docks at Portsmouth.”
He shrugged and glanced away. “I was fortunate enough to meet Captain Sullivan.”
“Who is that?”
“A captain I worked under early on. He was an oddity in that he owned his own ship. Two, in fact. A self-made man in every way.”
“He sounds very enterprising. How did he lead you here?”
“I was very enterprising, too, and Captain Sullivan appreciated that about me. He took me under his wing, and taught me everything he knew about ships. When the time came, he sponsored me to take the exams for second mate, then first mate, then shipmaster. Under his guidance, I rose through the ranks quickly and was soon captain of his second ship.”
“It’s quite a step from captain to where you are now.”
Another enigmatic shrug. “Captain Sullivan never married and had no children. When I was nineteen, he fell ill. Terminally, as it turned out. He chose to make me his heir. He trusted I’d make something of what he’d worked so hard to amass.”
“And have you?”
He gave her a smug grin. “Captain Sullivan willed me two ships when I was nineteen. Now I own fifteen. I’d say so.”
“Oh.”
“What? No chippy comeback?”
“Give me a minute. Something will come to me.”
“No doubt.”
“But what about the rest?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, that explains the money, but it doesn’t explain you .” She waved a hand at him, encompassing his fine clothes and aristocratic bearing.
“You can buy anything, if you have a mind to.”
“How does one buy manners?”
“A few years ago, I met the youngest son of a marquess. He had, ah...a bit of a problem with opium, and had been cast off by the family. He was looking for passage to Bombay and didn’t have a penny to his name. We arranged a trade. I took him where he wanted to go and he taught me how to carry myself like a gentleman. It worked out well for both of us.”
“That’s rather how I did it, except my father paid Lady Grantham a load of money to turn me into a lady. Sad waste, if you ask me.”
Nate smiled down at her, a smile that made something in her chest give a sudden lurch. “You outshine any young lady here, Amelia.”
She snorted in laughter, mostly to cover up her discomfort. “Go on, now. Save your flattery for the proper young misses. You know me too well.”
“Perhaps. Doesn’t make it less true.”
“Your marquess’s son taught you how to wield a compliment well.”
He chuckled, the sound running across her nerves like the purr of a cat. All the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up. “Perhaps I’m naturally charming.”
“Hmm, somehow that doesn’t sit with my memories of you.”
“I grew into it.”
“You grew into a great many things, I think.”
“You would no doubt be amazed.”
“Don’t be fresh.” She reached out to pinch his arm, forgetting she’d meant to be cross with him. How was it she hadn’t seen Natty in ten years and he was still somehow the easiest person in the room to talk to?
“Amelia!” her father barked from behind her. She turned face to him and the gentleman he’d brought with him. “Papa, there you are. I lost track of you.” On purpose, but that didn’t signify.
He motioned to the newcomer. “Amelia, this is Mr. Cheadle. He wished to be introduced to you.”
Wonderful. Yet another man come to sniff around her fortune. She’d heard of him before, from Victoria and Grace, when he’d made a futile attempt to woo Victoria—or her money—the year before. With his excessively pomaded hair and sparse, waxed moustache, he was every bit as unappealing as they’d said. It didn’t matter if his father was a viscount. Close-set eyes flanked a thin, prominent nose over his pinched lips and weak chin. He was smiling at her, but with his large, horsey teeth, it looked like more of a grimace. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mr. Cheadle.”
Mr. Cheadle grasped her fingers and bent to brush his lips over her knuckles. Never was she so
He shrugged and glanced away. “I was fortunate enough to meet Captain Sullivan.”
“Who is that?”
“A captain I worked under early on. He was an oddity in that he owned his own ship. Two, in fact. A self-made man in every way.”
“He sounds very enterprising. How did he lead you here?”
“I was very enterprising, too, and Captain Sullivan appreciated that about me. He took me under his wing, and taught me everything he knew about ships. When the time came, he sponsored me to take the exams for second mate, then first mate, then shipmaster. Under his guidance, I rose through the ranks quickly and was soon captain of his second ship.”
“It’s quite a step from captain to where you are now.”
Another enigmatic shrug. “Captain Sullivan never married and had no children. When I was nineteen, he fell ill. Terminally, as it turned out. He chose to make me his heir. He trusted I’d make something of what he’d worked so hard to amass.”
“And have you?”
He gave her a smug grin. “Captain Sullivan willed me two ships when I was nineteen. Now I own fifteen. I’d say so.”
“Oh.”
“What? No chippy comeback?”
“Give me a minute. Something will come to me.”
“No doubt.”
“But what about the rest?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, that explains the money, but it doesn’t explain you .” She waved a hand at him, encompassing his fine clothes and aristocratic bearing.
“You can buy anything, if you have a mind to.”
“How does one buy manners?”
“A few years ago, I met the youngest son of a marquess. He had, ah...a bit of a problem with opium, and had been cast off by the family. He was looking for passage to Bombay and didn’t have a penny to his name. We arranged a trade. I took him where he wanted to go and he taught me how to carry myself like a gentleman. It worked out well for both of us.”
“That’s rather how I did it, except my father paid Lady Grantham a load of money to turn me into a lady. Sad waste, if you ask me.”
Nate smiled down at her, a smile that made something in her chest give a sudden lurch. “You outshine any young lady here, Amelia.”
She snorted in laughter, mostly to cover up her discomfort. “Go on, now. Save your flattery for the proper young misses. You know me too well.”
“Perhaps. Doesn’t make it less true.”
“Your marquess’s son taught you how to wield a compliment well.”
He chuckled, the sound running across her nerves like the purr of a cat. All the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up. “Perhaps I’m naturally charming.”
“Hmm, somehow that doesn’t sit with my memories of you.”
“I grew into it.”
“You grew into a great many things, I think.”
“You would no doubt be amazed.”
“Don’t be fresh.” She reached out to pinch his arm, forgetting she’d meant to be cross with him. How was it she hadn’t seen Natty in ten years and he was still somehow the easiest person in the room to talk to?
“Amelia!” her father barked from behind her. She turned face to him and the gentleman he’d brought with him. “Papa, there you are. I lost track of you.” On purpose, but that didn’t signify.
He motioned to the newcomer. “Amelia, this is Mr. Cheadle. He wished to be introduced to you.”
Wonderful. Yet another man come to sniff around her fortune. She’d heard of him before, from Victoria and Grace, when he’d made a futile attempt to woo Victoria—or her money—the year before. With his excessively pomaded hair and sparse, waxed moustache, he was every bit as unappealing as they’d said. It didn’t matter if his father was a viscount. Close-set eyes flanked a thin, prominent nose over his pinched lips and weak chin. He was smiling at her, but with his large, horsey teeth, it looked like more of a grimace. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mr. Cheadle.”
Mr. Cheadle grasped her fingers and bent to brush his lips over her knuckles. Never was she so
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