Regina saw the other woman’s face pinch with irritation and Regina ducked her head to hide her smile. They hadn’t danced.
Abigail wasn’t finished. “I suppose I will find out when he joins us tomorrow evening. It is just an intimate gathering but Papa has hired a lovely seven-piece orchestra to play.” Abigail shot her a glowing smile.
“Regina, let us walk about the deck,” her mother called.
Regina began walking and Abigail matched her pace. Teeth gritted, Regina attempted to admire the harbor as they made their way towards the open ocean. Macie trailed behind them but Obediah and Clarissa were nowhere to be seen.
“Did you see how broad his shoulders are and his arms are so very strong. How did he get so strong?”
“He builds ships. I’m sure it builds a man’s physique.”
“How do you know Mr. Carter?”
“Much like you, my father is interested in his ships but he did stop me from falling on the docks. It sounds silly, but it was quite heroic.”
“Oohhh, I think it sounds very heroic.” She bounced a little as she spoke. Regina was barely twenty but Abigail seemed so young to her. Younger even than Clarissa. Some might think Clarissa was youthfully impulsive but Regina knew that it was her sister’s way of getting what she wanted.
“Yes, I suppose it does,” Regina murmured.
“I bet being married to a ship builder would be very romantic.” The other woman bounced on her toes.
“Perhaps. Moving to Maine from the South might be difficult.”
“Oh I would never move. My husband will have to work near my family.” She looked assured of her ability to make this happen. Regina thought she should probably introduce Abigail to Obediah. He’d happily move south.
They tacked out to the open water and then the other sails were unfurled to catch the wind. Regina stepped up to the rail inhaling deeply. Being on the open ocean was exciting. She felt her blood sing as the vessel picked up speed. She looked back to see several of the women, including Abigail, looking a little green.
She gave them a smile of sympathy as the men rejoined them on deck. This time James stepped up next to her, his hand lightly touching her back. She grinned in return.
“You like the sea.”
“I must admit, I have always found it exciting.” She turned her face to the open ocean but she could feel his eyes drinking her in.
Abigail stood next to them both. “I have done a great deal of ocean travel too, I just…” She stopped and a quick glance told Regina that the girl was about to be sick.
“Oh dear,” she took Abigail’s hand and led her away from the group. She pressed her fingers to the other woman’s wrist. “Find something and look at it without looking at anything else.”
“Very well,” Abigail said weakly. Regina closed her own eyes. Why did she insist on helping everyone? Why couldn’t she just leave Abigail to her fate?
“Whatever you do, don’t get sick. You’ll never recover if it happens.”
“I believe you.”
“Breathe slowly and deeply, keep looking at one point.” Regina brushed a curl out of the girl’s face.
“Thank you for your kindness,” Abigail mumbled.
“Everything all right?” James stepped up to them.
“Fine,” Abigail smiled brightly, using her free hand to reach out to James.
Regina cursed under her breath. This woman was a traitor. James' hand came to Regina’s back again. “It was kind of you to help her, Miss Lafayette.”
“Happy to do it.” She looked at James to find him staring back at her. It gave her a great deal of satisfaction until Obediah stepped between them. “How about a stroll around the deck, Regina?”
Her eyebrows arched. Where had he been the past half hour? “Of course.”
He took her arm and tucked it into his elbow. Then he began walking with her towards the opposite end of the boat. She looked back to see Abigail placing her hand in the crook of James’ arm. An irritated sigh escaped her lips.
Obediah glanced at her and then picked up the pace. He steered them away from the crowd. “My cousin has approved our match.”
“I see,” her voice remained neutral though her insides jumped. She resisted the urge to pull away. She didn’t want to get any closer to marrying Obediah.
“I see the way you look at him. I know you don’t love me.” Regina tried to step away from him then, but his hand came down on top of hers, trapping it against his arm. “I understand, but it doesn’t matter. We will be married.”
“And I see the way you look at Clarissa. You could marry my sister and still be part of my family’s business.” Even as she said the words, he shook his head.
“My feelings for your sister are of no consequence. You are the eldest daughter. You will inherit the family business.”
“It will be shared—”
“That is not a risk I am willing to take.” His hand tightened.
“Obediah, you are hurting me.” She tried again to pull away but his hand only tightened causing her to cry out.
“This chance is everything to me. Neither you nor your sister is going to—”
He squeezed harder and pain radiated through her arm. “Obediah, stop!” Her voice grew louder.
“You heard the lady, she told you to let her go.” James walked up to them, clamping his hand on Obediah’s shoulder.
“Obediah, what are you doing?” Clarissa came to stand next him.
“It’s none of your concern. Go back with your—” James must have squeezed because suddenly Obediah freed Regina. She took a step back and bumped into a solid form. She jerked her head around to see the calculating eyes of her father.
“What is going on here?” his voice was low and calm.
“Nothing, Regina and I were simply talking. I—”
Her father held up his hand for Obediah to stop. Then, his eyes looked her up and down. His eyes stopped on her hand she cradled in her other arm and he slowly reached for it, lifting it up for inspection. He neatly removed her glove then turned it to see the angry welts forming on the back of her hand. He gently let the hand go.
