The two men nodded in unison. Sara took Jimbo's arm. "You may escort me, sir, and you as well, Matthew," she added when he offered his arm to her. "I'm most anxious to meet Nathan's friend. He must be quite a man to put up with my husband. Shall we go?"
Nathan had only enough time to get out of the trio's way as they continued down the walk. He trailed behind, frowning over the high-handed way his wife had taken charge.
"And by the way," he heard Sara say, "whatever you do, please don't mention Colin's limp to him. He's very sensitive about that topic, I can assure you."
"I thought you hadn't met him yet," Jimbo said.
"I haven't," Sara replied. "But Nathan has advised me. My husband is proving to be very tenderhearted when it comes to his friend's feelings. Now if I could only get him to show me like consideration, well, I assure you, I would be most grateful."
"Quit trying to provoke me," Nathan said from behind. He shoved Jimbo out of his way, grabbed hold of his wife's hand, and dragged her forward.
She was highly insulted by that command. She wasn't the ill-natured partner in the marriage. Since she was so sweetnatured, she decided not to take issue with Nathan. She'd wait until later to set him straight.
Besides, she was eager to meet his friend.
Colin was sitting behind his desk, sorting through a mound of papers. As soon as Sara and Nathan walked inside he stood up.
Nathan's friend was an extremely good-looking man, and it didn't take Sara long to realize his character was just as charming. He had a nice, genuine smile. There was a devilish sparkle in his hazel-colored eyes. He was handsome, though certainly not as handsome as Nathan. Colin didn't have the height, either, or the muscle. Sara did have to look up at him, of course, but she didn't get a crick in her neck as she always did when Nathan was standing close to her and nagging her to look him in the eye.
She guessed it was rude of her to stare at the man and immediately made a formal curtsy.
"At last I'm allowed to meet the bride," Colin said. "You're even more beautiful close up, Lady Sara, than from the distance at which I last saw you."
After giving her that compliment Colin walked over to stand directly in front of her. In a gallant action he formally bowed to her, then lifted her hand and kissed it.
She was quite impressed with his manners.
Nathan wasn't. "For God's sake, Colin, you don't have to put on a show. You won't impress her."
"Yes, he will," Sara announced.
"He's impressing me, too," Jimbo announced with a deep chuckle. "I've never seen the Dolphin act so fancy." He nudged Matthew in the ribs. "Have you?"
"Can't say that I have," Matthew replied.
Colin didn't let go of Sara's hand. She didn't mind. Nathan obviously did. "Unhand her, Colin," he muttered.
"Not until you've made a proper introduction," Colin announced. He winked at Sara and almost laughed when she blushed in reaction.
Not only was Nathan's wife exquisitely beautiful, she was also charming, Colin thought to himself. Had Nathan realized his good fortune yet?
Colin turned to his friend to ask just that question, then decided to find out for himself. "Well?" he said.
Nathan let out a long sigh. He leaned against the window ledge, folded his arms in front of him, and then said, "Wife, meet Colin. Colin, meet my wife. Now let go of her, Colin, before I smash your face in."
Sara was appalled by the threat. Colin laughed. "I wonder why you don't like me holding your wife," he drawled.
He hadn't let go of Sara's hand but kept his gaze fully directed on his friend. Nathan, he decided, looked extremely uncomfortable.
Sara's comment turned his attention back to her. "Nathan doesn't like anything, sir," she announced with a smile.
"Does he like you?"
She nodded before Nathan could order Colin to quit his teasing. "Oh, yes, he likes me very much," she said matter-of-factly. She tried to extricate her hand from his grasp, but Colin held tight. "Sir, are you deliberately trying to provoke Nathan's temper?"
He slowly nodded. "Then I believe we have something in common," Sara said. "I always provoke his temper."
Colin threw back his head and laughed. Sara hadn't thought her remark was that amusing, and she wondered if he wasn't laughing about something else altogether.
He finally let go of her hand. She immediately clasped her hands behind her back to keep them safe from his grasp.
Nathan noticed that action and found his first smile. Then Colin soured it. "You didn't need a reprieve after all," he told Nathan. "Sooner would have been better than later."
"Leave it alone," Nathan ordered. He knew Colin was referring to his past remark that he wanted to leave the chore of collecting his bride until the last possible minute.
"Sir, have we met before?" Sara asked. "You did mention that from a distance…"
When he shook his head at her she stopped her question. "I happened to see you one afternoon, but alas, I wasn't given the opportunity to make my presence known to you. I was on a mission, you see, to determine if a certain possession would fit through a window."
"I'm not amused, Colin," Nathan muttered.
Colin's grin indicated he was vastly amused. He decided that he'd prodded his friend enough for the moment. "Let me move those papers from the chair, Lady Sara, and you can sit down and tell me all about your voyage."
"It isn't a happy story, Dolphin," Jimbo interjected. Since there weren't any other chairs available, he leaned against the wall. His gaze was directed on Sara. "We met with one sorry disaster after another, didn't we?"
Sara gave him a dainty shrug. "I thought it was a lovely voyage," she announced. "Very uneventful, as a matter of fact. Jimbo," she added, "it's impolite to snort when you don't agree with someone."
"Uneventful, Sara?" Matthew asked. He grinned at Colin. "The enemy stalked us at every turn."
"What enemy stalked us?" Sara asked. "Oh, you must mean those horrid pirates."
"They were only a small part of the mischief," Matthew remarked.
Sara turned back to Colin. "Pirates attacked the ship, but we chased them away quick enough. As for the rest of the voyage, I declare it was quite peaceful. Don't you agree, Nathan?"
"No."
She frowned at him to let him know his rude denial wasn't appreciated.
"You're forgetting the parasols," he reminded her.
Colin thought he'd lost track of the conversation. "What are you talking about?"
"Sara's parasols turned out to be our greatest enemies," Matthew explained. "There were three of them… or was it four? I can't remember. I tend to block unpleasant memories. I get the shivers."
"Will someone explain?" Colin demanded.
"It isn't significant," Sara blurted out. She wasn't about to let her men drag out her venial sins like soiled linen to be scrubbed clean in front of company. "Matthew's just jesting with you. Isn't he, Nathan?"
The worry in her gaze wasn't lost on her husband. "Yes," he agreed with a sigh. "He was just jesting."
Colin let the topic drop when he noticed how relieved Sara looked. He decided to wait until he and Nathan were alone to find out the story behind the parasols.
He lifted the stack of papers from the chair and hurried over to the far side of the office. After placing the stack on top of the cabinet he went back to his chair, sat down, and propped his feet up on the edge of the desk.
Sara watched him closely and couldn't help but notice that he hadn't limped at all. "Nathan, Colin doesn't have a-"
"Sara!"
"Please don't raise your voice to me in front of your associate," she ordered.
"What don't I have?" Colin asked.
Sara sat down, adjusted the folds in her gown, and then smiled at Colin. She could feel Nathan's frown. "A surly nature," she announced. "I can't imagine why you and Nathan are such good friends. You seem very different to my way of thinking, sir. Yes, you do."