Miss Lavigne's Little White Lie (12 page)

He captured her hand and pressed a deep kiss to the palm. No longer was he certain of his love for Cecily. More and more, he felt the frustration of their encounters, her tantrums and indictments. But Cecily had been right in her accusations. If he had never bedded her, her parents wouldn’t have forced them to marry.

“Daniel?”

He looked into Lisette’s guileless eyes. “Cecily was my wife. She died onboard five years ago. We hadn’t been married long.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I had no idea, or I wouldn’t have teased you.”

He hugged her close. “I know, Lisette. You haven’t a mean bone in your body.”

She snuggled her cheek against his chest and sighed. Desire stirred inside him, building as she lingered in his embrace. His hands skimmed over her back, stopping before caressing over her bottom. Lisette didn’t resist him, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to take her. Having relations with him now would be nothing more than an act of mercy. He had heard the pity in her voice.

He patted her bottom once and released her. “I could use some water.”

“I will have one of the men bring more.” She climbed from the bed and grabbed the bucket before disappearing through the doorway.

While she was gone, he sat up on the side of the bed. The instant he stood, his legs threatened to fold up on him.
Egads!
He couldn’t recall ever being this unsteady, even in the days before he had acquired his sea legs.

Why had he spoken of his wife to Lisette? He had never even told his family he had married. There had been no point. Cecily had been gone for weeks by the time his ship reached London.

He donned a shirt and made his way toward the great cabin to assist Lisette with the bucket. She had been struggling with caring for him long enough. It was time for him to take his rightful place again.

She came through the outer door with her heavy burden. Closing the distance with long strides, he took the bucket.

“Thank you, Lisette. You may return to your cabin to check on the welfare of your family.”

“Very well, and then I will return with nourishment.”

“I can manage on my own. You needn’t return.”

“It’s no trouble.” She started for the door. “I shan’t be long.”

“I don’t need a nursemaid.”

She stopped at the threshold and eyed him. “You are right, I’m sure, but it couldn’t hurt—”

“No, I don’t
need
you. Now, go see to your family.”

Her mouth fell open. The hurt pooling in her eyes caused a sharp pinch in his chest. She turned away, perhaps to hide her tears.

“Of course you don’t need me.”

Jerking the door open, she hurried from his quarters. Daniel started after her but stopped himself. Lisette might be upset with him now, but he would survive her anger. Cecily’s death was his alone to bear, and so was facing his wife’s parents in Port Albis. Lisette had enough to endure with her brother. Daniel couldn’t expect her to be his source of strength, too. No matter how tempting it was to share his burden with her.

Twelve

Lisette rolled her mourning gown into a bundle and shoved it into the sack that had become her luggage. Her new trunks, the ones she had purchased for her honeymoon trip before learning the truth about Reynaud, stayed behind at Passebon House.

Fury simmered inside her, unfurling in her belly. She had lost everything because of that blackguard—her exquisite gowns and her family home.

Serafine bustled around the dim cabin, gathering her belongings and interrupting Lisette’s self-pity. She sighed, silently chiding herself. She hadn’t lost everything, for Reynaud had been unable to take away the ones she loved. Rafe and Serafine held more value than any possession.

Serafine bumped into Lisette when she moved by her. “Cease your daydreaming.” Her cousin’s value depreciated a point. She ordered Lisette around worse than Daniel did, and Lisette was getting blasted tired of their imperious natures. “We’ll reach Port Albis soon. Hurry up.”

“I am moving fast enough. Captain Hillary won’t throw us from the ship when we dock.”

“I’m more concerned about him allowing us to leave. We must make our departure while he is otherwise occupied.”

Lisette rolled her eyes. They were not prisoners on the
Cecily
. “He’ll be glad to be rid of us.”

Some of her bravado slipped as the truth of her statement sank in, and she had that dreaded urge to cry. Daniel had been all too eager to toss her from his cabins.

Serafine wiggled past her with a pair of Rafe’s pants in hand, placed them on the cot, and turned. “We must search out another ship to carry us to England the moment we arrive.”

“Why so soon?” Lisette was tired of bland fare, never-ending waves, and hours of tedium. A few days on soil would be a welcome respite.

Her cousin pursed her lips. “We are leaving before you change your mind. It’s clear you have fallen in love with Captain Hillary.”

Lisette fumbled with the sack. “I have not.”

Serafine snatched the nightrail Amelia had given her from Lisette’s fingers. “Yes, you have.”

“You’re mad.” She turned her back to her cousin. “I’m grateful to Captain Hillary for helping us escape and for taking an interest in Rafe, but I have no love for the scoundrel.”

“Lisette.” Serafine spoke at her ear, causing her to jump.

“Sweet Mary! Keep to your side of the room.”

Serafine grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down to sit on the cot. “Banish these childish longings. The captain will never want anything more from you than a moment between the sheets.”

Lisette flinched. The harsh words ripped through her heart.

Merde.
It was true. She had been having second thoughts. How could she deny her feelings when every moment she thought of leaving Daniel made her throat thick with unshed tears?

“You deserve a better life, Lisette.”

She nodded and fiercely swiped at the traitorous tears welling in her eyes. Daniel behaved as if nothing of significance had passed between them during his quarantine, and nothing had except in her fanciful imagination. While she had grown fond of him during his convalescence, he felt nothing for her in return. He had made it clear he had no need for her when he had tossed her from his quarters, and he hadn’t sought her out since that moment.

