Lady and the Gamble: A Sweet Victorian Romance (The Colby Brothers Book 2)

by Peggy Ann Craig

  “A gentleman always asks first, or at the very least warns the lady.”

  “Warns?”

  “Yes, warns, you just can’t go around kissing someone whenever the fancy catches you.”

  “I see.”

  “Unless, of course, it is your wife.”

  His brow crinkled in bewilderment then tilted the corner of his mouth as he smirked down at her. “Would you do me the honor of allowing me to bequeath a kiss upon those delightful plump lips of yours?”

  Immediately anger darkened her features. He was making fun of her.

  “Most certainly not.” She firmly stated.

  That took him by surprise. “Excuse me?”

  “I said no.”

  “I can’t believe this.”

  “Kissing isn’t something to make light of or as the butt of a joke. It’s personal.”

  The teasing glint in his eye vanished. “You’re quite right. I am sorry I even conceived the notion.”

  She wasn’t certain if she was insulted or disappointed. All at once, she suddenly wished he had gone through with the kiss.

  “Would you kindly let me go,” she snapped instead.

  His scowl returned in a flash. “I’m not the one holding you.”

  He then demonstrated by extending his arms out to the side and flapping them to prove they were not holding or touching her in any way. Evelina grimaced and turned beet red. Still grasping him tightly, she attempted to free her foot from the buggy.

  “I’m stuck.”

  He released an irritated sigh then placed both of his hands back on her hips and forcibly lifted her away from the carriage then placed her squarely on the ground. Reluctantly, Evelina allowed her arms to slide back down to her side.

  “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure, I’m sure,” he muttered with sarcasm.

  Peeved, she proclaimed, “There’s no need to be patronizing.”

  A new fury lit his eyes. “You want to talk about patronizing? You act like you are some queen bee who demands everyone pamper and spoil you yet underneath you’re nothing but a paranoid schizophrenic.”

  She blinked.

  “Other people generally appreciate an act of kindness and generosity.”

  “I’m not like other people.”

  “Believe me, I’m beginning to realize that. Under the coldest and off-putting conditions, I have tried to get to know you. But you are stubborn, frigid and—unfriendly!” This last word he nearly spat at her. “I rue the day I ever sat down to play a game of cards with your father.”

  She felt her chest tighten.

  “As a matter-of-fact, you can pass the message on to him that I decline his offer and he can keep his blasted boat!”

  Then like that, he leaped into the carriage and slammed the door shut behind him, rapping hard on the glass to indicate to the rider to move on.

  As the carriage rolled down the street, Evelina stood where he left her and felt the first onslaught of trembles take over her body. A tear slid down her cheek as she watched the buggy disappear down the street.

  “Kathleen,” she croaked, knowing her sister was still on the porch and was witness to the excruciatingly embarrassing scene. “Would you please fetch father?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  After the girl had run into the house, Evelina collapsed on the ground and broke into full tears. She hated Ryan Colby. Why she ever thought she liked him or heaven forbid fantasized about being his wife, she had no idea. He was a cruel, heartless man who she wanted nothing to do with ever again.

  “Oh, Evelina.” Her father rushed to her side and cooed loving endearments as he gathered her into his arms. She cried into his shoulder until he swung her up into his arms and carried her indoors.

  Chapter 7

  A couple of days later, Ryan was busy stocking supplies in the shipping cargo lot when Clive Hepworth sought him out.

  Ryan rolled his eyes at the approaching man. “Whatever you have to say, Hepworth, I’m not interested.”

  Clive held up his hands. “I just want a few minutes of your time.”

  “Forget it, Hepworth. There isn’t anything you can say to make me change my mind.”

  “So it’s true, you’ve relinquished your claim on the Lady Evelina?”

  He barked with mockery. “Relinquish? I never actually owned the ship. You, my old friend, are a cunning hustler.”

  “I had no choice.”

