1818 London
Georgina Anderson grabbed a radish from her plate, put it in a spoon and fired it like a catapult. True, she failed to hit the huge cockroach, but the radish hit very close to it. The cockroach thought it best to hide in the nearest crevice. That's what was required. While Georgina does not see these annoying creatures, she can pretend that they are not found in her home.
Georgina turned to her half-eaten breakfast, looked at the plate and pushed it away with a grimace of disgust. She would give a lot now for any dish prepared by Hannah. Over twelve years of work, Hannah learned to accurately guess what to please each member of the family, and Georgina constantly yearned for her cooking throughout the entire voyage on the ship. Since they arrived in England five days ago, Georgina had only had one good meal. This was on the day of arrival. They stayed at the Albany Hotel and Mac took her to a fancy restaurant. But they left the hotel the very next day and settled in much more modest rooms. What could they do if, upon returning to the hotel, they discovered that all the money had been stolen from their suitcases?
In truth, Georgie, as her loved ones affectionately called her, did not have sufficient grounds to blame the hotel for the loss of money. Most likely they were stolen while the suitcases were traveling from the docks in the East End to the West End, where the prestigious Albany Hotel was located in Piccadilly Circus. While the suitcases, under the supervision of the driver and his partner, moved on the carriage to the hotel, Georgina and Mac carefreely took in the sights of London.
If we talk about bad luck, it started much earlier. Arriving in England, they learned that their ship could not enter the port and that they would not be able to receive their luggage for at least three months. It’s good that at least the passengers themselves were allowed to go ashore. True, not immediately, but after a few days.
However, this should not have been surprising. Georgina was aware of congestion on the Thames, especially at this time of year when ship traffic is affected by unpredictable winds. Their ship was one of a dozen that arrived simultaneously from America. In addition, hundreds of others have gathered here, from all over the world. Such congestion was one of the reasons why members of their trading family excluded London from their routes even before the war. In fact, not a single Skylark Line ship has appeared in London since 1807, when England began blockading almost half of Europe during its war with France. For the Skylark Line, trade with the Far East and West Indies was no less profitable and much less troublesome.
Even after her country settled its disputes with England and signed a treaty at the very end of 1814, the Skylark Line refrained from trading with England, since warehousing remained a very serious problem. Often perishable goods had to be left right on the pier. They became easy prey for thieves, and then the damage reached half a million pounds a year. If for any reason the thieves spared the goods, they would perish under a thick layer of coal dust and soot.
In other words, it was more expensive to trade with England. It was for this reason that Georgina had not sailed to London on the Skylark Line, and for the same reason she could not return home now. The problem was that he and Mac only had twenty-five American dollars left - it was this money that did not become the prey of thieves, since it was with them and not in a suitcase. And now, as a result of all the misadventures, Georgina found herself in this little room located above a tavern in Southwark.
Tavern! If her brothers found out... yes, they are capable of killing her if somehow she manages to return home, because she went on a trip without their knowledge when they were on trade business in different parts of the world. Or, in any case, they won’t give her any money, they’ll put her under lock and key for several years, and even give her a good beating.
True, to be honest, most likely the matter would have been limited to the fact that her brothers would have scolded her badly. However, when you imagine five angry older brothers justifiably unleashing their anger on you, you feel uneasy. Unfortunately, this did not stop Georgina at the time, and she went on a trip accompanied by Ian MacDonell, who had nothing to do with their family. Sometimes the thought occurred to her: had God deprived her entire family of common sense by the time she was due to be born?
Before Georgina had time to get up from the table, there was a knock on the door. She was about to say, “Come in,” because she had become accustomed throughout her life that if someone knocked on the door, it was either the servants or one of the family members. In her twenty-two years, she had slept only in her own bed in her own room in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and, for the last month, in a hanging bunk on a boat. Of course, no one can enter a room if the door is locked, no matter how many times it says “Enter.” Mac repeatedly and persistently reminded her to lock the door. However, this uncomfortable, neglected room itself constantly reminded Georgina that she was far from home, that she should not trust anyone in this inhospitable, criminal-infested city.
A phrase was heard from behind the door, spoken in an expressive Scottish accent, and Georgina recognized Ian MacDonell. She opened the door. A tall, large man came in, making the room seem very small.
Any good news? Sitting down on the chair where Georgina had just been sitting, he snorted:
Depends on how you look at it.
Again we need to look for who knows who?
Yes, but I guess it's better than a complete dead end.
Of course,” she agreed without much enthusiasm.
There was no particular reason to count on more. Some time ago, Mr. Kimball, one of the sailors on the ship Portunus, which belonged to her brother Thomas, stated that he was absolutely sure that he saw her long-lost fiancé Malcolm Cameron among the crew of the merchant ship Pogrom, when the Portunus and The “pogrom” met at one of the sea crossroads. Thomas had no way of verifying Mr. Kimball's claim because he only learned of it after the Pogrom was out of sight. It could be said with certainty that the Pogrom was on its way to Europe, most likely to its home port in England, although it could not be ruled out that it would visit other ports before then.
In any case, this was the first news of Malcolm for six years after he was forcibly recruited as a sailor before the outbreak of war in June 1812.
The forced recruitment of American sailors by the British Navy was one of the causes of the war. Malcolm was terribly unlucky: he was taken away during his first voyage, and the reason for this was his Cornish accent, since he lived the first half of his life in Cornwall, one of the counties of England. However, by then he was already an American; his parents, now deceased, settled in Bridgeport in 1806 and had no intention of returning to England. However, the English officer did not want to believe this, and Warren, Georgina’s brother and owner of the ship Nereus, where the forced recruitment took place, still wears a scar on his cheek, indicating the determination of the English side to recruit Malcolm.
Georgina heard that the ship where Malcolm was taken was decommissioned, and its crew was distributed among several ships. She knew nothing more. It didn't matter what Malcolm did on the English merchant ship now that the war was over, but at least Georgina had the opportunity to track him down.
Current page: 1 (21 pages total) [available reading passage: 14 pages]
Joanna Lindsay
Sweet little cheat
Chapter 1
1818 London
Georgina Anderson grabbed a radish from her plate, put it in a spoon and fired it like a catapult. True, she failed to hit the huge cockroach, but the radish hit very close to it. The cockroach thought it best to hide in the nearest crevice. That's what was required. While Georgina does not see these annoying creatures, she can pretend that they are not found in her home.
Georgina turned to her half-eaten breakfast, looked at the plate and pushed it away with a grimace of disgust. She would give a lot now for any dish prepared by Hannah. Over twelve years of work, Hannah learned to accurately guess what to please each member of the family, and Georgina constantly yearned for her cooking throughout the entire voyage on the ship. Since they arrived in England five days ago, Georgina had only had one good meal. This was on the day of arrival. They stayed at the Albany Hotel and Mac took her to a fancy restaurant. But they left the hotel the very next day and settled in much more modest rooms. What could they do if, upon returning to the hotel, they discovered that all the money had been stolen from their suitcases?
In truth, Georgie, as her loved ones affectionately called her, did not have sufficient grounds to blame the hotel for the loss of money. Most likely they were stolen while the suitcases were traveling from the docks in the East End to the West End, where the prestigious Albany Hotel was located in Piccadilly Circus. While the suitcases, under the supervision of the driver and his partner, moved on the carriage to the hotel, Georgina and Mac carefreely took in the sights of London.
If we talk about bad luck, it started much earlier. Arriving in England, they learned that their ship could not enter the port and that they would not be able to receive their luggage for at least three months. It’s good that at least the passengers themselves were allowed to go ashore. True, not immediately, but after a few days.
