Stormy Persuasion Read Online Free PDF Page A

catching her anger for it.”
    “Then it’s just as well you’ll be sailing with us and your wife will be staying home.
     She will have more’n enough time to calm down before we return.”
    Both men knew that Roslynn wouldn’t sail with them because of her seasickness. She
     and Anthony’s younger daughter, Jaime, suffered from the same malady, so even if Roslynn
     was willing to endure the discomfort for Judy’s sake, she wouldn’t subject Jaime to
     it again. Nor would she leave Jaime at home alone for the two months they expected
     to be gone.
    But James noted that his remark didn’t seem to ease his brother’s concern. “Come on,
     old man, don’t tell me London’s most notorious rake can’t redirect a lady’s anger
     into passion of another sort,” James said as he leaned forward to take his brother’s
     proffered hand.
    Anthony abruptly withdrew it. “It’s against my code of honor to hit a man when he’s
     down, but I could make an exception just for you.”
    James chuckled as he rose to his feet. “I’ll pass on that favor. Don’t want Judy to
     think her message didn’t get to you in good time.”
    •     •     •
    In the middle of the Atlantic, The Nereus was making good headway toward Bridgeport, Connecticut. While the Andersons’ family
     business, Skylark Shipping, had many ships in its fleet, each sibling also had one
     of his or her own, and The Nereus was owned and captained by Warren, the second-oldest Anderson brother and Amy Malory’s
     adoring husband. The couple spent half of the year at sea, along with their children,
     Eric, and the twins, Glorianna and Stuart, and of course the children’s tutors. The
     other half of the year they spent in their house in London so their children could
     get to know their large family.
    Amy was basking in the spring sun on deck, despite the wind’s being nippy. As the
     only woman in the Anderson family who had experienced a successful social Season in
     London, she’d been asked by the Anderson brothers to plan the social events for Jacqueline’s
     two-week visit to Bridgeport. Of course, Drew Anderson’s wife, Gabby, had had a London
     social debut, but it had been cut short and turned into a scandalous disaster by Drew,
     so she couldn’t offer much advice about come-out parties. Amy wasn’t simply relying
     on her own experience. She had conferred with her cousin Regina, the Malory family’s
     expert in social events.
    Amy had to get the Anderson family home ready for these events. She had to plan the
     menus and send out the invitations. Warren would help her with the invitations since
     he knew whom to include. Although Amy had been to Bridgeport with him dozens of times
     over the years and had met many of the Andersons’ friends and acquaintances, she couldn’t
     be expected to remember them all. Yet everything had to be perfect before Jacqueline
     and her parents arrived.
    Her own children were more excited about this trip than she was, since they were going
     to get to attend each event. In England they’d have to wait until they were eighteen
     to be included among the adults, but in America rules like that didn’t apply. Amy
     was too frazzled to be excited. So many things to do, so many lists to make.
    With so much on her mind, she almost didn’t notice the feeling that started to intrude,
     and then she did, doubling over from it, as if she’d received a blow to her stomach.
     Warren, approaching her from behind, noticed and was instantly alarmed.
    He put his hands gently on her back. “What sort of pain is it, sweetheart?”
    “No pain.”
    “Then . . . ?”
    “Something—bad—is going to happen.”
    Warren immediately looked up at the sky for an approaching storm that might cripple
     them, but not a dark cloud was in sight. “When?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “What?”
    “I don’t know!”
    He sighed. “If you’re going to have these feelings, I really wish you could interpret
     them