by Heather Boyd
“I am sorry I cannot love him.” She bowed her head, unable to hold his gaze. “I have tried, but I do not feel enough for him.”
The duke patted her cheek softly. “I loved your grandmother, and it took me a dozen years to win her hand. We were enemies as children, you know. I pulled her braid and she threw lemons at my head. I hope you will not have to wait that long to enjoy a rousing good fight with the one you love.”
“You were both so happy. I remember how your faces lit up on first seeing each other whenever you were apart. I cannot believe you had any reason to argue. There was always a glimmer in your eyes when you were near each other.”
“Your grandmother was a rare woman. She had no relations of her own by the time we married, and it took some time for her to find her feet among the family. But she did, and your mother did too, now I think about it. We are a rather hard family en masse.” He laughed suddenly. “I imagine the man you do eventually marry will need to understand that while your name will change to his, you will always be a Ford down to the bone. Family first.”
“I hope so.”
“Never admit fault,” the duke said. “Your grandmother always appreciated that one. She said it covered any number of social blunders or disagreements within the household.”
The duke held out his arm to embrace her, and she clung to him a moment, reassured that no matter what anyone else said, her grandfather accepted her decision.
He bussed her cheek. “I will see to it, my dear.”
“Thank you.”
He pushed her away suddenly. “Now, about this other fellow. Are we acquainted?”
“Yes.”
His eyes warmed. “And do I like him?”
She nodded. “Very much.”
“I thought I saw a glimmer when Felix showed up on our doorstep.” He leaned close and touched his finger to his nose, smiling at her shock. How could he know about Felix when she had only just decided to wait for him yet again? “Not quite so old and unobservant as you think, eh?”
Sally gulped. “You knew how I felt about Felix all along.”
“Not in the beginning, but for some time I have noticed your interest was just a little too fixed on one particular ship and your brother Laurence’s letters. When the engagement ended, I made discreet enquiries and learned your father had advanced Felix to the Selfridge simply to spite Admiral Greer. Despite the promise of his zeal and skill at command, the Selfridge was under-manned and under-gunned. I stepped in to ensure lives and the chance for success were not lost. Your father pushed him as hard as he could just to best another admiral.”
Sally closed her eyes. Poor Felix. Even if he had wanted to stay, he had not been given a chance to escape her father and family. He had always meant to leave, but he had not abandoned her willingly. It was no wonder he had been angry. He’d had good reason.
The duke smiled. “Captain Hastings proved himself in battle, child, won a fortune and distinction with the sole intent of impressing your family and you. He has lost years with you, but let us hope he does not get himself killed when he returns to face the French. He has promised to lease Torre Cottage from me upon his return, and you know how hard it is to find agreeable tenants.”
“But you promised me the dower house to live in.”
“I promised you could live in the dower house if you wed the best man in England.” The duke shrugged. “When Felix returns to shore again, you have my blessing to move there with him after the wedding takes place of course.”
Sally threw herself around her grandfather and squeezed him tight. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
“Well, do not get too excited about it now. Put on a sad, contrite face. We have a wedding to halt, and you cannot seem to be relieved about it yet.” He held out his arm. “Help an old man to the white drawing room, and let us put this mistake behind us.”
They made their way to the drawing room and found her betrothed and their mothers and Lord Ellicott were waiting. Her mother gave her an encouraging nod of approval, as if she knew what Sally was about to do.
“Lord Ellicott, might I have a word?”
He nodded, casting a questioning look toward her grandfather. “In private?”
“Outside on the terrace will do.” She led the way, chose her spot, and then faced him. “I cannot marry you.”
He tipped his head to the side, studying her without saying a word.
“Did you hear me?”
“I heard, but I am unsure I believe my own ears.” He shook his head. “Are you telling me that after a year of flirtation that should only have led to matrimony, after all the arrangements have been made to accommodate your wishes, you have simply changed your mind?”
Very little had been done to accommodate her wishes. “I made a mistake.”
“Like picking up the wrong gloves to wear to a ball?” He folded his arms across his chest. “Well, I do not accept that.”
When she had broken with Felix, he had begged her to reconsider, promising that his love came from his heart and not because of any promotion. Proof that she was making the right decision came from Ellicott’s lack of appeal. His jaw clenched. His eyes narrowed, but distress at losing her was not one of the emotions he chose to reveal.
“I am sorry if this comes as a surprise to you, but you will see it is the right thing to do in the end.”
“It’s because of those bloody cats, isn’t it?”
“Partly.” She lifted her chin. “But mostly it is because we do not have any intention of loving each other. I deserve that, and so do you.”
His mouth pursed as if he had eaten a lemon. “Love?”
“Yes, love. That feeling you have for another. When you cannot stand to be apart. That you will do anything at all to make them happy.” She studied his blank expression, pitying him. “That feeling you have when your mother asks you to go out of your way to fetch her new dress from London, but magnified a thousand times.”
His jaw clenched tightly again, and then he brushed past her to speak with the duke.
