Page 23 of Defying the Earl
Braxton’s smile widened and it did irritating things to her midsection, so she made an attempt to bury the sensations with a gulp of the hot tea. She regretted the impulse but managed not to make a scene about it. Thankfully, Braxton was too caught up in reflection to notice she had burnt her mouth a little.
At least it did the trick. She was no longer thinking about how handsome he was. A grin split her face at the perverse thought.
“While we were crossing, I definitely missed the colour green,” the earl began, causing Bea to laugh.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“For days and weeks, all you can see is either blue or grey wherever you look. It is most disconcerting to be sure.” When Beatrice continued to stare at him in wonder, he continued. “That isn’t to say that the blue or grey weren’t lovely in themselves, but you start to realize that you are usually much more invigorated with variety. And it does become disconcerting when you start to wonder if you’ve made a mistake. What if the sailors don’t know how to navigate? What if you never find a shore again? What if the great sea creatures overtake the ship? What if you end up having to swim with the great sea creatures?” Braxton chuckled and shook his head. “Well, I can answer that one. If you ended up swimming with the great sea creatures, you wouldn’t have to worry about it for too long as they would surely eat you.”
Beatrice blinked and shivered. “Dear goodness,” she declared. “That doesn’t much recommend the experience, does it?”
“No, I would recommend you remain safely tucked at home and not venture across the ocean.”
Beatrice was certain his words were meant in a friendly manner, but she didn’t much appreciate the sentiment and bristled.
“I reckon I could venture just as well as the next person.”
“I am certain you could too, my dear lady. But I wouldn’t say the New World is quite ready for hosting just yet,” he countered. “And the crossing very nearly did me in.” He paused for a moment as he refilled his cup. “I should think they’re advancing so quickly, it shouldn’t be long. America is further ahead, of course. New York was nearly as developed as London,if you could imagine, and far fresher. But the Canadas are a little further behind and rushing to catch up.” He laughed a little then. “After the weeks of only seeing sky and sea, it was almost overwhelming to only see trees for days on end once we disembarked. At first that was delightful, but even that got annoying eventually. The senses are a remarkable thing.”
Beatrice stared at him, unable to truly imagine what he was describing.
“Were you ever actually frightened?” She asked the question in a low voice, instinctively understanding a man wouldn’t necessarily wish to answer such a question. She hoped he would answer more honestly than he had when she asked the day before.
“Frequently,” he admitted. “But I’ll deny it if you tell anyone.”
This prompted her to laughter and soothed the uncomfortable pall that had fallen over her at his descriptions.
“I don’t understand why you went there if it is so very primitive.”
“Well, I wasn’t to know that until it was too late to turn back, for one thing,” Braxton answered with a slight chuckle. “For another, it was my assignment. Someone had to do it, and I was eager to go. It was still a remarkable experience despite those things. Thankfully, I wasn’t seasick at all, although many were, especially if ever we encountered rougher seas.”
“What do you suppose made a difference for you?”
Nathan shrugged. “I never had the tendency even as a child. I’d like to think I am just made of sterner stuff, but I really haven’t a medical sort of answer. I found the motion almost soothing, especially at night. But I did have trouble when we disembarked.It was a challenge to walk down the very solid pier on legs that had grown quite used to movement.”
Beatrice laughed. “Did you fall down? Is that a common problem?”
“I managed not to actually fall down, but I had to concentrate very hard on keeping my balance, which is a strange occupation. Do you ever even think about your balance? I certainly hadn’t up until then. I am relieved to say that I wasn’t the only one. But it did seem to be those who hadn’t had as much seasickness as the others. The most seasick had no trouble at all once they reached land.”
Bea shook her head in wonder. “I do wonder what a scientist would say on the matter.”
Braxton looked at her curiously. “Have you taken to a scholarly bent?”
Beatrice was a little embarrassed about having brought it up and was unsure how to answer. They were interrupted by the innkeeper checking if they needed more tea or anything else. Braxton waved him away and she hoped he had forgotten the topic, but he brought his intelligent gaze back to her face with uplifted eyebrows.
“Well, my lady? Have you suddenly become a bluestocking?”
This prompted laughter from Bea. “Not exactly a bluestocking, but I have become intrigued with seeking knowledge.”
“What sorts of things have caught your interest?”
Bea shrugged a little, unsure how to narrow it down, especially when she had no interest in discussing her circumstances with him. “I’ve been reading about crops and animals and farming lately. I’ve also tried to read about Parliament, but I didn’t finda great deal of material on that, oddly enough. Perhaps it is just not something the circulating library carries.”
“You could probably find some information at Parliament itself, or did you try that already?”
“Do you mean that I could actually go there and seek information?” Beatrice sounded incredulous. “I had no idea it might be open to the public. I thought only the gentlemen taking their seat would be allowed there.”
“Oh yes, pretty much anyone can enter. The great halls are only open to the public at certain times, but the libraries would likely always be open to you. Perhaps not at night, but during the day.”
