Mary: To Protect Her Heart (Other Pens, Mansfield Park Book 3)

by Leenie Brown

  “Gardiner?” Gabe repeated.

  “Yes,” Evelyn answered. “Mr. Edward Gardiner. He also provides some assistance at Mrs. Verity’s home for orphans.”

  “He is a fine fellow,” Gabe said. “Runs a good business, he does.”

  “It does seem to be prosperous,” Charles said.

  “I can assure you it is,” Gabe replied. “He and I have made a deal or two since I arrived in London. He has a very discerning taste. You say you were at his warehouse?”

  “The night Evelyn accepted my offer,” Charles replied, once again putting his arm around her shoulders.

  This time, Mary noticed, Miss Barrett did not swat him away. Instead, she ducked her head and blushed.

  “I was there helping him with a project to see people in need given a warm meal.”

  “He runs a charity out of his warehouse?” Gabe asked.

  Charles nodded as the actors began to take their places.

  “Come see me at some point,” Gabe whispered. “I may be in a position to help you with that.”

  “Business at the theatre?” Mary teased. “What would Mr. Bertram say?”

  Gabe smiled and winked at her. “One must strike the deal wherever it presents itself.” Once again, he took her hand, and, leaning closer to her, whispered, “Do you mind?”

  Mind him holding her hand? She thought not and gave his hand a squeeze as she shook her head. The warmth of his touch spread like a delicious wave through her body. It was a good thing she was familiar with this play for, with as distracting as his nearness was, she would otherwise be very confused as to whom Agatha Friburg, Fredrick, and Baron Wildenhaim were and how their lives were entangled.

  ~*~*~

  “Shall we find some refreshment?” Gabe asked as the intermission began.

  “I would like that,” Mary answered.

  “And the rest of you?” Gabe said to others.

  “I would like to stretch my legs,” Evelyn said.

  “You do not wish to remain here with me while the others go?” Charles asked her with a teasing grin.

  Apparently, Mary thought, Mr. Edwards had been honest about reserving his rakish ways for his betrothed.

  “No,” Evelyn said. “I would rather walk with my hand on your arm than remain sitting here.”

  “We could stand. Over there behind the curtain.”

  “No dark corners, Mr. Edwards. My mother would not approve.”

  “But would you?” he asked as he stood and secured her hand in the crook of his arm.

  “That is not a proper thing to ask a lady.”

  “Would you?” he asked again as they reached the door to their box.

  “I am not completely opposed to the thought of kissing you. However, you did promise Mother that you would behave, and you know she would be told if someone were to see us. I, for one, do not wish to endure that lecture. Therefore, you will not be drawing me into any dark corners this evening, Mr. Edwards.”

  The arguing over propriety by the pair in front of them continued for some distance down the saloon while Henry and Constance walked at a slow pace behind Gabe and Mary.

  “Miss Crawford,” a lady in a green dress called to her.

  Mary groaned. She had no desire to speak with Miss Morton, but she put on a smile and turned toward the lady.

  “I have not seen you in this age,” Miss Morton cooed to Mary while allowing her eyes to roam over Gabe’s figure, smiling with approval of what she saw.

  Mary bristled at the forwardness of her acquaintance.

  “Sarah said you had given up polite society to take up with some tradesman,” Miss Morton said in a loud whisper. “I had thought you a fool to do so, but now, I can see why,” she once again gave Gabe an appreciative sweeping look.

  Mary felt Gabe’s arm flex under her hand.

  “I apologize, Miss Morton, but Lady St. James has not been completely accurate in her accounting.”

  “She has not?” Miss Morton’s hand flew to her heart as her eyes grew wide.

  “I am afraid she has not been, for, you see, I have not taken up with anyone from trade or otherwise. I grew weary of the constant inconstancy of our lot of supposed friends. Therefore, when I was presented with the opportunity to forge new friendships, I took it.” She smiled up at Gabe. “And it has been a wonderfully wise decision. You should try it.”

