Page 2 of The Captain’s Valentine (The “Other” Trents #3)

Harrison had been unable to take his eyes off Miss Perdita. He had been intrigued when he stepped from the carriage and heard the woman proclaim, “Old and afraid. I think not.”

It was her laughter that drew him near and he was even further fascinated to find her standing in the center of the square.

A challenge had been issued and Miss Perdita had taken it up.

He’d been struck by her beauty when she removed her blindfold and stared up at him with such spectacular, light blue eyes that reminded him of the Caribbean Sea. A blush stained her cheeks, and her coral lips parted in shock while her gold curls fell about her shoulders.

Oliver settled back against Miss Perdita and was far more content to be in her arms than his own. Then again, what male wouldn’t be?

“I shall bring more cups now that you have arrived,”

a servant said as she entered the parlor with a tea service that she set in the center of the table.

“Thank you, Edith.”

Harrison glanced at the door and came to his feet when Lady Olivia, now Lady Sinclair, entered with her husband, Dr. Xavier Sinclair.

“Captain Trent,”

Lady Sinclair said in surprise. “What brings you to Westbrook House? Not that I am not happy to see you, of course, simply surprised.”

Dr. Sinclair came forward and shook Harrison’s hand. “It is good to see you. I was not aware that you were back in England?”

“I only returned today,”

he answered. “In fact, I stumbled across a child in need of a place to stay.”

It was only then that Lady Sinclair looked over at Perdita, then smiled. “He is not the usual waif that we bring in but appears quite healthy.”

She settled on the settee next to Miss Perdita and attempted to take the child from her. Miss Perdita was willing to give Oliver up, but the boy turned his head away, buried his face against her chest and clung onto her clothing.

“He is quite attached to you, Miss Perdita,”

Harrison observed.

“It is not unusual for any child to prefer Perdita, no matter how recent an arrival or if they’ve been here for months,”

Lady Victoria laughed. “I daresay she is their favorite person at Westbrook House.”

At her employer’s words, Miss Perdita’s cheeks grew quite rosy.

A moment later Edith entered with two additional cups and Lady Sinclair set to pouring tea. “How did you come by a child, Captain Trent?”

He glanced over to Miss Perdita and wondered how much he should say in her presence. She seemed sweet and likely not aware of the tragedies in the world. Then again, she also worked in a foundling home that rescued children from the street and took in women who needed to escape unpleasant or dangerous situations. She was likely more aware of the dangers in London than he was. Though one would not think so given how she smiled sweetly as she swayed from side to side as Oliver’s eyes grew heavier and heavier, soon to close in sleep. Given what the lad had endured that day already, he was likely exhausted.

She also wasn’t as young as he originally believed. At first Harrison had assumed Miss Perdita might be one of the former foundlings fresh from the school room, but that was before he looked into her blue eyes, which reflected maturity and intellect as well as humor. Upon further study, he decided that she was likely in her early twenties.

“The child?”

Lady Sinclair asked with a smirk.

Bloody hell! He’d been caught woolgathering while staring at Miss Perdita.

Harrison cleared his throat, took a sip of tea and then told of hearing the child’s cries before investigating the alley only to find the dead woman and Oliver. He offered his observations as to Oliver’s clothing in comparison to the dead woman, and that Oliver had been freshly changed before his arrival and had been given a bowl of porridge.

“At least he is fed.”

Miss Perdita stopped swaying and leaned back with Oliver sound asleep against her breast.

Lady Sinclair glanced over and smiled before she rose and tugged on the bellpull. A moment later Edith entered.

“Please take our newest resident upstairs and tuck him away.”

Edith came forward and lifted Oliver from Miss Perdita’s arms. He expected that Miss Perdita would also leave given she was an employee. Instead, Lady Victoria poured her a cup of tea. Servants did not normally take tea with their employer. How very odd.

“Before coming here, I did walk the area, with Oliver, hoping that I would find distraught parents looking for a child who had wandered off, but nobody had ever seen him before so I had little choice but to come here as Valentine suggested.”

“Valentine? Which Valentine?”

Dr. Sinclair asked.

“Benedick,”

Miss Perdita answered.

How many Valentines were there? Though it truly did not matter. But Harrison did wonder how well Miss Perdita knew them, especially this Benedick, which bothered him for reasons he could not comprehend.

This had been the most interesting day of all. Not only was Oliver the cutest little boy, but Captain Trent was quite handsome. Goodness, when she looked into his green eyes, the breath had nearly been sucked from her lungs, then to note his strong jaw and cheeks, as if they’d been chiseled or sculpted, and his light brown hair with streaks of blond, ruffled in the wind... Even now, just thinking about him, her pulse increased.

Never had a man affected her in this manner and sadly, it was likely that she would never see him again. He had no reason to return. He’d delivered Oliver, took tea with her employers then departed.

If he were a ship’s captain, how was it that he knew Dr. Sinclair, Lady Sinclair and Lady Victoria? They were all quite familiar, friends even. It was a curiosity that she would like to resolve, even if it was none of her concern.

Perdita was smiling when she left Westbrook House to make her way home.

She paused on the stoop and looked up at the sky. It truly was a lovely day with clear blue skies dotted with few white clouds, nor was the temperature overly warm.

Yes, she did enjoy London, and this was where she intended to stay.

As she made her way down the walk and turned onto the street, she was brought up short when she ran into a woman. Or the woman ran into her because she had her head down and had not been paying attention to where she was going. Yet, Perdita apologized.

“I am sorry. I hope I did not injure you.”

The woman stepped back and looked up, her mouth opened as if she were ready to respond, but no words emerged from her lips. Instead, she stared at Perdita as if she were a ghost and what color had been in the woman’s cheeks disappeared.

“Is all well?”

Perdita asked with concern.

“Um…yes…I…good day.”

She then hurried on and only glanced back over her shoulder once when she stopped at the walk leading to Westbrook House.

How very odd!

Perdita waited and wondered if it was the woman’s intention to approach the home. Maybe she was in need of assistance, but she turned and hurried away.

Odd indeed, but it wasn’t the first unusual encounter that she’d had in London and likely would not be the last.

Still, there was no place that she would rather live.