“The devil we are.”
She turned around, put her arms around him as well, which was no easy task considering how wide and solidly muscled James Malory was. “We are,” she insisted. “With Jeremy getting married, I don’t doubt he’ll make us grandparents soon, and I’m going to feel positively ancient when he does!”
He burst out laughing. “What a silly chit you are, and I thought you only get that way when…you’re…pregnant. Good God, George, you aren’t pregnant again, are you?”
She huffed. “Not that I know of. Really, I don’t think so.”
“Then stop being silly, or must I remind you that Jeremy is only your stepson, and that he’s only a few years younger than you are. You’re only going to be a step-grandmother. And don’t even think of calling me ancient again, or were you planning on serving shoes for dinner?”
She pushed out of his arms, laughing at the memory of his chasing her around his desk on his ship, The Maiden Anne, after she’d told him “if the shoe fits” in relation to his being ancient. He’d told her he was going to make her eat that shoe, and he probably would have, too. She’d wounded his vanity, after all, quite deliberately, of course. But shoes and the eating of them were a standard joke with them now.
“And of course the youngun needs cheering up,” James agreed. “His future mother-in-law all but kicked him out of her house and refuses to let him see the bride before the wedding. I’m deuced if I would have allowed your family to keep me away from you after the wedding date was set.”
“Very funny, James. We didn’t get to set a wedding date and you know it. We both got shoved up to the altar the very same day my family met you.”
“And a good thing, too, but then barbarians are so predictable.”
She burst out laughing. “Let’s not inform them that you did the forcing that day, when they really thought it was their idea.”
“They wouldn’t believe it anyway, and thankfully, you only have one brother here at the moment—one too many, but one I can tolerate.”
“You’ll never admit that my brothers aren’t as bad as you thought, will you? Drew even recently helped extricate Jeremy from the leg-shackle that he didn’t want, and without being asked, too.”
“His help was noted. Hate to say it, but I do owe him one for that. Just don’t remind him that I do. I bloody well hope he forgets.”
“Oh, posh. He doesn’t expect payback. Andersons aren’t like that and you know it.”
“Beg to differ, George. Everyone is like that if the need is great enough. Fortunately, he’s got four other brothers to depend on before he’d think of turning to a brother-in-law for help. And it sounds like Tony has arrived,” he added with a wince as they both heard the noise from downstairs. “You really should point out to our daughter that squealing is a habit of pigs, not young girls.”
Amused by her husband’s reaction to the din their daughter and Tony’s daughter were making, she grinned at him. “Won’t do any good. You know very well Jack and Judy are inseparable. If they haven’t seen each other for a few days, they simply can’t help being excited when they do.”
“And make that unearthly racket.”
“Which reminds me. Jacqueline is really looking forward to this trip, but I don’t think it’s occurred to her yet that she won’t see Judith for the couple of months that we’ll be gone.”
James groaned inwardly, quite aware of where her thoughts were going. “You’re leaving the twins with Regan, but now you want to add to the passenger list? My brother will never agree. You may depend upon it.”
“’Course he will. It’s going to be an educational trip, after all, for the girls to visit America. They’ve never been out of England, either of them.”
“What’s that got to do with Tony missing his only daughter?”
“Just remind him that it will give him some time alone with Rosalyn.”
He pulled her back into his arms. “And when do I get some time alone with you?”
“Do you want some?” she almost purred, wrapping her arms around his neck as she leaned into him.
“Always.”
“Then I’ll think of something, and you may depend upon that.”
Chapter 5
“T WO WEEKS AIN’T THE LEAST BIT DEPRESSING, and you only have three days to go before the wedding. Gives you time to have second thoughts, don’t it? Her mother is a genius if you ask me. You may end up thanking her.”
All four men stared at Percival Alden as if he were daft. This was not an unusual occurrence. It happened all the time, actually. Percy, as his friends called him, could be counted on to say the most ridiculous things, or worse, to say things he shouldn’t to the wrong people, which usually resulted in one of his friends getting in deep water. And oddly enough, it was never intentional, it was simply Percy being Percy.
