Noble Intentions

15. Of Dressing Down

The angry man and his companion spun about and looked at the other two passengers sitting beneath the palms. "Which is he?"

I chuckled to myself. "May I have your name, so I can introduce you?"

"The Honourable Cedric Stawell, heir to the Stawell Barony."

Oh, good Lord. One of those. "And I am Captain Jarvis Overton, owner of the British North America Company, and among my ships is my current command, Atlantica. I have been informed that you and your cohort have been harassing these two ladies, and they sought my protection."

The man sputtered and shook his head. "Harassing? You have been misinformed."

"No, he has most certainly not been." Gillian grinned at him. "It is I who informed him of your overbearing attitude and increasingly lewd comments."

The man turned to his companion, "Assist me, Graham." Receiving no reply but a shrug, he looked again at Gillian. "No telling what is coquettish, what is flibbertigibbet and what is rejection. We saw you as leading us –"

Judith interrupted, "No, not leading you on. In polite society, with others about, it is improper to offer the blatant rejection your behaviour deserves. We were mistaken in our thinking that you are sufficiently intelligent and perceptive to understand our wishes."

"How dare you insult me!"

"Easily. It is well deserved." She nodded toward the others in the distance. "And with none nearby to overhear, this is a fitting time and place for it. Would that we had such an opportunity much earlier."

Delighting in Judith's incisive words from an obviously sharp mind, I stifled my laugh but not my smile. "It appears, my fair ladies, that Mister Stawell ignored your refusals and –"

"You shall refer to me as The Honourable."

"When your deportment shows it, Mister Stawell. Honour is earned, not granted."

"You insult me, sir."

"You insulted the ladies. But now that we are aware of their lack of interest in you, this matter is resolved."

He sputtered. "Resolved? With your attention to them, I continue to be concerned."

"You need not be. Among my duties as captain is to ensure all passengers are safe from the predations of the licentious." I pointed along the strand. "Now, if you will, I have other matters to attend."

I extended my left elbow to Gillian, and she placed her hand on my forearm, smiling as I led her away from the two louts, Jenson and Judith following. When we were beyond their hearing, Gillian looked up at me and giggled. "Brilliant and well deserved. But will this spur him to more?"

"We now know about him, and he knows this. To attempt further, he would need to be much more daft than I take him to be."

As we approached the group, I realised many were missing, and I asked Burton, "Where are the others?"

He pointed toward the sea. "Searching for lobsters, sir. Those who can swim underwater."

I followed his point to see several men buff naked. "Oh! We shall take the ladies around the point, so they are not embarrassed. And to allow them their privacy, please ensure none venture there."

"Aye, sir. None beyond the point."

I nodded over my shoulder. "And particularly those two. They have been offensive toward the women."

"Aye, sir. I saw some of it." He pointed to a burly man sitting against a palm. "Jake can help me if it comes to that."

"Excellent!"