“We need to speak, son.” Her father looked at Obediah.
The other man’s shoulders slumped. “I didn’t mean... It was an accident. I only wanted her to listen. She is looking at him when…” Obediah’s head slumped.
“What about me? You were going to marry my sister this entire time? I thought you…” Clarissa’s voice trailed off.
“Obediah, you will accompany us home where we can speak privately. Right now we are looking to purchase some ships.”
Her father tucked her hand into his arms and began to lead her away. “Come Regina, you must see how this boat tacks in the wind. It is remarkable.”
“Yes, Papa,” she murmured as she looked back. Clarissa looked close to tears, Obediah was slumped in defeat, and James was staring intently at her as they walked away.
Once they were out of earshot, her father turned his head toward her. “Is your hand terribly hurt?” His tone was much softer than normal.
“It will be fine.” She bit her lip. She didn’t quite know how to start the conversation she needed to have with her father. “But Obediah…”
Her father gave one quick nod. “I agree. The marriage will not work. It’s not that his feelings are unrequited and yet he expects you to have more feeling for him and he is angry that you don’t. He has grown increasingly hostile. Your mother is going to enjoy a great laugh at my expense. She has been trying to tell me.”
“He isn’t going to take it well. And what about Clarissa?” A light joy filled Regina’s chest despite the worry she held for her sister. Clarissa had truly cared for Obediah and he had publicly snubbed her.
“I will discuss it with Clarissa but my recommendation is that she find another beau. Obediah has proven himself to be callous with her feelings and violent when pushed. What will he do when the pressures of a business begin to bear down on him? I cannot h
ave him taking that out on one of my daughters.”
“I am sorry, Papa. I know you wanted Obediah to be the man who took over for you…” Her father waved his hand and she allowed her voice to trail off. They were approaching her mother and other sister.
“We will finish this conversation when we are alone. We’ve yet to discuss the ship builder.” A nervous flutter beat around her chest. The fact that her father had not called him James or Mr. Carter but the ship builder, did not bode well.
“Where are Clarissa and Obediah?” Her mother asked, eyes narrowing.
“Coming momentarily,” her father gave her mother a meaningful look. “They have a few things to discuss, I suspect.”
Her mother’s eyebrows shot up but she said nothing until Regina’s father joined the other men. Then, she turned to Regina, “Are you still marrying Obediah?”
Regina gave her head a small shake. Her mother smiled brightly. “Well now, what happened?”
“I shall tell you all about it later, but I don’t think Clarissa and Obediah will marry either.” Her mother’s eyes bulged out as Regina spoke.
“Oh dear,” her mother murmured. “We shall need to have the handkerchiefs ready for this evening.”
Regina nodded in agreement, “But Papa wants to speak with me later about ‘the ship builder.’” Her mouth pinched in worry. “It doesn’t sound promising.”
“I will talk to him and see what I can do. Your father is pigheaded and stubborn to the last but he loves you and he comes around to good decisions eventually. Have faith, Regina.” Her mother patted her hand.
Regina did not answer, but something was building inside of her. She didn’t want to wait for her father to come around eventually. She wanted to marry James now. She wanted him to kiss her again and be held in his arms and to know what wives knew. She kept picturing what he might look like without his clothes on and she ached to run her hands along his skin. She took a shaky breath to steady herself.
He must have followed her and her father because she could see him approaching. She tried to compose herself as he stepped next to her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” His eyes held an intensity and his voice dropped low. “If he hurt you, Regina, I—”
“James, I am fit as a fiddle.”
Abigail stepped up behind James as Regina spoke but he didn’t even glance at the other woman. His eyes held Regina’s.
“It means the world to me that you care,” Regina said, blushing slightly because Abigail might hear.
“Of course, I care. You know how I feel about you.” His hand came up to brush the small of her back. Abigail’s eyes narrowed and her glossy curls bobbed as she rocked on her heels.
“I do, don’t I?” She took a half step closer, dropping her voice so that she wouldn’t be heard by anyone other than him. His masculine scent filled her nostrils. Her arms ached to wrap around him.
“I should like to talk with you tomorrow. May I call on you?” his hand ever so slightly skimmed her back again.
“Of course.” Her eyelashes fluttered.
“We must all have an outing.” Abigail bounced in, moving closer and intruding on the moment. “Surely we could put a party together.”
James turned his head to look at Abigail. Her father stepped up next to her. “I am sure you could arrange something. It would mean a great deal to my little Abbie to have some fun while I am conducting business.” The other man leaned in further and Abigail bounced faster. Regina pasted a smile on her face. Abigail was clearly accustomed to getting her way and her father was pandering to her wants.
James gave a curt nod. “The day after tomorrow, we could meet for a carriage ride. I have a friend who is in town as well.”
James turned to Clarissa, who had finally joined the group, looking slightly puffy in the eyes. “Would you care to join us?”
She tilted her chin up to a defiant angle. “I would be delighted.”