Right now, only Jeremy Malory was glaring at Percy for the remarks he had just made. The other men in the room were greatly amused, though most of them tried admirably not to show it. But Jeremy was the one in the dumps over being denied access to Danny, the woman who’d won his heart, while her mother arranged their wedding.
Some private time alone with her daughter was Evelyn Hillary’s real motive when she’d told Jeremy almost two weeks ago to go home to await the day of his nuptials. He shouldn’t begrudge her that, she’d said, and he didn’t really. Mother and daughter had been separated for many years, after all, Danny having grown up in the London slums, unaware of who she was or that she still had one parent alive when she’d thought them both dead. And they’d only just been reunited.
Knowing that made the separation no easier to bear for Jeremy. He’d only just realized that what he felt for Danny was real, and Malorys didn’t succumb to love easily. They were a family that had produced some of London’s most notorious rakes, Jeremy included, and not one of them had ever treated that emotion lightly once they’d experienced it.
Drew Anderson was the only one in the drawing room, where the men had gathered after dinner, who didn’t try to conceal his amusement over Percy’s remarks. Out of all the Malorys he probably liked Jeremy the best, since they had so much in common, or at least they did before Jeremy decided to give up his bachelorhood. Jeremy was also his nephew by marriage, or step-nephew, but family nonetheless.
What was even more amusing was that Jeremy, known to have such a high tolerance for alcohol that he’d never experienced a state of real inebriation, even when drinking everyone else under the table, looked to be on his way to changing that amazing record tonight. He’d arrived with a bottle of brandy in hand, had gone through another during dinner, and was fast making his way through a third. It was incredible that he wasn’t passed out on the floor and that his words weren’t slurred, but there was a telltale glaze in his eyes that warned he was foxed, as the saying went here, for the first time in his life.
His father, James, hadn’t noticed yet. His uncle Anthony was too busy trying not to laugh to notice. Percy only noticed things he shouldn’t, so he wouldn’t be remarking on it. But Drew, being an Anderson in the enemy’s camp, as it were, had no trouble spotting Jeremy’s misery and what he was attempting to do about it.
Sorrows drowned in drink. It was too funny. But Drew could almost sympathize. The bride was incredibly beautiful, and he’d considered pursuing her himself when he’d thought she was just Jeremy’s upstairs maid. But Jeremy had already staked a claim and had made that clear. And no woman was worth fighting over in Drew’s opinion. If he couldn’t have one, another would do. He wasn’t particular, and wasn’t about to get caught in an emotion that was foreign to him.
In every harbor he sailed into, there was a woman waiting to greet him with open arms. It wasn’t that he’d made a deliberate effort to have a “sweetheart” in every port, as his sister was fond of putting it. He was just a man who loved women, all women, and those he favored tended to hope he’d make their port his permanent one. Not that he ever gave them any reason to think he’d ever settle do
wn. He told them no lies, made them no promises, and when he was at sea didn’t require they be any more faithful than he’d ever be.
Georgina and Anthony’s wife entered the drawing room before Jeremy got around to blasting his friend. Now, there was another fine-looking woman, Rosalyn Malory, Drew thought. He had heard how Anthony had won the lady. She’d been in need of a husband to protect her from an unscrupulous cousin who was trying to steal her fortune. Anthony had volunteered, to the amazement of his family. He was another rake they’d thought would never marry.
Drew could say one thing for the Malory men: they certainly had good taste in women. And James Malory had made the best catch of all, in his opinion, because James had managed to get the Andersons’ only sister to fall in love with him. He didn’t deserve her, of course. None of her brothers thought he did. But it couldn’t be denied that he made her happy.
