Chapter 47: Drydock Part 1
Cal rode up the hill to the hotel, fuming. The other engineer had been insufferable and refused to talk to her. It took Captain Cully threatening to speak to the man's Captain to get him to look at the engine room at all. Then he had no advice beyond what Cal had already figured out.
Captain Cully was going to talk to the other captains and try to find a more suitable helper. He ordered her to go to the hotel, see her father and Pentam, and rest.
The cart let her off at the door and Cal stalked into the hotel. Everyone in the lobby turned to stare.
Oh, for goodness sake, it's only a bit of honest grime.
Señor Calamphi ran out to meet her.
"Lady Cal, I will send hot water up to your room immediately. Is there anything else you require?"
"I haven't eaten all day, Señor. Whatever the kitchen has hot would be wonderful. Send it up in an hour, if you would."
"Yes, Lady Cal." He bowed, then clapped his hands sharply giving orders to the men as he walked back to the desk.
Cal climbed the stairs after making sure she wasn't leaving greasy footprints behind her. A room on the fourth floor had a lovely view, but too many stairs after a long day.
Meireka met her at the door to the room she shared with Crysabel.
"Lady, the other girl is sleeping. Go to the bath, and I will carry the water to you so the men don't enter the room."
"Thank you, Meireka. You are very thoughtful." Cal opened the door and tried to walk through the room silently.
"Oh!" The girl on the bed sat up and stared wide-eyed at Cal. "Pentam said you were an engineer. I hardly believed him. You must be exhausted. I'll ring for a bath."
"Thank you, but Señor Calamphi has already told the men to bring the water. Meireka will carry it through the room for modesty's sake."
"Meireka?"
"The maid, she asked to work our room specially." Cal headed for the bathroom. Crysabel followed her.
"Mother made me pack so many soaps and bath oils, as if we couldn't get more on our trip. What do you like? I have lavender and rose, here's some cedar, and pine."
"Pine would be nice, and it helps take the oil off."
"Really?" Crysabel handed her a bottle. "It reminds me too much of home."
Meireka appeared with the first bucket.
"It would be a pity to get the bathwater all oily. I could help you rinse the worst off while they bring the rest of the water." Crysabel looked worried, as if she was crossing some boundary.
"That would be wonderful." Cal unfastened her shirt and pulled it off, then her pants. Meireka swooped them up and vanished. "I hope she doesn't get all oily from them."
Crysabel had removed her outer dress. She poured water over Cal, who soaped her arms and face. She didn't feel uncomfortable at all in her smallclothes with this girl. By the time Meireka had carried the rest of the buckets in, Crysabel pronounced Cal fit to climb into the tub.
Cal removed the last of her clothes and settled into the hot water with a sigh. Crysabel poured a little of the pine oil into the tub, then worked away at Cal's hair.
"What happened to your face? I can't see it except up close, but that scar looks terrifying."
"You should have seen it before the Purser stitched it up. Let's just say swimming through seaweed with a knife in your teeth is not a good idea."
"Really?" Crysabel paused in her cleaning of Cal's hair.
"I wouldn't recommend it."
"But you got the scar from the knife?"
"Actually, I don't know. It might have been the knife, or the seaweed. Some of it had a nasty edge."
"You must have been petrified."
"It wasn't the worst thing that could have happened."
Crysabel took up washing hair again.
"I always loved taking baths when I was young. Nurse would make sure I came out clean. She always did my hair. Nurse died just before we left on the trip. I missed her ever so much."
"Tell me about your trip." Cal leaned back and let Crysabel have her way.
"We traveled by train and ship so many places I've lost count. All the hotels were the same. I mean Father's a Baron, so we need to keep up appearances, but none of it felt like an adventure. Not really. I had more fun with your friend, Pentam, this afternoon than I had in all the months we've been away. This is our last stop. After the costume ball, we'll be leaving for home."
"What did you think of the dress shop?"
"I was so disappointed; they didn't have a gown ready. You made it sound so lovely, but Pentam suggested I buy gifts for the servants. That was so much fun, and I bought two hats which are just darling. Pentam bought me a necklace made of blue feathers. He said it matched my eyes. I'll show it to you later. Are you sure it's all right for me to spend time with him?"
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