Page 17

A delaide awoke on their fourth day at sea refreshed and hungry, so Isabella went to the galley and asked for two servings of salted pork and cheese, hurrying in the hopes of avoiding Martin.

After their encounter the day before, she couldn’t afford any more slips.

Fortunately, the man was nowhere to be seen.

When she returned, Adelaide was up and dressed, sitting at the little table in the cabin.

“How are things going with Lord Martin?” Adelaide asked as Isabella put down the bowl of pork and cheese.

“I’m not speaking to him.” Isabella took a quick bite to avoid saying anything more.

“You’ll have to speak to him sometime. He’s your husband.”

No, she did not. Perhaps it was too much to hope he would stop in Yarmouth, but if she could avoid talking to him for the duration of their journey, perhaps he would finally get the message that his attentions weren’t welcome.

Not that she entirely believed it herself after yesterday, but she had to keep up the pretense.

“Only in name, and not for long,” Isabella said aloud. “How are you feeling?” She desperately wanted to change the subject. If she never spoke of Lord Martin again, it would be too soon. The whole situation was too mortifying.

“Much better. I’d like to go up on deck today and see how the ship works.”

Isabella grimaced. If she could have hidden in the cabin all day, she would have, but she couldn’t say “no” to Adelaide. “We’ll go up after breakfast.” It meant seeing Martin, but there was no way around that on the ship. And there were few things she wouldn’t do for the sake of her sister.

Lord Martin spotted them the moment they appeared on deck. Isabella’s face was aflame as he swaggered over and kissed her hand, looking so irritatingly pleased with himself.

“Good morrow, my ladies. I trust you slept well?”

No, she hadn’t. She’d privately relived his kisses along her neck again and again as she tossed and turned.

How could a man she held in such low regard make her feel such things?

And yet he did. There was no denying it, at least within her own head.

To him, she would deny it to the ends of the earth.

Adelaide answered, “Very well, my lord,” when Isabella failed to find her tongue.

“You look much better this morning, Lady Adelaide. Has your seasickness abated at last?”

“It has, my lord. I asked Isabella to bring me up to take some air. I’m very curious about your ship.”

No! Don’t prolong the conversation! But there was nothing Isabella could do, so she stared fixedly at her toes and bit her tongue.

“ The Wind Song is marvelous, isn’t she? What would you like to know about her?”

Gritting her teeth, Isabella looked up to give him a warning glance. Hopefully, he would take her hint and keep it short.

“Is there something you would like to say, Isabella?” His expression was all charm and sweetness.

Quite a number of things, as a matter of fact, but not in present company. “Not at all, my lord. Carry on.” She hoped he would see the warning in her expression and back off, but instead his eyes flashed with heated interest.

She didn’t know whether she wanted to kiss him or throttle him as her body went up in flames at his appreciative regard.

“How do you know that the ship is headed in the right direction when all you can see is ocean all around?” Adelaide asked, miraculously oblivious to the silent exchange.

He launched into a detailed explanation of navigation and how they used maps, an astrolabe, and the position of the sun to set their course. Adelaide was entranced, much to Isabella’s chagrin. It wasn’t fair for him to inveigle her sister in his scheming.

“That’s all very interesting, but I’m certain you must be ever so busy,” Isabella said, smiling her most ferocious smile. “Please feel free to go about your business. We wouldn’t want to trouble you.”

“No trouble at all,” he said with a wink. “In fact, I was just coming to find you. I have a gift for you, Lady Adelaide.” He pulled a thin white stick about the length of his hand from the leather pouch attached to his belt, and handed it to Adelaide.

“Oh! A new plectrum! What a thoughtful gift!” Adelaide’s eyes shone as she took the odd little stick.

“A what?” Rarely was Isabella at a loss, but this was simply bewildering.

“It’s for strumming her lute. I made it myself from whalebone.”

Clever devil . He knew Isabella would never accept anything from him, so he was outmaneuvering her. For a moment, she was tempted to pluck it from Adelaide’s hands and throw it overboard, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that to her sister.

“Well played, my lord.”

Her husband grinned. “I’m playing a long game, dear wife, and I mean to win.”

“We shall see, my lord. We shall see.”

Fortunately, Ulf called out for him, giving her the perfect excuse to be rid of him. “Don’t let me keep you. Clearly you have more important matters to attend to.”

