Chapter Eleven

The next morning, Drake returned to his friend's townhouse and was immediately shown into a room he had yet to see. The duchess sat behind a large desk, papers scattered across it. Seated before her was Mr. Samuel, who flipped through pages of some document, a frown on his face.

"Captain Andrews," Powell announced.

"Ah, yes, come in, Captain," Her Grace said, motioning for Drake to come closer.

"Good morning, Your Grace. Mr. Samuel."

The secretary nodded brusquely, returning to the pages he held.

"Please sit," the duchess told Drake. "Give me a moment."

He took the other seat in front of the desk, his eyes perusing the array of papers on the desk as the duchess fingered through them.

"Here it is, Mr. Samuel." She passed a page to the secretary.

Taking it, he skimmed it, nodding to himself. "Yes. This confirms it." Samuel stood. "I will take care of the matter at once, Your Grace."

"Thank you, Mr. Samuel. And I will let you and the others at the shipping offices and warehouse know about the arrangements for Mr. Barnes as soon as we hear from his sister later today. Naturally, all workers will be given the time off to attend the funeral."

"I will tell the others, Your Grace. Good day."

The secretary left, and the duchess turned her attention to Drake. "Thank you for coming, Captain Andrews." She folded her hands, placing them in her lap. "If you do not mind, I would like to continue our conversation from yesterday."

They had been speaking of tasks each sailor performed on a ship, and Drake picked up where they had left off. Following that discussion, Her Grace asked numerous questions of him. They discussed numerous trade routes, how the calendar and weather affected those routes, and what supplies were traded in various ports around the world. She referred back to his captain's log, which she had open on her desk, along with the report Mr. Barnes had prepared regarding the cargo brought back by Vesta on its latest run. The duchess was very interested in how he was able to return with more Merino wool and whale oil than had been anticipated.

"It was in the negotiations, Your Grace," he told her. "As you know, each captain is given a certain amount of leeway when bringing in goods for trade and taking items native to a country in those trades."

"But you returned with far more than the usual, Captain," she pointed out. "I want to know how."

He shrugged. "I would say it was a number of things."

"Your charm?" she asked, smiling.

"Possibly. I will say that over the years, I have become quite familiar with various customs common in the different countries my vessels have visited. I believe knowing about these customs—and acknowledging them—puts my hosts in a better overall mood as we work to hammer out trade agreements."

"All captains should be doing this," she insisted. She thought a moment. "Walk me through a negotiation. Pretend that I have whale oil which you desire, and you have British goods that I want. How would we begin?"

Drake said, "I will need to leave the room and enter again."

He saw curiosity on her face as he rose and exited, immediately returning again. He greeted her with a few words she did not understand, smiling as he did so. Drake switched to a different native tongue and once more greeted her, seeing her bafflement.

"The first thing I did in my negotiations was make certain I greeted whomever I planned to do business with in their native tongue, even if the negotiator was British or European. Recognizing the language of various islands we call upon sets a certain tone. During my years at sea, I have picked up a smattering of several languages. When Vesta called at Fiji or Samoa or Tonga, I made certain I used what I knew to put others at ease."

"That is a gift, Captain Andrews," the duchess declared. "And a brilliant way to begin a business negotiation."

"I did that throughout the Polynesian Triangle."

She frowned. "I am not familiar with that term."

"It is merely a region in the Pacific Ocean which is anchored at three points by three different island groups at each of those corners. Hawai'i. Easter Island. And New Zealand. What lies within the triangle shape formed are the islands consisting of Polynesia."

"And you know a bit about each of the islands?" she pressed.

"The ones we call at. A few of the others, which I visited on various voyages over the years, ones which Neptune Shipping ships may or may not call upon. Frankly, though, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of others."

The duchess retrieved an atlas, turning to a section which had maps of the area. They talked for length about which islands her vessels went to and the goods those islands traded in return. She asked him about those island groups which her company did not have a business relationship with, and Drake talked at length, telling her as much as he could.

"This is all fascinating information, Captain. It makes me want to expand my fleet and trade with places we have never gone before. Of course, that would mean building more ships and redrawing trade routes. Consolidating some and expanding others." She sighed. "We are already in the midst of building a new ship. It would take much time and thought to decide of others to be built."