Sally let out a shaky breath, glad the first obstacle was over because there would be more difficulties to come. Gossip and mutual friends choosing sides. She would hold her head up because she was doing the right thing for both of them. She could only hope her decision would not affect the reception her cousins faced when they went to London for their season.
She turned around.
The Ellicotts were gone from the drawing room. Only her mother stood at the doorway. “Well, that went better than expected,” Mama murmured. “The Ellicotts are leaving immediately. One can only hope the rest of the family can be as civilized and not make a fuss about the break.”
“Doubtful,” Sally said, realizing her mother was fighting a grin. “Everyone will have an opinion if they do not already.”
An amused smile tugged her mother’s lips. “In case there is any danger you might misunderstand, we prefer Felix to be your husband.”
“Who is ‘we’?”
“Oh, everyone,” Mama waved her hand to encompass the estate. “Even the stable master spoke his piece against Ellicott.”
Sally stamped a foot as strong emotions rose up and tears pricked the back of her eyes. “Did you all conspire to bring Felix back into my life?”
“Well of course. Everyone but Penelope, you know how she detests scandal, agreed to help things along. Do you forgive us? We only want you to be happy. We all felt bad that we hadn’t done enough to heal the breach before this, so your grandfather and I decided to step in before it was too late to save you from misery with Lord Ellicott, not to mention his mother’s plans to spend your dowry on what she wanted.”
She opened her arms wide and enfolded Sally in the second-best comfort in the world. “It almost was. She hung red curtains in my bedchamber.”
“Oh darling, a fate worse than death itself,” her mother said with a laugh, shaking her head in vexation. “A nice mother-in-law should have asked what color you would choose.�
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Sally clung to her mother a long moment. “Thank you. Thank you for meddling.”
“It was our pleasure.” Her mother cupped her head, holding her tight. “I think you will both be very happy together upon his return. He loves you so much.”
“I hope so.” She sniffed, struggling with her feelings. “I love him too, but I do not know how I will bear another long wait.”
Her mother drew back and passed over a handkerchief. “You will keep busy, and who knows, perhaps the wait will be much shorter than you imagined.”
“The war cannot last forever,” Sally whispered hopefully as a figure inside the drawing room claimed her attention. Aunt Penelope. “Do we have smelling salts nearby?”
“Behind the elephant statue on the mantel. Why?”
“Aunt Pen must have heard the news. She already looks as if she might faint from the scandal of my second failed wedding.”
“We will catch her should she fall,” her mother whispered. “It is what our family is best at.”
“Indeed it is.” Sally smiled and then strode inside to explain.
Chapter Thirty-Three
After being made to cool his heels for five and forty minutes in the secretary’s office, Felix was finally seen by the man best suited to correct a mistake. He took a deep breath as he swept into Admiral Greer’s office with the reluctant Jennings close on his heels. The dark-paneled room was cluttered with more maps and folders than Felix had ever expected. A short man sat behind a large desk, poring over even more papers. “Admiral, thank you for seeing me at such short notice.”
The portly Greer raised weary eyes. “Captain Hastings, what an unexpected honor.” Greer cast a glance behind him. “You! What the devil are you doing here?”
“Admiral Greer.” Jennings nodded, doing his best to appear contrite. Felix had warned Jennings that a certain amount of humility on his part would be needed today if they were to have any success.
“He is with me,” Felix said.
Greer appeared very unhappy and shuffled some papers around. “Well then, take a seat. What can I do for you?”
“I have come to ask, to plead, for Gabriel’s reinstatement as captain.”
Felix gestured to Jennings to come closer and sit down.
Greer sucked his teeth. “Is that so? Did he convince you he had not meant to shame me?”
“Actually, I meant to shame myself,” Jennings said in a low voice.
Greer adjusted his bulk in his chair. “And you did a fine job of it I must say.”
“And he is sorry for the trouble he caused,” Felix added. “For everyone, but especially to you. It was not well done of him, but grief and drink robbed him of his dignity that day.”
Jennings said nothing to correct him, and he was grateful not to be contradicted. It had to be said that Jennings had been a fool. It had to be easier if someone else said it for him.
Greer’s gaze finally settled on Gabriel, his eyes hard and assessing. “You, sir, are lucky not to have faced me on the field of honor.”
“I know,” Jennings said quietly. “And yet I would not have deserved the expense of the shot, let alone the burial.”
Actually, it was probably Greer who was lucky that Jennings was incapable of answering his door when the seconds had called that night. Jennings had been so under the weather that it was said he had oozed from his chair without any semblance of having bones within his limbs. And Jennings had stayed that way for fully eight months. Tubby Greer had not come out from behind his desk in years and likely would have been incapable of matching Jennings’s former skill with a sword or pistol. Two lives had probably been saved thanks to his inebriation.
“I will vouch for him,” Felix added. “He has changed.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“It is not as if I can lose my late wife again,” Jennings remarked. “I have made my peace with her loss and vow never to let love affect me again.”
