The Wedding Affair (Rebel Hearts series Book 1) Page 9

  Sally covered her mouth to hold in a cry. It was no wonder the male family members refused to discuss William. How terrifying for him. All was silent for a while except for the dull tap of Hastings’s foot upon the carpeted floor. Sally clung to that sound as she strove for calm. She would have all the answers she wanted today. She would not allow Captain Hastings to deny her. “Go on. What happened after William was wounded?”

  “Slaughter. The crew of the French vessel would not yield, and we were forced to put them down to the last man.” Felix shook his head, his expression bleak. He swallowed and a look of pure revulsion swept his face. “Once the enemy ship was ours, I took command of the situation and assessed the damage. The French vessel’s rudder had been shot away in the battle, which accounted for their zeal in attempting to take the Adelaide. I ordered repairs made and advanced Captain Ford’s officers to their temporary posts while the surgeons attended the captain’s injuries.”

  “What do you mean, injuries,” Sally asked, hand pressed to her chest.

  “Aside from his cut face, he was sheeted in blood and his right hand had been smashed to a bloody pulp. He had fought left-handed when we dispatched his assailant together. I fear his hand might have suffered irreparable harm.”

  Sally almost swooned.

  Felix ignored her reaction. “We made sail together for several days and saw the Adelaide and her prize back to the safety of port for repair.”

  The duke shifted a letter. “You put Laurence ashore with orders to dispatch an urgent message to Newberry.”

  “Yes, Your Grace. I felt certain you would wish to know of Captain Ford’s situation immediately and to oversee his recovery. The admiralty has many other concerns, and despite William’s stubborn streak, I feared for his life under less respected hands. Lieutenant Ford, Laurence, was positive that a courier was best to reach Newberry Park, and I felt it reasonable to accommodate his wishes.”

  “But the final say was yours, was it not?” Grandfather shifted, his expression harder than ever. “Your quick thinking ensured William’s survival, but it also went against your orders, which were to make haste to rejoin the channel fleet. Some in the admiralty are less than pleased by your show of favoritism.”

  “Yes, Your Grace.” He lifted his chin defiantly. “I do not regret my actions, although William curses me now.”

  Sally leaned forward, surprised by his words. “Why would William curse you? You saved him.”

  “When you see the wound, the state of his fist and face, you will have an inkling of the suffering he has endured these last months,” Felix said softly.

  Her eyes widened. “You saw William before coming here?”

  “Only long enough to assure myself that he survives.” His gaze was steady. “He was not happy to see me, but I could never hold his anger against him. I am certain he suffered a great deal to be saved.”

  The clock struck the hour and she shivered. They were all silent until the chimes quieted once more.

  “Never admit fault,” the duke said, a wry smile curving his lips as he quoted the first line of the Ford Family motto. Rutherford turned to his granddaughter. “Will that satisfy you and your cousins and end the tears?”

  “Yes.” She hurried to scratch out the past few minutes of the captain’s statement, although her eyes were full of tears at the thought of William’s pain and suffering. She was grateful to Felix for doing so much to save her cousin. He had gone beyond what was necessary for the sake of a fellow officer, putting his own good standing in peril to ensure a member of her family lived to fight another day.

  “Hastings, pull the bell for me. You will now tell my three youngest granddaughters, William’s sisters, anything you deem fit to give them peace with their brother’s condition. I will allow you to be the judge of what they need to know about the extent of William’s injuries.”

  Felix stood slowly, pulled the bell, and then resumed his spot before the duke’s table, his expression grave. The way the captain moved kept her attention fixed to him yet again. In his youth he had been an energetic man, but in maturity he possessed a caged power that lured her thoughts into scandalous territory. Sally rubbed her temple. Appalled by her traitorous thoughts. Why could she not think these thoughts around Ellicott? When Ellicott had kissed her that morning, she had been waiting for the moment he would stop kissing her.

  It was disconcerting.

  When the door opened, her younger cousins filed inside quietly.

  “William!” The youngest shrieked and ran the length of the room as if to embrace the captain but pulled up short on seeing his face. “What are you doing here?”

  “Miss Evelyn.” He glanced past her head and smiled warmly at the other two more composed of her cousins. “Miss Ford and Miss Audrey. How much you have grown since I saw you last.”

  The other pair seemed at a loss and glanced Sally’s way quickly with wide eyes. They knew Felix had almost been her husband, but she had not known they had met often enough for him to be instantly recognized.

  “Captain.” Evelyn stared up at him, then at their grandfather. “You sent for us?”

  “Captain Hastings has news of your brother.”

  The girls crowded him immediately, and Sally had to commend the captain on holding his ground in the face of their youthful eagerness. “You have seen our brother?”

  “Yes. Not too long ago, in fact.” He glanced at the duke. “Perhaps you would allow me to walk outside with the captain’s sisters while we speak.”

  “That would be appreciated.” The duke rubbed his brow. “Sally will go with you as chaperone.”

