The Perfect Wife by Victoria Alexander Page A

Her expression was serene now, but he hadn’t missed the anguish that touched her lovely features when she’d looked at her daughter’s window. What was so important it would take this woman away from the child who obviously meant so much to her? Envy stabbed through him, followed by momentary remorse. What would it be like to care for one’s child that much?
    Of course he was fond of Erick, even loved him in the reserved way a proper parent should. He simply hadn’t been around him much. Hadn’t watched him grow up, and, if the truth were told, didn’t know his son at all. More and more these days, Nicholas was surprised to note, he regretted that. Regretted that the only reason he and Erick got along better than he and his own father had was because they were practically strangers.
    Still, Erick was a good son. Nicholas could leave his affairs in his heir’s hands with confidence and made a mental note to send word to Erick as to his unexpected journey the moment they reached the docks. In the two years since Nicholas’s return to England, the boy had given him no cause for concern. He’d selected a more than acceptable bride. He hadn’t really inconvenienced him at all. Erick treated him with respect and never asked for anything in return.
    Except this. This request to talk to Lady Stanford. And look where it had brought him. Off on a voyage to who knows where with a glorious woman who obviously had far more spirit to her than he had first imagined. He wondered if his initial impression was correct, after all. If indeed there was far more to her than she let on. Nicholas smiled to himself and settled deeper in the carriage seat. There would be time enough to find out. Time enough to ferret out the secrets of the future countess of Wyldewood.
    He would have to remember to thank Erick for this intriguing opportunity. Even though he was really doing all this for his son, to make up for the past.
    Wasn’t he?

    Sabrina swept up the gangplank well in advance of Lord Wyldewood. During the ride to the docks she’d decided she would be pleasant and polite to him, but no more. Neither would she tell him their eventual destination nor the ultimate purpose of the trip. The decision brought her a small measure of satisfaction. If he wanted answers, let him figure them out.
    She glanced over her shoulder. Wyldewood was still engaged in conversation with his carriage driver, no doubt giving the poor man the benefit of all that male guidance. The phrase still grated in her mind. At least his extended discussion gave her the chance she needed to board the ship before he did.
    “Lady Bree!”
    Sabrina whirled about at the enthusiastic cry.
    “Simon!” She clasped the American’s hands in hers. Tall and robust, in spite of the gray mingling with the sun streaks in his light auburn hair, the seaman’s eyes sparkled in greeting.
    “Welcome to the
Lady B
.”
    “Simon, how wonderful! I was very much afraid, after all these years, there would be no one I knew in the crew.” She cocked her head and surveyed him critically. “And still as handsome as ever, I see.”
    Simon MacGregor threw his head back and laughed. “It’s good to see you’ve not changed. Not your saucy tongue nor your pretty face. It’s good to see you, lass.”
    Sabrina narrowed her eyes in teasing speculation. “The last time I saw you, you were going to give up the sea and go home to your wife and all those children; in Maine, I believe. You were going to become a fisherman.”
    The big man shrugged, his eyes twinkling. “By the time I got around to it, the young ‘uns were nearly grown. And the wife decided she liked being married to me a whole lot more when I weren’t around than when I was. Seeing her a couple of times a year seems to make both of us a sight happier than being together all the time.”
    She laughed and shook her head. “You really haven’t changed.” Her gaze skimmed the rest of the ship and the crew. She craned her neck to