“You recognize this, Miss Rule?”
“No, ma’am,” she answered. “Just the image of the mermaid seems very familiar. Does it not, Lord Heatherly?”
“It does indeed.” He lifted his spectacles a moment, then put them down. “What do you make of these symbols around the edge?”
“They are Arabic,” Alex said. Then she stopped. No need to share anything he didn’t know. “What I was hoping to learn, Lord Heatherly, was if anything seemed familiar to you. See this behind the … the mermaid.” Alex traced the line that matched her astrolabe, the silhouette she thought might be buildings or a palace. “I was wondering if it’s a location that you would recognize, or that might have been documented elsewhere, perhaps on other maps at the museum.”
“Well, I can’t be sure, but I think it is similar to a very ancient, uh, text that I know.” He lifted the map to examine it more closely, then nodded and rolled it up. “Yes, I believe it is. I will take this and compare the two for you.”
“Oh!” Alex did not want to part with the map, but also did not want to seem rude or ungrateful to so valuable a resource. “That’s not necessary. I can wait and bring it myself.” She reached for the paper.
Miss Rule took it from Heatherly. “He’s right, Miss Stafford. If you wish an answer, the easiest way is for us to do the initial work and we must have the map available to do so. Fear not, it shall be in very good hands.”
“Do you think it’s a map?” Alex inquired. “If so, a strange one.”
“Yes, well, clearly it is a location of something, Miss Stafford. I have learned that much from my work with Lord Heatherly. And that he is most responsible and dedicated.”
“Of course, I did not mean to imply otherwise—” Alex felt trapped.
“Where are you going on your trip, Heatherly?” Worthington interjected.
Heatherly looked to Miss Rule, a moment of uncertainty glimmering in his eyes. Alex wondered if he didn’t want people to know where he was going.
“To Egypt, Your Grace.”
“Yes,” Miss Rule agreed. “But we will have time to help you with this first.”
“Nonsense.” Joshua took the map from her hand, and folded his hands behind his back, blocking further dispute. “You are too kind, but I’m sure you have much to prepare before such a long journey. And you’re leaving soon, are you not?”
“Uh, yes,” Heatherly agreed.
“This is not so important. I’m sure Miss Stafford would be happy to wait until you return.”
“Yes, yes,” Alex concurred.
“I can help you,” Heatherly insisted.
“No, no. This is merely a hobby. A curiosity. Please do not worry yourself,” Alex said.
“Well then,” Miss Rule spoke tightly. “We have made a needless trip it seems.”
Alex was struck by the woman’s remark. “My apologies. Please enjoy refreshment with us. I should love to hear more about your travels.” She couldn’t wait to get rid of the woman, but damned if she would let her know it.
“As His Grace said, our time is very valuable, Miss Stafford. We cannot all afford to chase our whims.”
“I shall make sure the museum is compensated for your time.” Alex stood, dismissing them, angered by the woman’s outright rudeness and implication that Alex’s days were so empty she spent them looking for ways to waste people’s time.
Lord Heatherly tsk’d at the woman, and shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stafford.”
“And you, Lord Heatherly,” Alex offered warmly. “Miss Rule.” She nodded farewell, less interested in the woman’s feelings.
When they were gone, Joshua returned the map to her.
“It’s just a copy,” she explained. “A drawing to see if he recognized anything on it.”
“I understand,” he said.
“It just felt strange giving it to them. And I did not like Miss Rule. She was rude. I have never been that rude, have I, Joshua? I swear I haven’t.”
“Impossible, my dear.” Joshua smiled at her.
Alex unrolled the map, and folded it back up to fit inside her journal. “I apologize if I have ever been that rude to you. Except for the times you deserved it, of course.”
“Of course. And I certainly have earned your wrath, my love.”
“Hmph.”
He changed the subject. “But I agree that something was not altogether right about those two.”
“Lord Heatherly seemed all right. I thought he would be more helpful. But that woman was very suspicious. You don’t think she is up to something, do you?”
