Miss Sally's Unsuitable Soldier

by Maggie Dallen

  Sebastian looked to his brother but he merely arched his brows as if to ask, what are you waiting for?

  He didn’t need any more encouragement. Scrambling out of his chair, he was halfway to the door when he called back, “Wish me luck, gentlemen. When I return, it will be with my intended.”

  Chapter 11

  Sally wasn’t certain the Jones household had ever been so quiet. The clock above the mantel made a muffled ticking noise as the minute hand moved.

  She looked at her father’s grim, yet resigned visage, and then glanced over at Rebecca and Hattie, who wore matching wide-eyed stares.

  “So,” Rebecca ventured now that it seemed their father was done with his tale. “Mother was a traitor?”

  The word made their fearless father flinch and he wiped at his brow, which held a sheen of sweat despite the fact that the house had a frigid draft, thanks to the early winter wind.

  “Your mother…” He looked away, his eyes lost in thought.

  When they were children they’d heard the stories of how he’d met the shipping captain’s daughter while at port on the continent. How they’d fallen in love quickly and gotten married in a rush. But after she’d left—disappeared at sea, according to the rest of the world, and as good as dead to the Jones girls—he’d barely spoken of her.

  Hearing him speak of her now had rattled them all, Sally included. As he spoke, all she could think of was the woman she’d met the other day who looked so much like Minerva.

  He’d just finished telling them the truth about what had happened nearly a decade before. It seemed their mother, in an attempt to better their lives—that’s what she’d told him then, and what he told them now—had gone behind his back, gone against the crown, and worked alongside French agents.

  “In your mother’s defense,” he now said, his voice stiff. “She’d never believed England should have gotten involved in a war in the first place.”

  “She sided with Napoleon?” Hattie asked in horror.

  He shrugged, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “I wouldn’t say that. She merely valued her family more than her country. Those were her words, not mine.”

  Family over country. Sally mulled over the words, her mind’s eye filled with that small, sad smile and Minerva’s eyes.

  “She thought she was doing right by us.” Sally couldn’t say whether her statement was a comment or a question, but her father nodded nonetheless.

  Rebecca’s brows were drawn together in a frown. “But I thought...I always thought…” She clamped her mouth shut, tears in her eyes. Sally shifted over on the settee and wrapped an arm about her shoulders.

  Sally knew what she’d thought. It was what they’d all thought. That their mother had forsaken them. That she hadn’t cared. That she’d gone off to pursue her selfish desires without a second thought for the family she’d left behind.

  It was Hattie who finally broke her silence to say it. “We thought she didn’t care about us at all. We thought it was her choice. But you forced her away. Is that it?”

  Their father winced again as if he felt it as a blow. “Girls, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I let you believe that. I just thought...I feared…” He ran a hand over his face. “You were only children.” There was a pleading in his eyes Sally had never seen before. “You were children and I knew not how to make you understand. She was a danger to you.”

  “But she loved us.” Rebecca sounded stunned. It wasn’t an accusation against their father, Sally knew that, but her father looked as though he’d been struck.

  “Yes, she loved you girls. She loved you all.” He looked to Hattie, the youngest, the only one of them who had little to no memories of their mother. He visibly swallowed. “She loved you dearly, and I’m sorry I allowed you to believe otherwise.”

  “Why did you?” Sally asked. That was what she didn’t understand. “Why did you let us think she chose herself?”

  Rebecca sniffled and the sound made their father scowl and he shocked them all by pounding a fist against the end table beside him. “Because she did choose. She made a choice. Every time she broke the law, every time she conspired with spies and criminals, she made her choice.” His nostrils flared and a flush of anger tinged his neck and cheeks. “She made her choices, and those choices put you girls in danger.”

  Sally swallowed. She’d never been afraid of her father, and she wasn’t now. But seeing him so emotional was unsettling. He was the rock in this family. The one they’d all relied on. Always.