However, this should not have been surprising. Georgina was aware of congestion on the Thames, especially at this time of year when ship traffic is affected by unpredictable winds. Their ship was one of a dozen that arrived simultaneously from America. In addition, hundreds of others have gathered here, from all over the world. Such congestion was one of the reasons why members of their trading family excluded London from their routes even before the war. In fact, not a single Skylark Line ship has appeared in London since 1807, when England began blockading almost half of Europe during its war with France. For the Skylark Line, trade with the Far East and West Indies was no less profitable and much less troublesome.
Even after her country settled its disputes with England and signed a treaty at the very end of 1814, the Skylark Line refrained from trading with England, since warehousing remained a very serious problem. Often perishable goods had to be left right on the pier. They became easy prey for thieves, and then the damage reached half a million pounds a year. If for any reason the thieves spared the goods, they would perish under a thick layer of coal dust and soot.
In other words, it was more expensive to trade with England. It was for this reason that Georgina had not sailed to London on the Skylark Line, and for the same reason she could not return home now. The problem was that he and Mac had only twenty-five American dollars left - it was this money that did not fall prey to thieves, since it was with them and not in a suitcase. And now, as a result of all the misadventures, Georgina found herself in this little room located above a tavern in Southwark.
Tavern! If her brothers found out... yes, they are capable of killing her if somehow she manages to return home, because she went on a trip without their knowledge when they were on trade business in different parts of the world. Or, in any case, they won’t give her any money, they’ll put her under lock and key for several years, and even give her a good beating.
True, to be honest, most likely the matter would have been limited to the fact that her brothers would have scolded her badly. However, when you imagine five angry older brothers justifiably unleashing their anger on you, you feel uneasy. Unfortunately, this did not stop Georgina at the time, and she went on a trip accompanied by Ian MacDonell, who had nothing to do with their family. Sometimes the thought occurred to her: had God deprived her entire family of common sense by the time she was due to be born?
Before Georgina had time to get up from the table, there was a knock on the door. She was about to say, “Come in,” because she had become accustomed throughout her life that if someone knocked on the door, it was either the servants or one of the family members. In her twenty-two years, she had slept only in her own bed in her own room in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and, for the last month, in a hanging bunk on a boat. Of course, no one can enter a room if the door is locked, no matter how many times it says “Enter.” Mac repeatedly and persistently reminded her to lock the door. However, this uncomfortable, neglected room itself constantly reminded Georgina that she was far from home, that she should not trust anyone in this inhospitable, criminal-infested city.
A phrase was heard from behind the door, spoken in an expressive Scottish accent, and Georgina recognized Ian MacDonell. She opened the door. A tall, large man came in, making the room seem very small.
– Any good news?
Sitting down on the chair where Georgina had just been sitting, he snorted:
– Depends on how you look at it.
– Do we have to look for who knows who again?
– Yes, but I guess it’s better than a complete dead end.
“Of course,” she agreed without much enthusiasm.
There was no particular reason to count on more. Some time ago, Mr. Kimball, one of the sailors on the ship Portunus, which belonged to her brother Thomas, stated that he was absolutely sure that he saw her long-lost fiancé Malcolm Cameron among the crew of the merchant ship Pogrom, when the Portunus and The “pogrom” met at one of the sea crossroads. Thomas had no way of verifying Mr. Kimball's claim because he only learned of it after the Pogrom was out of sight. It could be said with certainty that the Pogrom was on its way to Europe, most likely to its home port in England, although it could not be ruled out that it would visit other ports before then.
In any case, this was the first news of Malcolm for six years after he was forcibly recruited as a sailor before the outbreak of war in June 1812.
The forced recruitment of American sailors by the British Navy was one of the causes of the war. Malcolm was terribly unlucky: he was taken away during his first voyage, and the reason for this was his Cornish accent, since he lived the first half of his life in Cornwall, one of the counties of England. However, by that time he was already an American; his parents, now deceased, settled in Bridgeport in 1806 and had no intention of returning to England. However, the English officer did not want to believe this, and Warren, Georgina’s brother and owner of the ship Nereus, where the forced recruitment took place, still wears a scar on his cheek, indicating the determination of the English side to recruit Malcolm.
Georgina heard that the ship where Malcolm was taken was decommissioned, and its crew was distributed among several ships. She knew nothing more. It didn't matter what Malcolm did on the English merchant ship now that the war was over, but at least Georgina had the opportunity to track him down.
– Who and what told you this time? – Georgina asked with a sigh. “Another stranger who knows someone who knows someone who might know something about him?”
Mac chuckled.
- Darling, you say that as if we have been walking in circles to no avail for an eternity. We have been searching for only four days. You could use some of the patience that Thomas has.
- Don't talk to me about Thomas! I'm angry at him for still not doing anything to find Malcolm.
- He would find...
- In six months! He wanted me to wait another six months for him to return from the West Indies! How many months will it take to sail here, find Malcolm and return with him? I already waited for six whole years!
“Four years,” Mac corrected her. “No one would let you marry this guy until you were eighteen.”
- This is not relevant. If any of the other brothers had been at home, he would certainly have gone here immediately. Alas, only the overly optimistic Thomas, who also has the patience of a saint, was in place with his ship. That's how unlucky I am! Do you know how he laughed when I said that if I grew any more old, Malcolm would give up on me?
Mac had a hard time holding back a smile when he heard such a frank and simple-minded question. It is not surprising that at one time such reasoning of the girl caused laughter from her older brother.
Although so many years have passed, the girl did not heed her brothers’ advice to forget about Malcolm Cameron. The war had already ended, and the guy, it would seem, should have returned home. But he never returned, and she still waited. This fact alone might have told Thomas that she would not wait for her brother to return from the West Indies. They were members of the same family, and all of them were equally adventurous, but Georgina, unlike Thomas, did not have patience.
Of course, to some extent, Thomas can be forgiven for not pursuing Malcolm. Brother Drew's ship was to return before the end of the summer and remain at home for several months until the next voyage. And Drew could not refuse anything to his only sister. But the girl did not wait for Drew to return, but booked a ticket on a ship that departed three days after Thomas sailed, and somehow persuaded Mac to accompany her. True, he still could not understand how she managed to present the matter as if it was not her idea, but his.
“Okay, Georgie, considering that there are more people in London than in all of Connecticut, there's no point in putting things in a gloomy light. The man I'm about to meet seems to know our Malcolm very well. The one I spoke to today said that Malcolm got off the ship with this Mr. Willcox. He may shed some light on where to look for a guy.
“That sounds very encouraging,” Georgina agreed. “Maybe this Mr. Willcox will even take you straight to Malcolm, so... I think I should go with you.”
– You won’t go! – Mac snapped, frowning angrily. - I'm meeting him at the tavern!
- So what?
“God knows what else you’ll do!”
- But, Mac...
“Don’t even ask, girl,” he said sternly.
However, after catching her glance, Mac realized that she would not back down. He knew very well that if Georgina decided to do something, it would be almost impossible to dissuade her. And the proof of this is that she is now in London, and not at home, as her brothers believe.
Chapter 2
In the elite West End, which is located on the other side of the river, near a fashionable house in Piccadilly, a carriage stopped, from which Sir Anthony Malory got out. Previously, this was his bachelor residence, which can no longer be called such, for he was returning with his young wife Lady Roslyn.
James Malory, Anthony's brother, who lived in the house during his visits to London, hearing the carriage approaching at such a late hour, came out into the hall at the moment when Anthony carried the newlywed over the threshold in his arms. Since James was not yet aware of who she was, he said carefully:
“I guess I shouldn't have seen that.”
