She Will Rejoice (3 page)

CHAPTER FOUR

All conversation ceased the moment Naomi hit the ground.

The lady was momentarily too stunned to right herself, but she soon felt strong hands straightening her, though she was not being lifted off the ground.

“Are you injured?” Finn’s anxious face was inches from hers.

She took a quick inventory of her parts, “I do not believe I am.”

The concern was gone, and he now looked annoyed, “I told you to remain where you were.”

Naomi struggled to a sitting position, “Are you imagining I am out here like this on purpose?”

Finn assisted her to her feet.

“I assure you, Mr. Haydn,” she adjusted her skirts around herself, “I did not intend to join you out on the street.”

“Mr. Haydn,” a man approached him from behind.

Finn held his palm toward the other an in an obvious display of impatience, “Just deal with it, Randolph.”

He all but lifted his wife into the carriage before following her and slamming the door.

Naomi reached up and removed her hat, knowing it was so muddy there was no salvaging it. She then pulled down her curls, removing pins as she worked her fingers through the wild tresses, her eyes ever on her husband.

             
Finn met her gaze with narrowed eyes.

             
She was just refastening her hair into semblance of order when he spoke up.

             
“What happened?”

             
She decided to give him part of the truth, “I tried to straighten up in my seat, and I tipped over.”

             
His brow lowered further still.

             
“My limb had fallen asleep,” she admitted. “I couldn’t quite get it situated. I went,” she motioned with her hand to demonstrate the general direction of her slide.

             
His lips twitched.

             
She pointed a finger at him, “I do not desire to be the source of your amusement, Mr. Haydn.”

             
He rubbed a finger over his top lip.

             
Naomi rolled her eyes at the gesture.

             
The carriage started up again, but they did not have far to travel. Apparently, the small craft was just waiting for them before crossing the water to the island because as soon as Naomi was seated below the deck, the boat began to move.

             
“How long will it take to get to the island?” she wished she could more easily see the waves that were rushing by, but she was not sure if it was acceptable to be up and walking about the boat while it was in motion.

             
“Not more than an hour.”

             
“Oh,” she craned her neck a little further.

             
His soft laugh drew her attention, “Would you care to walk above deck?”

             
She almost agreed, but then she caught herself, “Is that quite proper?”

             
“There is nothing improper about it,” he assured her, “but I thought you would be more comfortable down here.”

             
She winced, “Because I am such a mess?”

             
“Because you are a little damp, and it gets cold on deck,” he rose and held out a hand, “particularly in November.”

             
She allowed him to assist her up the stairs and then she slid her hand into the crook of his arm.

             
“Please tell me if you are becoming cold,” he said as he led her to the rail. “I would not have you catching a chill.”

             
She nodded and watched the land disappear behind them. It was fascinating to move so quickly. There was little resistance from the waves, and, despite the season, there was no bite to the air.

             
“Does it make you want to become a sailor?” Finn spoke low.

             
Naomi managed to hold back her laughter at the thought, “Hardly a suitable occupation for a young lady.”

             
“True,” his voice dropped further still, “but if you were to dress as a cabin boy, you might find passage. By the time you were discovered, it would be too late to set you ashore.”

             
Naomi gasped as she looked up at him.

             
He wore a solemn expression, but his eyes were twinkling with mirth.

             
“You heard me speaking to Lady Jillian on the night of the ball,” she accused him.

             
His smile spread to his lips, “I confess I did.”

             
Naomi was mortified. How had he even been induced to marry her after such a thing?

             
“Your mother said you are in town for the entire season,” Lady Jillian chose a seat near the younger woman as they took a break from the dancing.

             
“I am,” Naomi tried not to sigh. She would have much preferred being home in the country.

             
The duchess smiled, “And you are not enjoying yourself?”

             
Naomi wished it were not so obvious, “It is a little tiresome, actually.”

             
Jillian’s lovely face displayed amusement rather than shock, “Have there been many suitors?”

             
“I don’t know if they are properly called suitors,” she spoke softly. “Men I do not even remember meeting, have come to the house asking for my hand. It hardly seems a prudent way to go about marriage.”

             
“I imagine we would all prefer to meet a man, fall in love, and then marry after a long and romantic courtship,” Lady Jillian commiserated with her friend.

             
Naomi shook her head, “Not me. I would prefer not to marry at all.”

             
Jillian was well and truly surprised at that, “Oh? What would you do instead?”

             
“I believe I should like to sail,” Naomi said the first thing that popped into her head. “I think being a captain’s mate would suit me just fine.”

             
Jillian blinked, “I am not sure you fit the typical job description.”

             
“Oh,” Naomi flicked her fan at an irritating fly, “I wouldn’t expect to start off as a first mate. I could see myself as a cabin boy.”

             
Lady Jillian laughed, “Except you aren’t a boy.”