  That thought had her heart hurting on his behalf. He had always been there for them and she didn’t wish him to think they took that for granted. “We understand, Father,” she said.

  He huffed in acknowledgement.

  Hattie nodded, her voice quiet. “We do understand. It’s just...a lot to take in.”

  Rebecca’s sniffles ceased. “It’s not every day you discover your mother is a leader of pirates.”

  A silence followed. Then there was a squeaking sound coming from Hattie. Then a choking sound from Rebecca. Then Sally made a humming noise as she tried to swallow down a chuckle.

  But to everyone’s surprise, it was their father who outright burst into laughter at that.

  Soon all them were laughing, the tension easing as the absurdity of it all hit them anew.

  “A pirate!” Hattie said through her tears of laughter. “Just wait until Minerva hears.”

  “Minerva, who’s off starting a life with a pirate of her own,” Rebecca reminded them.

  Sally shook her head, her smile fading at the reminder of weddings and new families. She shoved aside thoughts of what she’d left behind.

  Of the way she’d left him behind.

  “Perhaps an affinity for seafaring criminals is in our blood,” Rebecca said. “That would certainly explain Minerva’s choice.”

  “Hmm.” Their father surprised them all by chuckling in agreement. “I fell for your mother, Minerva her Marcus, and if I’m not mistaken, Abigail will not be far behind.”

  The girls exchanged knowing looks. Abigail had been vague with details in her latest letters to Sally and Rebecca, but Hattie had filled them in when they’d returned.

  It seemed their sweet, kind, gentle sister had tamed the beast. So to speak. Apparently Caleb was more bark than bite, according to Hattie. In fact, their youngest sister had informed them with much delight that he’d taken over Abigail’s little army of waifs while she spent time with their aunt in London.

  It seemed that the reformed pirate was waiting patiently for his beloved. Pining for her, Hattie said.

  The word ‘pining’ used in regard to that giant, scowling beast of a man had sent Sally and Rebecca into gales of laughter.

  But it appeared even Father was coming ‘round to like the large, silent man and so maybe, just maybe Abigail would have her happily ever after in the near future as well.

  Sally was glad. She pulled her wrap around her closer, not realizing until too late that Rebecca was watching her closely. “Are you all right, Sally?”

  Sally frowned. “Of course I am. And didn’t I tell you what I would do to you if you asked me that one more time?”

  Their father, fortunately, wasn’t paying attention. He was fussing about with his tobacco, clearly in need of some relief after such an emotionally turbulent talk with his girls. She suspected this topic was far from finished. The conversation about Sebastian, on the other hand…

  “Sally, I saw the way he looked at you,” Rebecca said.

  “Who?” Hattie leaned forward, eyes wide. “Ooh, the earl’s son?”

  “The younger one,” Rebecca affirmed with a nod.

  Sally looked from one younger sister to the other. Wonderful. Now there were two pests prying into her business.

  Not that there was anything to pry into.

  She came to stand. “What are you sitting around here for? There are plenty of chores to be done before dinner. Just because Minerva isn’t here to ring a bell and keep order doesn’t mean this househ
old should devolve into chaos.”

  “It wasn’t chaos while you were gone,” Hattie said with a pout. “Abigail was mostly off with her pirate, and Father was busy at the fort, and I…” She sighed. “I had peace and quiet.”

  Rebecca scoffed, looking to Sally. “Why do I suspect our beloved little sister is not as pleased as one might hope to have her sisters back home.”

  “I am pleased,” Hattie said as she headed toward the staircase. With a mischievous grin she turned back to add, “But I did enjoy the silence.”

  Rebecca followed Hattie up the stairs. Heading up to change, no doubt. Rebecca had decided that one of the aspects of country manor living she enjoyed the most was the frequent wardrobe changes and she was determined to bring that home with her.

  Sally watched them go, already heading for the front door. They wouldn’t leave her alone about Sebastian for long. Rebecca hadn’t pried much when Sally had burst into tears on the carriage ride home, but that tactful distance wouldn’t last for long. The Jones girls weren’t exactly known for tact. And there was no such thing as personal space between the sisters themselves.