  Felix raised a brow at the suggestion but agreed readily enough. “As you wish.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Captain William Ford’s sisters took the news of his injury as well as expected, even when he left out most of the gruesome details. Evelyn’s arms tightened around his waist as she sobbed brokenly over the ruin that was her brother’s face. “He was so handsome.”

  He was shocked the youngest sought comfort from him. Felix was more or less a stranger to them, though they had met several times over the years of his service, and he was a man they should have kept a distance from given his past relationship with Sally. “He survives, poppet,” he murmured gently, hoping his assurances would ease her pain.

  “But you said he would not smile at us,” she whispered brokenly against his dress jacket.

  He tried to lift her face from the fabric, but she resisted. “He would if he could, but to smile pulls at the stitches and that is not a good thing for now.”

  He secured enough freedom to move and led them along the curving paths toward the sea, away from the prying eyes of any who might try to curb their sorrow. He’d had no idea the girls would be so emotional, or that Sally would not prevent them from clinging to him. However, he had to admit it would be better for Captain Ford if their distress had eased before they met each other. Ford was bitter enough as it was without his family having hysterics when they saw his face the first time. He could not be called handsome anymore.

  “Is he cross?” the middle girl, Audrey, asked, struggling to hide her distress.

  “Sometimes they say.” Felix eased Evelyn away from his side and set her on her own two feet. He liked Captain Ford’s sisters, but he should not encourage them to be too familiar. The duke would not like it. “Brothers are often cross creatures, are they not?”

  Audrey burst into fresh tears and turned away. As Sally’s arm crept around the girl’s shoulder, it dawned on him that these cousins were terribly important to her. They had a mother somewhere, he assumed the woman still lived, but they looked to Sally for the guidance and comfort a mother could bring them.

  The elder girl chewed her lip, her tears ended, as the shock passed to be replaced by curiosity. “Is he in pain?”

  “Not as much now, but I do think he finds the situation frustrating. He cannot express what he feels easily for fear of slowing his recovery and tearing the wound open again
. The mouth is a delicate area to heal. The risk of infection is great. That is why he remains in London, in seclusion from others. When he speaks it is very softly and not for many words at a time.”

  He did not mention that Ford likely hid his injuries in darkness too and that he had driven away all but the bravest of servants with his endless pacing of the house. During his short visit, Felix had longed to tell the man to be still more than once.

  The middle sister found her voice. “How were you able to speak to him? We were told he would not see anyone.”

  He pointed to his epaulets on his shoulders, a decoration of his uniform that signified his rank as captain. “These and determination not to be turned away from the door. His nurse agreed I had a right to see him, though I believe Captain Ford disagreed with her decision fairly strenuously at first.”

  Sally glanced around at the girls. “That is everything he knows, my dears.”

  The girls held hands and then curtsied to him. “Thank you captain.”

  “You are welcome. I am sorry I do not have better news.” He felt a pang of sadness at their long, tear-stained faces. “Your brother will come to see you as soon as he feels himself well enough for travel, I am sure.”

  Evelyn and Audrey stared at him with large doe eyes, clearly hopeful that day would be soon. The eldest appeared lost in thought, no doubt caught up in imagining the difficulties her brother faced in his recovery and the future. Felix wanted to make things right for the girls, tell them exactly when they could expect a reunion, but there was nothing more he could do or say. William had complained to him that his recovery had slowed. He hoped the girls understood that fretting over their elder brother would do them no good.

  “You said he had a nurse.”

  “I did.” He thought a moment, recalling the brief encounter. “I do not think William called her by name, but she seemed a capable woman, a bit younger than your cousin.”

  “Did she seem intelligent? Could she read or write correspondence?”

  “I assume so.”

  The girls began to whisper in each other’s ears, and then they turned to him, smiling broadly. “Thank you again, Captain. You have eased our minds greatly.”

  They hurried away, leaving him alone in the garden with Sally. “I feel I have just landed that poor woman in the center of an ambush.”

  “Most likely,” Sally said, brushing aside a tendril of fallen hair from her cheek. When it failed to stay back behind her ear, he clenched his fist to prevent himself from reaching for it. He had once wrapped his fingers in her wild curls while they had kissed the night away.

  The girls were some distance away before Felix realized that once they passed through the arch ahead, he and Sally would be utterly secluded from casual view. Alone.

  The girls left his line of sight, and with no witnesses to hide his real feelings from, he slowly turned to face the woman he had yearned for all his life.

  Time stood still for him, as it did whenever he saw her. Only this time she saw him too, and unlike last night or earlier that day, she was not the least bit composed.

  Now that the girls were gone, tears flowed down her cheeks and she hastened to wipe them away. “Thank you for your candor. We have worried so much for William, but the men of my family would never share the details with us.”

  He glanced back along the path. The girls were gone, and he did not like to see Sally in distress over something that could not be changed. He eased closer to her, wondering if he could take her hand and offer any comfort. “My only hope now is that they do not suffer nightmares from the telling.”

