Close to the Wind Read online

  ‘Yes of course. You too.’

  ‘Why do you sound so breathless?’ asked Julia.

  ‘Do I? No reason.’ Feeling very flustered, Georgiana ushered her charge away to their cabin.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sailing into Cape Town was breathtaking. Table Mountain stretched long and flat against the brilliant blue of the sky. The harbour bristled with the masts of ships from all over the world and, as the sailors secured the vessel, Georgiana could hear other languages being shouted on neighbouring ships. The children were literally jigging for joy at the sight of land and, thanks to Julia’s friendship with the captain, they were amongst the first passengers taken ashore. The ground pitched under their feet much to the children’s delight.

  ‘Why is the land moving?’ Sebastian demanded.

  ‘It’s not – it’s our legs,’ said Georgiana, laughing. ‘We have to get our land legs back.’

  Mr Taylor, quiet as ever, smiled at his exuberant offspring, then turned to Georgiana. ‘What would you like to do, Miss Trent?’

  ‘Go exploring,’ shrieked the children.

  ‘Yes indeed, please.’ Georgiana’s fervent tones made his smile widen.

  ‘Let us go, then,’ he said.

  Having been the centre of shipping routes for three hundred years, Cape Town was diverse and exciting in every aspect. The narrow streets were lined with two-storied houses with exquisite, wrought-iron balconies. Others had shutters painted jaunty colours. There were beautiful stone churches and small parks studded with shady trees and colourful birds.

  The shops were a treasure trove of goods which came from all corners of the world, and in Market Square the stalls overflowed with fruit and vegetables of such size and colour that Georgiana found it hard to believe they were real. Many were entirely foreign to her. One fruit smelt especially exotic and she closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply.

  ‘Mango,’ said the seller, picking one up and offering the large orange fruit to her. ‘Very nice, you buy.’

  ‘Oh please, Father!’

  ‘Just this once,’ said Mr Taylor, buying them all one. They sat in the shade of a tree to try eating them. Soon all were smothered in the sticky sweet juice which ran down chins and arms to their elbows.

  ‘Mmm,’ said Julia. ‘I love Cape Town. I wish we could stay here forever.’

  She didn’t quite get her wish, but the ship did remain in port for several days. On the third morning Georgiana and the children were gazing into a toy shop window in Adderley Street while Mr Taylor was in the bank, when she saw in the wavering reflections the profile of a man who looked surprisingly familiar. He was standing with his back to them, but his face was turned sideways looking up the street. It simply wasn’t possible of course but, as she leaned closer to see, it really did seem to be – Jasper? With a gasp, Georgiana whirled around. At that moment, the man spied a gap between the carriages and carts and dashed across the street. He was immediately swallowed up by the crowds and Georgiana was left gazing after him.

  Disbelief warred with fear. The hairs on her neck prickled and her back suddenly felt terribly exposed. Turning back to the window, she tried to reason with herself. Jasper here? Ridiculous! He would never imagine his cousin would attempt to travel across the world by herself. Besides, even if the ludicrous notion had come to him, he’d have been so incensed by her disappearance he’d have washed his hands of her. Jasper never made a move unless it was in his own best interests. If she was not going to marry him, he had nothing to gain from pursuing her. Yet the memory of that profile, with its arrogant tilt to the jaw, filled her with a cold dread.

  Abruptly, she turned to the children. ‘It’s terribly hot, I think we should go back to the ship.’

  ‘No!’ wailed Sebastian. ‘You said we’d go see the monkeys.’

  The gardens on the lower slope of the mountain were the haunt of opportunistic monkeys who came down to entertain the humans in exchange for food. The monkeys were so tame, they’d even accept food from the children’s hands.

  Julia was more observant than her brother. ‘What’s wrong, Miss Trent? You’ve gone awfully white.’

  Georgiana managed a shaky smile. ‘It’s just the heat.’

  ‘You promised we’d go today!’ Sebastian cried again. ‘You said if I was good and I have been good, haven’t I?’

