Moving to his front, she tilted his head and gazed into his eyes. “Does it hurt much?”
Not as much as the jeers from the sailors.He could so easily reach out and kiss her. “No. Let’s be on our way.”
“I don’t know what you were thinking.” She released the tiller handle, moving it with one hand while the other tightened the sail. “But when you’re crewing a vessel, there is no time for wool-gathering.”
Soon they were moving swiftly through the water again. How the devil had she done that by herself? He wasn’t going to sit there like an invalid while she did all the work. His pride had taken enough of a beating for one day. “I’ll take it now.”
She frowned a bit, but nodded and handed him the mainsheet.
Even with the accident, in less than half the time it had taken to arrive at the small inlet, they were back at the dock in Charlotte Amalie. His groom sat on a piling waiting for them.
“What is it?”
The older man’s expression showed nothing as he took the picnic basket, bowing to Eugénie. “Jest thought you’d need a hand carrying everything back.”
Once they’d returned to Wivenly House, Will raised Eugénie’s fingers to his lips. “Tomorrow?”
She studied him for a few moments before responding, “Yes, be here no later than eight o’clock. I have somewhere I’d like to take you.”
He waited until she’d entered the house before striding out of the small courtyard.
Once they were on the step street, Griff opened his budget. “Saw a swell lookin’ at you and the miss this morning. He followed ye down to the pier.”
Will waited as his groom paused for effect. “And?”
“I followed him.” Griff’s leathered face split into a smile. “Done found our Vicomte.”
“Well done.” Will slapped the older man on his back. “I always knew I could count on you.”
“I telled ye I’d be better than that Tidwell.”
Will would be old and gray before that war ended. “Yes, you did. Thank you.”
“Weren’t nothin’.” Griff rubbed a hand over his grizzled jaw. “I’ve takin’ a likin’ to this Wivenly family. Wouldn’t do to see them hurt.”
“No. No, that wouldn’t do at all, and I will not allow it.” A feeling of satisfaction that his servant was also devoted to his cousins warmed Will. He hoped Andrew was at the hotel to discuss this latest news. Until then, Eugénie and her family must be kept safe. They’d reached the bottom of the step street. “Go back to Wivenly House and keep watch.”
Griff tipped his hat and peeled off from Will. “I’ll report if anything else happens.”
Will nodded as he continued on to the hotel. He’d put an end to this Vicomte, whether he was Eugénie’s uncle or not.
Tomorrow was Sunday, and he wondered if she would take him to the Moravian mission. She probably thought her teaching the slaves to read would shock him. Eugénie couldn’t know, but after some of his mother’s charitable starts, nothing could astonish him. In the meantime, he needed to have someone watch her uncle, and he was one man short.
“Can you see them?”
Cicely stood on the tip of her toes with a hand on Andrew’s shoulder, trying to peer out the peephole in the gate leading to the step street.
“Would you like me to lift you up?”
“No no. I’m fine.”
She pursed her lips in thought, and he couldn’t resist brushing a quick kiss across her mouth.
“What are they doing?”
Andrew gave his attention to the scene on the step street. “Will and Eugénie were both grinning. She as if she had a joke to play on him, and he as if she could do anything she wished.”
A breath caressed his ear as she sighed with relief. “That’s good. Don’t you think?”
