She sounded wounded. He smiled. 'Yes,' he answered. 'I have to attend,' he added. 'And you have to be reasonable about this.'
The set of his jaw told her he wasn't going to give in. She drummed her fingertips on the tabletop in agitation.
'It's rude to read your correspondence while at the table.'
Colin was so occupied reading the letter from his partner, he didn't hear his wife's rebuke. He finished the long missive, then put the papers on the table.
'Nathan's wife has given him a baby girl. They've named her Joanna. The letter's almost three months old and he mentioned that as soon as Sara is feeling well enough, he's going to bring her and the baby back to London for a brief visit. Jimbo will watch the offices while he's gone.'
'Who is Jimbo?' Alesandra asked, smiling over the odd name.
'A very good friend,' Colin answered. 'He's captain of one of our ships, the
'This is all good news, Colin,' she remarked.
'Yes, of course.'
'Then why are you frowning?'
He hadn't realized he was frowning until she asked him why. He leaned back in his chair and gave her his full attention. 'Nathan wants to offer ten or twenty shares of stock for sale. I hate the idea and I know that deep down Nathan feels the same way. I understand, however. He has a family now and wants to provide for them. He and Sara have been living in rented rooms, and now that the baby's here he wants more permanent quarters.'
'Why are you two so opposed to stockholders?'
'We want to maintain control.'
She was exasperated with him. 'If only ten or twenty shares are sold, you and Nathan will still be the major stockholders and therefore in complete control.'
He didn't seem impressed with her logic, for he continued to frown. She tried another approach. 'What if you sold the stock to family members?'
'No.'
'Why, in heaven's name, not?'
He let out a sigh. 'It would be the same as a loan.'
'It would not,' she argued. 'Caine and your father would make a handsome profit eventually. It would be a sound investment.'
'Why did you send for Winters?'
He was deliberately changing the topic on her. She wasn't ready to let him. 'Has Nathan given permission for this sale?'
'Yes.'
'And when will you decide?'
'I've already decided. I'll have Dreyson handle the transaction. Now, enough about this. Answer my question. Why did you send for Winters?'
'I already explained,' she began. 'My throat…'
'I know,' Colin said. 'You had a scratch in your throat.'
Alesandra was folding and refolding her napkin. 'Actually it was a little tickle.'
'Yes,' he agreed. 'Now I want you to tell me the truth. And look at me while you explain.'
She dropped the napkin in her lap and finally looked up at him. 'It's rude of you to suggest I would lie.'
'Did you?'
'Yes.'
'Why?'
'Because if I told you the truth, you'd become irritated with me.'
'You will not lie to me in future, wife. Give me your word.'
'You lied to me.'
'When?'
'When you told me you didn't work for Sir Richards any longer. I saw the cash entries in the ledgers, Colin, and I heard him talk to you about a new assignment. Yes, you lied to me. If you give me your promise not to lie in future, I'll be happy to give you my word.'
'Alesandra, it isn't at all the same.'
'No, it isn't.'
She was suddenly furious with her husband. She tossed the napkin down on the table just as Flannaghan came through the swinging door with a tray laden with food in his hands. 'I don't take risks, Colin. You do. You don't give a twit about me, do you?'
She didn't give him time to answer her question but rushed on. 'You've deliberately involved yourself in danger. I would never do such a thing. Now that we are married, I not only think about my well-being, I think about yours. If something happened to you, I would be devastated. Yet if something happened to me, I believe you would only be mildly inconvenienced. My funeral would force you to put your work aside for a few hours. Do excuse me, sir, before I say something more I know I'll regret.'
She didn't wait for his permission to leave the table. She ignored his command to sit back down, too, and ran all the way up to her bedroom. She wanted to vent her frustration by slamming the door shut. She didn't give in to that urge, however, for it wouldn't be dignified.
Thankfully, Colin didn't follow her. Alesandra needed to be alone now so she could get a grip on her own rioting emotions. She was a bit stunned she'd become so angry with Colin so quickly. She wasn't Colin's keeper, she told herself. If he wanted to work for Richards, she couldn't and wouldn't try to talk him into quitting. But he shouldn't want to take such risks, she decided. If he cared at all about her, he wouldn't deliberately hurt her this way.
Alesandra tried to walk the anger away. She paced back and forth in front of the hearth for a good ten minutes, muttering all the while.
'Mother Superior would never place herself in danger. She knew how I depended upon her and she never would have taken risks. She loved me, damn it.'
Even though she wasn't Catholic, Alesandra still made the sign of the cross after muttering that blasphemy.
'I doubt Richards would ask the nun to work for him, Alesandra.'
Colin made that comment from the doorway. She had been so intent on her ranting and raving she hadn't heard the door open. She turned around and found her husband lounging against the frame. His arms were casually folded across his chest. He was smiling, but it was the tenderness she saw in his eyes that almost did her in. 'Your amusement displeases me.'
'Your behavior displeases me,' he countered. 'Why didn't you tell me you were upset about all this business with Richards?'
'I didn't know I was.'
He raised an eyebrow over that odd admission. 'Do you want me to quit?'
She started to nod, then changed her mind and shook her head instead. 'I want you to want to quit. There's a difference, Colin. God willing, someday you might understand.'
'Help me understand now.'
She turned around to face the hearth before she spoke again. 'I never would have taken deliberate risks while I lived at the convent-at least, not after the lesson I learned. There was a fire, you see, and I was trapped inside. I got out just as the roof collapsed. Mother Superior was beside herself with worry. She actually wept. She was so thankful I was all right and so furious with me because I'd taken one of the candles out of the holder so I could read Victoria 's letter instead of praying like I was supposed to be doing… and I
felt terrible because I'd caused her so much distress. The fire was an accident, but I made a promise to myself not to act foolish again.'
'How did you act foolish if it was an accident?'
'I kept going back inside to save the pictures and the smaller statues the nuns put such store in.'
