She laughed, and said, “I wanted the meeting to appear casual.”
“And so you start out by telling me you’ve been looking for me?” he inquired, smiling.
She made a little grimace. “It’s ry candid nature. It’s always betraying me. I hate sham and hypocrisy. Come on into the social hall, I want to talk to you.”
Mason turned, took her arm, and, together, they swayed toward the stern of the ship. “Nasty weather for the captain’s dinner tonight,” Mason said.
“I think it’s fun,” she told him. “I get an awful bang out of it. If you go on deck and stand in a sheltered place, you can hear the wind howling around the masts. I thought it was only in wind-jammers you heard that sound.”
Mason said, “There’s quite a bit of rigging on a steamer these days. Did it frighten you?”
“No, I think it’s wonderful! There’s something fascinating and awe-inspiring about it. It’s a long-drawn-out, steady, hollow sound. You can’t describe it.”
“I know the sound,” Mason said, “and never tire of listening to it. I like storms.”
Belle Newberry’s eyes sparkled. “You would,” she said.
Mason said, “I think that’s a compliment, Belle. But you didn’t search me out to talk about storms, did you?”