  “You took me for a cotton-picking fool and what’s worse, I fell for it.” He growled, furious with himself more than with the old man. “I should have known you wouldn’t sacrifice the schooner.”

  “It’s true that boat means a lot to me. I built her a couple of years after Evie was born, the last of my little ladies.” He reminisced with a smile. “Back then we lived on the outskirts of town on a small holding. There was a shed out back on the property where I began work on the schooner. Evie was a quiet little mouse of a thing back then. She would come down to the shed and stare at me all day, hardly making a peep. It took me several years before I completed the Lady Evelina, but all the while, my little introvert was there by my side quietly watching. There were times I’d forget she was even there.” He chuckled remembering. “She loved to just sit there in the darkened corner watching me whittle away at the hull. Her tiny frame silhouetted by a beam of sunlight that lit up her strawberry locks. I took my time, drawing out the process. Yes, I wanted to make sure to do the job just right but more importantly, my favorite little lady was watching me with such an intense gaze…I wanted her to be proud of her old geezer.”

  Ryan frowned, slightly perturbed that he felt envious of Clive. He lacked the skills himself to build a boat up from scratch. Not that he hadn’t tried, but he soon realized his skills lay in the navigation end of sailing rather than the shipbuilding. Nevertheless, he could appreciate the time and labor, not to mention love, the old sailor had put into the boat. Having a bond over a shared memory with his daughter related to the creation of it, most definitely stirred Ryan’s conscience.

  Giving his head a shake, he stiffened his resolve and refused to let the man make him feel guilty about the wager. “If you felt so strongly about the boat, then why did you risk throwing her in the poker game?”

  “I didn’t—”

  Ryan shot him a warning look.

  “All right, all right, I admit it. It was underhanded of me. But I had my reasons.”

  “I’m beginning to discover your reasons.”

  “You don’t understand.” He paused to sigh. “I didn’t tell you everything there is to know about Evelina.”

  “Oh, I’ve already figured that much out. The girl is crazy. A complete lunatic.” He rolled his eyes in his head to show how crazy he thought she was. “She is more paranoid than a turkey invited to Thanksgiving dinner. Who in their right mind has a fear of the outdoors?”

  “There’s a reason for that.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ve concocted some far-fetched explanation.”

  “It may be far-fetched but it’s the truth.”

  This caused Ryan to pause. He was still angry as a hornet but he was curious to know why she was the way she was.

  “Does it have anything to do with what happened twelve years ago?”

  Clive arched his brows in surprise. “Did she tell you about that?”

  “No,” he admitted. “She let something slip about being in the hospital.”

  Clive nodded, his brows arching in astonishment. “I’m actually surprised she revealed that much.”

  Ryan hesitated, wanting to ask but almost too frightened to hear the answer. “Is she sick?”

  A revealing look entered Clive’s eyes and Ryan thought he felt as if a sledgehammer had struck him square in the gut. “Geez, is she dying?”

  “No, no, no, she’s not dying.” Clive hurriedly relieved him by saying.

  “Then what’s wrong with her?”

  Clive went silent as if his mind had traveled back into the past before he
, at last, recounted an event that had changed his youngest daughter’s life forever. “Once the boat was completed, Evelina was eager to climb aboard and set sail. She came alive out on the water. Out there she was no longer a timid little creature.” He paused as if to reflect on his own words. “Whenever it possible, she would join me on the boat and we’d go off sailing. All my girls loved the water but she, in particular, had a passion for it. She was horribly inquisitive and wanted to learn all there was to sailing the Lady Evelina. She would make-believe she was the captain at the helm. Sailing us off to foreign lands.”

  Ryan could relate as he too had amused himself as a child with the very same game.

  “It brought us very close. I won’t admit it out loud of course but she became my favorite. We spent countless hours together and if allowed, I would have been happy to bring her along on any of my voyages. As it was, young girls weren’t permitted on working ships and so she stayed behind. I dreamed of the day when she got old enough that she and I would sail off on the Lady Evelina working side by side. But fate would have other plans.”