  “Try what?” Miss Morton’s brow drew together. That Miss Morton had missed the point of the comment was not a shock to Mary. Miss Morton was not particularly astute.

  “Finding new friends who treat you well,” Mary replied.

  Miss Morton’s brow remained furrowed. “But our friends do treat us well. I am never without an invitation to one thing or another.”

  “Then I am pleased for you,” Mary replied with a curtsey before Miss Morton could say more.

  “She is not excessively intelligent, is she?” Gabe asked as they moved away from Miss Morton.

  “She would likely stand outside and stare at a door instead of going through it if she was told it was only for going out and not coming in,” Mary replied.

  Gabe chuckled and then asked her what her preferred beverage was before going to procure it.

  Other than Miss Morton, no other friend approached Mary, though many were there, and it was not because they did not see her. No, they made a point of looking directly at her and then turning away.

  “That was not pleasant,” Gabe said as they once again took their seats.

  Mary had to agree. Being snubbed was not pleasant, but… “It was not as horrid as I thought it might be.”

  “It was not?”

  She shook her head. “It is likely because you were standing with me.”

  “Then you have no regrets about leaving your former friends behind.”

  Again, she shook her head. “Very little. I do miss the calls and invitations to some degree. Sitting at home can be dull. Margaret hosts the occasional dinner for Dr. Grant’s friends, but,” she shrugged, “it is different.”

  His eyes were filled with concern.

  “Do not worry,” she said. “I am content. Truly I am.”

  To Mary, the remaining portion of the play was over far more quickly than she would have liked it to be. It had been a delight sitting close enough to Mr. Durward that their shoulders touched and he could discreetly hold her hand.

  “You acquitted yourself very well this evening,” Gabe said as he climbed into the carriage and took the seat across from her.

  Mary shook her head and laughed lightly.

  “Do you not believe me?” he asked, leaning toward her as the carriage began to move.

  “It is not that,” she mirrored his action and leaned toward him.

  “Then what is it?” he asked.

  “I do not think I shall ever get used to hearing someone speak of me as if they are proud of something I have done – something good that I have done,” she clarified. “I like it.”

  “As you should,” he replied in his normal pragmatic fashion. “Trust me, it will eventually become normal.”

  She smiled and looked at him for a long moment while a wonderfully frightening thought overtook her. She placed a hand on his where it lay on his knee. “I do trust you,” she said, putting her thought into words.

  His replying smile was worth enduring the nervous twisting of her stomach and fluttering of her heart that had accompanied admitting something like that to him.

  “I shall guard that trust with my very life,” he said, grasping her hand in his while placing his other hand on her cheek. “I will not play on it or with it as some might.”

  She leaned her cheek into his hand and closed her eyes. She knew the words he spoke were true. She did not know how she knew it, but she did. It was likely because he was so unwaveringly honest with her. He had not once flattered her. He had not once attempted to goad her into praising him. And he had always treated her as if she mattered – not for her beauty but for herself.

  Her eyes flutte
red open as she felt his lips touch the cheek that was not cupped in his hand. His eyes questioned hers, and with a smile of happiness that spread from her lips through her heart and down to her cold toes in her boots, she gave him the permission he sought to claim her lips in a kiss that was, at the same time, both a gentle caress and a firm pledge of his loyalty.

  “I’ll never let you take on water,” he murmured before, capturing her face between his hand and kissing her more ardently.

  Chapter 9

  The day had been a long one, so Gabe was happy to see Tom darken the door to his office, signalling that it was nearly time to leave.

  “Mrs. Grant wished for you to have this.” Tom placed a small parcel on Gabe’s desk. “It seems both she and Miss Crawford are excessively fond of you. Those are some tasty biscuits, and you did not even have to hold a ball of yarn for any length of time in order to be worthy of one.” Tom dropped into a chair.

