They didn’t have many visitors though. If there was a knock on the door, it was because a baby was coming or because there was sickness or an accident. Or it might be a forlorn woman, requesting more nefarious aid: for a baby to be washed away, or a baby to attach to a womb, or for an enemy’s fortunes to plummet, or to halt a man’s roving eye so he’d remain faithful.
She could assist with all of those problems, but she never did. She didn’t trust people to be circumspect, and she never engaged in ill-wishing. Her ancestors had suffered through the ages, and even though it was a more modern era, she was always careful.
“Oh, look,” Clara said as they approached the gate, “someone’s here. Who do you suppose it is?”
A horse with a fancy saddle was tethered to the fence, munching on a bush, and she sighed with aggravation. “I’m fairly sure I know who it will turn out to be.”
“Who?”
“Let’s go inside, and we’ll see if I’ve guessed correctly.”
“Might you have to leave?”
“No, I promise.”
When Joanna had to rush out for an emergency, Clara tarried in the village with her teacher until Joanna was finished, but this wasn’t one of those times. They entered the house, and Clara was almost jumping with excitement.
“Hello, Miss James,” Captain Ralston said from over on her sofa. “I didn’t think you’d ever arrive.”
“Hello, Captain. May I inquire as to your purpose?”
“I was bored so I decided to stop by.”
“How did you discover where my cottage is located?”
“I asked Kit Boswell.”
“I imagine it’s futile to mention that this is my home, and I don’t appreciate you barging in like this.”
“Yes, it’s futile, but you should learn to lock your door. You’re living in the middle of nowhere, and it’s not safe to be so trusting. It borders on negligence.”
“It’s not necessary for me to lock my door. I don’t own anything that’s overly valuable. If a rogue is so desperate that he needs an item of mine, he can have it.”
“What a bizarre reply, but it’s precisely what I should have anticipated from such a peculiar female.”
He’d lit a fire in the fireplace, and he’d helped himself to a glass of wine, which meant he’d snooped in her cupboards. She couldn’t determine whether she should be annoyed or flattered by his interest. A bit of both emotions flared.
He stood and bowed to Clara. “Who is this? Will you introduce me?”
“This is my niece, Clara,” Joanna said. “Clara, this is Captain Ralston. You’ve been dying to meet him and now you have.”
Clara gave him a curtsy he didn’t deserve. “I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance, Captain.”
“And I’m very pleased to make yours. Why have you been dying to meet me?”
Clara smiled as if he hung the moon. “The girls at my school have been talking about you.”
Joanna explained, “They heard you were handsome and dashing, and I haven’t been able to convince her that you’re not.”
He winked at Clara. “Don’t listen to her. You may tell your classmates that I am as amazing as you suspected.”
“Oh, botheration . . .” Joanna grumbled under her breath.
“You have very pretty manners, Clara,” the Captain said. “You must not take after your aunt at all.”
Clara couldn’t figure out how to respond to the comment, and Joanna said, “Don’t pay any attention to him, Clara. He enjoys being a nuisance.”
Mutt was loafing on the floor next to him, reveling in the heat from the fire. The Captain had let him in, but he wasn’t usually allowed inside, and he knew it. She glared at him, and he peered back woefully, begging to be forgiven.
She clucked her tongue, then whipped the door open. She pointed out, but Mutt gazed at Captain Ralston, visually pleading with him to intercede.
“Can’t he stay?” Captain Ralston asked.
“No, and you are presuming on me horridly.”
Clara grabbed Mutt’s collar. “Come with me, boy. Don’t get yourself into trouble.”
“Play with him,” Joanna said, “while Captain Ralston and I chat. I must find out what he needs, so we can send him on his way.”
“Can’t he join us for supper?” As Clara posed the suggestion, she cast such an adoring look at the Captain that it was embarrassing to witness it.
“He’s much too busy.” Joanna was feeling gravely put-upon. “With his just being home from the navy, they’ll be expecting him to dine at the manor.”
Clara hesitated, waiting for the Captain to disagree, but thankfully, he kept his mouth shut. She left with Mutt, and once the door closed behind her, Joanna focused her irate frown on him. But he had no shame and couldn’t be cowed.
She yanked off her bonnet and shawl, then sat in the chair across from him. He was grinning, delighted by how he’d irked her, but she wasn’t irked exactly. She simply didn’t like how he’d blustered in, yet the cottage belonged to him, and she wasn’t charged any rent to live in it. If he wanted to strut in, she had no authority to tell him he couldn’t.
The prior afternoon, he’d clasped her hand and lifted her to her feet before she could tuck the appendage out of sight. She had an odd power in her palms, and when they touched some people, she could see details she shouldn’t. As a result, she tried to never hold anyone’s hand. It could be risky to possess certain information.
Unfortunately, she’d firmly connected with him, and the episode had stirred an awkward situation. She was brimming with knowledge she shouldn’t have acquired: He was an angry man, an unhappy man, a proud and exhausting man. He was conflicted about his path, about his choices—about his pending engagement.
Most disturbingly, Joanna appeared to have a destiny binding her to him, and it would unfold over the next few weeks.
She’d perceived it clearly. Not the specifics of what would occur, but she understood the general drift. Her presence in his life would provide him with something he desperately required, and until he discovered what it was, he
