Hart's Desire (Pirates & Petticoats Book 1) (7 page)

“Hold out your hand, Keelan.”

Her father held a red ribbon on which was strung a gold ring. A signet ring. “What’s this?”

“It’s yours. I want you to have it now.”

She took the ribbon and peered closer at the ring. An interesting gift for her father to buy for her. Without trying it on, she could tell it was way to large for her fingers. Not wanting to hurt Papa’s feelings by pointing that fact out, she smiled brightly at him. “Thank you, Papa. It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, well it’s an important ring. It has a special story attached to it,” he said.

“Oh? What story?” She tied the ribbon around her neck and let the ring fall low into the crevice between her breasts.
 

“Well, you see…er, the ring once belonged…” He paused and stared up at the ceiling for a moment then batted his hand. “Never mind. I’ll tell you about it another time. You’re probably hungry and eager to have some breakfast.”

Papa had been having trouble remembering things lately and would occasionally lose his line of thought. Pressing for information about the ring might only embarrass him further, so she simply nodded. “Another time, then. I can’t wait to hear the tale of this ring.”

Her father’s illness had also added a more urgent impetus to his decisions lately, thus the topic of marriage arose with increased frequency. She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath.
 

Time. She needed more time to develop a good plan to support her cause.
 

“Papa, perhaps if we delay making a decision about Mr. Pratt for a while longer, a better solution will present itself after the ball,” she asked hopefully, keeping her voice soft.
 

Soothing.

Her father lowered his bushy brows. “If you’re thinking you’ll be able to persuade your uncle to financially back a shop for you, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. He agrees with me. It’s time for you to marry and start a family.”
 

She clenched the arm of her chair. “A shop in Charleston could generate enough income for us to live comfortably. I’d be very, very happy and you never know, perhaps I’d meet a gentleman in the city who will make a suitable husband.”
 

She tilted her head and smiled as her father harrumphed. “Papa, you know how much I enjoyed being in town. I’ve always preferred city life to the country. I prefer the more social aspects of city living. Please, Papa.”

Her father sighed heavily and leaned his head back, closing his eyelids. “Your mother could always bend me to her will the same way as you do now. You have her eyes, you know. Sparkling emeralds of light.”
 

His voice slurred a bit. Was the medication finally taking hold?
 

“And fiery curls that glowed like burnished copper at dusk.”

Keelan smiled, although she was a bit perplexed. “Papa, mother’s hair was light brown.”

Her father’s eyelids twitched as if he was making a feeble effort to open them. “Nay. In her youth, your mother had hair like yours. Losing her was the cruelest punishment God could have dealt me. So many years of longing and grief have left me broken and bitter.” He released a long sigh.

Keelan had to assume the medicine affected her father’s interpretation of reality. Her mother had been dead barely two years. There had never been much warmth between her parents. Their relationship had always seemed distantly formal, at best. As a child, Keelan prayed for brothers and sisters, with the hope it would create a warmer family circle. Although she dreaded leaving England for a plantation in Charleston, her spirits had been buoyed by the thought of living with her cousin, Doreen. She’d had hopes of the two of them becoming close, like sisters.
 

Doreen had been sweet enough at first, but when gentlemen callers began asking to see only her, Doreen’s mood had soured.
 

Perhaps it was a dream to one day have a large loving family. But it was her dream, nonetheless. Her father’s current desire to see her wed to Mr. Pratt conflicted directly with her goal, making her determined to find a way to satisfy her father without sacrificing her happiness in the process. There was little time to waste. Losing Papa so soon after her mother would be hard. She’d been alone for years though, really. Her father out at sea, her mother wasn’t there even when she was physically present.
 

There was a better solution out there somewhere, and she would find it.
 

Sighing, she stood, leaned over to kiss her father’s forehead, and tiptoed from the room. She closed his bedroom door and headed for the stair. The faint clink of china told her breakfast had already been served. Keelan descended to the first floor and neared the dining room entry, pausing when she came within range of the conversation.

