Page 106 of Haunting the Deep

I step into a beautiful sitting room with elaborate dark wood paneling, a fireplace, and a plush seating area. “That depends on what you say next.”

He smiles at me with his clear blue eyes, and my stomach drops. He gestures toward the couch. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Sherry would be lovely,” I say as I take a seat. I’m not entirely sure why I said that. Do I even like sherry?

Alexander walks over to a set of crystal decanters and pours a reddish brown liquid into a crystal glass. He hands it to me and takes a seat next to me on the couch.

“What did you want to talk about?” I sip my drink; it’s sweet and strong and tastes slightly of cherries.

“What do you want, Samantha?”

“Want?”

“In the whole world, I mean. If you could have anything, what would it be?”

I meet his eyes. It’s a strange question, but somehow it feels relevant right now, like I was just thinking about this very topic. “Well, I would like for things to be less complicated…simple and happy. Yes, I want to be happy. But I think that’s what everyone wants.”

“Do you think you could be happy with me?”

I sip my sherry. “What you said in the lounge. The story you told them. Why did you say it?”

“To get you out of your situation, of course.”

“Oh.” My chest deflates, like when you make eye contact with someone and then realize they’re actually looking at the person behind you. “You embarrassed me in front of my aunt and Mrs. Brown. They all thought…”

He grins. “No. You embarrassed yourself in front of those women. I saved you.”

I stand up, more humiliated than I’ve ever been. “Thank you for the sherry. I have to go.”

He stands up, too, blocking my exit to the door. “You said I was too young to get married.”

“I know what I said.”

“And you are younger than I.”

“Also known by me.” I put my sherry on the mantel and push past him.

He grabs my hand. “But maybe we are not too young.”

“What?” I turn to look at him.

“Maybe there is a reason that I left my aunt’s, that I didn’t like any of the girls she introduced me to. That I am on theTitanicand so are you.”

My heart pounds, and I wonder if he can feel it through my hand. “Are you saying you want to marry me?”

“Would you say yes if I am?”

I warm from his words, from the pull of them. “Yes,” I breathe.

He places my hand on his chest and wraps his arms around my waist. He looks down at me. “Then I am asking.”

My body presses into his. “And I am accepting.”

He leans his head down and gently places his lips on mine. They’re warm and strong.

He releases his hands from my waist. “I have something for you.”

Alexander turns on a record player, and soft orchestral music fills the room. But instead of being soothing, the song grates on my nerves, like it’s associated with a bad memory.