She thought back to the way they"d parted all those months ago and realised he hadn"t mentioned that. He"d just walked in here, as if nothing had happened between them, seemingly sure of his welcome. From his words, she guessed he"d thought she would have been ready to throw herself on his mercy. Then he doesn"t know me at all.
"I"d best go and give my condolences to your uncle," he said. "I shall see you later, no doubt."
When he"d gone, Midori went back to her baking, pummelling the dough even harder than before. Life was full of surprises, but why did it all have to be so difficult?
As he walked away from the house later, Nico"s feelings were in tumult. He was relieved Midori seemed healthy and well cared for, but he couldn"t fail to notice the changes in her. At first he"d had trouble recognising the girl who opened the door as the Midori he knew. The dark grey, long-sleeved bodice and matching woollen petticoat made her blend in with her surroundings, the sombre hues relieved only by a white collar, coif and ap.r.o.n. Her beautiful hair was hidden away surely they wouldn"t have cut it off? and for most of their conversation her face had been as solemn as her clothing.
Her eyes did light up at the sight of me, though. He"d received one of her dazzling smiles, which was wonderful, but she soon schooled her features into a non-committal expression. What was she hiding? Was she telling the truth or was she merely trying to allay his fears? No, I"ll be d.a.m.ned if she"s as happy as she says she is.
Harding met him down by the quay. "What news, sir, of the young lady? Did you manage a word in private with her?"
"I did and she seems well enough."
"But?" Harding had obviously heard the hesitation in his voice.
"It"s probably nothing, but I can"t help feeling there"s something she"s not telling me."
"Well, I"m sure her uncle"s drummed it into her she ain"t s"posed to talk to men on her own. Like as not she was feelin" guilty."
Nico clapped Harding on the back. The man had proved to be a faithful friend and he was very grateful, so he didn"t want to burden him with his own gloomy thoughts. "I"m sure you"re right. I was just unsettled by seeing her again. She looked so different. Those clothes ..." He managed a smile. "It"s only on the surface, though, isn"t it? Underneath she"s still the same."
"Sure and why wouldn"t she be?"
"Well, I wouldn"t like to think of her being mistreated."
"I"ve seen no sign of that, the times I"ve caught sight of her. Always seems cheerful enough to me."
"They"re working her awfully hard. Her hands, all red and rough ..."
"Ah, but she"s not the kind of lady to like sittin" around all day doin" nothin". Don"t you remember on the ship? Always keepin" herself busy with somethin". And she"ll not let them browbeat her, not her."
"Yes, you"re right," Nico agreed. Midori had more spirit than any other woman he"d met. And that, unfortunately, would make his own task all the more difficult.
If she"d convinced herself she was happy here, how could he persuade her otherwise?
"So you"ve brought goods to trade? Not a bad idea at the moment, not bad at all."
Nico had returned for dinner and, as Midori watched him surrept.i.tiously, it almost felt as though he"d never gone away. The atmosphere round the table was vastly different, however, from the last meal he"d shared with them. His antagonism was gone and it seemed to her that her uncle was looking at Nico with an almost grudging respect. Adult to adult, not adult to sulky boy. It was a welcome change.
"I"m glad you think so. I was hoping you might want to help me find the right buyers," Nico replied, adding with a small smile, "with a percentage for your trouble, of course."
At the thought of a profit, Uncle Marston seemed to come alive. Midori knew there was nothing he liked better than making money and she threw Nico a suspicious glance across the table. Was he deliberately trying to get into her uncle"s good graces? And if so, why? He"d never cared before. Nico stared back and, when no one else was looking, he winked at her. Midori frowned. What game is he playing now?
He was nice to Aunt Hesketh, too, despite his stepmother"s barbed comments about the fine wool of his outfit. "I told you, I stole it," Nico said to her with a grin that showed clearly he was joking. "I"ll go back and get some for you, too, shall I, if you like it so much?"
Aunt Hesketh was clearly fl.u.s.tered and looked as though she didn"t know how to respond to such teasing. "Really, Nicholas," she muttered, but after the meal, when he produced a small gift for each of the "ladies", as he called them, she seemed pleased.
"You know we don"t hold with wearing trinkets," she reproached him as she pulled a plain silver chain with a small, brown cross on it out of the bit of linen it had been tied into. "And why are you buying us gifts anyway?"
"You reminded me last time I came that I should have done so. Have you now changed your mind?" Nico teased again, then added, "It"s a religious symbol and it"s not of any great value. I picked it up in the Baltic, where you can find amber yourself just by wandering along the sea sh.o.r.e. I"m sure no one could object to something so plain. What do you think, Jacob?"
Her uncle, still in a good mood at the thought of profits to be gained from Nico"s goods, gave his consent. "It"s not even shiny," he agreed.
