He swallowed hard then, his throat working. “I do, of course, my lady. Thank you for your candor.”
She dipped a quick curtsy. “Good night, my lord.”
She hurried from the library. At the front door, Archibald waited. When he saw her coming, he opened it.
“Leaving, miss?”
“Yes.”
Archie, of course, sensed her departure and was ready for her. Her wrap was in his hand. He handed it to her, along with her gloves. She pulled on the gloves first, then took the wrap—a silk shawl with fringe—and draped it about her shoulders.
“Good night, Archie.” She dipped a curtsy.
“Good night, miss. Do travel home safe.” He gave a nod of his head as he held the door open for her.
With that, she hurried out into the late afternoon and headed for home.
Chapter 2
BellawalkedawayfromLord Vincent’s house at a brisk pace. The evening air had turned cool, and she tasted the salty breeze from the port. The house she left was on a hill. In the distance, she saw the ships coming into the port for the evening. Her father would be on one of those ships.
He was gone this time for nearly a month. She hoped he returned with wonderful treasures. Sometimes, he brought her gifts from across the sea. Books, candles he thought she might like, hats, scarves, and other things. But mostly she liked when he brought her books. He visited all the port cities and had access to all the places of the world she didn’t.
And yet she didn’t mind he traveled without her. When she was small, just after her mother passed, she traveled with him on his voyages. The high seas were exhilarating and full of wonder. But mostly she preferred to spend her days at home at their manor, Belcourt. When she was older, she remained behind with her governess and the other servants. Now that she was of age, she was able to run Belcourt while he was away on business.
She supposed they were wealthier than most. They had several servants in their manor house who kept her company when her father was away. The butler, Gerald, was a stoic man who tried to hide his emotions. Bella understood he was a man of little words who preferred his solace with books. She, of course, understood his love of books, for she was the same. He was a private man, never sharing any personal details of his life outside of their home. Bella respected that, too, and never asked prying questions.
The cook, Edith Graves, was a merry woman who had a big laugh and loved to talk about her family. She was widowed, but her children were grown and had children of their own. She had a ruddy complexion and wide blue eyes, and hair the color of a farthing. She was the youngest of six children who had a penchant for baking. Bella found her lemon cakes and other sweet treats irresistible. But she was also a terrific cook.
Her own maid, Emmaline, was attentive and sweet. She was young. Working at the manor house was her first real job. Her parents wanted a better life for her and had sent her on several interviews. Bella quite liked her the moment they met and hired her on the spot. That was three years ago. Beyond that, Bella had to admit she didn’t know much about the girl other than she was looking forward to spending her days off at home with her mother and younger sister.
Belcourt Manor sat the bottom of the hill close to the port. A most ostentatious name for their home, truly. Bella thought it silly to name it, but her father liked naming things. Even his fleet of ships had names. His favorite ship in his fleet was named the Emerald Voyager. Another he named Azure Starlight. And yet another Golden Tempest. He liked names for his ships that had a color in them. All of them did.
She smiled, thinking of that as she watched the ships sail into port with their sails flapping against the wind. She spotted the Emerald Voyager right away with its deep green sails. Her father would be home in time for dinner.
Thinking about that made her step a little quicker, a little lighter, as she hurried down the hill to their home. She pushed open the white gate and walked down the stone walkway to the front door, where she stomped up the steps to the porch. Moments later, she entered the foyer, pulling off her gloves. Gerald came bustling toward the door.
“Ah, miss, welcome home. I trust your day was productive?” he asked.
She handed him her shawl. “Yes, quite, thank you, Gerald. I saw Mr. Rinaldi’s ship coming into port on my way home. He’ll be here in time for dinner. Will you let Mrs. Graves know?”
“Of course, my lady.” He took her shawl and gave a low bow.
“Thank you, Gerald.”
She headed for the grand staircase to change her dress and prepare for dinner. Emmaline met her on the stairs.
“Oh, miss, you’re here early. I didn’t expect you so soon.” She paused in the middle of the staircase and waited for Bella to catch up to her.
“My father will arrive shortly. I want to dress for dinner and be ready for his return,” she said.
“Very good, miss. Would you like a bath as well?”
“Perhaps after we dine,” she said.
Emmaline nodded as they made their way up the stairs and down the hallway to Bella’s room.
Her room was on the east end of the manor and overlooked the port, with double doors leading out to a balcony. It was one of the things she loved about her room. At any time during the day or night, she could step out onto her balcony and inhale the salty air, watch the ships coming into or out of port, and hear the seagulls squawk as they hunted for food.
