The result was most horrid
All arse and no forehead,
Three balls and a purple goatee.”
The sailors lifted their mugs to toast Lord Lamb.
Chapter 24
It was late afternoon when Savage arrived back at the docks. Since he intended to captain theFlying Dragonhimself on this voyage, he had his first mate, Mr. Baines, accompany him while they inspected the ship from stem to stern. When he was satisfied that it was seaworthy, Savage gave the order to weigh anchor and piloted the vessel from its mooring out into the Thames.
From inside her small cabin Tony realized the ship was moving. That meant Savage must be aboard; they wouldn’t sail without him. Wasn’t it just like the annoying devil to let her stew in her own anxieties. She would go and find him. Nothing he could be doing was as important as giving her news of Bernard Lamb.
Savage was not in his cabin, nor the galley. She concluded he must be on deck. As she came up from below-decks, the smells and the sounds changed rapidly. Someone was barking orders above the noise of the canvas being sheeted into place, and the herring gulls screamed as they circled above the mast, gliding on the light breeze that carried the salty tang of the sea.
For one moment she felt panic rise inside her as the clipper headed out toward the ocean. She hadn’t sailed since that fateful day with Anthony. She mastered her fear, knowing it would return with full force if they ran into a storm.
As Tony made her way along the deck she realized Savage was navigating. Was there nothing the man couldn’t do? She saw that he ignored her presence even though he was well aware of it. Damn the man. His expression was inscrutable and told her nothing. As she watched him she had no idea her own face became transparent with admiration. His black hair was loose and streamed back in the wind. He wore only a light shirt with an open throat that contrasted against his dark face. There was pride and confidence in every line of his bearing. He was in control behind the wheel of a ship, as he was wherever he went or whatever he did. He was one with the wind and the sea.
As Tony’s gaze ran over his lithe muscles, she longed to be one with him. Her throat ached and she turned from him to lean against the rail. She dragged her mind from him to concentrate upon the ship. Though he hadn’t much sail aloft, the tide was taking them at a fair clip. The Thames widened as they passed Woolwich and she realized that she would be able to have a magnificent view of Edenwood from the Thames.
As they neared Gravesend, Savage maneuvered theFlying Dragonfrom midriver toward the right bank and Tony caught her breath as the magnificent Edenwood came into view. Her tall windows were golden from the last rays of the sun, her brick a deep, warm rose. She gazed at it with as much longing as she had for its owner. She knew she had lost her heart irretrievably to Edenwood. The wave of possessiveness was so strong, its intensity shocked her. She knew she had just committed another deadly sin:Thou shalt not covet.Her lips parted and a sigh escaped her.
“Lower the anchor, Mr. Baines,” Savage thundered, and she heard the chain clang and clatter through the hawsehole. She swung about to look up at him and he jerked his head in the direction of Edenwood in an unmistakable gesture commanding her to follow him.
Savage disappeared over the side and she thanked God for giving her long legs as she swung them over the rail and climbed down to the bobbing rowboat below. Savage took both oars and pitted his strength against the swift current.
As they reached the bank Tony jumped out and tied a line to a small tree. They strode together to the house and Adam told her what she had waited almost ten hours to hear.
“Your bullet only scratched your cousin, but you managed to cause a scandal by firing on the count of nine and branding yourself a coward.”
She knew the bitter taste of failure on her tongue. “I’m no coward,” she stated emphatically.
“I know that,” Savage said quietly. “How did you know he would turn and fire on the count of nine?”
She shot him a glance while her mind searched for a plausible answer. There was none. “A recurring dream.” Tony didn’t give a damn if he believed her or not.
“Animal instinct.” He nodded his approval. “It always pays to listen to your gut.”
His approval warmed her and suddenly she was relieved she hadn’t committed murder. Bernard Lamb simply wasn’t worth it!
Savage fixed her with a pale blue stare. “Don’t you care if your friends blacken the name of Anthony Lamb?”
“Not much.” She shrugged. “I know the truth and that’s all that really matters.”
Savage was well pleased with the lad’s attitude.
John Bull materialized from nowhere the moment they entered Edenwood.
“Find Tony some of those white pantaloons you wear. We are on our way to the Mediterranean. I’ll pack my own bags. We must hurry before the tide turns.”
“Why are you always so self-serving, Excellency?”
Tony hid a smile. “I’m going along so I can choose a cargo for the Indies. What do you suggest, John Bull?”
“Ah, young lord, Excellency will advise you. He knows what is best for you.” He took Tony to the servants’ wing and handed him a pile of snowy garments. “Try these on.”
Tony went into a small, mirrored bathing room in the servants’ wing. John Bull was a small man and so his cotton pants were not overly large. She would make them do. Her eye was caught by an array of exotic cosmetics that obviously belonged to Kirinda. There were dozens of little pots, vials, and bottles containing all manner of seductive creams, oils, and fragrant pastes. Her fingers itched to paint her face. Respectable young English ladies were not allowed makeup and she had never had a chance to use it, but London was full of women who did paint their faces to attract men, and it certainly seemed to work.