Courting the Forbidden Debutante

by Laura Martin

  ‘Maybe,’ he said with a smile.

  She stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, feeling affection for the man who could have made this so difficult, but instead had responded so calmly.

  ‘Good luck,’ he said, opening the front door for her himself.

  Georgina raced back to the carriage. By the time she was seated, all thoughts of the Duke had left her mind and all she could think about was the man she loved waiting for her aboard the ship. As the coachman urged the horses forward, she prayed for empty streets, otherwise she might not get her happy ending after all.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sam stood tapping his fingers against the rail, his eyes moving backwards and forward as he regarded the horizon. Ten minutes, that was how much time there was left until the ship set sail. Behind him he could hear the sailors making their final preparations while the last of the cargo was being hauled up a ramp on to the deck.

  ‘Come on, Georgina,’ he murmured. Although he’d given her space and the time to make her own choice, until now he’d never really doubted that she would choose him. Of course she would, they were in love, and he might have made some mistakes, handled the later part of their relationship badly, but they still were meant to be together. Surely she wouldn’t choose a life of monotony with a man she didn’t care for over a life of adventure with him.

  ‘Ten minutes,’ the Captain said as he joined Sam by the rail. ‘I can’t hold her any longer or we’ll miss the tide.’

  ‘I understand,’ Sam said, trying to keep the panic from his voice. He’d never considered he might be going back to Australia on his own. The whole reason he’d booked the passage was so they could escape from any pressure Georgina might be under to do the right thing.

  Suddenly he felt completely alone. He’d said his goodbyes to Crawford and Fitzgerald back at Lady Winston’s house, but now he wished he’d taken them up on their offer to accompany him to the docks to see him off. Perhaps he wouldn’t have felt quite so nervous with them at his side. He’d never expected to return to Australia before his friends, but Crawford had some mysterious woman he was pursuing, someone he wanted to stay a little longer in England for, and Fitzgerald had promised his aunt he would stay at least until the end of the Season and Lady Winston was not one for broken promises. So here he was alone, waiting for Georgina.

  Thinking back to the last time he’d seen Georgina just a week ago as she was having her final fitting of her wedding dress. She’d still been angry with him, still was dwelling on the mistakes he’d made, but she hadn’t completely shut herself off from him. When he’d taken her hand he’d felt her relax into him and when they’d kissed her lips had welcomed him in. She still loved him, despite everything he’d done; he just had to hope that was enough.

  Again and again over these past few weeks he’d cursed himself for not seeing what was important before it was too late. He had been so caught up in the past he hadn’t realised it was the present and the future that really mattered, and he’d allowed his obsession for revenge to jeopardise it all.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ the Captain said as he approached Sam again, ‘we really can’t wait any longer.’

  Morosely Sam nodded, feeling the ripping pain in his chest as he realised this was it, this was the moment he left England behind for ever and Georgina with it.

  ‘I’ll be in my cabin,’ he said, turning away from the rail. He couldn’t face the pity on the Captain’s face or the knowledge that now he would have to make this entire journey alone. He’d been convinced it would be a voyage of adventure, the weeks flying past as he and Georgina got to know one another intimately and he prepared her for life in Australia. The life they would share together.

  ‘I’ll have some refreshments sent down to you,’ the Captain said kindly.

  Sam almost refused the offer, he wouldn’t be able to eat anything, but perhaps the Captain might find a bottle of something intoxicating to help ease Sam’s pain. Preferably more than one bottle. He wanted to be oblivious to his heartache at least until they reached Spain.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said, stepping towards the steep stairs that led to the area below decks.

  As he made his way across the deck he heard the sailors drawing up the wooden gangplank and shouting to the men below as the complicated process of casting off began. In the background he heard the distinctive sound of thundering hooves and rattling carriage wheels and momentarily he wondered if just maybe...

  Shaking his head, he told himself not to be absurd. If Georgina had chosen him she’d had a week to plan her escape, it would be ridiculous to think she would have left her dash across London to the last minute. Still he hesitated, his foot hovering above the top step.

  Steeling himself for disappointment he turned, taking a couple of long strides back towards the rail. He had to raise a hand to shield his eyes from the low winter sun, but after a second or two he was able to focus in on the carriage that had come to a halt in front of the ship.

  His heart skipped a beat as the door was flung open and the first flash of gold came billowing out. It was Georgina, dressed for her wedding, but racing to be with him.

  ‘Wait,’ he called frantically to the sailors who were bustling about on deck. ‘We need to get her on board.’

  Sam watched as the men pulled on the ropes that a few minutes ago had anchored the ship to the dockside, their muscles straining, but still the ship was pulling away from the docks. For an awful moment he had a vision of the ship leaving and Georgina being left behind to be dragged back by her father to marry the Duke.

  ‘I won’t leave you,’ he shouted, seeing Georgina’s worried expression. Even if it meant diving into the murky waters of the Thames and swimming back to the dockside he wouldn’t leave without her.

