Bobbi Smith - Captive Pride

“Whiskey? Or sherry, perhaps?”

“Whiskey will be fine.”

Edward poured two generous tumblers of the golden liquid and handed one to Noah. “To our future business dealings. May they be as successful as this one.”

“I see no reason why they shouldn’t be.” Noah nodded in accord as he sipped of the potent brew, but even as he said it, his thoughts were on the possibility of his upcoming meeting with Smith.

“You say you have another ship due in port soon?”

“The Sea Pride,” he provided. “The best I can figure, depending on the weather, she should make port sometime around the first of the year.”

“You’ll be staying until spring then?”

“Yes. Atlantic crossings are hardly the thing during the winter months, so Matthew and I will remain until the weather breaks.”

“Wise choice. I made the voyage once, several years ago, and I vowed never to do it again if I could possibly avoid it,” Edward said with a rueful shake of his head. “We encountered storm after storm and I spent most of my time belowdecks, fighting off seasickness. The entire trip took four months and it seemed more like four years.” He laughed at his own remembered discomfort as he placed his now empty glass on his desktop. “But enough of that. Let’s speak of more enjoyable pursuits. I’d be honored if you’d agree to stay and dine with me.”

“Thank you.” Noah was pleased at the invitation, for he knew it would be to his benefit. In cultivating Edward, a most loyal British agent, he would be laying the groundwork for preventing any future suspicion regarding his activities.

“Wonderful,” Edward said as he rang for a servant.

“Will your wife and daughter be joining us?” Noah asked casually.

“I’m a widower, my lord,” he answered.

“My deepest sympathies, sir.”

“I appreciate the thought, but my beloved Sarah has been dead for many years now.” Sadness reflected in his eyes as he spoke. “It’s just CC and me.”

“CC?”

“Cecelia, my daughter,” he offered quickly, grinning. “CC’s a pet name. She’s always been a spirited lass, and somehow it just suits her.”

Noah nodded, but he hardly agreed with Demorest’s description of his daughter. Spirited was not quite the word he would have used to describe Cecelia Demorest. The chit possessed a sharp tongue for such an attractive woman, and it was a fault that Edward, as her father, would do well to see curbed.

When the butler appeared at the door, Edward ordered, “Gilbert, Lord Kincade will be staying for dinner. Please inform Cook, and then tell CC that a guest will be joining us.”

The servant left hastily to do his master’s bidding, wondering all the while what Miss CC was going to think of the news he was about to relay.

“Are you serious?” CC flared in annoyance as Gilbert imparted the news moments later.

“Yes, ma’am,” Gilbert replied respectfully. “They concluded their business and your father invited him to stay. Cook says the meal will be served in about an hour.”

“All right,” she groaned in dismay, accepting the inevitable. “You may tell Father that I’ll be down to join them as soon as I freshen up.”

“I’ll do that, ma’am.” He backed discreetly from her room, leaving his mistress to her thoughts.

When he’d gone, CC stalked to her wardrobe and threw wide the door. Standing, hands on hips, she stared at her vast selection of gowns. She didn’t know why she was concerned about it, but some bit of pride within her refused to allow the arrogant Kincade to see her at less than her very best. He had dismissed her earlier as if she were little more than a guttersnipe, and she was determined to show that pompous fool that she was no easily forgotten rustic miss. Impatiently, she began to sort through her clothing, hoping to find the perfect dress to wear. Spying her favorite yellow silk, CC whisked it from the closet. It was perfect…not too dressy, yet not too ordinary, and the pale yellow-gold was a very good color on her.

She rang for her maid, Anna. When the young girl appeared, she requested a bath be sent up. By the time her bath was ready, CC was waiting, clad only in a silken wrapper.

“Shall I help you bathe, Miss CC?” Anna asked.

“No, but I would like you to lay out the rest of my things before you go,” she instructed, “I’ll be wearing the yellow silk.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The maid quickly set about her task, asking as she did, “Did you see His Lordship, Miss CC?”

“Yes, I saw him.” Her less than enthusiastic answer drew a questioning glance from her servant.

“Did you not think him the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen?” Anna sighed, her excitement at the handsome lord’s presence obvious.

“Frankly, Anna, I thought the man an overbearing idiot, just like the rest of his breed!” CC snapped shortly.

“Lord Kincade?” The maid was astounded. “But, ma’am, he’s tall and ever so good-looking! Why, I’ve never seen such a fine figure of a man before… And to think he’s a nobleman besides!” Anna remarked dreamily.

“And there’s the rub,” CC retorted as she slipped out of her robe and stepped into the bathtub.

“If you say so,” the servant quickly demurred, not wanting to incur her wrath. “But, frankly, Miss CC, I wouldn’t mind a handsome lord like him sweeping me off my feet and taking me back to live on his estate in England!”

“Well, believe me, Anna, you’ll get no competition from me.” She lowered herself carefully into the steaming bath and sighed in contentment as the hot, scented water caressed her. “He’s all yours.”

“If he looks my way, I’ll remember that.” The maid laughed in delight at her own fantasy of the fabulous Lord Kincade carrying her off into the sunset. “Now, will you be needing anything else?”

“No…that’s all, but you might come back in a few minutes to help me with my gown.”

Anna nodded and disappeared from the room to allow her mistress her privacy.

Though CC knew she should hurry in order to help her father entertain his guest, she found the bath’s welcoming warmth infinitely preferable to the thought of seeing Lord Kincade again. With leisurely delight, she soaked. It was long minutes later when she finally finished washing and rose in sleek, dripping splendor from the soapy depths of the tub. CC started to reach for the towel Anna had left out for her when she noticed her own reflection in the full-length mirror across the room. She stared at herself with interest, studying her body for the first time with a critical eye. Her breasts were full, but not to the point of being heavy. The trimness of her waist emphasized the firm roundness of her hips, and her legs were slender and shapely. As she wrapped the towel about her, CC felt good about herself. She knew she was an attractive woman, and after she completed her toilette and took the extra time to artfully style her hair up and away from her face tonight, she knew she would feel confident enough to handle the very smug Lord Kincade.

“I can’t imagine what’s keeping CC,” Edward complained as he moved to the doorway of the parlor and glanced up the staircase for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Been well over half an hour now…”

“It seems the way with women.” Noah commiserated easily from where he sat on the sofa.

“Not CC,” he stated flatly, used to his daughter’s punctuality and puzzled by her tardiness.

“Really? Then she must be the exception to the rule.” Noah quirked a brow as he watched his host move about the room. He wondered idly why she was taking so long. Had she been so embarrassed by their earlier run-in that she didn’t want to face him? Noah felt certain that that had to be the reason.