Captain Haig didn’t say anything, just kept staring straight ahead as though he hadn’t heard her. She refused to let his rude behavior unnerve her. She deserved every bit of it, and things were only going to get worse soon.

The thud of footsteps heralded Gray’s arrival. He appeared on the opposite side of the bridge, his brows narrowed in concern and the white cat draped over one of his arms.

“What’s going on?” Gray asked the captain, who sent a pointed glance her way.

Gray’s face darkened like a thundercloud when he saw her, and he dropped the cat, which ran for cover. She wished she could do the same, but she squared her shoulders and met his gaze.

“This is a little awkward—”

“This is an outrage!” he roared, stepping forward to tower above her. “What are you doing on this ship?”

“Caroline sent me.”

It was the only thing she needed to say. Gray’s eyes morphed from shock to disbelief to anger. He turned away and let out a stream of curse words. She’d never even heard some of them but figured they were pretty bad.

“She thought you should change your mind about teaming up with Good Housekeeping,” she said, “and that I’d have a better shot at persuading the editor to your cause. I know you’re angry. You have every right to be.”

“Thanks, Annabelle, that’s very generous of you.” Emotions continued flashing across his face as he struggled to control himself. Finally he turned to Captain Haig. “Turn this ship around. I’m not sailing with her.”

“You can’t!” she gasped.

To her relief, Captain Haig seemed to agree with her. “It will cost a fortune in fuel to go back,” he said. “The port charges will be even worse. Add in the time to refuel, and we’ll be two days behind schedule.”

If possible, Gray got even angrier as he paced in the tight confines of the wheelhouse. “Then we’ll stop in Philadelphia and put her ashore there. I don’t care how much it costs, I want her off this ship.”

This was a development she hadn’t considered, and it terrified her. She didn’t have enough money to make her way home from Philadelphia. But Gray was a logical man, if he could just simmer down.

“Gray, you need to care more about your cause than your hatred for me. I can help you. I can deliver on Luke’s idea—”

“If you’re smart, you’ll stop saying my brother’s name.”