Deleted scene from 1854 - The Next Together

Off the coast of France, 1854

This scene was cut out because nothing much happens in it – but it's very sweet, so I wanted to share it! In it, Katy is in disguise as a boy, working as Matthew's manservant and note-taker. Unfortunately, she can't write, which turns out to be a problem when you're working for a journalist.......

Matthew handed her his pen and a notebook. Katy looked up at him questioningly.

"I thought we could start taking notes. I could teach you a bit of shorthand to speed the process up."

Katy bit her lip. She'd thought she'd have a little longer before he found out she couldn't write. What if he was so angry he dropped her off in Spain and sent her home? He handed her the pen, and she took it reluctantly, perching awkwardly on her hammock and staring down at the paper.

He began talking quickly. "The journey progresses smoothly, with good weather and few delays."

The. She knew what that looked like. This wasn't going to be so hard. She tentatively pressed the nib of the pen to the page. A dark dot of ink appeared, spreading across the surface. She pulled back, startled, and then did it again. This time it only left a small dot, the excess ink had gone.

She drew a line, revelling in the shaky dash it left on the crisp sheet. After a moment of delighted enjoyment, she realised Matthew had gone silent. She looked up to find him watching her with an odd expression.

"You can't write, can you?"

She blanched. "Not- exactly. I can read! I just . . . haven't done the actual writing part before."

His lip tightened. Katy shifted nervously, waiting for him to shout at her. After a moment he relaxed and looked back.

"Well, I suppose we can fix that. We have plenty of time, after all."

She let out a relieved breath. "Thank you. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you."

He stood up and came to sit on her hammock. She was distracted for a moment by the lines of his shoulders, surprisingly well-defined muscles visible through his shirt. He took the book off her and she let her eyes drift over the hair falling in his eyes. His spectacles were just clinging to the brink of his nose. One sharp movement and they'd fall off. He pushed them up absently, and she shook herself. What was she doing? She was here to spy on him, not admire him.

He handed her back the notebook. He'd written out the alphabet across the top of the page.

"We'll start with the basics. Once you master writing the letters you should catch on quickly, especially if you can already read."

She once again picked up the pen, trying to ignore his voice, lilting and low in her ear, as she focused on making shaky letters on the page.

After she'd written out three lines of letters in an almost illegible hand, she was immensely frustrated with her own inability to grasp the method. Matthew leaned close, inspecting her work.

"Why don't you try using your left hand?"

She tried to ignore the touch of his hair against her cheek, and did as he advised. The letters immediately flowed better, and her pen sped across the page.

"There you are," he said in great satisfaction. "You'll be outpacing me in no time."

"That's why I'm here," she said, the high of her success relaxing her enough to reply cheekily, "because you can't manage to write yourself, right?"

To her delight he responded in mock-outrage, "Are you calling me weak?"

"I meant . . . because you can't keep up with your speedy thoughts. Obviously. They run so fast, it's hard work writing and thinking, you know."

"Is it now," he said, amused. "Nice save. Well, it is true that it's hard to transcribe interviews fast enough. You'll have to practice before we get to the front, we don't want to miss out on any important information because you struggle to keep up."

Her grin faded. For a moment she had felt content, but the reminder of their purpose made her remember herself. She couldn't be friendly with Matthew like this. She was here for work.

She bent her head back to the paper and didn't reply.

  ***If you want to know more about Katy and Matthew, you can read the first chapter of The Next Together on my Wattpad, and buy the novel in all good bookshops or online.***