Read Online The Sea Between by Carol Thomas - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Carol Thomas
Tags: Fiction
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don’t mind having a husband who’s away for long periods, but I would mind. Isobel’s right. There’s no point in marrying a man who’s never at home.’
Sarah slowly raised her brows, the way she did when she strongly disagreed with something. ‘Well it’s your decision, but I think you’re overlooking something. Two things in fact. First, ships don’t necessarily have to go on long voyages. Some ships trade solely up and down the coastline. You seem to be assuming that just because Richard is away for long periods at present he always will be. What you’re forgetting is that he’s had no reason to spend much time ashore.’
Charlotte’s hazel eyes narrowed thoughtfully. That was something that she hadn’t considered—the possibility that the Nina could carry local cargoes. Coastal trips would still take Richard away from home, but it would be for days rather than months. She could live with that. But would Richard be agreeable?
‘He might not want to deal only in local trade,’ she said.
‘And then again, he might,’ Sarah returned. ‘If he wants to marry you and if you won’t marry him unless he changes his shipping routes, he may have to consider it.’
‘And the second thing?’ Charlotte prompted.
Sarah gave an amused laugh. ‘I’d have thought that was obvious. Your feelings for him.’
‘I like him, Sarah, nothing more,’ she said.
‘From what I can see, you like him quite a lot,’ Sarah said. ‘You say you want a husband who’ll be at home with you every night, a husband like Edwin. Well, it won’t be difficult to find such a man, but will you feel for him what you feel for Richard? It’s one thing to have a husband who lies beside you in bed every night, Charlotte, but if you don’t have the right sort of feelings for him you might wish he were at sea.’
An hour later, when Richard arrived, Sarah’s words were still tumbling around inside Charlotte’s head. She felt all at sixes and sevens, not sure what to do any more. Inside the parlour she could hear Richard talking to Sarah; at any moment he’d be coming into the garden to talk to her. She’d gone there deliberately to wait for him, so they could talk in private. ‘What shall I do?’ she murmured, absently plucking a shiny orange rosehip from its lanky stem. She rolled it between her palms, trying to sort out her thoughts. The question was: if she spurned Richard, would she meet someone else to whom she felt equally attracted? Or would she not? The answer was: she couldn’t be sure. Just as she couldn’t be sure that Richardwould agree to shorten his voyages. The latter she could find out, of course, simply by asking him. However, Sarah had been adamant that on no account must she do that. Her advice had been ‘write to him, let his feelings for you grow, and leave any mention of altering his shipping transactions until such time as he proposes marriage to you’. Much as Charlotte could see Sarah’s reasoning, she couldn’t help feeling there was something very underhand about waiting until Richard proposed before she spoke out. She had voiced as much to Sarah, saying she thought she ought to tell Richard where she stood straight away. But as Sarah had rightly pointed out, Richard hadn’t actually asked her to marry him yet, so she could hardly tell him she wouldn’t marry him unless he agreed to this and that.
When Richard emerged from the house a minute or two later, Charlotte was still undecided about what to do. She blew out a low sigh. Well, what have I to lose by writing to him for a while? she thought. Nothing at all. And perhaps everything to gain.
Tossing away the rosehip, she went to meet him.
‘All ready to leave, I see,’ she said, smiling as they came to a halt in front of each other.
He smiled back, that slightly crooked wry smile that always made her want to laugh. ‘I was ready to leave an hour ago, but as usual at the last minute my mother insisted on packing half of the pantry into
Sarah slowly raised her brows, the way she did when she strongly disagreed with something. ‘Well it’s your decision, but I think you’re overlooking something. Two things in fact. First, ships don’t necessarily have to go on long voyages. Some ships trade solely up and down the coastline. You seem to be assuming that just because Richard is away for long periods at present he always will be. What you’re forgetting is that he’s had no reason to spend much time ashore.’
Charlotte’s hazel eyes narrowed thoughtfully. That was something that she hadn’t considered—the possibility that the Nina could carry local cargoes. Coastal trips would still take Richard away from home, but it would be for days rather than months. She could live with that. But would Richard be agreeable?
‘He might not want to deal only in local trade,’ she said.
‘And then again, he might,’ Sarah returned. ‘If he wants to marry you and if you won’t marry him unless he changes his shipping routes, he may have to consider it.’
‘And the second thing?’ Charlotte prompted.
Sarah gave an amused laugh. ‘I’d have thought that was obvious. Your feelings for him.’
‘I like him, Sarah, nothing more,’ she said.
‘From what I can see, you like him quite a lot,’ Sarah said. ‘You say you want a husband who’ll be at home with you every night, a husband like Edwin. Well, it won’t be difficult to find such a man, but will you feel for him what you feel for Richard? It’s one thing to have a husband who lies beside you in bed every night, Charlotte, but if you don’t have the right sort of feelings for him you might wish he were at sea.’
An hour later, when Richard arrived, Sarah’s words were still tumbling around inside Charlotte’s head. She felt all at sixes and sevens, not sure what to do any more. Inside the parlour she could hear Richard talking to Sarah; at any moment he’d be coming into the garden to talk to her. She’d gone there deliberately to wait for him, so they could talk in private. ‘What shall I do?’ she murmured, absently plucking a shiny orange rosehip from its lanky stem. She rolled it between her palms, trying to sort out her thoughts. The question was: if she spurned Richard, would she meet someone else to whom she felt equally attracted? Or would she not? The answer was: she couldn’t be sure. Just as she couldn’t be sure that Richardwould agree to shorten his voyages. The latter she could find out, of course, simply by asking him. However, Sarah had been adamant that on no account must she do that. Her advice had been ‘write to him, let his feelings for you grow, and leave any mention of altering his shipping transactions until such time as he proposes marriage to you’. Much as Charlotte could see Sarah’s reasoning, she couldn’t help feeling there was something very underhand about waiting until Richard proposed before she spoke out. She had voiced as much to Sarah, saying she thought she ought to tell Richard where she stood straight away. But as Sarah had rightly pointed out, Richard hadn’t actually asked her to marry him yet, so she could hardly tell him she wouldn’t marry him unless he agreed to this and that.
When Richard emerged from the house a minute or two later, Charlotte was still undecided about what to do. She blew out a low sigh. Well, what have I to lose by writing to him for a while? she thought. Nothing at all. And perhaps everything to gain.
Tossing away the rosehip, she went to meet him.
‘All ready to leave, I see,’ she said, smiling as they came to a halt in front of each other.
He smiled back, that slightly crooked wry smile that always made her want to laugh. ‘I was ready to leave an hour ago, but as usual at the last minute my mother insisted on packing half of the pantry into
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