Page 36 of Gabriela and His Grace (The Luna Sisters #3)
Sebastian experienced one of the most uncomfortable moments of his life when Gabriela Luna returned to their hired carriage with her eyes red-rimmed and swollen from weeping.
He hadn’t known whether he should comfort her, ignore her, or sweep her into his arms and implore her not to cry.
It was very disconcerting, and Sebastian despised being disconcerted.
They traveled in relative silence for the rest of the day, with Senora Lopez making occasional observations about the terrain or commenting on the history of the small towns they rumbled through.
Gabriela remained withdrawn, her gaze empty as she stared out the carriage window.
Sebastian found himself brainstorming questions he could ask her or things he could say to elicit a response from her, but in the end, he held his tongue.
She was grieving the loss of the future she had envisioned for herself here in Mexico, and thrown by the abrupt departure from her sister.
She couldn’t be pleased to have to share a cramped compartment with him when her world was crashing down about her ears.
So Sebastian did his best to give her privacy, or as much as he could in their circumstances.
He opted to ride next to the carriage some days, welcoming the breeze and admiring the changing flora as they moved farther east, and smiling as he imagined how David would be whooping and hollering as he explored the countryside.
In the evenings when they arrived at the inns Brodie had reserved for them on his way to Altamira, Sebastian escorted the women to their rooms, but did not join them for meals.
It was an act of self-preservation. He had no notion of whether Gabriela’s opinion of him had changed over the weeks they’d been forced together, and for reasons Sebastian was still wrestling with, he was too anxious to find out.
Therefore, instead of offering to be a sympathetic ear to share her heartache, Sebastian kept his distance.
But Sebastian learned that distance would be impossible to come by when they finally arrived in Altamira several days later.
Brodie met them at the docks after they delivered Senora Lopez to her daughter’s house, clutching his hat, his mien pale. Sebastian was instantly alert. Ushering Brodie several feet away, Sebastian listened as his valet spoke, watching as a ship porter unloaded the trunks.
“What do you mean there are no cabins available?” Sebastian bit out when Brodie was done.
The Scotsman shrugged. “Exactly that, Yer Grace. I was able to secure a boarding ticket for Miss Luna, but there were no available first-class cabins for her, let alone her and a companion. I haven’t bothered to inquire after one because where would the poor lass sleep?”
“What of second-class cabins?” Sebastian ripped his hat from his head and dragged his hand through his hair. “She can have my first-class cabin and I’ll stay in second class.”
“None there, either, Yer Grace.” Brodie scratched behind his ear. “Apparently the ship is full with passengers wanting to return to Europe now that the collapse of the French empire seems nigh.”
Bloody hell. “And you made sure to throw my title around? What good is it to be a duke if you can’t make impossible things possible?”
“Of course. I know how to leverage yer lofty title to get my job done.” The Scotsman threw up a hand. “But there’s nothing available, Yer Grace.”
“Fuck,” he bit out. Sliding his gaze to where Gabriela waited silently by the carriage, he clicked his tongue on his teeth. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”
“It seems to me, Yer Grace,” Brodie began, in that singsongy tone that immediately put Sebastian on guard, “that Miss Luna will have to share your cabin with you.”
Sebastian slowly looked down at him. “Now is not the time to jest.”
Brodie’s face darkened. “I’m not jesting, Yer Grace.
There are truly no cabins available. Now if you would like me to offer Miss Luna to share my cabin, I will certainly do so.
Sadly, I’m sleeping on a bunk and the other bed is occupied, but I’m certain we can figure out some sort of arrangement.
Miss Luna is a delightful young woman, after all, and the other gentleman will no doubt be pleased to wake up to her pretty face. ”
“You’ll do no such thing.” Just the thought of Gabriela sharing such an intimate space with other men, even out of necessity, made anger flare in his chest. It was a preposterous suggestion, and Brodie knew it.
“Well, then, what do you plan to do, sir? I suppose we can try to dredge up an empty bunk or cot in steerage.”
Curling his lip, Sebastian ignored how the Scotsman crossed his arms over his chest and stared at him with arched brows, instead locking his gaze on Gabriela.
What was there to do? He supposed he could offer a sum to another first-class passenger in exchange for their cabin, but Sebastian doubted anyone would accept.
So that left Brodie’s idea. An idea that made Sebastian just a bit breathless.
