Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles) (10 page)

It was more lovely than Smokey could have imagined The

huge windows to the east that Smokey had seen outside gave a

view of the sea to rival that on her ship. The round rooms at the

corners of the house were the most lovely sitting rooms

Smokey had ever seen.

"It's a wonderful home," Smokey said with a touch of awe

in her voice.

"Yes, it holds many happy memories, but I'm not sure I

want to keep it."

"You would actually sell?"

"I might."

Smokey took a breath in an attempt to calm the frantic

beating of her heart. "Wouldit be presumptuous to ask if you'd

contact me if you're ever really serious about selling?"

"Not at all. I would want the house to go to someone who

would cherish it as I do."

"Thank you. Jennifer Pemberton knows how to reach me,

if ever you should try."

Smokey thanked her hostess, and Greer showed her out.

The wind had picked up, so Smokey tugged her hood into

place and continued on her walk. She hadn't gone ten yards,

head down against the wind, when she walked straight into

Dallas.

"I'm sorry," his deep voice sounded above her, and Smokey

looked up for just an instant.

"It's my fault," she spoke quickly, but in that instant Dallas

realized who she was.

"Smokey?" His voice sounded so pleased that Smokey

looked up in confusion, knowing he had no idea what having

his hands on her upper arms was doing to her heart.

"Hello, Dallas," Smokey said inanely.

"I was hoping I'd see you again."

"You were?" Smokey knew she sounded like an idiot, but

her heart had done a flip-flop on those words and she felt

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mesmerized by the sight of his beautiful blue eyes smiling

down at her.

"Yes, are you free for lunch?"

Smokey had little experience with men, but something in

his eyes and voice made her come back to earth with a thud

He was interested in her, but not romantically.

"I'm not free for lunch." Smokey kept her voice as level as

possible. "I'm meeting Buck at the hotel, and I really must be

on my way."

Dallas opened his mouth to say something, but changed

his mind Knowing Buck was not interested in Smokey beyond

being a friend, he'd been about to invite himself to lunch. But

something in Smokey's huge gray eyes stopped him.

"How long will you be in Kennebunkport?"

"Not long," she said evasively.

"Are you leaving today?" Dallas was not to be put off.

"No."

"Well, I hope I'll see you before you go."

Smokey nodded and moved on without speaking. Dallas

stood still and watched her go. He realized that he didn't just hope to see her before she left, he was banking on it. He hadn't

had time to see Jenny that morning, but he would be at her

house tonight for supper. If that didn't work, he'd camp on her

doorstep in order to put his mind to rest about the true

identity of Smoke.

The dining room of the hotel was warm and comfortably

furnished. It was run by one of Kennebunkport's oldest families,

and they prided themselves on good food and service.

Smokey was hungry and very pleased that she was eating just

five^minutes after they had been shown to a table.

"How is your meal?"

"It's wonderful, Buck. Thank you."

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"You seemed upset when you first came in, Smokey. Did

something happen?"

Smokey took another bite of food and didn't immediately

answer. "I saw your brother on my way here," she finally

admitted "I got the impression he wanted to talk with me,

and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with what he might have in

mind."

"It'll be easier for you when the whole family knows what

you do for a living, won't it?" Buck said the words gently, but

Smokey was still shocked With a precise movement she laid

her fork aside and stared across the table.

"How did you know, Buck?" Smokey asked, not wanting to

believe that Tate or Jenny would have told

"I'm a very observant man," Buck replied, carefully picking

up her hand "The look of your hands doesn't give you

away, but the touch does. I noticed it the night we met. Your

hands have worked hard for you for years. Your clothes are

the next thing I observed. They're not frilly, but the cloth is of

the finest quality.

"Added to these deductions is my insatiable reading

habit. I receive newspapers from all over the world I believe it

was just a few months ago that rumors began to circulate

through England and all of Europe that Smoke was a woman."

When Buck fell silent, Smokey nodded ruefully.

"I didn't know how to tell anyone. It was never my intent to

be deceitful. I had business with Pemberton Shipping just two

weeks ago, so Tate and Jenny just found out; they were wonderful

about the whole thing. And now Dallas wants to talk

with me, and I don't know what he might be thinking."

"And you do care about his opinion, don't you?"

"I would love to tell you that I don't, but I just can't lie

about it. I don't even know him really, but he's--" Smokey

couldn't find the words.

"It's painful for you, and I shouldn't have pressed you."

"It's all right." Smokey hesitated and then went on. "I

understand you have some pain of your own."

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Buck's brow was knit with confusion, so Smokey continued

softly.

"I met Greer Rittenhouse on my walk this morning. We

talked, and she showed me her home. Your name came up, and

she said you were just friends."

"It's the way she wants it," Buck admitted, pain now

furrowing his brow.

"She talked to me about her house, said she was thinking

of selling."

This was obviously new to Buck, so Smokey went on carefully.

"She gave me a tour of the interior, and I fell quite in love

with the place and its view. I asked her to let me know should

she ever decide to sell."

"You and Dallas," Buck's smile was wry. "He's loved that

house for years."

