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deck corner, head turned to talk to one of the ship’s officers. In evening dress, he looked more like a bony crane than ever. The tray crashed to the floor, splatteringbrandy onto Bruce Ismay’s clothes as the glasses smashed into fragments on the deck.
    “It was her fault, sir,” the steward said, thinking fast, pointing to Tess. “She splatted a whole tea service on deck the other day.”
    “That was clumsy of you, young woman,” snapped the officer. “Good Lord, you
are
the one who made that mess. Why weren’t you looking where you were going?”
    “I’m sorry,” Tess said in surprise.
    “You need to apologize to Mr. Ismay, who is, in case you don’t know, the chairman of this shipping company,” the officer said. “You’re Lady Duff Gordon’s maid, aren’t you? Surely you’ve been trained better than that.”
    “I’m not apologizing, sir, for I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m sorry the accident happened, but I wasn’t the cause.”
    “You’re not getting away with this, young woman. I’m going to have to talk to the Duff Gordons about your manners.”
    “I did nothing,” Tess said, growing dismayed.
    A voice cut through from the dark near the rail. “Actually, her manners are far better than yours, and I suspect her sense of balance is, too. I believe the apology is due to
her
, Officer. Are you in the habit of berating young women—or just those in service?”
    Flustered, the officer turned on the steward. “Go get a towel and clean this up,” he ordered. As the steward scurried away, the officer and Ismay walked on, and Tess heard him say, “These last-minute hires, you know …”
    “That was a nice scene, wasn’t it?”
    Tess looked behind her and saw the mysterious Mr. Bremerton. He had left the captain’s table and was standing by the teak railing, polished and handsome in his evening clothes.
    “Officious little men with power—one of the plagues of the world.” He shook his head. “Good lesson, though—position doesn’t make a gentleman. Or evening clothes, for that matter. But you know that, I hope.”
    She did, but it might not be wise to say that right now. “I really don’t want any trouble,” she said.
    “You didn’t cringe. That took some backbone.”
    “I needed to defend myself.”
    “Or what?” He looked at her keenly.
    “Or it would just happen again.” And again and again. No use trying to explain.
    He bowed slightly. “Very wise. I’m glad to see you—I kept wishing after our time in the exercise room that I had asked your name. May I now?”
    She couldn’t help smiling. He must think she had been undone by riding that camel. “My name is Tess Collins.”
    He peered closely. “Of course. Since we seem to keep meeting, let me introduce myself. I’m Jack Bremerton, and I have no business judging others, to tell the truth. What do you think of your voyage so far?”
    “I’ve loved it, Mr. Bremerton,” she said, walking over to the rail where he stood. “It’s a feast for the eyes and the hands.”
    “The hands?”
    “I love touching the draperies and the silk tablecloths and all the beautiful fabrics, and thinking about where I would put them, how I would cut and tuck them.”
    “You sound like you want to be a designer yourself.”
    “I’m going to be, someday.” Just the fact of saying it to this stranger made her move up a notch in believing it.
    “A lady who is willing to stand up for herself has a dignity that will take her a long way. By the way, please call me Jack.”
    “I don’t feel comfortable doing that, Mr. Bremerton.” She tried the word out in her mind.
Jack
.
    “I accept that, Miss Collins.” He smiled. “Hope you change your mind at some point. Isn’t it a great night? Just look at those stars.”
    “They are splendid.” They were standing so close, she could smell the faint musk of his shaving lotion. Was this really happening? Was this impressive, powerful man actually talking to her?
    “It’s a pleasure