Now her dream was almost within her grasp. She simply had to endure this ocean crossing with a very vexing gentleman. Then she would be free. If she had made it this far, she could manage the rest. In the meantime, she had to admit that she was having an adventure. Something she had always wanted to have. If sailing the Atlantic Ocean on a beautiful ship with a handsome American captain kissing her passionately didn’t qualify as an adventurous experience, she didn’t know what did.
Still clutching her shirt closed, she slowly made her way back to the bedchamber. She noticed a few of her buttons on the floor. Some had landed on the carpet near the bed, some on the polished wood planks. Gathering them up, she searched until she had found most of them. Holding them in the palm of her hand, she glanced around the two adjoining staterooms. She really had not given either space much notice before.
Harrison’s rooms were quite luxurious. Far more spacious than what she would have expected on a ship, the captain’s quarters were almost as well appointed as any room at Devon House. The walls of his office were paneled with dark wood, a thick navy-blue carpet covered most of the floor, and brass sconces and gilt-framed pictures of seascapes adorned the walls. One tall shelf was filled with books. Forest green leather upholstered chairs surrounded the large, round table in the center of the cabin. Tasteful and decidedly masculine mahogany furniture enhanced the decor. She found it surprising that Harrison indulged himself in such comfort and style, for he seemed quite a no-nonsense type of man.
The adjoining bedchamber held the enormous bed, upon which she slept last night. The walls held brass sconces also, as well as a wall of closets. Several small windows framed with curtains allowed light to stream in.
Under the pretense of looking for a sewing kit to refasten the buttons of her shirt, which he had so carelessly torn, Juliette poked around Harrison’s cabin without compunction. Even after she found the sewing kit.
Opening every cabinet, drawer, and chest in the room, Juliette ignored the slight pang of guilt at rummaging through his personal items by reasoning that if Harrison hadn’t wanted her to go through his things, he should not have locked her alone in his cabin in the first place.
Harrison was surprisingly neat and organized, unlike Juliette who could never be bothered to take the time to put her possessions away properly. All of his clothes were neatly folded in drawers and arranged in closets. She lifted one of his shirts from a drawer and inhaled the scent. She suddenly realized that she could now recognize the distinct scent of Harrison: a mixture of sea and salt air, soap, and an utter masculinity. She breathed deeply again, holding it close to her, then replaced it very carefully. Juliette made her way back into his office.
She rifled through the stacks of papers and maps in his desk drawers, ignoring most of it, deeming it boring and inconsequential. She wanted to learn about the man, not his ship. Frustrated by the lack of any personal memorabilia, Juliette continued her search. Inside one drawer she found a small black leather case. Opening it, she paused at the daguerreotype photographic card of a woman. A very lovely woman, who possessed fair curls and somewhat sad looking eyes.
Now this was something. Juliette lingered over this particular find, wondering who the lady was and how Harrison knew her. Was this his sweetheart? She did not recall Harrison mentioning any family during his visit to Devon House, but then she had not paid him too much attention. Harrison did not seem to be one who was overly eager to divulge personal history anyway. She was positive he was not married, for Lucien surely would have shared that information when they were first introduced, and she certainly would have remembered something like that. But perhaps he had a fiancée? Maybe this sweet, fair girl was his intended bride? It was not entirely out of the range of possibility.
Perhaps that is why Harrison stopped kissing her so abruptly. And left the cabin. Had he been riddled with guilt for kissing her when he had a fiancée?
Staring at the face on the photograph, Juliette realized she actually knew very little about Captain Harrison Fleming. Not that they had had much opportunity to discuss his life since she had been aboard the Sea Minx. He was too busy either ordering her about or kissing her.
She mentally recounted what she could recall being told about him.
He hailed from New York and had built his own shipping business. And she knew next to nothing about either New York or shipping. She wished she had questioned Jeffrey about him. Jeffrey would have told her anything she wanted to know about him. But then he would have wanted to know why Juliette wanted to know such things. She had feared arousing Jeffrey’s suspicion by her interest in Captain Fleming so she had prudently kept her mouth closed.
What did she really know about Harrison?
She surmised that he had to be a successful businessman or her brother-in-law and Jeffrey would not be involved with him in the first place. She knew he was strong and handsome. She knew his crew respected him. She knew he cared enough about her to make her wear a proper hat while out in the sun. She knew he was capable of kissing her senseless.
And now she also knew Harrison kept a special photograph of a beautiful woman in his desk.
Slowly, she turned the sepia-toned photograph over. Anderson’s Photographers with an address in New York City was printed on the back. And scrawled in pencil was written the name Melissa and the year 1870. Who was Melissa? Whoever she was, she must be important to him to have this picture in his desk, for photographs were a rarity. Only last year, Lucien had arranged for a family photograph to be taken on his and Colette’s wedding day and that had been a very special event.
The sound of a key rattling the door set her heart to pounding. Goodness! Had Harrison returned? Juliette hastily placed the leather case with the photograph back in the drawer and scurried away from the desk. She certainly had no wish for Harrison to catch her in the act of snooping. Shaking, she sat herself in a chair and clutched the front of her shirt closed just before the door opened.