Joshua flexed his hand as if ready for a fight. “I think we don’t have enough information, my sweet.”
Alex lifted her journal to her chest, protectively. “You cannot keep saying things like that.”
“That we don’t have enough information?” He grinned.
“You know, Your Grace.” She stood stiffly.
He laughed quietly, tilting her chin up to him, and brushing her lips lightly with his. “Regretfully, I cannot keep my promise of a stroll. Will you please make my regrets to Stephen?”
“Of course. You are English, after all.”
She said it with bite, but Joshua caught the glimmer of disappointment before her face became a mask of aloofness. One step forward, two back. A shame he had to leave so abruptly.
“There is something I have recalled that I must do. You are heading back to Kent tomorrow?”
“Yes.” Her body remained stiff and inflexible in his hold.
“I shall see you at Emma’s ball in a few days. Promise me you will be safe until then?”
She shrugged.
“Promise me,” he repeated.
She nodded reluctantly. He wanted to say more, to reassure her. He certainly did not want to leave her. But before he could enjoy her company, he needed to find out more about Lord Heatherly and his companion. Something was not right. And with Alex suspecting that Paxton was still at hand, he could not take any risks.
He pecked the top of her head with his lips, allowing himself nothing more. He was fully aware of her confusion over his behavior, but decided to let her think on it a bit longer.
Eventually she would figure out that he was courting her.
Chapter Sixteen
Alex flicked her wrist impatiently, visualizing. “Catch and release. Catch—”
“Alex, hold still! You’ve lost weight in the last week,” Maggie complained to her niece. “Your gown must be altered.”
“Not that you don’t look very nice, Alexandra,” Emma hastened to add.
“She is sunburned and skinny. It’s a wonder any man would be interested,” Maggie said.
“I’m rich,” Alex retorted. The comment earned her the poke of a needle. “Ouch! That was cruel.”
“But fun.” Maggie finished her stitches. “Now let’s see.”
Alex turned around to face Maggie, Emma, and one of Maggie’s housemaids. There was a collective sigh. Then nods of approval.
“It’s perfect,” Emma exclaimed. “I’m a genius!”
Alex arched a brow at her friend. “It’s just a dress.”
“It’s a miracle!” Maggie exclaimed. “Come see in the mirror.”
Hesitant, Alex looked, then looked again. Yes, she definitely appeared different. Her hand touched her breasts where they heaved at the low neckline. The pale gold material did make her skin glow. And her hair—it stood out too much.
“It makes my hair look red.”
“Your hair is red!” Maggie said, exasperated.
“Don’t you like it?” Emma asked, worried. “Oh, Alex, I think you look beautiful. But if you don’t like it …” Emma trailed off biting her lip anxiously, studying her friend in the mirror. She pulled some of Alex’s hair forward. “Not red. Like rich rosewood.”
“It’s just that I don’t look like me.”
“That’s the point!” The fact that Maggie and Emma said it in unison left little ro
om to guess what they really thought about her regular mode of dress. It also sent the housemaid into a fit of indiscreet giggles. Alex glowered.
“I think I should wear the green. And it won’t do to compete with the birthday girl.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Emma promised. “My gown is spectacular. And it’s silver, so when we are next to each other we will complement!”
Alex shook her head with a light laugh, giving in. In this dress, it was in fact hard to do much more than give a light laugh. Regardless of her discomfort, it was difficult not to be swayed by Emma’s enthusiasm.
“I’ll help her undress, Lady Maggie,” Emma offered, dismissing the maid as well.
“Thank you, Emma. And thank you for helping us find such a wonderful dress on short notice. Perhaps your genteel company will put Alexandra in a more grateful mood.”
“My green dress was perfectly fine!” Alex caught her aunt’s censure and added. “But truly, this is much more magnificent. Thank you, Emma.”
“You’re welcome. You shall be fighting off suitors.”
“Ugh. Then I take my thanks back!”
