The Shipmaster's Daughter (19 page)

Luciana glanced at her dress. It was the brown one—plain, but her personal favorite. “
Grazie.
How was your trip?”

He waved his hand dismissively. “As good as any trip can be. What did I miss here?”

Luciana felt her cheeks warm as she remembered the night in the parlor. “Nothing important.”

He raised his eyebrow. “Truthfully?”

“I tell you only the truth,
Signore
Lipold.” She smiled. “
Perdere
Martin is
bellezza
.”

“If that means what I think it means, then I agree.”

“I’m glad you brought her here.”

His smile softened and he nodded, his eyes shining with something other than their usual amusement. “Me too.” His eyes travelled over her shoulder toward the staircase. “And it appears someone else is, as well.”

With a frown pulling her brow low, Luciana turned around. What she saw made her heart drop into her stomach.

Chapter 20

R
eed was uncomfortable. Aliana Martin clung to his arm like a destitute man clung to his last coin. If this was Jack’s idea of a joke, he needed to find better friends.

They descended the stairs like snails, and, to Reed, it was as if two lifetimes passed by the time they reached the bottom. He’d met Aliana at the top of the stairs and couldn’t be ungentlemanly, so he’d offered her his arm. Now, as he tried to pull away, she only held tighter.

Everyone stared at them. Jack’s eyes brimmed with amusement as he chuckled. Esther stood in front of Luciana, her blue eyes wide. Luciana’s hands were clasped tightly on his daughter’s shoulders. Her eyes were solemn and resigned. He looked away. Ever since he almost kissed her, he could barely stand to look at her. He was afraid that if he did he would drop whatever it was he was doing and kiss her.

What a mess everything had become.

“Can we eat?” Esther asked, breaking the heavy silence.

“Of course.” Jack glanced at Luciana and then Reed. His lips puckered. “Miss Martin, why don’t I show you in?”

Aliana seemed reluctant to let go of Reed’s arm, but she did at long last. “Thank you.”

Jack gave his other arm to Esther and he showed the two women into the dining room. Which left Luciana and Reed alone in the rotunda. He was sure the quickness of his heartbeat echoed throughout the room.

“You don’t need to show me in, if you don’t want to.” Her chin lifted.

He looked over at her. “Why wouldn’t I want to?”

“Because you can barely look at me.” She blinked, her nose twitched, her voice grew thick.

“True.”

Round and aghast, her eyes darted away from the floor and met his. “Is that all you can say?” Her voice dropped. “I thought we were friends.”

“We are.”

“Then why won’t you look at me, Reed?”

He closed his eyes. He hated when she said his name. More honestly, he loved it, but he hated it, too. It made his stomach flip. It made him doubt everything he’d convinced himself of thus far.

“Is this about last night?” she asked. Her voice regained its usual strength. “Because if it is then–”

“No.” He pinned her with a sharp look. “This isn’t about that.”

“Then what?”

He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. “All right, maybe it is,” he confessed. “But I don’t want to talk about it now. I want to eat.”

“I think we should talk about it. Sometime at least.”

He struggled to find some excuse to keep her at a safe distance. “I have a lot of work these days, Luciana.”

“If we’re going to be friends, I don’t want this to make it uncomfortable.”

“We will talk about it tomorrow. I promise.” He offered her his arm. “Can I please eat now?”

She smiled. It was a bright smile, one that revealed her teeth and made her eyes dance. His fingers itched to pull her close. But he refrained. When she took his arm, he lead her into the dining room.

He almost found himself praying tomorrow would never come.

Tomorrow did come. The sun rose and set like always and Reed never left his bedroom. He couldn’t face her and he couldn’t face his feelings, the coward that he was. But being alone for a whole day gave one ample time to mull things over. And he’d mulled over his feelings for her more than he’d wanted to. He came to the same conclusion each time:

He was in love. There was no denying it anymore. He loved Luciana.