  She looked into the angry little face and saw tears welling. How could she disappoint him? She was just being silly. Of course Jasper couldn’t be here. Her aunt had always accused her of an overactive imagination.

  ‘You’re right, I did promise. Oh look, there’s your father.’

  Despite having the somewhat absentminded protection of Mr Taylor, for the rest of the time onshore Georgiana kept her face averted, snatching hasty looks around her when she dared. She never caught so much as a glimpse of Jasper again but was still relieved to return to the safety of the ship.

  That evening, still feeling jangled, but angry with herself for her unfounded fears, Georgiana took her seat at the dinner table and saw that the place next to her was set once more. A replacement must have been found and speculation rippled up and down the table.

  ‘Who is it?’ asked Mrs Roper. ‘Does anyone know?’

  ‘Heard he’s a remarkable young man,’ said the colonel.

  Relief washed over Georgiana. They’d set sail again and that man in the reflection – not that it was Jasper, of course – would cease to matter. Captain Dunn interrupted these thoughts as he arrived at the door.

  ‘My apologies for being late, but I have good news for us all. I have just found a new officer of considerable experience, so our journey will begin once more. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce Mr Richard Miller.’

  The captain stepped inside so that everyone could see their new officer. Georgiana whitened and she made a small exclamation which she quickly turned into a spluttering cough. Everyone turned to look at her as she took a hasty drink from her glass. It was just as well. Shocked recognition flared in ‘Mr Miller’s’ face, closely followed by thunderous disapproval. Then his expression smoothed out and he stepped into the cabin.

  ‘Let me introduce you to our companions,’ said the captain. ‘At the far end is our esteemed Doctor Carmichael and beside him is Mrs Roper,’ and so he proceeded down the table until he reached Georgiana. ‘And last, but by no means least, may I present Miss Sarah Trent.’

  His eyes seemed to burn with suppressed emotions, but on hearing the name, Georgiana saw – and her wicked heart leapt – humour conquer them all as one black brow rose.

  ‘Miss Trent.’ The gentle emphasis he placed on the second word caused her to blush. ‘I am very pleased to make your acquaintance.’

  ‘You will certainly become well acquainted on the voyage,’ said the captain. ‘As you can see, this is your place by her side.’

  ‘So it is,’ he said, slipping into the seat. ‘How delightful to meet you all,’ and he smiled at the group. Was she the only one, she wondered, to see the impudence in that smile? To feel his boundless energy held in check? ‘Please start your meal. I must apologise for having held you up. I needed to bid farewell to my other ship.’

  ‘I can imagine you did, Mr Miller.’ Georgiana, despite a tumult of emotions, took some relish in stressing his name. The lieutenant’s small grin told her he appreciated the irony. ‘Did you feel guilty to abandon the crew so abruptly?’

  ‘Not at all,’ he answered. ‘The ship was bound for Australia, but New Zealand was my real destination. The captain understood that from the start. When I heard of the position offered on this ship, I jumped at the opportunity. There was no problem at all, for the captain was a reasonable man and I was easy to replace.’

  ‘With all your experience?’ Georgiana feigned surprise.

  ‘I’d signed on as an extra hand because it was the fi
rst position I could find.’ As Harry looked affably around the table, his foot pressed down hard on hers. She threw him a swift, burning look but fell silent. Turning to Colonel Briggs, he asked whether the colonel had been involved in the land wars in New Zealand and the conversation shifted to the safety of general discussion.

  Georgiana, who usually tackled her food with robust enjoyment, only toyed with her meal and paid perfunctory attention to the conversation around her. Her thoughts and emotions were in a terrible tangle. At the same time, all her senses were suddenly, vividly, splendidly alive.

  His arm lay but inches from hers and her foot still tingled with the pressure of his boot though he had not hurt her. She knew full well that Harry Trent had had to disappear, but his choice of surname made her blood run quick. Under the guise of asking for salt and pouring the children more water even when they said they’d had enough, she could not resist stealing glances at Mr Miller.

