"Good. Then you will have no objection to him accompanying me to the Golden Dragon to make repairs to its steam engine."
Thea's body tensed at the sound of that voice.
Drake. What was he doing here?
She spun around to face him and her skirts brushed against the forge, picking up soot along the hem. Intense heat from the fire licked at her arms as she came too near in her surprise.
Drake swore and, taking a giant step forward, grasped her arms to pull her from proximity to the fire. "Trouble follows you like a friend, Miss Selwyn."
She wanted to respond with a curt comment, but found the intensity of his eyes hotter than the fires in the smithy. "I do not know what you mean, sir."
He let go of her arms, although he remained indecently close. "I wonder how you avoid harm when I am not here to pull you to safety."
She stepped away from him. "I manage quite nicely. Perhaps it is your presence that accounts for my mishaps today. What think you of that?"
He laughed. The rich sound and unexpected softening of the hard angles of Drake's face entranced her.
She smiled with him. "Perhaps I am too harsh. I am truly grateful for your quick action earlier."
He cocked his brow. "And now?"
Chagrined, she forced herself to answer. "And now. Thank you for pulling me away from the forge. I lost my bearings for a moment."
He nodded. "I am glad I was here."
She almost answered that had he not been, she would never have lost her bearings, but she had allowed her unruly tongue enough license for one day. "Why are you here?"
"As I said, I would like to hire the services of the blacksmith for work on my steam engine."
"Your ship is a steam vessel?" She didn't understand. He was English. The only steam vessels she knew of were American, and only one had been built for ocean going, the SS Savannah.
"Not entirely. It is a combination sailing and steam vessel."
Ah, like the SS Savannah. When he didn't elaborate, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "And?"
He smiled. The controlled amusement in the brown depths of his eyes surprised her.
A school of dolphins took up frolicking in her insides. This tall, dark man was entirely too appealing.
"And … my ship's engine boiler has burst. I need the services of your blacksmith. I am willing to pay both Merewether Shipping and him for the use of his time."
"There would be no reason to pay my company for the use of an independent man's time. I believe I mentioned that we do not practice slavery." She barely restrained herself from saying more on the subject. Drake was not here to listen to a lecture on the merits of abolition.
His eyes narrowed. "I merely intended to compensate your company for the loss of the man's time on your project while he takes care of my engine."
She shrugged. "The winch can wait. It is almost finished anyway."
"Good. Then we can proceed." He turned to Jacob. "Mr.…"
Jacob set the winch down and pulled off the heavy gloves that protected his hands from the heat of the fire in the forge. "I'm called Jacob."
Drake put out his hand. "Jacob it is then. I'm in desperate need of your services."
The action surprised and pleased her. It apparently surprised Jacob as well.
He stared for a moment at Drake's hand, as if not sure what to do with it. Finally he wiped his own hand on the leg of his breaches before shaking hands with the other man. "You want that I fix the boiler, sir?"
"Yes. As quickly as possible."