AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Georgiana bristled a little. Regardless of what she had told Tommy yesterday, he was most definitely overstepping the mark here.
Captain Harris eyed his outstretched hand for a moment before shaking it. “As I understand it, the lady is quite capable of taking care of herself. I am merely here as a safeguard. But your concern is noted.”
Pink stained Tommy’s cheeks as his gaze flickered between them. “Of course,” he mumbled, then gave them a wave before disappearing into the gathering crowd.
“Come. We should wait in the lounge until it’s time to board,” Captain Harris said.
Georgiana held back a sigh. Apparently her capabilities did not extend to waiting on train platforms. But as she had no desire to quibble with him so early into their trip, she held her tongue and allowed herself to be escorted inside. The captain seated her in a far corner of the room before standing guard at the doorway, though no one else entered except a kindly steward who looked old enough to be her grandfather.
Much to her relief, Captain Harris disappeared once she was settled in her private train cabin. Georgiana didn’t think she could stand being trapped in the compartment with him glowering at her all the way to Dover. Bea claimed he was walking along the hallway, as his knee stiffened if he sat too long.
“Oh,” Georgiana had replied, chagrined to learn that her maid knew more about the captain’s injury than she did. “Has he said anything else to you about it?”
“No, my lady. But Charles said he goes to some kind of specialist on Harley Street who makes him do all sorts of exercises to keep up his strength. I even heard his cane hides asword.”
It was certainly a possibility, and a rather intriguing one that Georgiana did her best to put out of her mind for the length of the trip. He reappeared only once they were ready to depart, as dark and forbidding as ever.
As they waited at the harbor for their steamer, he kept his gaze faced toward the horizon. “There might be a storm tonight,” he said.
It was a gorgeous day, though the sea churned with frothy waves.
Georgiana had to look away from the surf. “I hope not. I got sick the last time I went over.”
The captain turned slightly toward her. “And when was that?”
Something in the tenor of his voice as he asked the question made it seem as though he already knew the answer, ridiculous as it sounded.
“I went to Egypt with my aunt last winter.”
It had been her first time crossing the channel. The viscount hated leaving London and had rarely permitted Georgiana to travel without him. She had friends who spent most of the year going from house party to house party, but aside from a rare trip to Castle Blackwood, Georgiana’s married life had been largely spent within a one-mile radius of her husband’s Mayfair town house.
“You mean Mrs. Crawford. Your husband’s aunt.”
Captain Henry’s statement brought her back to the moment. He was now looking at her curiously. She couldn’t read his expression and raised an eyebrow. “Yes. But I still consider her family, of course.”
He stared at her for another long moment. “Of course,” he repeated.
“My sister Franny is acting as her companion now,” she continued, attempting to break the tension gathering between them once more. “They’re somewhere in the Holy Land.”
The captain’s response to this was little more than a grunt, and then he turned away once more to discuss something with the ticket agent.
Georgiana stared after him. She wasn’t sure which was more surprising: that he knew of her trip with Mrs. Crawford or that he admitted to it. For so long she assumed she was little more than an afterthought to him, that the minor details of her life both before and after their brief courtship were entirely inconsequential. She frowned at his back, unable to keep from noticing the appealing set of his shoulders. Why couldn’t he continue to keep his distance and behave as though she were just another client? But even more irritating was the small flicker of joy it brought her.
***
After a simple supper in the steamer’s dining room, Henry made his way to his cabin. He had not seen Lady Arlington since they boarded and guessed that she had decided to take a tray in her room. It was a smart choice given the particularly beastly state of the channel this evening. Thanks to over a decade spent at sea, Henry wasn’t much affected by the steamer’s constant rocking, but the few passengers he had just dined with looked rather green around the gills. He paused outside his door and considered checking on Lady Arlington. But if she was absolutely fine, he would feel rather silly. Besides, she had Bea to look after her. And Lord knew how difficult it would be to keep his distance once they reached Monte Carlo.
That settled it.
Henry entered his cabin and began readying himself for bed. He had just finished washing up when there was an urgent knock on the door.
“Captain, it’s Bea! Please open the door!”
He glanced down. He wore no coat or waistcoat, and his shirt was unbuttoned at the throat.
But in that brief pause, Bea knocked even harder. “Her ladyship has taken ill!”
Any reticence vanished, and Henry was at the door in two strides. He tore it open just as the maid was preparing to knock a third time.