  ‘The gangplank,’ the Captain shouted, motioning for the piece of wood to be lowered, even though it was clear it would not reach the dock. ‘I hope your girl isn’t the nervous type,’ he said over his shoulder to Sam. ‘Get the lady aboard, boys,’ he shouted to the men on the docks below.

  With only a moment’s hesitation Georgina allowed herself to be quickly guided a little further along the dock, then with wide eyes fixed on Sam she took a few steps back, waited while two of the filthy dockworkers took her arms and then, half jumping, half propelled through the air, she was sailing towards the lowered gangplank that was two feet away from the edge of the dock now. She landed on it, teetered alarmingly, but with a few rotations of her arms managed to regain her balance and clamber up the gangplank, her resplendent skirts trailing behind her.

  At the top she flung herself into Sam’s arms to the cheers of both the sailors on the ship and the dockworkers down below.

  As he pressed her to his chest he could feel her heart fluttering. Wordlessly he folded her in his arms and buried his face in her hair.

  ‘I thought you weren’t coming,’ he whispered eventually. Never before had he let anyone see him so vulnerable. There was naked fear in his voice and he knew the depth of his pain showed on his face.

  ‘I almost didn’t,’ she admitted. ‘Then I realised the person I would be punishing the most was myself.’

  He shook his head. He wouldn’t have ever got over the heartbreak if Georgina had chosen the Duke and a life of a society wife over him.

  ‘I am sorry, Georgina,’ he said, pulling away slightly so he could look her in the eye as he spoke. ‘I will spend our entire lives earning your trust again.’

  ‘I know,’ she said.

  ‘Did you...?’ He trailed off, deciding it wouldn’t be prudent to enquire how she had left things with her family.

  ‘I informed the Duke on my way here.’ She gave a little shrug. ‘I’m sure Caroline will tell my parents when they notice my disappearance.’

  ‘I know you’ve left everything for me,’ Sam said, taking her hand in his own, ‘but I promise I will never let you regret your
decision, not even for one day.’

  She smiled up at him, the smile that had first captured his heart a few months earlier, and Sam knew he was the luckiest man alive. Lucky that she’d decided he was worth taking a chance on, lucky that she had a loving and forgiving heart. Never would he hurt her again as he had a few weeks earlier, that would be his life’s mission.

  Slowly he kissed her, his lips just brushing against hers at first, savouring the sweet taste of her mouth under his own. He felt her body sway towards his and her mouth press more insistently against his and before he knew what was happening he had entwined his fingers in her hair and was kissing her like this was their last moment on earth.

  He felt Georgina’s body stiffen as a couple of the sailors whooped and cheered them and slowly he pulled away, never letting go of her completely.

  ‘Shall we continue this in our cabin?’ he asked, motioning to the steps that led below deck.

  ‘Please,’ Georgina said, her cheeks flushed.

  ‘Come with me.’

  He led her down the steep staircase to the narrow passageway below.

  ‘I left in such a hurry I don’t have any luggage, any clothes,’ Georgina said, looking down at the elaborate wedding dress she was still wearing. It wasn’t the most practical garment to make a sea crossing in.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ he said, trying to keep a straight face, ‘I think I can put up with you wearing very little these next few weeks.’

  ‘And when we go up for dinner?’

  ‘You’ll look very fetching in a pair of my breeches and a shirt.’

  He opened the door to their cabin and motioned for Georgina to enter, unable to keep the wide grin from his face. Today was the first day of his life with the woman he loved and he was determined to treasure every second.

  Epilogue

  ‘Sam Robertson, we’ll be late.’ Georgina giggled as he looped his arms around her waist and started to kiss her neck. She shifted slightly, allowing him to rest his hands on her heavily pregnant belly.

  ‘It’s our wedding,’ he murmured in her ear. ‘It’s not like they can start without us.’

  She had to concede his point. The vicar in the little chapel twenty minutes’ ride away was ancient and probably wouldn’t even remember he was supposed to be conducting the wedding ceremony today. Their witnesses were a couple of their neighbours, people who lived their lives by the sun’s position and not the clocks, so it was dubious whether anyone would even be at the chapel.

  ‘You look beautiful,’ he said.

  Glancing down, she had to smile. The dress she was wearing was completely the opposite of the one she had donned almost a year ago in preparation for her wedding to the Duke. Simple, cool, and practical, that was the main requirement of her clothes now. Much of the time she spent in breeches and a shirt when she was out and about on the land with Sam, but whenever she went into town or received visitors she would be clad in a dress. Or for a special occasion like today.

  Her wedding dress was pale blue, made of cotton, and had a simple cut to flow over the large bump that dominated the front of her body.

  ‘I look large.’ She grimaced. She’d loved her blooming pregnancy body, but in the past few weeks the temperatures had begun to soar and now she was suffering from the extra weight she was carrying.