“I thought you wouldn’t see,” Anthony answered, walking around his brother and heading towards the stairs with his burden. - But since you saw it soon, you should know that I married this girl.
- So I believed you!
- He really got married! – The girl smiled a dazzling smile. - Do you really think that I will allow the first person I meet to carry me in his arms over the threshold?
Anthony stopped for a moment, catching his brother's incredulous gaze.
“Lord, James, I’ve probably been waiting all my life for this moment when you couldn’t find anything to answer.” But I hope you'll forgive me if I don't wait for you to come to your senses?
And Anthony disappeared.
In amazement, James did not immediately close his mouth, but, however, immediately opened it again to drain the glass of brandy he was holding in his hands. Incredible! Anthony has shackled himself! The most famous rake in London! True, this fame passed to him after James himself left Europe ten years ago. And what made his brother take such a desperate step?
Undoubtedly, the lady was amazingly beautiful, but Anthony could have gotten her in some other way. It so happened that James learned that Anthony had already seduced her last night. In that case, what made him marry her? She had no family, there was no one to insist on marriage. There was hardly anyone who could advise him to marry, except perhaps his elder brother Jason, Marquess of Haverston and head of the family. But then, even Jason couldn't force Anthony to marry. Hadn't Jason tried to get him to marry him over the years?
No one put a gun to Anthony's head and forced him to do such stupidity. And in general, Anthony, unlike Viscount Nicholas Eden, could always resist pressure from his elders. Nicholas Eden was forced to marry their niece Regan, or Reggie as everyone called her. To be honest, James still regrets that he was deprived of the opportunity to tell Nicholas what he thought of him. At that time, the family did not yet know that he had returned to England and felt a desire to give the Viscount a thorough beating, which, in his opinion, he deserved for a completely different reason.
Shaking his head, James walked into the living room and picked up a decanter of brandy, deciding that a couple of extra sips would help him understand the reason for his brother's marriage. He immediately discounted love. Since Anthony did not succumb to this feeling at the age of seventeen, when he first knew the sweetness of the fair sex, it follows that he is immune to this disease in the same way as James himself. There is no need to take into account the need to have an heir, since all the titles of the family have already been distributed. Jason, the older brother, has a grown-up son, Derek, who is catching up in years with his younger uncles. Edward, the second eldest of the Malory family, has five children, all of whom, except Amy, have reached marriageable age. Even James had a son, Jeremy, though he was illegitimate, whose existence he learned about six years ago. Before this, he had no idea whose son was raised by a woman working in a tavern. The son continued to work there after his mother’s death. Now he was seventeen, and he followed in his father's footsteps as part of the fair sex. Anthony, the fourth son, did not need to worry about perpetuating the family - the three eldest Malorys had already taken care of this.
James sank down onto the sofa with a decanter of brandy in his hand. Sir Malory was well built, although he was under six feet tall. He thought again about the newlyweds and asked himself what they could be doing now. His beautifully contoured, sensual lips formed a smile. But he never found an answer to the question of why Anthony got married. James himself would never make such a mistake. But he is ready to admit that if Anthony was destined to fall into the trap, then such a beauty as Roslyn Chadwick should have slammed it ... however, now she was already Malory.
James himself was thinking about hitting on her, although Anthony had already expressed his interest in Roslyn. When they were very young, they often began to court the same woman out of sporting interest. The winner was the one on whom the woman had previously fixed her gaze. Anthony had a reputation among women as devilishly handsome and irresistible, and James considered himself as such.
Nevertheless, outwardly the brothers were strikingly different from each other. Anthony was taller and slimmer, and had inherited his grandmother's black hair and dark blue eyes. Regan, Amy, and, annoyingly enough, James's own son, Jeremy, who, even more annoyingly, looked more like Anthony than his father, were of the same color. James had blond hair, greenish eyes, and a strongly built figure, quite typical of all Malories. “Big, blond and incredibly handsome,” Regan used to say.
James chuckled, remembering his sweet niece. His only sister, Melissa, died when her daughter was only two years old, so the girl was raised and raised by all the brothers. They loved her like a daughter. But now she was married to that scoundrel Eden, and James had no choice but to tolerate this guy. However, Nicholas Eden has already managed to establish himself as an exemplary husband.
Again as a husband. But Eden had a reason. He adored Regan. As for Anthony, he adored all women. In this, Anthony and James were the same. And although James is now thirty-six years old, no woman has yet been born who could lure him into the marital network. Loving women and leaving them on time was his credo, which he adhered to for many years and did not intend to change in the future.
Chapter 3
Ian McDonell was a second-generation American, but his Scottish roots showed through his red, carrot-colored hair and burry r. But he was completely devoid of the Scottish temperament: he looked reserved and calm, which, in fact, he was all forty-seven years of his life. However, the night before and during the first half of this day, he truly revealed his temperament.
As a neighbor of the Andersons, Mack had known the family all his life. He sailed on their ships for over thirty-five years, starting at the age of seven as a cabin boy with Anderson Sr. and rising to first mate on the Neptune, owned by Clinton Anderson. At least ten times he refused the rank of captain. Like Boyd, Georgina's younger brother, he did not like to take responsibility. (However, young Boyd will inevitably have to do this.)
Five years ago, Mack said goodbye to the sea, but remained with the ships; Now it was his responsibility to check the serviceability of every Skylark Line ship that returned to port.
When old Anderson died fifteen years ago, and his wife a few years later, Mac voluntarily took charge of the children, although he was only seven years older than Clinton. He oversaw their upbringing, did not skimp on advice and taught the boys, and, to be honest, Georgina, everything he knew about ships. Unlike their father, who was at home no more than one or two months between voyages, Mac could spend up to six months a year on shore before the wind of wanderings called him on the road again.
As is usually the case when a person is more devoted to the sea than to his own family, the birth of each child among the Andersons was celebrated by the father setting sail. Clinton was the firstborn and is now forty. The father traveled for four years in the Far East, after which Warren was born, who was six years younger than Clinton. Thomas is separated from Warren by four years, and exactly the same number of years separate Drew from Thomas. Drew was the only one of the children whose birth coincided with his father being at home. This was explained by the fact that a severe storm had battered his ship and forced him to return to port. The ensuing troubles delayed the sailing for almost a year, and Anderson witnessed the birth of Drew and conceived Boyd, who was born eleven months after his brother.
And four years later, the youngest child was born - the only daughter. Unlike the boys who raved about the sea since childhood and set sail early, Georgina stayed at home and greeted every returning ship. It is therefore not surprising that Mac was so attached to the girl, for he spent more time with her than with any of her brothers. He knew very well her habits and the tricks that Georgina used to get her way, and, of course, he should have been adamant when she came up with this unheard-of idea. And yet now Georgina was next to him, in the bar of one of the most unpresentable taverns in the port.
Mac would be very happy if the girl realized that her whims had taken her too far. She looked around nervously, like a puppy, and even the cutlass hidden in her sleeve did not add confidence and calm to her. However, stubbornness did not allow her to leave until she saw Mr. Willcox. Fortunately, she had the foresight to dress in such a way that it was difficult to suspect her of being a woman.
Her thin, fragile hands were hidden by huge, sloppy gloves that Mac had never seen before. They were so large that she could hardly lift the mug of ale that Mac had ordered for her. The picture was completed with patched trousers and a sweater. The clothes, borrowed from a junk dealer, were catastrophically too big for her, but did not make it possible to detect any suspicious bulges unless the girl raised her hands. On her feet were a pair of her own boots that were no longer repairable. Her dark hair was carefully tucked under a wool cap pulled so low that it almost covered her eyes.
