Chapter Two

The house was aflame. Servants ran about in mass confusion. Immediately she saw Jo wasn’t in the group and she ran for the house. Najja broke through the window and choked almost immediately on the thick smoke. Calling upon her memory of the room’s layout, she made her way to the bed and felt for her friend. There. Dragging her unceremoniously back to the window she started lifting her out. A servant stood there and pulled Jo to safety.

Without a second’s hesitation, she took a deep breath and went back in to ensure the entire household had gotten out. The smoke and flames increased exponentially with the dry wood of the house and the morning breeze. A few hours later, she stood with Father and Lord Adrys by the smoldering and charred remains of the house. They left in silence and trekked down to the port. She could smell the smoke on her clothes but ignored it.

Jo and her mother waited surrounded by servants. Viscount Hayworth Adrys, was a man who still turned heads. His hair, mostly brown, was streaked with silver. His body in good shape, tanned from being outside so much. But where his expression was mostly composed, she could see the remaining fear from the fire. Her gaze moved from him to the waiting ship where Lady Adrys and Jo had just boarded and were probably headed to their rooms. Staring at the tallest mast, she fought a grin when she saw the crow’s nest and her own personal distress calmed. She also knew her own horse had been loaded.

“It is time.” Father spoke the obvious.

They were departing early. The ship had been readied only waiting for Adrys to finish. However, with the fire he’d abandoned his studies and agreed to leave earlier.

She nodded and walked after Lord Adrys. There was no hug, no tearful farewell. But she didn’t expect one. She had a purpose and it wasn’t to be an affectionate daughter. They cast off and she stood by the rail as the ship slowly picked up speed. She gazed back to watch as her beloved rainforest grew smaller and smaller, but Najja never looked back for Father.

Jo approached her, face alight with tears of joy. “I am so glad you are coming with us,” she said wrapping her up in a huge hug.

Najja smiled in return before stepping away.

“With you with me, England shall be most exciting. Imagine the fun we shall have.”

“I believe you will be getting ready for your Season.”

A scowl crossed Jo’s face. “I don’t care to be matched up with a stuffy member of peerage.”

“Perhaps it will not be that way.”

She didn’t believe what she’d said and from Jo’s expression, neither did she.

“Excuse me, Jo, I need a word with Najja. In private,” Lord Adrys interrupted.

Jo harrumphed but left. She doted on her father and the feeling was mutual. He spoiled her rotten. As she watched the daughter of Viscount Adrys leave and head to her waiting mother, she wondered how it would have been to have such an interaction with her own.

No point in dwelling on that.

“Yes, my lord?” she asked, facing him only to catch another glimpse of her fading homeland.

He gave her a charming smile. “No need to be so formal. You are practically my daughter as well.” The words touched her in ways he couldn’t possibly fathom. “I know this was not easy for you. To give everything up and come with us.” She remained silent throughout his proclamation, not willing to tell him she had no say in the matter, it had been purely Father’s decision. He cleared his throat and continued, “I am not sure what you were told.” He waited and she took his silence as her time to speak.

“He told me to protect Miss Josephine until the trouble has been ascertained and dealt with.”

“I will keep you updated on information as I learn it.”

“Very well.”

He seemed a bit uncertain but she merely waited for him to figure out what he longed to say and how to voice it. Past him she watched her homeland vanish, swallowed up by the ocean. Her heart hurt and she didn’t understand. She’d been away numerous times before with training, lessons, and…. She shook her head, stopping the thoughts. Regardless, this time felt different. Almost like her heart believed she would not be returning to Africa’s beautiful shores.

“I do not want Jo to know; or Honoria for that matter,” Adrys said.

“I will not say a word on it. I will tell Jo I am…her companion?”

He nodded. “Perfect.” The strain on his face faded awarding her a glimpse of the handsome man he was. “Thank you, Najja. You kept my daughter safe all the years we lived here and your father tells me there is no one else he would trust to keep my daughter safe than you. I hope your stay with us in England will not be horrible.”

Words escaped her for a moment. She was more than a bit unsure on how to handle that bit of news. Pride from Father? Unheard of.

Regaining her wits quickly, she said, “Do not worry about me, my lord. You have enough to focus on.”

“Let me show you to your room. And stop with the ‘my lord’ bit.” He paused. “At least when it is family around. If you are to be her companion I suppose in public it would be best,” he said a bit distractedly.

She dipped her head in acknowledgement. With a final peek to the crow’s nest she followed him to find her room, small but clean.

“I will come get you for dinner.”

His announcement startled her. She had assumed to dine alone. “As you require,” she replied.

He gave her a kind smile and slipped away. With a sigh, she sat in the hammock and pushed it slightly. Barely a minute later, a knock came to the door before it opened, admitting Jo. Without asking she hurried and joined her in the hammock.

“Does your mother know you are here?”

Jo huffed. “She instructed me to nap. I guess I am supposed to be tired. I have no clue why, it is not like the rowing of the ship falls on my shoulders.”

Najja chuckled and stared at the ceiling as they swayed back and forth with the rhythm of the ship. She would make her way above deck come nightfall and look around. One thing is certain, she thought listening to Jo continue to prattle on, it won’t be a dull trip.