Rogue of the High Seas (8 page)

Shane looked puzzled. “Why?”

She stared at her cousin. “Because I could have been helping Albert secure new orders for us before Mr. Frazier's ship arrived.”

Owen intervened. “Now. Now. You should not bother your pretty head about business. Let the men take care of such things.”

Shauna thought Robert started to laugh, but he quickly coughed instead. She wasn't surprised at Owen's attitude, but did Robert not feel she was capable of thinking beyond planning a menu? She frowned. “I happen to think business is interesting.”

“Well, good,” Shane said. “Ye can watch the office while we go to greet Frazier.”

Robert gave Owen a cool look. “You will be joining us, won't you?”

“Of course he will,” Shauna replied before Owen could answer. She smiled sweetly at him as Mari might do. “Ye do want to make a good impression on the mon, nae?”

“An excellent idea,” Shane said.

Owen didn't look like he thought it was, but he got his coat and followed them out. Shauna sighed with relief. At least Shane hadn't allowed Owen to be alone with her in the office.

She finished putting the papers back in order and filled them. As she was tidying the office, she heard voices outside, one of which was decidedly French. Shane must have decided to bring Mr. Frazier back to the office. She smoothed her plain beige skirt and noticed an ink stain that she hid behind a fold and then put a smile on her face as the door opened.

The four men entered and Shane and Owen moved away to hang their coats. Shauna's breath caught. Standing between Robert and Mr. Frazier was a fashionably dressed, blonde, blue-eyed lady who rivaled Fiona in beauty.

And worse, she was looking at Robert with adoration in her eyes.

Chapter Nine

Mr. Frazier looked around the office until his gaze settled on Shauna. He smiled. “May I introduce my daughter, Colette?”

Shauna tried not to stare at the girl, and she especially tried not to notice how the creature had not taken her eyes off Robert since they'd come in. Shane was frowning at her, so Shauna kept her smile fixed. “Hello. Welcome to Scotland.”

Colette glanced at her. “
Bon jour. Enchanté.
”

Shauna didn't think Colette was enchanted by either Scotland or herself, given the fact that her attention went right back to Robert. Did he have to stand there like a smiling dolt? Maybe he didn't understand French…and then she remembered he'd spoken it flawlessly at the dinner with Owen. Maybe Colette didn't speak English.

“Did ye have a good crossing?” Shauna asked.

“
Oui
.”

Robert nodded. “
Lisse et facile, vôtre père dit.
”

Colette shrugged. “My father thinks all sailing is easy.”

So much for Colette not speaking English. Shauna's mouth began to hurt from her forced smile. “I hope ye will enjoy your visit.”

“
Merci
,” Mr. Frazier said. “It is my hope that Colette will absorb your culture while we are here.”

“That would take a wee bit of time,” Shauna replied, trepidation growing in her mind. “How long do ye plan to stay?”

“It will take several weeks to set up the office, and then I will want to assure things are being properly run by whomever I hire,” Mr. Frazier answered. “I am anticipating at least two or three months.”

Her trepidation turned to despair. Colette would be here for the length of Robert's stay. This did not bode well since the girl kept her attention riveted on him. Perhaps Shauna could divert her. “Do ye like museums? I could take ye.”

Colette finally looked away from Robert. “
Oui
. I like the
musée
very much.”

“She should,” her father said, “since she is an excellent portrait painter. One day, her paintings will hang there too.”

“Of course, I must practice much,” Colette said and turned back to Robert. “I wish to do your likeness.”

He looked startled. “I don't think I would make a good subject.”

“
Non, monsieur
. You would make an excellent subject. Your face is quite strong.” Colette reached up and ran a delicate fingertip along the side of Robert's face. “Your cheekbones are high, nose straight, mouth full…” She paused, her gaze lingered there for a split second. Not long enough to be considered vulgar, but long enough to look interested before moving on. “Your eyes are fathomless.” She tilted her head, studying him. “I think you have a secret hidden in your soul,
non
?”

Robert shook his head quickly and smiled. “I think you are a romantic,
mademoiselle
.”

“Perhaps. Nevertheless, I want to paint you. You are a beautiful man.”

Shauna's mouth gaped. The Frenchwoman's boldness bordered on what Abigail would describe as being a hoyden. Yet her father seemed unfazed by his daughter's brazenness. Robert looked somewhat embarrassed and Owen practically snickered. Shauna had almost forgotten he was behind her.

“Aye, Henderson is a right
bonnie
laddie, he is,” Owen said, falling back on the burr he hadn't used before. “Quite
bonnie
.”

