She wanted to be irritated by that prospect, but she couldn’t be. He was rich, handsome, and interesting. Why not bask in a bit of fraternization? Her days were nearly always the same. She worked, she brewed her medicines, she delivered babies, and she nursed those who were ailing.
It was a rare occasion when her routine varied. Why not wallow in the distraction he would supply?
There was a reason she’d met him. It seemed inevitable. It had begun when her Aunt Pru had moved them to Ralston, the home of Captain Miles Ralston who’d rescued Joanna in the Caribbean.
He’d been deceased for many years, but Joanna had a fond place in her heart for him. During their final conversation, she’d begged him to watch over her forever, and he’d sworn he would, so she viewed her relocating to his estate as having been engineered by him from the other side.
Jacob was his son, and she supposed their burgeoning friendship was part of his father’s plan too. From how sparks erupted when they were together, it was obvious they shared a very potent physical attraction. Might it ignite into a romance?
A relationship might turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Or it might turn out to be a catastrophe. The cards—that she kept carefully hidden—were practically shouting at her to learn how it would evolve, but she absolutely would not read them.
“I asked you this when I first arrived,” she said, “but you didn’t answer. Why are you in my parlor?”
“I told you. I was bored, and I decided you should entertain me.”
“I’ve explained to you that I’m not a woman of leisure. I always have chores, so I don’t have a minute to waste on you.”
“You don’t have to ignore your chores. I’ll simply follow after you and quietly observe, and I’ll be completely entranced. You never cease to astonish me.”
“You’re being silly.”
“I’ve been accused of having many peculiar traits, but being silly is not one of them.”
“How about annoying then? How about pompously aggravating?”
“I’ve heard that too.” He gestured around the room. “Do you like living here? Does it suit your needs?”
“Yes, I like it.”
“I thought I should check. I am your landlord after all, but I have to say—now that I’ve met you and Clara—I don’t like you being so isolated. I could easily envision a despicable character sneaking in with felonious motives.”
“Who would wish to harm me? And we have Mutt to guard us.”
“He’s the nicest dog ever. What type of protection could he furnish?”
“He’s only nice because he likes you, but he’s ferociously loyal. If he judged you to be a fiend, he wouldn’t let you within a hundred feet of me.”
He snorted, then downed the remnants of his wine. The bottle was on the table in front of him, and she stood and refilled his glass. Before she could pull away, he grabbed her wrist and ran a finger up her arm.
She remained very still, watching him, curious as to what he intended. She could have clasped his palm and gotten a clearer idea, but from his hot look, it wasn’t much of a mystery. She’d piqued his manly instincts.
She’d never had a beau, so his attention was producing many heady sensations. She could have dawdled all afternoon and allowed him to ogle her, but she wasn’t a frivolous debutante seeking a flirtation. She yanked away and sat down again, and he studied her as if he were a wolf and she a rabbit he was stalking.
He had wicked goals with regard to her, and she suspected he’d be able to coax her into all sorts of conduct she shouldn’t permit. The notion made her smile and recall her mother, Belinda, who’d had a lengthy affair with Joanna’s father.
He’d been an earl’s fourth son, a gambler and wastrel with no money or prospects, but he’d been wild for Belinda and wouldn’t stay away—despite how she struggled to tamp down his ardor. He would never have married her, both because he’d been too top-lofty to consider it, but also because he’d already been married.
Their passionate amour had outraged his lawful wife, and eventually, she’d grown tired of it. Belinda had fled England to escape her wrath.
Joanna’s father had declined to intervene and help them, which had led to the shipwreck, which had led to Joanna and her mother being marooned on a deserted island, which had led to Belinda dying there and leaving her alone with Caro and Libby, which had led to her being rescued by Captain Miles Ralston, which had led to her being returned to England and hailed as a Lost Girl of the Caribbean, which had led too . . .
“Why are you smiling?” he asked. “I swear, you constantly resemble Eve in the Garden. I’m sure that’s exactly how she smiled at Adam as she lured him to his doom.”
“I was thinking about my mother.”
“Why would a conversation with me bring your mother to mind?”
“I was pondering how Fate guides our steps.”
“I don’t believe in Fate.”
“You should.”
“I don’t.”
“How about omens and magic?”
“No.”
“How about ghosts?”
“Definitely not.”
She wondered if that was true. She frequently felt his father’s ghost hovering. Had he ever noticed the same? Perhaps his father’s spirit was only attached to the estate, and since his son was rarely on the property, he never sensed his presence.
“You’re a sailor,” she said. “Aren’t all of you incredibly superstitious?”
“The enlisted men usually are, but I like to imagine I’m smart enough to know fact from fiction.”
“If you don’t believe in Fate, how can you explain being in my cottage?”
“I have absolutely no idea.”
He appeared so bewildered that she laughed. “You poor boy. What if your fascination grows until you’re wandering in circles?”
“I’ll try to control myself. Who was your mother?”
He’d switched subjects so fast that she was practically dizzy. Normally, she didn’t discuss her mother, but she answered him. What could it hurt?
“Belinda James.”
“Is she still with us?”
“No. She died many years ago.”
“Who was her family?”
“No one of