It was an odd feeling. He remembered when he realized how he felt about Katherine, he’d told her as soon as possible. This time, he didn’t want to tell Luciana. He wanted to bottle the feeling up and forget about it. Set it on the shelf and let it collect dust. He wanted to protect himself from the rejection she was sure to give. And yet he loved her still.

He loved her strength and her determination, her willingness to persevere. He loved the way she treated Esther—firm, but loving. He loved her beauty—the way she walked, the sound of her voice, the feel of her hand in his. He loved it all. And he could never tell her.

Why would she love him in return? She wanted to get out of Yellow Brook and see the world. She wanted a real life, away from him. He couldn’t be the one to stop her from getting what she wanted. So he stayed in his room like a child, breaking his promise to speak with her. Had he gone, he might have spilled his heart at her feet.

Today he could not repeat his actions. He had to face her. He would hear what she must say and say what he needed to. Then they would go on as friends.

Nothing more.

Late Sunday morning, he headed to the conservatory. She was scrubbing the floor when he entered, her hair pulled back in a messy braid. Strands of hair stuck out every which way. Water stained her skirt and red blotches covered her upper chest and neck. Dirt covered her hands and her forearms. He had never seen her look more beautiful.

“Luciana?”

She looked up, her hands stilling in their work. She raised an eyebrow and straightened her hunched back.
“Si?”

He stepped in to the room and closed the door behind him. “I wanted to apologize.”

She smirked and dropped her brush into a bucket. Wash splashed out on the hem of her skirt as she stood.
“Bene.
I think I deserve it.”

He bit his lip, willing the heat crawling up his neck to stop. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. A smile flickered across her mouth. “What’s done is done.”

Was she always so quick to forgive? He added that to the list of reasons why he loved her.

“Yes, well, about the other night...” He put his hands behind his back and began to pace. If he stopped, he might crumble to pieces. “I don’t want you to think I was going to take advantage of you in any way.”

“I never thought that.”

He stopped and stared at her. “Oh. Good.”

“I only want you to promise that this isn’t going to put a...
barriera
between us.”

He shook his head. “No, of course not.”

“So, if you want to forget about it, then it’s forgotten.”

He swallowed. Was this room always so warm? Or did he always feel this way around her?

“Reed?”

He swiped a hand across his face and stepped forward. “Well, Luciana, the thing is I–” He faltered. Why couldn’t he think? His tongue turned to cotton in his mouth and his forehead began to sweat. Words rarely failed him. He was sure he looked like a floundering fish trying to find something to say.

She reached out and took his hand. He looked down and then at her. “I don’t want to forget it either, but maybe it’s best if we do.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant, but he nodded and squeezed her hand. “Friends?”

She smiled.
“Amici.”

“Knock knock!” The sing-song voice of Aliana made Luciana tear her hand from his. Reed sighed and cursed Jack yet again. “Oh, there you two are,” she said, floating into the room. She came to stand at Reed’s side, a little too close for his comfort.

“Were you looking for us?” Luciana asked.

“Yes, I was. I wanted to talk to you two about an idea I had.”

Reed sucked in a deep breath. If this had anything to do with her idea to host a party, he would scream. She’d done nothing but tell Jack about it since her arrival. And, naturally, Jack had told him about it on their way over to town.

“What idea?”

“You haven’t heard about it?” Aliana grinned and grabbed Luciana’s hands. “We’re going to throw a party here at Yellow Brook.”

Reed couldn’t help but groan. He felt Luciana turn her eyes to him. He merely shrugged in response.

“A party?” Luciana repeated.

“Yes!” Aliana squealed. “A big, fancy ball for all of Reed’s friends. There will be food and dancing and music. And, oh goodness, it will be wonderful.”

A slow smile creeped onto Luciana’s face. She glanced at him before returning her eyes to Aliana. “That does sound fun. What do you say,
Signore
Hargrave?”

“It sounds like a waste of money.”

