Two days following the event at Marcus's, Christopher determined to pay a visit to the Kirks. It would be good to talk to Winona again and judge for himself the severity of the troubles facing them. She'd been rather vague in the letter, most of it spent praising Jamesina to the skies and it made him suspicious as to her motives.
Certainly, Jamesina was a charming woman, but she did not seem the type to willingly show interest in someone like him. In fact, she'd spent most of the evening with Harrison, glowing like her mother once had back in the day when she and George were courting.
But, from the little he'd talked to her, she was as sharp and witty and intelligent as her parents, which meant she should have no trouble finding a husband, should she desire to. From the way the young gentlemen surrounded her at the dance, it appeared Winona's hints would not need to be followed.
As he approached the old home of the Kirks, it became apparent that there was a decline in the upkeep. Only the grounds closest to the house appeared to be maintained, a whole wing had its shutters closed and barred, and the staff floor didn't appear to be occupied except for two rooms.
He guessed they'd had to let most of the staff go, but a groom did appear to take his horse when he'd dismounted.
As he strode towards the door, the sound of singing met his ear: a downright exquisite female voice rendering a haunting melody accompanied by a piano. It was Jim's voice and what a voice it was-high and clear and smooth as silk. The Captain found himself transfixed by it and did not move until the song ended.
His knock at the door brought Winona herself, who positively beamed at him.
"Christopher! How good to see you again! Where have you been wandering all these years?"
"All around the globe, ma'am," he returned with a smile, pleased to see his old friend again.
"Come in, Captain. Jimsie and I are very much looking forward to your tales of the sea. She was always fascinated by it."
He could hear the piano resume playing softly as Winona showed him into the sitting room. Jim was sitting at the instrument, slender fingers roaming up and down the keys as she played beautifully.
Winona smiled proudly at her daughter.
"She gets it from her father's side," she whispered. "I have no musical talent to speak of. Isn't it lovely?"
"Very lovely," he agreed, not just referring to the music.
Jim heard the voices and abruptly stopped playing, rising from her stool to greet the visitor.
"Hello again, Captain." She greeted politely, with a gracious smile.
"Miss Kirk," he returned. "It's been too long since I've been in this noble house. It seems your music lessons prospered while I was away."
She smiled shyly.
"Apparently so. I've always loved music. I regretfully did not have the patience to learn it properly when I was younger, but I took it up again at fifteen and began to see the fruits of paying attention to tutelage."
She HAD been a very lively child, Christopher recalled. Little Jamesina had given her mother fits with her rambunctiousness and headstrong attitude. She'd once loudly declared "I don't want to be a lady! It's boring! I want to go to sea and fight pirates like Father!"
He'd explained to her there were a lot of dangers at sea and she might not be so keen on it if she got seasick and saw just how rough sailors were.
"It's better than being stuck learning dull embroidery and sticking myself half a dozen times with the needle," she'd griped before being quelled by a stern look from Winona.
"Are you still as fond of books as you once were?" He asked, after they'd been seated.
To Christopher's observant eyes, there was a distinct reduction in the furniture, particularly the elegant pieces that had come from France. Considering the price they would bring, it was to be expected.
Jim bestowed on him a much more natural smile, and he tried to ignore the pleasant warmth it gave him.
"Oh, yes, I love books. Father left a rather extensive library and I am slowly working through it, volume by volume. Some of them are rather mystifying with all the deep philosophy, but I eagerly devour all his seafaring, history, and literature collections. I'm sure you can add some interesting memoirs yourself, Captain."
"I could, indeed." He confirmed agreeably, expecting to be thoroughly interrogated, and an eager light was stirring in Jim's eyes, but the moment was ruined by Winona breaking in.
"Jim said you danced with her at Marcus's party. Did you find that agreeable, Christopher?"
Jim's faced shuttered with annoyance at the tone in her mother's voice and the Captain sighed inwardly. Winona was a good woman, but she sometimes didn't realize that subtlety was required in certain situations, especially involved trying to coax Jamesina to do something she didn't want to do.
"It was very gracious of her to allow me a dance when she was one of the most sought after young ladies there," he said, dodging the question.
Yes, he HAD found it agreeable, but Jim had been distracted by Harrison and he was pretty sure the multiple dances the two of them had had were an indication of her preferences. Winona would find out soon enough and probably be secretly relieved. Being a last resort really wasn't his ideal vision of ending his bachelor ways.
A few wisely chosen tales later, Winona was laughing uproariously and Jim had relaxed enough to smile again, though plainly twitchy and restless.
As he stood to leave, she thanked him graciously.
"Thank you for coming, Captain. It was quite beneficial to get Mother's mind off of her troubles."
"Glad I could be of help, Miss Kirk," he replied warmly. "I have plenty more trouble banishing tales where that came from."
"I'll keep that in mind the next time she's badgering me about men," Jim said impishly.
When he left, he happened to pass a tall dark figure heading towards the house and wondered how good Harrison was at keeping Winona's mind off of marrying off Jim. Probably not very effective, Christopher reflected with some annoyance.