The gentle sway of the ship rocked Adrian as he lay in his bed, the first light of dawn filtering through the small window in his sleeping area. But his mind was far from the day's duties that awaited him. Instead, his thoughts were consumed by the memory of his cabin boy's reaction to seeing him shirtless the night before.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he recalled how her eyes had widened and her gaze had lingered on his bare chest before she'd caught herself and spun away with flaming cheeks. It had been amusing to watch her so flustered and struggling for words. He'd enjoyed the way she looked at him.

Rolling out of bed, he stretched, his muscles flexing as he reached for his shirt. As he dressed, his mind raced with possibilities of how he could subtly tease his new cabin boy. Test the limits of her disguise. Perhaps he could 'accidentally' brush against her as they worked side by side in the cabin, or let his gaze linger just a moment too long when she brought him his meals.

It was unfair, he knew, toying with her like this. But the temptation was too great to resist. He wanted to see how far he could push her, how much he could unsettle her before she either broke character or revealed her true self.

With a final tug on his boots, he glanced at the sleeping form in the hammock hanging in the corner. A cabin boy shouldn't sleep longer than his captain, but he decided against waking her. She might need the sleep having probably done more physical labour the previous day than she had in her life up until then. A little more sleep wouldn't harm anyone.

Leaving his quarters, he made his rounds, checking in with his officers and crew, and grabbing a quick breakfast in the galley. He never bothered with having breakfast brought to his cabin when it was so easy to pop in and get a few minutes to chat with Cook every morning. Throughout the day, his gaze kept searching for glimpses of his cabin boy among the bustling activity, wondering when his little minx would join the world of the living.

She showed up an hour or so later, her cap pulled low on her forehead and the corners of her mouth dipping low. Maybe she didn't appreciate the extra time in bed after all. Or maybe she just wasn't a morning person. He fought back a grin. Joining a ship if you didn't appreciate waking early was a terrible idea. Almost as bad as disguising yourself as a boy.

Coming up to him where he stood at the helm, she glared up at him and he would have laughed had he not thought it would send her scurrying back to his cabin.

"You didn't wake me," she grumbled, annoyance clear in her voice.

He would have reminded her that it was not for the cabin boy to scold the captain, but he was enjoying this far too much.

"I thought you might need the extra sleep after your first day aboard. It's your first voyage, after all, and I am not an unreasonable man."

Uncertainty crossed her face. "Th...thank you, sir. But please, I do not wish to be remiss in my duties."

"That's all right. I am capable of dressing myself and prefer to have my breakfast in the galley. There is nothing I require from you in the mornings." He nodded towards the ship. "Why don't you take this time to get better acquainted with the ship? I will call for you if I need you."

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Yes, sir."

The day passed in a blur of activities and stolen glances. Adrian had asked Tom to take her under his wing, to guide her through the day-to-day tasks of shipboard life and shield her from any undue scrutiny. If the young sailor wondered why the captain took such an interest in the new cabin boy, he hadn't let on. Instead, he'd spent the day showing Oliver around and allowed her to try her hand at various duties.

Adrian found his eyes drawn to Oliver more often than he cared to admit, watching as she charmed the crew with her quick wit and willingness to learn. He had to admire her determination, the way she threw herself into every task with a stubborn persistence that belied her delicate frame.

Currently, Tom was teaching her the correct way to coil a rope. A smile tugged at Adrian's lips, watching the two of them interact as Tom patiently demonstrated the proper technique while Oliver listened intently with her brow furrowed in concentration.

When she successfully copied Tom, the young man grinned widely.

"Well done, lad!" He clapped her on the shoulder, nearly knocking her off balance.

Adrian tensed, ready to intervene, but Oliver caught herself, offering Tom a bright smile that lit up her entire face. Good God, how had the crew not noticed? She was far too pretty to be a boy.

Annoyed by his immediate instinct to protect her, he turned his back to the deck and forced himself to focus on something else for a while. What was wrong with him? It must be the knowledge that he had to keep her safe. He had promised Rain after all. Yes, that must be it.

A commotion near the mainmast drew his attention. Oliver was attempting to help with the rigging, stretching up on tiptoes to reach a stubborn knot, her slender arms straining with the effort. He saw her grip the rope just as it untied, and he moved forward automatically.

"Careful, there—" His warning came too late.

Oliver lost her balance, the rope slipping through her hand as she fell and she let out a yelp of pain. Clutching her palm to her chest, she stared up at Adrian as he approached.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was trying to—"

"Let me see," he commanded, gently taking her injured hand in his.

She tried to pull away, her eyes wide with pain and embarrassment. "It's nothing, Captain. Just a scratch."

But he could see the angry red line scoring her palm, already beginning to well with blood and the way she winced as he gently probed the wound.

"This needs to be cleaned and bandaged," he said in a voice that brokered no argument. "Come with me."

He led her back to his quarters, ignoring the curious glances of the crew as they passed. Once inside, he sat her down at the table and retrieved a clean cloth and a bottle of spirits from his chest.

"This may sting a bit," he warned, dampening the cloth with the alcohol.

She nodded, her teeth worrying her lower lip as her eyes followed the cloth. Taking her hand in his, Adrian marvelled at the slenderness of her fingers, the softness of her skin. It was obvious she had not worked a day in her life before now, with nary a callus. Maybe he had been a little cruel making her join the sailors in their tasks, even if she had taken on the challenge with gusto. She wasn't like a regular cabin boy who might take on the role while learning how to be a sailor.

As he cleaned the wound, his eyes strayed to the dusting of freckles across her nose, the long lashes hiding her eyes as she kept her gaze locked on their hands. She was even more beautiful than he had realised when he saw her in the Winterbournes' garden. Not just in the abstract way he had acknowledged before, but in a way that made his breath catch and his heart stutter in his chest. It was an unsettling truth, so he focused on his task, carefully wrapping a clean bandage around her palm.

