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He loved her.

Had loved her for weeks, but he hadn’t been able to come to terms with the logistics of where they would live. He wouldn’t be so cruel as to take her from a brother she’d only just come to know. Neither could Jason make England his permanent home. And even with the small fortune he’d amassed, it wasn’t sufficient to live on for the rest of their lives.

He must have a means of income.

So, unable to contrive a solution, Jason had kept silent about his feelings for Lenora and the damnable pending voyage. Regardless, his honor had compelled him to tell Brockman weeks ago that there was a possibility he mightn’t be able to accept the assignment.

Ronan had nodded slowly, his gaze keen with comprehension. “Miss Audsley?”

“Yes,” was all Jason had admitted.

He wouldn’t tell another what Lenora should hear first from him.

“I understand, Jason. Once I fell in love with Mercy, there was no question of me sailing anymore.” Ronan had clapped Jason on the back.

Ronan made it sound so simple, but then again, he and his wife were both British.

“You have until the twenty-seventh to make a decision,” Ronan said. “The Windswept Dream’s first mate is perfectly capable of captaining the ship. I would like to give McCurdy a couple of days' notice of his promotion to captain if you decline to sail in the end.”

When Lenora had continued to ignore Jason’s attempts to contact her, uncertainty had assailed him. Mayhap she no longer felt the same way about him as he did her. Perhaps Keyworth had succeeded in planting doubts in her mind.

Swearing beneath his breath, he nodded to a pair of sailors coiling ropes and made his way to the quarter deck where Angus McCurdy—the first mate—was in conversation with the ship’s surgeon.

Jason’s parents had arrived in England two days ago.

His mother had taken one look at him and said, “Who is she?”

Jason shook his head, welcoming the steady wind lashing across his face. He’d told her about Lenora. About how conflicted he was. One part of him didn’t want to leave her. Ever. The other couldn’t imagine giving up sailing.

“Why must you do either?” Mama had asked, eyeing him over a cup of tea in Grandmother’s old-fashioned salon. “If she loves you, she may very well want to sail with you. Have you asked her?”

Jason explained about Lenora’s recent reunion with her brother and the earl’s reluctance to be separated from her again. “I would never ask Lenora to choose, Mama. I’m confident she has no more wish to live in America than I do in England.”

His mother made a comforting sound but didn’t speak.

Hunching his shoulders, Jason had plowed a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to do. I would hate myself if Lenora was miserable.”

Mama had tilted her head, a mysterious, knowing smile hovering around her mouth. “Darling, marriage is never either-or. It’s a series of compromises and concessions, and when you add a deep abiding love to the mix, you’ll find things often work themselves out.”

“But you didn’t see your parents for three decades.”

Pouring tea into her cup, she nodded. “True.” Mama glanced up, the blue rose adorned teapot still in her hand. “More tea?”

“No, thank you.”

After adding two lumps of sugar and a dribble of milk, she stirred the contents of her cup. “I would've returned to England during that time had I ever been welcome, Jason. And, more on point, your father would’ve gladly accompanied me. In truth, now that my mother is widowed, I foresee us spending a great deal more time here. She’s also expressed a desire to see America.”

Jason had chuckled. “She’s quite something, your mother.”

Eyes twinkling, Mama laughed. “My mother is much more of a free spirit than I had ever imagined.” She sobered and set her teacup down. “Jason, if you love Lenora, then you must find a way to tell her before you sail.”

Jason picked up his pace, causing Mr. McCurdy to turn toward him with a question in his green eyes. By God, Jason couldn't—wouldn’t—leave without seeing Lenora one last time. To ask her to be his wife and trust that love would, indeed, make a way.

“Mr. McCurdy?”

“Aye, Captain?”

“I’m off to propose to the woman I love. If she says yes, you’ll be captaining the Windswept Dream to India.”