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CHAPTER8
William let the cold water rush over his ankles, shocking his skin. He closed his eyes and breathed, pushing Roger and his obnoxious whining from his thoughts completely. The man was worse than a five-year-old. No, not worse. He was as bad as a five-year-old. And William would know. He’d carried a distraught child home from the beach just a week ago, and she’d whimpered and whined for the duration of the walk, much as Roger had been doing all week.
One would think that after years of smuggling it would be seamless to shift into the role of a fisherman. And while it had taken some practice the first few nights, William was growing proficient at fishing for the most part.
Well, that was untrue. He was awful at it. But he didn’t despise it as much as Roger did. For William, it was hardly different from rowing out to collect smuggled goods, yet with the added benefit of not breaking the law.
Another wave rolled down the sand, dousing his ankles and running up his calves faster than he expected. William hadn’t noticed that he’d walked further toward the water, and he backed up quickly before his thighs could be soaked.
A light, feminine laugh pricked his ears, and he turned sharply. His foot slipped on the waterlogged sand and sent him sprawling down into the surf. Water seeped through his side, chilling his skin immediately. He felt the wave recede and pushed up on his elbow in time to see Pippa standing in the distance, her eyes widened and fastened on him.
“William—” she called, her hand up as she started to run toward him.
He hardly had time to register that she had used his Christian name before he was alerted to another wave rushing toward him. The icy water hit his feet, and he sucked in a quick breath, pushing up from the ground before he could take a bath in the seawater. He wasn’t averse to bathing in the sea, but he preferred not to be fully clothed and with an audience.
Pippa reached his side, panting and squeezing her waist. “I did not know if you saw the wave coming,” she explained, breathless.
He nodded. Water dripped from his clothes and sand was pasted to his side. He really ought to go swim through the waves just to remove the beastly sand. But he could wait until she left.
“Were you laughing at me?” he asked.
Her cheeks rounded, and she looked to the water. “I couldn’t help it. You looked as though you were practicing a Scottish reel in the waves.”
William could see how he would have appeared that way, hopping backward as the wave approached. “Are you fond of dancing?” he asked.
Pippa brushed a loose strand of hair from her face, smiling. “Yes. Particularly lively reels.”
“Oh? I would have taken you for a minuet kind of lady.”
Her nose scrunched up. “Self-important and boring, you mean?”
She was the opposite of both of those descriptors, but he couldn’t help it. He enjoyed trying to get a rise out of her. “Well, obviously.”
Pippa narrowed her eyes, stepping closer. “Do you want to know what type of dance you appear to me?”
“Yes.” He did want to know. Badly.
Her mouth ticked up in a wicked smile, one that drew his gaze like a ship to a lighthouse. “A waltz.”
“Oh?” He had expected her to say a quadrille, or something sedate. To make a joke as he’d done. “Why is that?”
“You are scandalous, but everyone seems to love you anyway.”
A laugh ripped from William’s chest, rolling out into the twilight with abandon. He hadn’t felt this light in some time, and while her words were true, they’d surprised him. The evening took on a hazy glow as the sun reached the edge of the world where the sea met the sky.
Holding Pippa’s gaze, William’s shoulders relaxed for the first time all day. “Why do you say that as though it is a troublesome thing to you?”
“Because I’ve been warned to be wary of your family’s reputation, but the very same people who caution me don’t seem too concerned after making your acquaintance. I cannot tell if it is magical trickery, if you are a wolf hiding in Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s bed, or if you are truly as wonderful as you seem.”
The truth and utter frankness of her words shocked him more than the sea’s cold depths ever could. Truly as wonderful as you seem. So, she thought he seemed wonderful? That filled his belly with warmth, and it took a moment for him to regain his mental balance. “Well, one of the three is correct, but I shan’t tell you which,” he said, giving her his best smile.
“Why not?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I did, would you? If I was a wolf or embroiled in magic, I would certainly try to deceive you, and if I admitted that I was wonderful, you couldn’t know whether or not to trust me.” He shrugged. “So I won’t bother.”
She smiled. Looking past his shoulder, she watched the sun for a moment as it dipped behind the earth. Her voice was sad when she spoke. “I should go.”
“I can walk you to the top of the rise,” he suggested, moving to collect his boots. He’d worry about removing the sand another way. William was not about to miss an opportunity to spend a few more minutes with this woman.
