When a Duke Loves a Governess (Unlikely Duchesses #3) - Olivia Drake Page 0,47

in the South China Sea with waves taller than St. Paul’s Cathedral, and nearly being trapped in the ice when venturing too close to the South Pole.

Watching their attentive faces was more enjoyable than he’d anticipated. Tessa had been right about widening the horizons of the ton. And they did seem to be hanging on his every word, even when he began to describe the botanical specimens he’d collected during his forays ashore. Guy strolled back and forth, pointing to his framed paintings that had been propped on easels for easy viewing, and focusing on those plants that would draw the attention of an amateur, such as the carnivorous pitcher plant of Southeast Asia that consumed insects caught in the sticky secretions of its flowers.

“One of the most spectacular flowers in the world can be found on the island of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The Amorphophallus titanum has a gigantic burgundy-red bloom with a central green spike that measures several feet taller than I am. The locals refer to it as the corpse plant due to its odor of decomposing flesh—”

“My dear Carlin!” Lady Victor cried out, clutching a black-trimmed handkerchief to her bosom. “Must you include such horrid details?”

Guy made a conciliatory bow. “Pray accept my apology, Aunt. Perhaps you’ll find the Lithops viridis of southern Africa more to your liking. Because its thick leaves resemble stones, it’s commonly called the rock-plant and has a yellow bloom similar to a daisy.”

As he directed the audience’s attention to another framed watercolor, a movement in the arched doorway caught his eye.

Tessa.

His heart actually skipped a beat. He dismissed the reaction as a temporary madness that would soon pass, as infatuations were wont to do. After all, there was nothing in her appearance that was designed to attract male attention. She wore her usual plain gown, this one of charcoal gray with a high neckline and long sleeves. A lace cap covered much of her upswept buttercream hair. Beneath that spinsterish attire, however, she had womanly curves that were etched into his memory.

His gaze tracked her as she found a seat in the back row near his aunt. He willed her to look at him, but she angled her face toward Miss Knightley. The women whispered to each other and shared a smile. Only then did Tessa turn her attention to the front of the room.

As her gaze locked with Guy’s, a bolt of awareness shot through him. The blue of her eyes dazzled him even from a distance. He felt as spellbound as a buck staring at a brilliant flame …

“All this talk of plants has been informative, Your Grace, but do tell us what else you brought back from your travels.” The pompous voice belonged to Lord Churchford, a middle-aged baron with a well-fed frame and a beaklike nose. An old crony of Guy’s grandfather, he was seated in the second row. “Surely you have a trove of gold and jewels.”

Guy cudgeled his mind back to the lecture. “Actually not. Pray recall, my purpose was to enrich our scientific understanding of the coastal regions of the world. Although I visited marketplaces in various ports, I never ventured inland to engage in trade.”

“You’ve no artifacts at all, then?” asked the Honorable John Symonton. The bespectacled young man was employed at Bullock’s Museum, and he was the only one present with a notebook into which he had been scribbling from time to time. “I’m developing an exhibit about South America, you see, and wondered if you might loan us some items for display.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you.” Seeing Tessa lean forward slightly, listening to the exchange, Guy deemed it time for the story that he’d promised her. “But perhaps I can make up for it by telling all of you about an old pirate I met who’d been shipwrecked in the Caribbean Sea.”

Murmurs of interest swept through the audience. Tessa’s face glowed with curiosity, and he was hard-pressed not to gape at her like a moonling. “The tale began when my ship was blown off course during a tempest. The storm damaged the mast, and we were forced to put ashore on an island so insignificant it didn’t even appear on the captain’s charts.”

Guy had rowed ashore as the crew performed the necessary repairs. While exploring a small patch of jungle, he’d spied human footprints in the mud beside a freshwater pool. “My first thought was that natives inhabited the island. I was about to retreat when a clump of ferns