Was he about to tell my why he had arranged for me to serve, instead of being held captive? I had been wondering about that a great deal, and his behaviour during dinner had made it all appear even stranger.

“I do think you are very surprised to see me, are you not?”

He sat down on the opposite seat of the table, resting his face on his arms, while leaning slightly towards me.

“It goes without saying I am. You did not give me a second glance when we arrived at the ship.”

“You sound as if you find that regrettable.”

“Not necessarily,” I said, as I got up to wash my plate. I hoped he hadn’t noticed how startled I was at his noticing my disappointment, but I suspected he did.

“You are a very honest girl, even if you are dishonest.”

“If that is your way of telling me that I am a bad liar, so be it.”

Being called a bad liar by him wasn’t a very bad thing.

“You have quite a temper today. But I assure you I have never lied to you.”

I heard his steps behind me, and he only stood still when he was right next to me.

“Perhaps you did not, but you have misled me.”

“Only because it was so easy, and so tempting to do so.”

I put down my plate. Even cleaning was a hard thing to do for me. I was certain Asni would complain in the morning.

“Tempting?”

I turned around and looked him in the eye. He made a wide gesture with his hands.

“I have never met a noble woman your age so interested in jewellery, just lurking out of her window. You were almost asking to be whisked away from your home.”

I put my hands on my waist.

“I was asking you to take me from my home? Are you out of your mind? Is your saying I look happier here a way to justify your own actions? Just because you are forced to go back and forth between the island doesn’t mean you have to give others the same fate. There are children on board, Verdi!”

He seemed to do his very best not to hit me. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he took a step back from me.

“I have never asked for this, either. I know very well what I am doing, but you do not. I have no choices in this. At least, not many. But I did have a choice when I saw you. Perhaps I didn’t make the right one.”

He sighed, walked towards a cupboard, grabbed a cup and poured himself a glass of red wine. He took a gulp from the cup and looked at me once more.

“But you really do have a thirst for adventure, Jane. Even in that well, when you were so frightened and I took advantage of the possibility to mock you, you asked so many questions. You didn’t sound like you were frightened then. You were curious. You were curious when you leaned out of that window, as you are now, watching the sea outside the windows as I am talking to you.”

“Curiosity is no excuse,” I said, as he handed me a cup of red wine as well. I drank hesitantly from it. It felt too much like a peace offer.

“It is also not an excuse to look at me as villain, rather than a possible ally.”

I scoffed.

“An ally?”

“Why, the idea is not that foolish, is it now? I have, after all helped you gain this position. And I do not think you have any other candidates, do you? And even if you did, they would be quite dull in comparison.”

Such arrogance!

“Do you really think I will be so stupid? To trust you again after you brought me here?”

“You did seem to trust me when we were in the well. All alone, as we are now.”

I frowned, I was not quite comfortable, knowing that, after having to go outside with a companion all my life.

“I am perfectly aware of my surroundings, thank you.”

“Are you now?”

He was standing very close to me now.

“Yes, I will prove it to you right now by saying that you are standing awfully close to me.”

He leaned against the cupboard behind me, hovering over me. Some of his middle length hair fell against the side of my face. It smelled of an oil I didn’t recognise. I could hear him breathe softly as he spoke to me. I suddenly whished Asni hadn’t pulled my laces so tightly.

“I fear that is getting worse now,” whispered he.

“What are you trying to do?” I couldn’t help to whisper back.

“What do you think I am doing,” he said mockingly.

“Well it looks as if you are possibly, perhaps-.”

“Maybe, by chance, perchance.”

He scoffed as he looked at my angry expression.

“I was merely offering you more synonyms, Jane.”

“Why do you suddenly insist on calling me Jane?”

He leaned backward, and it took some self-restraint on my part not to sigh in relief and… disappointment?

“Is that the question you should be asking me right now?”

He put down his glass on the cupboard. Asni would probably scold me for that as well.

“Let us go Jane, I am to show you your bedroom.”

He winked at me. My face turned a scarlet red as he disappeared from the kitchen. We passed the dining room with Agueda’s sculpture, but I hardly gave it a second glance. We walked through the hallway in silence. And only spoke again as we arrived at the bottom of the stairs. I now noticed a few less extravagantly decorated doors. I suspected these were the rooms of Stephen, Boris and the other girl, as well as my own. Verdi led me to the door in the far back. Torches with blue lights lit the hallway.

“This room has a window, it barely comes above the ocean sometimes, but at least you will be able to look at the ocean.”

“How do you know that?”

I couldn’t imagine him ever having been here.

“I picked it out for you myself.”

I looked up at him, realising my back was against the door of my room, and he was standing close to me again. I couldn’t look away from him again. His hand touched the side of my face, and slowly went up. His strong fingers found the tapes on my hair, and gently pulled it out of my braids. Yet it felt as intimate as an embrace when my curls fell on my shoulders.

“Good night, Jane.”