The Charlotte Series: Book 3: The Pretender's Gold

03

Chapter 3

"Hardly."

"What do you mean?"

"You like him?"

"I...I don't see how that's..."

"Pa's gone. It's my business."

Stu crossed his arms and resumed his "unhappy captain" stance. This time she only shrugged.

"I did...I still do...I guess. I think this" she waved her hand in circular gesture "is just him in pain. I mean, how did you feel when pa died?"

"I was sad, but I never went crazy!"

"Well, you had Mr. Bricker!" She countered as she crossed her arms and tossed her chin up, "Freddie has no one."

Emmaline was right.

Bricker was an anchor for him. The first days were simply too busy to feel anything. But then the ship docked for repair and he was left with a week of idleness that nearly drowned him in grief.

"I can understand that." He admitted. "And I can't imagine that it's easy to be away at University knowing that he has to come back to the title. Dovesdale is a big responsibility."

"Freddie will do right by Dovesdale." She defended immediately.

"I've no doubt that he will. I remember him as a boy. I think he's just...confused." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well..."

"Well." She agreed and they fell into a companionable silence.

...that lasted all of two minutes.

"What about you?"

"Hm?" Stu was startled at the sudden question.

"What about you?" she repeated.

"What about me?" he frowned.

"You will be thirty next year." She frowned. "Shouldn't you like to have a family?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes honestly!" she chirped as her fisted hands flew to her hips.

He realized then that she wasn't a little girl at all. She was a young woman, lovely and kind hearted. It was remarkable how much she resembled their mother.

"I've never thought about it." He shrugged and gave the answer he gave every woman that asked for more than a night or two. "I'm a sailor, Poppet. The sea is my mistress."

"Posh!" she waved a hand dismissively. "Pa was a sailor. He had mama and the two of us, didn't he?"

"That's different."

She arched her eyebrow in challenge.

"Well, ok. I have thought about it." he sighed and decided it might be nice to tell someone. "But I don't see how it's possible. My visits are infrequent at best and typically not more than a few days or sometimes a week here and there. I can't possibly find a wife in that time. And besides, I have a family...I have you and mama."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Don't you ever get lonely?"

"Of course, I do. Even if I took a wife that wouldn't change, now would it? I'd still be gone away most of the time."

"At least you'd have a home to come back to. At least you'd have someone waiting for you"

Stu thought of Jane and Anne...He smiled as he thought of their sloppy little kisses and their chubby little arms squeezing his neck as they hugged him.