Midori opened her own little parcel and found what looked like a small, smooth lump of hardened sap hanging off an equally plain chain. Although it wasn"t glittering like other jewels, she had a feeling Nico had underplayed its value nonetheless. When she held it up to the light, she could see a tiny flower trapped inside, as if frozen in time. She looked over at Temperance, who was exclaiming over her own necklace. As far as Midori could see, her cousin"s was nothing but a polished piece of amber, although pretty when penetrated by sunlight. Temperance said nothing of there being anything inside.
"Yours is special," Nico said quietly behind her, his voice audible only to her. "But please don"t tell anyone or they"ll take it away. Shall I help you with the fastening?"
Midori didn"t know what to say. The fact that he"d singled her out in this way made her feel fl.u.s.tered and she wasn"t sure she should accept such a gift from him. If she didn"t, though, she would have to explain herself and that would never do, either. She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Thank you." She handed him the chain and he quickly put it on for her. The brief touch of his fingers on her neck sent a spark shimmering down her spine and Midori had to stop herself from making a sound. She thought he lingered a tiny while longer than he should, but then he moved away to help his stepmother as well, without saying anything else.
Nico took his leave soon after, and Midori was left to wonder once again what he was up to. For she could clearly see he was waging some sort of campaign the profit for her uncle and the trinkets for the women were only the beginning, she was sure.
What would he do next?
Nico was pleased Midori had accepted his gift, even if she"d done so reluctantly. For once, she"d let down her guard and showed her emotions clearly. He"d read confusion and surprise in her eyes, which was what he"d hoped for. Catching her off balance was the only way to see her true feelings, and that had been his purpose. He had to know if there was any way he could redeem himself in her eyes. If she could forgive him.
Only then could he ask her once again to marry him.
I was a complete idiot the first time I asked her. He should have known he"d been doomed to failure because once Midori decided on something, she stuck with it no matter what. He"d only made matters worse by kissing her, he could see that now. With any other woman, he knew he could have cajoled them into forgiving him for whatever misdeeds they considered he"d done. Midori was different.
Once her good opinion was lost, it would be hard to regain. And he had lost it, no doubt about that. She"d made it clear she didn"t trust him; thought him dishonourable and a liar. She wasn"t like other women, she couldn"t simply be charmed or persuaded by gifts and attention, although he was hoping that might help, hence the amber. She lived by different values and a strict code of conduct. And she wasn"t ruled by emotion. Or at least, not much.
Nico smiled to himself as he made his way up the hill towards Jacob"s house the following day. "Oh, but she"s not as unaffected as she"d like to pretend," he murmured. That dazzling smile, when he"d caught her by surprise with his sudden arrival, and the frequent glances she cast his way, were proof of that. Not to mention the way she"d reacted to his kisses in the past.
"And you may be stubborn, my lady Midori," he whispered to himself, "but I can be equally so. Perseverance is the key. Let the battle commence."
He arrived just as Midori and her two cousins were leaving the house, all carrying shovels or small pickaxes. "Good morning," Nico said, raising his eyebrows at this sight. "Where are you all off to?"
"Building earthworks," Daniel said. "Everyone has to help. You"re welcome to come along, Coz." He looked at Nico"s clothing and smiled. "Although you probably won"t want to get that fancy coat dirty."
Nico grinned back and pretended to cuff the youngster. "I might join you later. For now, I"ve got business with your father to attend to and trust me, my "fancy coat" is necessary for that. Where will you be?"
"Near Maudlin, at the moment."
Nico found them all there some time later, hard at work. He"d changed into scruffier clothes and was fully prepared to do a bit of digging, if that would help improve Midori"s image of him. Jacob had told him airily that "everyone was at it", but Nico was taken aback.
"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l," he muttered, looking around. "I didn"t realise the sheer scale of these earthworks." He was also surprised at the numbers of people helping out and how much they"d built already.
"Yes, impressive, isn"t it?" Daniel said, leaning on his shovel as he took a short break. "But necessary. The Cornishmen could be back any day now so we"re adding to what we built last year."
"It"s really as bad as that?" Nico was serious now and drew Daniel to one side. "I"d thought reports of this civil war exaggerated on the Continent."
"I"m afraid not." Daniel filled him in on what had been happening. "We heard there were reinforcements coming this way, but our Colonel, Ruthven, decided to march into Cornwall without waiting for them. It was a disaster and there"ve been wounded people streaming back these last few days. I"m sure the Royalists will soon come and besiege us again."
Nico digested this. It would seem he"d arrived just in time. He glanced at Midori, working diligently side by side with the others, and felt a protective instinct rise within him. I must get her out of here and fast. The others, too. Although judging by the determination with which Daniel attacked the earthworks, he guessed he might find it difficult to persuade them to come. Still, one thing at a time. First, he"d work on softening Midori towards him, then she could help him talk the others into leaving. He nodded at Daniel. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "Are there any spare shovels?"
