She brought out a lace handkerchief and dabbed carefully at her eyes.
She put the handkerchief away.
“And have you heard the wonderful news of Faith and Charity’s engagements?” she asked, her face alive with delight. “My precious little girls, so happy, such lovely young men, the Colonel will be so pleased.”
Justina said everything appropriate.
“And this evening Tony and Bertie will join our table. Two additional diners will be a squeeze, but we shall just have to enjoy being cosy with one another.”
“There will only be six of us, Mrs. Arbuthnot,” Justina intervened hurriedly. “Sir Thomas and I have agreed that we do not suit and have broken our engagement.”
“Broken your engagement, Justina?” Mrs. Arbuthnot lost some of her vivacity. “Are you sure that is wise? Such a catch as Sir Thomas is?”
Justina did not want to upset the good lady, her heart was in the right place even if her mouth ran away with her.
“We should not have suited,” she replied firmly. “It is fortunate that we found this out so soon. Mama and Papa and Aunt Theodora will agree. Now, should we not be changing for dinner?”
“You are right, my dear, it will not do to be late this evening of all evenings.”
Justina returned to her cabin and found Dorcas waiting for her.
“Lord Castleton was that put out you disappeared without talking to him,” were her first words to Justina.
Justina was dismayed.
“Did he suggest another arrangement?” she asked.
“He waited a good half hour for you and then I heard him leave his cabin.”
Without any message for her!
Justina’s heart sank.
She had sorted out one problem, but in the process had alienated the most important person in the world. “I have got this gown ready for you, miss. I hope you will approve.”
“Anything will do,” Justina said listlessly.
Justina might not care how she looked, but Dorcas considered it her duty to turn out her Mistress in the first rank of fashion.
By the time she had finished, Justina was a vision in the white lace dress, her copper hair beautifully arranged on top of her head with curly wisps artfully framing her face.
*
The Arbuthnot table was merry, Faith and Charity laughing and joking with their fiancés, Mrs. Arbuthnot ordering champagne and going into ecstatic accounts of her plans for a joint wedding.
Mrs. Bloxham was sitting at Sir Thomas’s table. Justina bowed to them as she took her place with the Arbuthnots and received a gracious acknowledgement.
It took a little time before Justina could bring herself to look towards Lord Castleton’s table.
He sat, as usual, by himself, studying papers. However, he took longer than usual to eat his meal and sat drinking a glass of wine after he had finished.
Justina had to force herself not to look in his direction. She did, however notice him leave. He took a route out of the Saloon that did not pass their table.
Justina felt an overwhelming depression. She had offended him. He did not want to talk to her now.
The Head Steward appeared at the table followed by another Steward holding an ice bucket containing a bottle of champagne.
“With Lord Castleton’s compliments to the Misses Arbuthnot,” he proclaimed.
“How very kind,” Mrs. Arbuthnot gushed. “What a shame he is no longer in the Saloon so that we can thank him. But we shall find him later.”
The Head Steward issued instructions for the champagne to be poured.
During this operation, Justina found that a folded piece of paper had been unobtrusively slipped beneath her side plate.
When she glanced up at the Head Steward in surprise, he gave her the tiniest of nods together with a complicit smile.
No one else at the table seemed to have noticed anything.
She carefully and secretly placed it in her reticule.
A feeling of great excitement filled her. It must be from Lord Castleton.
After a little, she excused herself saying that she was exhausted.
No one seemed surprised and good wishes followed her out of the Saloon.
Once outside, she read the message.
“I shall be on the upper deck and hope that you will be able to join me there.”
It was signed with a large ‘C’.
For a moment Justina stood and looked at it. Excitement coursed through her. Lord Castleton did want to see her.
Then reason took over. She had abandoned him in a public restaurant and made him look a fool. Then he had been forced to dive into a filthy dock to rescue her.
Of course he wanted to see her – and in a private place that was not a cabin where someone could invade their privacy and compromise both him and her.
All the excitement drained away.
Well, she had better get it over with.
Justina carefully folded up the note and replaced it in her reticule. After the voyage was over, she would at least have it to remember him by.
Slowly she mounted the companionway to the upper deck.
