Commanding Heart Read Online Free Page B

curves of her body, and the elegant
motion of her hands as they moved across the surface of her sketchbook. Knight
could not help but be struck by her beauty. Catherine was undoubtedly one of
the handsomest women he had ever encountered, yet she had none of the vain
pride so often found in beautiful women. Knight marveled a moment longer at
this strange creature then moved across the deck to greet Catherine.
    The captain’s shadow fell across Catherine’s
sketchbook and she looked up in startled surprise. After the debacle of last
night’s supper party and his repeated warnings against interrupting the work of
the ship, Catherine found she was at a loss as to how to greet the captain. She
murmured a quiet, “Good morning, Captain Knight.… I hope I am not… intruding…..”
blushing as she spoke. She quickly rose to her feet, dropping her sketchbook in
the process. She burned in humiliation at her awkwardness around this man and
struggled to retain her composure. The captain searched her face a long moment,
his unflinching gaze taking in her embarrassment. A slight smile played at the
corners of his mouth but he gallantly collected the sketchbook and held it out
to Catherine without a word. She took his offering with a trembling hand, all
the while cursing herself for her lack of control. She gave her head a small, defiant
shake and drew herself up to squarely meet his look, determined not to speak
another word until he himself spoke.
    Captain Knight noted the look of determination
that came into her face, the stiff pride in her stance as she met his gaze. He
gave in to her unspoken challenge, and the whisper of humor that teased the
corners of his mouth broke free into a full, dazzling smile. Catherine was
completely taken aback by the transformation in his face; his strong, stern
features softened, coming alive with humor and good will.  He seemed another
person entirely as the broad grin lit his handsome eyes. Catherine could not
help but smile in return. “You are early to work, Miss Gibson,” Knight said in
rich tones. “Despite my earlier comments, you are not required to take a turn
at watch during our journey” he finished dryly. Catherine reddened again at the
reference to their earlier encounters but she held her ground; “Indeed,
Captain, I must admit that I was most eager to start the day today. My uncle
has told me much about the HMS Triton but I think nothing could prepare
me for the beauty of the ship in person. She is an incredible creature”
Catherine finished as she looked about admiringly. Captain Knight regarded
Catherine quizzically. It was obvious her comments were genuine, but such sentiments
about a naval war ship seemed out of place coming from a young woman of
society. In his experience, such women could find little beauty beyond their
personal fashions or the trappings of the drawing room. “I am all astonishment
at your enthusiasm, Miss Gibson,” replied the Captain: “I would think that to a
lady of your background the workings of a ship would seem pedestrian at
best.” Catherine stiffened immediately at his reference to her upbringing. She
could not help but remember Captain Knight’s initial comments about her
father’s connections, and how those connections had forced his hand to bring
her aboard. “I am sorry, Captain, that I do not meet your expectations of a lady
of society ” Catherine replied, her blue eyes sparking with anger. “In
future I shall endeavor to better play my part. If you will please excuse me, I
will take up no more of your time” she finished sharply and then left for her
cabin. Captain Knight’s face tightened into its customary stern look. He
watched his strange passenger’s every step as she crossed the deck and entered
the hatchway. As Catherine disappeared from view his mouth settled into a firm
line of resolve: having this young woman aboard was a great mistake. The best
course of action was to complete the journey to Jamaica as quickly as