Emma laughed and helped with the buttons once they were alone. Very carefully they laid the dress out and then sat by the window to catch up.
“I’m very excited about the ball tomorrow,” Emma confessed.
“Well, of course. Eighteen is a milestone.”
“What did you do for your eighteenth birthday?”
“I worked.”
“You worked?” Emma was outraged.
“It was a Wednesday, after all. And everyone was out on their ships, making deliveries. My father was in Savannah purchasing wood for a new ship. Matthew got called away to help deliver a baby. Only Stephen was home. He had our housekeeper make a cake and a special dinner, and we celebrated.”
“Oh.” Emma sounded like she felt rather bad about that.
“But,” Alex continued, “that Saturday, when my father returned home, he took me down to the harbor for a special lunch. Just me and him. It was very nice. We had fresh lobster cooked right there on the docks, and we talked about the business. I told him how I wanted to open an emporium and start selling products to regular people. You know, offer folks a little variety. Then we argued about how we should design the hull of the next ship. It was wonderful,” Alex reflected. “With so many of us, and with the demands on my father, I wasn’t alone with him often. Least not for a whole afternoon. He gave me some pointers on managing my brothers, told me about a couple tough negotiations. I had been working in the business my whole life, but that day, I felt like he really accepted me as part of it. And then the most amazing thing happened.”
“What?”
“There was a small point with a lighthouse, and as we sat and talked this beautiful ship came into the harbor at full sail, slowly revealing itself. Eventually it got close enough for me to hear shouts and I recognized all my brothers were aboard and waving to us. I jumped up and exclaimed to my father that it was in fact them. He said, ‘Of course it is. Someone had to deliver your gift.’ ”
Alex stopped and hugged her knees to her chest, remembering. “He put his arm around me, said happy birthday, and I couldn’t believe it.”
“He gave you a ship!”
“Yes.” Alex grinned. “But it wasn’t just that. I knew then, he really did believe in me. More than even I believed in myself.” Alex sighed, closing her eyes. “It was the most perfect day of my life.”
“Oh,” Emma said again. This time her eyes were watery. “I don’t remember my father really. But that sounds much better than a ball.”
Alex reached out to her friend, “But you are getting more than a ball.” She gave Emma a quick squeeze. “You’re getting the chance to dance with the man of your dreams.”
“Yes,” Emma hesitated. “Alex, I’m sorry Marcus is so stuffy about some things. I’m hoping he will learn how wonderful you are in time. He does like you.”
“He just doesn’t want me becoming a bad influence.”
“It’s not that,” Emma denied. Though both knew it was exactly that. It was silent a moment before Emma continued. “I just want everything to go well. You promise to behave? Just for one night. There are a lot of Marcus’s friends coming in from London.”
Emma had tried to make it sound teasing, but Alex knew her friend was anxious for Marcus to accept her and to make a good impression. Merchant class was merchant class, no matter how much money you had. Alex assured Emma all would be well.
“I promise I will be a model of decorum, and as boring as humanly possible.”
“Thank you. I know I’m just fretting over nothing. I do want you to have fun. You will try to dance, won’t you?”
“I’m wearing the dress and I’m promising to be genteel. Two out of three is very good, Lady Emma.”
Laughing, her friend relented. “But Joshua will surely want to dance with you.”
“Please. I cannot figure out that man. He has been acting very strange of late.”
“Tell me,” Emma insisted, curious.
Alex explained that he sailed back on her ship, and was very engaging company for the most part. Then in London, he kept showing up. “And he wanted to talk and spend time with me. He even suggested a stroll in the park.” Alex shook her head bewildered. “Do you think he feels he must protect me or something?”
Emma burst out laughing.
“Emma! It’s not funny. Surely he has more important things to do than take tea and escort me around town. For heaven’s sake, his roof needs to be fixed.”
“Yes. He most certainly does have other things to do,” Emma agreed. “But his roof is almost done. He made arrangements.”
“Then why are you laughing?”
