“Harry?” His sister’s voice came from her study. “Thank goodness you are finally home. Your dog’s constant howling for you is enough to try the patience of a saint!”
“Cuthbert isn’t my dog!” As he practically bellowed that from her doorway, her head snapped up, surprised. It surprised him, too, because Flora had been bent over a ledger, apparently totting up a row of numbers.
“I beg to differ, brother.” Because of course the damned puppy had toddled over from his bed beneath her desk and already had his paws on Harry’s knees while his scruffy little tail wagged so fast it blurred. “Dogs are like children. They are a responsibility that you cannot simply ignore for days on end. The poor thing has missed your sourpuss dreadfully, although heaven only knows why.” She wafted an imperious finger that reminded him too much of their mother’s. “Pick him up and give him some love.”
“He isnotmy dog!” But even so, he picked the adoring puppy up and tickled his floppy ears. It was instantly soothing. “He only exists because you neglected your responsibility to take proper care of your blasted dog.”
Flora rolled her eyes, jotted down a number in the miraculously well-ordered ledger, then laid down her quill. “So what has got your dander up today, baby brother?”
“Everything—and nothing.” Like the surliest of children, he plonked his backside on her desk. “For starters, the bloodyBoadiceais never going to be ready on time and according to Simpkins, the crew are close to mutiny because apparently it is my fault that they are all a bunch of useless, lazy idiots who cannot run a bath.” Although now that Cuthbert had forced him to be calm, he was prepared to concede that he hadn’t been the easiest of captains to get along with these last two weeks.
“Are you aware that whenever you mention your new ship, the word ‘bloody’ always precedes it?”
“Harrumph!Now you sound like Geo—” He stopped himself before he accidentally uttered the callous siren’s name.
“Hmmmm…”Flora gave him one of her withering big-sister looks. “Now I suspect we are finally getting to the root of the matter.”
“We are really not.” He rolled his own eyes, praying they looked nonchalant.
“Ada said that the pair of you were sharing a bed.”
“Poppycock!” As denial seemed the gentlemanly thing to do, he did so with gusto. “How the blazes would Ada know that?”
“Because Ada knows everything. Because she said that after she and Tom returned from the birth of their grandchild, you both had a satisfied and soppy glow about you that could only come fromnocturnal shenanigans. And because, most importantly of all, she found a long, curly strand of damning red hair on your pillowcase when she changed the bed linens the day Georgie left.” Flora offered him her most sympathetic smile. “Marianne also mentioned that she thought that she overheard the pair of you arguing on that day too, so it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. What happened?”
As much as he did not want to have this conversation, Harry recognized that he probably needed to. For all her faults and her flightiness, Flora had always given good advice. “The usual story. I accidentally fell in love with a temptress who didn’t love me quite as much back.”
“You told her how you felt?”
“Twice.” He felt his shoulders deflate. “The first time I think that she pretended not to hear it and the second… well, let’s just say when I asked her to stay, she left.”
“Oh, Harry.” Flora gripped his hand. “I wish you had told methat before now. I’d have been significantly less peeved at your insufferable mood if I’d known that you’d had a heartfelt proposal of marriage refused.”
“I didn’t propose, exactly, but I definitely implied it.”
“You implied it.” She scrunched up her face as if he had done something wrong. “Dare I ask how?”
“It’s private.”
Flora rolled her eyes again. “By that, one can only assume that you were in bed, postshenanigansand…” She wafted her hand, expecting him to continue.
“I don’t remember verbatim the exact words I used, but they were suitably heartfelt and certainly did not deserve the affronted reaction they got.”
“Then obviously they were idiotically male if she ended up shouting at you about them and then hotfooted it away on the afternoon post. I only knew Georgie for an hour or so, but she did not strike me as the unreasonable sort.”
“She is wholly unreasonable. Rebellious, tart-mouthed. Does everything her way.”
All traits which made his blasted sister smile. “I knew I liked her. She sounds perfect for you, so it’s a crying shame you ruined it all with whatever stupid, unromantic thing you said.”
“Actually, if you must know, it was very romantic because I told her that if she asked me not to sail away, I wouldn’t.”
Instead of the poignant sigh he expected, Flora slapped her forehead. “Oh, good heavens above!”
“I also told her that I was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice—for her.”
“And she didn’t fall at your feet to kiss them in gratitude?” In his hour of need, only his sister would torture him with sarcasm. “Clearly the woman is quite deranged and you are well shot of her!For who wouldn’t want to spend eternity with a burning martyr?” She shoved him unceremoniously from her desk. “Especially when you stipulated that you would only venture onto the bonfire if sheaskedyou to.” When it was put it like that, it didn’t sound quite as romantic as he had originally intended. “And what did she say to such a conditional declaration of love?”
Was it conditional? He was pretty certain it had been selfless. “Something along the lines of it being unfair to her to be the one to scupper my entire career and thereby thwart my destiny.” Harry winced as those ill-considered words finally sunk in. “I made a complete hash of it, didn’t I?”
