Chapter Ten
Barely three days later, in the rented plushly-appointed carriage, Elliot watched, amused, as Lady Faith bundled Jane up in blankets, ensuring that no draught could possibly reach her patient. The hired nurse had been dismissed before they had even set out the terms of her contract, because Faith was not impressed that she would take sufficient care of Jane. Elliot had to admit, he thought it unlikely that anyone would be more attentive than Lady Faith herself, and the nurse had been a little sour-faced. She would have been bound to bring down the excitable mood of the little party as they set out on their long journey.
Elliot climbed in and sat on the opposite bench to the two young women, trying not to laugh out loud as Jane bore the mothering as well as she was able, though she rolled her eyes more than once over Lady Faith’s shoulder making Elliot chuckle silently. “Are we ready?” he asked when Lady Faith finally sat back and began to wrap a blanket around her own legs.
“I think so,” Jane said. “Though are you absolutely sure you have brought every blanket and counterpane from the house, Faith? Surely your mother and father do not need any coverings whilst we are away to keep them warm?”
Lady Faith’s cheeks flushed. “You are dreadfully mean,” she said. “I just want to be sure you do not take another turn for the worse. You have been recovering so very well. It is not usual to travel such a long way in December, and the weather can turn at any moment. We do not want you to fall into another fever.”
“I am sure I will continue to improve, thanks to your care and concern,” Jane said, struggling to extricate a hand from within the blanket cocoon so she might take her friend’s hand in hers. “You are too good to me.”
Elliot grinned at them both, then banged on the carriage roof to alert Walter to tell the drive to set off.
“We shall have you home in no time,” he assured her. “Some fresh northern air and your own bed will finish what Lady Faith has begun.”
Jane smiled at him, but she looked a little weary. “You should try and nap, if you can,” he said. “We will wake you when we stop for luncheon.”
Jane nodded and closed her eyes, leaning her head onto Lady Faith’s shoulder. Lady Faith lifted her arm and let Jane snuggle up more comfortably. Jane tucked her feet up onto the well-stuffed, velvet-upholstered seating, curling up like a cat. Elliot did not take his eyes from her, watching as her breathing gradually began to slow and her body relax. Lady Faith stroked Jane’s arm, or brushed hair off of her face, and Jane began to snore. The noises were gentle and snuffling, but they made Elliot and Lady Faith laugh. “She will be mortified if we tell her,” Lady Faith said.
“She is not the vain kind, I doubt it will worry her,” Elliot said. “I have never known her to be concerned by the things that young ladies in Society are supposed to care about. She rides astride, you know, when we ride to hounds so she can keep up with the men. She outrides most of them.”
“I am sure she does. Even when riding with a sidesaddle she is a neck-or-nothing rider. She beats everyone I know, on the flat or over hurdles. I have never seen anyone ride the way she does.”
“She loves it. She always said that riding was the only chance, as a young lady, that she could be free of all constraints. I have not beaten her in a race, ever,” Elliot admitted.
“I would not even dare to challenge her,” Lady Faith said with a grin. “I am not that good a rider. I am much more of a parlor miss than dear Jane will ever be.”
“There is nothing wrong with that,” Elliot said. “You have many skills that Jane would be the first to admit she has no talent for. She has always struggled to sit still, for even a moment. All the things young ladies are supposed to be interested in bore her, though she recognizes the skill involved.”
“Indeed, she is always happy to assist with things where she can be active, like arranging the flowers but hates needlework or painting,” Lady Faith agreed. She looked down into Jane’s peaceful-looking face. “She would have been happier had she been born a man.”
“I think you may be right. I have often wondered if she would have liked to go to university as I did, or to go on a Grand Tour. I know she would make a far better estate manager than I ever will. She has such a head for numbers, knows every man, woman and child on her father’s lands. She is an excellent gardener, I have often wondered if she might be able to turn that skill to greater use on the land.”
“You know her so well,” Lady Faith noted. “You notice things that many men would overlook – or would frown upon in a woman.”
