Page 9 of The Lord's Compass
He blinked a few times, certain that he must have been drugged. For this couldn’t be real – could it? There was no chance that Lady Faith Embury was primly seated on his bed awaiting him. That would be a dream. Mayhap he had already fallen asleep.
But then she spoke, and while her voice haunted his dreams on a usual night, in his imaginings, she was lovely, kind, and had only words of endearment for him. Which was how he knew that this was reality, for what came out of her mouth was as ornery as ever.
“Lord Ferrington. It took you long enough.”
* * *
The lookon his face nearly convinced her that this had all been worth it.
She had questioned herself from the moment she had boarded the ship. Through her uneasiness unpacking in her cabin, while picking the lock on his door, over the hours she had waited for him to arrive, and most especially when he had stepped into his cabin.
She had – unfairly, she knew – grown rather annoyed with him for taking so long. As far as she knew, this was his cabin, so why hadn’t he arrived sooner? She had paced fitfully for hours and now that he had finally entered, unwelcome relief had swept over her.
His presence should not make her feel so… safe. Relieved. Home.
Faith had to fight the urge to stand and run into his arms in gratefulness at seeing him. Which bothered her more than she cared to admit.
“What in the hell are you doing here?” he asked, more shocked than angry as his mouth gaped open.
His reaction worked to quell any of her unexpected longings for him.
He was so tall, so broad that he seemed to fill the entirety of the small cabin.
“I am here to help,” she said, squaring her shoulders as she stood and walked the few steps toward him. “I didn’t think you should search for this clue or treasure or whatever it may be alone.”
“So you thought thatyouwould assist me?” He looked around the room as though searching for something. “Who has accompanied you?”
“No one. I am here alone.”
“Unchaperoned on this ship.”
“Do you think I would be here in your cabin if I had a chaperone escorting me?”
“You are an unmarried young lady. The fact that you are alone with me here in my cabin?—”
He was running his hands through his silky, long dark hair now, obviously disconcerted. She had never quite seen him like this and she had to say she was rather enjoying this part of her reveal.
“Not to worry,” she said brusquely, rubbing her hands together. “I have my cabin. And I have a plan in place.”
“A plan…” he murmured, his fingers now on his temples. “How did you board the ship without my notice? How long have you been in my cabin? Have you eaten anything?”
She was not affected by his multiple questions and, in fact, answered them quite succinctly.
“I boarded when you were speaking with the captain,” she said, not admitting that she had waited until he wasn’t looking so that he couldn’t prevent her from boarding. “I ensured that no one noticed me. It was earlier this morning, shortly after you had stowed your items in your cabin. I haven’t yet eaten but said I would do so in private.”
“So whatisyour plan, then? You are just going to sail with me to Spain and hope that your parents do not notice that you are not currently residing in their home?”
“The timing worked out rather perfectly, actually,” she said, pleased with herself and hoping that he would also note her ingenuity. “Hope and Lord Whitehall were leaving at nearly the same time for their journey up to the Highlands. I told my parents that I was going with them.”
“They did not think it was odd you would want to accompany a newly married couple?”
“I told them that since I have no plans on marrying, this would likely be my only opportunity for such travel. I told them that I planned to give Hope and Lord Whitehall time alone, but that I would be their travel companion. My parents were quite agreeable. I believe they hoped that I might find myself a husband on the way. It seems that they are desperate enough to be rid of me that they do not mind if I am lost to a Highlander.”
She attempted to smile, even though the thought pained her. It seemed that her parents were all too eager to give her away, ignoring the fact that she had a plan for her life that did not involve a husband.
“Did you tell Hope?” he asked, sitting in the chair before the desk, seeming more interested than shocked now, finally accepting that this was happening.
“I will write to her and tell her shortly. She has no reason to not help me in this, however, as she did nearly the same thing not so long ago. I had the carriage take me to the harbour, where my parents thought I would be meeting up with her and Whitehall. Instead, I used the money my father provided me to purchase a berth on this ship to Bilibio, the closest port to San Sebastian.”
