I know this is a short chapter, but it's about time I uploaded one that was less than 3K words, right?
I will try to have another chapter or two up before I return to school on Jan 12th. May the odds be ever in my favor as I try to accomplish my goal! ;)
With skin too tight
And eyes like marbles
You spin me high
So watch me as I glide
Before I tumble homeward, homeward
~"Lover of the Light" by Mumford & Sons
Ellen
Ellen sat in her room, carefully scrubbing her soiled shoes above the small sink. It was past suppertime and even though she had managed to remove the smell from Kitty's earlier accident, there was still an evident stain. Mr. Robbins and Rosalie were still at dinner and Mrs. Endres had been out with Madeleine nearly all afternoon. She let the cool water run over the smooth leather, soothing her hands from the needlework she had done earlier to fix the stitching on one of Madeleine's evening gowns. She had never had very nimble fingers and had always been scolded for her sloppy needlework by Lady Force.
As she set her shoes on the nearby rack to dry, a gentle whistling from the other side of the room startled her. A tall figure was taking off his tie and jacket, too immersed in his tune to give her much notice.
"Mr. Robbins," she said slyly, causing him to jump. "Finished early as well?"
"Ellen," he said, laughing shakily. "You scared me! Why, yes. Rosalie got a bit too, erm, well tipsy at dinner I should say. I figured I should leave in case Mrs. Endres got nosy."
"Ah, I see," Ellen said, moving across the room to sit on the bunk across from his.
"Your hair looks lovely down," he said, a smile forming on his lips as he took off his shoes. She blushed, bringing a hand to her neck as she realized she'd half-mindedly took the pins out of her hair as she had cleaned her shoes.
"Thank you," she began, but her words were cut off as Mrs. Endres burst through the door. Mr. Robbins leapt off the lower bunk, casually tossing his things onto his own bunk, causing the old nurse to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Everything all right?" Ellen inquired, collecting her hair across her shoulder to braid.
"I need a leash for the girl," Mrs. Endres sighed, placing a hand on her forehead as she sat down on a nearby chair. Mr. Robbins and Ellen both knew she was referring to Madeleine as she had played the role of babysitter all afternoon.
"She's nearly six months pregnant," Ellen laughed. "How much trouble can she be?"
Mr. Robbins chuckled at her joke but Mrs. Endres's expression remained stern. "The girl does not realize her situation," the nurse continued, letting her black hair come loose from its bun. "She has nearly every man on this ship goggling at her! Even with the baby!"
"So it's a crime to be beautiful?" Mr. Robbins asked boldly.
"You don't deny she's beautiful?" Ellen said, smiling at him.
"It makes working for the Astors easier on the eye," he replied, just low enough for Mrs. Endres not to overhear. Ellen laughed and Mrs. Endres let out a heavy sigh as she took off her apron.
"She's so clueless," she muttered, as if talking to herself. "Why if a young man had sat on my lap at that age-"
"What?" Ellen and Mr. Robbins exclaimed, now attentive.
"Yes!" Mrs. Endres exclaimed, turning around to face them. "A young man sat in Lady Astor's lap and what was her response? She apologized to him!"
Ellen laughed again, but bit her tongue from the look Mrs. Endres gave her.
"Was he a passenger?" Mr. Robbins asked. "Hopefully they won't have a second encounter, the poor bloke!"
"Oh no," Mrs. Endres said, amused as she moved to the other end of the room to change. "He was an officer!"
Ellen's eyes lit up at the sound of the last word out of the nurse's mouth.
"What did he look like?" she asked a little too loudly. Mr. Robbins raised an eyebrow as Mrs. Endres replied, "Tall, and rather skinny."
"Brown hair?"
Mrs. Endres peeped her head out from behind the corner of the room. "Yes," she said, emerging in her nightgown, her long black hair braided to the side. "Why? Do you know the gentleman?"
"Know?" Ellen said nervously. She didn't want any misunderstandings from the old woman about her socializations on board. "Oh, no! No no no, I had a quick chat with him this morning!"
"A quick chat?" Mrs. Endres said, pushing Mr. Robbins aside so she could climb into her bunk. "That better have been the extent of your interaction."
"Yes ma'am," Ellen said. Mr. Robbins was smirking as Mrs. Endres flicked off the lights and immersed them all in darkness. Ellen didn't dare make a sound again until she could hear the woman's snores. She let out a breath of air she had been holding, trying to figure out why at the thought of being pictured with the handsome officer made her heart race.
Don't forget to R&R! The more feedback I get, the more motivation I'll have to keep uploading!