  “What happened?”

  “It was October and I was expected back home but foul weather delayed the Francesca. High winds and thunderstorms wracked the shoreline. She waited down at those docks forever, not realizing my ship would not sail into port that day. After several hours, she got wandering and strolled down the boardwalk to the far end on the north shore toward the rocky cliffs. There’s a stairwell built into the side of the crag where fishermen are able to access a pebble beach below the bluffs. As I said, it was foul weather that day. Strong winds caused high tides. The coastline was being battered with rain and waves but she carried on.”

  At this point, Clive paused as if to gather his emotions. Ryan wanted to stop him from going further as it was clear the memories tormented the man. However, his need to know what happened to Evelina kept his mouth shut.

  “The staircase became wet and slick. Far too dangerous to maneuver for a solid sure-footed adult let alone a nimble pubescent girl. She slipped and fell, hitting the rocks hard. She struck her head and gouged the side of her scalp.” He gestured in the general direction of his own head. “One of her feet slid between a crevice in the rocks and the stone stairwell and got lodged there, impaling her immobile until help arrived.”

  Ryan felt a pang in his chest for the frightened child Evelina would have been.

  “Unfortunately, that wasn’t until the following morning when an early morning fisherman found her unconscious body lying bloody on the staircase. She eventually was freed from the crevice and then rushed to the hospital. We were grateful that the good Lord chose not to call her home that day, but a part of her died down there on the rocks. In time, she did eventually heal; on the exterior anyhow. However, she never did inside. She refused to go anywhere after that until at last she even refused to leave the house. Fear gripped hold of her and never let go.”

  “The stairwell.” Ryan murmured, thinking of the large flight of stairs in front of the library. “That was it. She has a fear of stairs, doesn’t she?”

  Clive nodded. “Yes. We moved her bedroom downstairs so that she never had to use the stairs in the house again. We had no idea that it didn’t matter whether it was a whole flight or just one or two steps. They sent her into convulsive seizures.”

  He sighed. “That explains why she behaved the way she did.”

  “Yes, and I apologize I never told you any of this sooner.”

  “You should have,” Ryan agreed. “It sure would have helped me to understand her neurotic demeanor.”

  “We were afraid you would judge her before getting to know her.”

  Ryan chuckled and shook his head. “Getting to know her is part of the problem. She won’t let me near.”

  “And she won’t. Not until she feels she can trust you.”

  “I wouldn’t ever let anything happen to her.”

  “I know that son, and she will too. In time. She’s lived the past twelve years in fear and with paranoid delusions. They won’t just go away overnight. You asked me if she is sick, and sadly, the answer is yes. She suffers from a mental disorder that causes irrational thoughts and behavior.” Clive turned and looked out at the water. “I tried to help her by resurrecting her love of the water but she won’t go anywhere near it. I fear my love for my daughter isn’t enough.”

  “Has she seen a psychiatrist or therapist?”

  “No. We couldn’t get her to leave the house and they didn’t offer house calls. Particularly on a sailor’s wage such as mine.”

  Ryan sighed.

  “I prayed the love of a man would be the cure to finally heal Evelina. It was all I had left. Nothing else seemed to help. I’ve been watching you for a long time, Ryan, and have seen your kind heart. She needs someone like you who is patient and understanding.”

  “I’m not the man for her, Clive,” he said, thinking how easily he had lost his cool with her. It haunted him to recall the pained look on her face. It was a memory that would forever torture him now.

  Clive exhaled heavily. “I’m sorry to hear that. I had truly believed you were.”

  Ryan felt like a heel and wished there was something he could say or do to help this family, but if anything, he probably just made things worse.

  “All I ask is that you think about it some more. Look into your heart and find the strength to believe in yourself as I do in you.” Clive said. “If, in the end, you truly don’t feel anything and want to go your own way, I will uphold my end of the gamble and the Lady Evelina is yours. Either way.”

