Miss Sally's Unsuitable Soldier

by Maggie Dallen

  Proper. This whirlwind of energy was attempting to be proper.

  He fought a cringe. Heaven save him from more tedious and proper young ladies. “You have not offended my delicate sensibilities,” he said quickly. He leaned in as if to let her in on a secret. “You are not the first woman to throw herself at me.”

  She pulled back with a gasp and crimson cheeks.

  He was torn between guilt and delight.

  “That is...not funny,” she said. But as she said it a choking noise escaped.

  “Isn’t it?” He grinned. “It seems as though you wish to laugh.”

  She shook her head quickly and more chestnut brown locks fell around her face. She was not pretty. No, not pretty. A tepid word like ‘pretty’ hardly did her justice. This young lady was striking. And real. There was something so alarmingly genuine about her and it resonated in his chest in the most curious way. It was difficult to look away.

  “No, no. Definitely not,” she said in a tight, choked voice. “I wouldn’t dream of laughing.”

  “Oh good. Because if you found me amusing, we would have to find some medical assistance for you, as well. And assuredly that assistant would also require her sister in attendance, and this house party would quickly grow overrun with companions.”

  Her eyes glimmered with humor but she kept an impressively straight face. “We wouldn’t want that.”

  “Indeed not.” He leaned forward. “I’m afraid all the young ladies present would not take kindly to being outshone by beautiful companions.”

  “You are teasing again.” Her tone was stiffer than before, the laughter gone as her smile fell and she blinked rapidly as though she’d been struck across the face. “I do not appreciate your mockery.”

  His chest tightened and his insides seemed to fall to his feet. He’d insulted her. Good heavens, that was the last thing he’d meant to do. “I am sorry, Miss Sally. I did not intend—”

  “I know what you meant.” Her smile was stiff. Not at all genuine like before.

  He didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  The silence that followed was awkward. Sebastian shifted from one foot to the other as he tried to sort out how to fix this.

  Sebastian did not do awkward.

  Nor did he do silence, for that matter.

  “Er, is your father about?”

  She blinked, her lips pursing and all signs of a smile—genuine or otherwise—faded fast. “No.” Her gaze drifted to the fort behind him. “He’s not at home, but you might be able to find him at the fort.”

  He followed her gaze as if the good captain might be hiding amidst the craggy gray stones that made up the fort.

  “Did you need to speak to him?”

  “No. No, it is nothing urgent. I just wanted to ensure he was comfortable with the plans that had been made for you and your sister’s travels tomorrow.”

  Her smile was polite, if small. “My father is quite pleased with the trouble your father has gone to on our behalf.” She hesitated briefly. “He does my sister and I quite an honor.”

  “Mmhmm.” For all her words, he couldn’t help but sense that while she might have been honored, she was far from pleased. Not nearly as pleased as her father, at least.

  Not for the first time it occurred to him that his father had acted before fully regarding the thoughts of anyone else involved.

  He supposed that was an earl’s right. He could only hope his elder brother displayed a bit more tact and regard for others when he eventually inherited.

  “Miss Sally, if you do not wish to come to the manor—”

  “I would not have agreed to attend to your father if I did not wish to be of assistance.” Her chin tilted up in a stubborn set that made his lips twitch with the urge to smile or laugh or...or kiss her.

  Oh drat. That wiped the smile right off his lips. She was to be a guest in their home. She was doing them a favor, catering to his father’s ridiculous need to be coddled and comforted constantly.

  She was not someone to be dreaming of kissing. And she certainly wasn’t the sort of lady his father meant for him to marry. His mood shifted so quickly it felt as if a sudden storm had formed overhead blocking out the sun.

  Half the reason he’d come all the way back to Billingham to escort the Jones girls was to avoid the young ladies his father kept foisting at him at the manor.

  She fidgeted with her skirts. “If you’d like, I will tell my father you’re looking for him and—”

  “No, no. That won’t be necessary,” he said quickly.