A sigh of relief escaped her when Robbie entered the cabin, carrying a cloth sack. He gave her a sheepish smile, his freckled face lined in apprehension.
“Hello, Robbie,” she said, relaxing somewhat. “Have you come to let me out?”
He shuffled his feet awkwardly. “You made the captain pretty angry there, Miss Juliette.”
She laughed in spite of herself. “Oh, I don’t care that he’s angry. I just hope I didn’t get you into any trouble.”
Robbie shook his head. “I wouldn’t worry about me. The captain doesn’t stay mad for long. He was more worried about you than anything else. You gave us all an awful scare watching you climb up that rigging.”
Juliette had no regrets over her actions. “I’m sorry for worrying you all. I did have a grand time though.”
“You did fine up there,” he said in admiration. “I would think you’d been on a ship before.”
“Thank you for being man enough to admit that to me.” A feeling of pride coursed through her.
His face flushed again. “You’re welcome.”
She eyed him closely. “Does Captain Fleming want me back up on the deck scrubbing now? Is that why he sent you?”
“No…” Robbie hesitated nervously and gave a little shake of his head. “No, the captain wants you to stay in here for a while. He thinks you’ll be safer this way.”
So he intended to keep her locked up in his cabin for the duration, did he? Well, she would just see about that! Just as she became irate at the prospect of her enforced captivity, she paused for a moment as an idea occurred to her. If she was to remain in Harrison’s cabin, she could not scrub the decks. If being inside freed her from manual labor, she truly didn’t mind. And she was being kept in the nicest and most luxurious cabin on the Sea Minx. For all that she had stowed aboard, Juliette truly could not complain about their treatment of her.
Robbie handed her the large burlap sack.
Curious, Juliette peered inside. The bag held an odd assortment of worn shirts, wrinkled trousers, socks, and w
hat looked like men’s underclothes. With her mouth open, she stared at Robbie as realization slowly dawned.
“He says you’re to keep yourself occupied by mending some of the fellows’ clothes and things,” Robbie explained, confirming what her intuition had already told her.
“He wishes for me to become the seamstress of the Sea Minx, does he?”
“Well, it would keep you busy and safe inside. You’d be helping out us fellows too. And the captain thinks you’d be earning your keep at least.” Robbie, who thought the situation well settled, nodded in agreement with his captain’s philosophy.
Harrison thought he had found a way to put her to work after all. Juliette suppressed the laughter that bubbled within her but could not hide the grin on her face.
It truly was a shame that she had never learned how to sew properly.
7
A Friend, Indeed
Lord Jeffrey Eddington hugged Colette Sinclair one last time, her pretty face full of worry and her unwieldy frame making him slightly uncomfortable. Women in the family way always caused him to feel nervous, especially when he was not supposed to remark upon their state of being according to society’s dictates. With ladies in such a delicate condition, he feared hurting or injuring them in some way. Seeing his closest friend’s wife this way only intensified his awkwardness.
Colette whispered in his ear, “Please find her, Jeffrey.”
“Of course I will find her,” he reassured Colette, patting her back briefly as he released her. He wondered how it was possible for her to look any more beautiful carrying a baby than she did the first day he met her. Her skin positively glowed. Her blue eyes, although tinged with anxiety, beamed with an inner radiance. Of course, he could never say that to her, but he wished he could. The errant thought that perhaps one day a woman he loved would bear his child and look lovely doing so caused his heart to constrict.
“We appreciate you taking this journey for us,” Lucien added.
Lucien’s words dragged Jeffrey back to the task at hand. He had hardly needed encouragement to search for his beautiful and headstrong friend, for he had been frantic and consumed with worry since he first learned of Juliette’s disappearance. After a thorough search of the London docks and numerous inquiries, he and Lucien could find no sign or trace of her. This led them to the only conclusion that they could bear to contemplate; Juliette had successfully boarded Harrison Fleming’s ship in spite of numerous obstacles. Jeffrey secretly prayed that was the case, for he knew she would be safe in Harrison’s care.
Any other possibility of Juliette’s whereabouts was too horrifying to entertain.
Through his connections with the crown, he had immediately made arrangements to sail on the fastest steamship to New York. With Colette about to have a baby, Lucien could not in good conscience leave his wife. So Jeffrey had volunteered to make the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to bring the wayward Juliette back to her family.
He could do nothing less.
Aside from being afraid for her safety, Jeffrey was filled with admiration for her gumption and spirit at doing something so outrageously daring. To his complete astonishment the chit had actually made good on her threat to sail to New York City one day. Only Juliette could do such a thing.
It was what had always intrigued him the most about Juliette. She had no fear and she would go after exactly what she wanted. However, he had a feeling that this time she might have gotten more than she had bargained for.
“You must make sure you stay safe, as well, Jeffrey,” Lisette said to him.
“And you must come back home to us,” Paulette announced with a worried frown. “We can’t lose you to America too!”
Yvette piped up, “Oh, that would be dreadful!” Her wide blue eyes sparkled with tears.
