Chapter Twenty-Three
If sitting next to Georgie had been difficult, sharing a chamber with her would be torture.
One bed, which he would not be sleeping in.
If he seduced her, he would have to marry her because he was honorable, not a rake or rogue who ruined innocents then went on his way which he must remember.
She was an innocent miss. She was an innocent miss. She was an innocent miss.
Those were the very words he repeated to himself as Damian waited out in the hall while she washed.
Warm water had been delivered within moments of them entering the chamber and he left her to her privacy.
A second pitcher had been delivered for his use, which would likely be cold by the time he was able to wash away the grime and sweat from traveling these past twenty-four hours, which was probably for the best.
If there were a lake nearby, he’d be tempted to take a swim in the cool water. Except, he would not leave Georgie alone in the coaching inn.
He had asked for extra blankets, which he would use to make the floor as comfortable as possible. Hopefully his exhaustion would likely send him into slumber quickly and he would not be thinking about Georgie in bed, nor would he dream about her again.
When Georgie finally opened the door, she stood back so that he could enter and he tried not to make note that she had once again changed her dress, and this time it was a pale-green, serviceable gown that hugged her full breasts in a way that he wished to do.
Damian shook the thoughts away and crossed to the bowl she had left then took it to a window and tossed it out.
Thankfully they were at the side of the inn and nobody had been below them.
He then returned to the dresser and poured fresh water.
He then proceeded to remove his cravat, suitcoat, waistcoat, then as he pulled his shirt from his trousers he glanced back to Georgie, whose face had gone crimson before she quickly turned her back to offer him privacy.
“I can wait in the hall as you did”
“No!” He would not be able to protect her there.
“I can scream if someone bothers me,” she offered.
“And if I am in a state of undress, it would be difficult to go after whoever was attempting to harm you.”
It was an excuse because if she were in distress, he would rescue her even if he had to do so naked.
“I will just look out the window then,” she said.
Damian wanted to chuckle but her maidenly modesty was once again a reminder of her innocence, which he needed to keep in the forefront of his mind before he succumbed to seduction.
He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, then washed his exposed skin before he removed his boots then trousers.
He’d worn this same suit of clothing for over twenty-four hours and he was ready to be dressed in something that was not wrinkled and more comfortable, such as the clothing he wore while working along the docks.
A simple linen shirt and trousers were far more comfortable than when a waistcoat, suitcoat, and cravat was added to the ensemble.
He glanced back again. Georgie still stared out the window and he quickly washed the remainder of his exposed skin then pulled on a clean pair of trousers. If she had been embarrassed at seeing him without a shirt, he could just imagine her shock at him being completely naked.
This situation alone would see her ruined in the eyes of Society. Except, she was not from England and nobody knew of the current circumstance and likely never would, therefore, her reputation would not be harmed.
Once his trousers were secure, he pulled a clean shirt over his head, but that was all he would wear tonight. It was going to be uncomfortable sleeping on the floor, and he wasn’t going to add any unnecessary layers.
“You may turn around.”
She did and offered a shy smile.
Innocent miss! I will not seduce an innocent miss! Especially not one that I have known only four and a half days. To do so would be madness.
*
It took everything within her being not to turn around and watch as Damian disrobed. When she heard his boots being set aside, Georgie nearly peeked to see if he was removing his trousers as well but forced herself not to. Yet, that did not keep her from wondering if he was naked behind her.
The very idea caused her body to heat with desire.
What was wrong with her?
Just because she may have made an unwise decision in the past did not mean that she should be free with her favors with a gentleman she had only known for four and a half days.
Except, he wasn’t asking that of her. She wanted to seduce him, which she would not do.
At the scratch on the door she nearly jumped, suddenly aware of the silence that had laid heavily between her and Damian.
He was likely uncomfortable in this situation, which was the reason she would never voice her thoughts because that would only make the tension higher and it had already been a difficult day.
Damian crossed the room and opened the door to reveal two servants. One carried a tray with their dinner and two tankards, another had the extra blankets he had requested, and a pitcher of ale.
They passed him and set their dinner on a small table and the other placed the blankets at the foot of the bed
“Thank you. We will set the dishes outside of the door when we are finished,” Damian advised.
They bobbed a curtsy and left him and Georgie alone, once again.
As the cloths were removed, her stomach grumbled and mouth watered at the sight of the roasted beef, potatoes, carrots, bread, and cheese.
At the first bite, she moaned.
Damian chuckled.
“What?”
“I have noticed that each time you partake of a meal, you often moan after the first bite.”