“What brings you to our gentle city, sir?” her aunt asked.

She froze as a newly familiar voice responded.

“I have cargo to deliver to our buyers. Additionally, we had a serious skirmish with pirates, leaving our ship in need of repair. It requires us to move the rest of our goods into one of your husband’s warehouses for a few weeks.”

“Pirates! Oh my!” Aunt Sarah exclaimed, “Captain Hart, how did you ever get away?”
 

A low chuckle sent a shiver across Keelan’s shoulders.
 

“It sounds much more adventurous than it really was, Mrs. Grey.”

Fynn Ahern’s intentions remained a mystery.

During their meeting, at the mention of Fynn’s name, Landon could have sworn something flickered in the commodore’s eyes.
 

Surprise? Anger? Panic?
 

Although the man had denied any knowledge of Fynn, Landon didn’t believe him.
 

He could tell by the set of Conal’s shoulders that his friend hadn’t been convinced of the commodore’s sincerity either.
 

There was nothing more to be said after that, so he and Conal met with Jared Grey, the commodore’s younger brother, to finalize arrangements to rent temporary warehouse space. They would be in Charleston for a few weeks while their ships were in dry dock. Plenty of time to further explore the mystery of Uncle Fynn’s interest in the commodore.
 

But all in all, the day hadn’t been a total waste of time.

There was Keelan, the spirited young lady he’d met today; he appreciated her vivacity, as well as her curves, which she had hidden so well while sparring but revealed more intimately while kissing.
 

The most humorous part was that he’d earned another kiss by agreeing to remain quiet and not tell her uncle about her activities, when he had absolutely no idea who her uncle was. Not that it mattered. He had no reason to mention her antics to anyone anyway. Besides, he was a bit chagrined to have been so deceived himself. He should have guessed her fairer gender, if nothing else by the slender fingers and fine wrists. But, she played her part well. He saw what she wanted him to see…a young boy yet to sprout his first whisker.
 

He turned his attention back to Mrs. Grey, who’d been asking him about pirates. Thankfully, Conal had been paying attention and answered for him.

“Well, to better outrun them, we had to lighten the ship, by dumping most of our fresh water and provisions. Thankfully, we were only a day’s sail from port, so our needs weren’t dire.”

A small movement caught Landon’s attention by the doorway—the edge of a skirt. An eavesdropper? Apparently, Mr. Grey noticed it as well.

“Well, come in, girl!” Grey barked. “’Tis bad manners to hang by the keyhole. Come meet our guests.”
 

Landon prepared to greet the girl Jared Grey called into the room and shoved his chair back to stand along with the rest of the men, expecting the man’s young daughter. Every child gets caught at least once with their eye to a keyhole, spying on the adults inside.

But it was no little girl who entered.

“Good morning, Uncle. My apologies. I was surprised to hear unfamiliar voices. I didn’t know we had guests for breakfast.”

Mrs. Grey turned. “Oh, Keelan, forgive me! I became so enthralled in Captain Hart’s tales, I completely forgot to send Tillie up to tell you. Come my dear and meet two most
fascinating
gentlemen.”
 

Keelan bent to kiss Mrs. Grey’s cheek then straightened and gazed casually about the room as all the men rose to their feet.
 

The girl had transformed from the nervous young chit in the garden to a calmly composed, graceful young lady. He’d witnessed her calm during the frightening episode with the dog, but the demeanor she displayed now went beyond that. By the tilt of her chin and the graceful curve of her neck, she could have passed as an aristocrat’s daughter, a young lady of the court. The simple light green gown fit her perfectly; those curves he touched while kissing her were much more evident now. Even knowing earlier that she wasn’t a boy hadn’t helped his imagination to picture her dressed like a woman.
 

At least not this woman.

How long it would take him to crack that chilly, regal shell of hers?

Breakfast had just become much more interesting.
 

Mr. Grey broke the brief moment of silence. “Gentlemen, allow me to introduce my niece, Miss Keelan Grey. She is the daughter of former Commodore George Grey, my elder brother.”
 

