“Knowing Henry, it will be worth waiting for. He always did have excellent taste. Especially in jewelry.” The blonde touched her earlobe to let Georgie know that Harry had purchased the delicate rubies dangling from it, and doubtless to let him know that she still wore his love tokens. “How long will you be in Plymouth?”
“I set sail in August.” He rested his hand over Georgie’s, still nestled in the crook of his elbow. “So we are making the most of the time we have left. We’d like to marry before then, if we can get everything organized in time. Isn’t that right, my darling?”
“There is always Gretna Green.” She smiled at him soppily, still too unsettled at the sublime casualness of the worddarlingto care overmuch that he hadn’t meant it. “If we left tonight, we could be back in two weeks.”
“You know what they say about marrying in haste.” Lady Elizabeth could not resist dashing cold water on their apparent happiness, and that spoke volumes about her character. “It rarely works out well.” Her blue eyes locked with Harry’s as she said that, then drifted to her husband. “But then again, few military marriages ever work out well, so—”
“Elizabeth!” From a few feet away, the vice admiral crooked his finger as he positively glared at Harry. “Lady Nugent is desirous of an audience and she has been kept waiting long enough.”
“Duty calls,” said Lady Elizabeth with no attempt to disguise her obvious displeasure at her husband’s rude summons—or perhaps of him in general. She then reached out to squeeze Harry’s hand, which sent her husband’s eyes narrowing. “It was good to see you again, Henry.Reallygood.”
Georgie bobbed her head politely as they watched her disappear, and her tense companion exhaled.
“Am I allowed to ask what all that was about?” She gave him a loaded look of her own. “I am apparently your betrothed, after all,Henry.”
“Thank you for not contradicting me.” He gave her an embarrassed half smile. “I promised myself I would be cool, calm, and collected when I collided with her tonight. Unbothered and nonplussed, then promptly fell at the first hurdle and panicked.”
“Why?”
“Because Elizabeth was oncemyfiancée. She would have been my wife now too if I hadn’t had orders to sail away. By the time Ireturned, expecting her to still be my fiancée, she had already gone up in the world to become Lady Barrett-Hughes instead.”
His gaze wandered to the beautiful blonde and lingered, and instantly Georgie hated the woman. “She didn’t even have the decency to write to me about it, so as I am sure you can imagine, it came as quite a shock when my ship docked here again just six weeks after our last tearful farewell.” His dark brows furrowed as he wrenched his gaze away to laugh without humor.
“Oh, Harry.” She hugged his arm, feeling petty for her jealousy now. “I’m so sorry.”
“Now that I come to think on it, she never returned the ring I gave her either. Even after the massive scene I caused on her new doorstep too.” He huffed, shaking his head. “With hindsight, not my finest hour, and one of those moments in life you always regret and wish you had dealt with differently.”
As the callous witch was watching them, Georgie took the lazy liberty of neatening one of his watch chains in a wifely manner. “If it’s any consolation, you handled just now rather well. She would have never known how uncomfortable you were.”
“But you did?” He slanted her a glance. “So I now have that to add to my impressive collection of cringeworthy moments that should have been handled better.”
“I am hardly going to judge you for a broken heart when I was once convinced you didn’t even possess such an organ.”
“You were?”
“I found you nine-tenths disagreeable back then.”
“And now?”
“You hover between a six and a seven, so obviously there is still plenty of room for improvement.” She nudged him playfully, oddly humbled that he had entrusted her with something so intensely personal while internally jealous that he still clearly harbored some feelings for the duplicitous blonde. “But despite the glaring fact that you remain at least three-tenths insufferable, now that I know what she did to you, it goes without saying that as your loyal employee and your friend, I hate her with the fire of a thousand suns. And in that vein, I shall work doubly hard tonight to convince her that not only was her loss my gain, but that you are so over her that you are now of the opinion that she actually did you a favor with her social climbing treachery.”
As he was back to watching the woman who had got away with an odd expression on his face, Georgie watched her too. She was all smiles for Lady Nugent, but they instantly melted when her husband’s hand touched her elbow. “Although if it is any consolation, it is obvious that she bitterly regrets her choices now. Imagine being shackled with that pompous, old sourpuss for all eternity? Vice Admiral Barrett-Hughes doesn’t look like an easy man to love.”
“And I am?” Harry’s eyes searched hers intently. In case he saw that she was riddled with more irrational jealousy for that woman than she already harbored for his magnificent ship, and was likely well on the way to being more than a little bit in love with him, she grinned and hoped it looked convincing.
“Cuthbert certainly thinks so and, as my dear, incorrigible friend Lottie always says, dogs are never wrong.”
ChapterTWENTY-EIGHT
“Hello again, Henry.”
Elizabeth appeared out of nowhere in the deserted hallway within seconds of Harry leaving Admiral Nugent and the select few invited to a back room for more port and cigars.
“Hello again, Elizabeth.” He paused mid-step out of ingrained politeness despite his urgent desire to find Georgie and leave.
He hadn’t had a bad night, which surprised him when he had been dreading this reception for the precise reason stood before him, and that was all down to the wonderful woman who had agreed to come with him. Georgie had made it all rather fun, especially after he and his former fiancée had originally collided, and because she was incapable of curbing her tongue or hiding her opinions, she had been an entertaining dinner companion. She had certainly charmed Nugent, who had sparred with the vixen for the duration of the meal, and laughed riotously throughout as a result. He had even slapped Harry’s back heartily as he had made his excuses to escape from the port and cigars and told him that he quite understood his need forhaste, as he’d be in a hurry to get back to that intriguing minx if she were his too.
Except Georgie wasn’t his and that felt wrong. Almost as wrong as Elizabeth waylaying him like this. His duplicitous former fiancée always had a particular look about her when she wanted something and right now, it raised all his hackles. Whatever she was up to, it was probably best to face it head-on.
