Read Online The Captain's Pearl by Jo Ann Ferguson - Free Book Online Page B

the best you can make.”
    Lian brushed her hands against her ch ’eÅ­ng shaam . The blue silk was spotted with salt from the long months of the voyage. “I shall shame neither my family nor my brother’s memory.”
    â€œReally?”
    At his sarcastic smile, her knuckles bleached with her outrage, but she did not voice it. Soon Captain Trevarian would be gone, for he did not share the Catherwoods’ house. She was unsure how long the China Shadow remained in port, but she hoped it would be a very short time.
    Her eyes widened as the carriage pulled through a wide gate in a white fence. The house at the top of the hill was undoubtedly the largest she had seen. Three stories high, it was topped by a glassed room in the center of its flat roof. Wooden shingles, stained by the salt air and rain, covered the exterior. Dark green shutters and white railed porches seemed whimsical.
    â€œHow many families live here?” Lian asked in awe.
    â€œOne.”
    â€œOne?”
    Captain Trevarian brushed dust from his dark coat and clasped his hand around the knee of his tan trousers. With a cold smile, he raised an irreverent eyebrow in her direction. “Are you becoming a parrot, blue eyes?”
    â€œI never know when you are being honest.”
    â€œI’m always honest.”
    She chuckled. “And the sun sets in the east.”
    â€œWhen have I lied to you?”
    She faltered, for she could accuse him of being overbearing and give him dozens of examples. She could mention a score of times when he had been short-tempered. More times than she was able to count, he had embarrassed her by calling her a little fool in front of the crew. But dishonesty …
    He laughed. “It galls you that I might have a virtue or two, doesn’t it?” He held up his hand as she was about to reply. “We’ll have to continue this later, blue eyes. You are home .”
    Lian flinched at the emphasis he put on the word. This was not home. This was the place of strangers.
    When the carriage stopped in front of a set of steps, Captain Trevarian opened the door and climbed out. She was surprised when he turned and offered his hand to her instead of rushing out of the rain. She placed her trembling fingers on his. Sliding across the seat, she froze when her eyes were only inches from his.
    She stared into their green depths, which were as fathomless as the sea. The pain, that had haunted her through the hundred nights since Davis died, burned in them.
    â€œAre you sewn to the seat, blue eyes?”
    Lian bit back her answer. This man did not deserve sympathy. He waited for any opportunity to taunt her. Stepping from the carriage, she jerked her hand out of his as rain pelted her. He motioned toward the steps.
    She would not let him see how terrified she was of what waited beyond the wood door with its etched glass oval in the center. Gathering up the skirt of her ch ’eÅ­ng shaam , she walked up the stairs slowly.
    The door opened before she reached it. Captain Trevarian’s hand in the center of her back guided her into the entrance hall. She bowed to the man by the door, not wanting her father to think she had been poorly taught. She swallowed her grief when she saw a rug with patterns she had seen for sale in Canton. Homesickness raced through her, so strong she feared she would be ill.
    â€œLian, stand up.”
    Bryce watched as Lian straightened. From her sleek hair shadowing her delicate features to her dress which flowed along her slender curves, she was incredibly alluring. In the months at sea, he had forced himself to forget how beautiful she was. He ignored the familiar surge of yearning. Davis had trusted him to watch out for his sister, and he would not betray his friend, even when he had awakened too many nights hungering for her soft mouth on his lips.
    Clearing his throat, he said, “Lian, this is the …” He sighed as she bowed again deeply. He saw shock