Miss Whittier Makes a List (52 page)

“
Well, she did, and so did your father, when I met them in
Nantucket
a month ago!
”
he said.

“
You didn
’
t!
”

“
I did!
How do you
think I knew where you were?
”

“
Was I hard to find?
”

He kissed her.
“
You would ask such a question of the man who raised the
Azores
in a fog bank from the deck of a sinking ship? Of course, I did have to stop in
Washington
.
”
He winced at the memory.
“
I would blush to
call
it a capital city, but Lord Erskine, our ambassador, as
su
res me that it will improve. Hannah, those pigs in the stre
e
ts
reall
y must go.
”

“
Washington
?
”
she asked. The mail coach was getting so w
ar
m that she removed her pelisse entirely.

“
Yes, my love. Which reminds me
 
...
.
”
He set her careully off his lap and rapped on the side of the coach again. It rolled to a stop and he opened the door.
“
Sir, perhaps you would
turn
this vehicle back to the
District of Columbia
?
”

In
another moment
they had started back up the road they had just traveled.
“
Lord Erskine assured me that he could take care of any legalities concerned with our
marriage
, and I have a notarized letter in my pocket from your father, giving his consent to our nuptials. I think all that remains is for us to collect the documents from Lord Erskine this afternoon and present our bodies before some magistrate and say
‘
Yes,
’
or
‘
Hell, yes,
’
or maybe
‘
It
’
s high time.
’
 
”

“
Daniel, I love thee,
”
she said softly.

“
I know, my love, I know,
”
he whispered as he pulled her close again.
“
My feelings are precisely as I expressed in that letter. I still love you too much to marry you, but it seems the entire British navy, my regent, and my relatives will flog me around the fleet if I cannot come up to scratch and do my duty.
”

“
Not to mention my mother,
”
she added. Her hands trembled as she cupped them about his face and looked deep into his eyes.
“
I know exactly what I am gett
ing into. I can wait in
Dorset
for the war to end, but when it does, thee must promise me to leave the sea for good.
”

“
Done, madam,
”
he said and turned his face to seal the promise with a kiss in each palm.
“
After we return to
Dorset
, it
’
s back to the blockade for me. We
’
re in for some rough years yet .
..
.
”

She put her finger to his lips and shook her head.
“
They will be years thee will look back on with great joy, my love. I can make that happen for thee, and thee for me.
”

“
Done again, madam,
”
he said as tears shone on his cheeks.
“
Promise
me one thing
, though.
”

“
Yes?
”
she asked as she wiped his face with her sleeve.

“
No more lists, my love. Well, nothing beyond shopping lists for trips into the village, or perhaps Christmas presents.
”

Her arms were around his neck then, her lips against his.
“
Thee won
’
t mind if I write over and over,
‘
Hannah loves Daniel
’
?
”

“
Hannah,
”
he said, and it said the world.

Conversation seemed as much an encumbrance as her bonnet and pelisse that they dispensed with it for a lengthy spell. When they finally decided that words might be better, considering that they hadn
’
t actually married each other yet, Hannah sat up and smiled into her dear love
’
s somewhat glazed eyes.
“
Tell me something, Daniel.
”

“
Anything,
”
he murmured as he rebuttoned her dress.

“
Does thee have something against the South?
”

He looked at her, a question in his eyes.

“
It seems that in the company of the British Navy, I am doomed never to see
Charleston
!
”

THE END

A well-known veteran of the romance writing field, Carla Kelly is the author of twenty-six novels and three non-fiction works, as well as numerous short stories and articles for various publications. She is the recipient of two RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America for Best Regency of the Year; two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America; a Whitney Award for Best Romance Fiction, 2011; and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times. Carla’s interest in historical fiction is a byproduct of her lifelong interest in history. She has a BA in Latin American History from Brigham Young University and an MA in Indian Wars History from University of Louisiana-Monroe. She’s held a variety of jobs, including public relations work for major hospitals and hospices, feature writer and columnist for a North Dakota daily newspaper, and ranger in the National Park Service (her favorite job) at Fort Laramie National Historic Site and Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site. She has worked for the North Dakota Historical Society as a contract researcher. Interest in the Napoleonic Wars at sea led to a recent series of novels about the British Channel Fleet during that conflict. Of late, Carla has written two novels set in southeast Wyoming in 1910 that focus on her Mormon background and her interest in ranching. You can find Carla on the Web at: www.CarlaKellyAuthor.com.