  With that thought, she reached for a second wrap hanging near the door. Some fresh air would do her good. This sinking feeling, the ceaseless, nagging thoughts about how she might never see Sebastian’s face again…

  She gave her head a sharp shake. Sitting here and stewing would do no good.

  No, she would go for a walk. A walk that would likely lead to a run. She slipped out the door, her head tucked down as she turned back to gently close the door so no one heard her leave.

  If they did, they might get it into their heads that she needed company. Or a shoulder to cry on. Heaven forbid. That was the last thing she needed. What she needed now was—

  Sebastian.

  “Oof!” Sebastian grunted as she whirled around and ran smack into him.

  Again.

  “Sebastian?” She felt winded as well, even though she’d only bounced off his chest, stepping on his toes in the process. “What are you doing here?”

  He grinned down at her, his dark hair tousled and windblown, his eyes alight with such humor, such intelligence. She bit her lip to hold back a cry.

  But he was smiling.

  Wariness overtook her urge to cry and she frowned instead. “Why are you smiling like that?”

  He gripped her arms and held her for a moment, eyeing her from head to toe before pulling her tightly against his chest as if he might never let go. “Because I missed you,” he said.

  “It’s been a day,” she felt the need to point out. But her heart was racing and those tears were stinging because… “I missed you too.”

  The truth slipped out on a whisper and she was rewarded with a tight squeeze and the feel of his lips on her temple. “Tell you what. I won’t run from you if you promise never to run from me again either.”

  She was torn between a laugh and an exasperated sigh—the sound that came out of her was somewhere in between. “When have you ever run from me?”

  “Never.” He pulled back. “And I never would. So, yes, admittedly I have the easier part of the bargain there.”

  “Sebastian, I—” She paused with her mouth open as her insides were torn in two. Seeing him here, every part of her wanted to leap into his arms and hold him tight. Walking away from him had been the hardest thing she’d ever done.

  But she’d done it. And now, him being here meant she’d have to do it all over again.

  That tightness in her chest was back, and for the second time in her life she blubbered like a fool in front of the man she loved.

  He pulled her in tightly, wrapping his arms about her as he rocked her gently. “Shh,” he hushed. “It’s all right. Everything is going to be all right, I promise.”

  She pushed against him so she could see him properly. Her hands were trapped between them, pressing against the solid wall that was his chest. She wanted to run, to be free...and yet this embrace was easing that dreadful tension inside of her as surely as racing in the rain.

  But that was terrifying. Couldn’t he understand that?

  She didn’t want to need a person to feel freedom. She didn’t want to need anyone for anything, for that matter. She was the one who was needed.

  She had no idea how to rely on someone else.

  His gaze was warm, affectionate, and so very understanding. Almost as if he could read her every thought. “This scares the dickens out of you, doesn’t it?”

  She blinked in surprise. He truly had read her mind. Or maybe she was just easy for him to read. And maybe she could read him too.

  She certainly knew what it meant when his lips quirked up like that. Her breath was stolen from her lungs when he tilted his head to the side and leaned down…

  His kiss seemed to be speaking directly to her heart. A warm wash of relief and comfort had her head swimming. The promise of passion that coiled in her belly made her weak.

  But she wasn’t weak. She couldn’t be. For his sake, she wouldn’t be.

  She pulled back but rather than be discouraged, his smile widened. “I know what you are going to say.”

  “You do not.”

  “I do.” He adopted a ridiculously high voice that sounded nothing at all like Sally’s. “But Sebastian, your family will never approve—”

  “They won’t.”

  “And my family needs me—”

  “They do!”

  “This would never work.”

  “It won’t.” Her voice wobbled and she smacked his arm hard enough to make him wince. “How can you be teasing at a time like this?”

  “Because I am here to slay your every dragon.” He let her go just long enough to execute a silly bow, complete with a flourish of his arm. “At your service, my lady.”