Georgina in this outfit was a very pitiful sight, but she was in harmony with the surroundings much more than Mac, dressed in his own clothes, although not very sophisticated, but nevertheless noticeably superior in quality to the clothes of the sailors in the tavern. At least until two gentlemen appeared at the door.
It's amazing how quickly a noisy, bustling tavern can be silenced. In the instant silence that followed, all that could be heard was heavy snoring and Georgina’s whisper.
- What does it mean?
Mac did not answer, motioning for her to remain silent, at least while the visitors tried to determine the intentions and mood of those entering. Apparently they simply decided to ignore them. The tables became noisy again. Mac looked at Georgina: she was sitting with her eyes downcast.
– These are not the people we are waiting for, but, judging by the appearance, they are gentlemen. People like this don't come here often, as far as I understand.
In response, Georgina whispered:
“Didn’t I always say that these Englishmen have so much arrogance that they don’t know what to do with it?”
- Always? – Mac chuckled. – As far as I remember, you started saying this when you were sixteen.
“Only because I didn’t know about it before,” Georgina objected in a dissatisfied tone.
She disliked the British because they took her fiancé away by force; this irritation had not subsided since the end of the war and was unlikely to go away before she got the guy back. However, Georgina did not openly show her hostility, or so Mac believed. Here are her brothers, they did not hesitate to send curses to the British in vain long before the start of the war, when the blockade of European ports, begun by England, created great obstacles to trade. If anyone really had a grudge against the British, it was the Anderson brothers.
For ten years in a row the girl had constantly heard that the English were arrogant degenerates, and although at that time it did not particularly affect her, she could listen and nod sympathetically to her brothers. However, when English tyranny affected her personally, everything changed. True, she still did not speak out on this matter as ardently as her brothers. However, no one could doubt what contempt and what antipathy she felt for everything English. She was simply expressing her feelings in a polite manner.
Georgina felt Mac's surprise without even seeing his surprised smile. Her legs were shaking nervously, she was afraid to raise her head and look at this noisy crowd, and Mac found a reason to be surprised at something. She was tempted to look at the gentlemen who had entered, who were probably dressed like dandies. Finally she said:
– Willcox, Mac. Do you remember him? This is what we came here for. Maybe we should...
“Well, well, don’t fuss, calm down,” Mac interrupted her softly.
Georgina sighed:
- Sorry. I just wish this guy would come sooner, if he's going to show up here at all. Are you sure he's not here yet?
“He has several warts on his cheeks and nose and even more on his lower lip. He is a short, stocky, yellow-haired guy of about twenty-five. With such signs we will not miss him.
“If only the appearance is described accurately,” Georgina noted.
Mac shrugged.
- This is all we have, in any case, it’s better than nothing... I’m not going to go around all the tables and ask everyone... My God, your hair is falling out, girl...
- Shh! – Georgina shushed, not allowing him to utter the dangerous word to the end and at the same time raising her hand to tuck in the treacherous curl.
At the same time, the sweater hugged her chest, revealing her to be female. Georgina quickly lowered her hand, but her movement did not escape the gaze of one of the two gentlemen, whose appearance in the tavern a few minutes ago caused an unusual reaction from those present.
James Malory was interested in Georgina, although it was impossible to tell from his appearance. Today, together with Anthony, they had already visited eight taverns in search of Geordie Cameron, Roslyn’s cousin, a Scot by origin. This morning Anthony heard the story of how Cameron tried to force Roslyn to marry him, even kidnapping her, but she managed to escape. For this reason, in order to protect the girl from his vile and vulgar cousin, as Anthony put it, he married her. In addition, Anthony was determined to find the guy, give him a thorough beating, educate him about the fact that Roslyn was married, and send him back to Scotland, telling him that he should leave his cousin alone. Did Anthony just want to protect his bride, or were there some personal interests behind this?
Whatever Anthony's motives, when he saw the red-haired man in the bar, he decided that he had found the one he was looking for. That is why they positioned themselves so close to the bar, hoping to glean additional information from the man’s conversation with his interlocutor. All they knew about Geordie Cameron was that he was tall, blue-eyed, had red hair and a strong Scottish accent. The latter fact was revealed immediately when the man raised his voice slightly. James could have sworn the man was scolding his friend. Anthony first of all noted his Scottish accent.
“What I heard is quite enough for me,” said Anthony, abruptly getting up from the table.
James was better acquainted with the taverns of the port than his brother; he knew what a fight could lead to. Almost everyone in the room can join her. And although Anthony was a first-class boxer (as, indeed, was James), sports rules did not apply here: while you fight with one, you may well get hit in the back by another.
Anticipating the likelihood of such a turn of events, James grabbed his brother's hand and hissed:
– You haven’t heard anything yet. Be reasonable, Tony. It is unknown how many friends drink here at his expense. It's better to wait until he rolls out of here.
– You you can wait as long as you like. And I have a young wife at home, and I can’t wait any longer.
But before his brother moved, James decided it would be prudent to call out to the man sitting, hoping that there would be no answer and that would be the end of it.
- Cameron!
The answer followed, and how energetic it was.
Hearing the familiar name, Georgina and Mac turned sharply towards James. The girl understood that by doing so she was exposing her face to the entire tavern, but she was so hoping to see Malcolm! Perhaps this gentleman called out to him just now. As for Mac, seeing how the tall, black-haired aristocrat decisively waved away the warning gesture of his blond friend, in whose gaze hostility was clearly visible, he instantly tensed and prepared to defend himself. In the blink of an eye, the brunette covered the distance separating them.
Throwing aside all caution, Georgina stared in fascination at the tall brunette - the most handsome blue-eyed devil she had ever seen. It flashed into her mind that he was apparently one of those gentlemen Mac had tried to tell her about earlier, and that he was significantly different from those of whom she had formed her own idea. There was nothing of a dandy or a veil in this gentleman. Undoubtedly, his suit was made of expensive material, but at the same time there were no frills in it. If it weren't for the overly fashionable tie, one could say that he dressed like any of her brothers when he wanted to look a little more elegant than usual.
All this flashed through Georgina’s head, but she did not feel any calmer, because the gentleman’s intentions did not look friendly at all. It was felt that he was possessed by barely restrained anger, directed for some reason exclusively at Mac.
- Cameron? – the man asked quietly, turning to Mac.
“My name is McDonell, mate.” Ian McDonell.
- You are lying!
Georgina was taken aback to hear such an accusation. She gasped as the man grabbed Mac by the lapels of his jacket and lifted him out of his chair. Both faces were a few inches apart, their gazes crossed; Mac's gray eyes sparkled with indignation. Georgina couldn't let them start a fight. Perhaps Mack, like every sailor, enjoys a fight with a scandal, but damn it, that’s not what they’re here for! And there’s no point in attracting everyone’s attention to yourself.
There was no time to think about further actions, and Georgina pulled a knife from her sleeve. She had no intention of using him at all, but only wanted to intimidate the elegant gentleman and make him retreat. But before she could take the knife with her huge gloves, it was knocked out of her hands.
After that, Georgina became truly frightened, remembering too late that the man who attacked Mac was not alone. She didn't know why these people chose the two of them, although the hall was full and she could have fun with someone else. But she had heard that arrogant gentlemen like to demonstrate their strength and power and scare people from the lower classes. However, Georgina was not going to silently allow them to swagger over her. No way! It completely slipped my mind that she needed to remain unnoticed. An injustice similar to the one that had caused her to lose Malcolm had been committed.
