Chapter One

London—July 1810

Captain Drake Andrews left Vesta, moving swiftly down the gangplank and across the London docks. His first mate was overseeing the unloading of cargo which had been brought back from half a world away. The manager of the Neptune Shipping Lines' warehouse was also on hand, supervising his workers as sailors brought up goods and crates, and the workers loaded them into wagons. As he walked toward the Neptune Shipping offices, he saw the steady stream of wagons passing him, destined for the warehouse, where they would be sorted and hauled to various sections.

It was good to finally be in London again. No, town. Drake couldn't help but smile at the distinction, taught to him by the Duchess of Seaton. The woman had stayed with him over the past several months he was at sea. Drake thought it was wrong to even think of the unattainable beauty. She was so far above his station, it would be impossible to do the things he wanted to do to her.

But had he certainly thought of those many things during his long nights at sea.

He was as common as they came. Didn't even recall his given name. He'd lived on the streets after both his parents died, digging through the rubbish for old crusts of bread, stealing food when he could. At some point, he found himself near the London Docks, and a grizzled sailor named Flimm had snatched him up. Drake had been too small to fight back, and the sailor had taken him aboard a vessel which sailed the next day. He'd found himself being called Boy for a couple of years as he served as a cabin boy.

Once he finally earned the right to his name, he had no idea what it was. He had been Boy for so long. Instead, he had chosen a name—Drake—which was a male duck who took to water. His surname of Andrews came from a captain he admired. And thus, Drake Andrews had come into existence.

Working his way up, he had finally been made First Mate to his closest friend, James, another supposed orphan such as himself. They had grown up together, thick as thieves, Drake being a dozen years older and watching over the small boy who grew to be quite a large man. When James learned of his true identity, he'd stepped away from a life at sea. Mrs. Grant, who ran Neptune Shipping Lines after the death of her husband, had taken James' advice and made Drake the new captain of Vesta. It would be Mrs. Grant whom he reported to today.

Or perhaps not. His gut told him the feelings James had displayed for the pretty widow might have resulted in a marriage between the pair during Drake's absence. If so, Neptune Shipping Lines now belonged to his friend, the new Duke of Seaton, as did Strong Shipping, the family business. He wondered if James would merge the two lines. Why, he might be headed to an office which no longer existed.

The Neptune Shipping offices came into sight, however, and he supposed he might have gotten things wrong. He would soon learn after giving his report to Mrs. Grant—or whoever was running the shipping empire now.

Inside the offices, he saw Mr. Samuel, who informed Drake he was now the company's secretary.

"And what of Mr. Barnes?" he inquired, referring to the previous secretary, a man who had served as Mrs. Grant's right-hand man.

"I will inform Mr. Barnes you are here," Mr. Samuel said.

So, Mr. Barnes now ran Neptune. That meant his guess of James wedding and bedding Mrs. Grant must have come to pass. Once he spoke with Mr. Barnes, Drake would next visit his old friend.

Mr. Samuel excused himself and was gone a few minutes. When he returned, he informed Drake he could see Mr. Barnes now.

The former secretary greeted him. "Welcome back to England, Captain Andrews. I was informed Vesta had arrived. I hope all went well?"

"Better than expected, Mr. Barnes. We were able to bring back a third more of whale oil than anticipated. Also, we have excess Merino wool."

Barnes smiled broadly. "That is excellent news, Captain. If you will hand over your log, I will review it with Her Grace. Let us sit and discuss the particulars now."

"I assume Mrs. Grant is now Her Grace?" Drake asked, passing his log book to the man and taking the seat Barnes indicated.

"Oh, yes, that occurred soon after you left port. The Duke of Seaton wed Mrs. Grant in October."

"And you are now running Neptune for His Grace?"

Barnes laughed heartily. "Not at all. Your friend said his family had its own shipping line, and he had no need of his wife's. In a most unusual move—which shocked Polite Society—His Grace allowed Her Grace to keep Neptune Shipping Lines as her own. The duchess still runs it, Captain Andrews. I merely aid her in doing so."

He grinned. It was just like James to do something such as this.

"While Strong Shipping will go to the ducal heir, any other children from the marriage will share in Neptune Shipping and run it someday." Now, Mr. Barnes was the one smiling. "Her Grace is with child even now, the babe due near the end of September. She and His Grace have retired to Kent to await the birth of the babe. I go down every week or so to keep Her Grace apprised of business affairs. Let me tell you, Captain, the duchess continues to run Neptune, and she is teaching His Grace quite a bit about business."

If anyone could catch on to business, it would be his friend. James was the most intelligent man of Drake's acquaintance.

"I am happy to hear all of this, Mr. Barnes."

