"What do you mean we're not on the right ship?" Henry yelled, his face flushing red.
"Just that Sir- you're on the wrong ship," explained the Captain of the ferry heading back to London. "I'm afraid we cannot turn around without risk of grounding ourselves- but, might I ask… how are you at rowing?"
Eliza looked up from her seat, her face blank as she waited for the explosion.
She did not have to wait long.
"ROWING!?!"
Henry was red faced and looking ready to kill as they were lowered down into the water in the spare lifeboat (which was really just an old dinghy.)
"How are you at rowing?" he mocked as they began to slowly make their way across the channel, the wind at their backs giving them some help.
"You seem to be rather good at it" Eliza commented after a second.
"Of course I am- I used to row, before I put my shoulder out."
"You injured your shoulder?" Eliza asked concerned.
"Yes." He said shortly, saving his breath for rowing.
"Well you shouldn't be using it then!" Eliza said, and carefully moved to sit next to him, grabbing one of the oars.
"Don't be foolish Eliza- get back over there!"
"No."
Henry looked shocked. "What did you say?"
"I said no- surely you must know what that means."
Henry frowned, although, secretly, he was delighted. Any other woman would have shied away- Eliza herself would have quivered like a terrier in the ice three months ago. But now… now, she held her ground.
He liked it.
Henry quickly shook that thought away, before grumbling and starting to row in pace with Eliza.
"I say we go to that one over there," said Eliza, pointing to a strip of land to the left.
"No, we need to go straight ahead- then we can walk to the right and be at the township."
Eliza shook her head- she knew she was not going to win this one.
"Fine- come on then" she subsided, and the two began to row in time towards the hulk of land.
"I'm sorry Sir, but they don't appear to be on board- our check list says that they never came aboard the ship." The young sailor said nervously.
Pickering sighed, but smiled kindly at the man. "Thank you very much Sir. I thank you for your time." He took off his hat in a salute, and made his way back to the deck, breathing in the tangy salt air.
'I do hope Higgins is being reasonable…poor Eliza, she won't survive an hour alone with that man.'
