Page 44 of Much Ado about a Widow

The deep timbre of his voice sent a pleasant thrill down her spine. In their few short days together, Rob had become a true friend whose company she enjoyed immensely. They teased each other constantly, very much like she and her brother did, although the thoughts she increasingly had about Rob were anything but sisterly. She must make the most of her remaining time with him, before Jemmy arrived to take her back to Blackham. To Lord Travers.

“We’re coming about to drop anchor, Captain,” Ayers called out from the ship’s wheel.

“Excuse me, my dear.” Rob ran to help Cartwright pull in the sails.

As the breeze dropped, cut off by the high crags, the vessel slowed, rocking gently from side to side, until it settled to a halt several hundred feet from the shore. A small boat started toward them, the men in it rowing enthusiastically.

All about her, sailors bustled to and fro, securing lines, furling the sails, clearing the deck in anticipation of going ashore. Chapman appeared from belowdecks carrying her trunks.

“Ready to go ashore, my lady?” Rob had returned to her side.

“Yes, please.” She had become used to the shifting deck under her feet, but she’d be truly grateful for a floor that didn’t move.

“You’ll be the first one in the boat.”

Lulu barked and bared her teeth.

“The first two in the boat then.” Rob petted the spaniel’s head, narrowly avoiding a nip.

“Behave, Lulu. He saved your life.” She smiled at him and tucked the dog more securely under her arm. “Lord St. Just is a friend now, remember.”

Lulu sneezed and shook her head, then sighed.

Rob grinned. “I think I’ll still beware the dog for a while longer. Now let’s get you on shore.”

* * *

The short boat ride was followed by a longer trek, via a pony trap, up a steep, winding road that gave a magnificent and terrifying view of the rocky beach below. Fresh salt breezes were temperate today, making Georgie fling back her head and drink in the clean air. Not that it was different from the air she’d been breathing on the ship but being on solid land again somehow made it better. The air, the wild terrain, the sheer beauty of this place, so completely different from any place she’d ever imagined, created in her a feeling of happiness she’d not experienced in a very long time. Perhaps not since Isaac had died. She’d never believed she could be that happy again, but in the right place, with the right man . . .

Rob sat next to her, looking ahead up the road. His clean profile accentuated his straight nose and high cheekbones, the strong jaw even now set determinedly, although about what she had no idea. Unless it was how he was going to explain her presence to his mother.

Her stomach dropped as though she were back on the ship. With everything that had happened in the past days, she’d quite forgotten about this important part of the journey. Making a good impression on older women was of utmost importance. They could make your life miserable, because they’d taken you in dislike for some imagined slight, or delightful simply because you’d pleased them in some way without your knowledge. Meeting Lady St. Just would be even more important because . . .

Secret thoughts Georgie steadfastly refused to put a name to swirled around her head, but she shooed them away. Being introduced to someone’s mother was an important step in furthering any acquaintance. She and Rob were friends, nothing more. They could be nothing more unless she wished to break once and for all with her father. Sometimes life simply wasn’t fair. Not that she hadn’t known that before.

The trap finally came to a halt in front of the huge, gray stone castle, its entry door painted a bright blue. Looking upward, which was impossible not to do, Georgie squinted against the sun to see the castellated battlements high above her head. Taller by far than those of Blackham Castle, although the black stone of her family’s dwelling was probably more intimidating than the paler gray here. Still, this was an impressive display of strength.

“What do you think?” Rob held out his hand to help her down.

“I was wondering why there isn’t a moat.” She smiled and grasped his hand, always frightfully aware of his touch ever since their encounter on the ship.

Rob laughed and twined her arm in his, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

No, she could not think that. Not when she had to keep her wits about her to meet his—

“Mother, may I present Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick? She is Brack’s sister.” Rob fairly beamed as he looked from the tall, elegant woman with dark hair and a sweet face, impeccably dressed in burgundy silk, to her. “Lady Georgina, my mother, the Marchioness of St. Just.”

“My lady.” Georgie curtsied as low as she could without toppling over on the loose gravel underfoot. “It is such a pleasure to meet you.”

“And I you, my dear, although I must say you are quite an unexpected pleasure.” She raised her delicate eyebrows. “Do you have something to tell me, St. Just?”

Rob winced. “Yes, I do, Mamma, although not necessarily what you might think. Come.” He took his mother’s arm on his left without giving up Georgie on his right. “Shall we give Lady Georgina tea before we put her on the rack?”

“You must excuse my son, Lady Georgina. He has always had a flair for the dramatic.” Lady St. Just gazed up at Rob, a hint of humor in her eyes.

“I have noted that tendency in him myself, my lady.”

Rob squeezed her arm in the crook of his.