by Liz Tyner
Broomer raised a hand to silence him. ‘I’ll get Willa.’ He turned.
‘My cabin?’ Warrington asked.
‘No,’ Gid interrupted innocently before Broomer could speak. ‘Her cabin.’
Warrington levelled a look at Gidley. If not for Jacob’s ears, this conversation would proceed differently.
Gidley chuckled, his whole body moving, and nodded at Jacob. ‘Come along, Little Lordship, let me learn yer the parts of a ship.’
Warrington waited until Broomer and Willa’s exodus from the cabin, then he strode inside.
Melina’s bottom was propped against the edge of the bunk and her hands clasped the edge. She stared over his head.
He took in the room. ‘Devil take it, Melina. Is there a pillow left in my house?’ He glimpsed the window. ‘And the curtains. How long have you been planning this?’
‘Since the letter.’
He saw the basket in the corner. Smoked meat. Vegetables.
He grabbed the side of the door for balance. She planned to go to Melos. ‘I suppose Jacob can sleep in Ben’s cabin and I can try a hammock,’ he said. ‘I see there’s no room in here for me.’
‘You have not been invited.’
He shrugged. ‘I’ll stay on my half of the ship.’ He went to the curtain, pulled it aside and looked out. ‘My half should follow Ben’s half.’ He raised a brow and peered at her. ‘Or so I’ve been told.’
The grunt she gave placed no importance in his words.
‘I can see it now,’ he said. ‘Jacob and Willa on a ship and their tiny little stomachs jolting as we sail to Melos. And the waves. Life-threatening storms. They could perish.’ He took a step and planted himself in front of her. ‘Or you could stay and marry me, and be the one to guide Willa as she grows into a beauty others will pamper instead of making her do as she should…’
‘You do not speak fair.’
‘No. If she is to be my daughter, then this time, I will choose a good mother for her. I will not make the same mistake again. Think about it, Melina, because if you say no, I will have to tell my brother Dane that he will be managing the estates and bribe him greatly so I can follow you to make sure you are safe. And two babes will be sailing on a ship, away from nice comfortable beds full of pillows.’
Her eyes flashed dark at him.
He shrugged. ‘Think of Jacob and Willa.’
‘You will move to Melos?’
‘And hope to convince you to marry me. The island will never be home to me. But I can live there and return here to visit.’
‘I could not bear to see you leave like I saw my father leave.’
He turned to her. ‘Never like your father. I’ll expect you to return with me each time. It won’t be asking too much, if I am to spend much of my life there.’
He took one stride, pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. ‘I can’t let you go. I can’t. Since you left my house, I have only had you out of my life for moments, and it has been intolerable agony. I cannot imagine days, weeks or years without you. Let me send Ben for your sisters. They can return here. Your family can share our home.’
She studied his face.
He nodded. ‘I have a country estate where I promised to take Jacob. I can add another house if needed. And my lonely, wealthy aunt is batty and cannot find enough people to listen to her stories. Your sisters will be comfortable and we will have enough time to become a true family.’
‘What if my parentage is discovered? My father was married to another woman at the time he lived with my mother.’
‘Your father’s wife knows and I don’t wish to cause her any embarrassment. I am quite happy with letting the world know you’re a descendent of Aphrodite. Who’s to say it isn’t true? Certainly not me. I believe it.’
She stood and her eyes softened. ‘My mother often claimed she had the spirit of a goddess. So I have heard that nonsense before.’
He took his forefinger and touched her mark, tracing a heart over it. ‘Do you think Aphrodite will marry a mere mortal like me?’
She thrust herself into his arms, knocking him back a step, holding him tight.
He held her close, shutting his eyes, and feeling freedom, as if a thousand years of curses had left him.
‘I will stay,’ she said, ‘but I’ll give you my answer to the marriage later,’ she said. ‘I am in no hurry.’
‘I’ll have to correct that.’ He put his cheek against her hair and inhaled the holiday scent of her, and hoped she never lost the trace of all the best parts of the island that clung to her.
*
Warrington watched Willa and Jacob arguing over her doll while he waited for Melina to return from her walk in the Whitegate gardens. She searched for the perfect spot for her statue. In a few days, Ben should return with the sculpture and with Melina’s sisters, and his wife could hardly wait.
Movement beside him caught his eye. ‘You do not want the doll, Jacob,’ Warrington commanded. ‘Give it back to your sister.’
The moment Jacob handed it back, Warrington saw Willa’s arm flex. ‘Do not hit your brother.’
She looked at Warrington, smiled and said, ‘Watface.’
Jacob snickered.
‘Jacob.’ He glared at his son. ‘If you ever teach her anything like that again, you will be forbidden from riding Nero for a fortnight.’
Jacob’s body sagged. ‘Paapaa…’ He dragged out the word.
Willa looked at Warrington. ‘Paapaaa…’ she copied Jacob’s speech and ran to Warrington. He picked her up. Now when he looked into her eyes, he saw sunshine, and when he looked at Jacob, he saw Ben. That was not so pleasing.
‘Warrington.’ He heard Melina’s voice behind him. She never called him by anything but his title, except when they were alone. Then she often whispered to him in her mother’s language. Some day he would tell her that his childhood tutor had schooled him quite well in other languages—and his skill with one in particular had persuaded the Foreign Office to ask his assistance with the Greece mission.
‘You must be firm with Willa,’ Melina continued speaking to him. ‘She knows ratface isn’t a kind word.’
He felt little arms cling more tightly around his neck and a soft cheek snuggled against him.
‘Willa,’ he said, ‘you cannot ride Jacob’s horse for a fortnight.’
‘Warrington…’ Melina put her hands on her hips.
He forced himself not to smile. He was not besotted. He was in love. Totally, truly. And this time, nothing about it felt the same as before. His past wasn’t buried. It had vanished. Just like a myth.
‘Willa,’ he said to her, ‘your mana and your papa must insist that you only say nice words.’
‘Until you are married,’ Melina added. ‘Then you may speak as you wish to your husband.’
‘As you do.’ He used his free hand to clasp her waist and pull her close enough to kiss her nose. ‘And as I do to you. My Aphrodite. Not a mythological goddess. But better. I recovered the true treasure from Melos.’
*
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ISBN-13: 9781460335079
SAFE IN THE EARL’S ARMS
Copyright © 2014 by Elizabeth Tyner
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