you, and cried incessantly the entire trip until I was concerned for my sanity.”
The woman paused for a breath and continued, “Quite frankly, I was glad to be rid of her. And if my friends back home ever found out that I, Natalie Johnson, had a niece who would behave so immorally, why the shame would be outside the constraints of toleration. I can only pray they never learn the disgusting, shameful truth. Anyway , as you well know, that is precisely what happens when a young lady allows a man to take indecent liberties with her.”
“Indecent liberties?”
“Yes,” Natalie bristled before continuing with her diatribe . “Indecent liberties, Bridget. Lewd and lascivious behavior! When an unmarried woman allows a man into her bed and they have marital relations. It is to be expected. And even the most uneducated imbecile realizes that it only requires one such episode to create a baby in a woman’s womb.”
She sighed dramatically and laid a limp hand across her forehead . “It has been so humiliating for the entire family. And her poor f ather! He was always so proud of her, and now this? A disgrace! That is what it is, a disgrace! Any man who would seduce an innocent young girl does not give a fig about her to begin with!”
“By relations, you mean having sex?”
Natalie Johnson’s cheeks grew a bright vivid red and she looked quite faint as she again turned her back on Lynna to consult with the sea gulls. “Do you hear how she carelessly tosses about a word that I have only uttered once, and that in the privacy of my own boudoir? Shameless, positively shameless!’
S he faced Lynna again and whispered haughtily after appearing to have successfully calmed her abused senses , “Yes, that!”
Feeling terribly lightheaded and wishing the sea would open up and swallow her, Lynna excused herself and hurried to her cabin. She was unable to endure another word of the woman's vitriolic tirade against her poor niece and other young ladies of… questionable virtue… such as herself.
Joshua watched Lynna’s every movement as she raced across the deck until her slim figure could no longer be viewed. Why was she in such a hurry? She had been chatting with th e tongue - wagging Natalie Johnson. Who would not flee at the first opportunity? But even the sight of her fully clothed had caused his blood to race in his veins. How he wanted her, yearned to feel her velvety softness beneath him, caress every silken inch of her lovely body all over again. Therein lay the problem.
He feared his desire for her was too strong. The feeling was deep in his soul that he could be content to hold her for the remainder of his natural life. However , he was not ready for a lifetime commitment and could not envision himself settling down with a wife and a passel of children for many years to come. No, the little lady was dangerous. Of that he was certain. It would be best for all concerned if he kept her at a safe distance until they docked in Charleston. Not an easy task due to the simple fact that they shared a cabin.
Chapter Four
L ynna sat in the center of the bed and contemplated her dismal future. It only took one time to create a child? A disgrace. Scandalous? She didn’t move when the cabin boy brought her lunch tray and she hadn’t budged hours later when Joshua returned. She sat lost in thought and cursed the fates as she stared out the window admiring the seagulls and their carefree existence.
“Are you coming out of the cabin this afternoon, Lynna?” Joshua startled her. She hadn’t even heard the door open. “The clouds have mov ed in to cover the sun and it’s quite pleasant on deck. That meddlesome Miss
The woman paused for a breath and continued, “Quite frankly, I was glad to be rid of her. And if my friends back home ever found out that I, Natalie Johnson, had a niece who would behave so immorally, why the shame would be outside the constraints of toleration. I can only pray they never learn the disgusting, shameful truth. Anyway , as you well know, that is precisely what happens when a young lady allows a man to take indecent liberties with her.”
“Indecent liberties?”
“Yes,” Natalie bristled before continuing with her diatribe . “Indecent liberties, Bridget. Lewd and lascivious behavior! When an unmarried woman allows a man into her bed and they have marital relations. It is to be expected. And even the most uneducated imbecile realizes that it only requires one such episode to create a baby in a woman’s womb.”
She sighed dramatically and laid a limp hand across her forehead . “It has been so humiliating for the entire family. And her poor f ather! He was always so proud of her, and now this? A disgrace! That is what it is, a disgrace! Any man who would seduce an innocent young girl does not give a fig about her to begin with!”
“By relations, you mean having sex?”
Natalie Johnson’s cheeks grew a bright vivid red and she looked quite faint as she again turned her back on Lynna to consult with the sea gulls. “Do you hear how she carelessly tosses about a word that I have only uttered once, and that in the privacy of my own boudoir? Shameless, positively shameless!’
S he faced Lynna again and whispered haughtily after appearing to have successfully calmed her abused senses , “Yes, that!”
Feeling terribly lightheaded and wishing the sea would open up and swallow her, Lynna excused herself and hurried to her cabin. She was unable to endure another word of the woman's vitriolic tirade against her poor niece and other young ladies of… questionable virtue… such as herself.
Joshua watched Lynna’s every movement as she raced across the deck until her slim figure could no longer be viewed. Why was she in such a hurry? She had been chatting with th e tongue - wagging Natalie Johnson. Who would not flee at the first opportunity? But even the sight of her fully clothed had caused his blood to race in his veins. How he wanted her, yearned to feel her velvety softness beneath him, caress every silken inch of her lovely body all over again. Therein lay the problem.
He feared his desire for her was too strong. The feeling was deep in his soul that he could be content to hold her for the remainder of his natural life. However , he was not ready for a lifetime commitment and could not envision himself settling down with a wife and a passel of children for many years to come. No, the little lady was dangerous. Of that he was certain. It would be best for all concerned if he kept her at a safe distance until they docked in Charleston. Not an easy task due to the simple fact that they shared a cabin.
Chapter Four
L ynna sat in the center of the bed and contemplated her dismal future. It only took one time to create a child? A disgrace. Scandalous? She didn’t move when the cabin boy brought her lunch tray and she hadn’t budged hours later when Joshua returned. She sat lost in thought and cursed the fates as she stared out the window admiring the seagulls and their carefree existence.
“Are you coming out of the cabin this afternoon, Lynna?” Joshua startled her. She hadn’t even heard the door open. “The clouds have mov ed in to cover the sun and it’s quite pleasant on deck. That meddlesome Miss
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