It should be noted that John Thompson, formerly a lecturer of distinction and more recently a Captain in the Fleet, being a widower these many years and having become exceedingly set in his solitary ways, placed little stock in the attentions of the fairer sex. Thus, it came as quite a shock to his disposition to discover not one, but two women vying for his affections – however atrophied and unpractised those affections might now be.
Miss Rebeccah Santiago, whose skill with the written word made angelic melodies of the driest ration cutlery reports, possessed the most remarkable green eyes, and Mr. Thompson experienced the stirrings of emotions long buried whenever she turned her sparkling orbs on him. And, to his great surprise, she seemed to regard his slate ones with similar interest.
Miss Miller, the other young woman pursuing the esteemed captain, while demonstrating many outward signs of being well-bred and a desirable helpmeet for any man fortunate enough to attract her eye, was in fact mean in both thought and action, regarding her fellow officers as trappings to be used and discarded as necessary. And, from Miss Miller’s perspective, Mr. Thompson represented the Sunday-best bonnet in the wardrobe of her life.
Despite Miss Miller’s brash attempts to entice the captain, Mr. Thompson’s burgeoning feelings of warmth and desire were firmly directed at Miss Rebeccah. However, Miss Rebeccah had yet to discern Mr. Thompson’s mind in the matter of his heart, and she fretted, although, as the second in command she would deny such actions most vehemently, and conspired to determine the true nature of Mr. Thompson’s regard once and for all.
“Sir,” Miss Rebeccah said, “if I may, I would like a word with you,” she paused in her request and glanced pointedly at Miss Miller, “in private.”
“Of course,” he replied and retired to his office, attributing the stuttering of his heart to Miss Rebeccah’s increasing influence over his being.
“Sir,” said Rebeccah, “I am concerned you do not view me in the way I wish to be perceived, and I feel compelled to rectify this matter immediately.”
Mr. Thompson was taken aback. Had he misinterpreted her intentions from the outset? He shook his head and apologized.
“No, sir,” she replied, “I do not desire your culpability, but rather to hear, in your own words, precisely how you see me, as an officer and, more importantly, as a woman.”
Fearing he could lose one of the most capable executive officers he’d had the pleasure of serving with if he misspoke, he couched his answer in terms of her professional qualities and stayed as far as possible from describing how her beauty and wit entranced him.
Miss Rebeccah sidled closer to the captain, frustrated by his avoidance of the more personal aspect of her request. “That is all well and good, sir, but,” she said, stepping near, so near that if she inhaled deeply her uniform must surely brush his, “what are your views on me as a member of the opposite sex?”
Heat raced up Thompson’s neck, burning his ears and setting his cheeks aflame. How she affected him! Her eyes, such green eyes! held him captive and a slave to her will, and he, he acknowledged without regret, wished to remain imprisoned for the rest of his mortal life.
Rebeccah started as his lips pressed into hers. Her heart, skittering as it was with apprehension, threatened to escape her chest as the truth of his feelings for her became readily apparent. She permitted him to draw her more deeply into his embrace, and fought down her own rising desire when he ceased his tender display of tonguesmanship.
“You are the most remarkable woman I have ever had the acquaintance of,” said Thompson. “My darling, you complete my soul, and I would rather be tossed out an airlock than spend another minute living without you.”
Rebeccah leaned in and kissed Thompson again.
She stepped back, heart full to bursting, when he asked, “Have I made myself sufficiently clear?”
Rebeccah, confident in the rightness of their love, replied, “Perfectly, Captain. I am exceedingly relieved we had this discussion. Now that we understand one another, I feel as though a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”
“I fear it has been some time since I last courted,” said Thompson. “You may find my efforts fail to meet your expectations.”
“I don’t need you to pitch woo, Mr. Thompson,” said she. “Our love for one another, freely acknowledged here, is adequate assurance that your affections are genuine.”
Captain Thompson marvelled at the woman standing before him. His life of solitary contemplation ended the moment he took her into his arms, and, like the beckoning stars beyond the viewports, he would follow both to the ends of the universe.
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