Seduction Upon A Voyage

Chapter 10

Charlene woke up to the sounds of birds and sunlight. The memory of Roarke's kiss brought a lazy smile to her face. She got up, wanting to see him again. She made her way up the stairs eagerly.

Sunlight greeted her when she emerged onto the main deck. She could see Roarke signalling for his men to lowered the anchor. They'd reached another dock.

Roarke saw her and smiled. Charlene could do nothing except beamed back. After some final orders, Roarke made his way toward her.

"Why are you up here?" He asked, pulling her into a hug. He rested his hands around her small waist. Charlene looked around and noticed the sailors eyeing them strangely. Some even smiled awkwardly at her.

"Did you tell them?" She whispered into his ears.

"Yes, last night after you went back to sleep. I couldn't contain my excitement." He gave her waist a small squeeze. Charlene could see a tiny dimple peaking on his left cheek. She looked away, resisting the urge to kiss this man in front of his crewmates.

After clearing her throat, Charlene asked, "Where are we?"

"The capital of Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia, Salvador. This, love, you'll enjoyed immensely. Bahia's ecoregion has been given high priority for its biodiversity because it harbors an extraordinary number of endemic plants, birds, primates, and butterflies. It's a tropical rainforest."

"I've never been to a rainforest before," Charlene replied, her eyes lighting up. "Do you think we could go explore today?"

Roarke gave a heartfelt chuckle and shook his head, "you needs more rest. Besides, we still need to shop. Now that I know you're a girl, I don't want you in breeches."

"Have anyone ever tell you that you're the bossiest man?" Charlene teased, faking indignation. She loved when he worried about her.

Roarke chuckled some more before pressing a brief kiss on her lips. "Now be a good girl and go get ready. We need to go find lodging soon," he said tenderly.

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Roarke watched as Charlene bounced ahead of him. He still didn't want her out. But after much adorable pleading from her, he couldn't resisted. She could asked him for the moon and Roarke would've found a way to bring it to her. Fortunately, she's not that simple minded.

Charlene turned back, gestured to the shop in front of her with a raised of her brow. Roarke nodded and she turned toward the door after giving him a pleasing smile. His stomach did a flip. Only she could have that effect on him. Roarke hurried to catch up.

Charlene was waiting for him when he went through the door. It was a simple store, with a variety of fabrics. One side of the shop hosted somber colors while the other side was lined with vibrant cloths. Some ready-made dresses were displayed in a glass box. Different day hats hung on the walls and some kid gloves were flaunted on the counter tables. 

A lady emerged through the back door. She had the most striking crimson hair. She greeted them with a friendly smile. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes," Charlene said. "We're look for some traveling dress. We'll be needing them quick, too."

"I have some pre-made dresses in the back that looked to be your sizes. I'll bring it out for you to try. Making adjustments should be fairly easy." She said before turning to head back inside. She hadn't made it through the door yet when the bell at the front rang, signalling another visitor. All three of them turned to greet the newcomer.

Roarke could see that the guy who just walked through the door was a very handsome man. He looked to be in his mid-20s. Although he wore a simple dark green double-breasted waistcoat, yellowed by usages, his green-grey eyes expressed intelligences. His blond hair was cut unfashionably, leaving some threads falling over his eyes. He looked very familiar to Roarke but Roarke couldn't placed where he's saw the men. Instantly, his annoyances heightened.

The stranger smiled when he spied the red-hair girl. He was about to said something but was cut short by the screeching of Charlene standing next to Roarke.

"Charles!" Charlene yelled before flinging herself into the stranger's arms. He hung on to her awkwardly.

Jealousy coursed through Roarke. But before he could act on it, the man pushed Charlene away, looking at her as if she was mad.

He continued to stared at her before uttering, "who are you? Do you know me?"

Charlene visibly took a step back. She looked toward Roarke before turning back to the man. "Charles, I'm your sister, Charlene. How could you not remember me? Did you take a hit to the head?" She accused the man.

The stranger continued to looked at Charlene, surprise showing on his face. "I..." he started but didn't know how to continued.

"He was washed ashore five months ago." The red-hair lady said, coming around the counter. "He didn't remember who he was when he awoke. Are you truly his sister?"

"Unless he's a doppelgänger, then yes. He's my brother. My brother, Charles, was lost at sea. The last time I heard from him was more than five months ago." Charlene said with her head held high. Roarke walked over and took one of her hands. He gave it a squeeze. Charlene smiled at him appreciatively. They both turned toward the other couple.

"We should find somewhere private to discussed this," the lady said before walking toward the back room. Everybody followed her.

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Charlene looked at Charles again. She couldn't believe that she'd found her brother! After all these times, he'd safely lived among the Brazilians in Southern America. Thanks to Olivia, the red-hair girl, and her physician of a father, Charles was able to recovered from his physical injuries quickly. Charlene smiled at her brother.

"So my name's Charles Arwin and I'm a navy officer," Charles mumbled in disbelief.

"Yes, you were a Lieutenant of the Royal Navy. From your last letter, you said you're on the Continent and will be travelling to South America. You didn't specified where." Charlene looked at Roarke, he was perched on the chair next to her, following her explanation closely. She felt deep regret not telling him about Charles. Still, she appreciated his patiences and understandings. Charlene turned back to Charles before continuing, "are you experiencing any other pains beside loss of memory? I'd heard that this condition is distinctive and each individuals had their own recovery rates. Have you recovered any memories in the past few months?"

"That's what Olivia's father said. And no, I could remember nothing of my previous life before five months ago," Charles responded with regrets. "I'd experienced headaches if I tried too hard to remember anything. So I'd stopped trying." 

After a momentary pause, Charlene suggested, "that might be because you were in unfamiliar places. If you're in England, you might recovered your memory faster!" She turned to Roarke full of hopes, "could he possibly travels with us? He could sleep in my cabin. It'll also helps if I recounted his life to him everyday."

Roarke noticed the fleeting looks that Charles shared with Olivia. There's something else going on between these two that Charlene was too excited to notice. 

"I think we should give Charles a couple of days to get used to this," Roarke said gently to Charlene. Charles shoot him an understanding look. Roarke quickly continued before Charlene could protest. "He'd just discovered that he had a sister! Furthermore, we'll be here for awhile so there's no point in packing him up now."

After a moment of contemplation, Charlene finally gave a dejected nod. Roarke's heart ached for her. He hated to see her unhappy. He excused himself, wanting to let the siblings talked. Charlene deserved to spent some privacy with her brother after all she'd been through to find him. Seeing the adorations in her eyes for her brother, Roarke understood why she proceeded the way she did. There's no way she could have left England as simply Charlene Arwin. Roarke thanked the Lord for putting Charlene on his ship instead of any others. He couldn't imagined his life without her. He shuddered when imagining Charlene on another ship. Sailors could be nefarious, especially with a cruel captain.