Hellfire and damnation.
He almost walked right past the Sea Lassie, but a rational thought managed to wedge its way into his fevered mind. Donald, the quartermaster who stayed aboard, looked surprised to see him as he walked up the gangplank.
“What brings ye out?”
For a moment, Robert couldn’t remember. “Ah…ah, the patch. I wanted to make sure it held since it was so cold when we applied the tar.”
Donald raised a brow and Robert hoped he hadn’t insulted the man. He couldn’t very well say he needed to cool his heels—and other body parts—and the quartermaster would think him completely daft if he said he was just walking on the quay on such a blustery day.
“Aye, ’tis holding,” Donald replied. “It was nae a big leak and I had the lads holding the oil lamps close to keep the area warm until the pitch settled.”
Robert nodded. He’d have done the same, and from the inquiring look on Donald’s face, Robert suspected the man knew it. “Well, Shane had to take Abigail home so I thought I’d check before dusk fell.” No sooner had he spoken the word, when his thoughts returned to pink or dusky nipples.
Damn, damn, damn.
Donald squinted at him. “Are ye all right? Ye look a bit flushed.”
“Just the weather,” Robert replied, settling his cloak on his shoulders lest the quartermaster think him a halfwit as well. “I’d best be getting back.”
As he turned and walked down the plank, another thought nudged him. One he didn’t like but knew to be true.
He’d best not be alone with Shauna MacLeod again either.
Robert had almost kissed her. She’d known he wanted to. She’d seen the burning passion in his eyes. For the first time in her life, Shauna had felt the power of what it meant to be female…to be able to instill raw desire in a man. She’d nearly wept at Albert’s interruption. How long would it be before she could be alone with Robert again? Would he try to arrange a meeting?
Sleep—or lack of it—had hardly diminished her frustration the next day. She was hard put not to snap at Kyla when she announced that Owen had come to pay a call. Even so, the maid gave her a wary look and made a quick exit.
Owen was the last person she wanted to see today. At least Abigail was in the parlor when Shauna came down the stairs. There was benefit to Shane’s protectiveness, even though it would also extend to not leaving her alone with Robert, but she’d worry about that later. For now, she welcomed having a chaperone.
Owen sat lazily inclined on the brocaded sofa, his legs sticking straight out and crossed at the ankle. Shauna marched over to a straight-backed chair by the small table at the window.
“I hope you are not scared of me,” he said.
Shauna frowned. “Why should I be scared of ye?”
Owen smiled, but it looked more like a smirk to her.
“You chose to sit across the room from me.”
She drew her brows closer together. Abigail was sitting in one of the bat-winged armchairs by the hearth. The other chair was full of books. “As ye can see, the other chairs in the room are taken.”
The smirk widened. “There is plenty of room on the sofa.”
“I doona think that appropriate.”
Amusement swept over Owen’s face. “I would hardly take advantage.”
If she were inclined to outbursts of temper, Shauna would have launched a few choice words at him, but Shane had just come into the room. She knew he’d been down to the docks this morning and who knew what Albert had told him? Robert had moved away from her with lightning speed yesterday, but if Albert had any inclination what was about to happen… Shauna couldn’t afford to take the chance of being barred from the office. She would have to behave pleasantly enough with Owen to convince Shane she might consider his suit, even if it galled her to do so. “I am sure ye will nae.”
Owen gave her an indolent look. “You do not want to sit by me?”
Shauna folded her hands in her lap. “I am fine here.”
Shane raised a brow as he removed books and sat down. Abigail gave her a warning glance that said Shane wasn’t in the best of moods either. Shane did look tired, as though he hadn’t slept well. Perhaps he and Abigail had more of a falling out than Shauna had thought. She knew her cousin had acted out of concern for Abby, and knew Abby knew it too. Still, what woman wanted to be ordered about?
She was not going to sit on the sofa. But neither did she need to upset Shane. She pushed aside the lace curtains. “I prefer to sit here because I enjoy the sun’s warmth through the window. It feels good.”
