Harriet scrunched her brows. “I fail to see how that is any of your business.”
“Oh, love, it’s all my business. The second we leave the Thames, the captain will lower a boat for us, and we’ll return to shore.”
No.
How could her rebellion end so soon? A flutter of unease danced in Harriet’s belly. The type that warned peril was nigh, that she was about to step onto a road there might be no way back from. She needed more time.
“Who exactly isus?” Surely even if the captain did agree to such a thing, he would not spare one of his men or wait for that man to return. Then again, enough blunt could make anything possible.
“Me, you, and Calstone.”
Calstone? That must be the duke who had bellowed their titles as though the world revolved around them alone. Harriet scratched the tip of her nose. This was all too much.
“And what if I refuse? I can refuse, you know.”
“You can refuse,” he said slowly, seemingly trying to find the right words. “However, that means we shall become travel companions. Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Better traveling companions than marriage partners.”
“Well, I suppose a ship is smaller than London. We shall have more time to become acquainted with each other.”
This man... time for a change of tactics.
“You have a nasty habit of entering a lady’s quarters without her permission.”
“I shall break it if you return to London with me.”
Harriet almost laughed. He might speak slowly, but he had an answer for everything. “And who will row us to shore? We’ll be on open sea once we exit the Thames.”
“Calstone and I can manage. It’s a clear day and the waters are favorable.”
She glanced at his arms for good measure. “You seem confident in gambling with our lives.”
“Is that not what you’ve done since you boarded this ship?”
“Perhaps you ought rather to ask why I took such extreme measures.”
A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Oh, you’ve made your reasons abundantly clear, love. As clear as I have made my determination, wouldn’t you say?”
Actually, she would. Perhaps returning to London would be better suited for her than living together on a ship for a month. There were bound to be more opportunities to test this man off ship than on it.
He motioned to her travel bag. “Get your things. We must be on deck soon.”
And that was it? Did he expect her to just pick up her bag and leave with him?Her eyes narrowed on the man. “What if I don’t leave with you?”
He stared at her. “Then . . . we stay.”
“After the trouble you’ve gone to securing us a boat?”
“I’d rather return to London, but if you insist on staying, I won’t fight you.” He studied her a moment. “You seem surprised by this.”
“Not surprised no, but I had thought you would forcibly remove me from the ship. Is that not the male way?”
“I would never do such a thing.”
“In any case, I still cannot believe the captain would do this for you.”
“He was made to see the light, love.”
