“I was never reckless, George.”
“Considering the occupation you took up, you most certainly were,” she disagreed. “Which is the part I don’t understand. How the deuce did this man know to find you here, if he met you in the Caribbean? You weren’t in the habit of going by your real name back then, were you?”
“’Course not. Hawke was the only name I used back then. But apparently I did some talking in my sleep due to the medications I was given to help with my wounds, and some of it was about my family. He gained knowledge of who I was and ended up telling me his life story as well. We actually became friends after that.”
“So who is he? An Englishman? Is that why he sent his daughter here for her coming out?”
“Do you really need to know?”
She frowned at that answer. “To launch her and find her a husbandhere,yes, I do need to know her background. You know how damned particular you aristocrats are about bloodlines,” she added with some disgust.
“Don’t include me in that package, just because you Americans don’t like aristocrats. Youdidmarry one, and Ididn’tmarry one. I rest my case.”
She laughed and punched him lightly in the chest at the same time. “Just answer my question.”
“You won’t like it. In fact, you just might be slamming doors shut on me again.”
“Oh come now, it can’t be that bad.”
“Beg to differ, m’dear. She’s the daughter of a pirate, not one who just dabbled at it like I did, but one who’s made it his life’s career.”
“Who’s the daughter of a pirate?” Drew asked as he entered the room behind them.
Chapter 10
APARTY ALREADY?Gabrielle hadn’t yet had a chance to relax since she’d arrived at the Malory townhouse. Her nervousness might have decreased a bit during her talk with James and Georgina Malory, but it hadn’t dissipated completely. And she was expected to attend a party tonight?
After she’d been shown to a room upstairs, she’d done nothing but pace until Margery had arrived a few hours later. The housekeeper had elected to stay behind at the inn when they couldn’t find a carriage big enough to accommodate all of them that morning, and to come over later with the baggage and Miss Carla.
She missed Ohr and Richard already. They hadn’t intended to stay in the same house with her, merely to make sure she was welcome. But Malory had made it cleartheyweren’t welcome. Her friends wouldn’t be deserting her entirely, though, just the neighborhood. The original plan included their waiting in England until Nathan arrived, since it was quite possible he’d be on his way to join them before they got back to the Caribbean, so they were going to rent a flat near the docks where they could watch forThe Crusty Jewel’s arrival. She’d guessed her father had simply ordered them to remain here to keep an eye on her.
Her father took care of incidentals like that without telling her, though she usually found out. His overprotective nature had been a surprise to her, had even included having reports sent to him regularly over the years about her progress and activities as she was growing up. Her mother’s gardener had been in Nathan’s pay. No wonder that old man had always questioned her extensively about what she was up to!
When Nathan had fessed up about the gardener, she’d realized he must have also been informed about her mother’s affair with Albert. He didn’t say so, and she certainly didn’t mention it, but she’d felt bad for months, thinking about it, and had a feeling that his parrot hadn’t been taught derogatory remarks about Carla until after her father had knowledge of her mother’s unfaithfulness.
Georgina Malory came up with Margery when she arrived, to tell Gabrielle they would be attending a soiree that night being given by her niece by marriage. “I wasn’t intending to go,” the lady admitted. “Regina has so many parties when she’s in London that I don’t feel the need to attend more’n a few of them. But as it happens my brothers Drew and Boyd are both in town for a visit and would make fine escorts. So it occurred to me that this will be the perfect opportunity for you to get your feet wet, as it were. So we’ll go.”
Gabrielle would have preferred to keep her feet dry, but she wasn’t rude enough to say so. She had several perfect excuses to decline, such as no suitable wardrobe yet and exhaustion from her trip, but she didn’t use them. She’d already inconvenienced this nice lady with her presence, which had forced Georgina to cancel her own plans. She was determined not to disrupt her plans in any other way.
“Your brothers don’t live in London?” she asked.
“London? Goodness, no, not even in England. In fact, while our family home might be in Connecticut, you could say all five of my brothers actually live at sea. My family owns Skylark Shipping, you see, and each of my brothers commands his own vessel.”
Sailors, Gabrielle thought with some amusement. She couldn’t get away from them even in England. But at least these two from Georgina’s family were only visiting. And she might even like them. She’d never marry one, but she did have a lot in common with sailors, after all.
“About the party tonight,” Gabrielle said. “I have one dress that would be appropriate, but I’m going to need to visit a seamstress tomorrow. I’ve brought the funds with me for a wardrobe for the Season, so I really should get started on that right away.”
“I agree, and you needn’t wait until tomorrow. I’ll send for mine today. She’s very good at producing miracles on short notice.”
“That would be wonderful,” Gabrielle allowed. “I’ll just need to know how many ball gowns I should order. Can you hazard a guess?”
“A half dozen at least.”
Gabrielle blinked and gasped out, “That many this late in the Season?”
“Oh, yes,” Georgina said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s due to the competition among the ladies who typically host these gatherings. If one of them outdoes another who’s already given her ball, then she simplymustgive yet another ball to get back in the lead of who’s ball was the best of the Season. It’s all quite silly in my opinion, but it’s why we get deluged with so many invitations near the end of summer. By the by, whydidyou wait so long to come to London? There are only a few weeks left of the bigger gatherings. You do realize that many of the best eligible bachelors will already have made their choices and be committed?”
Gabrielle nodded and added, “I’d be surprised if the pickings weren’t thin. The timing wasn’t by choice, it was merely my father suddenly realizing that I’m long overdue in getting this done and sending me off posthaste.”
