“We’ll simply say we were looking for a broom.”
“I’m not certain that’s a credible explanation. The guests onboard tonight are not the type who’d go off looking for a broom on their own, especially when there are members of the crew available to do such mundane tasks.”
“That type of thinking is exactly why I don’t care for society, but I doubt we’ll be observed since everyone seems to be having a delightful time of it topside. Because I know you won’t want to miss seeing everyone’s reaction to the surprise you arranged when theCorneliaarrives at West Brighton Beach, I’ll make this as quick as I can. Someone, I’m sorry to report, seems to be up to nefarious purposes on this very yacht even as we speak.”
“Nefarious purposes?” Harrison repeated.
“Indeed. A member of the crew sought me out in the wheelhouse to inform me that someone’s been skulking around on the lower decks. Shadows have apparently been spotted where shadows are not supposed to be, the result being that the crew is now walking about on pins and needles, looking over their shoulders every other minute.”
Harrison blinked even though the blinking did absolutely nothing worthwhile since sheer blackness still surrounded him. “Skulking around? That sounds a little...” He blinked again. “Wait a minute—before we get into the skulking business,you’restill supposed to beinthe wheelhouse, minding the wheel no less.”
“Don’t be so overly theatrical, Harrison. It’s hardly as if I abandoned the wheel and left the yacht deprived of a steady hand. Adelaide took over for me.”
Without bothering to reply to that disturbing statement, Harrison tried to squeeze past his sister to get to the door, releasing a pent-up breath when he realized Margaret had stepped directly in front of that door and was blocking his way.
“I would suggest you let me by,” he said, not surprised when his most menacing of tones didn’t move his sister a single inch. “Please,” he added for good measure, which still did not sway his sister at all since she staunchly held her ground.
“Adelaide’s perfectly fine guiding this ship,” Margaret said.
“She’s barely more than a child, and if you’ve forgotten, Margaret, our family is currently responsible for the lives of over a hundred people who are on board this yacht. Allowing our baby sister to take over the helm is probably not the best way to be responsible for those lives.”
“Adelaide’s twenty, not a baby, and she’s more competent at the helm than most weathered captains I know given that she learned how to hold the wheel before she learned how to talk.”
“She’ll always be a baby to me.”
“Yes, well, I wouldn’t go out of your way to mention that to Adelaide. She’s a little sensitive about her age since everyone is constantly remarking about how young she looks. Why, to hear Adelaide tell it, God did her a grave disservice by bestowing abnormally round cheeks and baby blue eyes on her at birth. Evidently her face has become a trial for her because she’s not taken seriously within the shipping industry, what with the veterans of the industry constantly pointing out her overly feminine attributes.”
“While I would love nothing better than to discuss the abysmal plight of women and the unfortunate disregard for their many abilities by industrialists, I’m not certain this is the proper time. As for Adelaide and her disgruntlement with being born with a face that can only be described as arresting, she’s simply going to have to learn there’s nothing she can do about that other than to accept the sad burden of being beautiful.”
Margaret let out what might have been a sigh. “Your friend, Mr. Asher Rutherford, made the mistake of telling Adelaide earlier that her face would be a welcome sight in all the fashionable magazines and catalogs. He even went so far as to ask her if she would be willing to become the new ‘face’ of Rutherford & Company.”
Harrison wasn’t quite able to suppress a wince. “That wasn’t well-done of him.”
“Indeed, especially since Adelaide has now sworn off shopping at Rutherford & Company and is also refusing to come out of the wheelhouse. That state of affairs is distressing Edwina no small amount, who wants exactly the opposite of what Adelaide wants, and has taken to pestering Adelaide about joining her on the upper deck in the hopes that Asher will offerherthe opportunity of becoming the face of Rutherford & Company. She, unsurprisingly, is more than anxious to have her face seen throughout New York, believing, or so she said, that becoming the fashionable face of the day will aid her in becoming accepted in all the right society circles.”
Harrison’s brows drew together. “While Edwina has mentioned a time or two that she wouldn’t be opposed to entering society, I didn’t realize she’d become so determined. However, if she truly wants to have Asher include her in a few print campaigns, I’m sure he’d be only too happy to do so. She does have the same face as Adelaide. And, now that I think about it, I wonder if Asher got the twins confused again, especially since I know I’ve remarked over the years how Adelaide has no interest in fashion, whereas Edwina does.”
“He might have done exactly that, which will soothe the put-out attitudes of both twins. But their tender feelings have nothing to do with our dastardly situation at hand. We need to discover who is skulking about and put a rapid end to it. I’m afraid talk below-deck is beginning to turn to ghosts.”
Harrison smiled. “I can’t claim to be surprised about that considering seamen are a rather superstitious lot, but...” His smile faded straightaway. “Why do I get the impression the wholewebusiness really means me?”
“Because it’s more than likely that the person doing the skulking is one of Asher’s friends. Since he isyourfriend and I don’t mingle well with people, you’ll have to handle the situation, and do so in as discreet a manner as possible.”
Before Harrison could voice a single protest, Margaret opened the door, slipped through it, and left Harrison behind.
“I’d start in the engine room. That’s where the crew first noticed something odd,” she called over her shoulder before she disappeared up a short flight of stairs that sat between an intricate balustrade made of wrought iron designed by Tiffany Studios.
Knowing there was nothing to do but investigate the odd happenings on his yacht, even though there was the distinct possibility the peculiar situation was due to the overimagination of his crew, Harrison stepped from the storage closet. Nodding at a server who was making his way toward the very stairs Margaret had just used, he pretended not to see the curious look the man sent him. Helping himself to one of the stuffed mushrooms the server was carrying on a silver tray, Harrison thanked him and headed off down the companionway, making a note to seek out more of the delicious mushrooms just as soon as he finished his mission.
Walking down a different flight of stairs, he reached the deck that housed the engine room, galley, quarters for the crew, and storage areas for the coal they used to create the steam that powered the ship.
Pulling open the heavy metal door that led to the engine room, Harrison caught the attention of a few crew members, having to shout to be heard over the hissing and clanging of the machinery that was keeping the yacht moving at a fast clip.
By the time he was done asking his questions, he was hoarse from the shouting and didn’t have much to go on. The only consistent concern he’d heard from everyone was that shadows had been seen throughout different rooms, but when anyone of a brave nature went to investigate those shadows, nothing had been found.
After reassuring the crew that the shadows could not have been caused by any ghosts since theCorneliawas only a few years old and not a single person had ever died on board, which lent credence to the idea that there was no reason for the ship to be haunted, Harrison left the slightly relieved crew to their business.
He gave the galley only a cursory look because it was filled with servers and chefs he’d brought in for the night’s festivities, before moving on to the quarters where the crew slept. Not finding anything suspicious, he reached a flight of stairs that led to the staterooms, stopping dead in his tracks when a flicker of a shadow captured his attention from halfway up the stairs.