A Lass to Love (Brides of Scotland #1) - Tammy Andresen Page 0,9
and she lifted her head, wondering who might be there. The noon meal wouldn’t be served for hours. “Yes?” she said, rising as Aunt Edna grunted from her bunk.
“Miss MacFarland,” Mr. Mayweather called from the other side of the door. “The captain has given me permission to take you on a turnabout the deck.”
She let out a little gasp, looking at Edna who frowned in return. “I am content to stay here but ye can go,” her aunt said.
“Unchaperoned?” she whispered, her eyes growing wider.
“Colin’s on the deck.” Her aunt waved her hand. “Stay in his sight. I could use the peace from ye anyhow. Ye’ve done nothing but sigh all morning.”
She wrinkled her nose as she opened the door. “Good morning, Mr. Mayweather.”
He gazed at her, causing all those feelings she’d been fighting in the wee hours of the night to rise again.
“Good morning.” He grinned. “I find myself bored stiff and wondering if you felt the same.”
She wet her lips with her tongue, attempting to formulate a response but none came to mind. She should say no. She’d run away for a reason last night. The man was dangerous.
But if she refused that meant she’d spend the morning listening to Aunt Edna grumble. “Perhaps a short one. I could use a stretch.”
“Excellent,” he answered, offering his elbow. “It’s another sunny day and we don’t often get such fine weather.”
Fiona smiled, relief making her shoulders relax. They were back to discussing the weather. “Agreed,” she said. “I’ll have to bring my new feathered friend up to bask in the sun.”
He chuckled, deep and rich. “Last night was an interesting evening.”
She almost regretted her words. She’d been up thinking about their conversation for much of the night, she didn’t want to rehash their exchange with him. “Colin will tell ye, rescuing animals is a fairly regular occurrence for me. How’s yer finger?”
He held up the digit, now covered in bruises. She let out one of those small sympathetic noises that was somewhere between a coo and a whimper. “That looks terrible.”
He laughed again. “Colin did warn me.”
She bit her lip. “I still say he’s exaggerating.”
“And is he exaggerating when he says that Exmouth has been stringing you along for years and that you face either humiliation or ruination?”
She stopped, a gasp parting her lips. She didn’t want to discuss this with him, of all people. What must he think of her now? Her chest tightened. “I don’t think it’s wise for us to discuss any of this. I shouldn’t have told ye last night. I was—”
He held up a finger. “I’m glad you did. I have a proposal for you that I think you ought to consider.”
“A proposal?” she asked, turning toward him.
He nodded. “Being rather wild myself, I am especially knowledgeable on how to handle such boorish beasts. I thought perhaps I could help you prepare before you confront your fiancé.”
Tom watched her closely as Fiona’s eyes widened in surprise. At least she hadn’t run away again.
She pulled her hand from her mouth. “Educate me on rakes?”
“Precisely,” he answered. They’d made a loop around the busy part of the ship and reached the aft, then he tucked them both behind a sail. “You tell me what your objective is and I’ll coach you on how to succeed.”
“And if my objective is to escort Exmouth to the altar?” She gave him a sidelong glance.
The idea of her married to another man made his insides twist but that wasn’t fair. He had no intention of marrying her himself. “Then I shall educate you in the best method to see him there.”
Her chin tilted further to the left and down. “And what do ye receive in return?”
“Clever girl.” He brushed her elbow with his free hand. “My parents have been gone for years. I thought I was in love a few years back but that lady…” He stopped. “I should have known better.”
“Should have known better?” Her brows drew together. “How so?”
“It doesn’t matter. But since her, I’ve had difficulty even trusting a woman enough to share…” He’d been going to say, her bed. But that was not information to share with a woman of Fiona’s station and sensibilities. “I haven’t been able to trust.” He was drawing her closer again. “I’m hoping you’ll mend my broken wing, so to speak.” This was supposed to be the best time in his life and he needed a healing touch so that he might enjoy himself once again.
“It’s just a bruise.” She reached for