They got down to business after that, with Drake giving a detailed account of the voyage Vesta had been on. Only slight damage had occurred to the vessel while at sea, during a lightning storm, but he shared that repairs had been made and that new ones shouldn't take long. Trade had been profitable, and all the goods the ship had left with were exchanged. After two hours, they had completed their discussion.

"I will write up everything we have discussed from the notes I have taken and present them to Her Grace." Barnes paused. "Unless you will be traveling to Shadowcrest to visit with Their Graces."

"It depends upon how soon I will be sent back to sea, Mr. Barnes, though I would like to see them."

"You brought Vesta back in record time, Captain Andrews. We were not expecting you until late July at the earliest and most likely mid-August. Because of that, you are not scheduled to return to sea until at least September. Most likely, you would set sail the second week of that month."

It would give him the longest he had ever spent in London.

And Drake had a good idea where he would head next.

"Then I would be happy to present your report to Her Grace in person," he offered.

"Give me a few days then, Captain. I will also include in it the exact figures I receive from the warehouse and the goods which have been brought back by you to England." Barnes thought a moment. "I am scheduled to visit with Her Grace in about a week's time. Come back next Tuesday, a week from today, and I will give you my report to take with you."

"I am glad I can save you a trip, Mr. Barnes. I will see you Tuesday next."

That would give him a week in town. A week to visit the now Dowager Duchess of Seaton.

And a week to make his fantasies become a reality.

Drake left the Neptune Shipping offices, walking a few blocks away from the docks in order to find a hansom cab. He gave the coachman the address for the Duke of Seaton's townhouse. He had first accompanied James to the grand house when his friend thought he might be related to the Strongs. That visit had been a little less than a year ago. Now, with the old duke's death, James had inherited the London townhouse, Shadowcrest in Kent, and several properties scattered throughout England, not to mention owning Strong Shipping, one of the world's largest shipping empires. To think the lost little boy he had met years ago, beaten to within an inch of his life, had become one of the most powerful men in Great Britain still boggled Drake's mind.

But he had other things on his mind now. First and foremost, he wanted to see James' stepmother. It was hard to think of the beautiful duchess in that way. She had only been a decade older than her stepson when she wed the Duke of Seaton. James was now six and twenty, which put the duchess in her mid-thirties. At two years shy of forty, he and the widow were quite close in age.

The question was if she would be willing to spend the kind of intimate time with him that he wished. He had always been a ladies' man, acknowledging his good looks and ready smile, both always getting him what he wanted from women in ports around the world.

But what Drake wanted now was to couple with a woman far too good for him. It wasn't hard to bring up the topic with women he met in taverns around the world. Half the time, they were the ones who flirted outrageously with him, letting him know just how willing they were to have him in their beds.

He had done his best to try and forget the duchess over the last several months. He had made love to a good dozen women, women of all ages and looks, and yet each encounter left him deeply unsatisfied. He had lain sleeplessly in his bunk aboard Vesta, the image of one woman burned into his memory.

Drake decided the old adage nothing ventured, nothing gained applied in these circumstances. It was a risk approaching a woman of her rank in society, asking her to couple with him. He wasn't expecting a successful outcome. But if things did turn out in his favor, Drake thought it would be the most incredibly satisfying experience of his life.

And hopefully, hers.

The hansom cab entered the square where James' townhouse was located. He paid the cabby and approached the door, nerves skirting through him. With determination, he raised his hand and rapped on the door.

*

Dinah said farewellto her last suitor, relieved that no visitors would be staying for tea.

She had truly tried this Season to be open to finding love within the ton. Sadly, it had not happened for her. Thank goodness it had for Georgina, her only daughter making her come-out this Season. Georgina had wed the Marquess of Edgethorne a little over a month ago, and they had traveled first to Edgefield for Georgina to see her new home in the country. Then August had taken them to Dalmara, a property he had inherited from his mother in Scotland. The pair were currently honeymooning there and would most likely be back in mid-September. Dinah had high hopes that Georgina would be with child when she returned.

Pippa had also wed for love, marrying their neighbor in Kent, Lord Hopewell, a former sea captain. Her daughter and husband were also honeymooning, except their journey was taking them around the globe. Pippa had always had a desire to see far-off lands, and Seth was only too happy to be his new wife's escort. They would be gone a good eighteen months and possibly longer. It would be lovely if Pippa and Seth arrived home with a child. Dinah would be so pleased to be a grandmother twice over.

She took a seat in the drawing room, knowing the teacart would be arriving soon. James and Sophie had returned to Shadowcrest after they hosted a ball in Georgina's honor, where her betrothal to Edgethorne was announced. After the wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Seaton remained in the country, where Sophie would give birth to their firstborn near the end of September.