  ‘Not long now, my love,’ Sam said, running his hands over the front of her dress lovingly.

  They weren’t quite sure when the baby was due. After much consideration they thought it had probably been conceived in those heady weeks of the voyage to Australia. Weeks where they had barely left their cabin. Georgina had put the nausea she’d felt as they approached the coast of Australia to seasickness, only realising a few weeks later what was really happening once they were on dry land.

  If she’d gone through a pregnancy in England she would have been surrounded by doctors, all there to ensure the heir she was giving birth to had the best possible chance of surviving. Here things were a little more lax. Sam assured her there was a doctor, but he lived an hour’s ride away so it wasn’t so useful in an emergency. Instead Sam had informed her he’d birthed many foals during the course of his work. Georgina wasn’t sure if he was joking, but kept telling herself childbirth was natural. Women had been doing it for thousands of years without the help of a doctor, surely she could manage the same.

  ‘Any regrets?’ Sam asked as she checked her reflection one last time in the mirror that hung in the hallway.

  ‘None,’ she said with a smile.

  The time had flown by. They’d spent six months on the Liberty Hope, their sturdy vessel that had taken them all the way from London to Australia with a few stops in between. Sam had been eager to bring her back to his home, to show her where he’d built a life for himself and where they would start theirs as a couple together. For three months they’d toured his property, checking up on the farms and the various outposts of his main business—the stud. With every passing day Georgina had been unable to believe the scale of what he owned—he easily had fifty times more land than her father possessed back home, perhaps more. All this he’d built himself, saving his profits and expanding whenever there was an opportunity. Every time she thought about it she felt proud of the man she was about to marry.

  Of course she missed her family and friends. She’d written a couple of times to her mother, long letters that detailed her new life, and a few weeks ago had received one in return. Georgina couldn’t bring herself to make contact with her father yet, she still felt so disgusted with how he’d treated Sam and the horrible way he’d carried on with the maids. Maybe one day she would be able to forgive him, but not yet. Most of all she wished she could have Caroline by her side today, but Georgina had to content herself with the letters that arrived sporadically, written in Caroline’s humorous style.

  Despite the pang she sometimes felt for her mother or her best friend, Georgina did not regret a single day since she’d left England. She’d risked everything for love and through that risk she’d found happiness.

  ‘Come on,’ Sam said, pulling her gently by the hand towards the door. ‘Unless you want this baby out of wedlock.’

  Georgina laughed. Once she would have been scandalised by the idea, but now it didn’t seem that significant. As long as their child was born to two loving parents then it didn’t much matter if they were married or not.

  Gently he helped her up on to her horse. Although Georgina missed Lady Penelope, the beautiful grey mare she’d owned in England, Sam had helped her choose the best from his extensive stock. Her mare had a soft bay coat and was headstrong and fast, just as Georgina would wish, but with patience and gentle coaxing she was eminently trainable.

  When he was sure she was comfortable he vaulted up onto the back of his horse, adjusted the wide brim of his hat on his head to keep the sun from his eyes, and led the way out of the dusty yard.

  ‘Are you sure you want to tie yourself legally to an ex-convict?’ Sam asked as they started the ride at a sedate pace towards the small town nearby where the chapel was situated.

  ‘It’s a little late now to back out,’ Georgina said, glancing down at her belly.

  The wedding was just a formality. Georgina had realised the rules that governed society in Australia were different to back home. If a man and woman lived together, produced children, shared a life and a home, then they were considered bound together with or without the marriage ceremony. Sam had introduced her to lots of couples who’d never had a wedding but still called themselves husband and wife. However, Georgina had come to realise that although she was embracing a more free, less constrained life, that didn’t mean she had to rebel against everything. She loved Sam and he loved her, and one way to show that love for one another was to get married, so when he’d proposed for the third time she’d finally accepted.

  It was early in the morning, the ceremony time chosen to avoid the
worst of the heat, but by the time they had reached the chapel Georgina still felt the perspiration on her brow. The small town was dusty, the last rainfall having been at least a couple of weeks ago, and the fields they had ridden through that had been green not long ago were now turning brown. Despite the dry and dusty land Georgina looked at it lovingly. This was her homeland now. One day in the distant future they might brave the voyage to England again, but never again would it be home. Her home was here, with the man she loved, the man she was about to marry, and soon with their child, too.

  Carefully Sam helped her dismount, lifting her bodily off the horse so she did not overbalance now she was more clumsy with the weight she was carrying around her middle.

  ‘Lady Georgina,’ he said, a familiar twinkle in his eye, ‘are you ready to become Mrs Robertson?’

  ‘I’ve been ready for longer than you can imagine,’ she said, reaching up and kissing him on the lips.

  Taking the arm he offered, she walked inside the cool chapel, taking the first step down the aisle to marry the man she loved.

  * * *

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