castles in the clouds when I should be keeping my feet planted firmly on the ground. Something that’s very hard to do in those ridiculous slippers my aunt expects me to wear.”
Simon couldn’t bear to see her in defeat. He wanted to see her standing tall and proud again, her eyes glittering with courage and defiance.
He reached down to brush the bangs from those extraordinary eyes. “Had he lived, I’m sure your father would be very proud of you.”
Catriona had to summon her last shred of pride to keep from turning her cheek into his hand. No man had ever looked at her in such a manner. As if she were the only girl who existed in his world. But hadn’t he favored Alice with just such a look only minutes before? She hid her miserable flush of jealousy by ducking beneath his arm and out of his reach.
“If you intend to court my cousin,” she said brusquely, “you’ll have need of a steady income. Since he has no sons, my uncle is set on making solid matches for both Alice and Georgina. Alice’s dowry should support the two of you until you make commander.
Provided, of course, that—”
“Whoa!” Simon caught her arm, keeping his fingers well out of reach of Robert the Bruce’s teeth. “Before you start planning my nuptials, you might want to know that I’m shipping out on the Belleisle tomorrow.”
“The Belleisle ? Why, that’s one of the ships under Admiral Nelson’s command!”
Her awed response made Simon chafe a bit beneath his starched collar. He’d always worn the blue and white of His Majesty’s Navy with the same casual disregard as the rest of his wardrobe.
“Nelson’s a true hero and a bonny fine fellow, he is! For an Englishman, of course,” she hastily added.
She cast him another shy glance and Simon recognized instinctively that the hero worship simmering in her eyes wasn’t for Nelson, however bonny she might think him.
But Simon had done nothing to earn her regard. His half-brother Richard had always been the hero in the family. The legitimate heir and the apple of their father’s eye. He was nothing but the unfortunate result of a few drunken nights his father had spent in the arms of a pretty young opera dancer.
He was seized by a strange desperation to wipe that moon-eyed look off her face, to make her see him for the man he was, not the man she believed he could be. “Nelson is indeed a ‘bonny fine fellow,’ but the army is the province of heroes. The navy is for common-born blokes like Nelson and expendable second sons like me.” He leaned against the stall door, folding his arms over his chest. “I’ll be at sea for several months. As long as your cousin expects nothing from me, she won’t be disappointed.”
The girl buried her nose in the kitten’s fur. “Alice will wait for you if you ask, although I can’t promise that she’ll be faithful. She’s always been a bit fickle.”
Simon grinned. Ah, now, here was a game he understood! He had played the delicate rivalries between women to his advantage more than once.
He cupped the girl’s cheek in his hand. Startled by its downy softness, he tilted her face up for his tender perusal. “What about you, Miss Kincaid? How long would you wait for the man you loved?”
“Forever,” she whispered.
Her vow seemed to tremble in the air between them, binding and irrevocable. A shudder of unexpected yearning passed through him. He had asked the question in jest only to find himself the butt of his own joke. As she gazed up at him, her moist lips parted in a disarming blend of innocence and invitation.
He lowered his hand, suddenly frantic to escape this dangerous flirtation with a child.
Avoiding her eyes, he shrugged on his coat, then rescued his bicorne hat from where Alice had raked it off his head in a moment of passion, and slapped it against his thigh.
“Any woman who waits for me is wasting her time. I learned long ago the folly of making promises when you have no intention of keeping
Simon couldn’t bear to see her in defeat. He wanted to see her standing tall and proud again, her eyes glittering with courage and defiance.
He reached down to brush the bangs from those extraordinary eyes. “Had he lived, I’m sure your father would be very proud of you.”
Catriona had to summon her last shred of pride to keep from turning her cheek into his hand. No man had ever looked at her in such a manner. As if she were the only girl who existed in his world. But hadn’t he favored Alice with just such a look only minutes before? She hid her miserable flush of jealousy by ducking beneath his arm and out of his reach.
“If you intend to court my cousin,” she said brusquely, “you’ll have need of a steady income. Since he has no sons, my uncle is set on making solid matches for both Alice and Georgina. Alice’s dowry should support the two of you until you make commander.
Provided, of course, that—”
“Whoa!” Simon caught her arm, keeping his fingers well out of reach of Robert the Bruce’s teeth. “Before you start planning my nuptials, you might want to know that I’m shipping out on the Belleisle tomorrow.”
“The Belleisle ? Why, that’s one of the ships under Admiral Nelson’s command!”
Her awed response made Simon chafe a bit beneath his starched collar. He’d always worn the blue and white of His Majesty’s Navy with the same casual disregard as the rest of his wardrobe.
“Nelson’s a true hero and a bonny fine fellow, he is! For an Englishman, of course,” she hastily added.
She cast him another shy glance and Simon recognized instinctively that the hero worship simmering in her eyes wasn’t for Nelson, however bonny she might think him.
But Simon had done nothing to earn her regard. His half-brother Richard had always been the hero in the family. The legitimate heir and the apple of their father’s eye. He was nothing but the unfortunate result of a few drunken nights his father had spent in the arms of a pretty young opera dancer.
He was seized by a strange desperation to wipe that moon-eyed look off her face, to make her see him for the man he was, not the man she believed he could be. “Nelson is indeed a ‘bonny fine fellow,’ but the army is the province of heroes. The navy is for common-born blokes like Nelson and expendable second sons like me.” He leaned against the stall door, folding his arms over his chest. “I’ll be at sea for several months. As long as your cousin expects nothing from me, she won’t be disappointed.”
The girl buried her nose in the kitten’s fur. “Alice will wait for you if you ask, although I can’t promise that she’ll be faithful. She’s always been a bit fickle.”
Simon grinned. Ah, now, here was a game he understood! He had played the delicate rivalries between women to his advantage more than once.
He cupped the girl’s cheek in his hand. Startled by its downy softness, he tilted her face up for his tender perusal. “What about you, Miss Kincaid? How long would you wait for the man you loved?”
“Forever,” she whispered.
Her vow seemed to tremble in the air between them, binding and irrevocable. A shudder of unexpected yearning passed through him. He had asked the question in jest only to find himself the butt of his own joke. As she gazed up at him, her moist lips parted in a disarming blend of innocence and invitation.
He lowered his hand, suddenly frantic to escape this dangerous flirtation with a child.
Avoiding her eyes, he shrugged on his coat, then rescued his bicorne hat from where Alice had raked it off his head in a moment of passion, and slapped it against his thigh.
“Any woman who waits for me is wasting her time. I learned long ago the folly of making promises when you have no intention of keeping
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