The Shipmaster's Daughter (20 page)

Luciana stared at Aliana’s slim, manicured fingers. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. I have a reputation for being clumsy back in Italy.”

“Oh, tosh. Give me your hand!” She batted her eyelashes. “Please?”

Luciana did so, albeit with some reluctance and a dramatic sigh. Aliana put her free hand on Luciana’s waist.

“Now, I’ll lead and you follow. It’s really quite easy.”

Aliana lead Luciana in a simple, box-like form, counting aloud as they went. Luciana stumbled more than once, and her eyes remained glued to the floor. It was frustrating work. No matter how many times they began, she tripped over her own feet or began leading by accident. Despite it all, Aliana was patient and reassuring.

“You’ll get it,” she said. “Try again.”

Luciana sighed. She ran her hand through her hair and laughed. It bounced off of the walls of empty ballroom. “Are you sure I’ll learn?”

“You have to,” Aliana said. “If you don’t, you can’t dance with Reed.” She wiggled her eyebrows and offered her hand again, her voice growing more gentle. “Of course you’ll learn. It takes practice, like any good thing.”

Luciana gave Aliana her hand again and they started off once more. As she expected, her feet tangled in themselves. With a groan, she dropped Aliana’s hands.

“I can’t dance,” she said, shaking her head. “Besides, I doubt Reed is the dancing type.” And she doubted if she would want to dance with him. Having his hand on her waist, holding her close—friends didn’t dance like that.

Aliana eyes twinkled. She looked away for a moment, her lower lip caught between her teeth. “Oh, believe me, he is.”

Shoulders sagged, Luciana was too weary to wonder how Aliana knew such a thing. She turned away, downtrodden and frustrated. If Reed indeed was the dancing type, she would need to learn. She couldn’t make a fool of them both. But, after trying for more than an hour, she saw little improvement. Her feet and heart ached. Quite a painful combination.

“Here—I’ll give you a tip.”

Luciana looked away from her reflection. Aliana stood beside her, staring at her own face in the glass. She held her arms out to the side and smiled.

“If you trip—” She began to giggle, her cheeks turning red. “—just put your arms out wide and spin ‘round in a circle. Like this.”

She twisted in circles on the ball of her foot. The hem of her dress fanned out into a wide, spinning arch. As she turned faster and faster, her laughter grew. She looked ridiculous and ethereal at the same time. Finally, she stopped, gasping for breath as she stumbled.

“You try.” Her voice came in quick gasps.

“You know I won’t do that if I do trip,” Luciana said. “I would look even more like a fool.”

Aliana shrugged. “Just try it. It’ll make you feel better.”

Luciana bit her lip and set herself into motion to spin in the same fashion as Aliana. She started slow. But as she felt her own heart grow lighter and a smile spread across her face, she picked up speed.

She was soaring.

The room whizzed past her eyes with each turn and the hem of her skirt stretched into a wide circle. Out the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Aliana spinning around herself. Both women laughed, the sound echoing in the spacious room. The laughter lifted Luciana’s spirits.

“Oh, please stop. Stop, stop, stop,” Luciana said, bringing herself to an abrupt halt. Her stomach lurched as she tried to regain her balance. She took a wobbly step forward and tripped into Aliana. They tumbled onto the floor, a mess of laughter, loose hair, and twisted skirts.

From the doorway, someone cleared their throat. Luciana sat up. Her laughter faded out as her dizziness faded, but all laughter ceased when she saw Reed standing in the doorway. He stood with his legs shoulder width apart, his arms hanging at his side. His lips twitched in amusement, but he tried to conceal it. She scrambled to her feet, Aliana close behind.

“Sorry to have interrupted,” Reed said.

Luciana glanced sidelong at Aliana, who was blushing. “We were—What I mean to say is—” She looked at Luciana, her blue eyes helpless. “We were just—”

“Aliana was teaching me how to dance,” Luciana said. She gave Aliana a reassuring smile, and Aliana’s shoulders relaxed.

Reed narrowed his eyes. The smirk on his face widened. “I’ve never had the pleasure of witnessing a dance like that.”

“Hopefully you will never have to see it again,” Luciana replied. Her face burned. How much had he seen?

He gave his head a short shake. “I wouldn’t say that.” He held up a piece of paper and stepped across the room. “This is the bill, in total, for the party.”

