Raj listened to the younger man and nodded when Ben finished. “She told me much the same thing a few months ago. I asked her why she wouldn’t find a match if there was no sign you wanted her. She admires you for the same reasons. She knows you punched Samual McIntyre after he tried to force her behind the bakery. She ran from him, but she’d turn back when she heard someone running toward where she’d just been. She watched you and heard you make sure Samual knows never to go near her again. But she assumed you would defend anyone. That it wasn’t about her so much as your honor dictated you intervene.”
“I would have helped anyone, especially a woman. But the rage I felt came only because it was Jemma in danger. I held myself back from doing far, far worse than just a punch that broke his jaw.”
“You still live with your parents to help your father oversee the farm and be near Steven’s laboratory when he’s making the saltpeter. Do you plan to live there once you marry?”
Ben felt his cheeks heat, and he loathed his fair complexion because he was certain Raj knew the deepening color came from blushing rather than being windblown. “No. I have a plot of land next to my parents’ farm I bought three years ago. I’ve done little with it because I haven’t needed to. But I’ve always planned to put a house on it. I’d rather not live at home with my parents once I’m wed.”
Raj grinned. “I understand. For a woman of her years, my grandmother’s hearing is far too keen. She has a sixth sense about when Charlie and I would like a moment alone. I believe she does it to taunt me.”
Ben chuckled. He’d met the Dowager Countess, and he believed Raj. “I can’t break ground until spring, so Jemma and I might need to live with my parents briefly. But I’ll begin work as soon as the weather holds long enough to get the work done.”
He could see the heavy cloud cover in the distance and feared it would soon snow in Polruan. When he’d left the manor house and noticed the impending inclement weather, it made him even more grateful they would travel by sea. Even though the wind picked up as they moved farther from the coast, there was no precipitation. While they moved the hidden items from the Rowes’ stables to the ship, Ben found his satchel and thick outer coat he’d left on the cart when he went into the assembly hall. He pulled the collar up now and settled for a spot out of the wind as he watched the men work the riggings.
He’d gone months at a time without seeing Jemma, but the two days he spent away from her were interminable. It didn’t help that the cold damp air covering the English Channel was just as miserable hanging over them during their visit to Poole. It made his arm ache and his temper short. He’d sucked in several deep breathes when the town’s mayor tried to renegotiate the terms of their trade. He wanted far more for far less. Ben was uninterested in altering their agreement, so he’d simply told the crew to turn around and carry everything back to the ship since they had to go back there anyway. When the mayor realized how serious Ben was, he ceased haggling and accepted the original arrangement.
They’d barely made it back to the ship when they noticed men riding along the coast toward them. At first, Ben and Raj thought they were excisemen. But it took only a moment oncethey had an unobstructed view to recognize they were East India Company men. Ben understood why Raj seethed and moved to the opposite end of the ship rather than watch the men watch them. His father had served in northwest India alongside Theo and their mutual friend, William Abbington. The three men married three sisters. Theo married Vinita, Will married Sarla, and Raj’s father, Robert, married Sunita. Raj blamed the Company for his mother’s death indirectly, and his father’s, brother’s, and sister-in-law’s directly. Losing most of his family spurred Raj into supporting Charlie’s family and continuing a family legacy he didn’t know existed until he met Charlie.
Ben watched the men disappear the same way he’d seen Jemma shrink until she was gone when he departed. However, he had no desire to see the East India Company men again while he counted down the time until he was reunited with Jemma.
It was after nightfall when Raj’s ship docked, and there was a thick coat of snow on the ground once they trudged up the cliffside. If Raj, Ben, and the crew weren’t exhausted and soaked from a downpour while they were out to sea, they might have appreciated the winter wonderland that greeted them. But every man merely wanted hot food and a warm bed. Ben envied Raj since he wouldn’t shiver in bed alone.
“Ben!”