“I will join you then.” Owen hopped off the couch and took the table’s other chair, sliding it closer to her. “A bit of warmth always helps.”
She had a feeling Owen wasn’t talking about the sun since his eyes had taken on an intent look, somewhat like a wolf cornering its prey. Although there was a reasonable amount of space between them, his boot brushed her ankle, an action Shane wouldn’t see with the angle of the chairs. She moved her foot away and Owen gave her his smirk again.
“I am going to enjoy courting you,” he said.
“I doona ken what ye have to complain about,” Kyla mumbled as she set down the plate of small sandwiches in front of Shauna in the solar the next afternoon. “Having two men—especially handsome devils that they are—interested in ye will keep both of them on their toes.”
Shauna sighed and pushed the plate toward Abigail. “I doona want two men interested in me.”
Kyla looked at her as though she’d taken leave of her senses. And maybe in a way she had. She’d gone down to the dock office this morning and nearly panicked when she saw the New Orleans wasn’t tied to the wharf. When she’d asked if Robert had gone, Albert had reminded her that the rudder was broken and the boat had been hauled to dry dock. She didn’t need to read his expression to know he thought she had gone daft. She’d known about the rudder, but the possibility that Robert may have left had sent her common sense wafting away on the breeze.
“Do nae be so quick to throw away a God-given gift,” Kyla said.
“God-given?”
“Aye. The American looks like one of them Viking raiders in the picture Mr. MacLeod has in his library, nae to mention he has a fine arse—”
“Kyla!” Abigail said. “Your language—”
“’Tis true,” Kyla answered, undaunted. “Ye might nae have noticed since your husband is a well put-together mon himself, but I’ve seen Shauna looking at—”
“I have nae!” Shauna protested, feeling herself blush.
“Well, if ye want to deny it,” Kyla said, “but I’ve seen the mon looking at your—”
“Kyla.” Abigail nearly choked on her sandwich. “Please.”
“What is wrong with a mon eyeing a woman’s assets?” Kyla asked stubbornly. “’Tis a sign of interest, nae?”
“A gentleman does not scrutinize a lady,” Abigail replied
“Rules.” Kyla waved a dismissive hand. “Ye English—beggin’ your pardon, ma’am—have too many of them. What is wrong with a mon letting a woman ken he’s taken to her?”
“Captain Henderson has always behaved like a perfect gentleman,” Shauna said to put an end to the conversation before it strayed to the part where he had shown a definite interest. She didn’t want anyone finding out about that.
“If ye say so,” Kyla said and launched on to her next subject. “Ye cannae deny the MacLean wants ye. He said so.”
Shauna didn’t even bother to ask how Kyla knew. Servants had hearing as keen as a cat’s sight at night. And Kyla flirted with all three of the footmen in Shane’s employ. “What he may have said and what I want are two different things.”
Kyla rolled her eyes. “The mon is good looking and spare, with nae fat on him.”
“Ye make him sound like something being taken to market.”
“Besides,” Kyla went on as though Shauna hadn’t spoken, “his father is rich and the MacLean is his heir.”
As if Shauna needed to be reminded of that. The only reason she tolerated this ridiculous courtship idea was because she didn’t want to cause problems for Ian. “I am aware of that, Kyla. It does nae mean Mr. MacLean and I would get along well.”
“What’s to fash about? From the looks of him, he’d give ye a good bedding—”
“Kyla,” Abigail said.
“Well, he would. I have nae doubt Captain Henderson would pleasure ye—”
“Enough.”
“All right.” Kyla picked up the empty plate and headed for the door. She turned to Shauna before she left. “It doesnae hurt to keep a mon on his toes. Think on it.”