“Phooey,” Aliana pouted. She grabbed his upper arm. He stiffened. “Please say yes. Jack likes the idea.”

“Jack likes parties.”

“But, Reed, please? For me?”

Reed looked away from her pleading face. He knew what she was up to. She was marvelously indiscreet about it, too. There had once been a time, before Katherine and long before Luciana, that Aliana had been first on Reed’s mind. They’d met as children, and for a long time, he had thought they would be married. But then he’d met Katherine and everything changed. And here she was, trying to finagle her way into his life when he least wanted her presence.

No, if Reed was going to waste money on a dinner party it was going to be for Luciana. Not Aliana Martin.

“I’ll do it,” he said. He held up a finger when Aliana began to speak. She quieted, her eyes wide and her eyebrows raised. “On one condition: Luciana attends with me.”

Both women drew in short, sharp breaths.

After a long pause, Aliana spoke, her words slow and calculated. “Wonderful. Just as long as we can have a party.” She bit her lip, glancing between Reed and Luciana. “I’ll talk with Mrs. Peters and start planning the menu.” She left in a hurry, her skirts swishing behind her.

“I’m sorry.” He laughed under his breath. “I couldn’t go with her.”

“No, it’s all right.” Luciana smiled, shaking her head. “It’ll be exciting.”

“I hope you don’t mind being stuck with me all evening.”

“Of course not,” she whispered.

“Well, I’m sure Miss Martin will have much for you to do, so I’ll leave you to it. As for me, I should figure out where the money for this ordeal is coming from.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Good afternoon, Luciana.”

He took his leave before he could gauge her reaction, tearing out of the room like fire nipped at his heels. Oh, he was a foolish man indeed. How could he protect his heart if every time he opened his mouth he put his heart more at risk? Why couldn’t his heart and his head agree? He wasn’t the right man for her, and he doubted she would ever consider him. But for some infuriating reason, no matter how hard he tried to distance himself, he always found himself making ways to see her more, keep her at Yellow Brook.

Yes, he was a foolish man. A foolish man in love and it seemed there was nothing he could do about it.

Chapter 21

L
uciana’s hand still tingled from Reed’s kiss.

It had been days—two to be exact—since those few moments in the conservatory, and still, Luciana could think of nothing else. She tried to pay attention to what Aliana was saying, but she couldn’t. Not with images of Reed flitting through her mind every few seconds.

Aliana seemed determined to throw the party as soon as possible. Though she had only been at Yellow Brook but a few days, thanks to her loud voice and quick smile the house was in a tizzy. Rooms never used were to be cleaned for guests, and the ballroom needed to sparkle. She even convinced Jack to hire extra help from the town. Everywhere Luciana looked someone was cleaning or bustling by, arms laden. It was mass, ordered chaos.

“Luciana?” Aliana snapped in front of Luciana’s eyes.

Luciana blinked. “What?”

“Did you hear what I asked?”

Blush creeped up the back of her neck as she shook her head. “No, I’m sorry.”

Aliana frowned. “You’ve been so dreamy lately. What’s wrong?”

Luciana smiled. “Nothing. All of this commotion is a little distracting. What was it you said?”

Aliana relaxed and put her hand on Luciana’s shoulder. “Do you know how to dance?”

Her heart drummed in her chest. She hadn’t danced since she’d been in Italy all those months ago. “A bit. Not enough for this kind of party, though.”

“Then let me teach you. Dancing is the most important part of any party.” She pulled Luciana into the ballroom.

It was a long room, not exceedingly wide. The walls wore a faded royal blue wallpaper, decorated with sliver damask design, and were covered with mirrors, each framed by gold. Four crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The floor was a solid hardwood that felt slick underneath Luciana’s bare feet.

“I guess they’re still working on cleaning this place.” Aliana sighed, eyeing the young men clustered in the corners. They wiped down the walls and the mirrors, clad in white overalls. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn.” She pulled off her shoes and held out her hand. “Take my hand and put your other on my shoulder.”