She blinked at him. “I most certainly do not.”
“You do.” He chuckled again. “Either each time you had been very hungry, or you appreciate food and are not picky about what you are being served.”
“I am very hungry,” she defended. Though, she also enjoyed delicious meals and she had enjoyed every morsel she’d eaten since she arrived in England.
“I am determined to find Grace tomorrow,” she announced.
“I am certain that you are,” he responded before he took a drink of his ale.
“Though I fear she may have already sailed.”
“I do not have the same concern.”
He had claimed that it was unlikely a captain would hire Fisher and then give passage to a wife. But how could he truly know since Damian was associated with merchant ships not passenger vessels?
“I hope you are correct.”
“I am,” he answered and took a bite of his beef.
He clearly did not want to discuss Grace, which she understood because they could assume many things but would not know the accuracy of those beliefs until tomorrow.
Damian likely hoped that she did find Grace and that her sister hadn’t sailed so that he could be done with her, which was all rather disheartening.
Odd, she had fought against him accompanying her and not only did Georgie end up developing an attraction for him, but she wanted to learn more about the man who had been at her side these last four days.
But what could she ask?
She knew his ancestry and why he was the one to manage Trade Wynd, but that told her little of the man. In fact, she knew very little other than he was stubborn and protective and could go from irritated to humored in the blink of an eye and she never knew what caused the shift.
Then she recalled what had been said in London, when they had been at the Trade Wynd warehouse, but she did not question the statement because she had been intent on getting to Grace, yet it was a curiosity that had crossed her mind as it wandered while they crossed England.
“Is your warehouse in London used by others?”
He had picked up his tankard and first took a drink, his eyebrows drawn together over his nose. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you told your two employees that whatever arrangements they had made for use of the warehouse was of no consequence.”
He chuckled. “They allow others to use it for a nominal fee that I supposedly know nothing about.”
“Yet you do.”
“Of course, it helps…” he paused and stared into her eyes as if weighing what he should tell her, “increase their income.”
That was not the reason or he would not have paused to consider his response.
“Then should you not pay them more so that they do not need to supplement their income?” It was a rather bold statement, and judgmental, but maybe if they were paid sufficiently enough…
“It is so that they can spy for me. But you must never breathe a word of it.”
This was not at all what she had expected. “Who would I tell?” she countered. It wasn’t as if she knew anyone well enough in England to share a confidence.
“Both men used to sail for Trade Wynd but can no longer because of injuries. Instead of pensioning them off, they took positions to manage the warehouse in London, which is rarely used,” he began to explain.
“They complain about me being a penny pincher and sticking them in London instead of offering a pension that did not leave them destitute. Because of that, they allow other merchant companies, when they are in temporary need of a warehouse, to use mine and they pocket the money. It is all a ruse, of course. Or, I assume they have no complaints about me or their position with Trade Wynd.”
“You do not mind that they speak so poorly about you?”
“Whenever they have been successful in earning the extra wages, they will visit the tavern, buy ale for others, and in the process gather information of what goods were being brought into the country and the prices they were being sold for, where the goods came from, what was being exported, and what was in demand and what wasn’t.
That information is then forwarded to me, which I have used to continue to be competitive.
Because it is believed that those two men have no loyalty to me, others speak freely around them. ”
“So, you aren’t paying them too little?” she asked.
He chuckled again. “They are paid very well and also keep whatever they pocket.”
“What of your reputation?”
He shrugged. “If the other merchants think me a fool, then I do not care since it will mean that they will also underestimate me. It is to our benefit because Trade Wynd has few rivals outside of the East India Company, which no company will ever be able to best, and I would like it to remain so.”
Georgie wasn’t certain that she would want anyone to think of her as a fool. Then again, Damian carried enough confidence for himself, that it likely didn’t matter. He actually appeared proud of this deception.
However, what happened in London was not her concern. What they discovered tomorrow, in Liverpool, was far more important. “Who is your contact?”
“Which contact?”
“You said you had a few contacts in Liverpool who will be able to offer assistance.”
“It is my hope that Ewan Chisholm, whom I knew from school, will be available. His family has a home here and in Scotland, and shipping offices in both locations.”
“Are they passenger ships or merchant ships?”
“Both,” he answered. “The Chisholm family found a way to build passenger compartments on the merchant vessels and when they sail, they carry both.”
“Then Fisher may be more successful in gaining a position on one of the Chisholm ships.”
Damian grimaced, which meant that she was correct and the fear that they may be too late settled into her belly.