Unexpectedly Wed to the Officer (Regency Belles of Bath 2)

‘That’s a good point.’ He smiled in a way that made her heart perform a somersault in her chest and her head instantly regret the offer. ‘I’d be delighted, Miss Gardiner.’

* * *

‘I didn’t think I had a choice, especially after I hit his nose,’ Henrietta explained to he

r assistant ten minutes later. ‘He needed somewhere to sleep and this is his family’s shop.’

‘Did he demand to stay?’ Nancy looked suspicious again.

‘No-o. He was going to leave actually, but I offered to make up the sofa.’ She reached for a piece of toast and smeared butter across it. ‘Do you think I shouldn’t have?’

‘Not necessarily, but did you ask him for any proof?’

‘Proof of what?’

‘That he’s who he says he is.’ Nancy lifted her eyes to the ceiling. ‘He doesn’t look much like Anna, except for dark curly hair and brown eyes, but a lot of people have those.’

‘He has a similar way of speaking, too, and his lips are exactly the same shape as Anna’s.’

‘You’ve obviously been paying more attention than I have.’ Nancy gave her a quizzical look. ‘I can’t say I’ve looked that closely at his lips.’

‘Neither have I.’ Henrietta felt a wash of colour spread over her cheeks. ‘I just think they look similar, that’s all...’

She applied another, unnecessary layer of butter to her toast. Now that the shock of the night and that morning had worn off, she was starting to think that perhaps she had been somewhat foolish in encouraging Mr Fortini to stay. Even if he was Anna’s brother, which she was inclined to believe he was—either that or a very convincing impostor—who was to say that he was the kind of man she ought to have let stay under the same roof? Neither Anna nor her mother had ever told her anything untoward about him, but then he’d been away at sea for five years! If there was anything bad, they might not have known about it. And it had never even occurred to her to ask for proof of his identity! Instead, she’d been so taken aback by his arrival that she’d let her guard down and gone back to her old ways. She’d been too trusting. Too stupid. Too naive. More unworldly than ever. Good grief, even he’d thought that his staying was a bad idea! What must he think of her now, especially after the way she’d been staring at his chest that morning? What if she’d given him the wrong idea about her and her motives for inviting him to stay? What if he thought—?

‘Sorry about the books, by the way.’ Nancy interrupted the rising tide of panic. ‘I shouldn’t have thrown them.’

‘Don’t worry.’ Henrietta was too relieved by the interruption to scold. ‘Anna took all of her favourites when she left. It’s not as if we can read them anyway.’

‘You can. You’re still having lessons with Miss Pybus, aren’t you?’

‘Not recently. I haven’t had time.’

‘Humph.’ Nancy’s lips set in a thin, disapproving line. ‘Your brother doesn’t deserve you.’

‘Yes, he does.’ Henrietta dropped her toast back on to her plate. ‘He practically raised me on his own and you know he’s been in a terrible state since Alice died. It’s as though he’s broken inside.’

‘I know he’s not helping to mend himself either.’ Nancy’s expression was part-sharp, part-sympathetic. ‘My stepfather’s a drunk. I recognise the signs.’

‘David’s not a drunk. He’s just having a hard time taking care of himself and the boys at the moment.’

‘Well, I don’t think it’s fair the way he expects you to go every day and take care of them. My mother works herself to the bone for her worthless husband, too, and all she ever gets in return is misery. You’ll never catch me throwing my life away on a man, father, brother, husband or whatever you want to call them. If you ask me, the whole lot are a thousand times more trouble than they’re worth...’ Nancy speared a hard-boiled egg violently on the end of her fork. ‘Speaking of which, our guest needs to be on his way. It’ll be bad for business if people think we entertain sailors at night.’

‘Anyone who thinks us capable of that obviously has no idea what time bakers get up in the morning.’ Henrietta sighed. ‘But he said he’ll be leaving after breakfast anyway, travelling north to see Anna and his mother, I expect.’

‘My mother first.’ The man in question appeared in the kitchen doorway suddenly, smartly dressed and with his curly hair swept back into a low, slightly dishevelled queue. His square jaw, on which there had been a veritable swathe of black stubble that morning, appeared to have been quite ruthlessly shaved, making the now infamous shape of his lips even more noticeable.

Henrietta turned her attention back to her plate before she could notice anything else. Even with a bruised and off-centre nose, he looked quite disconcertingly handsome. Words like strapping and virile sprang to mind.

‘There’s no rush, however,’ Mr Fortini continued. ‘I came straight here from Plymouth and I’ve no desire to be shut up in a stagecoach again too soon. I thought I might actually stay in Bath for a few days, although somewhere else, naturally. Is the Wig and Mitre still open?’

‘Yes, but it’s not very fancy.’ Nancy lifted her eyebrows. ‘Wouldn’t a hotel suit you better?’

‘Not really. I may be an officer, but I’m not exactly what you’d call a gentleman.’ He winked. ‘Now, if that coffee’s sufficiently brewed, allow me to pour, ladies.’

‘Thank you.’ Henrietta took a deep breath as he placed a cup in front of her, trying to quell a fresh burst of fluttering in her chest now as well as her stomach. She’d felt quite comfortable with him during the night, except for one oddly intense moment when their gazes had locked over the teapot, but now it was downright unnerving, not to mention irritating, the way her body seemed to react whenever he winked or smiled or even so much as looked in her direction for that matter. She hadn’t felt so unnerved since...well, since Mr Hoxley, and look how that had turned out! She’d learned her lesson about men eight months ago and learned it thoroughly, too, or so she’d thought. Only something about Mr Sebastian Fortini seemed to place her in danger of forgetting it.

She picked up her coffee cup and blew steam across the surface. Frankly, the sooner he left for Yorkshire the better for her peace of mind—and body—it would be.