"If you ever wish for suggestions regarding a new ship, Your Grace, I would be happy to give you a few ideas. Having spent most of my life aboard them, I have come to see many benefits and yet a few drawbacks of ships currently on the seas."

She nodded to herself. "I would very much like for you to draw up a list of things you would include in the building of a new ship, Captain Andrews. The whats and the whys behind them. Could you do so now? I am most interested to see your ideas and discuss them with James."

"I would be happy to do so, Your Grace."

The duchess rose. "Here. Use my desk." She began stacking papers, clearing a space for him to work. "You will find plenty of parchment in the top right drawer. How long do you think it will take you to compose your list?"

He thought a moment. "A couple of hours at most although I would reserve the right to add to the list in the future if anything came to me."

She glanced to the clock sitting upon the mantle. "It is nine o'clock now. I will return at noon for us to discuss this matter."

Drake got to work once she had vacated the room. First, he listed ideas that immediately came to mind. Then he closed his eyes, walking through Vesta from memory, starting at the gangplank leading up to the deck, going into every nook and cranny of the ship. As he did so, he jotted down ideas, excited that someone was interested in his opinion.

When she returned at noon, his list was complete. He had read over it several times, making a few changes, and then rewriting it in a neater hand, organizing it so that the list was prioritized.

Rising, Drake handed the duchess his notes. She sat behind the desk again.

"Let me read over this, then I will assume that I might have questions for you."

"Of course, Your Grace."

Not wanting to sit directly across from her as she perused it, he moved to the window, looking out at the gardens in the rear of the house. He thought of the time he had spent in these gardens with Dinah, in the gazebo, and a deep yearning filled him. He had yet to see her today.

And he could not imagine when the time came that he would not see her. For days. Months. Even a year or more.

His throat grew thick with unshed tears. He cursed inwardly, knowing he should never have gotten involved with her, and yet the past week had been the sweetest time of his life. No, he would not trade for the hours they had spent together. While he wished he could ask her to wait for him, seeing him between voyages, he thought it best when he left England this time to cut all ties with her. It was wrong to give her—and him—hope that they could have some kind of life together.

Lady Mirella's words echoed in his head, though. He knew the girl meant well, but she was not yet out in Polite Society. While she had good intentions, encouraging a relationship between him and Dinah, Lady Mirella had no experience with just how vicious gossip could be. Drake knew Dinah would never risk her girls' future merely for them to be together.

"Captain, I do have a few questions. Several, in fact," the duchess said. "I have made a few notes as I read your list. Might we go over them together?"

He returned to sit opposite her, and they spent two hours conversing about his ideas. Drake would explain the need for a change, and the duchess would play devil's advocate. She questioned him about everything, relentlessly, until he was exhausted.

Then she smiled. "You are very clever, Captain. Creative, as well. I think your ideas are simply brilliant."

"Which ones?" he asked.

"All of them," she said, smiling at him, the sternness gone from her voice. "I like how you possess knowledge no one else in my office holds. I also admire how you stood up to me. Too many times, those around me tell me what they think I wish to hear and not what I need to hear. You defended your ideas with passion. You spoke clearly and concisely. It makes my decision even easier than I supposed it would be."

Perplexed, he asked, "What decision might that be, Your Grace?" worried that his position as Vesta's captain might somehow be in danger.

"I want to offer you a new position, Captain Andrews. One which you are partially qualified for."

"I do not follow you, Your Grace."

"Simply put, I will need to replace Mr. Barnes. No one in my company had his experience, so I will have to search outside it to find his replacement. At the same time, you display a depth and breadth of knowledge that goes beyond what anyone in my shipping offices possesses."

She smiled at him. "I would like you to become my new Mr. Barnes, Captain. I will have much to teach you about certain sides of the business, but with the leadership you possess and your unique knowledge of ships and trade, I believe you are the right man to help me lead Neptune Shipping."

Stunned, Drake could only gape at her.

"I know you were not expecting such an offer. I did not know I would be extending it. I do realize you would have to give up your life at sea, but I believe you would live quite a rewarding one on land."