It looked as though he was going to have to dig his way into Midori"s heart.
Chapter Twenty-Seven.
May 1643 It didn"t work.
After kicking his heels in Plymouth for several months, Nico had to concede that his charm offensive simply wasn"t working and he was getting tired of the cat-and-mouse game.
d.a.m.n, but she"s a stubborn woman!
Frustration was eating him up from inside. He was sure Midori was still attracted to him, even if she refused to admit it. Every so often he caught her glancing his way, but when he looked back, she"d turn away quickly. In his experience, that signified interest, but somehow he could never get her alone in order to advance any further. She"d become very adept at keeping her other cousins nearby and she ignored any direct requests for a private word with her or laughed them off as if he"d been joking. And a lot of the time she was nowhere to be found. Nico had no idea where she spent her days, but it certainly wasn"t with him.
"Where the h.e.l.l does she disappear off to?" he muttered.
And how was he supposed to show her he was truly sorry for deceiving her if she wouldn"t even talk to him? I have to find a way.
But she continued to evade him.
I might as well go and fight in this infernal war, for all the good it"s doing me to stay here. But Nico considered wars futile, this one especially, and had no interest in defending either party.
It didn"t take him and Jacob long to sell the goods he"d brought, and after that he found himself at a loose end. He"d joined the others in helping to build earthworks, but when that came to a temporary halt he was left with nothing to do again. There wasn"t even any fighting to join in, because although the town was briefly under siege during the month of February, that soon ended without any real skirmishes.
"Hah, the Royalists haven"t so much as ruffled our feathers," Jacob gloated. "Thought they"d cause us hardship, did they? Well, they"ll have to think again."
And it was true, because the Royalists couldn"t control the sea front. They tried their best to stop ships going in and out of Plymouth harbour, but their gun batteries along the sh.o.r.e never quite managed it. Out of sheer boredom, Nico went on a couple of short trading journeys on Jacob"s behalf. He"d sent the Dutch ship back to Amsterdam soon after his arrival, but Jacob had his own ships which he allowed Nico to captain. Trying to evade the Royalists added spice to an otherwise very dull existence, but come May, he"d had enough.
This isn"t why I came to Plymouth.
That morning he"d been helping Jacob fill in some ledgers. The old man"s eyesight wasn"t as good as it had once been, so he seemed grateful for some a.s.sistance. Thanks to the trading ventures, a tentative bond had begun to build between them, although they were both still slightly reserved in each other"s company. Neither spoke about the past any longer; it was a subject best forgotten.
"Daniel should be doing the ledgers, but he never seems to be here these days," Jacob grumbled. "Those infernal earthworks. You"d think there couldn"t be any more to dig by now."
There weren"t, as Nico well knew, but he didn"t tell Jacob that. If Daniel wanted his father to think he was out digging somewhere, he had to have a reason for it and Nico didn"t tell tales. Daniel was another elusive character, who was seldom to be found. Nico wasn"t sure what the youth was up to, but he suspected it had to do with the fighting and he didn"t want to make trouble for him. He"d seen the light in Daniel"s eyes when he spoke of defending the town and their rights, and it was obvious he was obsessed with joining the army. Young fool! Who in their right mind wants to fight a war?
"I believe the earthworks will become necessary soon again," Nico commented. "I heard only this morning that the truce is over." A temporary cessation of hostilities had been agreed between Devon and Cornwall during March, but it obviously hadn"t lasted and Nico thought it best to warn Jacob as it would affect trade again.
"Oh, wonderful, that"s all we need," Jacob muttered. "What else have you heard?" When Nico hesitated, his stepuncle fixed him with a glare. "Might as well tell me so I"m forewarned."
"The Earl of Stamford has apparently decided to lead an army into Cornwall," Nico told him reluctantly. He wondered if Daniel would run away to join up and if there was any way Jacob could stop him. Nico and the old man both knew someone as inexperienced as Daniel wouldn"t stand much chance in a real battle. He"d be slaughtered.
Jacob sighed and rubbed his face, as if he was tired of all his responsibilities. "It"s not easy being a father," he said with a sigh, then looked Nico in the eye. "I know I have no right to ask, but is there any chance you could have a word with Daniel, try to talk some sense into him? He might listen to you, I know he likes you. If we were really threatened, I realise he"d have to fight, but to go on a wild goose chase to Cornwall ..." His voice tailed off and he sounded so forlorn, Nico put out a hand to squeeze Jacob"s arm.
"I"ll try, but he"s young and hot-headed. He may not listen to me. I"ll catch him when he leaves the house tomorrow morning; see if I can get him to talk to me, at least."
Jacob nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate the attempt at any rate."
