The Duke's Redemption. Carla Capshaw
Читать онлайн книгу.
her head and strained to see her sister’s face. The fat candle she’d lit while preparing for bed no longer burned. In the faint moonlight, she could make out little except the outline of Prin’s cheek and the brightness of her eyes. “Just because you’ve found happiness with Kane doesn’t mean we’re all destined for an equally joyful end.”
“But findin’ a husband would solve all your problems.”
Aghast, Elise sat up in the bed and twisted toward her sister. “I believe it’s finally happened.”
“What?”
“You’ve gone daft.”
“Have not.”
Elise scrunched the bedsheets in her fists. It was illegal for slaves to wed, but ever since she’d found a minister willing to officiate a secret marriage between Prin and Kane, her sister had become convinced Elise needed to marry as well. “In all seriousness, how can you be foolish enough to believe marriage would solve my difficulties? It’s more likely a husband would multiply them. Recall, if you will, how our father treated both our mothers.”
“Aye, Pa was a bad seed, but not all men are such fiends.”
“Then let’s consider Roger.”
“Why? The man’s a goat’s bottom, nothing more. Just ’cause your ma believed his sweet talk and found misery in matrimony, don’t mean all church aisles lead in the same direction.”
Elise wasn’t so certain. Without care for her reputation, her own mother had abandoned her in favor of a handsome man’s honey-coated promises. Once she and her new lover were free to wed, Roger showed his true colors, and in the end, her mother found herself tied to a second wicked husband.
Her voice husky with remembered pain, she whispered, “Zechariah is another fine example of male selfishness gone awry.”
Prin clucked her tongue and shook her head on the pillow. “You’re just bein’ a goose. Zechariah has principals even if he’s far from perfect. And before you mention some other poor fool, what about Kane? Or how ’bout Christian? They’re as good and fine men as there ever was born.”
“True enough.”
“Then why not your friend? You both have this spy business in common. He won’t keep you from carryin’ out your stubborn convictions. You could chase around the countryside together, bring down all the redcoats…. ’Sides, he fancies you.”
Elise rolled her eyes. “Christian is a gentleman and a dear, but he fancies many women. Besides, how could I think to marry a man who stirs nothing in me but feelings of the brotherly sort?”
Prin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re just too hard to please.”
“Can we cease this?” Elise lay down, her back to her sister. “I’m tired and must get some rest. I’m off to Charles Towne in the morning, and the ferry leaves at half past seven. Amberly will be on it, so I must sparkle.”
Prin laughed at her sarcasm. “I’m right for sure. That Englishman must have got under your skin like a hungry tick. You only desert subjects and get all huffy when you know I’m right and you’re feelin’ hooked.”
Elise pulled up the sheet and punched her pillow. “Enough, Prin, truly. You couldn’t be more wrong about my interest in that man. Beyond finding out his background for Zechariah, he doesn’t concern me in the least. Now go to sleep.”
“I wasn’t the one tossin’ and turnin’. That was you in a tumble.”
“Do be quiet, will you?”
“It is that man.” Prin leaned over her. A giggle in her voice, she whispered, “That tall, mysterious and darkly handsome English man.”
Elise gritted her teeth. An unsolicited image of Amberly invaded her mind. She saw again his golden eyes and knowing smile. Heard his smooth, rich voice in her head. She squeezed her eyes closed tight, desperate to ward off the warmth that suffused her heart when she thought of him. “Believe what you will. You always do, no matter what I say.”
“It’s your own fault, you know. You prove me right so often I’d be silly to doubt myself.”
A rooster’s crowing startled Drake from a deep sleep. The creature sounded as though it were right outside his window. He pushed back the mosquito net and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His bare feet hit the smooth wood, and he took a moment to clear the grogginess from his mind.
Last night he’d declined Zechariah’s offer to have a servant wake him. Normally an early riser, he hadn’t anticipated the image of Elise occupying his thoughts or disturbing his rest enough to make him oversleep.
Wearing the same clothes from the previous night, he stood and stretched his knotted muscles. He crossed to the open window, hoping for a breeze that was, unfortunately, not to be. The sun had barely risen, but the heat was high and the air steamy with humidity.
He looked out across the lush green lawn to the dock. The ferry to Charles Towne had yet to arrive, though a few people waited along the bank of the smooth-flowing river.
Abandoning the window, he made use of the pitcher of cool water and ornate basin on top of the bureau. He changed into fresh clothes, pausing to tie his hair back with a leather string before heading to the first floor.
Downstairs, the clatter of cutlery lead him to the dining room. Zechariah Sayer sat at the head of a long, polished pine table, a plate of bacon, eggs and fresh rolls arranged before him. An array of foods filled the silver trays along the sideboard, scenting the room with the aroma of cinnamon and fried bacon. A handful of servants stood along the bright green walls, obviously waiting for Sayer’s other guests to arrive and break their fast.
Zechariah picked up his steaming cup of coffee and gestured toward one of the chairs. “I’m afraid most everyone else is still abed. I’m an early riser myself. Can’t abide the idea of frittering away half the day in idleness.”
Drake pulled out the chair and made himself comfortable. He snapped his napkin from its neat fold and spread it across his lap. One of the female servants placed a plate of breakfast in front of him. He noted how attractive the girl looked with her lovely brown eyes and full lips. She reminded him of Elise, which was nonsense. He must be going round the bend. The chit was invading his dreams and now he was starting to see her in every pretty face he came across.
He took a drink of his coffee and added a teaspoon of sugar to mute its bitterness. “I, too, prefer an early start. At home I enjoy exercising my horses in the cool of the day.”
“We have a full stable here. Make use of it if you wish.” The older man took a bite of egg and chewed with greedy enjoyment. He poked his fork in Drake’s direction. “Just stay clear of Elise’s gelding, Freedom. She’s in love with the mount. I’d hate to have to rescue you from her ire if you borrow him.”
A half smile curved Drake’s lips. He accepted a roll from the pretty, light-skinned slave. “Thank you for the offer—and the warning. I shall look forward to riding tomorrow. I believe you said the ferry leaves for Charles Towne this morn at half past seven?”
“Aye,” Sayer said, motioning toward the mantel clock with his knife. “It should be here by now. You’d best hurry if you hope to be aboard.”
Ten minutes later, Drake joined the other passengers waiting on the riverbank near the garden house. Birds chirped, hidden in the towering oaks. The musty smell of moss hung in the steamy air. Kirby had stayed behind to continue the hunt for clues to the Fox’s identity. Drake had yet to see Elise, and his disappointment was acute. With the ferry leaving soon, he’d have no chance to see her for the rest of the day.
Waving, the ginger-haired ferry captain jumped onto the dock, his freckled face split in a huge, snaggle-toothed grin. “Miss Cooper!”
Drake pivoted on his heel to find Elise rushing up the path. His chest