standing too near to rattle her.
“Did you see the ship’s lantern on the horizon?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Were you wondering where it’s headed?”
“I was wondering exactly that when you walked up.”
“I love to watch the ships sail by.”
“Do you ever wish you were on them?”
“Never.”
“Really? You’re not dying to go home?”
He scoffed. “No. There’s nothing for me in England. I’d much rather stay here.”
“In Africa?”
“Well, at the villa.”
“Aren’t you afraid the owner might show up and toss you out?”
“I worry about it occasionally, but not seriously. The prior inhabitants fled, remember? The place was supposedly too haunted for them.”
“How long have you been here?”
He shrugged. “Four or five months, I guess. I’ve lost track of time.”
“Have you seen any ghosts?”
“Nary a one.”
“If you did, would it send you fleeing?”
“No. The only one who could get me to leave would be a new owner arriving with a bill of sale.” A smile curved his seductive mouth. “Even then, I might refuse to depart. Maybe I’d fight him for it.”
Surreptitiously she peeked at his muscled physique and figured he’d likely win any brawl he started.
“You’re from London,” she said.
“Yes, but these days it seems very far away.”
“How did you occupy yourself there?”
“Not with any venture you’d consider worthwhile.”
“Why is that?”
“I’m a ne’er-do-well. I admit it.”
“Meaning what?”
“I gamble and carouse and generally make a nuisance of myself.”
“What brought you to Africa?” she asked.
“I signed on with an expedition to explore the Nile.”
“How exotically fascinating. Did you explore it?”
“We managed a good portion, but for the most part, it was a perpetual string of disasters. When it was over, and I escaped Cairo in one piece, I was glad to see the last of it.”
“And now you’re here.”
“Yes.”
“For how long, do you imagine?”
“I have no idea, but if it turns out to be forever, that would be fine with me.”
“You have no one waiting for you at home? No wife or sweetheart?”
“I have a sister, Amelia, but she’s newly married and she doesn’t need me interfering.”
“What about your parents?”
“Deceased when I was a boy.”
“No other kin?”
He grinned. “None that will claim me.”
At the remark, she snorted with amusement. She was much too intrigued by him and was curious as to what sorts of mischief he’d perpetrated over the years to have made his relatives wash their hands of him.
“What about you?” he asked.
“What about me?”
“Where are you from?”
“A small town in Sussex. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.”
“What about your family?”
“My mother died when I was little. My father is a successful merchant engaged in trade.”
“No siblings?”
“No, much to my father’s disappointment. He’s getting on in age though, and he recently decided to rectify the situation by marrying again. His wife birthed him twins.”
“Dare I hope it was sons?” he facetiously inquired.
“No such luck,” she said. “Two more daughters.”
“Ooh, a crushing blow.”
“My father certainly felt it was.”
Faith still hadn’t come to terms with her father’s marriage. He was sixty, and her stepmother, Alice, was currently nineteen—a year younger than Rowena.
Faith hadn’t known he was considering matrimony and had only learned of it after the wedding ceremony, when she’d received an announcement from them. But then it was typical behavior for her father. He’d hated having a daughter and he and Faith had never been close, especially after she’d entered the convent.
Alice was very beautiful, but she was silly and flighty and immature, her most crushing negative trait being that she was stupid as an ox. How did her father stand it?
“What drove you to the convent?” he asked.
She scowled. “Nothing drove me. I chose to
“Did you see the ship’s lantern on the horizon?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Were you wondering where it’s headed?”
“I was wondering exactly that when you walked up.”
“I love to watch the ships sail by.”
“Do you ever wish you were on them?”
“Never.”
“Really? You’re not dying to go home?”
He scoffed. “No. There’s nothing for me in England. I’d much rather stay here.”
“In Africa?”
“Well, at the villa.”
“Aren’t you afraid the owner might show up and toss you out?”
“I worry about it occasionally, but not seriously. The prior inhabitants fled, remember? The place was supposedly too haunted for them.”
“How long have you been here?”
He shrugged. “Four or five months, I guess. I’ve lost track of time.”
“Have you seen any ghosts?”
“Nary a one.”
“If you did, would it send you fleeing?”
“No. The only one who could get me to leave would be a new owner arriving with a bill of sale.” A smile curved his seductive mouth. “Even then, I might refuse to depart. Maybe I’d fight him for it.”
Surreptitiously she peeked at his muscled physique and figured he’d likely win any brawl he started.
“You’re from London,” she said.
“Yes, but these days it seems very far away.”
“How did you occupy yourself there?”
“Not with any venture you’d consider worthwhile.”
“Why is that?”
“I’m a ne’er-do-well. I admit it.”
“Meaning what?”
“I gamble and carouse and generally make a nuisance of myself.”
“What brought you to Africa?” she asked.
“I signed on with an expedition to explore the Nile.”
“How exotically fascinating. Did you explore it?”
“We managed a good portion, but for the most part, it was a perpetual string of disasters. When it was over, and I escaped Cairo in one piece, I was glad to see the last of it.”
“And now you’re here.”
“Yes.”
“For how long, do you imagine?”
“I have no idea, but if it turns out to be forever, that would be fine with me.”
“You have no one waiting for you at home? No wife or sweetheart?”
“I have a sister, Amelia, but she’s newly married and she doesn’t need me interfering.”
“What about your parents?”
“Deceased when I was a boy.”
“No other kin?”
He grinned. “None that will claim me.”
At the remark, she snorted with amusement. She was much too intrigued by him and was curious as to what sorts of mischief he’d perpetrated over the years to have made his relatives wash their hands of him.
“What about you?” he asked.
“What about me?”
“Where are you from?”
“A small town in Sussex. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.”
“What about your family?”
“My mother died when I was little. My father is a successful merchant engaged in trade.”
“No siblings?”
“No, much to my father’s disappointment. He’s getting on in age though, and he recently decided to rectify the situation by marrying again. His wife birthed him twins.”
“Dare I hope it was sons?” he facetiously inquired.
“No such luck,” she said. “Two more daughters.”
“Ooh, a crushing blow.”
“My father certainly felt it was.”
Faith still hadn’t come to terms with her father’s marriage. He was sixty, and her stepmother, Alice, was currently nineteen—a year younger than Rowena.
Faith hadn’t known he was considering matrimony and had only learned of it after the wedding ceremony, when she’d received an announcement from them. But then it was typical behavior for her father. He’d hated having a daughter and he and Faith had never been close, especially after she’d entered the convent.
Alice was very beautiful, but she was silly and flighty and immature, her most crushing negative trait being that she was stupid as an ox. How did her father stand it?
“What drove you to the convent?” he asked.
She scowled. “Nothing drove me. I chose to
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