‘I say, when did you become so passé?’
‘Around the same time I learned that actions have consequences. I won’t help you to ruin the girl.’
‘I’ve no intention of ruining anyone. All I’m doing is enjoying the view, so to speak. A man has to pass the time somehow in Bath.’ Ralph leered. ‘Now you distract the termagant so that I can have a few minutes alone with my nymph.’
‘And how do you propose that I distract her? Especially if she’s as fearsome as you say?’
‘Flirt with her! You used to be quite good at that as I recall, even if all you talk about these days is boats. You know, if I’d spent most of the past decade at sea, I’d want to do a lot more than flirt when I came back on shore. Isn’t there any woman in Bath who interests you?’
Samuel threw a quick glance back through the shop window. Yes, there was definitely one and the thought of distracting her was distinctly, apparently irresistibly, enticing.
‘Just think of it as another battle. Imagine that she’s...’ Ralph paused thoughtfully ‘...what was the name of that French Admiral you trounced again?’
‘Villeneuve.’
‘Right. Imagine that she’s Villeneuve and you need to keep her occupied while I break through her line like Nelson. It’ll be just like Trafalgar all over again.’
Samuel felt a muscle twitch in his jaw. Comparisons to his former commanding officer aside, he had the distinct suspicion that Nelson wouldn’t have approved of what they were about to do, either. On the other hand, what harm was there in enjoying the view? Just to pass the time for a few minutes?
‘All right.’ He flexed his shoulders, ignoring a prickle of conscience as he prepared for action instead. ‘For King and Country...’
‘He’s here again.’ Anna Fortini waited until the shop door had closed behind the last customer before narrowing her eyes at the window and scowling.
‘I know.’ Her assistant Henrietta raised a hand to her head, patting non-existent stray hairs back into place and batting her eyelashes coquettishly. ‘This is the third time this week.’
‘Maybe we can persuade him to actually buy something this time,’ Anna muttered, pushing her own very real stray hairs out of her face and wondering if she had time to carry a bucket of cold water up to the first-floor window and deposit it over the admirers below. Alas, she suspected not. In fact, she was quite certain the front door would open again the very moment she left the room and she had absolutely no intention of leaving Henrietta on her own. Tempted as she was to believe that her shop’s recent popularity with the young male population of Bath was entirely due to her baking, she was well aware that it had far more to do with her new and attractive assistant. Barely a day went by when she didn’t have to chase some lovesick swain or other off the premises, but this particular suitor was proving more persistent than the others. He was becoming an irritation.
‘There’s another gentleman with him this time,’ Henrietta murmured, coming to stand close beside her.
‘So I noticed. Another of your admirers, no doubt.’
‘Actually, he’s looking at you. Quite intently, too.’ Henrietta giggled. ‘He’s very handsome. I wonder who he is.’
‘If he’s anything like his companion, then I don’t care. They look like gentlemen.’
‘You always say that like it’s a bad thing. What do you have against gentlemen anyway?’
‘Plenty! And no giving biscuits away this time. Those samples are for customers, not—stop it!’ Anna looked around sharply, making a grab for her assistant’s arm as she started to wave. ‘You shouldn’t encourage them.’
‘Why not? It’s just a bit of fun. There’s no harm in that, is there?’
‘It depends on what kind of fun you both have in mind. I very much doubt it’s the same thing. Honestly, didn’t you learn anything from your last employment?’
The hurt expression on the girl’s face made Anna regret the words instantly. Henrietta had lost her position in a dressmaker’s shop after her employer’s son had formed a passionate, but unrequited, attachment towards her. She hadn’t done anything to encourage him, Henrietta had assured Anna when she’d first applied for the position as her assistant, only she was afraid that she might have acted naively by not immediately rebuffing his attentions, but then she hadn’t wanted to be rude, either... The inevitable result was that she’d been dismissed without references.
‘I’m sorry.’ Anna winced. ‘I didn’t mean it like that.’
‘I know.’ One of Henrietta’s most endearing qualities was her ability to forgive and forget. ‘And I’m sorry for waving, but I was only being friendly. You don’t think I’d be silly enough to fall for a gentleman, do you?’
Anna dropped her gaze to the biscuit samples set out on a plate in front of her. Yes, she thought silently. Yes, she did think that Henrietta was capable of having her head turned by an aristocratic appearance and a few charming compliments, but she didn’t want to say the words out loud. Over the past couple of months she’d become genuinely fond of the girl. She was certainly a far livelier companion than Mrs Padgett, her dour and disapproving predecessor. No one had ever come into the shop to see her. All in all, Henrietta’s hard-working and sunny disposition would have made her the perfect employee if it hadn’t been for her propensity to be friendly with every man who as much as glanced in her direction—and men were always glancing in her direction. To be fair, it would have been hard for someone so pretty not to attract male attention—Anna only hoped it wouldn’t lead her into doing something foolish one day.
‘Just remember that no matter how honourable they might seem, gentlemen like that don’t regard women like us as ladies.’ She threw another venomous glare in the direction of the window. ‘They won’t treat us like ones, either.’
‘How can you be so cynical?’ Henrietta made a tsking sound. ‘Sometimes a gentleman really is a gentleman.’
‘But most of the time he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.’
‘Good gracious, anyone would think...’
Henrietta bit her lip, leaving whatever anyone would think unspoken as the bell above the shop door jingled again and the two men entered finally.
‘Perhaps you could finish the window display, Henrietta?’ Anna gave her assistant a none-too-subtle nudge in the ribs. ‘While I deal with these customers.’ Then she lifted her chin, bracing both of her hands on the countertop before putting on her brightest, most insincere smile. ‘How may I help you, gentlemen?’
‘Good afternoon.’ The first man, the irritant, faltered mid-step, a lock of blond hair flopping across his face as his gaze followed Henrietta. ‘My friend and I were just strolling past when we had a sudden craving for chocolate.’
‘Oh, what a shame.’ Anna heaved an exaggerated sigh. ‘Unfortunately we don’t work with chocolate,