Sweet little cheat Joanna Lindsay
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Title: Sweet Cheat
About the book "Sweet Cheat" by Joanna Lindsay
Joanne Lindsay is a novelist whose career began quite by accident. She loved novels and read them, escaping reality into a world where there were no barriers to a wonderful feeling. Being a housewife and mother of three sons, the author decided to write her first book. It was called "The Kidnapped Bride." The work was published in 1977 and gave the woman success. Many people liked the unusual plot, many interesting lines and special storytelling style. Joanne is now a sought-after author who has written over 127 novels. The writer's works have been translated into many languages of the world and have often become bestsellers. Many are attracted by the love stories that came from Lindsay’s pen, and they gladly buy her works, plunging, like Joanne herself, into a world of dreams. Many believe that the book “Sweet Cheat” is one of the author’s best works. It has a lot of intrigue, colorful characters, well-written villains and lots of great jokes. Thanks to these components, many spend their evenings reading the work of this wonderful writer.
Joanne Lindsay's book Pretty Little Cheat tells the story of Georgina Anderson. This is a sweet girl with a charming smile and an open heart. She is in love and is getting married. But when the wedding day arrived, the groom did not show up to the church. He deceived her and abandoned her. After this, life ceased to seem kind and affectionate to the heroine.
However, the girl did not feel sorry for herself forever. The heroine of the work “Dear Cheat” decided to commit an unusual act. She disguised herself as a young man and entered service on the ship as a cabin boy. Georgina decided that such a trip would help her heal the wounds of her heart, and she dreamed of plunging into the whirlwind of travel. Soon the heroine meets the captain of the ship. Lord James Malory turned out to be a handsome man and a heartthrob. He cleverly seduced women and abandoned them. However, they rushed into his arms again and again. The heroine also could not resist and fell in love with the proud sailor. But how can she, under the guise of a yoongi, win his heart? What will happen if her deception is revealed? How will she justify herself to her beloved?
Joanne Lindsay described an amazing love story in her book “Sweet Cheat.” The heroine turned out to be brave, beautiful and determined. She can handle everything, but she has no luck with love, but perhaps with the captain she will find long-awaited happiness.
On our website about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online the book “Sweet Cheat” by Joanna Lindsay in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.
1818 London
Georgina Anderson grabbed a radish from her plate, put it in a spoon and fired it like a catapult. True, she failed to hit the huge cockroach, but the radish hit very close to it. The cockroach thought it best to hide in the nearest crevice. That's what was required. While Georgina does not see these annoying creatures, she can pretend that they are not found in her home.
Georgina turned to her half-eaten breakfast, looked at the plate and pushed it away with a grimace of disgust. She would give a lot now for any dish prepared by Hannah. Over twelve years of work, Hannah learned to accurately guess what to please each member of the family, and Georgina constantly yearned for her cooking throughout the entire voyage on the ship. Since they arrived in England five days ago, Georgina had only had one good meal. This was on the day of arrival. They stayed at the Albany Hotel and Mac took her to a fancy restaurant. But they left the hotel the very next day and settled in much more modest rooms. What could they do if, upon returning to the hotel, they discovered that all the money had been stolen from their suitcases?
In truth, Georgie, as her loved ones affectionately called her, did not have sufficient grounds to blame the hotel for the loss of money. Most likely they were stolen while the suitcases were traveling from the docks in the East End to the West End, where the prestigious Albany Hotel was located in Piccadilly Circus. While the suitcases, under the supervision of the driver and his partner, moved on the carriage to the hotel, Georgina and Mac carefreely took in the sights of London.
If we talk about bad luck, it started much earlier. Arriving in England, they learned that their ship could not enter the port and that they would not be able to receive their luggage for at least three months. It’s good that at least the passengers themselves were allowed to go ashore. True, not immediately, but after a few days.
However, this should not have been surprising. Georgina was aware of congestion on the Thames, especially at this time of year when ship traffic is affected by unpredictable winds. Their ship was one of a dozen that arrived simultaneously from America. In addition, hundreds of others have gathered here, from all over the world. Such congestion was one of the reasons why members of their trading family excluded London from their routes even before the war. In fact, not a single Skylark Line ship has appeared in London since 1807, when England began blockading almost half of Europe during its war with France. For the Skylark Line, trade with the Far East and West Indies was no less profitable and much less troublesome.
Even after her country settled its disputes with England and signed a treaty at the very end of 1814, the Skylark Line refrained from trading with England, since warehousing remained a very serious problem. Often perishable goods had to be left right on the pier. They became easy prey for thieves, and then the damage reached half a million pounds a year.
If for any reason the thieves spared the goods, they would perish under a thick layer of coal dust and soot.
In other words, it was more expensive to trade with England. It was for this reason that Georgina had not sailed to London on the Skylark Line, and for the same reason she could not return home now. The problem was that he and Mac had only twenty-five American dollars left - it was this money that did not fall prey to thieves, since it was with them and not in a suitcase. And now, as a result of all the misadventures, Georgina found herself in this little room located above a tavern in Southwark.
Tavern! If her brothers found out... yes, they are capable of killing her if somehow she manages to return home, because she went on a trip without their knowledge when they were on trade business in different parts of the world. Or, in any case, they won’t give her any money, they’ll put her under lock and key for several years, and even give her a good beating.
True, to be honest, most likely the matter would have been limited to the fact that her brothers would have scolded her badly. However, when you imagine five angry older brothers justifiably unleashing their anger on you, you feel uneasy. Unfortunately, this did not stop Georgina at the time, and she went on a trip accompanied by Ian MacDonell, who had nothing to do with their family. Sometimes the thought occurred to her: had God deprived her entire family of common sense by the time she was due to be born?
Before Georgina had time to get up from the table, there was a knock on the door. She was about to say, “Come in,” because she had become accustomed throughout her life that if someone knocked on the door, it was either the servants or one of the family members. In her twenty-two years, she had slept only in her own bed in her own room in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and, for the last month, in a hanging bunk on a boat. Of course, no one can enter a room if the door is locked, no matter how many times it says “Enter.” Mac repeatedly and persistently reminded her to lock the door. However, this uncomfortable, neglected room itself constantly reminded Georgina that she was far from home, that she should not trust anyone in this inhospitable, criminal-infested city.
A phrase was heard from behind the door, spoken in an expressive Scottish accent, and Georgina recognized Ian MacDonell. She opened the door. A tall, large man came in, making the room seem very small.
– Any good news?
Sitting down on the chair where Georgina had just been sitting, he snorted:
– Depends on how you look at it.
– Do we have to look for who knows who again?
– Yes, but I guess it’s better than a complete dead end.
“Of course,” she agreed without much enthusiasm.
There was no particular reason to count on more. Some time ago, Mr. Kimball, one of the sailors on the ship Portunus, which belonged to her brother Thomas, stated that he was absolutely sure that he saw her long-lost fiancé Malcolm Cameron among the crew of the merchant ship Pogrom, when the Portunus and The “pogrom” met at one of the sea crossroads. Thomas had no way of verifying Mr. Kimball's claim because he only learned of it after the Pogrom was out of sight. It could be said with certainty that the Pogrom was on its way to Europe, most likely to its home port in England, although it could not be ruled out that it would visit other ports before then.
In any case, this was the first news of Malcolm for six years after he was forcibly recruited as a sailor before the outbreak of war in June 1812.
The forced recruitment of American sailors by the British Navy was one of the causes of the war. Malcolm was terribly unlucky: he was taken away during his first voyage, and the reason for this was his Cornish accent, since he lived the first half of his life in Cornwall, one of the counties of England. However, by that time he was already an American; his parents, now deceased, settled in Bridgeport in 1806 and had no intention of returning to England. However, the English officer did not want to believe this, and Warren, Georgina’s brother and owner of the ship Nereus, where the forced recruitment took place, still wears a scar on his cheek, indicating the determination of the English side to recruit Malcolm.