He shook his head in disbelief. This would be a way to continue to see Dinah, yet it would also mean giving up what he had worked his entire life to accomplish.

He met her gaze. "May I think upon it, Your Grace?"

"Certainly, Captain Andrews. This is a momentous decision on your part. Life-changing, in fact. For you, as well as my company. Once I bear His Grace's child, I know the time I can devote to my company will become limited. I need to have someone I can trust implicitly to help run Neptune Shipping efficiently. I will always be a part of the company and would still make all the major decisions, but as our family expands in the years to come, I will need to step back and devote more of my time to my husband and our children."

A thrill shot through him. An opportunity for something new. A chance to be with the woman he loved.

"I told Dinah that you had a unique perspective on things, issues which I had rarely—if ever—considered."

Immediately, he frowned. "You told her you wished to hire me in this capacity?"

She shrugged. "We talked about it briefly. I was impressed by our conversation at Shadowcrest and told her I might consider offering you some type of position in the shipping offices. That was before I received words of Mr. Barnes' heart attack. Now that he has passed, it is critical that I replace him with someone who not only has your perspective on matters, but I also believe you could quickly learn about the other end of the business under my tutelage."

Doubt filled him first, worried that the business part would be hard for him to catch on to. But then anger sprang within him. "Did Dinah ask you to find a place for me?"

"No, not at all," the duchess assured him. "Though we did speak about your feelings for one another. Frankly, I think this is a perfect solution. You could be together, instead of separated for months or years at a time."

His head swirled. Yes, he would enjoy the challenge of contributing his knowledge, while at the same time learning how to run a business. Drake would never have guessed this would have been a possibility, especially since he came from such humble beginnings. But as a seaman, he had trusted his gut over anything logical or rational over the years. It was this deep instinct within him that told him this woman offered him the position merely to keep him on land. And in Dinah's bed.

He could not deny that he was a proud man. While he felt perfectly capable of taking on such a role in the shipping company—and even would look forward to the challenge of doing something far from the familiar situation he had been in for years, he could not in good faith have this be the only reason such a position was being offered to him. It was wrong to leave the sea simply because of his feelings for Dinah.

"I'm afraid I cannot accept this offer of employment, Your Grace," Drake said stiffly, rising from his seat. "I have worked far too hard from the time I was a cabin boy, longing to helm my own ship someday."

Then he worried his words would cause her to dismiss him, and he would be without a ship at all. He couldn't go to James and ask to be made a captain of one of the vessels at Strong Shipping Lines. If he did so and James acquiesced, it would bring strife between his closest friend and James' wife.

"Will you keep me on as Vesta's captain?" he asked, trying to temper his tone.

She studied him a long moment. "If that is what you truly wish. But understand this, Captain. You have realized your long-ago dream. The goal you set for yourself to one day captain a ship came to pass. I am offering you a new opportunity, a role you could play in my company which could be both challenging and lucrative. It would also allow you to remain in London. With Dinah."

Knowing he might regret the decision for the rest of his life, Drake said, "While I thank you for the opportunity and your consideration, I would prefer to remain at sea, Your Grace. Will that be a problem?"

She eyed him sadly. "Only for you, I am afraid. You—and Dinah."

Ignoring her words, he asked, "When would you like Vesta to set sail again, Your Grace?"

Consulting the diary on her desk, she said, "You are due to leave the seventh of September."

Rising, Drake said, "If you have need of me before we sail, I will be staying on Vesta."

He bowed to his employer and escaped the room. His anger now ran deep, and he believed the two women had conspired to find a way to keep him in port. That the duchess was merely placating him, telling him she liked his ideas, when all along she realized he was nowhere near qualified to replace Mr. Barnes. He was not some puppet on a string, being maneuvered by the pair, and he would never dance to their tune.

Reaching the foyer, he started to the door when he heard Dinah call his name. He glanced up, seeing her at the top of the landing, love for him shining in her eyes.

Tamping down his regret, he curtly called out, "Good day, Your Grace," nodding to the footman, who opened the door.

Drake walked out that door—and out of her life.