Chapter Eight
Lucy was a girl who hid. The only time she’d ever been bold was when she was pretending to be a boy. But there was no pretense here and little room to negotiate. Her life was completely under her adoptive father’s control. If he refused to give her a dowry, what could she do?
Exactly what she did when she negotiated. She began with flattery and servitude. That usually worked.
She brought him tea the next day as the ship was preparing to leave port. Everyone was busy, including her sister. Her father stood on deck in a tiny, quiet corner and watched. Lucy offered him the drink.
‘I made it very hot,’ she said as she offered him the drink. ‘Do not let it burn you.’
‘Thank you, Lucy. You are looking very lovely this morning.’
She had dressed with care. She knew he appreciated it when she looked as English as possible.
‘I am constantly impressed with Captain Banakos,’ he said as he watched the organised chaos around them.
‘His bookkeeping is not so good.’ She said it under her breath, but not so quiet that he couldn’t hear. And at his arch look, she shrugged. ‘It is not so bad either.’
‘But you found errors.’
She nodded. ‘I can always find errors because everyone makes mistakes.’ She cast him a coy look. ‘Every man makes mistakes because no man is perfect. It is therefore honourable, at times, to change your mind.’
‘To correct an error?’
‘Yes.’
‘Like refusing to dower you?’
She lowered her eyes and kept her body position contrite. ‘You are a wise and kind father. I would not question your decisions.’
‘Then you are not a wise daughter.’
Her gaze jumped up to his face. He was watching her closely, but his expression remained unreadable. ‘I do not understand.’
‘It is a good thing for people to ask questions, especially when they listen to the answers. Men as well as women.’ He leaned back against the railing as he sipped his tea. ‘What do you want to ask me?’
Many questions pushed forwards, none of them strategic in getting what she wanted. So it was a shock when the most important one slipped from her lips.
‘What do you want with me?’
His brows lifted. ‘You are my daughter. I want you to be happy—’
‘I am not your daughter. I came with Grace when the monks presented her to you. She is your daughter.’
He nodded. ‘But you are her sister, yes? I don’t mean by blood. She refused to leave China without you. And you her.’
‘We were two girl half children in the temple.’ Even among orphans, the boys were more valued. ‘From my earliest memory, we held on to each other.’ Grace had been older, so she was the one who first comforted Lucy. But as they grew, they loved one another.
But that didn’t explain why Lord Wenshire had taken two girls, not one. Was she nothing to him? Just an extra piece of Grace’s baggage, like an extra pair of shoes or a hat?
‘I can be valuable to you. I can earn money.’ She lifted her chin. ‘I found errors in the account books. You have other ships. I can look at all those account books. And I am very honest.’
He smiled at her. ‘If that would give you pleasure, I would be happy to let you check all the account books for all my ships.’
‘It is not pleasure,’ she returned. ‘It is for money. So that your accounts are correct.’
He nodded. ‘But I can hire other people to check the accounts. I don’t need you to do it. But if that would give you pleasure—’
‘It is not pleasure!’ she repeated. ‘It is work. Good work. Done to please you.’