  “You called on Mrs. Grant?” He smiled as he opened the parcel. It was, indeed, filled with five biscuits but that is not what made him smile.

  “What is it?” Tom asked, leaning forward to look at the package on Gabe’s desk.

  “Biscuits,” Gabe said. “Would you like one? I am certain I can find some wool or some such thing around here for you to hold to prove your worth.”

  Tom laughed. “The biscuit, I will take, but you may keep your yarn.” And he did claim a biscuit. “Now, what has you smiling like a smitten fool?”

  “Miss Crawford,” Gabe said as he settled back in his chair to enjoy his treat and the knowledge that Mary missed him. “She wrote a message on the paper.”

  Tom pulled the paper towards him and looked at it. “Your chair is empty? You have a chair at the Grants?”

  Gabe nodded.

  “Oh, how shall I explain to my brother that my friend has married Miss Crawford?” Tom asked as he flopped back in his chair.

  “We are not betrothed,” Gabe answered. “We are just very good friends.”

  “That smile says it is more.”

  Gabe shrugged. “Perhaps it is.”

  “Do you intend to offer for her?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Again, your smile says it is more than perhaps.”

  “Perhaps,” Gabe replied once again. Oh, he intended to offer for Mary. He had known he would for several days now, but it was not until last night when she had admitted to him that she trusted him and allowed him to kiss her that he had determined he would make his offer sooner rather than later. One must secure the deal when the opportunity arose so that one did not lose out to another, did he not? He was confident that that was as true with ladies as it was with ships and cargo. Precious commodities were not something to risk losing, especially when it was a ruby such as Miss Crawford. She did look lovely in red.

  “What is the sticking point?” Tom asked.

  “She has yet to meet my mother.” Gabe picked up a second biscuit from the packet in front of him. “What do you need, Radcliff?” He looked past Tom to the man standing in the doorway.

  “I have come to tell you that it has been decided to take your suggestion and employ thirty-three rather than twenty-eight.”

  “I am glad that Perkins finally saw reason.”

  “You hold the greatest number of shares, and without those, the venture would be ill-advised.”

  Gabe nodded. “As I said, I am glad Perkins finally saw reason. The extra men will be needed once the prize is taken. Even if she is only towed to port, there must be crew on her.”

  Radcliff looked as if he wanted to say something but would not, which was not surprising as the man never seemed to truly speak his mind. He was always parroting someone else. It was a trait that Gabe found excessively annoying.

  “The extra expense is insurance,” Gabe replied. He was certain that the man was, like the others, concerned about the loss of revenue from the hiring of extra men. “My share is the largest, so the expense falls most heavily on me as does the loss.”

  “Of course, Durward. The others and I understand your position.”

  “Yet, you are not happy about it.”

  “A loss of funds is a loss of funds.”

  “It is, but you can rest easy knowing that I will feel it more than you.”

  “Of course, of course.” He gave a nod to both Gabe and Tom and took his leave.

  “I take it there was a debate about the size of the crew on your next venture.”

  Gabe nodded. “My last venture of this sort.”

  “Last?” Shock suffused Tom’s tone.

  Again, Gabe nodded. “I find I would rather invest my monies in something more secure.”

  “Such as?”

  Gabe shrugged. “I have not entirely decided.”

  “And what is the reason for this shift?”

  “Miss Crawford.”

  “But did you not say she was interested in your ships and warehouse?”

  Gabe nodded. “There are men who have boats and buildings, but they do not also risk substantial amounts of their money in ventures that could see that money, as well as a boat and its crew, lost to them. Privateers are not always the victor. Sometimes they are the spoil.”

  “This is true, but will you be happy to put aside the thrill of the risk?”

  That was a question Gabe had been pondering ever since Mary had stood in this office, but then last night as he attempted to sleep, he had come to the conclusion that he was once again standing on the beach of a tropical island. Only this time there was no hole in his arm, but a possible hole that would be left in his heart if he were to lose either Mary or her trust. “I am at peace.”