“Bonnie?” Colette's brows furrowed. “
Je ne comprends pas
. I do not understand the word.”

“It means pretty.
Joli
,” Robert said, leveling his gaze on Owen.

Colette looked confused. “
Un bon mot, n'est-ce pas
?”

Shauna's French was limited, but she thought Colette had just asked if the word was good. “The term bonnie is usually used for women,” she said and then turned to glare at Owen. “I would refer to Captain Henderson as
braw
.”

A strangled sound came from Robert, but Shauna didn't dare look at him. She'd already been bold, calling him braw just now.

“
Je suis
…I am sorry. I did not mean to offend,” Colette said. “I was speaking from an artist's viewpoint.”

“No offense taken,” Robert replied.

Instantly, she was all smiles. “Then you will allow me to paint you?”

“I don't—”

“Please,” Mr. Frazier interrupted. “It would make my daughter happy.”

“
Oui, Papa
, it would.” Colette looked back to Robert. “
S'il vous plaĩt?
”

Robert looked uncomfortable, but when Shane cleared his throat—which Shauna knew from past experience meant he wanted a person to agree—Robert glanced at him and must have understood, because he nodded.

“
Merveilleux
!” Colette clapped her hands. “I am so happy.”

Shauna suddenly felt nauseated.

Lord Almighty, what had he gotten himself into this time? Robert shook his head as he left the dock office and headed down the quay, ignoring the cold spray splashing onto the dock. He should never have left his ship and ridden over here to let MacLeod know
La Colette
had been seen entering the port. Had he not come, he wouldn't have been coerced into sitting like some damn fool for a portrait.

And he
was
a damn fool. He knew the reason he'd decided to inform MacLeod about the ship was an excuse. He'd come to see Shauna. He'd thought if he avoided her—leaving the flat early and coming back late—he'd put her out of his mind. Instead, the memory of the near kiss only intensified. Imagining how her lips would feel and how her mouth would taste nearly drove him mad. Not even the raw, physical energy he expended in rebuilding the rudder helped. He'd bruised his thumb more than once with the hammer because his mind drifted back to her face that afternoon—lips parted, eyes darkened with passion—and what might have happened if Albert hadn't opened the door.

Robert
should
be thanking the man for that, not cursing him. He was officially betrothed if Jane were still alive. If her body were found, he'd probably be arrested when he returned to New Orleans. Neither circumstance allowed him the option of acting on his feelings. And yet he'd used every ounce of his willpower to control the rage he'd felt when he saw MacLean practically rammed against Shauna earlier.

That anger had barely been tapped down when MacLean made his remark about Robert being bonnie. He'd managed to keep his fists clenched at his side, but he also knew Shane had taken notice—and MacLeod was astute enough to realize Robert's anger wasn't solely for being called bonnie. Hell, he'd been called worse, but he didn't want MacLeod knowing the depth of his interest in Shauna, which was why he agreed to sit for that damn portrait.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned to see Shane striding toward him.

“I wanted to ask if ye would be able to take the
Border Lass
across the Firth to Kirkcaldy tomorrow and pick up a shipment of kelp.” Shane asked as he came up to him. “Frazier has asked if I could help him interview some men for his office, and the kelp's baled and ready.”

“Sure. Since the
New Orleans
is in dry dock, it will feel good to be out on the water again.”

“Well, 'tis just nine nautical miles over, nae the high seas.”

“Water is water, no?” Robert grinned. “Besides, I wouldn't turn down a chance to captain the
Border Lass
. She's a fast ship.”

Shane grinned too. “Aye. And a tasking mistress too. If ye doona keep her sheeted tight, she'll take ye for a wild ride, even in the Firth.”

How could something as basic as handling sails make his mind leap to fantasies? The sheets he was thinking of had nothing to do with the ones fastened to sails. The unbidden thought of Shauna taking him for a wild ride nearly made him groan aloud. Not something he wanted to do in front of MacLeod. From the way Shane was eyeing him, Robert wondered if he'd made some sort of sound after all. He decided to change the subject.

“I wonder why Frazier brought his daughter along.”

“He told me her mother died last year. Since the lass finished boarding school, he dinnae want to leave her alone.” Shane glanced at him. “She's a bonnie one.”

“Apparently, so am I,” Robert said with a dour note in his voice.

“MacLean was goading ye.”

“Seems like a good way to lose a few teeth.”

Shane laughed. “He got into enough scrapes riling the other lads when he was young. I suspect he still has his teeth because he learned to defend himself well.”

“He doesn't look like a fighter.”