Despite her conviction that nothing pleasant awaited her at the top, Justina found her steps quickening as she reached the small landing that led out onto the deck.
Nervously she opened the door and stepped outside.
The night was softly warm, the air caressing as the ship steamed along the Canal in darkness. The sky above was studded with stars, the moon silvered the narrow stretch of water they were travelling along.
Light from the ship’s living areas dimly lit the deck and Justina could make out the kennels where Breck and Muffin would now be safely asleep.
Beyond, standing by the railings and looking out at the bare banks of the canal was the tall, aristocratic figure of Lord Castleton.
He turned as soon as Justina started across the deck towards him.
“You came,” he said and she recognised relief in his tone.
It gave her courage.
“I was surprised to receive your note as I thought you had decided I did not want to speak to you.”
“But you do?”
“It was very rude of me to leave you like that at the restaurant this afternoon, I want to apologise, my Lord.”
“Oh, do stop calling me that. My name is Marcus.”
Justina thought it suited him perfectly.
“And also my – Marcus, I want to thank you for jumping into the water to save Harry and me. And Muffin,” she added scrupulously.
“Have you seen Harry?”
She nodded.
“He is fine and Mrs. Patridge seems to be enjoying looking after him.”
“She and her husband returned from shopping in Port Said with a whole retinue of shop assistants carrying parcels.”
There was an underlying humour in his voice that allowed Justina to relax slightly.
Being so close to him was a dizzying experience.
She could feel every breath he drew and was conscious of his nearness in a way that made her shiver, despite the warmth of the night air.
She knew that she would never love anyone else with the intensity that she loved him.
He moved slightly towards her, leaving only a small gap between them. He peered at her face as though he would discern her expression by the light of the moon.
“You accused me at lunch of behaving like an uncle or surrogate father,” he said abruptly, speaking very fast. “That is not the case. My feelings towards you are not at all avuncular nor paternal – ”
It took a moment for Justina to understand what he was saying and then she gave a little gasp.
“You have placed me in a damnable position with your unacknowledged engagement – knowing what I know and believing what I believe.”
Justina felt a joy such as she had never experienced begin to flood through her. Surely she could not misinterpret his words?
“Which is what, Marcus?”
It was she
er delight just to speak his name and feel his hands grip hers tightly.
“To know that this engagement is all wrong for you and not to be able to tell you what I feel.”
“What do you feel, Marcus?”
She was unable to resist saying his name again.
She could sense his sudden stillness as he took in her intimate, caressing tone.
“Do I understand that you are no longer engaged to Thomas Watson?”
His voice trembled as though he wanted it so much to be true, he hardly dared to believe it.
“We have agreed that we would not suit. That is why – ” her voice, too, trembled. “That is why I could not meet you earlier.”
“What are you saying?”
“I knew that before I saw you again, I had to be free.”
“And you are!” he said triumphantly. “And you feel as I feel!”
“How do you feel, Marcus?”
Justina had to hear him say it even though every fibre of her being was telling her that what she had longed for so desperately was coming true.
“That I love you as I never dreamed I could love. That you have brought me to life again and I cannot face the desolation of what my existence would be without you at my side,” he said, the words tumbling over themselves.
“I know you adored your late wife and I know I can never take her place.”
He put his finger over her lips.
“Shhh, no more. Somewhere Ariadne is smiling her approval of what is happening. Our relationship was very special, but it is in the past. You are my present and my future.”
He drew her into his arms and held her tight.
“Ever since I first saw you defending that damn mutt Muffin, you captured my heart. I knew that you were the only one for me.”
His hand gently raised her chin so that the moonlight fell full on her face.
“My darling, you are the most beautiful woman in the world and also the kindest, most loyal and most fun. I love you. I want you to marry me and make me the happiest man in the world.”
Then his head came down and his mouth fastened on hers.
Justina felt her soul rise in her body.
Unimaginable sensation filled her as she responded to his kiss. It was so different from the times Sir Thomas had kissed her.
This was what love was like.
It was as though their bodies had become one and risen to the Heavens above.
If she held out her hand, she would be able to touch the stars that spangled the night’s velvet.
Heavenly joy was hers and life could begin.
Touching the Stars Page 16
