Page 4 of The Captain's Midwinter Bride
Phillip opened his mouth to ask what she was reading, but instead heard himself say, “You spoke with Beth, I see.”
He was certain her blink of confusion matched his own.
Patting her mouth with a napkin, Annalise considered him with a frown between her brows. “I was not pleased with the disrespect she continued to show you.”
“She obviously believes such scorn is warranted.” Spreading his hands over his thighs under the table, he dipped his head. “I missed so much of her childhood. Beth has every right to her anger.”
“Perhaps,” Annalise conceded. “But then I reminded her of the happy times she spent with you. The outings you treated her and Oliver to, the unending attention you gave them whenever your ship was in port, the adventures the three of you had together. Beth realized she had been unfair. The Navy may have pulled you away from her, but you always came back.”
“The Russians did their best to see that I didn’t,” he grumbled, pushing his plate away.
“I’m sure they did.” Annalise was quiet for a moment. “I’m pleased you will finally meet the Newells. They appear to be a good family. The children and I have known Mrs. Newell since the family moved here from London five years ago. Silas has been infatuated with Beth since he visited after his father’s untimely death.” She dropped her gaze to the table. “I must admit I have my reservations about the man.”
Phillip leaned forward in his seat. “What sort of reservations?”
Annalise pinched her lips together, and he wasn’t certain if she would answer.
“I don’t believe he considers Beth a rational, thinking creature. All he sees is her pretty face, and he wants to possess it.”
“That’s…a damning assessment,” he said, unsure of what to think of her words.
“I feel awful saying it, but I’ve seen how she acts around him.” Annalise rapped her knuckles on the tabletop. “She’s meek and unassuming. She laughs at any supposed jest he makes, and I’ve yet to hear her disagree with him on any count. Beth is a completely different being when she’s around him, and it makes my heart heavy to see.”
It felt like a stone had sunk in his gut. His daughter was headstrong and confident, and he would never guess that she would be willing to curb her natural tendencies for the pride of a man.
“Have you spoken with her of your misgivings?”
His wife nodded. “I’ve tried, but she’s horribly defensive. She’s certain she’s made a wise choice in Mr. Newell, and I don’t know how to convince her otherwise.”
Phillip rubbed his chin. “Do you think it would help if I spoke with her about him?”
“You haven’t even met the lad yet.” Annalise’s chestnut eyes roamed over his face. “Perhaps we shouldn’t be planning a wedding when you have not yet met the bridegroom. He hasn’t even asked for your blessing.”
Damn.Did she suspect how much the omission bothered him? Phillip was aware it had been impossible for him to offer his blessing for the marriage when he was hundreds of miles away on the Atlantic Ocean. Heknewthis. And yet, any time someone mentioned the impending wedding, he gritted his teeth. His daughter was getting married, and no one had asked him for his opinion on it. After years of his opinion being the only one that mattered on a ship, the slight at home stung.
“Since Mr. Newell has not seen it fit to call upon you, I think it would be appropriate for you to take some time to talk with him at the dinner tomorrow,” Annalise said when he did not respond. “I will endeavor to make it happen.”
“It’s of no consequence, Mrs. Dalton,” Phillip murmured, balling his napkin and tossing it onto his empty plate.
“But it is, Phillip.” She uttered his name—his Christian name—with a touch of steel. “It is of grave importance to me.”
* * *
His eyes were a stunning shade of blue.
Annalise supposed she had always known this, but she could not recall the last time she had really taken the opportunity to ponder it. When had her husband been home long enough for her to consider the beauty of his eyes?
He seemed taken aback by her words, those vivid-colored eyes blinking rapidly. She doubted she had ever seen him so nonplussed. Lifting her teacup, Annalise took a sip, pretending she did not notice his discomfiture.
Yetshefelt anything but calm. Being across the table from him made her nervous. He was so very handsome. More so now than he had been when they first married. Time, the sun, and the tide had weathered his skin and liberally sprinkled his dark hair with grey. Yet his shoulders were just as broad, his jaw just as sharp, his lips just as sinfully full. Looking at him now made her feel as if a million tiny flames licked across her flesh, fanning brighter and hotter when he smiled at her.
Thankfully, Phillip wasn’t one to smile. Annalise was sure she could count on one hand the amount of times he’d smiled at her. After both children were born. When she had presented him with new handkerchiefs with his initials embroidered on them. When Oliver and Beth had run into his arms after he had been at sea for the better part of a year.
When he had entered her room the night of their wedding.
Memories of that night still made her blush, not from embarrassment or shame, but from gratitude. He had been so gentle with her. So tender. She had been a young woman whose father’s illness threatened to leave her alone in the world, and Phillip had been kind to her. He had married her at his father’s suggestion, and he had provided for her and their children ever since.
Their neighbors and friends considered her a respectable wife, mother, and active member of the community. But with Phillip…well, sometimes she felt again like that frightened girl in desperate need of an ally.