A flurry of pink and gold flew down the stairs and across the foyer to greet him. Jemma took care not to touch Ben’s injured arm, which pained him more than he ever imagined after two miserable days at sea. He’d taken to wearing a sling within an hour of their departure from Polruan. He only took it off while on land to draw less attention to his injury. He refused to appear weak in front of the mayor, and it turned out to be a wise choice since the man attempted to swindle Ben without knowing Ben wasn’t at his full strength. Ben believed it would have been worseif the mayor believed Ben was too infirm to defend the cargo and himself.
“Jemma.” He wrapped his good arm around her waist and lifted her off her feet. The rest of her family flowed into the entryway, so they accepted a quick kiss was all they could get away with.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” Jemma whispered to Ben while Raj reunited with his family. When Ben put her back on her feet, she rested her head against his chest. “How did it go?”
“Well. Higgins thought to bully me into amending our deal, but he soon realized I had no patience for his nonsense. It didn’t take long once he convinced me not to leave and sell the goods elsewhere.” Ben grinned. He’d been prepared to leave without completing the sale, but he’d been certain it wouldn’t come to that, and it hadn’t.
“Jamie spotted the ship’s masts, so we already have baths ready for you and Raj.” Jemma’s cheeks pinkened as their gazes met. Ben was certain she pictured something similar to what he did. Though, he assumed she imagined scrubbing his back while he imagined making love to her in the tub.
Ben greeted his sister and the girls. Indira called him uncle, even though they weren’t directly related. He’d always enjoyed hearing it, but when the little girl greeted him that evening, he wished it was a daughter she shared with Jemma calling him papa. Ever since he met Indira and Anjali, who was still too young to do much more than babble, he’d imagined what it would be like if he and Jemma were their parents. Now that a future with Jemma was no longer a dream, he prayed their children would be the spitting image of their mother. He couldn’t think of anything more perfect than seeing Jemma’s vibrancy radiating from their children. Perhaps he’d ask Father Christmas for that this year. It relieved him to be home beforethe holiday. He hadn’t wanted to be on the road alone, and he hadn’t wanted to disappoint Jemma by missing it.
“You must be exhausted.” Jemma’s soft voice interrupted his daydream. He glanced down at where she walked beside him as they entered the drawing room. “Are you in a great deal of pain?”
“It’s uncomfortable,” Ben hedged. His chin jerked back when Jemma glared at him.
“You can pretend modesty to the rest of the world, but don’t lie to me, Ben. You have no need for false pretenses with me. Your strength impressed me years ago. My opinion won’t falter if you admit you’re in pain. Do you want a dose of laudanum? Would you feel better?”
He’d given up and taken a spoonful the night before and one that morning. His headache had only receded an hour earlier. The waves and a headache were worse than his arm. However, now that he was on land, it tempted him. But he shook his head.
“The bath and some sleep will set me to rights. I don’t care for how the medicine makes me feel. It might reduce an injury’s pain, but it makes my head hurt and my stomach curdle. I’d rather not.
“Would you prefer to retire once you’ve bathed? I can arrange for a tray, so you don’t have to come down for supper.”
“That’s not necessary. I can?—”
“Ben, you look dead on your feet. Please go to bed early. I’m worried about you.”
He didn’t have the heart or the energy to refuse. He conceded that Jemma was right. The last dregs of energy faded once he knew he was safe and so was Jemma. Exhaustion crashed over him. “All right. But I believe you promised me a walk in the morning. Don’t oversleep.”
Jemma stepped closer to him and pressed her breasts against his ribs. “You shall have to keep me warm once we’re outside.”
“You can count on me, sweetling. I’d hate for you to turn into an icicle.” Ben kissed her cheek before saying goodnight. He bathed and changed into the fresh bedclothes he assumed were Raj’s. He was asleep the moment his head hit his pillow.
“Isn’t it magical?” Jemma’s excitement bolstered Ben, who’d fallen asleep quickly but slept poorly. His arm woke him several times, and he eventually gave in, taking a dose of the laudanum in his satchel. It allowed him to gain a few hours rest just before dawn. The crisp winter air did wonders for clearing his head.
