forward aggressively. “Look here, Dubois …” he began, but he stopped and sat back again. With effort, he continued lightly, “Forgive the outburst, Your Grace. It’s been a long day. Miss Madera’s certainly free to dine with you as long as there’s an appropriate chaperone. Your mother, of course, will be joining you?”
“Of course,” the duke said with a smile, and held his hand out to me. “Miss Madera?”
I hesitated, looking from him to the captain again. “Go on,” the captain said with a sigh.
“Miss Madera?” the duke queried, raising his eyebrows, his hand still extended.
I leaned back against the seat.
“Thank you, sir,” I said to him. “But I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. It was very good to meet you and … and you will come around and visit us, won’t you?”
“But of course,” he told me, his accent seeming suddenly very thick.
“We’ll be at ….” I looked at the captain.
“You know Lady Alistair, I presume,” he said reluctantly.
“Yes. But won’t you reconsider, ma cherie ? Captain Tucker, you see, has said it meets with his approval. You have nothing to fear from me, I assure you.”
I blinked at his choice of words. “Fear you? I don’t fear you.”
“Then come and see my home. It is very beautiful and historic. It was built almost two hundred years ago by Catholic Monks.” He winked at me as he reached in again, this time capturing my hand to draw me out.
“Really?” I asked. “Does it have a chapel?”
“Why of course,” he answered with a smile. “And secret passageways.”
“Secret passageways? How intriguing!” I moved towards him.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a small gesture from the captain, a movement with his hand, like he was going to reach out and touch me, but he stopped and dropped it at his side.
I pulled away. Or rather, I tried to, but the grip on my wrist was sure, and the duke continued to draw me out. I laughed. “Captain, help me! He won’t let go!”
Immediately, the captain’s hand shot out and captured my forearm. He pulled me back into the coach, and when he did, the duke released me. “It is tug of war, isn’t it, Tucker?” he said with a knowing smile.
“It is,” the captain answered as though he wasn’t angry at all anymore. He, too, smiled. He even thanked the duke for his help in the shop and invited him to come and call when he had the chance.
But his smile disappeared as soon as the door closed. The coach jerked into motion.
He brooded in silence, his eyes intense. Dark energy emanated from him, filling the coach with an almost palpable aura of danger.
“I think you frighten me a little bit after all,” I said in a hollow voice.
He examined me carefully, his mood shifting swiftly, and in a move I never would have anticipated, he put his arm around me and gently drew me close. “Why didn’t you go with him, Rachel?” he asked. It seemed a very important question to him.
“Why didn’t I go with him?” I had a difficult time thinking.
“You could have,” he told me carefully. “I would have understood. There is so much he could have shown you, my dear. You could have increased your knowledge, gathered new information … written your little notes.” The jibe did not sting, for he smiled rather sadly as he said it. “There is nothing left that I can teach you, I’m afraid.”
He called me his dear. He’d never called me his dear before. I shook my head in confusion. “Captain … I … that’s not true.”
“It is true. You are all alone in a strange place with no one to support you. It is imperative that you build a life and make … friends.” His tone had gotten quite bleak, but it suddenly became lighter when he added, “It was rather imprudent of you to choose to come with me when such an invaluable resource had presented itself to you, wasn’t it?”
“I know. But I ….”
“Your education will be neglected.” There was an edge of bitterness in his
“Of course,” the duke said with a smile, and held his hand out to me. “Miss Madera?”
I hesitated, looking from him to the captain again. “Go on,” the captain said with a sigh.
“Miss Madera?” the duke queried, raising his eyebrows, his hand still extended.
I leaned back against the seat.
“Thank you, sir,” I said to him. “But I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. It was very good to meet you and … and you will come around and visit us, won’t you?”
“But of course,” he told me, his accent seeming suddenly very thick.
“We’ll be at ….” I looked at the captain.
“You know Lady Alistair, I presume,” he said reluctantly.
“Yes. But won’t you reconsider, ma cherie ? Captain Tucker, you see, has said it meets with his approval. You have nothing to fear from me, I assure you.”
I blinked at his choice of words. “Fear you? I don’t fear you.”
“Then come and see my home. It is very beautiful and historic. It was built almost two hundred years ago by Catholic Monks.” He winked at me as he reached in again, this time capturing my hand to draw me out.
“Really?” I asked. “Does it have a chapel?”
“Why of course,” he answered with a smile. “And secret passageways.”
“Secret passageways? How intriguing!” I moved towards him.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a small gesture from the captain, a movement with his hand, like he was going to reach out and touch me, but he stopped and dropped it at his side.
I pulled away. Or rather, I tried to, but the grip on my wrist was sure, and the duke continued to draw me out. I laughed. “Captain, help me! He won’t let go!”
Immediately, the captain’s hand shot out and captured my forearm. He pulled me back into the coach, and when he did, the duke released me. “It is tug of war, isn’t it, Tucker?” he said with a knowing smile.
“It is,” the captain answered as though he wasn’t angry at all anymore. He, too, smiled. He even thanked the duke for his help in the shop and invited him to come and call when he had the chance.
But his smile disappeared as soon as the door closed. The coach jerked into motion.
He brooded in silence, his eyes intense. Dark energy emanated from him, filling the coach with an almost palpable aura of danger.
“I think you frighten me a little bit after all,” I said in a hollow voice.
He examined me carefully, his mood shifting swiftly, and in a move I never would have anticipated, he put his arm around me and gently drew me close. “Why didn’t you go with him, Rachel?” he asked. It seemed a very important question to him.
“Why didn’t I go with him?” I had a difficult time thinking.
“You could have,” he told me carefully. “I would have understood. There is so much he could have shown you, my dear. You could have increased your knowledge, gathered new information … written your little notes.” The jibe did not sting, for he smiled rather sadly as he said it. “There is nothing left that I can teach you, I’m afraid.”
He called me his dear. He’d never called me his dear before. I shook my head in confusion. “Captain … I … that’s not true.”
“It is true. You are all alone in a strange place with no one to support you. It is imperative that you build a life and make … friends.” His tone had gotten quite bleak, but it suddenly became lighter when he added, “It was rather imprudent of you to choose to come with me when such an invaluable resource had presented itself to you, wasn’t it?”
“I know. But I ….”
“Your education will be neglected.” There was an edge of bitterness in his
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