Cold All the Way Through, But Warming

Dinner With the Captain

When we were released from house arrest the next day, the first thing I did was hurtle up to the kennels and get Rigel out. He was ecstatic to see me, and almost knocked me over when the steward let me into the kennel. Will, coming in behind me, managed to catch me before I hit the floor. "That damn dog, I swear he just keeps getting bigger." I was unable to reply due to said damn dog refusing to stop licking me for a moment. Which meant Will had to hook his leash up with a grumble, "I don't know why you're insisting that he join us all day."

"Because I don't like him being cooped up in here." I muttered, straightening my coat and dress as I stood. "Besides, Rigel seems to improve everything." I could see Will roll his eyes as I stood, and with his tail wagging happily, Rigel followed us down to breakfast. The dining saloon was already serving the passengers that hadn't visited the kennels. If the steward thought my request of an extra plate of eggs for Rigel was odd, he didn't say anything.

Will, however, did. "You know he ate last night."

"And look at him," I leaned over and ruffled the hair on Rigel's head. Not that I had to lean very far, he was tall enough to grab food off the table if I hadn't trained that out of him. "Skin and bones, my poor boy." Rigel lolled his tongue out at that, tail thumping and he leaned into my hand when I brought it up to cradle his head. In al honesty, Rigel was large, strong and completely covered in a thick coat of hair so I couldn't tell his condition just from a simple look. Will chuckled though, and didn't mention anything when I placed the eggs for Rigel on the floor and let him eat.

Afterwards, we had just risen when a steward approached with a card. Will accepted it, flipped it open, and nodded. "Please let Captain Haddock know we'll be there." I could see a few other passengers stir at that, looking over with a very obvious curiosity. Will waited until we had left the saloon to inform me, "Haddock wants us to have dinner with him tonight."

"Ah, at his table?" I checked to make sure Rigel kept up as we took some stairs up to the boat deck.

"Hardly, he wants us to join him in the officer's mess." Will smiled, "He knows we won't consider than an insult."

"If anything, it's a blessing." I snorted, knowing that it would be far less stressful to spend the meal away from the other passengers. Fortunately we hadn't been confronted by any curious passengers, but sometimes I felt like the other passengers were eyeing Will with something beyond curiosity. So it was going to be much easier for us to spend the day up on the boat deck, cold as it was. The cold could easily be dealt with by a couple of steamer rugs, and by the fact that Rigel made a very good heater.

I had quite forgotten how strange it felt to be on the boat deck all alone, for the other passengers were keeping down below where it was warm. So it was only Will and I, trailed by Rigel, that made our way down past the row of lifeboats until we managed to find a pair of deck chairs with the steamer rugs we had rented. For a moment I was scared that the cold and the sight of the lifeboats hanging in their neat rows would send me back to the boat deck on Titanic, but I simply shoved my hand into my coat pocket. True to his word, Will had come back from a trip to the offices with Charles with a whistle for me. I rolled it around in my hand as I settled down into the chair, throwing the rug over my shoulders.

Everything was fine, the seas and skies were clear, Will had forgone his own chair to join me in mine and double up our blankets and Rigel was happily panting next to us. I had no doubt my fingers had the imprint of the whistle on them when I finally let it go though. Instead of worrying further, I tried to distract myself by huddling closer to Will. I glanced up, "I don't know how long I'll last, even with the blankets."

He rolled his eyes, "Just call Rigel up and have him lay on you, he'll keep you warm."

"I have no doubt he would." I muttered, petting that big black head. "You don't think your family will mind him, do you?"