  The salt-stained clothes had been replaced by an immaculate uniform and his normally tousled hair was swept back in sleek waves, but his voice, his laugh were as she had recalled so often to herself in quiet moments. When she raised her glass, she saw that her hand shook.

  Harry meanwhile had recovered from the immediate shock of seeing her but was still battling a number of conflicting emotions. He was, of course, furious. Did the silly girl not possess one iota of common sense? One inkling of propriety? One whisker of self-preservation? Clearly not, given the way she had so calmly overturned his plans. He had sailed away, relieved to think that at least Sally and George were safe, little realising that once again she’d lied, pulling the wool over his eyes – fool that he was. Yet seeing her sitting there, demure and self-possessed in that damned governess dress, he was hard put not to laugh. And he hadn’t laughed for weeks – not since that day in Madeira. She’d even had the audacity to take his name and the name of his ship. He’d hit on Miller as it was, he’d told himself, as good a pseudonym as any, but now they had swapped identities. Only Georgiana da Silva could get him into such a ludicrous situation.

  She was looking well, though. Her hair had grown and the gaslight picked out the red and gold tints in her curls. Her extraordinary eyes were bigger and brighter than he’d remembered. But that was beside the point. There were issues that needed sorting. Her insubordination for a start.

  ‘So Miss Trent,’ he said, his tone carefully conversational, ‘do tell me – how is it you come to be travelling to New Zealand?’

  His eyes bore into hers. She met his gaze without flinching. ‘I had the misfortune to be abandoned in Madeira,’ she replied, equally lightly, equally pointedly.

  The little girl with long plaits – Julia? – cut in. ‘Yes, Miss Trent was travelling with her cousin to see her brother, but her cousin got terribly sick and had to return to England. Then the captain of the ship she was on just sailed away with almost everything she owned in the world.’

  Harry was startled. ‘The ship sailed without you?’

  ‘It was a French ship,’ young Sebastian explained.

  ‘A French ship?’ Harry raised a brow. ‘Ah, you should have stayed with the English then, Miss Trent.’

  She clearly caught the edge in his voice because her eyes flashed, but before she could come up with one of her preposterous excuses, Captain Dunn came to her defence.

  ‘Not her fault,’ he pointed out. ‘She trusted him, they’d had an agreement. The captain was a rogue, sailing off like that.’

  Harry looked down at the roll he was buttering. ‘He certainly sounds like it – but perhaps there was a reason?’

  ‘None that I could see. I will never forgive him,’ she said in a low voice.

  She could never forgive? Her effrontery was breathtaking.

  ‘Surely you should have returned to England with your cousin?’

  ‘She didn’t want to,’ supplied Sebastian, ‘because she absolutely must find her brother.’

  Was Harry the only one at the table to find her behaviour outrageous? ‘All the same, it is foolhardy to venture abroad alone.’

  ‘But, she isn’t alone,’ Julia cut in. ‘Mr Mellors rescued Miss Trent and now she is our governess.’

  Governess? Again Harry had to repress a terrible desire to laugh.

  Georgiana beamed at her benefactors. ‘And I am extremely grateful to both Mr Mellors and Mr Taylor.’

  ‘I was only too happy to be of service,’ said Mellors. During the introductions, Harry had spared the big man with the farmer’s countenance little thought. But now there was something in his tone that caught Harry’s attention.

  ‘Miss Trent has proved to be a godsend,’ said Mr Taylor. ‘She’s excellent with the children.’

  Rosy with gratification, Georgiana shot a triumphant sideways glance at Harry but he just said, ‘A godsend? You must be a treasure indeed, Miss Trent.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’m just grateful I can be of help. I’d hate to be a liability, you know. Now, I must prove my worth, for I can see Sebastian and Julia have finished their meals and are almost asleep – it has been a busy day. I have a slight headache myself so will retire with them. If you will excuse me.’ Georgiana gathered her skirts.

  The men rose and the farmer said with unnecessary solicitude, ‘I do hope your headache is not severe, Miss Trent.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr Mellors. I’ll be fine in the morning.’