Smokey, not knowing how to answer, followed Buck's

example and continued to eat. Buck didn't say anything for

some minutes, and Smokey's mind began to wander. In a

perfect daydream, she saw the widow Rittenhouse happily

married to Buck, both of them settled comfortably in his

home. To make the dream complete, she and Dallas were

settled as husband and wife in the Rittenhouse mansion, with

its lovely view of the sea.

all dallas' doubts had been put to rest by the end of

dinner at the Pembertons' that very evening. There was no

conceivable way that this woman, who was so shy she could

barely look at him, could be the renowned Smoke.

She hadn't spilled her water this time, but her knife clattered

loudly against the edge of her plate whenever she set it

down, and her hands shook slightly for most of the meal. Since

she never once contributed to the conversation, Dallas was

honestly beginning to wonder if there was something seriously

wrong with her.

After they had retired to the parlor for tea, the horrible

thought that she might have a drinking problem struck him so

strongly that he retreated into a stunned silence for long

moments.

Of course, he thought to himself. That might explain why

Jenny is so interested in her, but is that safe? Does Tate realize

this?

"Are you still with us, Dolly?" Buck wanted to know when

Tate addressed a question to him and he didn't answer.

"I'm sorry," he said smoothly, pulling himself together

mentally. "What were you saying, Tate?"

"I just asked how this voyage went. I think you mentioned

seeing Lord Hawkesbury?"

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"Yes. I even spent some time with him and his wife. It was a

good trip overall, especially since I had some time with Hawk.

Something funny happened when I was in London, however."

"Tell us about it," Jenny urged when Dallas paused To

everyone's surprise he turned to Smokey.

"Do you have a brother, Smokey?"

"No." Smokey answered after a surprised moment, knowing

she sounded as breathless as she felt.

Dallas chuckled and shook his head. "I thought you might

because I saw a sailor on the dock in London who looked very

much like you. I mean, he had a knit cap on his head and baggy

clothes, but it was his face I really noticed He really looked

enough like you to be your twin brother."

The room had grown so silent after this little story that

Dallas' doubts returned in a flood. When he spoke again,

there was no laughter in his voice. After sweeping the room,

his eyes pinned Smokey to her chair.

"While Hawk and I were visiting, he mentioned the latest

rumor to me. He said Smoke is a woman. Can you imagine?

You might find it amusing," Dallas went on, even though he

obviously didn't think it funny at all, "but when I saw that

sailor who looked like you, and remembered your name was

Smokey, my mind ran in some pretty ridiculous directions.

I've actually been thinking ihatyou might be Smoke." The soft

emphasis he put on the word "you" caused shivers to run up

Smokey's spine, but she forced herself to reply.

"I wear baggy clothes when I'm working," she softly stuttered.

"And a knit cap over my hair.' Smokey barely got the

words out, thinking she might be sick:

"Dallas must have seen you just before you headed here

with that shipment for me," Tate put in carefully, not at all

pleased with the way his brother-in-law had handled this.

Tate's words caused Dallas to look slowly around the

room. They all knew! Buck, Tate, and Jenny all knew she was

Smoke. For some odd reason, he felt betrayed. He was also

furious with himself for not taking the time to see Jenny that

morning to gain some answers.

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Though Dallas was unaware of just how angry he appeared

at the moment, Smokey caught it all and blamed herself. She

stood awkwardly, once again stuttering when she spoke.

"I'm going to turn in now. I have a big day tomorrow.

Thank you for a lovely supper." Before anyone could gainsay

her, she made her way from the room on legs that could barely

support her. She was just out of earshot when Jenny let Dallas

have the full blast of her fury.

"How dare you!" she spat at him in rage, coming to her feet

in one magnificent move. "How dare you treat a guest that

way in my home. You embarrassed the life out of her! You

could have come to me, but no, you waited until you had an

audience and then humiliated the life out of my friend"

Jenny would have gone on, but she was turned suddenly

with Tate's hands on her arms. His voice was strict, but his

touch was tender. "Calm down, Jennifer. I'll talk with Dallas. I

don't want you this upset right now."

"He had no right--"

"I know," he gently cut her off. "But if you don't calm down,

111 call the doctor." He pulled her into his arms then and held

her until she relaxed against him. He gave her a loving hug and

kiss, and then held her in front of him, his eyes locked with

hers.

"Go upstairs and check on Smokey. I'll be up in a moment."

He released her when she gave a small nod and saw her to the

door. Dallas spoke as soon as the door was shut.

"I'm sorry, Tate. I didn't mean to upset anyone."

"I realize that, but Jen is very protective of Smokey, and

you did handle that poorly."

"Poorly?" Buck put in, censure filling his voice. "You were

livid, and I can't understand why."

Dallas shook his head in disbelief. "I feel like such a fool.

Do you really mean to tell me she's Smoke?"

"One and the same," Tate told him. "I know it's hard to

believe, but Smokey's not at her best in social settings. I assure

you, she's quite different when dealing with business matters."

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"I'll apologize to her," Dallas said immediately. "Tonight,

if you'd like." Dallas stood, willing to seek her out on the spot.

"No, I think tomorrow will be soon enough. Jen's with her

now, and I suspect we all should sleep on it." late rose to leave,

but Buck stopped him,

"There's more, isn't there, Tate? You looked almost frightened

when Jen was upset. Can you tell us why?"

Tate hesitated for only an instant, hating to tell their

wonderful news on such a sober note. "She's expecting, and

although I've no reason to think she'll have problems, I'm not

going to court disaster."

"When?" was all Dallas could say.