Georgina heard that the ship where Malcolm was taken was decommissioned, and its crew was distributed among several ships. She knew nothing more. It didn't matter what Malcolm did on the English merchant ship now that the war was over, but at least Georgina had the opportunity to track him down.
– Who and what told you this time? – Georgina asked with a sigh. “Another stranger who knows someone who knows someone who might know something about him?”
Mac chuckled.
- Darling, you say that as if we have been walking in circles to no avail for an eternity. We have been searching for only four days. You could use some of the patience that Thomas has.
- Don't talk to me about Thomas! I'm angry at him for still not doing anything to find Malcolm.
- He would find...
- In six months! He wanted me to wait another six months for him to return from the West Indies! How many months will it take to sail here, find Malcolm and return with him? I already waited for six whole years!
“Four years,” Mac corrected her. “No one would let you marry this guy until you were eighteen.”
- This is not relevant. If any of the other brothers had been at home, he would certainly have gone here immediately. Alas, only the overly optimistic Thomas, who also has the patience of a saint, was in place with his ship. That's how unlucky I am! Do you know how he laughed when I said that if I grew any more old, Malcolm would give up on me?
Mac had a hard time holding back a smile when he heard such a frank and simple-minded question. It is not surprising that at one time such reasoning of the girl caused laughter from her older brother.
Although so many years have passed, the girl did not heed her brothers’ advice to forget about Malcolm Cameron. The war had already ended, and the guy, it would seem, should have returned home. But he never returned, and she still waited. This fact alone might have told Thomas that she would not wait for her brother to return from the West Indies. They were members of the same family, and all of them were equally adventurous, but Georgina, unlike Thomas, did not have patience.
Of course, to some extent, Thomas can be forgiven for not pursuing Malcolm. Brother Drew's ship was to return before the end of the summer and remain at home for several months until the next voyage. And Drew could not refuse anything to his only sister. But the girl did not wait for Drew to return, but booked a ticket on a ship that departed three days after Thomas sailed, and somehow persuaded Mac to accompany her. True, he still could not understand how she managed to present the matter as if it was not her idea, but his.
“Okay, Georgie, considering that there are more people in London than in all of Connecticut, there's no point in putting things in a gloomy light. The man I'm about to meet seems to know our Malcolm very well. The one I spoke to today said that Malcolm got off the ship with this Mr. Willcox. He may shed some light on where to look for a guy.
“That sounds very encouraging,” Georgina agreed. “Maybe this Mr. Willcox will even take you straight to Malcolm, so... I think I should go with you.”
– You won’t go! – Mac snapped, frowning angrily. - I'm meeting him at the tavern!
- So what?
“God knows what else you’ll do!”
- But, Mac...
“Don’t even ask, girl,” he said sternly.
However, after catching her glance, Mac realized that she would not back down. He knew very well that if Georgina decided to do something, it would be almost impossible to dissuade her. And the proof of this is that she is now in London, and not at home, as her brothers believe.
Chapter 2
In the elite West End, which is located on the other side of the river, near a fashionable house in Piccadilly, a carriage stopped, from which Sir Anthony Malory got out. Previously, this was his bachelor residence, which can no longer be called such, for he was returning with his young wife Lady Roslyn.
James Malory, Anthony's brother, who lived in the house during his visits to London, hearing the carriage approaching at such a late hour, came out into the hall at the moment when Anthony carried the newlywed over the threshold in his arms. Since James was not yet aware of who she was, he said carefully:
“I guess I shouldn't have seen that.”
“I thought you wouldn’t see,” Anthony answered, walking around his brother and heading towards the stairs with his burden. - But since you saw it soon, you should know that I married this girl.
- So I believed you!
- He really got married! – The girl smiled a dazzling smile. - Do you really think that I will allow the first person I meet to carry me in his arms over the threshold?
Anthony stopped for a moment, catching his brother's incredulous gaze.
“Lord, James, I’ve probably been waiting all my life for this moment when you couldn’t find anything to answer.” But I hope you'll forgive me if I don't wait for you to come to your senses?
And Anthony disappeared.
In amazement, James did not immediately close his mouth, but, however, immediately opened it again to drain the glass of brandy he was holding in his hands. Incredible! Anthony has shackled himself! The most famous rake in London! True, this fame passed to him after James himself left Europe ten years ago. And what made his brother take such a desperate step?
Undoubtedly, the lady was amazingly beautiful, but Anthony could have gotten her in some other way. It so happened that James learned that Anthony had already seduced her last night. In that case, what made him marry her? She had no family, there was no one to insist on marriage. There was hardly anyone who could advise him to marry, except perhaps his elder brother Jason, Marquess of Haverston and head of the family. But then, even Jason couldn't force Anthony to marry. Hadn't Jason tried to get him to marry him over the years?
No one put a gun to Anthony's head and forced him to do such stupidity. And in general, Anthony, unlike Viscount Nicholas Eden, could always resist pressure from his elders. Nicholas Eden was forced to marry their niece Regan, or Reggie as everyone called her. To be honest, James still regrets that he was deprived of the opportunity to tell Nicholas what he thought of him. At that time, the family did not yet know that he had returned to England and felt a desire to give the Viscount a thorough beating, which, in his opinion, he deserved for a completely different reason.
Shaking his head, James walked into the living room and picked up a decanter of brandy, deciding that a couple of extra sips would help him understand the reason for his brother's marriage. He immediately discounted love. Since Anthony did not succumb to this feeling at the age of seventeen, when he first knew the sweetness of the fair sex, it follows that he is immune to this disease in the same way as James himself. There is no need to take into account the need to have an heir, since all the titles of the family have already been distributed. Jason, the older brother, has a grown-up son, Derek, who is catching up in years with his younger uncles. Edward, the second eldest of the Malory family, has five children, all of whom, except Amy, have reached marriageable age. Even James had a son, Jeremy, though he was illegitimate, whose existence he learned about six years ago. Before this, he had no idea whose son was raised by a woman working in a tavern. The son continued to work there after his mother’s death. Now he was seventeen, and he followed in his father's footsteps as part of the fair sex. Anthony, the fourth son, did not need to worry about perpetuating the family - the three eldest Malorys had already taken care of this.
James sank down onto the sofa with a decanter of brandy in his hand. Sir Malory was well built, although he was under six feet tall. He thought again about the newlyweds and asked himself what they could be doing now. His beautifully contoured, sensual lips formed a smile. But he never found an answer to the question of why Anthony got married. James himself would never make such a mistake. But he is ready to admit that if Anthony was destined to fall into the trap, then such a beauty as Roslyn Chadwick should have slammed it ... however, now she was already Malory.
James himself was thinking about hitting on her, although Anthony had already expressed his interest in Roslyn. When they were very young, they often began to court the same woman out of sporting interest. The winner was the one on whom the woman had previously fixed her gaze. Anthony had a reputation among women as devilishly handsome and irresistible, and James considered himself as such.
Nevertheless, outwardly the brothers were strikingly different from each other. Anthony was taller and slimmer, and had inherited his grandmother's black hair and dark blue eyes. Regan, Amy, and, annoyingly enough, James's own son, Jeremy, who, even more annoyingly, looked more like Anthony than his father, were of the same color. James had blond hair, greenish eyes, and a strongly built figure, quite typical of all Malories. “Big, blond and incredibly handsome,” Regan used to say.