“Excellent. I have a friend, Charles Baker. I will invite him as soon as we reach the docks.”
“Is he handsome?” Abigail asked. It was all Regina could do to keep from rolling her eyes.
James gave his head a small shake. “The ladies seem to think so.”
“It’s settled then.” Abigail bounced until the ship keeled to make a turn back toward the harbor. Then her face turned green.
Regina bit back a smile. A ship builder’s wife couldn’t get seasick.
SEEDS OF LOVE
CHAPTER SIX
The carriage ride from the docks was the most painful Regina had ever experienced. Obediah looked as though he might cry. Occasionally she could hear him muttering, “Brought my cousin… Dedicating my life… Isn’t that enough...”
Regina kept her eyes on her lap but she was bursting inside to tell him that it wasn’t enough. That she would have most likely married him had he shown her even an ounce of kindness. She felt as though she could barely keep the words from tumbling out of her mouth. Regina breathed a sigh of relief when the carriage ride was over.
The family moved into the house and her father ushered Obediah towards his office. The door clicked closed behind them. All four ladies moved to the music room where they could hear the door open again.
In less than five minutes the door flew open, banging into the frame. Not three seconds had passed before Obediah came skidding into the room.
His eyes bulged as he stared at Regina, “You! You have ruined my life.”
The dam inside of Regina broke open. The one she had carefully built to hold back her feeling so that she could make the people around her happy. “By not allowing you to ruin mine and my sister’s? I don’t care what you say. I will never believe you would have been good for us. I would have died a slow death married to you.” Her voice rose with each word and his eyes were big as tea saucers by the time she was done.
“You are right. Our marriage would have been a disaster. I could never have been married to you.” He spit the words.
“That is just fine with me.” She stomped her foot then crossed her arms. She was acting a bit like Abigail but she couldn’t care. It felt so good to vent her frustration.
“That is enough Regina,” her father spoke from the doorway. “Obediah, I hope we will continue to have a good working relationship.”
“If you want us to continue to have a relationship then why—”
Her father’s voice boomed from the doorway. “I will not tolerate cruelness towards my daughter.” Her father stopped speaking. He took a deep breath. “Now if you will excuse us, my family and I have some things to discuss.” Her father’s voice held a finality that few men could argue with.
Obediah gave them all a final glare before he stomped towards the door.
Her father walked into the room and threw himself into a chair. “Are you thinking of marrying him, Clarissa?”
“He didn’t even say goodbye or look at me for that matter. He only cared about Regina.” Her sister sniffed. “No, I have no intention of marrying him.”
“Thank goodness.” Her father sighed.
Her mother cleared her throat. Her father glanced up at her and a small smile touched his lips. “Go ahead, dear. Tell me that you were right all along.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Her mother’s smile was soft. “But now we must discuss Regina’s future. At nearly twenty, she must marry soon.”
“Are you proposing anyone?”
“James Carter.” Her mother sat a little straighter. So did Regina.
Her father shook his head. “While he knows something about the import and export business, I cannot see him running a great company like this.”
Regina would not sit idly by for this discussion. “I think he can do whatever he sets his mind to but why does he have to take over this business?”
Her father’s eyebrows rose until they nearly touched his hair line. “He can, can he?”
She straightened her shoulders. “Yes. But why do you want him to?”
“Someone has to Regina. I would like to remind you that you have only known Mr. Carter for a few days. How do you know his feeling are genuine? He could just be trying to capture an heiress.”
Regina took a breath. “I just know. But, I will offer up some proof. Did you see him asking any other ladies to dance at last night’s ball?”
Her father gave her a level stare. “No. Only you.”
“He spent the entire night talking to men who might be interested in buying his ships. If he were wooing heiresses he would have spent the night dancing with them. And if he thought my money was the answer to his business then he would have been giving me his attention instead of his ships.”
Her father’s mouth hung slightly ajar. “I must admit, you make a compelling argument. And I have to agree with you. He appears to be a man committed to making a success of himself with his own merits.
“Will you allow him to court me?” Hope fluttered in Regina’s chest.
“I will think on it.”
“Who will court me?” Clarissa pouted. “I am seventeen with no prospects.” Her sister gave a decided sob.
Regina got up and crossed the room to wrap her arms around her sister. Clarissa looked up at her with eyes so like her own. “I am so sorry. I am sure someone exceptional is waiting just around the corner.”
Clarissa gave her a watery smile. “Do you really think so?”
“I do.”
Their father interrupted, “When Mr. Carter comes tomorrow, I would like to speak with him first and then you are both to stay in plain sight. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Papa,” Regina nodded but her insides jittered with excitement and hope.
Regina paced around all that day and could barely sleep that night. She desperately wanted to see James again.
The next morning she was up with the sun. She spent in inordinate amount of time dressing and admired the lovely grey-blue gown she had finally chosen. It made her blue eyes appear like the sea when storm clouds rolled in, which was fitting since she felt like a storm was brewing inside of her. A nervous energy filled her every move. She was sure she would only rest when she was in James’ arms.
Seeds of Love: Prequel to Lily in Bloom Page 4
