Miles Before I Sleep by M. Donice Byrd

mouth of the Thames. If I turn her over to them, I might as well just say my final goodbyes because Andrea would resent me for spoiling her plans.”
    “Has it occurred to you that Mr. James might reconsider letting you marry her when he finds out you let her get on your ship and sail to New York.”
    “I have every intention of being married to her before he catches up with us. The Lady Fair can cross more than a week faster than anything he owns, add that to the week you need to wait to send the letter and I’ll have a fortnight head start, minimum.”
    Rory let his hands fly in the air with frustration. “I don’t know why you’d want to marry that shallow, materialistic brat in the first place. You read that letter. She only wants a marriage that will give her something in return.” Rory ignored Miles’s scathing look and continued on, heedless of the warning look in his eye. “She’s an ice princess, Shamus. I thought so the first time I met her. She has no more feelings than a rock.”
    “Go to the devil, Rory,” Miles gritted, then gave his cousin his back.
    “No, I’ll have my say. I have kept my mouth shut long enough. You spent all of fifteen minutes with her five years ago. I will be the first to admit that she was beautiful that night—a sampling of things to come, if you will. But she’s not a pretty thing to put on your shelf to look at when you’re bored. Andrea James was haughty and disdainful from the moment she set foot on American soil until she left. You have let your imagination run away with you. You built her up in your mind until she’s practically saintlike. If you rush into marrying her, I guarantee you will regret it.”
    “It’s all an act,” Miles said under his breath, before he started for the door.
    “You know that from one dance? Are you doing it for the money, Shamus?”
    “What do you think?”
    ~*~
    The docks were crowded with carriages, trunks and people when Andrea arrived. The air fairly crackled with excitement, and Andrea was quickly caught up in it. Finally, she was going to be out of her parents’ grasp and in a few short weeks, she would be ensconced in her father’s New York office, where she would learn the business first-hand. When the time came for Sebastian to retire, she would be ready to take over. All she had to do now was walk down the pier to the ship, board it and stay out of sight until the ship was out to sea. After that, she would be free to dispose of her male persona and become herself again. Well, maybe not Andrea James, but Jayne Andrews.
    As Andrea made her way through the throng, she wondered if there were any pickpockets about. She clutched the handles of her luggage tighter, thinking about the money inside. She had only a little over forty pounds left and would need most of it to secure lodging and pay for her needs until she began to draw pay. In the past, she had rarely handled money and she had no way of knowing how long that amount would last in America. So, for the time being, she would have to be frugal.
    She was walking past the H & O office when Miles Huntington stepped out. “Jim Andrews, wasn’t it?” Miles said casually.
    “Jim? Ah, yes. That’s right,” Andrea said.
    “I was just going aboard myself. I’ll show you to your cabin, if you’d like. Here, let me take one of those.”
    With a great deal of gratitude, she relinquished one of the bags from her slightly raw, red hand, glad to be given a slight reprieve from the heavy burden.
    Miles led her up the gangplank, past a line of passengers waiting to be checked in before they were allowed to board. Andrea heard a few grumbles over her preferential treatment but ignored them.
    “Please check in Jim Andrews, Mr. Waite.”
    The mate straightened his stance immediately when he heard Miles’s voice. “Aye-aye, sir. Andrews, comma, Jim,” the man said brusquely as he found the name on his passenger list.
    “Check. You’re in the Virginia stateroom, Mr.