Insperatus by Kelly Varesio

think a witch wrote me this letter stating that my father left me in a boarding school when he was a few miles up the road my whole life? And brought back a French daughter five years younger than me?”
    He didn’t reply at first. “It is not my intention to have your personal life trouble you,” he said quietly. “Nor is it my intention to even know your personal life, but I do believe now that what is written is true.”
    With a quick movement of her hand, she wiped the blurriness out of her eyes. His face was very grave but became saddened—he had noticed.
    “ I believe you,” she whispered shakily, though she wasn’t sure why she said that.
    She didn’t want him to think she was in love with him, especially if he loved someone else. But she found she was experiencing the wildest feelings she could dream of, and they were becoming stronger. The strangest part was that she had no way of stopping the progression of those feelings, even though she hardly knew him. The idea of falling in love so quickly was completely ridiculous to her. She hardly knew him. Why hadn’t she fallen for any other man she’d hardly known? There were others; some extremely handsome, but they nearly revolted her. Somehow it honestly felt like she did know Traith Harker, and that made her believe him; she just couldn’t let him see that.
    He widened his fiery eyes. “I…” He paused, and her heart stood still. “I’ve never had anyone trust me so, Miss Pierson,” he muttered. “I don’t know what to say.”
    “ If your ‘Mistress’ is a witch,” she stuttered to reply, covering her deepness of feeling for him, “then she told me to trust you. You are the only British man I know of on this ship. Other than Edgar, of course, but I’ve known him since before I boarded.”
    He laughed softly. “Please stay calm for me, then,” he said. “I realize you have been and most likely will be calm anyway, without my asking you to, but stay alert at the same time. We will be approaching America in a fortnight, maybe less.” He glanced at the letter she had thrown on the table. “If this is true, your father will be waiting for you when you get—” he cut himself off and became quiet. “When you get back to England.” He let out his breath and cleared his throat after a moment. “I haven’t seen England in awhile. How is it?” He appeared to be reminiscing.
    “ It’s well,” she replied, wiping down her dress. “Hasn’t changed any for years, really. Where are you from there?”
    “ Surrey,” he replied. “New Egham. Small town, but quaint.”
    “ Oh, south England. I’m from up north. That’s odd; you don’t sound as though you’re from a home county.”
    He laughed softly. “So you simply found this letter here, right?”
    “ Yes,” she said, getting her thoughts back on track. “This ship is so bizarre. Couldn’t you explain to me why you seemed so worried when we first met in the corridor? Why was I in need of warning?”
    His focus was solely on her, and his comfortable posture stiffened. “M-Miss Pierson, I…” His face was full of concern as he was about to finish his reply. He bit his tongue and sighed, his head falling into his hands. “This is so hard to understand.” He wiped his hands down his face and squinted at her. “You told me you trusted me, so just do that. There is no explanation I can give, but I can keep you safe. There is nothing more for you to worry about, all right?”
    “ No explanation?” she repeated in a confused whisper. “So you warned me without reason?”
    “ No, not without reason,” he said. “Just without explanation. Trust me.”
    She shook her head and smiled at the way he spoke. Despite not receiving the answers she wanted, she felt inside as though she should embrace him. He cared about her situation. He said he would protect her and asked for her trust. She had been right all along, but both her propriety and the table were in the way of an