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and threw it into the bin Will offered me. ‘You’ve missed a bit,’ Will pointed out. His eyes were glinting now, I suspected with amusement. I picked up the chunk of glass and threw it in with the other broken pieces.
    ‘Satisfied?’ I demanded.
    He shrugged. ‘It’s your cabin, and your feet that will get cut if you leave shards lying about,’ he said cheerfully. ‘You should be thankful to have a private cabin. Two men have had to give up that privilege to accommodate you, you know.’
    I shrugged. ‘Well, I could hardly sleep with the rest of you, could I?’ I pointed out ungratefully. ‘And I didn’t ask to be here.’
    Will sighed. ‘Follow me,’ he said. ‘I’ve another task for you.’
    I rolled my eyes and got unwillingly to my feet to accompany him. The sun was setting in a blaze of reds and pinks in the west, as I emerged onto the deck. I paused, looking about me in some awe. It was a truly stunning view. I caught hurriedly at the door as the ship pitched. There was no land in sight; only a rolling green swell as far as I could see in every direction. There was a definite chill in the air and I shivered a little after the relative warmth of the small cabin.
    Once I’d got my balance, Will led me to a bucket and a heap of crumpled fabric lying in the prow of the ship by the foremost mast. I recognized my gown. ‘What?’ I asked, looking up at Will. ‘It’s ruined.’
    ‘Wash it,’ he ordered.
    My jaw dropped. ‘Me?’ I gasped. ‘Me, wash my own gown? That’s servants’ work.’
    ‘I told you, you were spoiled,’ he said curtly.
    ‘It’s not a matter of being spoiled,’ I objected. ‘That’s insulting. I’m not a washerwoman.’
    ‘You are now,’ Will said with a grin. ‘You’re anything I say.’ It was obvious he was enjoying himself. I clenched my teeth together and looked hopelessly out at the endless sea.
    ‘It needs rinsing,’ he said. ‘To get the salt water out. Otherwise as you say, it will be ruined.’
    ‘I don’t care,’ I snapped at him. ‘I don’t want it; I have no use for it and I’ll never wear it again.’
    ‘Wrong on two counts,’ said Will with a grin. ‘We have a very fine use for it and for you. And you’ll be wearing it tomorrow night.’
    I lifted my hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘Very well, but explain.’
    ‘Wash the gown first,’ Will said. He retreated to the side of the ship, leaning against the rail at his ease, watching me. His smugness annoyed me.
    I looked down at the tangled heap of gown reluctantly, then sighed, bent and picked it up. Or at least, I tried. I was amazed at how heavy the gown was now that it was drenched through; at the reams of fabric that it consisted of, all of which trailed onto the deck, sodden and dripping with sea water. It smelled of sea water too. I tried unsuccessfully to stuff it into the bucket, but the more I pushed, the bigger and more unwieldy the gown seemed to become. I shoved hard, and water squirted up and drenched the sleeves of my shirt.
    ‘You might want to roll up your sleeves,’ said Will politely, and then turned away to hide his laughter. I could see his shoulders shaking. Angry that he hadn’t warned me sooner, I yanked at my soggy shirt sleeves. Clearly, I was the evening’s entertainment. Will wasn’t the only one watching my humiliation, nor was he the only one openly enjoying it.
    Being the source of so much amusement made me determined to spoil the men’s fun by completing my task successfully. I fought with the gown and the water, dipping and squeezing the train and the bodice. I unpeeled the sodden petticoats and washed each one separately; that way, they were less of a challenge than the gown itself. Finally, I rinsed the veil. I only found out after I’d torn the hem just how delicate the lace was when it was wet.
    At last I stood, wet through and panting with exertion, the whole pile of fabric rinsed. Will nodded nonchalantly towards the lowest rigging. ‘You can