Chapter Forty-Five
Damian woke in the middle of the night with Georgie curled around him, which he enjoyed. What was different was her shivering, just as the doctor had warned.
Carefully he pulled the extra blanket over them. While the heat was nearly more than he could stand, he held Georgie close and soon her chills subsided and he was able to sleep again. When he woke in the morning, she had moved away from him and had pushed the blankets down to her waist.
She was quite fetching in her nearly sheer shift and if her arms and chest were not still red, he would wake her in the most delightful way.
Instead, he removed himself from the bed, took away the extra blanket from the night before, then covered her with a lighter one. He would hate for her to wake because she was too hot or too cold because sleep was probably the best for her, though it would make another long day for him.
Which also left him with too much time to think.
If he were in Southampton, his mind would be on Trade Wynd—the ships, cargo, or planning ways to better the company. Except he wasn’t there, but on a ship crossing the Irish Sea. And, instead of Trade Wynd, his mind turned to the question that Georgie had posed the day before.
What would he do if he had a choice?
But more disturbing—what was he missing if he continued to do as his father had expected?
Could there be a middle ground? Could he continue his position with Trade Wynd but also pursue something that he would enjoy or did he need to sacrifice one for the other? If so, what did he truly want?
Damian leaned against the door and glanced at the bed where Georgie remained asleep, her dark, curly hair spread out on the pillow about her head as a halo.
He wanted her.
Not just for a few days until they found her sister, but beyond, and that was what frightened him.
He was thoughtful and pragmatic in all decisions, weighing the positive and negative aspects of every potential outcome. He was as careful in business as he was in any other aspect of his life. Yet, a life of decisions was now in question because of a woman he had known barely more than a week.
That was not enough time to decide on anything so permanent as a future. Especially for someone who never rushed any decision, let alone one that would be life altering.
He was torn and he was running out of time.
Was it possible that the love he felt for Georgie was the kind that lasted a lifetime or would it vanish and then they would be stuck with each other with no recourse?
That was what frightened him the most—marry, only to learn within the year that theirs was no more than infatuation and passion that would not last. However, if he did not risk his heart, he might very well face a life empty and alone.
Georgie intended to return to Italy, where her family lived. Could he leave Southampton, Trade Wynd and his family behind to be with her and become a baker as her father had done?
He chuckled at the very idea, but not in a ridiculous way, more in excitement, as it would be something new, another adventure to share with Georgie.
But would it be enough or would he tire and want to return to England?
Damian pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
“Bloody hell!” he whispered to himself.
“Is something wrong, Damian?”
Georgie’s voice pulled Damien from his thoughts. “Why do you ask?”
“You were watching me, or so I assume, but I do not believe you saw me. Therefore, I surmised your mind was somewhere else.”
Yes, his mind was faced with a dilemma yet to be solved, but he was not ready to share his thoughts with Georgie. “I am concerned about you.” Damian pulled himself away from the door and crossed to the bed and settled where he had previously slept. “How are you this morning?”
Georgie lifted her arms, moved them, and frowned. “My skin is still tender. It is no worse than yesterday, but I am not certain my sunburn is better either.”
“It is likely the same,” Damian answered. “It is what the doctor told me to expect.”
Georgie let out a sigh.
“Therefore, you shall not leave the bed today.”
The corner of Georgie’s mouth tipped. “In any other circumstance, I would be quite intrigued at the prospect of spending all day in bed with you. Unfortunately, I do not think that is what you have in mind.”
“While pleasure and you are often on my mind, I shall not risk causing you discomfort. However, once your skin is no longer tender, I shall no longer restrict my desires.”
“What shall you do today instead?”
“I shall remain here with you except for when I retrieve our meals.”
Georgie released another heavy sigh. “Do not spend the entire day in this cabin. I know what it is like to be sequestered away on a ship with no windows for light, or fresh air to breathe.”
Damien reached above her and pulled a curtain back, which brought light into the room. “Not exactly a window, but a porthole for you to look out.”
Georgie pulled herself up to her knees and looked out. “Nothing but ocean.”
“Yes, well, we are at sea,” Damien reminded her with a chuckle. “I shall prepare a tray and return shortly,” he announced and exited the cabin before he confessed what he had been thinking before she awakened.
It was too soon, and he was afraid.
*
How many days did they have until Dublin? Chisholm had said that it could be two to three days depending on wind and weather conditions.
The weather had been excellent, but she wasn’t knowledgeable enough to know if the wind was making their passage faster or slower, and she hoped it was the latter so that she could have more time with Damian.
They could arrive in Dublin tomorrow, which would set them on their one-day journey to Tullamore and another to her sister.
Their time was short and she hated that she’d foolishly allowed herself to become sunburned enough that it was painful to be touched.
When Damian returned with a covered tray, he was followed by a sailor who held a second tray with a teapot and cups. Georgie quickly pulled the blanket to cover her from her neck down.
Damian set the tray in the center of the bed then took the other tray from the sailor, dismissed him, and then closed the door.
“Would you like your cup of tea now?” Damian asked after he placed the tea service on the table bolted to the floor. In fact, everything in this room was bolted down, which she assumed was for safety in the event of a storm.
“Now, please.” She was parched and it would be difficult to enjoy the bread, cheese, fruit, and dried meats without tea first.
“The doctor also provided additional Dover’s Powder in case you need it for pain.”
Georgie shook her head. “Not at the moment, but I will keep it here in case my headache returns.” Oh, she hated the bitterness of the medicine, but it had helped her yesterday. Or so she assumed because she had managed to sleep often.
After she drank half a cup of tea, she settled it on her knee, still holding onto the handle and reached forward with her other hand for a piece of cheese.
However, when Damian settled on the side of the bed where he had slept, she quickly grabbed the tray to steady it so that their breakfast didn’t spill from the dip in the bed.
“We should visit the shops when we arrive in Dublin,” Damian announced.
“You wish to shop?” Had he enjoyed their strolling the streets of Liverpool and looking in shop windows so much that he wished to do so again?
They had only done so before because they were waiting with little else to do.
Once they arrived in Dublin, they would need to find a mode of travel to Tullamore.
They were not there on holiday; except she also hoped that arrangements could not be made too quickly.
Now that she knew Grace was safe, the urgency was no longer present.
Though, she did appreciate that they’d had much luck in not being delayed in their travels thus far. But Grace was safe so there was no longer a need to rush to her rescue.
“I want to visit a bookshop,” he announced.
“Do you wish to have something to read on the ship on your return to Southampton?” Just a reminder that they would be departing soon tore at her heart no differently than if a dagger had been plunged into it.
“Not for me, though I may purchase some for myself. I have decided you do not have enough books to keep you entertained from Dublin to Carrera, therefore I’m going to purchase more books”
“You do not need to do so,” she argued.
Damian grew serious and stared into her eyes. “I do not need to do anything, Georgie. I want to.”
“I could refuse to take them.”
“You will not,” he returned with a grin.
“I have three already,” Georgie reminded him. “Four, actually.” If she counted the one half read, but she would only finish it if she became desperate.
“I have calculated the distance from Dublin to Carrera, which bodies of water that will need to be crossed and the time of the year. And, while I cannot predict weather, wind, or currents, I do believe that it will take you approximately two months to reach your home. It could be shorter, or longer, I am averaging the time, but I do know that you will be at sea at least six weeks and so three books are hardly enough to chase away the boredom.”
“I will be with my sister so I will not be alone or lonely,” Georgie reminded him.
“You plan to converse with your sister every day, all day long and into the evening?”