Drew wasn’t looking forward to being confined on a ship with his formidable brother-in-law, but he was certainly delighted that he’d be spending more time with his sister and niece, since he didn’t get to London that often. Too bad James couldn’t be left behind. He ought to suggest it. He could take care of James’s family well enough, since they were his family, too. And he was sure James didn’t really want to go, when he had such bad memories of the last time he’d been in Bridgeport.
Wouldn’t hurt to suggest it, Drew thought. It would be another week before they sailed, enough time for James to at least consider staying home. There was time enough for Drew to watch Jeremy tie the knot, too, and lament that another confirmed bachelor was leaving the ranks. If he ever got that stupid, he hoped someone would shoot him first.
Chapter 6
D REW WAS IN A HURRY. He had just been told that his brother Boyd’s ship, The Oceanus, was anchored in the harbor waiting for dockage. It would be days before it was given a berth because the line of incoming ships was long. But that didn’t mean Boyd hadn’t rowed ashore already, and if not, Drew would find a dinghy himself to pay Boyd a visit.
He hadn’t known Boyd was scheduled to stop in England, but his timing couldn’t have been better. The family had just returned to London yesterday from Jeremy’s wedding and would be sailing to Connecticut in less than a week. Drew had come down to the docks today to let his first mate know they would be sailing sooner than planned.
He’d actually expected to find The Oceanus in Bridgeport, since it usually transported sugar and tobacco from the West Indies to the northeastern states. He’d been looking forward to a reunion with his youngest brother. That was his main reason for sailing to their home port himself.
If Boyd had come to England merely to visit with Georgina, then he might like to sail home with Drew this trip. Now, that was a pleasant thought, especially since their brother-in-law, James, hadn’t taken the hint and was still determined to sail with his wife and daughter. Drew could use some reinforcements with that particular Malory aboard.
Georgina and Boyd were the only two Andersons who didn’t captain their own ships. She’d never been expected to and would probably have had quite a fight on her hands with all five of her brothers if she’d ever suggested it. Boyd simply didn’t want to. He loved to sail, he just had no desire to take command.
They’d always thought it was nervousness and he just needed time to outgrow it, and that eventually he’d become captain of his ship The Oceanus when he was ready. But he’d finally admitted he saw no need to ever take that step, that he preferred to simply enjoy the voyages without the responsibility of being in charge, and since he paid his captains from his own pocket, his brothers had no reason to complain. Since Boyd was not needed for The Oceanus to set sail again, he might be agreeable to traveling with him and Georgina and her family on The Triton.
Hurrying along the crowded wharf to the Skylark Office, where he expected to find Boyd if he’d already come ashore, Drew didn’t pay much attention to the traffic, other than to avoid it. But it was hard to miss the woman about to fall right in his path.
It was a mere reflex to grip her arm to keep her from falling. He wasn’t really paying attention to her because his eyes were on the two fellows walking behind her who charged forward just as Drew set her back on her feet.
“Let go,” she growled at him, and he did.
Drew wasn’t sure if the two men were really with her, because now that she was standing steadily on her own two feet, they hung back behind her, trying to appear as if they weren’t keeping an eye on her. Odd. Drew glanced back at the woman to see why she’d been unappreciative of his help, and forgot about her escort entirely.
The palest blue eyes he’d ever seen surrounded by black lashes were glaring at him. They were eyes so startlingly beautiful that it took him a moment to take in the rest of the package.
Drew wasn’t often given pause. Piqued, certainly. But being rendered speechless just didn’t happen all that often to a man who’d pursued the loveliest of the lovelies across the world. This one was pretty, yes, but many could outshine her. A pert nose, black brows barely arched, probably because of her frown. But full, lush lips boldly red, though not from any paint. Because she’d been biting them would be his guess.
Her black hair was tightly contained in an artful coiffure. Her blue dress and hat were nearly as pale as her eyes. She was dressed like a lady in the height of fashion, and yet she had a rich, golden tan that the ladies of England simply wouldn’t acquire. He’d wager she’d been in a warmer climate recently.