Dinah had returned to town, hoping that now her twin daughters were happily wed, she herself might find a gentleman which suited her. Alas, they all seemed the same to her. Boring. Ignorant of current affairs. Even men her age and older who had never wed before still acted as boys instead of men. While she had been slightly interested in two or three gentlemen, one a widower with two young boys, she had not felt that spark which she was looking for.

The one she had only felt with a man wholly unsuitable to be her husband.

Captain Drake Andrews.

The handsome sea captain had remained in her thoughts ever since he had brought her to town to care for James after the warehouse fire. Andrews had left almost immediately for a voyage, the first in which he would captain a ship of his own, the very one James had once been in charge of. Dinah recalled that carriage ride from Shadowcrest to town. How they had talked about a variety of topics. How interesting the captain was.

And how attractive he was.

She was a widow, a woman who had latitude in Polite Society. Many widows had discreet affairs throughout the Season, but those were with other gentlemen of the ton, not men who worked to earn their living. Yet Dinah could not think of a single man who had intrigued her the way Drake Andrews did. It was wrong, but she had thought of him almost every night since they had parted. She would lie in bed, waiting for sleep to come, and her mind was filled with images of him. Flirting. Laughing. Smiling at her.

If the man returned to England before the Season ended, surely he would call upon them, wouldn't he? After all, James was his greatest friend and the brother of his heart. If Captain Andrews did come to visit, how on earth would she go about asking him if he wished to have a brief affair with her? What did one say to a prospective paramour? How did that even come up in conversation?

"I am being ridiculous," she told herself aloud. "I may never see the man again and if I did, I certainly could never bring myself to voice such notions to him. Resign yourself, Dinah, to the fact you may never find love. See to your girls—and Caleb. Help them to find happiness. It is enough to be free of a marriage you never wanted."

Her words comforted her. She would never again have to lie in a bed, motionless, waiting for a husband to perform his marital duties. She would not have to do anything or go anywhere she did not wish to go. She was a captain in her own right, sailing along in life as she now chose to do.

She also had Crestridge, the estate given to her in Seaton's will. It consisted of a decent-sized manor house and several acres. It lay about ten miles from Shadowcrest, just the other side of Crestview, the local village. It was time she gave consideration to moving to it with Mirella, Effie, and her nieces. James and Sophie were now the Duke and Duchess of Seaton. Shadowcrest was theirs. While they would never chase her away, she knew they would be growing their own family and creating memories at the country estate.

First, though, she would hold the house party she had promised Allegra and Lyric. Her nieces had chosen not to make their come-outs with Georgina this spring, upset that their father had used up their dowries and would not contribute a farthing to their expensive come-out wardrobes. Worse, Adolphus and Theodore had tried to kidnap Sophie and hold her for ransom. James had seen the pair received justice, sending them to Australia on one of his ships without a penny to their names, with instructions to drop them off and prevent them from reboarding. Dinah hoped they would remain half a world away.

In the meantime, she had convinced her nieces to allow her to at least host a house party in their honor at the end of August. It would give Lyric and Allegra the chance to meet some charming gentlemen in a more intimate setting. Dinah had high hopes that the girls would find a suitable match. Even now, she was watching the gentlemen of the ton carefully, seeing which seemed to be honest, affable men, ones who would make for appropriate husbands for the girls she considered her own.

A light tap sounded. Powell entered the drawing room, followed by a maid rolling in the teacart.

"Yes, Powell?" she asked, wondering why the butler was here.

"You have another caller, Your Grace."

"Oh, bother. Not another one," she complained. "I had anticipated a quiet teatime alone. Who could possibly want to interrupt it?"

"Captain Andrews, Your Grace. He arrived today and was calling on His Grace and Her Grace. When I informed him they were at Shadowcrest, he asked to see you."

She felt heat flood her cheeks. "Then please show him in, Powell. And have another teacup sent up if you would."

"Yes, Your Grace."

The butler and maid left the drawing room. Dinah took three slow, deep breaths before the butler returned, announcing, "Captain Andrews, Your Grace."

She rose as he entered the room, looking tall, his face tanned from his days on the open waters. He came toward her, stopping, and bowed just as she had taught him to do.

"Your Grace," he said in a low rumble, his dark brown eyes gleaming as he accepted her offered hand and kissed her bare fingers.

A ripple raced through her. Anticipation? Desire?

It didn't matter. He was here. Now.

And she wanted him.

Still holding her hand, he said, "It is good to see you again, Your Grace. You look well."

"You do, as well, Captain Andrews."

She pulled on her hand gently, thinking he would release it.

He didn't.

"Captain?" she asked, her brows arching.

He kissed her fingers again. "You do not know how I have longed to do that very thing," he told her, his voice low and rough.

Dinah swallowed—and then committed to a course of action which might change her life.

"You do not know how I have yearned for you to do that—and more, Captain. Much, much more."