  Ryan frowned. “You’re going to give me your boat even if I decide not to marry Evelina?”

  “I’m not the type of man who reneges on a bet. I truly hoped you would fall in love with Evelina as I do but if you don’t then I can’t force your hand.”

  Ryan wasn’t sure if love was the word he felt for Evelina, but he was willing to admit he certainly was beginning to feel something.

  ***

  It was a beautiful afternoon and Evelina decided she wanted to sit outside in her mother’s garden while reading her book. It was an unexpected notion and one that admittedly was alarming. She blamed Ryan Colby for the sudden urge. Ever since he started coming around and forcing Evelina out of her shell, she found herself missing simple little things like sitting outdoors with the sun upon her face.

  The little gate that enclosed the blue picket fence banged open causing Evelina to give a start. Glancing up from her book, she was shocked to see Ryan himself stroll purposely toward her. And looking rather pompous at that. No doubt, internally he was priding himself for her being outdoors.

  “What are you doing here, Mr. Colby?”

  He smirked and gave her a scolding look. “Ryan, please.”

  She ignored that and instead rephrased her question, “What is it you want?”

  “I’ve come to take you for a carriage ride.”

  “I thought you were done with me,” she said rather snarky. “Besides, I have no interest in going on another carriage ride with you.”

  “That’s what I assumed you’d say.”

  Then before she could fend off his intentions, he swung her up into his arms.

  “Put me down this instant.”

  “Let’s get a few things straight,” he said as he marched out of the garden with purpose. “You will use a civil tongue with me henceforth unless you have just cause to be angry with me.”

  “Just cause? I most certainly have—”

  “You will accompany me wherever I choose to court you.”

  “I will not,” she fumed. “Put me down this instant.”

  “And I will kiss you when and where I please.”

  She gasped. “You scoundrel.”

  He arched a vexed brow. “Or if I please. A tongue like that, little lady and the prospect doesn’t look rightfully appealing.”

  “I’ll bite you if you dare!”

  He reached the carriage and dumped her non-too-careful
ly on the seat. “Move over.”

  Without politeness he gave her a shove until she scurried to the opposite side of the bench, declaring, “I can’t go anywhere with you without a chaperone?”

  “I’m afraid she will have to miss today’s outing.”

  “You can’t do that. It’s improper.”

  “Do you honestly believe I could tarnish your impeccable reputation?” She knew he was referring to her hermit status and would have been duly incensed but for the fact that he was right. And she hated him for it.

  He turned and shot her a sudden devilish grin and said, “Or are you frightened I may ravish your lovely body?”

  She gasped. “Sir!”

  He chuckled. “Your body and your reputation are perfectly safe. I have your father’s permission.”

  Her brows puckered. “You talked to father?”

  He glanced at her briefly. “Yes. In depth, actually.”

  A hot flush swept over her cheeks. What did her father say? He wouldn’t have told him. He couldn’t have. She stared at Ryan and had to know.

  “What about?”

  “You.”

  Her chest tightened. Stammering, she asked, “W-what did he say?”

  His gaze stared down at her for a good five seconds in silence before he said, “He confirmed you were as crazy as I thought you were.”

  She blinked. Surprisingly not insulted by his words. Instead, she felt relief flow out of her lungs. He still didn’t know.

  The carriage pulled away from the curb and began wobbling down the dirt road. She pulled her attention away from Ryan and stared out her window. As they made their way through the city, the same familiar landscape greeted her as the previous day when Ryan took her to visit the library. “Where are we going?”

  “To the library.” He confirmed.

  “I already told you I don’t want to go there!”

  “And I told you I wanted your compliance. There will be no more of this disobedient childish behavior.”

  “I am not a child! And I am not acting disobediently. I simply do not wish to go to the library. And if you were a gentleman in the very least you would honor my wishes and take me back home immediately.”