             
Naomi leaned in toward her friend, “But if I cut my hair off and dressed like a boy, I could pass myself off as one.”

             
Jillian was still laughing, “I think they would discover your deceit.”

             
“Perhaps,” Naomi agreed, “but not until we were well away from the shore.”

             
Naomi had not given a thought to that conversation since the night of the ball. She surely had not dreamed anybody else was listening.

             
“Very unchivalrous to listen in on a conversation, sir,” she chastised him as she attempted to pull her hand from his arm.

             
He gripped her fingers with his free hand and kept her nearby, “It is a good thing I did listen,” he argued softly. “It was that conversation that made me decide to ask for your hand.”

             
“That is absurd,” she turned her face away from him.

             
“Possibly,” he drew her face back to him, “but it is the truth.”

             
She could not tear her eyes away from the intensity she met in his.

             
“After the first night, I had no intention of speaking to you again. You were so quiet that I thought it would be a torture to spend another evening in your company.”

             
She felt a twinge of irritation at that.

             
“Then I heard you speaking to Lady Jillian, and I thought you were, perhaps, just nervous around me.”

             
She didn’t know what to say.

             
“You were far more lively when you were with people you knew, so I just followed you around at every event.”

             
“I imagine this is supposed to be flattering?”

             
He shrugged, “Not at all. I am simply telling the truth. After seeing you interact with others, I determined I wanted to be one of those people who you could be easy with.”

             
Naomi stared at her husband, “And you had to marry me to do that?”

             
He scowled, “Initially, I had intended to enter a courtship with you. That way we could acquaint ourselves with one another slowly.”

             
“What changed your mind? We had scarcely known each other for two months before my father declared he had given me away to you.”

             
Finn let go of a deep sigh, “I am sorry for the way that was handled. I was forced to leave on urgent business. I did not know it would take so long, or I would have found a way to put it off long enough to speak to you myself.”

             
“But why did you not simply wait to court me?”

             
“I cannot answer that. Circumstances changed, and I knew I must act quickly if I were to gain you.”

             
Naomi pulled away with more force, “I am not a prize to be won.”

             
Finn stared at her for some minutes before answering softly, “But you are, my dear. And I have.”

CHAPTER
FIVE

Finn saw the hurt on her face and could not stand to continue watching her expressive eyes. He looked back out over the water. Her frame slipped away from him.

              “I think I had better go below,” her voice was soft but clear. “It feels as though it has cooled some.”

             
Finn wanted to tell her that it was not the air that had cooled. He wished he could put his arm around her and hold her to himself to keep her warm, but he just offered her his arm again and led her down the steep stairs to the seating area below.

             
“Naomi,” he needed to explain himself.

             
She didn’t look at him.

             
He gave up. Finn was determined to explain what he meant, but anything he could say now would only make matters worse.

             
Naomi soon drifted off to sleep. He loved to look at her any time, but while she was sleeping, her beautiful face was devoid of its usual animation, and she looked so peaceful. He studied her perfect straight nose, the tiny dimple in her chin, her fine cheekbones, and bow-shaped lips. She was a beautiful woman but any standards, but Finn had seen many beautiful women who were not as lovely on the inside.

             
His mother had insisted he marry, and soon. He had appealed to his mother’s brother for a little more time, but Uncle George had not been able to change his sister’s mind. He began looking for a wife, but he had not liked what he found.

             
It seemed all the eligible ladies wanted a wealthy husband. Finn fit that requirement, but he had seen firsthand what marrying for money could do, and he was not interested in repeating history.

             
He had no problem with a woman marrying because she longed for security. There were few opportunities for a gentlewoman save marriage. He simply did not like the clawing and fighting some of the women employed to gain their prize.

             
Fin brushed a tendril of red hair from his wife’s face. She had every right to be upset at the revelation that she had been a prize. He had not appreciated being one himself, and he knew her independent nature would resent it just as much.

             
He was surprised she hadn’t even stirred when he touched her face. He supposed he should not have been so. She had been easy to move the day before while they were riding in the carriage, and she had certainly been sleeping soundly in her room.

             
His heart rate increased at the memory of her appearance at her door. Her cheeks were still pink from sleep, and her hair was completely wild around her face and down her back. He had not realized just how long and curly it was prior to seeing it that way. And then his eyes had left her face and travelled down her person. There was nothing immodest about her nightgown, but the knowledge that it was bed clothing was enough to make his breaths come harder.

             
Her head was tipped at an awkward angle, and he assumed she would have a sore neck when she awoke. Finn decided to try his luck. He rose and joined his wife on the seat where she rested. He lifted her feet up onto the sofa and pulled her torso into his lap. She sighed softly but did not wake. She would likely be annoyed when they stopped in just a short while, but she would not feel the effects of sleeping in such a precarious position.