He kissed her hand and bowed to Adelaide before turning to attend to business.

She tried to ignore the tingling sensation that shot through her at the touch of his lips. It was with great relief that she watched him walk away.

“Good riddance,” she grumbled once he was gone.

“I thought he was very kind and thoughtful,” Adelaide said, frowning at her.

Isabella sighed. “Yes. A little too kind and thoughtful for my taste. Don’t fall for his act. He’s still going to deliver you to Lady Eleanor. The man can’t be trusted.”

Adelaide opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again upon seeing Isabella’s face.

“Let’s enjoy the sunshine and sea breeze and forget all about a certain inconvenient baron, shall we?” She intended to do her very best to ignore him for the remainder of their journey, if at all possible.

Isabella and Adelaide spent the morning together, alternating between sitting on deck, watching the crew go about their business, and relaxing in the cabin, Isabella with a bit of embroidery and Adelaide with her lute.

Fortunately, Martin left them alone, at least until early afternoon.

He approached them as they stood by the railing, watching a flock of seagulls drift by.

“Now that you’re feeling better,” he said, keeping his eyes on Adelaide and ignoring Isabella completely, “perhaps the three of us can dine together this evening, and we can play together after our meal.”

“I’d love that!” Adelaide put a hand on Isabella’s arm. “May I?”

Isabella nodded after a pause, unable to come up with a reason to refuse.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll see you at dinner,” Martin said, bowing to Adelaide. “And you, Isabella.” He bowed to her as well.

She lifted her chin and looked at a cloud formation past his head, and mercifully, he turned to go.

He left them to their own devices for the remainder of the day. On several occasions, Isabella felt Martin’s gaze upon her, but he was always looking away when she turned. Apparently, he was still keeping his distance, a tactic she was determined to ignore after her earlier lapse.

It wasn’t until the sun sank in the sky in a riot of color that Martin stepped away from his business and approached them once again. “My ladies, will you do me the honor of joining me?”

He offered one arm to Isabella and the other to Adelaide and accompanied them down to the hold he had turned into a pathetic attempt at a sylvan grotto.

If he thought to impress her with a few scraggly tree branches, some tent fabric, and a fancy lantern, he had a great deal to learn.

She was as impervious to his attempts to create a romantic setting as she was to his wooing.

Her heart certainly didn’t melt a little at the sight, nor did she allow herself to smile as her sister took in the scene, wide-eyed.

“It’s beautiful,” Adelaide said, pausing as they entered. “I feel like a fairy princess in here.”

“Why thank you, Lady Adelaide,” Martin said as he pulled out chairs for each of them in turn. “I’m rather proud of how it all came together. What do you think, Isabella?”

He helped her into her seat as she tried to come up with a cutting response.

“Why anyone would want to pretend to eat in the woods is beyond me. What is the attraction? Do you like being plagued by mangy woodland creatures trying to steal your food while you eat? For my part, I much prefer the comfort of a great hall, thank you very much. If you hoped to impress me, you have fallen far short of the mark.”

Martin crossed his arms and shook his head, smiling. “Liar. You like it. I heard you gasp the first time I brought you in here, and I saw you smile just now when you thought I wasn’t looking.”

Ugh. Did he have to be so perceptive? “That night, you must have seen me stifling a sneeze, and just now, I was holding back laughter. It truly is ridiculous the lengths you’ve gone to in your efforts to impress me. Have I not told you I have a heart of stone? You’re wasting your time.”

Adelaide laughed. “Don’t worry, my lord. She likes it. And she does have a heart under all her bluster for all her protestations to the contrary.”

“Traitor,” Isabella murmured. Didn’t Adelaide understand the potential consequences of encouraging the baron?

She would need to have a talk with her sister about the dangers of Lord Martin before the night was out.

The man wasn’t trustworthy. How could Adelaide not see that?

“Let’s eat quickly and get out of here. I don’t wish to endure Lord Martin’s company any longer than I must.”

“But we were going to play together! You agreed!” Adelaide gestured at her lute.

Curse it, she had. “I’m sorry, sweeting. You’re just recovering, and you shouldn’t push yourself. And I don’t want to spend any more time in his company than I must.”

Adelaide sighed heavily and gave Martin an apologetic shrug.