Shauna didn’t have to worry about trying to keep Robert on this toes since she didn’t see his booted toes or the rest of him over the next two days. She knew he was working on his boat dry-docked nearby at Leith, but she hadn’t seen him come back to the flat and she’d stayed at the office until late in the afternoon. Abigail insisted on tea at five o’clock. Even though it was not a Scottish custom, Shauna knew Shane would be suspicious if she wasn’t back at the townhouse by then.
And Shane had already looked askance at her when she’d turned down Owen’s invitation to a carriage ride yesterday afternoon, claiming she was behind on filing. Owen had promptly offered to help her get the filing done. She was sure he’d done it to annoy her, but Shane thought it would be a fine idea, saying an extra hand would allow Abigail to stay home.
Shauna wasn’t sure with which one of the men she was most annoyed. To her dismay, both of them were in the office this afternoon, so she had to be pleasant.
“I never realized how much detail went into shipping kelp,” Owen said as he shuffled stacks relating to harvesting, drying and baling the seaweed. He spread out several papers. “This looks like a lot of man hours.”
“Those stacks need to stay together,” Shauna said, trying to keep the edge off her voice as she gathered the papers. Owen had managed to mix several different receipts for services. “Otherwise, we will nae ken what to pay the workers.”
“Oh.” Owen sounded unfazed and moved closer to look over her shoulder. “This looks like a lot of money.”
Shauna tried to shift away, but the counter blocked her. She couldn’t very well tell Owen to step back since he wasn’t touching her, but his presence still felt too close. From the knowing grin on his face, she suspected he knew exactly how she felt.
The sound of the door opening caused her to look up and then stifle a groan. Robert had to choose this moment to make an appearance? She’d been waiting for two days and now—when Owen hovered much too near—Robert walked in. His gaze sharpened as he looked from her to Owen and then turned to Shane.
“I saw La Colette sail into the harbour. She should be docking soon.”
“I dinnae expect her until tomorrow,” Shane replied. “She must have had good winds.”
“La Colette?” Shauna asked, managing to slip past Owen to thumb through a different stack of papers. “I doona see any notice of arrival.”
“That’s because she is nae delivering goods,” Shane said as he went to get his coat off a wall peg.
Shauna frowned and picked up another stack. “I doona see any bills of lading for La Colette either.”
“She is nae picking up goods from me.”
For a man who loved to read, her cousin could be quite short on conversation. “Do ye mind explaining to me why she is important then?”
“The ship’s owner, Martin Frazier, has leased the office at the other end of the quay for his shipping line.”
“He will be competing with us?” Shauna asked.
“Nae directly. Since his home port is in France, his ships work the Mediterranean. He will be importing goods from the Middle East and exporting wool and textiles.”
“How long did ye ken this?”
Shane shrugged as he reached for the door knob. “There’s been talk since last fall. The lease was signed three weeks ago.”
He hadn’t mentioned a thing to her or Abigail about a new shipping line and competition, which was what it was, no matter the product. “Ye might have told me.”
Shane looked puzzled. “Why?”
She stared at her cousin. “Because I could have been helping Albert secure new orders for us before Mr. Frazier’s ship arrived.”
Owen intervened. “Now. Now. You should not bother your pretty head about business. Let the men take care of such things.”
Shauna thought Robert started to laugh, but he quickly coughed instead. She wasn’t surprised at Owen’s attitude, but did Robert not feel she was capable of thinking beyond planning a menu? She frowned. “I happen to think business is interesting.”
“Well, good,” Shane said. “Ye can watch the office while we go to greet Frazier.”
Robert gave Owen a cool look. “You will be joining us, won’t you?”
“Of course he will,” Shauna replied before Owen could answer. She smiled sweetly at him as Mari might do. “Ye do want to make a good impression on the mon, nae?”
“An excellent idea,” Shane said.
Owen didn’t look like he thought it was, but he got his coat and followed them out. Shauna sighed with relief. At least Shane hadn’t allowed Owen to be alone with her in the office.
She finished putting the papers back in order and filled them. As she was tidying the office, she heard voices outside, one of which was decidedly French. Shane must have decided to bring Mr. Frazier back to the office. She smoothed her plain beige skirt and noticed an ink stain that she hid behind a fold and then put a smile on her face as the door opened.