  “Would you cut it out?” But against her will, her lungs were threatening to burst with the urge to laugh at his antics. “Nothing has changed, Sebastian—”

  “On the contrary,” he interjected. “Everything has changed.” His teasing tone ended and his gaze was utterly, terrifyingly serious. “Everything changed for me the moment you came into my life, Sally. And don’t try to tell me you don’t feel it too because I know that you do.”

  “I-I—” she started.

  “You cannot lie to me,” he said. “Not about this.”

  She’d never seen him so serious. The sight made her swallow. There was no avoiding his fierce gaze, no hiding from those eyes that seemed to see so much and understand everything—at least when it came to her.

  He was waiting for her to speak. Waiting for her to explain why this could not work. And for a moment she worked to remember. But then she heard her sisters’ laughter coming from inside, and somewhere in his study her father was having a smoke and dealing with memories that needed to be dealt with.

  And here she was. Out here, being kissed into senselessness by a man who might as well belong to another species, his life and his world was so far removed from her own. She drew in a deep breath. “My family needs me.”

  His scowl was fierce. “And you need me.”

  Silence descended. She blinked as his words hit home. You need me. Oh sweet heavens, she did. How had that happened?

  “That did not come out quite right,” he said with a sheepish smile. “What I meant was, we need each other. Lord knows that I feel as though you are a part of me, that when you are gone I have lost a part of myself. And I hope that you need me half as desperately as I need you.” There was a silent pause. “Otherwise I’ll feel rather pathetic,” he added.

  She felt a wobbly smile pulling at her lips as she fought another wave of tears. “You just can’t stand silence, can you?”

  “Hate it,” he said. “I hate to be bored even more. But more than all that, I hate the thought of living the rest of my life without you by my side. My partner. My companion.”

  Her breath caught as image after image filled her mind of what that might be like. To have this man as her dearest friend
, her heart, her love. To have days filled with laughter and interesting conversation, and a world filled with unspoken understanding.

  “It sounds too good to be true,” she whispered.

  “It does, doesn’t it?” he said with a smile. “But I think we could have it, you and I. I think we could be so very happy.” He took her hands in his and squeezed. “I want to make you happy, Sally. And just being near you brings me joy. Your presence in my life fills me with a sense of pride and purpose and the desire to be a good man. For you.”

  “You already are a good man.”

  “I could be better,” he said with a shrug that made her choke on laughter.

  “But—”

  “My family,” he cut her off. “I knew you’d get to that. I’ll have you know that I’ve asked my father and my brother for their blessing and they happily bestowed it.”

  Her brows came down in confusion as all her talks with his father came back to her at once. “Truly?”

  “Oh yes. I think my father is quite smitten with you himself.”

  She smacked his arm. “Don’t speak of your father that way.”

  He laughed, unapologetic. “He likes that you keep me in line, I’d bet. He likes that you’ve helped me realize that I’m ready to grow up. Not just in the military. But in everyday life. I needed a purpose, but you helped me to see that I have one. You helped me to understand...me.” He made a face. “That sounds absurdly mawkish, doesn’t it?”

  She was too busy biting her lip and fighting back tears to protest but she shook her head with a sniff. Her mind was once more returning to her family, and to the secrets they held. “But...would your father still like me if he learned the truth about my family?”

  “Sally, my love, the men in my family are not as fragile as you might believe.”

  She met his gaze in silence.

  He let out a huff of amusement. “All right, perhaps we’re not as strong as we’d like to think either.” She smothered a laugh and he squeezed her hands as he continued. “Which is why we need you. It’s why I need you.”

  Oh her heart. It threatened to shatter at the sincerity and earnest pleading in his gaze. He was offering her everything she could ever possibly want. A home of her own, with a man who not only liked her just as she was, but who challenged her to be more. A man who fit her so perfectly it was as though he’d been made just for her. A miracle, if one believed in such things.