Page 12 of A Duke in Pursuit of Passion
Ella shivered. Just hearing him call her cousin made her feel odd, yet something else beneath it had far more to do with the way he was holding her than how he was speaking to her.
A lump caught in her throat when, even through the widow’s veil, her eyes met his. They were exactly as she remembered them, a deep blue-grey that reminded her of a sky during a summer storm. And for a moment, she was utterly caught by the sight of them, her breath catching in her throat, heart skipping a beat in her chest.
“Lady Ella?” he whispered with concern when she did not immediately respond.
Coming to her senses, Ella quickly pulled herself from his arms and straightened her veil. “I am well, thank you, cousin.”
Looking slightly unconvinced, Nathaniel gestured her forward and offered his elbow as he asked, “Shall we?”
Ella nodded, refraining from slipping her arm through his. After what had just happened, she didn’t like the idea of touching him again. She was infuriated with herself. She ought not to have allowed him to fluster her. She had worse things to worry about; the worst of those things was that she could have avoided all of this if she had just managed to prevent her sister’s foolish behaviour in the first place.
“Is the ship here?” Ella asked, slipping past the duke’s son to look about the harbour.
“I have already sent Mack to find it,” Lord Rolfe assured her, and in the next breath, he added, “And look, there he comes now.”
Ella looked around just in time to find Mack hurrying towards them, his cheeks flushed and his mouth open as if he were struggling to breathe. “My Lord, My Lady, theMerry Roseis still here, though the captain grows impatient.”
“Then we ought not keep him waiting,” Ella insisted, stepping out of the way as several of the ships’ crew approached behind Mack, likely to collect their luggage for them.
“Thank you, gentlemen,” Lord Rolfe told them with a grateful dip of his head before offering Ella his arm again. She was forced to take it this time, feeling all too many eyes upon her who might wonder why she had disrespected him by refusing his arm.
With gritted teeth, she allowed him to guide her through the docks, past sailors, fishermen, and fishermen’s wives. The stench of salty sea air and fish was everywhere, and before long, Ella was forced to remove her handkerchief from her sleeve, using it to cover her nose beneath her veil.
A glance out the corner of her eye told her Lord Rolfe was smirking, and his expression immediately made her spine stiffen. “Is something funny,cousin?”
“No, no,” Lord Rolfe responded, shaking his head quickly and tapping her hand gently where it rested upon his forearm. Just the gentle pressure of his fingers upon hers made her quiver. She told herself that it was annoyance, but deep down, she was well aware it was something more than that. “I was just not anticipating you would be so disgusted by the scents of the sea. It may cause a problem or two where we are headed.”
“I can assure you I shall get used to it quickly,” Ella said, determined not to be a source of amusement for him for too long.
“I am glad to hear it,” Lord Rolfe said, continuing to smirk just as they reached the end of a gangway that led up to one of the larger ships in the harbour. The name painted in gold upon its hull suggested it was the very ship they were required to board.
And yet seeing the gangway, Ella’s knees suddenly threatened to buckle. A lump forming in her throat, she struggled to swallow past it.
“Cousin, are you in need of …” Lord Rolfe began, but before he could finish, Alice appeared at Ella’s side.
“My Lady, please allow me to assist you.”
With a glance over her shoulder at Lord Rolfe where she had left him at the very end of the gangway, she allowed Alice to hold onto her arm, holding onto the rope that was the only thing stopping her from falling from the slim piece of wood and overboard into the waves below.
“Don’t say I did not offer.” She barely heard the mutter from the duke’s son over the lapping of the waves below them.
At the far end of the gangway, they were met by a man who could have only been the captain. He wore a pristine navy suit with a captain’s hat, the ruffles and stripes upon his shoulders marking him out from all the other men aboard.
“Captain Cormack, it is good to see you again,” Lord Rolfe stated as soon as he stepped on board behind the two women, followed by Mack and the other crew members, carrying their luggage from the carriage.
“And you, Lord Rolfe, though I wish it were under better circumstances,” Captain Cormack said, shaking Lord Rolfe’s hand with a glance in Ella’s direction.
She stiffened, holding her head high while she used her handkerchief to aid her in looking like the grieving widow.
“My Lady, please accept my condolences on the loss of your husband,” the captain said, bowing respectfully to her and offering her his hand. Gulping past the lump in her throat, Ella placed her black-gloved hand in his and was slightly surprised when he kissed her knuckles.
“Thank you, Captain.”
All Ella could do was feel relieved that the captain had not thought to try and question their story or her relationship with Lord Rolfe.
“My Lord, I was wondering whether I might discuss one thing with you quickly before we depart?” Captain Cormack asked as soon as he stepped back from greeting Ella. The salty-haired sailor with a well-oiled mustache, was well spoken for a captain, and Ella could certainly see how he had come to be a friend of the Rolfes.
“Yes, please,” Lord Rolfe said, gesturing over to a space on the deck where they could talk privately.