The four men entered and Shane and Owen moved away to hang their coats. Shauna’s breath caught. Standing between Robert and Mr. Frazier was a fashionably dressed, blonde, blue-eyed lady who rivaled Fiona in beauty.
And worse, she was looking at Robert with adoration in her eyes.
Chapter Nine
Mr. Frazier looked around the office until his gaze settled on Shauna. He smiled. “May I introduce my daughter, Colette?”
Shauna tried not to stare at the girl, and she especially tried not to notice how the creature had not taken her eyes off Robert since they’d come in. Shane was frowning at her, so Shauna kept her smile fixed. “Hello. Welcome to Scotland.”
Colette glanced at her. “Bon jour. Enchanté.”
Shauna didn’t think Colette was enchanted by either Scotland or herself, given the fact that her attention went right back to Robert. Did he have to stand there like a smiling dolt? Maybe he didn’t understand French…and then she remembered he’d spoken it flawlessly at the dinner with Owen. Maybe Colette didn’t speak English.
“Did ye have a good crossing?” Shauna asked.
“Oui.”
Robert nodded. “Lisse et facile, vôtre père dit.”
Colette shrugged. “My father thinks all sailing is easy.”
So much for Colette not speaking English. Shauna’s mouth began to hurt from her forced smile. “I hope ye will enjoy your visit.”
“Merci,” Mr. Frazier said. “It is my hope that Colette will absorb your culture while we are here.”
“That would take a wee bit of time,” Shauna replied, trepidation growing in her mind. “How long do ye plan to stay?”
“It will take several weeks to set up the office, and then I will want to assure things are being properly run by whomever I hire,” Mr. Frazier answered. “I am anticipating at least two or three months.”
Her trepidation turned to despair. Colette would be here for the length of Robert’s stay. This did not bode well since the girl kept her attention riveted on him. Perhaps Shauna could divert her. “Do ye like museums? I could take ye.”
Colette finally looked aw
ay from Robert. “Oui. I like the musée very much.”
“She should,” her father said, “since she is an excellent portrait painter. One day, her paintings will hang there too.”
“Of course, I must practice much,” Colette said and turned back to Robert. “I wish to do your likeness.”
He looked startled. “I don’t think I would make a good subject.”
“Non, monsieur. You would make an excellent subject. Your face is quite strong.” Colette reached up and ran a delicate fingertip along the side of Robert’s face. “Your cheekbones are high, nose straight, mouth full…” She paused, her gaze lingered there for a split second. Not long enough to be considered vulgar, but long enough to look interested before moving on. “Your eyes are fathomless.” She tilted her head, studying him. “I think you have a secret hidden in your soul, non?”
Robert shook his head quickly and smiled. “I think you are a romantic, mademoiselle.”
“Perhaps. Nevertheless, I want to paint you. You are a beautiful man.”
Shauna’s mouth gaped. The Frenchwoman’s boldness bordered on what Abigail would describe as being a hoyden. Yet her father seemed unfazed by his daughter’s brazenness. Robert looked somewhat embarrassed and Owen practically snickered. Shauna had almost forgotten he was behind her.
“Aye, Henderson is a right bonnie laddie, he is,” Owen said, falling back on the burr he hadn’t used before. “Quite bonnie.”
“Bonnie?” Colette’s brows furrowed. “Je ne comprends pas. I do not understand the word.”
“It means pretty. Joli,” Robert said, leveling his gaze on Owen.
Colette looked confused. “Un bon mot, n’est-ce pas?”
Shauna’s French was limited, but she thought Colette had just asked if the word was good. “The term bonnie is usually used for women,” she said and then turned to glare at Owen. “I would refer to Captain Henderson as braw.”
A strangled sound came from Robert, but Shauna didn’t dare look at him. She’d already been bold, calling him braw just now.
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