Was that what surprised him, the deeply tanned skin that was darker than her eyes? Or those sinfully lush lips? Or perhaps it was simply because she was glaring at him when he’d helped her, for crying out loud.
“Should I have let you tumble at my feet, sweetheart?” he asked.
“Excuse me?”
“You were about to fall,” he reminded her. “Or has that slipped your mind? I know I do have that effect on women, scattering their thoughts every which way,” he added with a boyish grin.
Instead of charming her out of her ire as he expected, his remark had her drawing in her breath indignantly and claiming, “You’ve bruised my arm, you lout.”
“Did I? Let me see.”
She jerked her arm out of his reach. “I think not. If you were indeed trying to be helpful, I thank you. But next time don’t be such a brute about it.”
His smile gone, Drew replied, “There won’t be a next time, because if you stumble again, I’d definitely think twice about trying to catch you. In fact, I’m sure I’d let you fall. Good day, miss.”
He heard her gasp of outrage as he walked away. It was a sweet sound, but it didn’t bring back his smile. Ungrateful wench, he thought. He was so annoyed he felt no urge to look back at her, which was unusual for him when he encountered a beautiful woman. He just barreled past her escort, if indeed the two men really were her escort. Too bad neither of them took exception to it.
Chapter 7
T HE LONDON DOCK WAS TEEMING WITH ACTIVITY, but it was no different from the last time Gabrielle had been there, when she’d set off three years ago for the Caribbean, so confident that she could find her father. The arriving vessels accounted for most of the extra wagons that late in the day, transporting cargoes from ship to warehouse or straight to market. The sounds, the smells were almost familiar, and had so distracted her that she hadn’t seen the cart that had nearly knocked her over, or the man who’d prevented her from falling. Perhaps if she had seen him first, she wouldn’t have been so surprised by the immediate attraction she’d felt, and wouldn’t have made such a blundering fool of herself because of it. Good grief, she’d never in her life behaved so outrageously before, and all he’d tried to do was help her!
Her ship had sailed up the Thames early that morning, but it had taken most of the day before the passengers were rowed to the dock. She was glad of the late hour. It allowed her to get a room for the night and to delay delivering the letter in her pocket.
Two of her father’s crew were trailing at a discr
eet distance behind her, the two he trusted most, Richard and Ohr. They’d been sent to England with her to protect her, and to make sure the lord to whom she was delivering the letter complied with the favor her father was requesting of him. The men made two of the most incongruous chaperones imaginable, and yet, if they weren’t accompanying her, she doubted that she would go through with this.
She was to go husband hunting in the grand style favored by the English ton. She’d been sent ahead with her chaperones to get started on a magnificent new wardrobe for that very reason, and to catch the tail end of the summer Season. Her father was in the middle of ransoming two hostages, so he couldn’t leave just yet, but he’d promised to join her in a month or two. She’d argued that she could wait for him. He’d argued that this couldn’t wait. He’d won.
Margery had come as well. It wasn’t surprising that the middle-aged woman had staunchly refused to let her travel to England without a real chaperone, as she put it, but then, unlike Gabrielle, she’d missed their homeland terribly. She’d been excited during the whole trip about finally going home. As soon as they’d reached the dock, she’d rushed off to find them a carriage to hire, no easy task with so many arrivals that day, but she maintained she knew exactly how to not take no for an answer and it took her only an hour to prove it, which Richard had teased her about all the way to the inn.
Gabrielle tried not to think about what was causing her such apprehension right now. Instead she thought about her time in the Caribbean with her father. Not until recently had either of them considered the disadvantages of her staying in that part of the world with him, that she would be missing all the things a young marriageable Englishwoman should be doing after reaching eighteen. She couldn’t say she regretted it, though. Not for anything would she have missed those wonderful years with her father.
The two men joined her and Margery for dinner and stayed to keep Gabrielle company. Ohr was playing cards with Margery, who had worn herself out with her excitement over being home, so she wasn’t paying much attention to the game or the conversation.