful if you could be courteous enough to show Faith where the kennels are. She must relieve Justina of the arduous duty of exercising my precious Muffin.”

  “It sounds as though it would be too arduous for such a recent invalid,” he could not resist reposting.

  Faith unwrapped herself from her rug and stood. She fluttered her lashes at Lord Castleton.

  “It would be so kind of you, my Lord. I quite long for a health-giving stroll in the bracing sea air.”

  Lord Castleton gave an inward sigh as he realised that not only was refusal impossible, but that he would have to confine himself to working in his cabin for the next few days.

  Meanwhile, Justina opened her cabin door and then stood on the threshold realising that there was something very odd. Her nightwear had been neatly hung up, which meant that the Steward had made her bed and cleaned the cabin.

  But the bedspread, instead of being neatly arranged, was rucked up.

  And the porthole, which Justina had left only slightly ajar, was now wide open. Someone had entered the cabin and made a hasty exit across the bed.

  She had been burgled!

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Justina ran to the cabin door and looked out along the narrow deck. She could see no one. So far she had not noticed anyone pass this way other than the odd member of the crew.

  Hastily Justina checked her possessions, starting with her string of pearls and their matching earrings.

  As far as she could see everything was there.

  She straightened the bedspread. Perhaps the Steward had been interrupted in his cleaning of the cabin.

  She had come down to find the tit-bits she had taken away from dinner the previous evening as a treat for Muffin. She opened the drawer where she had left them – and discovered that they were no longer there.

  Justina blushed to think that the Steward must have found and removed them. What had he thought? That Justina had not had enough to eat at dinner?

  Her face flaming, she slammed the drawer shut and hurriedly left the cabin.

  It did not take her more than a glance to see that Lord Castleton was no longer on the main deck where she had left him.

  She failed to see Mrs. Arbuthnot and Charity lying on their deck chairs as she turned to go up the companionway to the kennel deck.

  So it was a surprise to find Lord Castleton with the two dogs and Faith.

  The moment Muffin saw her, she lunged forward, barking in welcome.

  She knelt to the little dog and allowed her to lick her face. Then she picked up the lead and returned it to Faith.

  “I am so pleased to see you up and about again,” she said. “I hope your mother and sister are as well? Muffin will be delighted to have you all back.”

  Since it was obvious that the dog would prefer to be with Justina rather than Faith, her comment was met with stony silence.

  Breck tried to sniff at Muffin and Faith pulled the little dog away, her nose wrinkling in distaste.

  “Please, my Lord, will you keep your dog under control?” she implored, glancing demurely up at him. “I am sure you find his attentions towards Muffin as embarrassing as I do.”

  Lord Castleton brought Breck to heel and replied, poker faced.

  “I suggest in that case, Miss Arbuthnot, you walk that way with your dog and I take mine the other side of the deck.”

  Faith, obviously realising that she had made it impossible to share the walk with Lord Castleton, looked daggers at Justina. Trying to recover, she said,

  “It will not take me long to give Muffin her walk, my Lord, then perhaps I may join you and your dog?”

  Justina would have liked to join them, but knew that it would not be polite. Nor had Lord Castleton seemed at all welcoming to her. He had only given a stiff little nod as she came onto the deck.

  “Would you like some company?” she asked Faith.

  “I am fine,” Faith snapped, dragging a reluctant Muffin away from Justina. “But I am sure Mama would like you to say hallo, she is on the deck below.”

  Stifling a sigh, Justina went to find Mrs. Arbuthnot.

  Then had to endure a lecture over her loose behaviour in allowing Lord Castleton to monopolise her company.

  Justina, incensed, tried to tell her that she had seen very little of his Lordship, but it was hopeless. Mrs. Arbuthnot made her feel at fault for not having succumbed to seasickness, as every other sensitive female had.

  “Mrs. Arbuthnnot,” Justina started, scarlet with anger.

  “Not a word, Justina, I beg of you. Merely consider what your aunt would say if she heard of your conduct.”

  Justina wanted to say that her aunt was at least fair and would allow her to correct a mistaken impression, but courtesy held her silent.

  Full of rage, she strode to the lounge and gave a storming performance of a Liszt piece, performing the passages she normally stumbled over with great élan.

  There was a little spurt of applause from a couple sitting with a pre-lunch drink as she finished and Justina saw that Arthur Wright had been joined by his wife, Patience, a large woman with white hair arranged in a plait around her head and a sensible-looking countenance.

  “So this is the Miss Mansell I have heard so much about,” said Mrs. Wright with a friendly smile. “I am so pleased to meet you at last.”

  “And I am you,” replied Justina. “It is a great relief to me that I am no longer the only woman not suffering from mal de mer. I thought I was lucky, now it seems that I have proved to be unfeminine.”