James chuckled, remembering his sweet niece. His only sister, Melissa, died when her daughter was only two years old, so the girl was raised and raised by all the brothers. They loved her like a daughter. But now she was married to that scoundrel Eden, and James had no choice but to tolerate this guy. However, Nicholas Eden has already managed to establish himself as an exemplary husband.
Again as a husband. But Eden had a reason. He adored Regan. As for Anthony, he adored all women. In this, Anthony and James were the same. And although James is now thirty-six years old, no woman has yet been born who could lure him into the marital network. Loving women and leaving them on time was his credo, which he adhered to for many years and did not intend to change in the future.
Chapter 3
Ian McDonell was a second-generation American, but his Scottish roots showed through his red, carrot-colored hair and burry r. But he was completely devoid of the Scottish temperament: he looked reserved and calm, which, in fact, he was all forty-seven years of his life. However, the night before and during the first half of this day, he truly revealed his temperament.
As a neighbor of the Andersons, Mack had known the family all his life. He sailed on their ships for over thirty-five years, starting at the age of seven as a cabin boy with Anderson Sr. and rising to first mate on the Neptune, owned by Clinton Anderson. At least ten times he refused the rank of captain. Like Boyd, Georgina's younger brother, he did not like to take responsibility. (However, young Boyd will inevitably have to do this.)
Five years ago, Mack said goodbye to the sea, but remained with the ships; Now it was his responsibility to check the serviceability of every Skylark Line ship that returned to port.
When old Anderson died fifteen years ago, and his wife a few years later, Mac voluntarily took charge of the children, although he was only seven years older than Clinton. He oversaw their upbringing, did not skimp on advice and taught the boys, and, to be honest, Georgina, everything he knew about ships. Unlike their father, who was at home no more than one or two months between voyages, Mac could spend up to six months a year on shore before the wind of wanderings called him on the road again.
As is usually the case when a person is more devoted to the sea than to his own family, the birth of each child among the Andersons was celebrated by the father setting sail. Clinton was the firstborn and is now forty. The father traveled for four years in the Far East, after which Warren was born, who was six years younger than Clinton. Thomas is separated from Warren by four years, and exactly the same number of years separate Drew from Thomas. Drew was the only one of the children whose birth coincided with his father being at home. This was explained by the fact that a severe storm had battered his ship and forced him to return to port. The ensuing troubles delayed the sailing for almost a year, and Anderson witnessed the birth of Drew and conceived Boyd, who was born eleven months after his brother.
And four years later, the youngest child was born - the only daughter. Unlike the boys who raved about the sea since childhood and set sail early, Georgina stayed at home and greeted every returning ship. It is therefore not surprising that Mac was so attached to the girl, for he spent more time with her than with any of her brothers. He knew very well her habits and the tricks that Georgina used to get her way, and, of course, he should have been adamant when she came up with this unheard-of idea. And yet now Georgina was next to him, in the bar of one of the most unpresentable taverns in the port.
Mac would be very happy if the girl realized that her whims had taken her too far. She looked around nervously, like a puppy, and even the cutlass hidden in her sleeve did not add confidence and calm to her. However, stubbornness did not allow her to leave until she saw Mr. Willcox. Fortunately, she had the foresight to dress in such a way that it was difficult to suspect her of being a woman.
Her thin, fragile hands were hidden by huge, sloppy gloves that Mac had never seen before. They were so large that she could hardly lift the mug of ale that Mac had ordered for her. The picture was completed with patched trousers and a sweater. The clothes, borrowed from a junk dealer, were catastrophically too big for her, but did not make it possible to detect any suspicious bulges unless the girl raised her hands. On her feet were a pair of her own boots that were no longer repairable. Her dark hair was carefully tucked under a wool cap pulled so low that it almost covered her eyes.
Sweet little cheat
Joanna Lindsay
Malory Family #3
Charming Georgina Anderson was deceived by her fiancé, and the extravagant girl decided to heal the pain of loss with a whirlwind of adventure. Dressed as a young man, she hired herself as a cabin boy on a ship leaving the coast of England, but did not inquire what the captain of the ship was like. And in vain - Lord James Malory turned out to be not only an experienced sailor, but also a dangerous heartthrob, a conqueror of women who literally fell at the feet of this courageous handsome man. How can the inexperienced Georgina remain indifferent...
Joanna Lindsay
Sweet little cheat
To my_daughter-in-law_Lori_and_her_new_joy_
Natasha_Kealanoheaakealoha_Howard_
1818_YEAR,_LONDON_
Georgina Anderson grabbed a radish from her plate, put it in a spoon and fired it like a catapult. True, she failed to hit the huge cockroach, but the radish hit very close to it. The cockroach thought it best to hide in the nearest crevice. That's what was required. While Georgina does not see these annoying creatures, she can pretend that they are not found in her home.
Georgina turned to her half-eaten breakfast, looked at the plate and pushed it away with a grimace of disgust. She would give a lot now for any dish prepared by Hannah. Over twelve years of work, Hannah learned to accurately guess what to please each member of the family, and Georgina constantly yearned for her cooking throughout the entire voyage on the ship. Since they arrived in England five days ago, Georgina had only had one good meal. This was on the day of arrival. They stayed at the Albany Hotel and Mac took her to a fancy restaurant. But they left the hotel the very next day and settled in much more modest rooms. What could they do if, upon returning to the hotel, they discovered that all the money had been stolen from their suitcases?
In truth, Georgie, as her loved ones affectionately called her, did not have sufficient grounds to blame the hotel for the loss of money. Most likely they were stolen while the suitcases were traveling from the docks in the East End to the West End, where the prestigious Albany Hotel was located in Piccadilly Circus. While the suitcases, under the supervision of the driver and his partner, moved on the carriage to the hotel, Georgina and Mac carefreely took in the sights of London.
If we talk about bad luck, it started much earlier. Arriving in England, they learned that their ship could not enter the port and that they would not be able to receive their luggage for at least three months. It’s good that at least the passengers themselves were allowed to go ashore. True, not immediately, but after a few days.
However, this should not have been surprising. Georgina was aware of congestion on the Thames, especially at this time of year when ship traffic is affected by unpredictable winds. Their ship was one of a dozen that arrived simultaneously from America. In addition, hundreds of others have gathered here, from all over the world. Such congestion was one of the reasons why members of their trading family excluded London from their routes even before the war. In fact, not a single Skylark Line ship has appeared in London since 1807, when England began blockading almost half of Europe during its war with France. For the Skylark Line, trade with the Far East and West Indies was no less profitable and much less troublesome.
Even after her country settled its disputes with England and signed a treaty at the very end of 1814, the Skylark Line refrained from trading with England, since warehousing remained a very serious problem. Often perishable goods had to be left right on the pier. They became easy prey for thieves, and then the damage reached half a million pounds a year. If for any reason the thieves spared the goods, they would perish under a thick layer of coal dust and soot.
In other words, it was more expensive to trade with England. It was for this reason that Georgina had not sailed to London on the Skylark Line, and for the same reason she could not return home now. The problem was that he and Mac only had twenty-five American dollars left - it was this money that did not become the prey of thieves, since it was with them and not in a suitcase. And now, as a result of all the misadventures, Georgina found herself in this little room located above a tavern in Southwark.
Tavern! If her brothers found out... yes, they are capable of killing her if somehow she manages to return home, because she went on a trip without their knowledge when they were on trade business in different parts of the world. Or, in any case, they won’t give her any money, they’ll put her under lock and key for several years, and even give her a good beating.