"There," he said, his voice rougher than he intended. "That should do it."

She flexed her fingers experimentally, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Thank you, Captain. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

He waved off her apology, his mind already racing ahead. No more accidents. Rain would have his head.

"I think that's enough of you following Tom around," he said, ignoring the widening of her eyes. "From now on, focus solely on your duties for me. Let's keep you out of harm's way."

"But I want to be useful!" she interjected, surprising him with her eagerness to keep at it even after hurting herself.

"And you will be," he said, a note of amusement creeping into his voice. "For me."

"There won't be enough to keep me busy."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you complaining about not enough work?"

She shrugged, her cheeks taking on a slightly darker shade of pink. "I suppose."

With a chuckle, he ran a hand through his hair. "I think you will find, lad, that a sea journey is quite the boring event most of the time with a lot of time when you have little to do. The crew often entertain themselves with dice games and other such things."

"What do you do to pass the time?" She rubbed her palm over her thigh while her storm-grey eyes met his.

"Read. I bring several books on each journey. You're welcome to them if you can read."

"I can read," she muttered and he almost laughed at the narrowing of her eyes as she tried to decide whether he had intended to offend her or not.

"Splendid. Then you may read any of the books in my chest." He didn't want her to return to the deck, worried what trouble she might get up to next, so he leaned back in his chair and motioned to a chessboard that sat on a nearby shelf. "I also enjoy a game of chess. Do you play?"

There was a flicker of excitement in her eyes as she sat up straighter. "I do, sir. Though it's been some time since I've had the opportunity."

"Well, then." He began setting up the pieces, the ivory and ebony gleaming in the soft light of the cabin. "Perhaps you'll indulge me in a game? I find myself in need of a worthy opponent."

He could see the hesitation in her face. The way she glanced towards the door as if contemplating an escape. He couldn't blame her. She must be aware that the more time she spent alone with anyone, the higher the risk they might discover her true identity. But in the end, curiosity won out, and she settled back in her chair, her eyes fixed on the board.

"Fine," she said. "Though I warn you, Captain, I play to win."

He chuckled. "I would expect nothing less. Let's see what you're made of."

As they played, he discovered that his new cabin boy was indeed a skilled player, anticipating his strategies and countering with clever feints of her own.

"Tell me about your family, Oliver," he said as he contemplated his next move. "You mentioned a nephew in America. Your brother's child, was it?"

She nodded, a flicker of sadness passing over her face. "Yes, my brother married an American woman and moved there to be with her. They had a child together, but..." She paused, her hand hovering over a pawn. "He fell ill not long after and passed away. I never even got the chance to meet my nephew."

"I'm sorry," he said softly, moved by the pain in her voice. This was the second time she mentioned her brother and nephew, and he would bet all his money that part of her story was true. "That must have been difficult, losing him like that."

"It was." She stared down in her lap for a moment, her eyes unseeing. "My parents took it very hard. Even travelled to America to try to convince his wife to return to England with them, but she refused. I think she wanted to stay close to her own family, and I can understand that."

Adrian nodded. He, too, cared a lot for his family and would hate to live away from them. It was nothing he would ever tell them to their faces—because that was not the kind of relationship he had with his siblings—but he missed them during his months at sea. Making his move, he captured Oliver's knight with a deft flick of his wrist.

"And what of you, Captain?" she asked, her tone lightening as she surveyed the board. "What drew you to a life at sea?"

Pausing, he weighed his words carefully. There were many reasons he had taken to the sea, some more painful than others.

"Adventure," he said at last, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "A chance to see the world, to escape the confines of society and its expectations."

He hesitated, debating how much to reveal. But something about Oliver's open, earnest face made him want to confide in her, to share a piece of his own story.

"And perhaps a desire to prove myself," he continued. "To show that a second son could make his own way in the world, outside of the shadow of his family name."

There had been another reason, one he rarely acknowledged even to himself. The memory of a pair of warm brown eyes and a tinkling laugh that had once set his heart racing came unbidden to his mind. The woman he had thought himself in love with, only to watch her marry another man.

The sea had been his escape then, a way to put distance between himself and the woman who broke his heart. He could lose himself in the endless expanse of the horizon and the demands of shipboard life. It had been a lot easier than staying to see her with her new husband.

They played on, the hours slipping by unnoticed as they traded stories and game wins. It was only when a knock sounded at the door that Adrian realised how much time had passed. Glancing at the window, he was startled to see the sun had nearly gone down.

Tom poked his head in, his eyes widening as he saw the two of them at the table with the chessboard between them. "Apologies for the interruption, Captain. Just wanted to let you know that Cook is ready to serve supper."

"Thank you, Tom." He waved the young sailor off. "Oliver, why don't you fetch our meals from the galley? You can eat in here with me tonight. I only host the officers some evenings."

"Of course, Captain. I'll return shortly."

As she slipped out of the cabin, Adrian let out a long breath and rose to his feet. Pacing the length of the main cabin, he shook his head. How had he lost track of time like that? Oliver's company was more enticing than he had expected as she had shared some stories of her childhood, carefully curated to work for a young man. It only made him all the more determined to find out who she truly was and why she had embarked on this mad scheme.

But he couldn't deny the growing attraction. The way his pulse quickened at the thought of her smile, the sound of her laugh. He grunted. Maybe it had been too long since he'd slept with a woman to be this affected by someone like this. Especially one dressed as a boy. Yet, somehow, that only made her all the more intriguing. He couldn't help but try to imagine what she might look like under those clothes, what her hair would look like when no longer stuffed under a hat.

This was a dangerous game he was playing. But like her, he played to win. He would find out who she was. One way or another.

~~~~~~