  Silence descended and she glanced around them as if assistance might be on its way via sailboat. It was when she turned her head to the side that he saw it.

  Her eyes were red-rimmed.

  She’d been crying.

  His heart twisted into a knot at the thought of it. “Are you all right? That is…” He cleared his throat as her gaze shot back to his and met it unflinchingly. “You seem upset.”

  Her brows drew together in a frown of disbelief. “Do I?”

  No. No, she didn’t. It was just the red swelling around her eyes that hinted that something was the matter. But how to politely tell a woman that she looked wrecked?

  Her lips quirked up in a bit of a smirk as she seemed to read his mind. “Is it that obvious then?”

  He didn’t answer. There was no right answer to that question.

  Her small smile was rueful, but at least it was a smile. “I assure you, it is nothing for you to concern yourself with.”

  He waited. Silence was not his forte but he had a hunch she would cave if given time. Sure enough, after a long moment of considering one another, she added with a shrug, “My eldest sister left for America, that’s all.”

  “Ah, I see,” he said.

  He did not see. Not entirely. For a man so well used to speaking, he was finding it remarkably difficult today. He half suspected that anything he might say would cause offense...or at the very least come out sounding far too obtuse and perhaps even glaringly snobby.

  For example...had she left to find employment? He suspected not. A naval captain—even one who was no longer in command of a ship at sea—was surely still receiving some sort of income. Half pay at the very least.

  But concern for this young lady and her family outweighed all other fears. Was her family struggling financially? Surely his father would remunerate Miss Sally for her time, but would it be enough? He made a mental note to ask his father in the event that the old man decided now was the time to start being tightfisted with his vast wealth.

  The silence seemed to swirl about them as surely as the wind. Her features were placid, her air calm, and yet the way her jaw worked, the tension in her neck and shoulders…

  She was still upset, though she was trying her best not to be.

  “I am sorry,” he murmured.

  He wasn’t entirely sure what he was sorry for, but it seemed to make her relax and so he found he meant it. He was indeed sorry for whatever concerns she might have.

  A sudden and quixotic notion took hold before he could stop it.

  He would take on her troubles. His chest swelled a bit as though that brisk sea wind had puffed air into his lungs...and his pride.

  Yes. That was his new purpose. Winning smiles from her was a worthy goal, no doubt, but to ease her troubles, why that...that was very nearly a life’s mission.

  “I appreciate your kindness,” she said with another small smile. “But there is nothing to be sorry for. I was merely being maudlin.” She drew in a deep, audible breath and her smile fixed him in place and made it impossible to move. “She fell in love, you see.”

  “Ah.” He definitely did not know what to say in response to that. “Then I truly am sorry.” Her laughter made that full-chested pride sensation grow even further. At this rate he might explode with sheer male hubris.

  “You are not a romantic then,” she said.

  He laughed. “Is it so obvious?”

  Her smile spoke of an inside joke, and for a
moment it seemed as though that was the nature of their relationship.

  As though that was what they were meant to be. Cohorts. Partners. Two peas in a pod, as his grandmother used to say.

  But then, he hardly knew her well enough to gauge that. And yet...it felt like he did. “And you?” he asked. “Are you swooning with envy that your sister has found romance or are you a bit more pragmatic than that?”

  She lifted one shoulder in an adorably self-deprecating shrug. “She is to be pitied, certainly. Although, I’d advise you not to tell her that. Or her new husband. They would likely not agree.”

  He burst out in a loud laugh that shocked them both, judging by her wide eyes. But truly, this woman was most unexpected. “You truly are one of a kind, Miss Sally.”

  She arched a brow. “I don’t know about that.” She paused and mischief glinted in her eyes. “Though I can imagine that I am not so similar to the young ladies currently staying at the manor.”

  He rocked back on his heels. Danger. He recognized this warning sensation. Last time he’d compared her to other women it had not worked out well for him. “Did you meet the young ladies at the ball the other week?”