Without saying a word to the valet, Sebastian spun on his heel and prowled toward Gabriela.
She watched him as he approached, her brow slowly lifting with every step he took.
“Did something happen?” Her gaze moved over his face. “You don’t appear particularly pleased.”
Sebastian tapped his cane on the wooden planks beneath their feet. “There’s a problem. With our lodgings on the ship.”
She tilted her head to the side, waiting for him to continue.
“Brodie was able to book you passage, but there are no first-class cabins available.” Sebastian cleared his throat. “Nor second-class cabins.”
The color in her cheeks fled, and her mouth opened and closed several times before her teeth snapped together.
Pausing to gather his thoughts, Sebastian glanced about them.
A steady stream of passengers made their way up the wide gangplank, some dressed in expensively cut clothes and servants ladened with boxes trailing behind them.
Others possessed only a simple coarse knapsack slung over their shoulder, hope in their gazes.
Dozens of carts, wagons, and carriages were lined three deep along the docks, the calls and cries of drivers, passengers, and sailors melding into a roaring clamor.
Still, Sebastian heard Gabriela when she spoke.
“Do you know when the next ship will be departing?”
Swinging his gaze back to her, Sebastian’s chest squeezed to see the forlorn expression on her face.
“Miss Luna, I’m not going to leave you here by yourself,” he said softly.
Her eyes darted to his and away again to scan the bustling crowds. “Do—do you think there’s availability in steerage?”
Sebastian shook his head. “Brodie suspects that every cabin and room is booked.”
“Oh,” she murmured, her throat bobbing before she dropped her gaze to the ground.
Licking his lips, he moved a step toward her. “I have an option for you to consider, and I completely understand if you reject it outright.”
Gabriela jerked her head up. “What is it?”
Widening his stance, Sebastian stomped his cane for a moment and then blurted out, “You can stay in my rooms.”
Her response was not what he expected. Sebastian was certain Gabby would issue an immediate refusal.
A sharp refusal. He would not have been surprised if she accompanied her denial with a slap to his face.
But Gabriela did neither of those things.
Instead, her mouth dropped open and she took a minuscule step closer to him.
“You would let me stay in your cabin?”
Christ, after he spent over a week avoiding her company, the idea that Gabriela Luna would be quite literally sleeping in the same room with him made desire flash like lightning in his blood.
Which would absolutely not do. She needed his help, not for him to be battling his attraction to her. Especially when she had made it clear, over and over, that she despised him.
Sucking in a breath around his teeth, Sebastian nodded. “There is a large sitting room off the bedroom chamber, and I can sleep on the settee there.”
“Or I can. Surely a man of your”—Gabriela paused, her gaze traveling down his frame—“stature would find it quite uncomfortable. Especially for a ten-day voyage.”
It would be hell, but he was too much of a gentleman to argue otherwise. “I’ll be fine.”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. “You would really allow me to share your cabin?”
Sebastian smirked. “It’s certainly not my first choice. Heaven knows you’ll probably be plotting my demise by the time we reach London.”
“Oh, it wouldn’t take me nearly that long,” Gabriela shot back, her lips tipping up ever so slightly.
“There’s that fire,” he murmured, brushing a curl off her cheek with the back of his hand. Sebastian didn’t even realize he’d done it until she inhaled sharply.
But she didn’t pull away. Instead, Gabriela leaned ever so slightly into his touch, and Sebastian was certain he could drown in the greenness of her hazel eyes.
“Shall I have the porters bring all the trunks on board, Yer Grace?”
Sebastian clenched his jaw for a moment, willing away his annoyance with his valet. “Yes, Brodie. Please ensure all the trunks are delivered to my cabin,” he said.
The Scotsman looked between him and Gabriela for a moment and then nodded. “Very good, Yer Grace. If I can be of any service, Miss Luna, please let me know.”
Gabriela inclined her head. “I am in your debt.”
“Nonsense, miss.” Brodie tugged on the brim of his hat before his mouth split into a toothy grin. “If anyone owes me, it’s His Grace.”
“As if you aren’t rewarded handsomely for your services,” Sebastian growled, moving away from Gabby and her alluring violet and amber scent. “And you can be of service to me.”
“What else do you need me to do, Yer Grace?” the Scotsman asked, the smallest hint of teasing in his voice.
But Sebastian didn’t have time for teasing, not when their moves over the next ten days could see them safely to London or bring scandal down upon their heads.