Greer grunted and turned his attention to Felix. “He is reinstated at half pay.”
“Half pay?” That was not enough, but it was a starting point for negotiations. Felix wanted Jennings to command a ship again. During the journey to London, he and Jennings had talked about his future if this meeting went badly. The only way for Jennings to prove himself again and put the past behind him was to find an active profession. He was best suited to command a frigate.
Greer took papers from a desk drawer, scrawled a signature, and handed them to Jennings. “Give these to my secretary on your way out.”
The reinstatement had come so easily that perhaps Admiral Greer had always meant to reverse his decision if given the opportunity without the loss of honor. He nodded. Greer had at least some compassion in his soul. Felix sat forward. “What about a ship?”
“There are none”—Greer scowled—“so even if he was sober enough for sailing his way out of a mere hip bath, there is nothing more that could be done.”
“There must be a ship somewhere,” Felix protested.
Jennings grasped his arm. “Hastings, you have done enough for one day.”
It was not enough. “What if a command were to become available today?”
Greer’s eyes narrowed, and then he shook his head. “Planning to murder a fellow captain? That is one way to do it, I suppose, but terribly untidy.”
The sarcasm was not amusing, but there was a way. Felix’s solution was not simple and would likely cause argument within the admiralty, but he was the only captain who had means and motive to make the offer. He took a breath. “What if I step aside?”
“Hastings.” Jennings gasped, almost leaping from his chair. “What the devil are you suggesting?”
Greer turned his full attention on Felix, eyes alight with amusement. “You would resign as captain of the Selfridge for the sake of a drunkard’s soul?”
“For my own,” he insisted. “But only if Captain Jennings assumes command.”
A devious smile curled Admiral Greer’s lips. “Well, well, well. Do I sense friction between you and your esteemed benefactor? What will the Duke of Rutherford say? He likes to throw his weight and money around the admiralty.”
If Felix returned to marry Sally, there probably was not a lot he would say against his resignation. “There has always been friction, but in this I feel I have the Duke of Rutherford’s complete support.”
Jennings gulped. “What are you doing?”
“Taking that risk we talked about.” He studied Jennings. “No doubt Rutherford will expect the same terms as he attached to my agreement.”
“Half your prize and to stay away from the Ford ladies.” Jennings considered that for quite some time before nodding. “I can live with his conditions. But are you sure?”
“Never more so.” He turned to Greer and smiled. “Now, Admiral, tell me how much blunt it will take to get my friend aboard the Selfridge as soon as possible and underway as captain. I am willing to grease as many wheels as is necessary. What do you want?”
“Information.” From another drawer, Greer fetched a fresh sheet of paper. His smile was utterly cunning. “Captains, please resume your seats so we can make this official.”
Epilogue
One month later
No matter his location, mornings were Felix’s favorite time of day. Newberry Park grounds and staff were stirring to life. Chimneys sent up tendrils of smoke from various parts of the distant great house. The Fords would be rising soon and going about the business of being a family.
But without Sally in their midst, the day by necessity was a little less bright. Her marriage would have come and gone, and she was miles away.
“Why, Captain Hastings, you look the very image of a country gentleman.” The duke smiled as they met on the grounds of Torre Cottage. The old man seemed particularly spry today as he navigated the white crushed-shell paths that circled the cottage, twirling his canes as if he had no need of them.
Felix glanced up at the house. “And that is what I am, what
I will be once the final paperwork is done. I resigned my commission and have come to take up residence.”
“Indeed you have.” The duke chuckled. “I was the recipient of the most irritated message from my son a week after you left, so I had some idea to expect you. It seems you only left Newberry to tender your resignation, but you also solved the problem of what to do with Captain Jennings at the same time. Giving him your ship with my apparent blessing was a masterstroke. Very neat of you.”
“Jennings needed an occupation, and he has traversed that trade lane more times than I have. He will be the best man to keep an eye out for Fredrick.” Felix smiled and swung the gate open to his new abode. Thanks to listening to Sally’s hopes and dreams for this place, he had a list of chores to carry out before the house was habitable and ready to accept visitors. Not that he expected many.
A small black face peeked at him from under the nearest shrub. He crouched down and held out his hand. “Is that you, Hercules?”
The beast crept out slowly, hissing, avoiding the duke and his swinging canes.
“Overgrown rats, every last one,” the duke complained but he was smiling.
“They have a certain charm.” Felix smiled as the creature came close enough to receive a scratch. He scampered away to the undergrowth of a large shrub as soon as he had had enough attention, and Felix stood again. “If nothing else, my living here will offer a haven for the cats since Sally could not take them with her.”
“Would it surprise you to learn there was no marriage?” the duke asked.
Felix froze and then faced the duke. “She called it off?”
“Seems a wise choice on her part, considering she is in love with you.” The duke pointed his cane at Felix’s chest. “But I knew as soon as she saw you and you cleared the air that she might change her mind about marrying that fortune hunter. I expect news that I will bounce a great-grandchild on my knee before the year is out.”