Aliana bit her lip. “Oh goodness,” she whispered.

“Oh goodness is right,” he said, leveling his sharp eyes on her. “I’m not sure where I’m going to find this money for all of this. I dislike frivolous spending and this is the epitome is frivolous spending.” He sighed, shaking his head as he stared at the piece of paper.

“If it bothers you that much,” Luciana said, “couldn’t you cancel?”

When he looked at her, his eyes went from admonishing to gentle in a split second. Her heart skipped a beat and, immediately, she remembered the way his lips felt against her hand. Wrinkling her nose, she pushed the thought away. Much too inappropriate for two people who were only friends, after all.

“I would if Jack hadn’t already sent out invitations.”

“Then what will you do?”

“Miss Martin better hope some of the advisors I took the liberty of inviting show.”

“Advisors?”

He nodded. “I might try my hand at investing—starting an investment firm, that is. I invited advisors from London, hoping they could offer me some advice.”

“Mr. Hargrave,” Aliana started, her voice low, eyes glued to the floor, “if you need money for all this, then I’m sure my—”

Reed held up his hand. “I have money, loads of it, Miss Martin, but thank you. I really don’t like spending it on parties, though. So, it is my hope, that these advisors come and then it won’t be a total waste.”

Luciana glanced at Aliana, whose cheeks were stained a dark red. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She struggled to understand what was making him act in such a way. The last time she’d seen him act so was the day she’d burst into his office unannounced. That had been a long time ago. Her heart tugged in sympathy for her friend. She knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of Reed’s sarcastic and silent wrath. It wasn’t pleasant.

He sniffed, shoving the paper and his hands behind his back. “That is not the reason I came here, though. Peters is ready to take you both out, if you’re ready.”

Aliana lifted her head, rolling her lips together in a tight line. “To Manchester?”

Reed nodded once, refusing to look at her. “Yes.”

Aliana touched Luciana’s arm. She smiled, though it was less than convincing. “I forgot. I’m taking you to Manchester for the day.”

Luciana frowned. “I have no reason to go to Manchester.”

“Yes, you do. For a dress.”

“Oh, Aliana, I appreciate the idea, but I don’t have the money for a new dress. I have perfectly good ones here,” Luciana said with a shake of her head.

“My treat,” Aliana said, waving her hand in dismissal. “We’re friends, after all. We won’t be gone long and it’ll be good fun.” She squeezed her arm. “I’ll be waiting outside.” She brushed past Reed, her shoulders slumped.

Reed’s shoulders, on the other hand, relaxed. He opened his mouth to speak, but Luciana cut him off.

“Why were you so rude to her?”

He recoiled as if his hand had been bitten. “Excuse me?”

“Aliana is only trying to bring some life to this house. You don’t need to be so hard on her.”

Reed tossed stray locks of hair away from his eyes with a flick of his head. “I know exactly what it is she’s up to, Luciana.”

“And what is that? Besides wanting something good for you and for all of us.” Luciana put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows.

Despite Reed’s wonderful qualities, of which were many, his tendency to judge before pausing to consider all of the facts irked her to the core. He judged her as uncivilized when they first met, and maybe she had been, but that didn’t give him the right. Aliana only wanted to spruce up the old house, give it a breath of fresh air. She’d said so many times. For Reed to think she had ulterior motives was downright loathsome.

He angled his body away from her. “You wouldn’t understand. It goes back much farther than this.”

Luciana stepped once more into his line of sight. His frown deepened. “Tell me. I could surprise you.”

“Like I said, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Any why not?”

“Because you’re young.” He shook his head. “It’s much too complicated.”

Luciana’s throat tightened. Was that really what he thought of her? A scream formed in her throat. Tears creeped behind her eyes; they stung. Pushing them away, Luciana leveled her chin and set her jaw hard.

“You are a beast, Reed Hargrave,” she whispered.

Taken aback, he faltered, holding up an admonishing finger. “Now wait a minute.”

She couldn’t wait. Anger flared in her chest and pulsed in her heart. It was a steady beat, rhythmic like a drum. All she saw was red and all she heard was a faint buzzing in her ears. The rage—caused by her family’s abandonment, Esther’s dirty tricks, and Reed’s ability to turn her heart to goop one minute and then frustrate her the next—threatened to break.

