the ocean. “You really think I look but forty?”
“I begin to think perhaps Dr. Barrow is coming to visit you and not me.”
That won a full chuckle and Mother settled in to enjoy her tea.
Prudence finished her second pastry. She had been furious when she’d left the captain, but sitting here now, before the fire, sipping a nice cup of tea with lots of sugar and extra cream, made her irritation disappear like smoke before a gentle breeze.
She glanced around their cottage with a deep feeling of satisfaction. It was warm and cozy here in the sitting room, the settee and drapes a delightful red color. Flowered pillows and a thick Aubusson carpet on which sat a matching set of cherrywood chairs filled the room with warmth and color. “Phillip would have liked this room.”
Mother paused in taking a sip of tea, her eyes darkening momentarily. “Oh, Prudence. I’m so sorry. What made you think of him?”
“I always think of him,” Prudence said with a sigh.
“I know.” Mother’s eyes filled as she reached over and patted Prudence’s hand. “Prudence, I wish sometimes that—Well, it doesn’t matter.”
“What? You wish I didn’t remember Phillip?”
“Oh no, dear! I would never wish that. I just wish you’d find someone else. You deserve to be happy.”
Prudence took a satisfying sip of tea. “I am happy. Very. Except for the sheep problem.”
“It is most vexing,” Mother replied, sending a side glance at Prudence. “I wonder how they are getting past the gate.”
“However they are doing it, the captain flatly refuses to pen up his sheep. The man is a nuisance.”
“Do you really think so?”
Prudence put down her cup, the bowl rattling against the saucer. “Mother, the man not only refused to pen up his sheep, but he threatened to train his dogs to herd those infernal animals onto our land unless we stopped pestering him about it!”
“Goodness,” Mother said, looking rather miserable. “Your interview did not go well at all.”
“No, it did not. But I am not finished with the captain.”
Mother brightened. “Oh?”
“No. I will find a way to make him listen to us. See if I don’t.”
Mother waved her pastry in the air, her eyes sparkling indignantly. “That foolish sheep, trudging through the new hedgerow and eating all the mint! The nerve of it!”
Prudence toyed with the handle of her cup. “How do those sheep get over that fence?”
“That is the question, isn’t it? I wonder if they have found a way to undo the latch.”
“And latch it back? I don’t think so.” Perhaps she’d go to the village in the morning and make some inquiries of the herding laws. She knew the perfect depth to curtsy to a princess, a duchess, a countess, and a viscountess. But she knew absolutely nothing about livestock.
“If you keep scowling like that, you will get lines in your brow.” Mother’s gentle voice held a touch of exasperation. “What did that man say to so upset you?”
Prudence picked up her teacup, absently staring into it. The captain had not said anything she hadn’t expected. Not really. It was more the way he’d looked at her; in a way that had made her feel painfully aware of herself. In the same way Phillip had looked at her, only…the captain’s look had burned, simmered inside of her. She’d never felt that with Phillip.
“Prudence?”
She looked up to find Mother staring at her, brows raised. Heat touched Prudence’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, Mother. I was just thinking about the captain. He was rude and it made me angry.” Which was true. Perhaps that was what she needed to focus on—how mad the man had made her. Yes, that was good. Prudence set her cup back on the tray. “Mother, I have had it with the captain’s lackadaisical manner of watching after his livestock. If he will not tend to them, then I will. Only I will use a spit over a hot fire and mint sauce.”
“Prudence! You cannot go about threatening to cook another person’s
“I begin to think perhaps Dr. Barrow is coming to visit you and not me.”
That won a full chuckle and Mother settled in to enjoy her tea.
Prudence finished her second pastry. She had been furious when she’d left the captain, but sitting here now, before the fire, sipping a nice cup of tea with lots of sugar and extra cream, made her irritation disappear like smoke before a gentle breeze.
She glanced around their cottage with a deep feeling of satisfaction. It was warm and cozy here in the sitting room, the settee and drapes a delightful red color. Flowered pillows and a thick Aubusson carpet on which sat a matching set of cherrywood chairs filled the room with warmth and color. “Phillip would have liked this room.”
Mother paused in taking a sip of tea, her eyes darkening momentarily. “Oh, Prudence. I’m so sorry. What made you think of him?”
“I always think of him,” Prudence said with a sigh.
“I know.” Mother’s eyes filled as she reached over and patted Prudence’s hand. “Prudence, I wish sometimes that—Well, it doesn’t matter.”
“What? You wish I didn’t remember Phillip?”
“Oh no, dear! I would never wish that. I just wish you’d find someone else. You deserve to be happy.”
Prudence took a satisfying sip of tea. “I am happy. Very. Except for the sheep problem.”
“It is most vexing,” Mother replied, sending a side glance at Prudence. “I wonder how they are getting past the gate.”
“However they are doing it, the captain flatly refuses to pen up his sheep. The man is a nuisance.”
“Do you really think so?”
Prudence put down her cup, the bowl rattling against the saucer. “Mother, the man not only refused to pen up his sheep, but he threatened to train his dogs to herd those infernal animals onto our land unless we stopped pestering him about it!”
“Goodness,” Mother said, looking rather miserable. “Your interview did not go well at all.”
“No, it did not. But I am not finished with the captain.”
Mother brightened. “Oh?”
“No. I will find a way to make him listen to us. See if I don’t.”
Mother waved her pastry in the air, her eyes sparkling indignantly. “That foolish sheep, trudging through the new hedgerow and eating all the mint! The nerve of it!”
Prudence toyed with the handle of her cup. “How do those sheep get over that fence?”
“That is the question, isn’t it? I wonder if they have found a way to undo the latch.”
“And latch it back? I don’t think so.” Perhaps she’d go to the village in the morning and make some inquiries of the herding laws. She knew the perfect depth to curtsy to a princess, a duchess, a countess, and a viscountess. But she knew absolutely nothing about livestock.
“If you keep scowling like that, you will get lines in your brow.” Mother’s gentle voice held a touch of exasperation. “What did that man say to so upset you?”
Prudence picked up her teacup, absently staring into it. The captain had not said anything she hadn’t expected. Not really. It was more the way he’d looked at her; in a way that had made her feel painfully aware of herself. In the same way Phillip had looked at her, only…the captain’s look had burned, simmered inside of her. She’d never felt that with Phillip.
“Prudence?”
She looked up to find Mother staring at her, brows raised. Heat touched Prudence’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, Mother. I was just thinking about the captain. He was rude and it made me angry.” Which was true. Perhaps that was what she needed to focus on—how mad the man had made her. Yes, that was good. Prudence set her cup back on the tray. “Mother, I have had it with the captain’s lackadaisical manner of watching after his livestock. If he will not tend to them, then I will. Only I will use a spit over a hot fire and mint sauce.”
“Prudence! You cannot go about threatening to cook another person’s
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