Page 32 of A Lady's Passion Knows No Distance
After a while, when most of the other families he had invited had arrived, he then spotted the familiar faces of whom he knew to be Lord and Lady Murphy. The young lady at their side must be Miss Gwendolen, Caroline’s close friend. It was the woman he’d shared a peculiar look with when Caroline had fainted the other night.
William was quick to greet the Earl and his wife, as well as Miss Gwendolen. And it was only when they moved aside that he finally saw Caroline. But alas, she was not alone, and stood with her hand barely resting on Lord Canton’s arm.
William panicked for a moment as he greeted her. He then shifted his eyes to Lord Canton and made introductions with the man as though they had never met before, and as Lord Canton looked him over from head to toe, William knew that this Earl was trying his best to remember him. William saw the way his brows furrowed, and he didn’t say anything right away.
“Sir Roberts, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Lord Canton said after a moment, seeming to regain his voice. “My dearest Caroline has told me about your meeting the other night at the ball.”
“Indeed, it was a pleasure to meet Miss Caroline. I appreciated her recommendation of the Murphys. I’m so glad you could all join me for dinner this evening,” he said, making sure to include the Murphys in on the conversation.
“There are many gentlemen present that I am familiar with, Sir Roberts. You keep good company,” Lord Murphy mused as he gazed around the room.
“‘Tis the result of my sudden fame, I assure you, Lord Murphy. But I appreciate your reassuring words that I have chosen good company for this evening’s dinner party,” William said with a dip of his head towards the Earl.
“Rightfully so,” Lord Murphy quipped.
“Come, meet my father and grandmother,” William offered, gesturing towards the marble fireplace. After the introductions were made, William settled down into a seat next to his father, looking forward to speaking with the Murphys—and more importantly, Caroline.
“Excuse me, Sir Roberts. There is someone I see that I wish to greet,” Gwendolen said with a small curtsy before she moved to the other side of the room. He watched as she walked up to Lord Sergio and greeted him warmly. William couldn’t help smiling as he turned his attention back to Lord and Lady Murphy.
“Love is such a beautiful thing,” William commented to Lady Murphy. She giggled, covering her mouth with her gloved hand.
“It is good that my daughter has taken a liking to a gentleman. She is eighteen and has already enjoyed two Seasons. I think this Lord Sergio will make a good match for her,” Lady Murphy confided.
“Seems quite serendipitous that Lord Sergio is in attendance tonight,” Lord Murphy said pointedly.
“I had a very good recommendation from another young lady,” William admitted, glancing at Caroline. Her beauty took his breath away, dressed in a lavender gown with a low neckline that hinted to her large bosom as the tender flesh rose and fell with each of her breaths. How he wished to free her from her fitted gown and teach her all sorts of pleasures of the body.
“Sir Roberts, we’ve all heard that you’ve served in the Navy,” Lord Canton spoke up. He was sitting next to Caroline on the settee and William regretted ever purchasing the thing. He didn’t like how close to her the Earl was sitting.
“Yes. I served in the Navy for the last three years. After my last voyage under Admiral Tanner, I returned to England for medical treatment of wounds I sustained in battle. It was only last month that the King granted me my title and fortune,” William explained.
“I’m sure you have interesting stories to tell, if you so feel comfortable doing so,” Lord Murphy said.
“Sometimes I am keen to speak about my travels and the countries I have visited. But I ask not to be questioned about the battles I did face. The horrors of such things are not suitable for the ears of women,” William confessed. Several of the other families had begun to position themselves around William, all eager to hear him speak.
“What would you then say was your favourite part about sailing with the Navy?” Lord Vincent’s youngest daughter asked. She smiled at him proudly, and with so many people watching him, he didn’t want to offend the young lady.
“The people that I sailed with made each voyage that more memorable. I had the honour of serving with many great men, a good bit who are no longer with us,” said William. He received many condolences then from those in attendance.
“Did you ever serve with a Mr William Ryan?” Lord Canton then asked. William eyed the man, not willing to flinch or look towards his father for reassurance.
“I did once, a long time ago. It was uncanny how similar we looked, and we became close friends. However, he was killed in one of the pirate attacks,” William explained with a level voice. A moment passed before he dared glance towards Caroline to gauge her reaction. She looked at him with tears in her eyes, and he wondered if his lie had caused her to believe that he wasn’t who he really was. It was all a part of his plan to make Lord Canton think he was someone else in order to gain the upper hand on the Earl. William was now desperate to speak with Caroline alone to tell her the truth of the matter.
“Was it dreadfully frightening to face the pirates?” a young lad asked. He was quick to be scolded by his father, but William smiled at the man, reassuring him that the question was all right.
“It’s always frightening when you’re faced with a situation in which you don’t know the outcome. Sometimes, I did fear for my life and the lives of my fellow crewmembers. Every time our ship came upon a pirate ship out at sea, no one knew what was about to happen. They never surrendered. And the worst part was always discovering when it was English pirates disguised as merchants that would attack without warning,” William said, causing the room to fall eerily quiet.
“Why would our own countrymen do such a thing?” the young lad asked after a while.
“For money, plain and simple. It always surprises me when I hear of lords employing men to do such a thing. It’s sometimes hard to determine who you can trust.” As William spoke, he let his eyes drift across the room. He settled his gaze on Lord Canton but didn’t remain there for long. After all, he didn’t want to give away any key knowledge he had against the Earl.
“I have heard similar stories,” spoke up a viscount. “‘Tis secret black business when a man is so desperate as to rely on pirating. Though, I have never met such a man before.”
“I would keenly agree,” chimed in another lord. William smirked—one of his tactics was going as planned.
“Sir Roberts, what matters of business are you now interested in? Will you be returning out to sea any time soon?” Lord Sergio spoke up then.
“Ah, I know a businessman when I see one,” William said with a chuckle, causing the others to join him. For the next half hour, William entertained the gentlemen in conversation about business and the export of goods in England, as well as the imports from other countries. William could speak honestly because he’d been investing in different business dealings concerning goods for the last few years and had certain insight that the other gentlemen seemed very interested in hearing. Especially Lord Canton.