  “My dear, who has been saying such an unkind thing to you?” Patience looked distressed.

  “Sheer jealousy,” said her husband. “Take no notice, Miss Mansell.”

  “Come and sit down and tell me all about it,” invited Patience with a sympathetic smile.

  Patience Wright was so warm and sensible, it was rather like talking with her mother, except that she suspected she had a much better grasp of how the world worked.

  Justina was eager to listen to anything this sage counsellor might propose.

  By the time they walked into lunch, Justina had formed a plan of campaign to rescue her position as far as the Arbuthnots were concerned.

  Sitting at the small table with them, she glanced longingly at the long table in the middle of the Saloon, now more than half full of passengers chatting happily.

  Sir Thomas was there, talking in a desultory manner, but Lord Castleton never appeared.

  Throughout lunch, Justina sat with eyes cast down and allowed Mrs. Arbuthnot to talk freely about the travails she and her daughters had untaken.

  Oh, how she m
issed the interesting conversation there had been at the general table, but she said nothing.

  She did not miss, however, the glances that Tony and Bertie threw her way.

  “Please,” she said prettily to Mrs. Arbuthnot at the end of the meal. “May I introduce Faith and Charity to two Subalterns I have met? I thought perhaps we might make up a game of deck quoits.”

  She had only a hazy idea of what would be involved, but trusted that one of the others would be better informed.

  It proved an excellent move. Tony and Bertie were as delighted to meet Faith and Charity as the girls were to be introduced to them. Tony proved to know all about deck quoits.

  They set up the little pole and began to throw the rope circles.

  Justina knew it was something she would be very good at, as they played a similar game at home and she had an exceedingly good eye. So good an eye, in fact, that she was able to ensure her throws went near but never over the pole.

  They had not been playing long before Sir Thomas came by. Immediately he wanted to join in.

  “Let us form teams,” he proposed. Faith and Charity clapped their hands and exclaimed that it was a wonderful idea.

  “Miss Mansell and I will be one team,” he continued. “We have enjoyed time together ever since we sailed,” he added to Justina’s discomfiture.

  Faith gave Charity a look, but before she could say anything, Tony had claimed her and Bertie said how delighted he would be if Charity partnered him.

  Justina found it difficult to concentrate and she realised that she was actually waiting to see if a tall, elegant figure was among the passengers who were strolling along the deck in the sun.

  Dinner that night was an uncomfortable affair for her.

  Faith and Charity were full of the games they had played that afternoon. Faith, though, bemoaned the fact that Lord Castleton had not been one of the players.

  “He is the most charming of gentlemen,” she said with a huge sigh and directed a beaming smile towards the table where he sat alone.

  Lord Castleton did not appear to notice her attentions as he was reading papers and soon collected them together and disappeared.

  Justina could not believe that he had not so much as glanced in her direction.

  Had she imagined their easy relationship? If it had ever existed, it now seemed to have evaporated.

  “We reach Gibraltar tomorrow,” Mrs. Arbuthnot announced with satisfaction. “Such an opportunity for shopping, girls. We shall go ashore.” After a moment she added, “Will you come with us, Justina?”

  “Please, forgive me, Mrs. Arbuthnot, but I still have a headache. I think it would be best if I spent the day quietly in my cabin.”

  At that moment Sir Thomas stopped at their table.

  “Dear lady, what a pleasure it is to see you and your beautiful daughters with us once again. Can I hope that you will allow me to return your hospitality of the first night? I would be so delighted if you would all join me for dinner.”

  Mrs. Arbuthnot accepted the invitation with alacrity.

  Sir Thomas bowed to her and it seemed to Justina that he tried to catch her glance, but she resolutely kept her eyes demurely fixed on her plate.

  The voyage, which had seemed so exciting only a day ago, had lost all its attractions for her.

  *

  Despite her depression, the next morning Justina found herself standing on deck witnessing their arrival at Gibraltar.

  There was a four-hour stay in port while fuel and supplies were taken aboard and horse drawn carriages awaited the passengers who wished to visit the town, a short distance from the dock.

  Looming over both town and harbour was the famous grey limestone rock.

  Soldiers were marching to the beat of a band. It was an English sound such as she had heard in Surrey, but she also saw turbaned Moors and Arabs dressed in loose grey garments and women in Spanish attire, lace suspended from high combs in their dark hair.

  The air was sweet with unknown aromas. Sub-tropical trees clustered in gardens belonging to the houses she could see arranged around the port.

  She could see shops and the thought came to her that maybe she could find a gift there to take to her brother. Perhaps a humidor or some cigars.

  She ran back to her cabin and threw a wrap over her starched blouse and linen skirt. Winter clothes could now be left behind.

