Drawing a deep breath, she slowly slid the letter behind the second sheet of vellum and stared at the sketch of Elizabeth 's brother-in-law. Elizabeth 's considerable talent with charcoals had only grown over the years, and the image all but leaped from the page.

It would be easy to pick this man out of a crowd. She perused his features and her stomach knotted. He reminded her of David in so many ways… his crooked smile, his laughing eyes, the boyish charm so evident in his expression. Except Lord Robert Jamison was even more handsome than David, something she would not have thought possible.

She recalled Lady Gaddlestone's words regarding Lord Robert. There was that trouble several years ago; some transgression or another. What had he done? The instant the question popped into her mind, she shoved it aside. It did not matter. His past was of no concern to her. Nor did it matter what he looked like. He sparked no interest in her other than the fact that she wanted him to get her away from the docks and the menace she'd felt, as quickly as possible. Still, guilt pricked her at the thought of his wasted trip to fetch her.

How would he react when she told him she had no intention of traveling to Bradford Hall with him?

Robert Jamison stood on the pier watching the Seaward Lady's crew secure the majestic vessel to the berth. He dragged a deep breath into his lungs, and a smile eased across his face. Damn but he loved the docks. Loved the sight of crewmembers working in perfect unison hoisting sails and securing ropes. Loved the cacophony from the vendors hawking everything from meat pies to bolts of colorful silk. He even loved the harsh medley of smells that combined with the pungent salty air to create a scent that could be found nowhere else in England.

He scanned the faces of the passengers waiting to disembark, but saw no one resembling the smiling young woman in the sketch Elizabeth had drawn. Of course it was impossible to distinguish faces at this distance. Like everyone else meeting passengers, he waited at a safe distance away from the swinging winches unloading the travelers' trunks and the ship's cargo.