Page 17 of A Duke in Pursuit of Passion
Though she trusted him implicitly, Louisa couldn't help feeling anxious. She had been stuck in their room with no way to even open a window ever since they had arrived in Scotland. Though it had only been a couple of days, she was beginning to feel as though she might claw her own skin off just to get out for a little fresh air.
"Perhaps I might feel better if I were to go for a walk?"
Upon hearing her words, Joshua pulled back and held her at arm’s length. Shaking his head, he advised, "That would not be such a good idea. The more you are seen out and about, the more your presence here will be questioned. Think of the saying, out of sight and out of mind."
Louisa's jaw clenched. Deep down, she knew he was right, but she wanted so desperately to see the beauty of Scotland. She hadn't seen nearly enough of it from the carriage window during their journey to the inn.
"If you believe so, I shall remain here," Louisa promised him, smiling. And she received a kiss as reward, one that made her heart flutter.
"Good. And do not concern yourself. Soon all shall be fixed, and we can return home as man and wife."
Just hearing him say such a thing renewed Louisa's trust in him, and she melted back into his arms, prepared to wait out another week if that was what it took to marry the man of her dreams.
Chapter 11
For a few days on the ship, Ella remained courteous towards Lord Rolfe. After spending most of the first night on the vessel tossing and turning and coming to the conclusion that he was right, that they simply had to get along for the sake of finding her sister, she had decided to keep her distance and to treat him as any grieving widow would treat her cousin – plainly and with respect but otherwise quiet.
And for the most part, he appeared willing to allow her to do that, sleeping on the floor as promised or not even entering the cabin at night, only talking to her at meal times in front of the captain and the rest the crew.
But one evening, as she rested her arms against the wooden deck railing, watching the star-studded sky, she felt eyes upon her and sensed hesitant feet approaching.
As he did so, she did not so much as look around. In fact, she barely acknowledged that he was there at all as he leaned over the railing beside her and breathed the ocean air deeply.
Had she not been so tense due to his presence, Ella might have copied him, having grown used to the salty smell all around her and the rocking of the ship that had initially made her feel quite sick.
He was the one to break the silence after several long minutes standing side by side, not quite close enough for their shoulders to brush. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"
Ella had been spending so much time of late worrying over and debating her sister's situation that the question mildly confused her for a moment. She had been so focused on trying to come up with a plan that talk of the mundane eluded her.
Then, she cleared her throat and nodded. "It is."
"I suppose it is what you would call a silver lining," Nathaniel commented, pushing himself off the railing to stand up tall beside her. Feeling suddenly small beside him, Ella made an effort to stand also. It did little to fix the problem as he was still a giant compared to her slender and petite frame.
"This is the furthest I have ever travelled from home," Ella admitted, her cheeks flushing at the words. It felt odd to say such a thing to him, knowing he had made this journey several times before and likely ones even further afield.
"Then at least one good thing has come of this journey," Nathaniel whispered, glancing over his shoulder as if to remind her that they were both playing a part. She gulped, having just realised what she had said might well have given her away if there were anyone around to listen. Luckily for her, what remained of the crew on deck appeared all too merry from drink and the card games they were playing over a couple of barrels.
"There are so many beautiful things to see in the world," Nathaniel continued, and the way he gazed at her out of the corner of his eye suggested he wasn't just talking about the ocean and the stars that went on for as far as the eye could see.
Again, she blushed, relieved to be wearing her veil so that he could not see her face. "Indeed."
"I am glad to be able to go on this journey with you, Ella, even given the circumstances."
Ella bit back the urge to tell him he was being far too informal for her liking. She had already spent several days tightly wound up and was growing tired of it. Just standing beside him now, she wanted so desperately to let her guard down.
"It is almost as if we are children again, travelling to the countryside from London for a summer," Nathaniel continued, and his words brought back an entire host of memories of wildflowers and long summer days and wading in the pond upon her father's estate.
There were so many things she could remember from their childhood, so many things she could not allow herself to forget. And for a second, she allowed herself to imagine that he was right. They were just two children taking a journey together as friends, there was no bad blood between them, and Ella most definitely did not have an infuriating attraction towards the man who had broken her heart when he was a boy.
Closing her eyes, she braced herself against the railing and took in a deep, steadying breath. "If only Louisa were here too."
And just like that, she was plunged right back into reality, unable to stop thinking of what horrendous ordeal her sister might be going through at that very moment.
As though he wished to distract her, Nathaniel asked, "How long has it been? Fifteen years?"
"Sixteen."
Nathaniel looked shocked at that before his smile started to protrude through. "You always did love to correct me."
