Things have taken a decided turn! Last night the Captain had arranged a masked ball full of dancing and good vintages. We all turned out in our best, and I made certain to find suitable attire and masks for Annie as well. Louis, playing the gallant, escorted Annie and made certain she danced most of the evening. She was absolutely enchanted.
It would appear, however, that Joe did not take kindly to this. He confronted Louis, so enraged that he actually struck my brother-in-law! As happenstance would have it, Joe made the mistake of doing so just as Annie and I were walking on the promenade, resulting in Annie seeing the whole affair, including Louis's black eye.
Needless to say, Annie has finally come to accept what I've been telling her- that a man such as Joe is not really a suitable travelling companion for a young woman like her. He may have been a good friend, although she finally sees that we were correct in surmising that he hoped to become more, but he puts her in a rather compromising position as a companion.
Tonight there is another dance, and tomorrow we land in England. I cannot just send Annie with Joe to whatever fate he has in store for her, even if his heart is in the right place and so I've consulted with Lord Covington and have offered to bring her with us, at least for a time. She seems excited, if scared, by the prospect which I can understand completely.
As much as I love travelling, I am looking forward to sleeping on dry land. It has been a much more trying trip than I expected.
Yours Truly,
Rose
PS- I actually slept better last night. I wonder if it had something to do with the reading I've been doing as I was so tired from the dancing that I fell immediately to sleep. As such, I had only read some of this book during the afternoon and not before bed. I intend to repeat this experiment tomorrow and see if it the cure to my ills!
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