She met Serafine’s gaze, defiance radiating from her. “I
don’t
love him.”

“
Très bon
, because he is not meant for you.”

Lisette shot to her feet and brushed past her cousin. “How would you know who is meant for me?”

“There is a gentleman in your future, an Englishman, and an obscenely rich one at that. You will marry
him
, and he will provide the security we seek.”

“I suppose your tea leaves told you as much.”

“It’s simply my hope.” She paused. “Lisette, I should have told you before we left, but I’m afraid something bad has happened to Xavier.”

She slowly swiveled around to face Serafine. “What are you saying? Why would you believe something has happened to your brother?”

Her cousin’s expression clouded over. “Xavier promised to return at once, but we’ve received no word from him in months. He wouldn’t abandon Rafe. You know he cares for the boy.”

Lisette gripped the sheer fabric of her extra chemise, her irritation melding into anxiety, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on what they might find in England. They had more pressing matters to attend to in Port Albis. “We shall deal with the situation if it comes to pass. Your nerves are getting the better of you.”

She resumed packing.

“Perhaps,” Serafine said, “but if my fears are realized, our survival depends on you marrying well.”

“You are as likely to capture a gentleman’s attention as I am.”

Serafine was silent for so long, Lisette began to think she had won an argument for once. The soft clearing of her cousin’s throat stripped her of that notion. “You’re mistaken. No gentleman will have me.”

Lisette turned to deliver a retort but held her tongue. Tears streaked down the beautiful planes of Serafine’s face. Lisette dropped the garment she held and gathered her cousin in a hug. “
Ma
chère
, why do you speak such foolishness? What gentleman wouldn’t want you?”

Serafine shook her head and held on tighter, smothering her sob against Lisette’s shoulder. Her cousin had always been proud. For her to have said this much about her insecurities was miraculous but troubling. Serafine and Lisette may not be pale beauties with pure European blood coursing through their veins, but they were exactly what many superior, gently bred men needed.

They carried decent dowries, and they would bear sons imbued with the strength of their ancestors who had survived the wilderness of Louisiana when weaker men and women died before ever reaching their destination. Any man would be a fool to overlook either of them.

“If we don’t locate your brother in London, we will both make smart matches if we must. Never doubt it.” Lisette eased from Serafine’s hold.

Her cousin offered a tentative smile and looked away.

“Serafine, what is it?”

She shook her head. “It’s unimportant. Perhaps when we have more time…”

Serafine’s slumped shoulders and defeated sigh made Lisette’s heart ache. “You will confide in me later? You must realize you may tell me anything.”

Serafine sniffled. “I know.”

Lisette chose not to further her inquiry. When her cousin was ready, she would share her burden. At least, she had always trusted Lisette in the past.

There.
That was one more thing Reynaud couldn’t take from her, the trust her kin placed in her. Why, the blasted cur had hardly taken a thing, now that she thought about it.

***

Lisette kept Rafe close as the
Cecily
neared Port Albis. The placid waters sparkled like a star-filled sky as sunlight bounced along the surface of the bay.

Serafine stood on Lisette’s other side, their arms linked. “It’s beautiful.”

“
Oui.
”

Dotting the bay, the unadorned masts of slumbering ships jutted into the air while their flags of allegiance flapped in the breeze. Most flew the British colors, but as Daniel had explained to Rafe that morning over breakfast, Linmead Island was an English colony.

In the distance, a massive curved wall of stone hovered on a hill overlooking the waters, the fortress’s black cannons peering over the barrier. Stark white Palladian houses sprawled across the knoll. Their porticos and domes reminded her of the artists’ renditions of ancient Greece displayed in the gallery at Passebon House.

As the
Cecily
neared shore, men scurried along the docks, preparing for their arrival. Port Albis proved a larger metropolis than she had thought. In her imagination, the Caribbean islands had been barely one step above uncivilized. How uninformed she had been.

Anxious flutters began in her stomach. Not only must she locate shelter, she needed to book passage on another ship. The prospect felt daunting now. She had hoped Daniel might offer his assistance in finding an inn, but he hadn’t spoken directly to her since she’d stormed from his cabins.

He stood near the helm with Monsieur Patch. Daniel’s wide stance drew her attention to his sturdy thighs, and his linen shirt strained across his muscled chest, highlighting his strength. His authoritative voice carried on the air, commanding all those around him. To see him now, one would never guess how helpless he had been a few days earlier.

Bon.
Daniel no longer needed her, just as he had said.

He glanced in her direction but turned back to Monsieur Patch when he discovered her watching him. Would he truly allow her to walk away without a word after their time together?

She rubbed the back of her wrist across her nose to ease the annoying tickle that signaled impending tears. Squaring her shoulders, she reminded herself Daniel held no significance to her. Her family’s continued survival was the only thing of importance.

Rafe pointed toward an approaching entourage on shore. An open-topped carriage with four white horses and a liveried driver at the reins rolled down the hill toward the docks. Four men wearing British-red uniforms rode on horseback and escorted the conveyance.

“It’s the governor-general,” Rafe announced.

“How could you know such a thing?” Serafine asked.

“Captain Hillary said he would greet us.”

Lisette shaded her eyes as she located Daniel again. He was frowning in the official’s direction and a frisson of apprehension coiled in her chest.

“
Mon
dieu
,” she murmured to Serafine. “I hope there’s to be no trouble.”