“As my lady wishes,” Lord Martin said with a little bow. “I’ll have Baldwin bring in the food.”

He left the cabin for a moment, and Isabella turned to Adelaide. “I’m trying to save you from being sent off to France. Please don’t take his side. It only complicates matters.”

“I think you underestimate him. He’s been nothing but kind to both of us.

I think you’d be far better off with him than some stuffy earl you hardly know.

As for me, I’ll be fine. I’ve survived Mother for all these years.

Can Lady Eleanor truly be so much worse?

I’d rather stay with you, but what hope do any of us have of defying the woman who is poised to become the queen of England any day now? ”

Before Isabella had a chance to respond, Martin returned, followed by Baldwin carrying trays with enough food to feed half the crew, and it all smelled heavenly.

There was a venison pie with a perfectly flaky golden crust, a bowl of roasted carrots and parsnips, a loaf of fresh bread, a lump of soft cheese, and a pitcher of wine.

Her stomach betrayed her by growling as Baldwin arrayed the food on the table.

“Eager for more of Baldwin’s cooking, beloved?”

She refused to answer, crossing her arms and staring down at the plate laid before her.

“Thank you, Baldwin. You have outdone yourself. My deepest thanks for your efforts.” The man was kind to his crew, not that it mattered. He was still a thorn in her side.

“Yes, thank you, Baldwin,” Adelaide called out as the scruffy cook made his exit. “Really, Isabella, you’re being terribly rude. Just look at this lovely feast!”

“I will endure this dinner if I must, but don’t expect me to enjoy it.

” And she didn’t. Mostly. The food was delicious, and the easy rapport between Martin and Adelaide as they ate made her heart ache.

But she had to remain strong. She couldn’t give Martin an inch, or all her plans would be for naught.

When the interminable dinner finally ended, Martin insisted on a bit of music, having a sailor bring Adelaide’s lute and his citole.

Isabella endured it in stony silence, determined not to be charmed by the touching scene.

At last, she succeeded in dragging Adelaide away, much to her sister’s chagrin.

“I don’t understand why you treat him so poorly when he’s being such a gracious host,” Adelaide said as soon as they were safely back in their cabin with the door closed.

“Because I want a better life for you than I’ve had. Is it so wrong of me to want to defend you from risking your life by sending you off to serve Lady Eleanor? What if you take ill while you’re serving the duchess? Do you think anyone is going to tenderly nurse you back to health?”

Adelaide put her hands on her hips. “I’ve survived all these years with Mother without your help. How is Lady Eleanor worse?”

Guilt assailed her at her sister’s words. “I never would have left you in Mother’s clutches for so long if I’d had the means to come to your rescue. I’ve worried about you every day since you left. Your delicate constitution—”

“Do you think I don’t worry about you too?

I don’t want to see you throw your life away on some awful earl when you’ve had the good fortune to marry someone kind and thoughtful.

You’ve sacrificed enough already serving Lady Eleanor all those years.

And let me worry about my own phlegmatic lungs.

I’ve endured them my whole life. I know how to take care of myself. ”

Isabella forced herself to take a deep calming breath before responding.

“First of all, Lord Martin isn’t kind and thoughtful.

He’s a preening coxcomb who thinks far too much of himself.

Can’t you see that he’s manipulating you?

The man drives me mad, and I have no desire to spend the rest of my life with him.

Second, I’ve only just found you again. I’m not ready to let you go.

Third and most importantly, I refuse to entrust your health and your life to a woman as volatile and capricious as Her Grace. I love you too much to lose you again.”

Adelaide’s arms dropped, and her expression softened. “I love you too. Let’s stop fighting. If you don’t trust Lord Martin, then I’ll do my best to follow your lead. Do you truly not like him?”

“I loathe him.” She couldn’t stand the way he got under her skin and made her feel so hot and restless. There was no way she was going to give in to his campaign of seduction, despite her mad moment of weakness. “You should get some sleep, my sweet. You need rest to keep up your strength.”

She folded Adelaide into a hug, praying she could keep her sister by her side for as long as possible.

The earl might have to give in to Lady Eleanor in the long run but at least marrying him would buy Isabella time to come up with a plan.

As for Lord Martin, distance and silence would hopefully show him that she did not mean to cave.

Let him dash himself against her castle walls. Her heart was well-defended.