“Doona be fooled with his English ways. All Highland lads are taught to fight.” Shane shrugged. “I doona care for violence, but a mon wouldn't be worth his salt if he couldnae defend himself and his family. 'Tis the way of it. The MacLeans—and the MacLeods—would nae have kept their lands from the MacDonalds had they been soft.”

The clan issue again. Apparently, MacLean had been right when he'd said neither clan had love of the MacDonalds. Perhaps it would be prudent not to mention Robert's ancestry right now. “Somewhat like being a ship's captain.”

“Aye,” Shane replied. “'Tis a dangerous thing if the crew doesnae follow the captain's orders without question. The sea is as unforgiving as a betrayed woman.”

Robert nodded. He didn't need to be reminded about betraying a woman—especially not when the woman he was thinking of was Shane MacLeod's cousin. And he had no doubt Shane knew how to fight.

As if yesterday's meeting Colette—who wanted to paint Robert—were not enough, Shane had invited her and her father to dinner tonight. Shauna knew it was the polite—maybe even expected—thing to do, but that didn't mean she wanted to be here. She knew she had no real reason to dislike the girl. Shauna would want to paint Robert too, if she could.

It wasn't like her to feel so surly, but when it came to Robert, it seemed her logic and ability to be objective simply disappeared like shapes in the swirling
haar
that often encased Castle Rock.

The weather certainly didn't help her mood. The day had been dreary and grey, with angry squalls whipping icy rain and strong winds across the water. She hadn't gone to the dock office, which had only served to give her more time to think about this dinner.

Perhaps if Colette and her father were the only guests, Shauna would not feel so glum, but Shane had also invited Robert.
And
Owen, who had claimed the chair next to hers.

The two men were seated across the table from each other. Although they had given each other a curt hello before being seated, the chill in the air made Shauna wonder if a window had been left open somewhere. At least Abigail had maneuvered Mr. Frazier to sit beside Robert and placed Colette on the other side of Owen.

“Papa tells me you were out on the water in this storm today,” Colette said to Robert. “
Comment courageux.”
She paused. “
Pardon. Papa
wishes that I speak English while I am here. I mean, how brave of you.”

Her voice sounded breathless, and Shauna suspected she had a wide-eyed, innocent expression on her face like so many of the debutantes in London used. Perhaps it was a good thing Owen was blocking her view.

“It was a bit choppy, but not bad,” Robert said.

“Of course, Americans are known for taking foolhardy risks,” Owen added.

Robert gave him a steady look. “The
Border Lass
could handle it.”

Owen's brows shot up. “You took out one of Shane's ships?”

“Aye. I asked him to,” Shane said from his end of the table. “The mon has crossed the Atlantic more than once. I dinnae think he would have a problem with the Firth.”

“And he did not,” Abigail said and smoothly turned the conversation to Colette. “Did you have a good trip?”

“
Oui
. For once, the Channel swells were small.”

“Do you like sailing?” Robert asked.

“
Oui
. I mean, yes.”

“So do Abigail and I,” Shauna said. “Last fall, we sailed to London.”

Robert's eyes began to twinkle. “Stowed away, you mean.”

She grimaced. “And got restricted to Shane's cabin for our efforts.”

“For your safety.”

“We felt like prisoners.”

A corner of Robert's mouth lifted. “I don't recall it like that.”

How did he recall it? He'd stood guard outside the door, for goodness sake. “We wouldnae have had to sneak onboard if sailors werenae such a superstitious lot.”

“There is that,” Mr. Frazier said. “I had quite a time convincing the crew the first time Colette came with me. I still do not take her to the Mediterranean.”

Abigail frowned. “Why not?”

“Barbary pirates,” Mr. Frazier answered. “They lurk in the waters past Gibraltar and their Corsairs are swift. I always carry arms when I go past the Straits. Even so, if we were attacked, a woman aboard would not be safe.”

“Actually, I have only made a few trips to England,” Colette added. “When
Maman
was alive, she did not approve.”

“I am so sorry for your loss,” Abigail said.

“
Merci
. She passed away last year. I still miss her.”

Colette's mother was dead? Shauna had been four when her own mother had died shortly after Fiona was born and she had only vague memories. How horrible it would have been to lose her mother after she'd grown up with her. A twinge of guilt poked at her conscience. The French girl must be hurting. Shauna needed to be more kind.

But she had a feeling it was going to be hard.

Shauna practically had her nose buried in the file cabinet as she tried to reach the back of the drawer when the door to the dock office opened the next afternoon. Since Albert had just returned from lunch to work on the ledgers, she didn't know who it might be. Shauna turned, hoping Robert had come in. Instead, Owen was removing his coat.