“It’s a link in a chain, and thanks to these lonely shores, Cornwall has more than its share of smugglers. I’ve heard about a few already. And they’re dangerous men.” As he spoke, he kept his gaze on the water, and he seemed upset.
“Truly?” she asked, interested in spite of herself.
“It’s common knowledge around here. People talk. I listen.”
“You didn’t listen when I told you to go away.”
“I did listen. I simply chose to disregard your request.”
“I suppose I should have expected that,” she retorted, suddenly remembering the last time she’d seen him in London. She requested—rather boldly—for him to partner her in one dance at Rosalind’s wedding, which he never actually attended.
His eyes narrowed, apparently remembering the same thing. “I’m sorry I couldn’t see you at the wedding. In fact, I had to make a voyage back to Santo Domingo. A family matter I couldn’t ignore. And then there was more business to deal with. It feels like I’ve been sailing nonstop for the past year.”
“What made you wash up in Cornwall?”
“More business. Mostly. I hope to get some important information from Ainsworth.”
“Is he holding out until his daughter has a proposal in hand?” Poppy asked tartly.
He looked over at her, startled. “You think he’s that cold-blooded?”
“Based on what I’ve seen today, absolutely,” she affirmed. “Trust me when I say that one thing that makes a father sleep poorly is an unmarried daughter. I’ve seen it with my own friends.” Poppy’s own birth father had passed before that was a factor in her life, and her stepfather kept a firm distance from such matters, saying that Poppy’s mother knew best. (Poppy cared for her stepfather very much, and this was one of the reasons why.)
“Ainsworth definitely has been encouraging the match, but I wasn’t expecting it to be a quid pro quo.”
“You may need to reconsider,” Poppy said, even though she was absurdly happy to learn that there wasn’t any understanding yet. After a moment, she realized that if Carlos had actually offered for Blanche already, the woman no doubt would have said so.
“I like to make my own choices, especially for something so important.” He looked at her then. “I’m glad you’re here for the summer.”
Poppy hoped her emotions weren’t evident on her face. What did that mean? It would be easy to be angry at Carlos, to think he’d only been passingly interested in her. But now he was glad? Any rational observer would tell Carlos that Blanche was the better choice for a bride.
“You know,” she said suddenly. “You could have simply written to me, if you had wanted to.”
“The one time I did send you a letter, you nearly took my head off for the impropriety I took.”
“It was improper!” she said, recalling the incident. “You invited Rose and me to an illegal duel!”
“Technically, it wasn’t an invitation, just an informative note.”
“You knew what would happen. Of course I had to tell Rose, and of course she insisted on attending.”
“I suppose that’s true,” said Carlos. “I was very happy to see you, however.”
“You didn’t even know me.”
“I knew you immediately,” he argued. “Your spirit was instantly recognizable—provoking, in the best sense.”
“You are making things up,” she said, but without rancor. In fact, it would be lovely to believe the nonsense he was spouting. Especially as he was so close to her. He could have kissed her, if he tried. Poppy’s head tilted in an unconscious invitation.
Carlos leaned even closer. “Poppy…”
A wave suddenly splashed against the boulder, spraying fine droplets over them.
“Oh, bother,” she said, startled out of the mood. “Does this mean the tide’s coming in?”
“Yes, but we’ve got another two hours before this beach will be inaccessible.”
Poppy blinked at his knowledge. “Why do you know that? Wait, is your ship nearby? The Agustina?”