True, to be honest, most likely the matter would have been limited to the fact that her brothers would have scolded her badly. However, when you imagine five angry older brothers justifiably unleashing their anger on you, you feel uneasy. Unfortunately, this did not stop Georgina at the time, and she went on a trip accompanied by Ian MacDonell, who had nothing to do with their family. Sometimes the thought occurred to her: had God deprived her entire family of common sense by the time she was due to be born?
Before Georgina had time to get up from the table, there was a knock on the door. She was about to say, “Come in,” because she had become accustomed throughout her life that if someone knocked on the door, it was either the servants or one of the family members. In her twenty-two years, she had slept only in her own bed in her own room in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and, for the last month, in a hanging bunk on a boat. Of course, no one can enter a room if the door is locked, no matter how many times it says “Enter.” Mac repeatedly and persistently reminded her to lock the door. However, this uncomfortable, neglected room itself constantly reminded Georgina that she was far from home, that she should not trust anyone in this inhospitable, criminal-infested city.
A phrase was heard from behind the door, spoken in an expressive Scottish accent, and Georgina recognized Ian MacDonell. She opened the door. A tall, large man came in, making the room seem very small.
Any good news? Sitting down on the chair where Georgina had just been sitting, he snorted:
Depends on how you look at it.
Again we need to look for who knows who?
Yes, but I guess it's better than a complete dead end.
Of course,” she agreed without much enthusiasm.
There was no particular reason to count on more. Some time ago, Mr. Kimball, one of the sailors on the ship Portunus, which belonged to her brother Thomas, stated that he was absolutely sure that he saw her long-lost fiancé Malcolm Cameron among the crew of the merchant ship Pogrom, when the Portunus and The “pogrom” met at one of the sea crossroads. Thomas had no way of verifying Mr. Kimball's claim because he only learned of it after the Pogrom was out of sight. It could be said with certainty that the Pogrom was on its way to Europe, most likely to its home port in England, although it could not be ruled out that it would visit other ports before then.
In any case, this was the first news of Malcolm for six years after he was forcibly recruited as a sailor before the outbreak of war in June 1812.
The forced recruitment of American sailors by the British Navy was one of the causes of the war. Malcolm was terribly unlucky: he was taken away during his first voyage, and the reason for this was his Cornish accent, since he lived the first half of his life in Cornwall, one of the counties of England. However, by then he was already an American; his parents, now deceased, settled in Bridgeport in 1806 and had no intention of returning to England. However, the English officer did not want to believe this, and Warren, Georgina’s brother and owner of the ship Nereus, where the forced recruitment took place, still wears a scar on his cheek, indicating the determination of the English side to recruit Malcolm.
Georgina heard that the ship where Malcolm was taken was decommissioned, and its crew was distributed among several ships. She knew nothing more. It didn't matter what Malcolm did on the English merchant ship now that the war was over, but at least Georgina had the opportunity to track him down.
Who and what told you this time? - Georgina asked with a sigh. - Again, some stranger who knows someone who knows someone who might know something about him?
Mac chuckled.
Darling, you say that as if we have been walking in circles for an eternity to no avail. We have been searching for only four days. You could use at least a little of the patience that Thomas has.
Don't talk to me about Thomas! I'm angry at him for still not doing anything to find Malcolm.
He would find...
In six months! He wanted me to wait another six months for him to return from the West Indies! How many months will it take to sail here, find Malcolm and return with him? I already waited for six whole years!
Four years,” Mac corrected her. No one would let you marry this guy until you were eighteen.
This is not relevant. If any of the other brothers had been at home, he would certainly have gone here immediately. Alas, only the overly optimistic Thomas, who also has the patience of a saint, was in place with his ship. That's how unlucky I am! Do you know how he laughed when I said that if I grew any more old, Malcolm would give up on me?
Mac had a hard time holding back a smile when he heard such a frank and simple-minded question. It is not surprising that at one time such reasoning of the girl caused laughter from her older brother.
Although so many years have passed, the girl did not heed her brothers’ advice to forget about Malcolm Cameron. The war has already ended, and the guy; it seemed like he had to return home. But he never returned, and she still waited. This fact alone might have told Thomas that she would not wait for her brother to return from the West Indies. They were members of the same family, and all of them were equally adventurous, but Georgina, unlike Thomas, did not have patience.
Of course, to some extent, Thomas can be forgiven for not pursuing Malcolm. Brother Drew's ship was to return before the end of the summer and remain at home for several months until the next voyage. And Drew could not refuse anything to his only sister. But the girl did not wait for Drew to return, but booked a ticket on a ship that departed three days after Thomas sailed, and somehow persuaded Mac to accompany her. True, he still could not understand how she managed to present the matter as if it was not her idea, but his.
Okay, Georgie, given that London has more people than all of Connecticut, it's not a bad idea to paint things in a gloomy light. The man I'm about to meet seems to know our Malcolm very well. The one I spoke to today said that Malcolm got off the ship with this Mr. Willcox. He may shed some light on where to look for a guy.
“It sounds very encouraging,” Georgina agreed. “Maybe this Mr. Willcox guy will even take you straight to Malcolm, so... I think I should go with you.”
You won't go! - Mac snapped, frowning angrily. - I'm meeting him at the tavern!
So what?
God knows what else you'll do!
But Mac...
Don’t even ask, girl,” he said sternly. However, after catching her glance, Mac realized that she would not back down. He knew very well that if Georgina decided to do something, it would be almost impossible to dissuade her. And the proof of this is that she is now in London, and not at home, as her brothers believe.
Chapter 2
In the elite West End, which is located on the other side of the river, near a fashionable house in Piccadilly, a carriage stopped, from which Sir Anthony Malory got out. Previously, this was his bachelor residence, which can no longer be called such, for he was returning with his young wife Lady Roslyn.
James Malory, Anthony's brother, who lived in the house during his visits to London, hearing the carriage approaching at such a late hour, came out into the hall at the moment when Anthony carried the newlywed over the threshold in his arms. Since James was not yet aware of who she was, he said carefully:
I guess I shouldn't have seen it.
“I thought you wouldn’t see,” Anthony replied, walking around his brother and heading towards the stairs with his burden. - But since you saw it soon, you should know that I married this girl.
So I believed you!
He really got married! - The girl smiled a dazzling smile. - Do you really think that I will allow the first person I meet to carry me in his arms over the threshold?
Anthony stopped for a moment, catching his brother's incredulous gaze.
Lord, James, I've probably been waiting all my life for this moment when you don't have anything to say. But I hope you'll forgive me if I don't wait for you to come to your senses?
And Anthony disappeared.
In amazement, James did not immediately close his mouth, but, however, immediately opened it again to drain the glass of brandy he was holding in his hands. Incredible! Anthony has shackled himself! The most famous rake in London! True, this fame passed to him after James himself left Europe ten years ago. And what made his brother take such a desperate step?
Undoubtedly, the lady was amazingly beautiful, but Anthony could have gotten her in some other way. It so happened that James learned that Anthony had already seduced her last night. In that case, what made him marry her? She had no family, there was no one to insist on marriage. There was hardly anyone who could advise him to marry, except perhaps his elder brother Jason, Marquess of Haverston and head of the family. But, however, even Jason could not force Anthony to marry. Hadn't Jason tried to get him to marry him over the years?
No one put a gun to Anthony's head and forced him to do such stupidity. And in general, Anthony, unlike Viscount Nicholas Eden, could always resist pressure from his elders. Nikolaev Eden was forced to marry their niece Regan, or Reggie, as everyone called her. To be honest, James still regrets that he was deprived of the opportunity to tell Nicholas what he thought of him. At that time, the family did not yet know that he had returned to England and felt a desire to give the Viscount a thorough beating, which, in his opinion, he deserved for a completely different reason.
