He turned and knelt on the bed, reaching for her. “Sweetest one, I expect they do just what we’ve been doing.”
“Ew!” Maddy said. “I don’t want to picture that.”
“Well, your sister’s already had proof when it comes to you,” he replied cheerfully, and, sinking forward, Maddy hid her face in the covers and moaned.
They dressed in record time, making do with the tepid bowl of water left from earlier in the day. Maddy didn’t bother with a corset, shoes, or her hair—Luca was right; it was a lost cause. She slid her arm through his, more for courage than anything else, and they descended the wide front stairs to the first floor and the library.
Bryony was sitting on the sofa, curled up against a stranger. No, not a stranger—Maddy had met him when she’d visited the shipyards with her father. It was Adrian Bruton, the Earl of Kilmartyn, her sister’s husband.
Her sister Bryony, who’d insisted she’d never marry, was sitting there positively glowing with happiness. Maddy blinked. It was almost as if she’d never really seen her sister before. She was a beautiful woman.
Fortunately for her new brother-in-law, he was looking at his wife with complete adoration. The two of them rose when Maddy and Luca entered the room, and Maddy had the vain hope that the heat in her face came from the small fire that was taking the dampness from the air and not an embarrassed flush.
The polite introductions that followed were almost comical, Maddy thought, giving Kilmartyn a fierce perusal. He was quite good-looking, though of course he couldn’t hold a candle to Luca’s dark beauty, and Maddy could remember vague tales of his libertine reputation.
“I should warn you,” Maddy said in a quiet voice, once they’d all taken seats, “that if you hurt my sister, I’ll have my husband gut you like a herring.”
“Herring are too small, darling,” Luca said solemnly. “I’d more likely gut him like a shark.”
“How about a swordfish?” Kilmartyn suggested. “I rather fancy the sword, and then I’d be more edible.”
“Sharks can be very good eating,” Luca offered.
“There will be no gutting of anyone!” Bryony said.
“Speaking of eating, I’m starving,” Kilmartyn announced.
“In due time, Adrian,” Bryony said, casting her husband a sneaking glance. She turned to Maddy. “Do you have the slightest idea where Sophie is? She’s not in the cottage at Renwick—the place was deserted.”
“Oh, lord,” Maddy groaned. “And who knows what kind of trouble she could have gotten herself into this time?”
“I told you to stay with her,” Bryony said severely. “It wasn’t safe for you to go gallivanting off on your own, nor was it safe to leave Sophie behind without someone to rein her in, and we both know Nanny’s not that good at saying no to Sophie.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, you’d disappeared, and I can only presume that Lord Kilmartyn’s name is off our list of suspects, or you’d never have married him.”
The man beside her brightened. “Is that true, darling? Did you truly believe I was capable of such a villainous scheme?”
“Of course you’re capable,” Bryony replied. “You just didn’t happen to do it.”
Maddy ignored their byplay. “I decided we couldn’t just sit around and wait, so I went after Captain Morgan to see whether he had anything to do with it. And I made an excellent housemaid,” she added with an air of triumph.
“And was the old gentleman guilty?” her sister asked.
“Why does everyone persist in thinking me an ancient mariner?” Luca demanded. “I’m only thirty-three.”
Bryony looked at him in shock. “You’re Captain Morgan? I thought you said your name was Luca.”
“It is,” he replied unhelpfully.
“It’s a long story. We go by the name Morgan,” Maddy said.
Bryony looked from one to the other. “Do you love her?” she demanded, sounding like a disapproving parent.
“Bryony!” Maddy wailed.
But Luca simply laughed. “Do you think I’d put up with her if I didn’t?”
Bryony nodded. “And there’s no need to ask you, sister mine. I’ve never seen anyone so foolishly besotted.”