Free Ransome's Crossing by Kaye Dacus Page A

body. “Nay. I am not sorry that the mistake made a dozen years ago was finally put right.”
    He squeezed her tighter until she let out a yelping laugh, and then he released his hold so he could look into the green eyes that had hauntedhim since he was fifteen. “I cannot make up for the years we lost, but I promise I will do my utmost to make what years we have the happiest you have known.” He kissed her again to seal the vow.
    After the several long moments it took for Julia’s eyes to focus on him again, she released another deep sigh. “We should return.”
    “Aye, we should.” But he made no move to release her or leave the privacy of the sitting room.
    “Susan and Collin will wonder where we are. Your mother, as well.”
    “Aye, they will.” He ran his finger from her temple down the side of her face and along her jaw to her stubbornly pointed chin.
    “Charlotte might need watching after.”
    “Aye, she might.” However, William rested in the knowledge that his mother, Collin, and Susan would all look after Charlotte—and he could depend on Ned Cochrane to protect her from the puppies and macaronis who filled the ballroom if need be.
    “Lady Dalrymple might be offended if we were to leave so early.” Julia’s eyes grew increasingly hazy.
    “Nay. Lady Dalrymple would understand.”
    Julia stared up at him for a long while. William leaned forward, ready to kiss her again.
    “Do you think Sir Drake’s betrothed will pay the mortgage on Marchwood to stave off the foreclosure proceedings you’ve begun?”
    Now it was William’s turn to sigh. Instead of kissing her, he dropped his head to press his forehead to hers. “I am leaving that in the very capable hands of Collin and his solicitor.” He straightened, disentangled himself from Julia’s arms, and began snuffing the candles he’d lit. “As the son of an earl, Collin knows so much more about estates and mortgages than I ever will. And with the preparations to sail in less than a week, I do not have time for it.”
    Julia looked offended. “You should have let me know. I am well versed in financial matters such as these.”
    He rested his hands on her shoulders, which had tensed again. “I know. But this is a legal entanglement that will continue long afterwe have departed these shores. And Collin needed employment to keep his mind occupied now that he is no longer an officer in His Majesty’s Royal Navy.”
    The indignation left Julia’s expression. “I had not thought of that. Yes, it is good for Collin to have something to occupy his time.”
    William opened the door and ushered his wife through.
    “What do you think Collin will do now that he has left the navy?” She waited for him in the hallway and slipped her hand under his elbow when he joined her.
    “Collin Yates will do what earls’ sons do best—become a gentleman of society and give dinners and balls and purchase a country estate, where he and Susan will give dinners and balls and raise their children.”
    “You need not sound so appalled at the idea of a country estate, dear husband. Do not forget that you are now heir to one of the largest sugar plantations in the Caribbean. Does not that make you a gentleman of society and property?”
    Heir to Sir Edward’s sugar plantation. William had not thought through the ramifications of that aspect of being married to Julia. His son, if he and Julia were blessed with a son, would be the first generation of Ransomes born with the expectation of an inheritance other than life consigned to the sea.
    “Our sons will go to sea when they are old enough. I do not want them raised like overprivileged popinjays.”
    Julia stopped; William nearly lost his balance on the step below. The single candle he carried did not give much light, but enough to define Julia’s frown. “Our sons?”
    “If we have sons.”
    “But to go to sea…all the dangers that could befall them there… my brother…”
    “Yes, there are dangers. Even the