She frowned, her mouth opening in surprise. She might have said something then, but her words were cut off whenScottie reappeared. He was carrying a tea tray and a beaming expression, as if doing his job was a thrilling accomplishment.
‘Thank you, Scottie,’ she said calmly. ‘You can wait outside now until his lordship requires more help.’
Spoken like a British lady when dismissing a servant. She had perfect intonation, perfect delivery. She’d grown so much from the skittish girl he’d first met. And in that vein, he found his voice, speaking like the self-important peer he’d once been.
‘I’ll need a shave, Scottie. Do find what I need and come back in a half hour. I trust that you can keep your hand steady or that you will find someone else.’
‘Er, yes, my lord. Right away, my lord.’
‘Good man,’ he lied. He actually thought Scottie was a young puppy with too much lustful imagination. But that was because Cedric was an old man with a lustful imagination. ‘Shut the door as you leave.’
‘No, Scottie,’ Lucy interrupted. ‘Leave it ajar. But you may go find what you need.’
‘Yes, my lady,’ the man said with a quick bow.
‘Miss Richards,’ Cedric corrected. Lucy wasn’t a lady, not officially. She had no title, so her proper address would be Miss Richards. But it wasn’t Cedric’s place to correct the boy. Especially since Cedric didn’t have the right to call her by her given name either. There was no formal engagement between them. So if he took liberties with her name, then why couldn’t the staff as well?
The servants followed the master, didn’t they? And he was being an ass.
He saw Lucy’s arch look at him. She knew everything he was thinking. It didn’t help that the boy coloured red up to his ears and bowed himself out while leaving the door wide open. Cedric ran a hand over his face, feeling the rough skin, the patchyscratch of his beard and the sharp jut of his bones. A scarecrow probably looked better than he did.
And why the hell was he wasting his time with Lucy? Medicines and overeager servants weren’t important.
‘Pray tell me what you’ve been doing since I left. Caring for your father, obviously, but since then?’
She shrugged as she poured her tea. ‘Much as I did before. I help my sister. I go to parties.’
She fell silent and he frowned at her. ‘You barely did that before. Your interests were in your father’s boats and cargo. In how the accounts were managed. You wanted more investors to reduce your risk.’
She set her teacup down as she studied him. ‘You remember that?’
He gaped at her. ‘Of course I remember.’ Some of their happiest and most frustrating times were when they argued about such things. It had been a daily discussion between them, and he longed for such ease with her again.
‘Tell me what you decided. Tell me how it went.’
She was quiet for a bit, then she spoke, slowly warming to her topic. ‘It went badly,’ she said. ‘With my father so ill, no one would invest with us. Even Declan tried to help, but you were the one who could bring people to the venture. You were always the one they believed in. Not my father and certainly not me.’
He shook his head. ‘I never hid your involvement. But each person cared about a different thing, had different reasons to invest with us.’
She nodded. ‘You understand that. I never did. And so without you, we floundered.’
‘You didn’t sail?’ he asked. He knew now how risky shipping could be, but without sailing a cargo, she would have no income at all.
‘One ship. The others wait for investors.’
‘I can help you,’ he said, warming to the possibility. ‘My investors will be pleased. I can get more.’
She bit her lower lip even as she looked down at her hands. ‘So you intend to sail again?’ Her words sounded casual, but he could see the tension in her body.
‘I understand the business better now. And there is joy in the work,’ he said. ‘But I want to be England for a while.’ He wanted to be with her.
‘A while?’ she pressed.
Maybe forever. ‘I am a good sailor now, but not a gifted one. My skills are best used here with the investors.’ He had gone all around the world. Twice! Only to learn that he was happiest at home. Hopefully with her.
‘I would be grateful for your help,’ she said.
He smiled, feeling some of their rapport return. He ached to touch her, but he didn’t dare yet. She was still reserved with him, and he did not want to rush her.