  She was so close he could inhale the delicate perfume she wore, a hint of rose and spice that matched her personality to perfection, and see the fine lines of tiredness around her eyes. He caught her hand and squeezed. “The details of the battle were not meant for delicate ears.”

  “You told them enough.” She wiped her cheek again with her free hand. “Not knowing and falling prey to imagination has been worse for them.”

  “And for you too it seems,” he said as he caressed the back of her tiny hand with his thumb and let out a shuddering breath. They were finally touching, and he did not want to let her go. “I am glad to see you have not changed beyond the surface view.”

  “Of course I am not changed,” she protested indignantly.

  “I see a difference. You have lost your trust.” He shrugged. “But you still carry the worry for your family on your slender shoulders.”

  She glared at that. “I love my family.”

  “I remember.” He sighed and released her hand when she tugged on it. “There are worse people to love.”

  She stiffened, eyes accusing. “Yes, there are.”

  He looked deep into her eyes. The hurt he had inflicted when he had chosen to continue his career was still there in her exquisite green eyes. But he had chosen to accept the promotion and Rutherford’s offer of financial and political support, anything to have a chance to deserve her. He had not even been allowed to say good-bye, and now it was too late to do anything but that.

  Before he considered the wisdom of his actions, he leaned down, pressed his lips to her cheek in a soft kiss, intending one last tender moment to hold dear for what remained of his life.

  He would never forget her.

  Sally turned her face toward his suddenly, and their lips brushed.

  As they stood in the warmth of the sun, the scent of Sally’s perfume brought his desire rushing to the surface. He deepened the kiss immediately, running the tip of his tongue across the seam of her lips until she opened to accept him.

  The next heady moments kissing Sally were everything he had held dear and dreamed of during the lonely nights of his command. He dragged her into his embrace and she came, unresisting, and eagerly wrapped her arms about his neck as she had done when they had been courting. She tasted sweet, of desire and of unbearable innocence. Her lips and body were warm and soft against him.

  His bright star. The place he wanted to call home but could not claim now because she had given her heart to another.

  He released her swiftly when it dawned on him the risk he had taken with her reputation. She was engaged, and he should not forget that. He had made a mistake in being with her despite that it felt so right. “Good-bye, Sally.”

  He turned away before she could berate him, protest at the liberties he had taken. He should not have kissed her. She was not free. She was not his.

  “Wait,” Sally called urgently.

  He swung around and met her gaze. Desire had brightened her eyes. Hope rocked him. “Yes?”

  “The duke will expect us to return to his study,” Sally said calmly, reminding him of the reason he was at Newberry Park. Even though her chest rose and fell from heightened desire, she would never forget that duty to her family always came first.

  Felix took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Of course she would not want him to stay for selfish reasons. Why would she give up her perfect future for the man who she believed had taken advantage of her untutored desire all those years ago? “Yes, of course. The duke. After you, my lady.”

  They strolled slowly toward the house, a new tension between them. Awareness of Sally strong and sharp, and painful. And still he wished to take her hand and press it over his thundering heart. He had done that the last night they had made love, tangled in the sheets of her bed and drunk on desire.

  Sally cleared her throat. “Why are you here?”

  Not to seduce you. Though he wanted that and more.

  “You could have more of an idea than I know myself.” He shrugged. “Your father summoned me from London. The note said it was urgent and I came immediately. I still have no idea what is going on.”

  “My father returned to London and the admiralty this morning,” Sally confessed, her expression puzzled. “He did not say when he would return.”

  “I am sure it will be soon.” He winced, cursing the lost time and experiencing discomfort. The admiral would undoubt
edly return to marry off his eldest daughter. “You are to be married, and I do not believe your father would miss the occasion.”

  “No, he would not.” Sally nibbled the tip of her glove as they stepped through the arch and proceeded down the wisteria-covered walk. The scent was sweet and the hum of bees droned in the air above his head. “Have you been accused of something untoward?”

  “Not so far.” He glanced at Sally’s face for some sign of what she was thinking. She appeared not the slightest bit angry he had kissed her. Did nothing he did affect her now? It was as if that kiss had not even happened. “The duke insists that a reckoning of my past service is in order.”

  He did not feel it wise to confess to her that the Duke of Rutherford had quietly funded his rise through the ranks at this time. The duke had made sure he was not denied his promotion to the rank of captain six years ago, despite their aborted wedding and the admiral’s strenuous disagreement.

  All the duke had asked in return for his support was half share of Felix’s portion of any prize he took. Felix had been successful and made himself a comfortable fortune and the duke an even richer man. He had given his agreement willingly and without coercion, though knowing he would never have another chance at command if he refused Rutherford’s lifeline.

  The admiral, however, had insisted he stay far away from Sally, which made his summons here at this time inconceivable.

  He had worked toward his own secret mission over the years though: to make Sally proud of him again and give him another chance one day.