“Alexandra.” Emma looked undecided about revealing the answer to the puzzle. “Have you never been courted?”
Alex balked. Then she blinked. Then she sat in stunned silence.
“Oh, dear,” Emma worried. “Do you not want him to court you? You seem like such a good match. Have you no affection for Joshua, Alex?”
“I don’t know.” Alex thought on it. “It’s more that,” she tried to explain, “I don’t have room for affection quite yet.”
“Well. There’s no rush.” Emma got up to go. “Think on it, Alex.”
Think on it. Alex turned again. It was all she had been able to do for the last twenty-four hours. She needed to figure out how to stop Paxton, and now she was obsessed with a duke. She would be seeing him in a mere sixteen hours. She must decide quickly how she felt. She knew she wanted to get to know him more. They had yet to talk about the past. He seemed to avoid it. As did she. It felt too intimate to bring up.
Frustrated, she kicked off the bedsheets. Another sleepless night. She would be lectured in the morning for bags under her eyes.
There might be a growing affection between her and Joshua, but Alex knew she was not duchess material. And she couldn’t stay in England. It was completely impractical. The Stafford Emporium was in Boston, and her business took her to various ports. Hell, she would be blind if she hadn’t noticed that he could be kind. And his employees seemed to adore him. And he occasionally challenged her with his wit. What if he wasn’t courting her? Her heart dropped. Not a good reaction.
It must be the weather.
Summer had definitely arrived. Uncomfortable from the heat, Alex got up to open the windows. Her mind worked too much for her to sleep. Frustrated, she donned some riding clothes and made her way down to the stables.
Salem was already aware of his mistress and whining impatiently from his stall. She slipped on his saddle and within minutes they were quietly making their way out toward the lake. It had been on Alex’s mind to take a swim, and at this time of the morning it was safe to assume everyone at Worthington was asleep and in bed. Plus, the duke had not returned.
The moon guided their path and Alex enjoyed the refreshing water in no time. She knew better than to linger, and after just a couple laps dried off
with a towel she brought, then dressed again before lying out on the grass to admire the sky. It was the most relaxed she felt in days. Within minutes of closing her eyes she was fast asleep.
She dreamed of him, as she was prone to do lately. Only instead of being on the run across the buildings of Morocco, they were dancing. As the dance ended he drew closer, tracing a long, tanned finger down her cheek. It feathered across her lips, easing a sigh of pleasure from her before gliding over her chin and throat to the open neckline of her shirt.
Alex turned on her side, shivering slightly. The dance ended, and he was running his fingers through her wet hair, fanning it out to dry. It was strange, she thought, that her hair had become wet while they were dancing. It must have rained, her dream consciousness decided. She leaned into him for warmth. He was solid and warm, and his arm made a nice pillow. She snuggled closer using her hands to pull at his shirt indicating she wanted more. He put his other arm around her, obeying, and she mumbled that this was “perfect” to nobody in general. She could have slept for days if it weren’t for that wandering hand of his.
Alex grinned sleepily, enjoying the feel of that large hand gliding over her waist and thighs before feeling the curve of her buttocks. It massaged nicely too, she thought as a knot of desire grew. She stretched against him, arching with need. When that expert hand cupped her chin and cheek, and his body rolled her back on the grass, her lips were already parted for his kiss.
It was the gentlest of caresses, but every nerve ending in her lips came alive. He brushed their lips together once more, barely touching. It was enough to make Alex fight through her confusing dream and open her eyes. She struggled to focus, still in the depths of sleep, her body aching for more of his touch. She couldn’t reconcile that he was here with her. She saw his face close to her, the stars behind him, his body warm and protective against her, waiting.
“It is you,” she whispered huskily, confused.
He only nodded silently while she struggled to wake up. Her eyes couldn’t determine if he was an illusion or not. Her hands reached out to help and came into contact with a wall of muscle. Alertness shot through her. Panic as well.
Siren's Song Page 15
