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

‘I hope he does. I don’t want any of my boys going to sea.’

‘Is that so?’ Sebastian gritted his teeth. ‘Any particular reason?’

‘I’ve just never trusted sailors, that’s all

.’

‘Interesting. Fortunately, I’d say your boys have minds of their own.’

‘Oh, look, some starlings!’ Henrietta pointed, her voice unnecessarily loud in the crisp morning air.

‘They can still be guided by their father, can’t they?’

‘Or are they blackbirds?’

‘They can when their father is around.’

‘I’m here now.’

‘And there’s a robin!’

‘For the time being.’

‘For good.’

Sebastian made a snorting sound. ‘It still seems a little odd to be laying the law down so soon after abandoning them, wouldn’t you say?’

‘I didn’t abandon them. I left them with their aunt.’

‘Whom you abandoned, too. And you say that sailors can’t be trusted?’

‘You don’t understand anything about it.’ David glared and then veered off the path with a growl. ‘Come on, boys. I think I’d rather see those woods than the lake.’

‘What was that?’ Henrietta stayed where she was, her hands clenched into fists at her sides as the others scurried away across the lawn, although Peter hesitated briefly before joining them, Sebastian noticed. ‘How could you?’

‘How could I what?’ He squared his shoulders, feigning ignorance.

‘How could you be so cruel? He knows what he did was wrong. You didn’t have to make him feel any worse. This isn’t like you.’

He felt a momentary twinge of guilt. The words had been cruel and she was right, it wasn’t like him. He was rarely cruel, but he’d wanted to hurt David; wanted to hurt him more than he’d ever wanted to hurt anyone, Captain Belton included.

‘He said he didn’t trust sailors.’

‘I heard. I’m not defending him, but—’

‘It sounds like it.’

‘Sebastian!’

‘At least I’m not pretending nothing happened.’

She folded her arms, eyes flashing angrily. ‘David and I have talked about it. I don’t need to punish him as well.’

‘Well, maybe you should!’

‘Why? What good will it do?’

He ground his teeth, silently acknowledging the truth of it. What good would it do? Nothing, except to make him feel better.