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“I do not doubt it. If ever you find yourself in want of a friend, I am here.”
His offer drew a genuine smile from her. “Thank you, Sir Phineas.”
“And I insist you call me just Phineas. Friends do not address each other so formally.”
“Then you may call me, Jenny.”
“Jenny,” he pronounced as though he was testing the word out on his tongue. “I met a Jenny in Ireland once but she didn’t have red hair. She was a little girl with wavy blonde hair.”
“She must be adorable.”
“Oh, she is. Sadly, she is with her maker now.” There was sadness in his eyes and Jenny empathized with him even without understanding the cause.
“I am sorry for your loss.”
He smiled at her. “Oh, forgive my maudlin behavior.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small leather-bound volume. “I thought you might like this. It is a collection of John Skelton’s works. I hope you like it.”
His gift delighted her. “I am sure I will. I’m afraid I did not get you anything.”
“The pleasure of your company is enough for me.”
Sir Phineas was not flirting with her and she believed he truly only wished to be her friend. She had a feeling she would need many distractions to keep her heart from swaying towards Nicholas. And there was a chance that she might never have a child to keep her occupied. Nicholas had all but said that their marriage would be in name only.
“Such a frown should not have a place on your face,” Phineas observed. “Would you like me to tell you a story?”
“I love stories,” she said.
“Once upon a time, there was a pirate that ravaged the high seas…”
Jenny laughed. “What are you laughing about?” He made a face.
“When you said, ‘Once upon a time,’ I did not picture a pirate coming into the story.”
“Life is full of surprises, is it not?” At her nod, he continued telling his story. “The pirate lost his heart to a sea goddess.” He paused for effect.
“Is this pirate by any chance the captain of the Flying Dutchman?” she asked, feeling her worries slip away.
“Yes! You know the story, then?”
“Everyone tells the story differently. I wish to hear yours.”
He grinned broadly. “Excellent. But losing his heart gave him immortality which he used to sail the seas and accumulate great wealth.”
“Why did he lose his heart?”
“The goddess could not love him back. He cut his heart out and offered it to her but she cursed him with immortality and the inability to ever step on land.”
“That is a sad tale, Phineas.”
“It depends on how you choose to look at it. Some see gain while some see a loss.”
Again, Jenny wondered why society never took him seriously. “So the moral of this story is…”
“Losing one’s heart is not necessarily a bad thing.” He had a point but Jenny still thought losing her heart to Nicholas would be her undoing. The man would never love her. He would never give her children.
* * *
“She is no longer here,” Nicholas said to Ernest. “What are you still doing here?”
