His expression showed no emotion. "Yes, but he escaped on the dinghy before I could do so."
"I don't understand."
"The closer we got to harbor, the more chance that he would jump ship to escape. I thought to drop anchor while we were still far enough out that he would not do so."
"But the search could have taken days." She stared at him, not comprehending. "Even if you had found him immediately, we would have lost the momentum we were running under."
"It doesn't matter now." He frowned, his eyes filled with frustrated anger. "He escaped before we had the chance."
"Surely that is best. If he had not escaped, you would have disappointed your investors and yourself."
He turned her into his arms, the warmth of his big body surrounding her.
She should pull away. What if the servants saw them? He would undoubtedly say that she had been compromised. However, she could not resist the intensity in his eyes.
"Your safety is more important to me than disappointing my investors."
His aunt had been right. There were weightier matters than his honor. It was her last coherent thought before Drake's mouth rocked over hers. Her body turned to liquid at the first touch of his lips. He had not kissed her since the fateful afternoon aboard ship when they had made love. Although she had tried to tell herself that was exactly what she wanted, she knew now that she had been lying. She wanted this—Drake's mouth covering her own intimately and with purpose.
"Pierson."
Lady Boyle's strident tones broke the hazy passion swirling around Thea. Drake released her slowly and then turned to face his aunt.
"Aunt Josephine. I did not realize you were there."
"Apparently." She pointed one of her ever-present knitting needles at him. "You also apparently did not notice that you were taking unacceptable liberties with Thea in plain view of anyone who happened by. You might very well have been seen by one of the servants."
Drake bowed toward his aunt. "I am terribly sorry, Aunt Josephine. I will remember to keep my libertine ways with Thea private in future."
Lady Boyle's mouth opened and shut, but nothing came out.
Thea glared at Drake. "Stop it. You will not upset your aunt this way." She turned to Lady Boyle. "What he means to say is that he won't be taking any liberties in the future."
Lady Boyle harrumphed. "I very much doubt that."
It was Thea's turn to be speechless.
Drake popped her mouth shut by pressing her chin up with his finger. "My aunt appears to know me better than you do."
Thea batted his hand away.
Irritated beyond caution, she replied, "I sincerely doubt that is the case, unless you have a most unnatural relationship."
She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, but it was too late. The words were already out. She turned a guarded glance toward Lady Boyle, wondering if she had given the older woman a complete disgust of her.
Surprisingly, the dowager allowed her laughter to mingle with Drake's bark of amusement. "Come along, you two. You must plan your visit to Lady Upworth. She will be in alt to find out that Thea has come to Town. I am specifically waiting to take Thea shopping for her London wardrobe until Lady Upworth has been apprised of her presence. She will want to take part in the shopping, I'm sure."
Drake pulled his curricle to a stop in front of the old-fashioned town house. Its exterior looked quite different from that of Lady Boyle's. Thea marveled at the brickwork, so unlike anything back home. She marveled at something else as well. Lady Upworth's home was not mired in layers of coal dust like so many buildings in London. She wondered how her aunt had managed it.
She broke the silence she had kept since leaving Lady Boyle's. "Do you think she will like me?"
"You told me that you two have corresponded since you learned to write."
She relaxed a little, thinking of the hundreds of letters she had exchanged with her aunt over her lifetime. "Yes."
"Then she no doubt already loves you."
The words warmed her and she turned a grateful smile to Drake. "Thank you."