Picou stood alone, stunned by the turn of events.
Bella released her husband's lips the moment she felt the rage in him turn to passion. "Hold that thought until tonight, sir?" She touched his cheek gently with her palm, and he brought his lips to her forehead. "I am truly a lucky lady."
Gregory suddenly, as if remembering Picou was still there, turned to face him. "You have apparently met my wife, Mr. Picou. Lady Arabella Smythe."
Picou stared at him. "I…see."
"I hope you do. Please wait here, Picou. I have something for you." Folding Arabella to his chest, he said softly. "I'll take you to the carriage, sweetheart, before I return."
"Gregory, please," she whispered, as he ushered her toward the carriage where Lily and Earl waited. "Please be civil to him. I don't wish any trouble!"
"Arabella, I have some unfinished business with him. That's all. I need to return the fare for Lily's voyage." He stopped at the carriage, where the coachman waited with two white horses, and lifted her up into it. "Stay here, young lady." He turned on his heel, leaving her there.
Gregory took a deep breath as he walked slowly toward Picou, who eyed him warily. Stopping in front of him, he reached into his waistcoat pocket and brought out an envelope. Holding it out, he said, amicably, "You know, I would be quite justified in punching you out, you bloody fool. But I'm a forgiving man. Since I'm now married to my darling Arabella, I will let it go. Why I'm refunding you the fare for Lady Darby, I've no idea."
Picou's ugly smile answered him. "And Arabella's?"
"That will be returned to Baron St. John of Yorkshire. It does not belong to you."
The aloof shrug that answered him as Picou snatched the envelope from his hand was the final stroke. "I suppose all is well, then."
"Is it?" Gregory's smile was dangerous. A moment later, his fist plowed into Picou's face.
Shocked, Picou stumbled backward and stared, his hand raised to his jaw.
Gregory's smile increased. "Lord Charles was not as forgiving, however. That was for Lady Darby." He turned to walk away. Suddenly, he turned back again and punched even harder, hitting Picou on the left, this time.
Shaking his fist to get the feeling to return, he adopted an even bigger smile, "Perhaps," he said, cocking his head. "I'm not as forgiving as I first assumed. That one was for my wife."
Picou's eyes were large, now, as he stood there, rubbing both sides of his face.
Gregory, turning away again, got a few feet toward the carriage, before he paused again and turned back to the frozen Picou.
A third smash of Gregory's fist into his face sent Picou crashing to the ground.
Gregory stood, a wide grin on his face, looking down at him. "I must admit, I feel much better now. That one, you bloody bastard," he said. "Was for my ship." He turned toward the carriage, flashing his wife a huge grin and saying over his shoulder, "And if the underwriter's investigation comes back as I'm sure it will, I'll send you a bill. Don't doubt me."
He climbed into the carriage, the huge smile still plastered across his face. But Lily and Arabella were chattering excitedly. Earl was trying to calm them.
When he saw Arabella's pale little face, he lifted her into his lap. "What happened, my darling? You look frightened."
"Gregory!" she gasped. "I know you won't believe me, but—" She took a deep breath. "I thought—Lily and I both thought we saw him. He even tipped his cap toward us and smiled—I swear it. And the scars on his cheek are still there, from where Cooper scratched him!"
Gregory looked from one to the other.
"Who?" he demanded, looking up and down the dock.
Arabella took a deep breath, while Lily, for once, said nothing. Finally, Bella spoke, her voice husky. "It was Mr. Miller."
Above them, Benny's laugh filled the air. Hearing it, they both turned to see him grinning down at them, with Mercer standing next to him. They waved, and Arabella waved back. Next to them, on the side of the ship, were Cooper and Copper, leaning against each other and purring loudly enough to be heard all the way to the dock.
The last thing Gregory heard was from the two men, as the carriage began to pull away.
"Going back with us?" Mercer asked curiously.
"Yep. Hired on. Permanent. My Sarah'll be helping to cook."
Gregory grinned down at Arabella, as he pulled her tighter into his arms. She snuggled into his neck as they both heard the crewman's last words. "Bound to be trouble, you know. After all, there'll be women."
The End
Pippa Greathouse
Pippa Greathouse has been writing since the fifth grade, after each student was given an assignment to read aloud a story to the class of their writing. One horrified teacher later, and a class of students who thought the horror story was “cool,” and she was hooked.
She is married, and has two fantastic children, who have grown and left the nest.
Since then, the writing has continued. She now is an author for Blushing Books, and still loves what she does. Her favorite genre is writing historical fiction romances, where men are “strong, Alpha men” and their feisty ladies respond to that. And historical fiction is perfect for that! However, she also loves writing contemporary romantic fiction.
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Other Titles by Pippa Greathouse
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Pippa Greathouse and Blushing Books!
Time for Change
Macie’s War
Catching Carrie
Conquered by the Captain (with Ruby Caine)
The Strasburg Chronicles
Angelica’s Rescuer: Book One
Merrie’s Hero: Book Two
Cinderella’s Lawman: Book Three
The Return Of Lucy Grace: Book Four
Miriam’s Rebirth: Book Five
Strasburg: The New Generation
Judging Cicely, Book One
Audiobooks
Angelica’s Rescuer
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Ruby Caine
Ruby Caine, author of Chance Encounters, learned to overcome her struggles with dyslexia by reading countless romance novels. As a mother of four, her life is full of its own drama. She loves incorporating her crazy experiences in her stories. Unfortunately, like her children, her characters have minds of their own and entertain her with their unexpected adventures. Caine and her family live in southern Louisiana, thirty minutes from New Orleans.
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Other Titles by Ruby Caine
Don’t miss these exciting books by Ruby Caine and Blushing Books!
The Spirits of River Oaks series:
Her Chance Encounters, Book 1
The Royal Psychic, Book 2
Haunting Memories, Book 3
Katrina’s Aftermath series:
Real Reality, Book 1
Talk Dirty to Me, Book 2
Cajun Charmer, Book 3
Taming His Creole Beauty, Book 4
Katrina’s Aftermath, 4-book set
Single Titles:
Making the Wright Connections
Conquered by the Captain (with Pippa Greathouse)
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