  ‘Good. Then I will look forward to renewing our acquaintance, Miss Trent,’ said Harry with a meaningful look and a small bow. Oh yes, she could beat a retreat tonight, but they were going to be locked together on this ship for a good many weeks. He’d have plenty of time to get the full story out of her and this time he was damned if he was going to be fobbed off with more of her lies. Georgie, however, just gave a slight toss of her head.

  ‘How kind of you, Mr Miller, but you must not trouble yourself. I know how busy you will be.’

  ‘Yes,’ Mellors added. ‘We scarcely saw anything of Mr Collins, for he was often taken away by his duties.’

  Harry turned back to the farmer. ‘No doubt I’ll find out how hectic my schedule is over the coming weeks.’

  His smile was as false as Mellors as they locked eyes.

  ‘Well, good evening to you all,’ said Georgiana as she hustled the children away.

  And Harry, for the first time in weeks, felt lighter in the heart, his predicament suddenly a little less grim and considerably more problematic.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The following day, Georgiana, her employer and her charges all went ashore for the final time. The children begged to go to the markets, but Georgiana needed to make some last minute purchases of a more feminine nature.

  ‘Would you mind if I left the children with you?’ she asked Mr Taylor. ‘I’ll only be gone ten minutes.’

  He looked doubtful. ‘I don’t think you ought to be walking the streets unaccompanied.’

  ‘You needn’t worry,’ Georgiana assured him. ‘I know my way around and, besides, the town’s filled with the ship’s passengers. I’m only popping up Adderley Street.’

  Mr Taylor looked uneasy, but his clamorous offspring grabbed his hands and began towing him away. ‘Be careful,’ he called over his shoulder.

  The freedom of being alone, if only for a short spell, was a relief. She wanted to have a moment to think. The children, excited at the notion of setting sail again, had been hard to settle the previous night and had woken early. Georgiana had been spared the sight of Harry over breakfast, but still needed time to gather her thoughts. Fate had twisted their paths together once again and she did not know what to make of it. There was relief, of course, she told herself, now she knew he was no closer to Charlie than she was. There was apprehension too but not, she mused, fear. Excitement, rather. The mere thought of Harry in close proximity, day after day, made her stomach c
hurn in a most unseemly and disconcertingly delicious way.

  Oblivious of the people around her, Georgiana was making her way up Adderley Street when her arm was seized in a painful grip.

  ‘Georgiana?’ The voice was sharp with disbelief.

  Her heart bucked. This was no wavering reflection in front of her and the fingers biting into her arm were real.

  ‘Jasper!’

  As always, he was immaculately dressed, brown hair combed back from his clever, narrow features. He laughed. ‘What a giddy chase you have led me on, coz. What luck to meet you here of all places!’

  If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought she heard relief in his voice, and inwardly she cursed her stupidity in being alone. Harry’s unexpected appearance had driven all other thoughts from her mind.

  ‘What on earth are you doing here?’ She tried to shake her arm free but his hold tightened.

  ‘Looking for you, of course.’

  ‘I left word I was headed for Scotland.’

  ‘I know what the note said, but I’m not such a fool, Georgiana.’ His smile did not reach his eyes. ‘Come, we need to talk.’ His tone was coaxing and very reasonable but still he did not relinquish his grip.

  ‘I have nothing to say to you.’

  ‘Don’t be like that. I don’t know what’s got into your head, but I’m sure we can sort it out.’

  ‘There’s nothing to sort out. Leave me alone, Jasper.’ Again she tried to twist free, but Jasper, after a swift look around, began dragging her into a side alley.

  ‘Let go of my arm! You’re hurting me!’

  ‘Just a few minutes to explain,’ he said, and though Georgiana struggled, his grip was remorseless. In seconds, she was out of the sunlit street, thronged with people, and in the dim alley where all sounds were suddenly muffled.

  ‘What do you think you are doing, Jasper?’ She tried to sound calm but her heart hammered.