Keelan was not sure which was worse, Dr. Garrison and his eager smile of adoration, or the dashing form of Landon Hart, who even now looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a lascivious grin. Although her composure was more fragile than a thin layer of glass, she wanted the arrogant sea captain to believe his presence didn’t rattle her. She bit the inside of her cheek and willed her fluttering stomach to settle.
 

She should have expected Uncle Jared to invite the two men to breakfast. She pressed her lips into a thin line; she’d been too distracted by this morning’s events to think ahead clearly.
 

Uncle Jared continued, “Keelan, I present to you Captain Hart and his business partner, Mr. O'Brien.”

Conal, being the closer, reached her first and bowed grandly. “Tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Grey.”
 

 
She returned Mr. O'Brien’s bow with a curtsy and a quick smile before she turned to Hart. Since Captain Hart’s back faced the rest of the room, no one but Keelan saw his appraisal moving in slow admiration down the length of her body, making her feel as if she were standing in nothing but her shift. His eyes took on a brightness that betrayed the wayward meandering of his thoughts, which was disconcerting to say the least.

“Miss Grey.” Landon’s voice resonated with warmth and mirth while he bowed and extended his right hand, grinning mischievously.

He knew of her wound yet awaited her to place her hand upon his. Keelan clenched the fist hidden in her skirt. She glared at him and with every fiber of her being, wished his outstretched appendage would fall off. Along with another appendage or two.

He raised a brow then had the audacity to wink.

Of course, to refuse to offer her hand would be embarrassing and rude. If her aunt and uncle noticed her injury, how would she explain it? Seeing no other option, she complied. “Pleasure, Captain Hart.” She tried to give him a tight smile, but her face felt frozen.

He placed his knuckles beneath her palm as a rest then bent to brush his lips across her fingertips. “Believe me when I tell you,” he murmured, “the pleasure is truly mine.” He glanced at the wrap on her thumb and placed a gentle kiss on the injured digit.
 

Barely keeping herself from flinching at his boldness, a blush crept over her cheeks. She snatched her hand back and hoped the glare she gave him would give him cause to behave better. Although, given what she already knew about the man, it was probably a vain hope.

Dr. Garrison hopped forward and clutched Keelan’s recently released fingers. “Flowers pale next to Miss Grey.” He squeezed her fingers, including her wounded thumb, making her flinch openly this time.
 

“Goodness, Miss Grey,” Dr. Garrison said, looking down, “What happened to your hand?”

She glanced down and shrugged with what she hoped was a casual air. She hated to lie. She was terrible at it.

“I was in the kitchen house this morning.” That part was true. “I’m afraid I was rather clumsy in the way I handled a knife.” Also true. “But Slaney has treated it and it’s much better.” Still true. She released a tense breath.

“Slaney is very good with her herbs.” Aunt Sarah nodded and turned her attention to her tea.

The doctor led her to a seat next to his, and she could barely suppress a despondent groan.
 

Captain Hart sat directly across the table from her. Her breath stilled as his gaze traveled leisurely down the length of her neck and paused. She could only surmise he was ogling the more feminine curves her current garments exposed. The heat of a warm flush crept down her neck and across her chest and she fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest. She lowered her brows at him as his gaze returned to capture hers. Smiling, he nodded in return.

She wished his approval didn’t please her, but it did. Accepting a cup of tea, Keelan quietly sipped as she fought for calm. She tried to ignore the voice in her head reminding her that one comment from him could land her and Daniel in serious trouble faster than a butterfly could blink. Everett’s head swiveled from Captain Hart’s direction to her and back again. Had he caught the look she and the captain had exchanged?

Aunt Sarah leaned forward in her chair. “Tell me, Captain Hart. Do you often have to deal with pirates in your travels?”

Thankfully, Landon turned his attention to her aunt. “Occasionally, yes, we have to be diligent to keep watch for pirates as well as privateers. This last encounter had been with a particular group, which crossed our path in the past.” The steely tone in Captain Hart’s voice made Keelan pause in mid-sip.