Daniel"s fighting skills had definitely improved and Midori was beginning to think she"d reached the point where she had nothing more to teach him. With the excuse of digging earthworks, they"d had more time of late to sneak off, but as she slipped out of the house the back way once again, she decided to tell Daniel to practise by himself from now on. Any day now, Uncle Marston would find out the earthworks were recently finished.
She joined Daniel at their usual meeting place, several streets away from the house, and they walked in silence towards the deserted part of the coast where they"d found a private spot in which to train.
"So what are we doing today?" Daniel asked, eager as always.
Midori worried that he hadn"t understood the seriousness of what he was learning. She felt like shouting at him that she was teaching him to kill other human beings and it wasn"t a game, but she knew that wouldn"t accomplish anything. She"d prepared him as best she could, the rest was up to fate.
Instead she replied, "Just practising the moves I showed you yesterday." She took a deep breath. "Really, I don"t think you need me any more. It"s just a question of increasing your stamina now and improving your reflexes. You had better do that on your own. I daren"t continue to leave the house so often."
They had reached the sh.o.r.e, and Daniel stopped and took her hands in his, looking at her earnestly. "You"re right and I can"t thank you enough for helping me. I feel so much less ... inadequate now. Really, I thank you."
Midori smiled at him and didn"t resist when he pulled her into an awkward embrace. She"d become very fond of him and was pleased he felt he could hug her like a sister at last. She was about to say he was welcome, when a cold voice cut in.
"Well, well, this is very touching. I"d never have guessed if I hadn"t seen it with my own eyes. No wonder you were both absent so much now I see why."
Midori couldn"t stop a gasp from escaping her lips, and she turned her head to stare at Nico, who came walking towards them. Belatedly, she let go of Daniel and stepped away from him.
Nico stopped in front of them, scowling mightily and with his eyes narrowed. "So how long has this been going on? And there"s Jacob thinking you"re both shovelling dirt. As for me, I don"t know how I could be so blind!"
"It"s not what you think," Daniel said. "That"s to say ..." He looked at Midori as if asking permission to tell Nico what they"d really been doing. She nodded, so he continued. "Midori"s been teaching me self-defence and fighting techniques. Look, we can show you."
But Nico wasn"t really listening, it seemed. His gaze was boring into Midori"s. "A likely excuse, I"m sure."
His sarcastic tone made her see red and for once she let her emotions get the upper hand. She put her hands on her hips and glared back at him. "Well, it"s more than you"re doing to protect your family," she accused. "I don"t see you doing anything to defend the town, apart from a little bit of digging. If we were all murdered in our beds, you"d just sail away, wouldn"t you?" She knew that was unfair, but she was so angry now she didn"t care.
"Is that what you believe?" Nico took a step closer, his eyes dark sapphire slivers that shot angry sparks in the sunlight. "You really think so little of me?"
"Like I said, I haven"t seen you taking up arms on behalf of your clan." Midori stood her ground. Daniel, wisely, kept silent.
"For the last time, Midori, we don"t have clans here, not the way you mean. I thought you understood that by now?"
"Uncle Marston and your stepmother ..."
"They"re sort of my kin, yes, and I was going to offer to take you all back to Amsterdam to keep you safe, but nothing else. This isn"t my fight. I don"t give a d.a.m.n whether King Charles or Parliament wins, so why should I go and kill people in the name of either of them? Why should you?"
"Because it"s the honourable thing to do. And you"d only be killing to defend your family." Midori clenched her fists by her side to keep from hitting him herself. Why couldn"t he understand? It was a simple enough code of conduct to live by.
"Oh, we"re back to that again, are we? You don"t think I have any honour because I withheld some information from you. For heaven"s sake, I thought I"d apologised enough for that!"
"It"s not an apology I want," Midori hissed. "I wanted you to show me what kind of man you are. Words are just that, words. And gifts and charm are all very well, but they don"t amount to much if there"s no sincerity behind them."
She saw a muscle jump in Nico"s jaw, as if he"d clenched his teeth really hard. "I see. All right, you want me to go and get myself killed, just to show you I"m honourable and sincere. Very well, have it your way. I"ll leave for Cornwall this afternoon. Not that it matters now, anyway. I wish you luck with your marriage." He turned to point at Daniel. "And don"t you dare follow me, because one pointless death in the family will be enough."
"What? I-"
"Nico, don"t be an idiot." Midori took a step forward and tried to grab his arm, but he wrenched it loose and started striding off. "I don"t want you to fight anyone just to prove a point," she shouted after him. "It doesn"t mean anything if it doesn"t come from the heart; if it"s not your own choice."
But he wasn"t listening, obviously, as he just continued on his way. Midori sank down on to the sand and covered her face with her hands. Hot tears p.r.i.c.ked her eyelids, but she refused to let them fall. Nico wasn"t worth it. Besides, he"d soon come to his senses when he calmed down. Wouldn"t he?