“I do not dislike them.” He smiled, deciding that Louisa was very much like Sally. Certainly pretty, direct too, but she had a slight hesitance in her bearing that Sally had lacked when they first met.
Before he could say anything else, Louisa bent down to pick up a tiny mottled ball of fluff that had been previously hidden from view by the folds of her skirts. “This is Arturo.”
“Charming,” he murmured before reaching out to scratch the small head with his fingertips. The cat licked at his fingers, then bit him. “He is quite small and just a bit ferocious for his size, is he not?”
“He is Sally’s newest and is always hungry.” Louisa collected her plate, which he noticed held finely chopped scraps of her breakfast, and slipped from the room to the terrace outside. When she stopped at the balustrade, Felix decided to join her in the sun.
Louisa smiled as he walked over. “He had a terrible start in life. Sally rescued him from a dog in the village and brought him home in her pocket to live with her others. The hunting dogs do not bother any of them, I am happy to report. In fact, I think they are a bit afraid of being scratched.”
She fed the cat from her own hand and, when the animal had fed enough, placed him gently on the flagstone pavement. He scampered away into the low shrubbery.
“He is a lucky fellow then to have found a place to belong.” Felix glanced around once more. Unlike the stray cats Sally took in, Felix did not belong here. “Some of us never do.”
He had to end his obsession with Sally before he made a complete fool of himself. Louisa appeared startled by his remark, so he shrugged.
Revealing how much he had longed for Sally during the past six years would do him no good. Her love was gone, and it was high time he accepted it for a fact and got back to his real life as captain of the Selfridge. “Would you excuse me? I need to speak with your father.”
“Of course.” She smiled sadly but caught his arm to prevent him going immediately. “Perhaps later today or tomorrow if you are free, you might like to walk with me in the gardens. I would love to hear more of your life and of Laurence especially.”
The wistfulness of her tone blunted his immediate denial, and he phrased his response more carefully. “I am not sure if I will have an opportunity. It all depends on the admiral.”
“Forgive me. I miss my twin, but he does not write to me anymore. He only cares to share his adventures with his wife. Cecily reads me parts of his correspondence, but it is not the same as receiving his confidences directly.”
He understood something of the bonds between siblings even if he was not close to his own. He nodded. “If there is time, I will seek you out before I depart the estate and share all that I can.”
With that intention in mind, arranging his departure, he said good-bye and reentered the breakfast room. The admiral had already excused himself, so he ventured out into the hall in search of him, or a footman to ask for directions.
He found Admiral Templeton in the Newberry Park great library, but he was not alone. A stranger, likely a messenger, dressed all in black had his attention. Felix hung back a moment to give them privacy, and after a hushed, whispered conversation, Admiral Templeton turned away with a furious scowl. He stormed off toward the duke’s study, and Felix trailed behind. The door banged shut loudly, cutting off any chance of hearing the conversation. After a few moments, the door reopened, only it was the butler leaving instead of the admiral.
Felix peeked inside and discovered the duke standing alone at a window that overlooked the drive.
Behind Felix, the sound of harness and carriage moving off drifted into the hall.
“Good morning, Captain.” Rutherford gestured Felix into the room with an impatient wave of his hand. “I trust you slept well last night.”
“I did, and thank you.”
The duke cleared his throat. “My son has just now received an urgent message and been recalled to London. He will not be able to meet with you as he would have liked. He will not return for several days in fact.”
“I will go and pack and follow him to London. Perhaps there he will have time to see me.”
“No!” the duke exclaimed, thumping his canes on the floor to forestall his exit. “My son insisted you wait here for his return.”
Damnation!
The duke shuffled to his desk and sat with a groan before he continued, “Since the timing of his return is uncertain, his place will be taken by others.”
Felix moved to stand before the table. “I was given to believe the matter that broug
ht me here was urgent.”
“And it is,” the duke barked. “Absolutely vital.”
“Then what is this about?” Felix folded his arms across his chest, belligerence heating his blood at the unnecessary delay. “The admiral has told me nothing of my purpose in being here.”
The duke appeared amused rather than intimidated by his posture. “This is about your career, Captain. Your very future as commander of the Selfridge.”
“Why now of all times?” he asked, incredulous. “We have almost won the day. I have made you very rich, and surely you can have no complaints.”