And it did.

“You jump to conclusions about everybody,” she said, her eyes screwing shut. She couldn’t look at him. Not with those damnable eyes. “All you do is think you know everything about how people work just to make sure no one can get too close to you. It’s damn infuriating because I want to be your friend.” She hesitated. “I want to be close to you.” Hurriedly, she finished, unsure of her own strength. “Aliana is trying to give us all something you aren’t capable of: an evening of bliss. And now you’re saying she isn’t what she seems.
Mio Dio,
Reed, what is wrong with you?”

For a moment, he said nothing. His eyes flashed with unmistakeable hurt and, briefly, Luciana regretted her words. Had she let herself get too carried away?

His hands twitched at his sides and, when he lifted his arms, she thought he might grab her shoulders, but instead he crossed them over his chest and raised an eyebrow.

“Please,” he drawled, “tell me how you truly feel.”

Luciana blinked and then shook her head. She wanted to stay something in return, something as equally as biting, but her mind failed her. She was too stunned by his reaction to form a coherent thought. She thought he would shout at her, even throw her out. Not this. This was the cruel, sarcastic Reed she hated.

Clamping her teeth down on her lip to keep from sobbing, she turned on her heel and rushed from the room. Damn this party.

And damn him.

Chapter 22

D
espite her argument with Reed, Luciana resolved to have a pleasant time in Manchester. Aliana was a godsend in her eyes. Before she came, Luciana hadn’t realized how much she craved friendship with another woman. When she was surrounded by men and an eight year old girl, it became easy to forget what friendship with a woman her own age was like.

The ride to Manchester was spent mostly in silence. Luciana suspected Aliana might still be embarrassed by her encounter with Reed, so she kept her comments to a minimum. Instead, she watched the rolling countryside and relished in finally being able to see something other than Eastbourne’s rooftops from a window. It reminded her of just how much she yearned to set out on her own one day. Working in the conservatory wasn’t all she was destined for.

It couldn’t be.

When they did come upon Manchester, Luciana lost her breath. She had never seen anything like it. Buildings towering over her head seemed to touch the very sky and everywhere she looked people stood on street corners, hawking their wares. The air smelled smokey and filthy. The ground was covered with trash and animal dung. Luciana couldn’t get enough of it. She had been to Venice once before, but stayed for several hours at best before moving on. She was but a child, then, and couldn’t remember much now, but she knew Venice and Manchester were worlds apart.

Aliana touched her shoulder. “Isn’t it grand?”

Luciana could only nod.

“I know it’s a little...unrefined, but I love it. All the activity and such.” She sighed. “I live here, you know.”

“Do you?”

“Yes, several streets that way.” She pointed further down the road. “It’s just my sister and I, but we’re happy.” Her face fell as she sat back. “I really should be married by now.”

“Does it matter?” Luciana shrugged. “
I’m
not married.”

Aliana laughed and held her hand against her chest. “That’s because you’re different, my sweet. Societal rules don’t apply to you. You should count yourself lucky.”

Luciana struggled to keep a frown at bay. That was the second time in one day someone had cast a slight upon her. First Reed told her she was too young to understand, and now Aliana told her she was different. Luciana knew she meant no harm by it, but it made her heart clench nonetheless.

She twisted her body toward the other woman. “How am I different? We’re near the same age,
corretto
? I don’t see how my being Italian has anything to do with it, if that’s what you’re implying.”

Aliana’s brow furrowed and she reached across the barouche to touch Luciana’s knee. “I didn’t mean anything hurtful. It’s only—Well, you
are
Italian. There’s nothing you can do about that, obviously, but men here like English women. Doesn’t mean it’s right. That’s just how it goes.” She blushed, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry.”

Sighing, Luciana looked away, focusing her eyes on the rows and rows of shops. “I’m not offended,” she said, though, in truth, she was. Wouldn’t anyone be?

“What I mean is,” Aliana continued, her words hurried, “a woman my age is usually married by now. And with my parents gone, I need to provide for my little sister, too, but I can’t very well get a job. She’s different, my sister—a little funny in the head—so she won’t be getting married. I must do what I must to secure her future and mine, Luciana. You’re blessed that you don’t have to worry about that.”