  “I did not have the pleasure.” Her answer was prim, proper...and utter balderdash.

  “You did not wish to, is what you mean.”

  Her eyes widened as if she might protest so he hurried on. “Trust me when I say you were not missing anything of interest.” Oh blast it all, that sounded unbearably cruel. He might not have been known for his diplomacy or tact but he was not a mean fellow. “That came out wrong.”

  Her brows arched. “Did it?”

  “Yes. The ladies in attendance were lovely.” Superficial, perhaps, and more than a little spoiled. But that was to be expected from the type of ladies who’d been invited to join his father’s annual hunting party. “It is just that...I merely meant…”

  Her arched brows taunted him. Her eyes glimmered with laughter.

  “It is just that I suspect you would not fit in well with them,” he finished.

  The laughter died and any warmth in her gaze along with it. Oh for the love of— “I am making a mess of this, aren’t I?”

  “Not at all, my lord,” she said, though she was far stiffer than she had been a moment ago. “I understand exactly what you mean. Rest assured, I was not expecting to fit in.” She shifted as though to walk away.

  He cursed himself as he tried to think of a way to stop her. To explain. To not fit in was a good thing! It was the highest compliment he could think of, in fact. But her reaction to this latest slip of the tongue and what he’d said before...his teasing remark about outshining the other beauties.

  Oh heaven help him. She thought he was judging. Mocking.

  He reached for her hand before he could think twice. “Please, let me explain.”

  “That will not be necessary.” Her haughty air rivaled Lady Gertrude’s. “I don’t expect to be socializing much, anyhow. But I’m sure my sister will be an...entertaining addition to your party.”

  He noted how she stumbled over the word ‘entertaining,’ and wondered even more when a crease formed over her nose when she’d said it. What concerned her about her sister?

  Was it her sister who worried her or him? Or them?

  Ugh. He drew back in horror. He did not relish having to lump himself in with the crowd back at the manor. “Miss Sally, I merely meant that you are far too unique—”

  “Yes. I do understand. I am not a simpleton.”

  “I should think not. Not with the way Dr. Roberts talks about your natural gift with medicine and science.”

  Her shoulders straightened and he could practically see her mind whirring as she tried to sort out whether he was mocking her.

  He was not.

  “Miss Sally, I am in awe of your unique talents. And your spirited nature.” They both glanced at the ground behind them where she’d come sprinting at a full gallop. “I find it...I find you refreshing in that regard.” He hesitated for a moment over how much to convey. “I am just as in awe of you as Dr. Roberts and I assure you, I never meant to offend.”

  She eyed him oddly, her gaze raking over him. He held his breath as he awaited her judgment. When at last she gave a short nod, he breathed out in relief.

  “Still,” she said. “I suppose being spirited, as you say, will not endear me to the other ladies.” Her lips pursed before she let out a resigned sigh. “I suppose it is for the best that I shall be spending my time in a sick room.”

  His brows arched high. “A sick room?” He couldn’t stop the laugh in time. “Oh, Miss Sally. I fear you’ll have to find some other way to occupy your time at the manor.”

  She frowned at that, though she didn’t seem too shocked. He had to assume Dr. Roberts had filled her in. “You see, Miss Sally, my father fears falling ill more than he is actually...ill.”

  He winced as she studied him. She deserved honesty and to have her eyes wide open before coming to stay with them, and yet he did not enjoy having to discredit his own father.

  But to his relief she gave a short nod. “Yes, his physician suggested as much.”

  “Did he,” he murmured. How he wished he could have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. When at Hampton Manor, Dr. Roberts was his father’s puppet. Rushing to and fro and catering to his whims. But the man was learned and, most importantly...not blind. They were all well aware that the earl wasn’t truly sick, but that did not make his behavior any less upsetting.

  Sebastian hurried on rather than risk her questions. It was not terribly pleasant to acknowledge that one’s father was struggling. It was even less pleasant to dwell on the reasons why.