  Tom shook his head in bewilderment. “I never expected you to give this up.”

  “Wars are not always with us. Strife ebbs and flows, and the usefulness and profitability of a privateer is only as long as the conflict, my friend.”

  “True, true. You have a point. Do not tell me you are thinking of purchasing an estate?”

  Gabe chuckled. “Then I will not tell you.”

  “What?” Tom cried. “I said it in jest.”

  “I have considered it as a future possibility. If I have children, it might be best for them. I have not made any decision regarding it, however, as I think that decision should be made by both the father and mother of said children.”

  “You are serious about offering for Miss Crawford, then?”

  Gabe chuckled as Tom shook his head in wonder.

  “After she has met my mother.” His brows rose. “Mother can be an acquired taste. She is not backward in stating her opinions and expecting things to be done her way.”

  “Much like her son,” Tom said with a laugh.

  “Yes, I suppose you are correct there, although Father was also set in his ways.”

  “What has you poring over the accounts today? Regular concerns or was your frown before I entered something more than the debate about crew members?”

  “You mean the debate from which I and my shares walked away?” Gabe asked with a grin.

  Tom chuckled and shook his head.

  “It was effective. Logic and reasoning had done little good in the last meeting and for the first half hour of today’s meeting. But that was not the reason for my frown. Something is not adding up in my accounts. There should be a greater profit margin than there is. I cannot put my finger on it, but something is not right.” He sighed. “And that is another reason to give this up. I wish to be my own man – completely. I do not wish to be part of a conglomerate of men. It seems little better than the company. The men I work with are good men to a point, but then there is greed that surfaces and safety and security must be pushed to the side to increase the amount of the take.”

  “And that is not how you prefer to operate.”

  It was not a question. Tom knew that, while Gabe enjoyed an adventure and the risk involved, he had his limits. Gabe wanted things to be done with integrity, for character was more important to him than gold. He had seen men mak
e some deplorable decisions in an attempt to improve the company’s position in India and their own within the company. Corruption and lack of concern for others was not something of which Gabe wished to ever be part.

  “No, it is not, and as long as I must be beholden to someone other than myself, I shall always face the prospect of being forced to concede to such things.”

  “Especially if someone were to put up more shares than you.”

  Gabe nodded and closed his books. “These will wait until tomorrow.” He gathered them up and stacked them in the cabinet in his desk. Then, slipping the key in his pocket, he ate the last biscuit, folded Mary’s note, and placed it in his pocket before standing and adding, “Mother cannot wait.” He put on his hat and coat and followed Tom out of the office. “You are joining us, are you not?”

  “I would not wish to run the risk of offending your mother before we have even met.”

  Gabe chuckled. “She will like you. I am certain of it.”

  They exited the building together and entered Tom’s carriage. Gabe had taken a hack this morning as he knew Tom would be calling for him and coming to dinner.

  “Have you made any progress in finding a wife?” Gabe asked as they settled in and the carriage began to move. He knew that that was the goal of Tom’s participation in the season.

  “Very little, but I am hopeful.”

  “I will do my best to alert you of any possibilities I find, but I am not out in society much these days, although I did attend the theatre last night with Miss Crawford and her brother.”

  Tom lifted the side curtain with the tip of his cane to look out. “What did you see?”

  “Lovers’ Vows.”

  “You saw what?” Tom’s attention was fully on Gabe.

  “Lovers’ Vows. Do you know it?” Gabe grinned. He knew very well that Tom knew the play better than most as Mary had told him about the disastrous attempt to stage a performance at Mansfield Park.

  Tom laughed. “I am intimately acquainted with it, as I am certain you know.”

  “Indeed, I do.” Gabe leaned his head against the squabs. “I must say I have never enjoyed sitting in one place for so long before.” Nor had he enjoyed a ride in a carriage as much as he had that ride last night when Mary had allowed him to kiss her several times.