  Soon she was amongst the shops, charmed by the range of goods on offer and greatly tempted by the lace mantillas.

  “The señorita is from the ship?” asked the shopkeeper. “Perhaps need a fancy dress?”

  Fancy dress? Dimly Justina remembered someone saying that there was usually a night during the voyage when passengers organised such an evening. She had not brought anything to wear at such an occasion.

  “Come and see how it would look, señorita,” urged the shopkeeper and took her through a bead curtain into an area at the back of the shop where there was a large mirror. “My wife will help you.”

  There was a pile of lace mantillas on a table at the back of the area and she reached for the black one that lay on top.

  At that moment, from the main part of the shop, came the sound of familiar voices.

  “She has all the men after her, Mama,” whimpered Faith.

  “I can’t understand why, she isn’t at all pretty,” moaned Charity discontentedly. “She’s a nothing.”

  “And at dinner this evening Sir Thomas will address himself only to her,” protested Faith. “Just as he did at deck quoits yesterday afternoon. We’ve only been asked to join his table because he cannot ask her on her own.”

  Justina looked at her reflection in the mirror with wide appalled eyes.

  It was terrible to have Faith and Charity speak so unkindly. Equally unsettling was to have it suggested that Sir Thomas was only interested in her.

  For the first time she wondered whether it was possible that his admiration was serious. Until now she had assumed he was merely passing the voyage by flirting with her. She wished she had quizzed her sisters over how their suitors had behaved when they first met.

  Justina certainly was not in love with Sir Thomas, but there was no doubt she was attracted to him. She thought again with a sinking heart of Mrs. Arbuthnot telling him how rich her father was, information she had had no opportunity to correct.

  Then she remembered with relief that she had been told Sir Thomas was very wealthy himself. Her non-existent fortune could mean nothing to him.

  For an instant she wondered what it would be like to be married to Sir Thomas. She would have a great house of her own and her mother and father would undoubtedly be delighted. They would consider she had done extremely well.

  But, she thought, would she come to love Sir Thomas as Vicky loved Edward?

  As the mantilla was arranged over the comb, Justina heard Mrs. Arbuthnot’s voice.

  “Girls, girls! I can understand your chagrin. You are both so much more attractive than poor Justina. But, remember, for the last four days she has been the only girl not confined to her cabin. Men in a desert, you know! Now things are very different and I think you will find that her charms, such as they are, will be completely overshadowed by those of my lovely daughters.”

  “Someone who doesn’t appear to be charmed by Justina is Lord Castleton,” added Faith suddenly. “Despite what Sir Thomas told us. When I was exercising Muffin with him, he quite cut her dead.”

  She gave an excited little laugh while Justina felt as though cold water had been poured over her.

  Then Faith continued,

  “Mama, if you allow Sir Thomas to attach himself to Justina, I would have a clear field with Lord Castleton.”

  “What a common way you have of putting things,” pouted Charity. “Do let us leave, I see nothing here to interest us.”

  Justina found she was trembling. How could they talk in such a way?

  She no longer cared to find a gift for Peter. There would be other ports where she could look for something, no
w she wanted to return to the ship.

  She walked quickly back, scanning the street in case the Arbuthnots were still around. However, it seemed they had for the moment vanished and Justina climbed on board with relief.

  As she passed the company office on the main deck, she heard a passenger complaining loudly that there had been a thief in her cabin.

  “No, nothing valuable was taken,” she said in response to the Officer’s questions. “Only some fruit, a gift from friends.”

  Remembering her impression that her cabin had been invaded by an intruder, Justina lingered to hear more.

  “Did you lock your cabin door?” asked the Officer.

  “I think so,” replied the passenger. “But perhaps I didn’t.”

  *

  When the ship sailed from Gibraltar, the sea was calm and the air warm. The dining Saloon was full of happy passengers that evening and there was an expectant atmosphere.

  Justina wore her pink dress and made sure that the Arbuthnots were already seated at Sir Thomas’s table before she arrived to make up the party.

  Lord Castleton was, as usual, at his solitary table only yards away. As the Steward held out the chair for Justina, she caught his glance.

  Forgetting the change in their relationship, she gave him a warm smile, which faded as he merely dipped his head in a cool acknowledgement of her presence.

  An icy hand seemed to clutch at her heart as she slipped into her seat and tried to respond warmly to Sir Thomas’s greeting.

  All she could think of, however, was that her relationship with Lord Castleton, for some reason that she could not understand, was no more.

  It was not long before he gathered up his papers and left the Saloon. At least she no longer had to view his profile and regret the fun they had had together.

  Justina told herself it was useless to look back. She tried to relax and enjoy herself. The food was excellent and Sir Thomas had ordered a pleasant wine.