Her father’s and Tobias’ shouting didn’t frighten her. Made her feel smug, rather, for she was disobeying them and neither of them could do a thing about it right now. To hell with the future. In this moment she was perfectly free. She glanced briefly at Tobias, didn’t even look in her father’s direction and tossed her head up in the wind.

A smirk played around the corner of her mouth when their team’s captain shouted at Tobias and her father that they couldn’t have her. She blushed and glowed with delight as she moved to the back to the back of the ship to handle the rudder. She was determined that they should win too, or at least beat Tobias’ team! Maybe then he would see that she was not as helpless and dull as he seemed to think she was.

She sat down by the rudder, looking out over the boat and harbour to determine their course, and then back at the rudder. But she lifted her eyes when she heard a splash. There was already a man in the water behind them. That was Mr. Meijer’s team, she realized. And there was… All the excitement left her eyes met Noah’s staring at her.

He had broken her heart.

Then she inhaled sharply through the nose, frowned angrily and turned to the girls in her boat. “Tighten that sail a little. Come on!” They would win this race!

“I’ll show ye how to handle t’ rudder, ma’m!” she told the lady when she asked what she could do. She began to explain to Miss Pennyfeather how the rudder worked and how to handle it, while handling it herself to the best of her ability. She looked up anxiously now and then to see their progress. They were even ahead of her father’s team! If only they could catch up on Tobias’. She grinned back at Lory when her cousin called out to her. “Let’s cut them off!” She shouted back.

Another splash. She turned her head. Alas, it wasn’t Noah.