Page 2 of Gabriela and His Grace

“I’m going to miss you so much, mi amor,” she said, pressing a kiss to Estella’s soft cheek. “Are you sure I can’t take her with me? We’d have so much fun together and she’d have the entire crew wrapped around her chubby finger even before we left British waters.”

“But then her papa would unravel, because she has him tied up in knots, too,” Ana María said with a laugh, linking her arm through Gideon’s and smiling up at him.

Gabby had once thought her brother-in-law a dour man, an adjective so foreign now as she watched him gaze fondly upon his wife and young daughter. “Estella will one day visit her mother’s homeland, but preferably not when she’s so young.”

“Or without her parents,” Ana María added, arching a brow.

“You’re no fun,” Gabby murmured as she kissed the baby’s cheek again.

Estella remained unconcerned, more interested in gnawing on the dimpled fist in her mouth.

Before Gabby could say anything else, a figure appeared at her right elbow, her familiar rosewater scent wafting above the stench of the sea.

“Well, darling,” Viscountess Yardley began, tapping Gabby on the arm, “While I disagree that you should let that foul earl chase you from London, I am happy you will have an opportunity to hug your mother again.”

Gabby exchanged a glance with her sister, who merely pressed her lips together as she looked between Gabby and the viscountess. For his part, Gideon pivoted away, but not before Gabby spied a muscle twitching in his jaw.

Lifting her chin, Gabby said, “I’m not being chased away, I’m simply reevaluating my options.”

Ana María snorted but said nothing. Gabby had always made it clear that she wanted to return to Mexico at some point, and with Maximilian and his imperialist supporters quickly losing ground now that the majority of French troops had withdrawn and the United States continued to send aid to Juárez and the Republicans, now seemed an appropriate time.

And if it also saved her from the unscrupulous actions of a cash-strapped earl, well, then Gabby would take advantage of the opportunity, even if her family did not approve.

“It’s also true that I’ve missed our mother a great deal.” Gabby studied her niece’s perfect face instead of meeting her sister’s or the viscountess’s gazes. “Let us hope she will be happy to see me. I haven’t exactly asked for permission to return.”

“Aah, but you did. You asked me.”

Gabby laughed as Tío Arturo joined them. He was correct, of course. She may not have received her parents’ permission to return to Mexico, but her uncle, as the Mexican ambassador, was well versed in the conditions surrounding the war, and had been comforted by word from her sister, Isabel, that travel would not be compromised. And after the debacle at the Wright ball, Tío was even more inclined to allow her a graceful escape.

She had been relieved by his support, especially as Ana María, Gideon, and Lady Yardley had objected quite soundly. But she suspected Tío Arturo understood the deep burning desire that flared in her chest to step on Mexican shores once again. She missed home and everything associated with it…well, almost everything.

This time would be different, though. Her teeth clamped together. She was a different Gabby than she had been: more mature, savvy, and sophisticated. She would show her father that she could be an asset to the Luna family, just as her sisters were. No longer would he view her as—

Determined to lighten her mood, Gabby shook away such thoughts and turned her attention to Gideon, who surveyed the crowd on the docks as if he was searching for someone. “I can’t believe you changed your mind about me leaving, Gideon. I thought I was going to have to resort to bribery…” Gabby narrowed her eyes. “Or maybe even battery, to convince you to let me return home.”

Gideon didn’t smile—he saved all of his smiles for Ana María and Estella—but there was a spark in his dark eyes that Gabby had long recognized as amusement. “Let’s just say that once I learned you wouldn’t be traveling alone, my concerns over your safety lifted a tad.”

“I’ve always appreciated your concern,” she allowed, “but I’m certain Señorita Moreno and I will be perfectly fine.”

Her brother-in-law’s lips twisted in a manner Gabby had never seen before, and she frowned. “What?”

With quick movements, Gideon scooped Estella from her arms and propped her against his chest. Gabby didn’t miss Ana María’s quiet laugh. “As much as I’m sure you and Miss Moreno are capable of caring for yourselves, there will be another on the ship to provide you assistance should you need it,” Gideon said.

Jerking her chin back, Gabby looked from Gideon to her sister, whose attention was focused on her daughter. Ana María refused to meet Gabby’s eyes. When she turned his way, Tío Arturo was studying the ship’s masts. Lady Yardley, however, stared back at her with a broad smile. Dread dropped in Gabby’s stomach like a rock.

“Who?” she demanded, spinning about in a whirl of skirts, her eyes darting about the busy docks. A name flashed in her mind and she drew up short, her breath catching. Surely not. Of all the people who would be traveling to Altamira, it couldn’t be him.

Gritting her teeth so tightly her jaw ached, she pivoted, following the direction Gideon searched. It was then that the crowd shifted and her gaze collided with a familiar pair of blue eyes and her skin flushed so hot, Gabby was certain she would combust. Without a thought, she stomped her foot and shrieked, “Ay, no!”

• • •

Sebastian Brooks, the eleventh duke of Whitfield, knew better than to expect an effusive…or even a cordial greeting from the likes of Miss Gabriela Luna. But he certainly hadn’t expected her to exclaim so loudly she’d frightened several of the sailors working on the gangplank.

Sighing, Sebastian plucked his spectacles from his face and massaged the bridge of his nose. The voyage to Altamira was scheduled for twelve to fourteen days, and then the carriage ride to Dawson’s home would take five to six days. Surely he could survive three weeks in Miss Luna’s company.

Even across the sixty or so feet between them, Sebastian could see the disbelief and frustration sparking in her greenish-brown eyes.

“And here I thought you were a rake about town, Your Grace.” Brodie, his valet, stopped next to him, his head cocked to the side. “But that lass appears angry enough to bite through steel.”