When she looked down again, Jaxon’s brow worried and he knew she was going to refuse him. Charlie always made eye contact with him, but now she couldn’t do it. Now, Jaxon silently cursed Daniel for making him do this before Charlie was ready and cursed himself for telling him he had bedded her. Daniel should have known it wasn’t true because Jaxon wasn’t the kind of man to brag about that sort of thing. And now Charlie was crying.
“This is hard for me. All my life I have been told not to think like a girl or have emotions like a girl. I know you don’t understand what my life was like aboard the Arcadia. How could you? I am used to being treated like one of the men. I’m not demure or coquettish and I would be a terrible wife because I don’t know the first thing about life on land or marriage. But I am not a man and all I ever wanted was to be in love with someone who loved me back. This is all I ever wanted, but I am not prepared for it. I don’t know the things girls know and you will have to be patient with me while I learn.”
“Is that a yes?” Jaxon interrupted.
“Aye, of course.”
“So you do love me too?”
“Aye.”
Jaxon was about to kiss her when Daniel knocked and let himself in.
“Damn it, Daniel,” Jax shouted shooting to his feet. “You can’t just walk into my cabin when Charlie’s here.”
“You ordered….” Daniel stopped midsentence when he saw the tears streaming down Charlie’s face. “What did you do, Jaxon? Did you tell her you aren’t going to marry her? By God, I’ll see he does right by you, Charlie.” His hands were clenched into fists.
Charlie jumped between them before anyone could throw a punch.
“Daniel, you dolt. I thought since you announced to the whole crew we were getting married; maybe Charlie might like to be asked. She was accepting my proposal when you barged in.”
“Oh.” Daniel’s tensed frame relaxed. “Don’t you think you should have done that before you bedded her?”
“I haven’t bedded her, Daniel. I just told you I did, so you’d leave off. Stupidly, I assumed if you thought the deed was done, you’d stop trying to keep us apart.”
Charlie turned to Jaxon. “You told him that?” She turned back to Daniel. “To set the record straight, I told him the first night I wouldn’t be his mistress. But I’m an adult and what we do is none of your concern.”
“You didn’t?”
“No, brother, we didn’t. And now because of your meddling, you have rushed us exactly where you didn’t want us.” Jaxon moved up behind Charlie and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m actually rather pleased with this turn of events.” He kissed her neck. “Do you want to set the date, Charlie? How does one week after we get back sound?”
“Not as good as one month. Can you wait that long?”
“Aye. I’ll wait for you as long as it takes.”
17
Seven short days was all it took for the Baltimore Clipper to make it to their homeport of Chimerical Cove, Maryland. Charlie was so nervous; she felt sick to her stomach and barely touched her breakfast that morning. She stood at the deck’s railing schooling her expression out of habit. Don’t let them see weakness, she said to herself.
“Are you sure it wouldn’t be best if I stayed on the ship.” Her life had changed so drastically, she clung to anything that seemed familiar. Charlie vaguely remembered the last time she slept ashore. The Arcadia sat in dry-dock being refitted and having its hull scraped. She was probably ten.
“Charlie, I’m sending Daniel back to escort the corsair to the Admiralty so, no, you can’t stay here.”
“Oh.”
Secretly, she was relieved Daniel wouldn’t be there when she met the rest of the family. Although they had been getting along better, there were plenty of embarrassing stories he could tell about her. She wanted to make a good first impression and did not want them judging her on circumstances that had been out of her control.
“Jaxon,” she hesitated. She didn’t know how to broach the subject of her wardrobe. If she had had any money with her, she would have just told him she wanted to go to the dressmakers, but without any, she must rely on him to lend her the money. “Is there any way we could go to Charleston before I meet your family?”
He smiled. Her mind worked in strange ways and her logic always amazed him.
“Why do you want to go to South Carolina first?”
“That’s where I’m from. I’d like to have some dresses made before I meet your family.”
Jaxon was going to miss seeing her dressed in trousers. He loved to look at the curve of her bottom when she didn’t know he was looking. But he also looked forward to seeing her in dresses and tried to imagine what women’s clothing would do for her décolletage.