“The man certainly knows how to pick a unique gift. What sort of flowers are they?” Aunt Evelyn asked.
“The pink ones are hibiscus. It’s a tropical flower, and the white are jasmine,” Aunt Grace said.
“Whatever happened to bouquets of good old English roses,” her aunt grumbled, and returned to her toast.
“They smell heavenly.” Just like home. Vivian smiled and sniffed her flowers again. Well, what a nice surprise. She had been sure he would turn up with another unwanted apology for what happened on the veranda. Progress, definitely progress.
Her aunts soon left breakfast to head to Bond Street. They took great pleasure in shopping along its fashionable avenue. The gossip that could be gleaned from an afternoon of shopping made it well worth any money spent on hats or ribbon. She and Gabi lingered at the table, not having any social obligations for the day.
“You look upset this morning, Gabi. Did you not sleep well?”
Gabi set down her teacup. “Honestly, no. I had the worst nightmare last night about the fire. Dubois appeared larger than life, cackling and dancing like some devil as the house burned. I haven’t dreamt about my family in quite a while. I don’t know why, but I’ve felt unsettled the past couple of weeks.”
Vivian gave her a sympathetic look. She had also been uneasy ever since Old Tom told her the rumors that Dubois was in London. She glanced at Gabrielle, studying her friend’s pensive expression. She would do anything to protect Gabi from ever having to face Dubois again. Gabi had worked so hard to put the horror of her past behind her.
She would use her free afternoon to go investigate for herself whether Dubois’ ship was in port. If she confirmed he was still in town, then she would go to Captain Aston and ask him for his help. But perhaps the information was just a rumor. The gossip amongst sailors was nearly as rampant as the gossip spread in the ballrooms of the ton.
“Gabi, you should see if you can get in a nap this afternoon. Don’t worry about me. I may go take a walk in the park, but I can take Molly with me.”
“Perhaps I will after I’ve finished with some correspondence. All right then, I will see you later for dinner.” She rose and exited the breakfast room, leaving Vivian to plan out her excursion to the docks.
****
Jack stood on the deck of theLady Louisewith Smith. No wind to speak of blew in off the water this afternoon, and the stench of the river filled his nose, mixing with the smells from a cargo of fish being unloaded in the adjacent berth. This morning, after his meeting with Winters, he spent the long walk to Billingsgate trying to clear his head.
Vivian needed to get out of London. Sending her to Stoneleigh to attend the house party would be the most practical solution, but having her in such close proximity would undoubtedly be distracting. He had a job to focus on. After their encounter last night, he had no confidence he could keep his hands off the delectable Miss Vivian. But he had promised to keep an eye on her. He tried to focus his attention back to the man standing next to him.
“No trouble to report sir. I’ve got a skeleton crew onboard as you requested to keep an eye on things.”
“Good.” Jack took stock of the crates being hauled onboard. He glanced down to a list in his hand, checking off the number he’d counted. “Since we have cargo to protect, I want you and the boys to take shifts being on watch. I’ll have another load arriving in a few weeks.”
“Not a problem. I’ve sent Johnny to see his mum for a few weeks. And Clarkson…”
A long low whistle caught Jack’s attention. He scanned the docks below.
“Look a’ this smock-faced Abigail.”
“Yeah, won’ you stop and give us gents the time of day, miss?”
“She’s a right bushel bubby.”
Raucous laughter ensued. Jack frowned as he spotted the object of the men’s jeering. A small woman walked swiftly past them with her head held high and her nose in the air. She wore a simple cotton dress that despite its dull gray fabric in no way hid her fine figure. Her straw bonnet covered most of her hair, but for several pale blond curls. He did a double take. No, it couldn’t possibly be her.
She picked up her pace as the three men followed her. One man reached out and grabbed her arm. As he twisted her around Jack could clearly see Vivian’s angry face. He left Smith, mid-sentence, standing on deck. Flying down the gangplank, he raced toward them.
“What the hell is going on here?” He shoved the sailor who had his hand on Vivian, sending the man reeling backward.
“What business is it of yours, Cove?”
“A woman’s safety is always our business.” Smith’s deep baritone rang out from behind Jack.
“Get out of here before I beat the living shit out of you.” Jack growled and took a menacing step forward. Please let them say something stupid. His fists clenched in anticipation. Vivian took a step closer to him. Her hand gripped his bicep.
“All right…no need to get all upset. We just havin’ some fun.” The leader of the small group held his hands high. All three men walked away. When they were three hundred feet or so away, Jack swiveled to face Vivian. What the hell was she doing down in Billingsgate?
“Oh hello, Captain. Imagine seeing you down here.” She leaned to peer around him. “Hello, Mr. Smith.”
“Nice to see you again, Miss Jamieson.” Smith tipped his hat.
