The smell of spices filled my nostrils as we walked into the inventory space. The storage house looked bigger inside than out, and I was impressed.
Beyond impressed; it was remarkable. The space was organized and clean. Several men with paper and pens silently counted and cataloged the items coming in. The young lad we had run into earlier greeted her again, and the way he gazed at her was like she was an earthly goddess.
He led us to a middle-aged man issuing orders, and Ava waited for him to finish before she greeted, “Good morning, Mr. Torres.”
The stubby man turned around and beamed. “Ah, Ava! Good morning, my dear. I didn’t think you’d be here until later this afternoon,” he greeted. He looked behind her at George and me.
“This is Oliver”—she pointed at George—“and Luke,” she added, pointing at me. “My cousins are visiting for a few days.”
Mr. Torres held out a chubby hand for each of us to shake. “Good to meet you, gentlemen. Your cousin has made my life much easier since she has been home.” I nodded in acknowledgement, holding back a smile. Little did she know, Mr. Torres and I knew each other. I had placed him here to keep an eye on her.
“Uncle Evan has told us the same thing,” I agreed. “She has quite an eye for business.” Ava looked over her shoulder, tucking a piece of auburn hair behind her ear, and grinned.
“I bartered with the Captain to take back the sugar,” Ava advised, and Mr. Torres raised a brow.
“How?”
Ava sent him a grin. “A card game.”
“Don’t let your father know about that,” Mr. Torres cautioned. “He won’t like it.”
“Call it business dealings,” Ava proposed. “He wasn’t going to budge, so I had to play how he would solve things…in a non-violent way.”
Mr. Torres fiddled with his fingers and glanced up at me. I nodded my head with a smile.
“If you say so, my dear,” Mr. Torres said. He paused for a moment before continuing. “Prospective trade deals with Romenia. They want to start shipping their goods here.”
“No,” Ava snapped. “I won’t provide money or support a country that uses children as slaves.”
Mr. Torres smiled. “Didn’t think so, but thought you should know,” he added. “Two more ships are supposed to arrive tomorrow, Ava, but we don’t have room for them to dock.”
Ava furrowed her brow. “Aren’t one of these ships supposed to leave today?”
Torres shook his head. “The goods they are supposed to take back haven’t made it here yet. There was a storm in the south that put a delay on their arrival.”
Ava groaned, placing a petite hand on her forehead. “We need more docks,” she stated, rubbing her temples. “Do we have the funds available yet?”
“I would need to look at the numbers, but—”
“I’ll lend you the money,” I offered, the words leaving my mouth before I thought them through. All eyes shifted to me. “It would be an investment, of course.”
“Why?” Ava asked, her mossy green eyes studying me.
“Two percent interest; it would also increase the economy for Telliva and Aruna. We have a lot of trade going through here.”
“I couldn’t accept,” Ava uttered. “We might already have the funds to build.”
“Think about it, if you aren’t ready,” I told her. “Promise?” I held her gaze, a disarming smile curling my lips.
“I’ll think about it,” she agreed, looking away. Damn. She notched a little of my ego. She asked Mr. Torres to make sure no sugar was left behind and to look into their accounts about the docks before she bid her goodbyes, making her way toward the exit.
“Impressive,” George commented as we walked. “You spoke like you’ve been doing this your whole life.”
Ava turned to him, radiating appreciation and pride. “I feel like I’ve found my calling.”
“You could negotiate policies and laws,” George put in with a grin.
Ava wrinkled her cute pointed nose. “I couldn’t speak to proper society and Lords; they’re too stuck-up.”
“Understatement,” I murmured.
“I’m sure Ava could put them in their place. Shake the system up a little bit,” George told me, mischief glinting in his blue eyes. Ava chuckled, and I couldn’t help but smile.
We made our way back to the horses, the sun beating down on our backs. The loyal Frankie untied Ava’s horse and handed over the reins, blushing as she brushed his arm. She spoke to him for a few moments, then waved goodbye before we took off.
The spring breeze picked up and she seemed to be more suited to herself. Old Ava was kind and young, but the new Ava, the current one, was confident and dauntless. She reminded me of a little warrior, in her own way, fighting to be successful and make a good life for herself. After all she had been through, it impressed me. Most females would stay locked up in their houses, afraid to venture out after such distress.
A small luncheon waited for us when we got back. George and Ava argued over her options of returning to the castle through the whole meal. He would say it was for her protection, she would counter back about her father and being uprooted again. I watched her tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, reminding me that she did it often while playing cards—in my shirt. Sometimes that shirt would expose one of her shoulders; I closed my eyes briefly to snap myself out of it.
“I hope you both enjoyed yourselves today. I must get ready. Eve will be here soon,” Ava announced.
“For what?” George asked.
“I have an anniversary party to go to.”
“That sounds fun,” George stated, throwing his napkin down.
Ava looked at him, furrowing her brows. “You aren’t going.”
George looked at her innocently. “Of course we are. You wouldn’t keep your cousins here by themselves all night, would you?”
Ava let out a heavy sigh and glanced at me. “Can you dance?”
I nodded. “I can.”
“Good. Because you’ll be surrounded by dallying females, who’ll love nothing more than to line up and dance with the both of you.” She winked at me and threw her napkin at the back of George’s head. “Be ready by eight.”
“Should be fun,” George said, after Ava left the room. “More casual than what we’re used to.”
“More sheltered females,” I added.
“I’ve been able to dodge a few women in my time.”
“Several at one time?” I asked with a raised brow.
“How hard could it be?”
I laughed. “I’m going to love seeing this. By the end of the night, you’ll be running out of there, pulling your hair out.”
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
“Why didn’t you tell me that his attractive older brother came?” Eve chastised me in my room. “Are you trying to keep him to yourself for a particular reason?”
“I haven’t had a moment to myself. George has been following me like a lost puppy,” I retorted. George had always been in my space; that’s why he’d gotten a black eye when we were nine…and eleven.
Eve raised her eyebrows in amusement. “Nothing wrong with that.” I shook my head; she was impossible. Eve studied herself in my floor-length mirror, pressing her red dress against her body. “Do you think this shade goes well with my skin tone? I wish I had bought more than one dress.”
“You’ve asked me that question over a dozen times,” I replied with a chuckle. “Thankfully, Mr. Ryan had dresses already made, or you’d be wearing something in your closet tonight.”
Eve viewed herself at different angles in the mirror before sighing. “You didn’t tell me how handsome he was,” Eve pressed. “You kept that small detail to yourself when he was with you for a week.”
“Six days,” I corrected. Six short days.
Eve stepped into her silk dress, pulling it over her slim hips. “Ah, six days. Did anything else happen in those six days that you forgot to tell me?”
“I was engaged to his brother,” I choked out, forcing a laugh.
“Fake engaged,” she retorted, pulling her arms through the sheer long sleeves of her dress. “And I’m definitely not joking. One look from that man would make a girl go weak at the knees.”