Page 58 of All is Fair in Love
With ships arriving at all hours into the docks, the local taverns never closed. Hungry and thirsty sailors were always on the hunt for sustenance.
He grabbed his coat and wrapped his scarf around his neck. December could be surprisingly cold in London. Not as chilly as Scotland, but even at this time of the year it wasn’t unheard of for snow to fall in the capital.
Stepping out of the warehouse, Francis slipped the key in the lock and secured the door.
“Francis?” came a familiar voice—one he hadn’t heard for several days.
He steadied himself and turned to face Poppy.
She was standing on the other side of the wharf road, and after checking right and left, she quickly crossed to his side.
“Working late again?” she asked.
“Yes. I have a lot of paperwork to get through before Christmas,” he replied.
He avoided her gaze, instead choosing to stare down at her boots. When he had talked himself into avoiding Poppy, he’d thought it was the sensible thing to do. Now, seeing her, it seemed all wrong.
For heaven’s sake, speak to her. Don’t be a cold fish. Ask her how she has been.
“Where is Jonathan? I saw him lugging a sailor’s bag yesterday. The two of you were saying your farewells, and he looked to be going somewhere,” he said.
He hadn’t meant to ask that, and especially not right at the outset of their conversation, but the thought of what had happened to Jonathan Measy was inconveniently at the forefront of Francis’s mind. “Sorry. That was rude of me. He is none of my business. Forgive me.”
When Poppy moved closer, Francis had no option but to shift his gaze upward to meet her face.
She greeted him with a soft smile. “Jonathan is gone. Signed a ship’s articles to join a complement crewing a vessel to South Africa. He sailed on the evening tide last night.”
This was the best news Francis had heard in a long while. He searched her face, looking for signs of distress. There were none to be found. If she was heartbroken over the departure of her intended, Poppy certainly hid it well.
“And will he be back?” he asked.
The disinterested shrug he got in response flooded Francis’s heart with warmth. Jonathan was gone, and Poppy didn’t seem to mind.
This might be the way of the sailor life. He goes off to sea, then comes home when it suits him. She remains here, waiting.
“The contract is for six months, after which he says he might seek a new contract on a boat to the West Indies. Not that it matters to me. He is gone.”
Even as hope flared, Francis was determined to tread carefully. The last thing he wanted was to get the wrong idea about Poppy and Jonathan’s personal arrangements.
“Are you alright? I mean, did you ask him to stay?” Please tell me you threw him out.
She let out a sigh. “He went of his own volition, and I must say, when he told me he was going, I could have wept with relief. Actually, I did.”
“But what about your betrothal?”
“There never was a betrothal—just a gentleman’s agreement between Jonathan and my father. Papa expected that Jonathan and I would marry, but the truth was this trip to England was merely a means to an end. Jonathan got some money from the cinnamon bales we brought with us while I was given the opportunity to set up the shipping business. We both went along with the idea of marrying because it made sense at the time when we left Ceylon. But the sea is Jonathan’s home. He was miserable here. We agreed to part as friends.”
Jonathan was long gone. Poppy hadn’t ever loved him. This was good news.
Francis quickly lowered his head and rummaged around in his pocket for something. Anything. He needed a moment to absorb the news. This is excellent. But why is it so wonderful?
The voice in the back of his mind softly whispered, “Because you like her, you great big fool.”
He caught a glimpse of her boots as Poppy shifted away from him. Francis glanced up.
“I haven’t seen you around the place for the past day. You are normally everywhere,” she said.
There was a note of sad accusation in her tone, and it went straight to Francis’s heart. While he had been keeping his distance, thinking he was doing the right thing, she had been left wondering why.
