With that charge, Kate bestirred herself to retort. “You are mocking me.”
“Never,” he replied with a straight face.
She returned a weak smile. “Perhaps you should toss me overboard now and put me out of my misery.”
“Don’t think I won’t, if you become too much of a burden.”
Kate managed a small laugh. Ribbing her was Deverill’s way of easing her fear, she knew. He was trying to buck up her courage, and for that she was grateful. She hated feeling so craven.
“Why don’t I tell you about my shipping company?” Deverill asked. “If you intend to wallow in your apprehension, the least I can do is attempt to distract you.”
“Yes, please do,” Kate said fervently.
“As you may know, my family owns a fleet of merchant ships, all built to our designs, headquartered in Virginia. Richmond, to be precise….”
For the next hour, Deverill entertained her with tales about his business endeavors. Surprisingly, Kate found herself diverted enough that she didn’t mind when the schooner tacked out of the sound into the wind-driven rollers of the Channel. She was even growing accustomed to the rhythmic pitch of the deck as the bow of the ship carved purposefully through each successive wave.
Holding on to the railing, Kate glanced overhead at the forest of masts and billowing white canvas. She could see two men in the rigging, swinging from the yards without any trace of uncertainty or fear.
Still, the motion reminded her of her aunt.
“I should go below and check on Aunt Rachel. I hope her nausea is not too severe.”
“I will have our cook make her some ginger tea.”
“You have ginger tea on board?”
“An ample supply,” he said dryly. “My mother is a poor sailor and insists on being well stocked.”
“I could help prepare it,” Kate offered. “I would like to stay busy.”
“I will take you to the galley, then.”
They left the foredeck for the waist of the ship. When they reached the galley, Deverill turned her over to the cook, who fired up the iron stove to boil water.
When eventually Kate carried a mug of steaming tea to her aunt’s cabin, Rachel still looked pale but not entirely indisposed. Instead, she was sitting up in her bunk, attempting to concentrate on reading a book.
“My seasickness is not as extreme as I feared,” she told Kate.
“Then perhaps you should return outside. The fresh air could do you good.”
“I am better off here, my dear. I believe you should have time alone with Lord Valmere.”
Kate’s instincts went on alert. “Should I? Are you trying to matchmake, Aunt?”
Her suspicions were confirmed when Rachel and Cornelius shared a guilty look. When Kate narrowed her gaze disapprovingly, her uncle cleared his throat and scurried from the cabin.
“Have you only been pretending to be ill?” Kate asked her aunt.
“Not in the least. Lying down truly helped relieve my nausea.” When Kate appeared skeptical, Rachel flushed. “You should not be put out if we wish to give you more privacy with Valmere, my dear. You know that we only want what is best for you. I can see the strong attachment between the two of you and think you should nurture it.”
Kate couldn’t repress a faint smile. “Your machinations are worthy of my own, although I would never have expected Uncle to act as your romantic accomplice.”
Rachel’s cheeks grew warmer. “In truth, he is just as eager as I to see Valmere’s suit prosper. Perhaps because we were separated for years. Cornelius and I wasted so much time, Kate. You don’t want to live with our same regrets.”
Kate gave a sober nod. Almost everyone believed longtime bachelor Lord Cornelius to be a boring, staid aberration in the Wilde family, and that, because he eschewed social interactions in favor of his ancient tomes, he hadn’t inherited the legacy of passion the rest of their clan claimed. But “almost everyone” was mistaken. Last year had come a startling revelation even for his family—that Cornelius and Rachel were former lovers and that Daphne Farnwell was their daughter, the product of their illicit affair two decades earlier.
Looking sad at the memory, Rachel searched Kate’s face intently. “If you think Valmere is your true mate, you should do everything in your power to make your union come to pass.”