Jeffrey glanced at the three younger sisters. They had all come to the dock to see him off. Lisette, another Hamilton beauty, had charmed him with her sweet and unassuming nature. With her dark blonde hair and steady eyes, she possessed an innate calmness that the others lacked. The fourth sister, Paulette, about sixteen years old now and on the verge of womanhood, would be a stunner to match her sisters. Intelligent and lively, she had a quick mind and a lovely face framed with blonde curls. Yvette, the youngest at fourteen, still had the youthful look of a child about her, but Jeffrey had a feeling she might be the most beautiful of all the sisters one day.
How he had come to be so involved in their lives, he was not quite sure, but he now loved them as if they were his own sisters. Last year when he and Juliette had wildly conspired to force a stubborn Lucien, his trusted friend since childhood and the closest thing to a brother he had ever known, into admitting his true feelings for Colette, Jeffrey had unwittingly made himself a part of the Hamilton family. Colette and Lucien’s marriage had solidified his position in their family, for the Hamilton girls had welcomed him with open arms.
This little band of sisters had given him a sense of family Jeffrey had never known. Lord knew his father, the Duke of Rathmore, hadn’t bothered to. Jeffrey had spent most of his childhood and adult life alone, living down the terrible shame of his illegitimacy and trying to prove his worthiness to the world. So Jeffrey would go to New York gladly and drag Juliette, most likely kicking and spitting fire the whole way, back home. He owed at least this much to the Hamiltons for all they had given him.
These women stood before him, hopeful and anxious, placing their trust in him. Jeffrey, for the first time in his life, could think of nothing witty or amusing to say to lighten their somber mood. He felt his cheeks redden under their regard. Good God! He was actually blushing.
“I’ll do my best,” he said to all of them.
He only hoped he could find Juliette, for their sakes as well as Juliette’s.
8
In the Stars
For three days Harrison managed to avoid contact with Juliette. Not an easy feat on a ship, but he had deftly kept his distance from her at all costs. For three days he had only gone to his office when he was assured that Juliette was walking the deck with Robbie. For three days he had thoroughly occupied himself with the business of sailing the Sea Minx.
And for three very long nights had slept on a bunk in the third mate’s cabin and had thought of nothing but the feel of Juliette’s silky skin and the passion of her kisses, the sweet scent of her dark hair, the sensation of her breath on his cheek. For every one of those nights he had been tortured by sensual images of Juliette lying willing and eager beneath him, naked, in his bed.
He had come dangerously close to crossing a line with her that first afternoon. A line which he had no intention of crossing. He regretted that encounter with her after he carried her to his cabin, and he was a man who rarely had regrets in that area of his life. The last thing he needed now was to be entangled with a woman like Juliette Hamilton. He had a little over a week left to endure before they reached New York, where he would send her safely back to London on the Freedom, one of his fastest steam packets with one of his most trusted captains. Then he would be rid of her.
Then he could breathe easily once again. Only one more week to survive.
There were too many issues that needed his complete attention. Once he returned to New York, he would meet with his shipping manager and then head straight to his new farm in New Jersey and see Melissa. His worry for her had continued to grow. He could only imagine the state she would be in by now. Annie’s last letter had been full of foreboding and Harrison sensed her frustration and concern in dealing with Melissa. He only wished he had answers or knew how best to help her.
Now Harrison remained on deck watching the sky and enjoying the quiet solitude of the ship. Except for those on watch, most of his crew were below deck or already in bed and Charlie had the wheel for the night. Harrison would retire soon himself, but he felt too restless to go below just yet.
He leaned over the mahogany railing and inhaled the bracing sea air as his elegant ship silently cut through the dark waves. Looking u
p at the sky, he noted that an eerie cloud ring had formed around the waning moon and he knew bad weather was ahead. Harrison could sense it, feel it in the very fiber of his being. He could smell the change in the air and had had it confirmed by the mahogany and brass barometer that indicated falling pressure, a sure sign of rain. Bad weather would only slow them down and cause difficult sailing conditions. If they were very lucky they would avoid the brunt of the brewing storm.
And he’d be very lucky if he could avoid the dangerous little storm in his cabin.
Who was this woman on his ship?
Yes, he was acquainted with her family. Well, at least he had known Lucien Sinclair and Jeffrey Eddington for years. He had spent a few weeks at the Sinclairs’ beautiful home and had a few brief conversations with Juliette while in the company of others. He noted her remarkable beauty, for who could not? She was stunning, but he knew better than to become involved with a woman like that, and he had not sought her out. Nor had he sensed any overt interest on her part.
Now, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. And to make matters worse he was responsible for her welfare and safety.
From the second he found her on his ship, he was haunted by thoughts of her. He could not think straight. He had misplaced his maps and misread the barometer. He had been unreasonably short-tempered and quick to anger with his crew, barking at them for the pettiest of reasons. Robbie practically hid from him. Even Charlie had remarked on his foul mood and wondered at his distractedness. Just that afternoon Harrison had made a careless error in his calculations with the sextant, almost sending them off course. Harrison had laughed off his blunder, blaming his temporary and uncomfortable sleeping arrangements for his distractibility and foul humor.
Desire In His Eyes Page 6