Page 4 of Moonstone Landing
“Is that so?” He arched a dark eyebrow. “Then who am I?”
She frowned at him. “Captain Brioc Taran Arundel. You’ve just told me.”
“Who do you think I am to this property?”
She had no idea what he was talking about. “A relative of the deceased captain. I assume you look after this property whenever you return to Moonstone Landing from your sailings. You are a sea captain, too, are you not? I noticed it in the way you walk, a rather manly stride, but you plant your legs as though making your way across the deck of a ship as it rolls upon the waves.”
He snorted. “And yet, you still have not made the connection.”
“What connection? Obviously, you are related to the Captain Arundel who owned this cottage before me. I purchased it from his estate. Come to think of it, why did he not leave it to you? Did you have a falling out with him?”
“He and I are very close. As close as two people can possibly be. We think alike. We look alike. We even have the same name. We even have the same date of birth.”
She glanced up at him. “But I thought he was an old man. That is…I just assumed he was.”
He shook his head and sighed. “No, he died young. You don’t get it, do you? We even have the same date of death.” He stared at her. “And the same name. Really, Hen. How many more clues must I give you?”
She drew back with a start. “No!”
It could not be.
Her head began to spin again because it all suddenly made sense. “Are you the ghost?”
Chapter Two
“Bravo, Hen,” Briocsaid with a hearty chuckle. “I knew you would figure it out eventually.”
Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she frowned at him. “I thought ghosts were supposed to be horrid and scary.”
“Are you suggesting I am handsome?” He could not stop staring at this lovely creature who had taken over his bedchamber and stupidly run around the grounds of the cottage toting a rifle twice her size. He could tell she had never shot anything with it before by the amateurish way she had held it.
She blushed and began to stammer. “I am suggesting no such thing. Why I…of all the unspeakable arrogance. Put on your shirt and stop grinning at me. Since when do ghosts grin?”
No wonder her parents had given her the pet name Hen. This is what she was, a little clucking hen. But a lovely one.
Incredibly lovely, especially up close.
He would know, having had his share of women.
Her eyes were the color of dark chocolate, and her hair was a dark gold, full-bodied, and lush. Her bosom was also full and lush, as he had seen for himself the first night she had slept in his bedchamber. He had intended to scare her away, as he had done with all interlopers before her, but he made the mistake of arriving in time to watch her strip out of her gown and…well, any sane man would have kept his mouth shut and simply watched when coming upon such an exquisite sight.
He had settled in his favorite chair and studied her in fascination as she removed her corset with supple fingers, slipped off her chemise, and then slowly unpinned her hair and shook it loose so that those magnificent locks tumbled down her back in waves of gold silk.
She had gloriously full breasts, but the rest of her was rather slender.
All in all, he found her aspect quite delicate and pleasing despite her priggish nature. Yet, she also had a little of the firebrand in her, and he liked that.
What was she doing living alone in his cottage?
He asked her the question and was not surprised when she began to cluck at him again. But her voice was sweet and her body even sweeter, so he merely listened as she went on about women’s rights and capabilities when a simple, one-sentence explanation would have sufficed.
“Really, Captain Arundel, you are too much. Why should I not own this cottage? Why should I not live by myself? What makes you think every woman is helpless and needs a man to handle matters for her?”
He merely arched an eyebrow, which she interpreted as another reason to take offense.
“Oh, and if you are so clever, then why do you haunt this cottage? You do realize that your presence here lowered its value. If it weren’t for you, I would never have been able to purchase it as cheaply as I did.” She tipped her head and cast him a smug smile. “So, there! Your rash actions allowed me to acquire this beautiful place for almost nothing. I think that makes me far shrewder in business affairs than you. And I’ll have you know, I am quite adept at caring for myself. But with the money I’ve saved because you’ve scared the wits out of everyone from here to Falmouth, I can afford a staff to see to my daily comforts.”
“Are you finished?”