  “So you see,” he said with a far more jovial tone. “You shall not be called upon to do much for the patient, I should think. Most days he goes about the business of hosting and hunting with all the vigor of a man half his age, and that leaves you—”

  “With no means of occupying myself,” she finished in a wry tone. “Yes, I see the dilemma. Still, my sister will be there. And I’m certain you have a library…” She trailed off with a questioning look.

  “Oh yes. The best library in the area, I’m certain.”

  “There then.” She smiled placidly again. He did not care as much for this smile. It seemed put upon, like she was trying to put him at ease.

  No, the twitch of her lips when she was suppressing laughter was definitely preferable. The beaming grin when she was happy was even better. His mind called up the image—a flash, really. He hadn’t had more than a second to take in her expression when she’d been racing toward him at full tilt, but it was ingrained in his mind.

  It wasn’t a smile but a glow. A wild, passionate, fierce glow. It was the look of someone fully alive and in their element. Ideas came to him, bold and insistent. New images. How she might look racing across the manor’s meadows. How she’d look with her hair down and whirling about her shoulders. How she’d look in his arms while dancing. And the most vivid of all…

  “Do you ride, Miss Sally?”

  She blinked in surprise. “Ride?”

  “Yes. As in a horse.”

  Her brows fell at his teasing. “I knew what you meant. And I’m afraid I haven’t had much occasion—”

  “Then that is what you shall do,” he said. And then, in case there was any doubt, “With me.”

  “With you?” she echoed. She looked around, once more seeming to be on the lookout for help. “You wish to ride with me?”

  “I wish to show you how. Once you are familiar and comfortable, I imagine you’ll be unstoppable. I shouldn’t try to hold you back.”

  The words echoed between them and her lips parted. The words were inconsequential when he’d said them but they seemed to gain significance with each passing heartbeat.

  “I think...that is, if you’re sure…” A whole new glow lit her eyes and she wasn’t pretty. No, not pretty at all.

  She was breathtaking.

  She quite li
terally took his breath away. She stole it just as assuredly as she’d stolen his senses the first time he’d seen her.

  “I should like that very much,” she finished softly.

  “Then it is settled.” Surely she could see the way he preened at her approval. His grin, he had no doubt, was of the sort most often seen on a lunatic headed for an asylum.

  She took a step back and for the first time since he’d met her he caught a hint of uncertainty as she glanced once more toward home. “I should be getting back. My sisters will wonder.”

  “Of course.” He hesitated. He did not wish to see her go. Which was silliness because he would see her the very next day. “I shall be by with the carriage at first light, if that is still convenient.”

  “Yes, I shall be ready.” Her lips did that thing that he loved. They curved upward in a sly smile. The smile of a shared joke. “I cannot promise the same for my sister, but I shall do my best to get her into the carriage in a timely fashion.”

  He laughed. “I am not in a hurry, Miss Sally. In fact, I was thinking we might stop at the gardens at Rosenhall along the way...if you’re so inclined.”

  The idea only came to him now but when her eyes widened in surprise, he was grateful for the burst of inspiration. Yes, a detour before entering his father’s house seemed like an excellent idea indeed.

  It had not been a part of the original plan. In fact, him being there at all was not according to plan. But it seemed like a genius idea when her eyes sparked with happiness. “I should like that very much.”

  “Good. Very good. Very, very good.” Oh drat, he sounded like an imbecile as he gave her another daft grin. “Then I shall see you and your sister in the morning and I shall do my best to show you a pleasant day.”

  Her brows drew up in a question. “You do know that you do not need to entertain us, do you not? I appreciate the thoughtfulness, of course. But there is no need to go out of your way or—”

  “Of course there’s no need,” he said. “But if we are to be friends, I’d like our first outing to be one we all enjoy.”

  Her smile was small, sweet, and quizzical. “And are we...to be friends?”