Page 12 of Heiress Gone Wild

Jonathan didn’t even want to think about it.

The bedroom door had scarcely closed behind him before Marjorie was laughing, and she had to bury her face in a sofa cushion to keep him from hearing it.

Oh, his shock when he’d seen her sitting here had been priceless. And when she’d rattled on about not caring if she married a fortune hunter and how she intended to spend her inheritance, he’d looked so appalled, she still didn’t know how she’d managed to keep a straight face. And when she’d pointed out he was only partially dressed... oh, heavens.

That memory sent Marjorie into another fit of laughter, and she buried her face harder into the sofa cushion, her shoulders shaking. She’d thought having a guardian would be tedious, but she was beginning to think she’d been wrong. Just now, she found having a guardian vastly entertaining.

She shouldn’t, she supposed, take such delight in teasing him, but he deserved it after the way he’d abandoned her, and she was enjoying her revenge so much that it was several moments more before Marjorie was able to contain her amusement at his expense.

At last, however, her sides aching, she sat up with a deep sigh, brushed back the stray tendrils of hair from her forehead, and returned her attention to the tea tray.

He must think her a fool, she thought, shaking her head as she selected a cucumber sandwich from the tray. Racehorses, indeed. She did mean to enjoy herself, but she wasn’t about to be so silly with her money as that. Of course, fortune hunters would be swarming around her like flies—she’d already figured that out for herself, thank you. And despite her guardian’s fears, she had no intention of allowing herself to be compromised and forced into marriage with a man who was only out for her money.

Still, she supposed she couldn’t blame Mr. Deverill for being concerned, since he didn’t know she’d already taken precautions of her own. It would be best, she thought, meditatively munching her sandwich, if she explained that and allayed his fears as soon as possible. Otherwise, the poor man might have apoplexy.

That decision had barely crossed her mind before the bedroom door opened and the object of her thoughts—properly dressed this time—reentered the sitting room.

She studied him as he crossed to the tea tray. He seemed over the initial surprise of finding her on board, but the expression on his face confirmed her initial impression of him, and Marjorie was glad she’d waited until theNeptunewas safely out to sea before she’d come in search of him.

Fortified by the reminder that he couldn’t send her back, Marjorie spoke first. “So, what happens now?”

He poured milk into his cup, added tea, dropped in two lumps of sugar, and stirred the contents before he replied. “For you?” he said at last. “Nothing.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“When we’re finished here, you will return to your cabin, where you will remain for the duration of the voyage.”

Any lingering vestiges of Marjorie’s earlier amusement vanished. “You must be joking.”

He smiled at her, but there was an edge to it that showed he wasn’t joking at all. “I will arrange for your meals to be delivered to you. And I’ll send some books along as well. That way, you’ll have something to occupy your mind besides attempting to get the better of me.”

“But this is my first sea voyage. I’ve never traveled anywhere in my life until now. You can’t—”

“Had you exercised some degree of patience and remained where you were until I could make proper arrangements for you, your first sea voyage would have proven much more enjoyable.”

“It would also have been delayed by at least eight more months!”

His wide shoulders lifted then fell in an uncaring shrug. “Nonetheless, when you disobey your guardian, there are consequences.”

“So, I am to be confined to my room like a misbehaving child, am I?” she countered. “Shall I have to go to bed without any supper, too?”

“By following me, you have put yourself in a precarious position. I may be your guardian, but I am not a relation, and because I am a man, I am limited in my ability to watch over you.”

“I’m on a ship full of people. What do you imagine could happen to endanger me?”

“It isn’t just your physical safety that I am thinking of. I am also very concerned with protecting your reputation, even if you are not.”

The implication that she didn’t care about her reputation caused Marjorie’s temper to flare, but she tamped it down with an effort, knowing her wisest course was simply to set him straight. “If you’re concerned one of those dastardly fortune hunters shall attempt to compromise me aboard ship, you needn’t be. I have already arranged—”

“Gentlemen are not the only danger. If you are seen going about alone, the curiosity of the ladies will be aroused. It won’t take long for them to learn your identity, and if you are seen dining by yourself or strolling unaccompanied on the promenade deck, you will at once be deemed a fast little piece.”

“Yes, but I won’t be alone. I—”

“Yes, you will, because as I explained earlier today, I cannot escort you. We are both unmarried, and if we are seen traveling together with no chaperone, people will think the worst of it.”

Marjorie tried once again to explain. “Yes, but you see—”

“Every British matron seeks to find out all she can about her traveling companions to be sure she is not among the wrong sort of people. We won’t be halfway to Southampton before we are judged and condemned.”

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