Page 72 of Discovering Her Earl

“Yes. Right. We should.”

Their gazes held as he closed the distance between them. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. The way her eyes lowered made him think she had considered the same thing, but recovered rather quickly.

“Miss Bantham, you remember my friend and valet, Mister Bentley.”

“Of course. It is a pleasure to have you aboard, Mister Bentley. I hope you will find travel by sea enjoyable.”

“Thank you. It is so wonderful to see you again, Miss Bantham. Might I say how lovely you look? The morning air agrees with you.” Ben was quite the charmer with the ladies. Elaina blushed prettily from his compliment.

“Please, allow me to show you around,” she offered.

The three of them strolled the deck together, Elaina explaining the different parts of the ship and their uses. When it was time to set sail, they made their way to the side of the vessel so they could watch as the shores of England grew smaller and smaller.

It was not long until they arrived in Calais for additional cargo and a few more crew members before they were off yet again.

Fortunately, Ben took to sailing like a fish.

“I must admit to a great deal of excitement,” he said as he dressed Julian for dinner at the captain’s table that evening. “Thank you for allowing me to join you.”

“After putting up with me for so long, you deserve a vacation, old chap. I know I’m not the easiest person.”

Ben tapped him on the shoulder so Julian would look at him in the mirror.

“Don’t allow your father’s harsh opinion of you to cloud the truth, my lord. You are a kind man. A true gentleman.”

“Thank you, Ben.”

“Miss Bantham is a gem. Lovely inside and out. Perhaps that is what you see when you look upon her now.”

“She was very angry at me before, and for good reason. But now that she’s not…” He remembered their kiss and wished for her taste on his lips even more than whatever would be served for dinner.

“Well, don’t keep her and the others waiting.” He brushed Julian’s shoulder in more a pat.

In the captain’s quarters, Julian had hoped to be seated next to Elaina, but his title placed him in the seat of honor next to Captain Cartwright.

“Is this your first voyage to Africa?” the man asked.

“Yes. I traveled the continent. But it was rather without imagination. This will be an adventure.”

The man nodded in agreement as Julian looked down the table and spotted Elaina.

An adventure, indeed.

*

Lainey enjoyed the meal and conversation with Mr. Randolph who had accompanied them on a number of expeditions. At three and forty, the man’s weathered appearance did nothing to detract from his handsomeness.

Lainey had once considered him a viable partner. After all, they were often on the same digs and enjoyed each other’s conversation. But there were no real emotions involved.

She’d thought it wasn’t necessary. But that was before she’d gotten to know Julian. At times she felt there might be too many emotions between them.

She glanced in his direction again and found him watching her. She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling as Mr. Randolph was speaking about a guide who had lost a foot to a crocodile and therefore was not a cause for grinning with joy.

But joy was surely what she felt bubbling inside her stomach at Julian’s attention.

If she’d thought for a moment he had only kissed her in order to make his way on this ship, it was clear that wasn’t the case. For he was already on the ship. His attendance assured. Yet he still looked at her as if he wanted to be closer to her.

When dinner was over, she found him on deck, leaning on the rail with the wind blowing his dark hair. He looked perfectly comfortable in any situation, she envied him that since she was quite the opposite. Never truly fitting in anywhere.