Jameson Wilkes returned shortly. ‘Cover Yourself well,’ he said to her, then stood aside
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as a sailor entered with a stout wooden hipbath, followed by two other men who carried buckets of steaming water.
The men’s eyes slid hungrily toward her when they thought the captain wasn’t looking.
Jameson closed the door behind them, then turned and said, ‘Your bath, my dear.’
She could only stare at him. ‘Come, now.’
‘Get out,’ she said.
‘No,’ he said very gently. ‘This is your first lesson in obedience. Have you ignored the fact that it was I who stripped you? Come, I am well used to women’s bodies, and will not lose my head over the sight of you.’
‘No.’ She saw his expression change, and swallowed convulsively. She closed her eyes, humiliation and fear washing through her.
‘Don’t make me force you.’
Slowly Jules rose from the bed, pulling the sheet with her. She walked to the tub, her eyes fastened to the soft Turkey carpet beneath her feet. She felt him jerk the sheet away from her.
Never in her life had another person seen her unclothed. Even her mother. Even Sarah, her sister.
‘Get into the tub.’
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She did.
Although Jameson Wilkes had studied her closely and quite objectively when he’d first brought her unconscious to his cabin, seeing her lithe body in movement made his eyes glitter with pleasure. She was quite, quite lovely. His eyes traveled up the length of her long white legs, slender and beautifully shaped, to her hips. They weren’t full and rounded, but he didn’t expect that. She was too young and hadn’t borne children. She looked coltish, but certainly not sexless. He mentally added another five hundred dollars to the price he’d already decided upon.
He handed her some perfumed soap. ‘Wash your hair well,’ he said, and returned to his chair.
Jules tried to hide herself from him, but it wasn’t possible. Her breasts were plainly visible, no matter how she tried to curl down into the tub.
After some moments, there was a rap at the cabin door. Jameson Wilkes said quickly, ‘Don’t worry. You will have your privacy. ‘Tis just fresh water to rinse your hair.’
Privacy, she thought, feeling what must be hysteria welling up in her, a condition she’d always considered the epitome of idiocy.
When he told her to stand up, she obeyed. She rinsed her hair thoroughly, then fashioned
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a turban around her head. He handed her a large towel and helped her out of the tub. He said nothing as Juliana quickly dried herself, then wrapped the towel around her. Her breasts, he thought, pleased, were nicely rounded and high, enough of a handful for any man.
He handed her a pearl-handled brush and comb.
Jules sat on the edge of the bed and began to untangle her wet hair. This is a dream, she thought, a nightmare, and I’ll wake up soon, and shiver, then laugh at my own strange imagination. Then I’ll go visit Kanola and play with her children …
‘You know, your tanned face and shoulders will lighten up quite nicely, I think, after two weeks indoors. You’ll be perfectly white all over. Nor,’ Jameson Wilkes continued, ‘will we have to darken your brows or eyelashes. All the redheads I’ve known have had to do so, you know.’
Jules thought briefly of the faded daguerreotype of her French grandmother that her own mother kept well hidden from her father. She’d had dark brows, and her eyelashes appeared thick and curling, making her eyes look languid and quite sultry. Jules said nothing.
‘Of course, such flame-colored hair as yours is unusual and not always natural. I much enjoyed assuring myself that it was natural.’
She stared at him a moment, blankly. ‘The very red curls between your thighs, Juliana.’
This isn’t happening, she thought frantically. It can’t be happening!
He saw the horror in her eyes, saw her quickly duck her head down and stiffen. Excellent, he thought. She was no delicate, swooning maiden. She had pride, and backbone.
‘I fear the next two weeks might prove a bit boring and confining for you, my dear. But there is no choice, really. I noticed that you were looking at my books. I have a good selection, I believe. Not many young ladies like to read, but I have a feeling that you are different from your sisters. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other duties to attend to.’