“She was my closest and dearest friend,” Elliot said a little wistfully.
“Was? Did something happen to change that?” Lady Faith asked.
“It is sad that once you are grown that men and women are no longer considered to be suitable friends for one another,” Elliot explained. “I missed her when she was sent away – and then I was sent away, too. When I returned, things had changed, and not long after she was gone. I wish that she had been able to confide in me, perhaps she would not have needed to run away if she had told me sooner of her troubles.”
Lady Faith nodded. They sat in silence for some time, both lost in thought. Lady Faith stared out of the window. Elliot closed his eyes for a few moments and wondered if being in such a small space, for the many days it would take them to travel the length of the country, would prove to be wearing upon them all. Lady Faith seemed to be surprisingly friendly with him. He knew he did not deserve her kindness and understanding. It was true that he had unwittingly gained her affections, but perhaps had he been clearer, and more honest about his feelings for Jane that situation might never have arrived. Of course, now Jane was well he dared not utter a word of how he felt to either young woman.
“It was you, was not it?” Lady Faith said, her head suddenly snapping round, her eyes staring directly into his.
“I am sorry, I do not understand,” Elliot said, opening his eyes wide and feeling a little hot under the collar - and most decidedly flustered at her sudden change in demeanor. “What was me?” He had rarely been in trouble at school, but he now felt just as he had on those occasions when had been sent to wait outside the headmaster’s office, awaiting punishment.
“I have been puzzling and puzzling for days,” Lady Faith said thoughtfully. “From everything Jane told me of her father when we were at school, and all she confided in me when she came to stay, he would not have given up gambling after a large win. In truth, it would be more likely to make him continue with his peccadilloes – to try and increase his gains. Jane said he never knew when to stop and that was precisely why he had gotten himself into such mischief.”
“I still do not understand why you think I may have had a hand in his sudden fortune.”
“A hand, indeed,” Lady Faith said drily, noticing Elliot’s unintentional pun. “I think you either let him win so he might save face, or you gave him the funds he needed in return for his promise to change his ways.”
Elliot gulped nervously. Suddenly he saw precisely why Jane had become such good friends with this young woman. She was far cleverer than he had realized, and he held her in the highest regard as it was. He was not normally the kind of man to dismiss a woman’s intelligence just because she was petite and pretty.
“An astute observation,” he said, coughing a little to clear his throat. “But I am afraid I am not Jane’s guardian angel in this case.” He hated lying, but he did not want Jane to ever think he had somehow acted out of charity or pity. She was too prideful and too headstrong to ever take it as anything other than an insult. If Faith were to mention this theory of hers, Jane would never forgive him for meddling.
“Oh, the foolishness,” Lady Faith said, her eyes rolling. “You do not fool me, Lord Grey. And you will not keep it from Jane for long. As soon as she is well enough, she will find out. It would be better for you if you tell her sooner rather than later.”
“I can assure you that I had no more involvement than suggesting Lord Lachlan try visi
ting my friend in Edinburgh to seek his help,” Elliot said, praying that Lady Faith would not notice the sweat beginning to bead on his brow, and to dampen his shirt. “Lord Lachlan is a proud man – as Jane is a proud woman – he would never accept charity from anyone, and most especially not from me.”
“He is right,” Jane murmured and tried to haul herself upright. Elliot wondered how much of their conversation she had overheard, neither he nor Lady Faith had noticed her waking up. “Papa is most definitely not one for ever doing anything he does not want to – and would never accept anyone’s charity. I am surprised he even asked you for advice.”
“Your leaving has changed him,” Elliot said truthfully enough. It was not the entire truth, but Lord Lachlan had been more than eager to do whatever he could to get his daughter to return home. Elliot had known that she would need to know that Lord Lachlan would never put her in such a position again – and Elliot had been prepared to pay whatever it took to ensure that. Jane did not need to know that Elliot had found a way to do so, that saved at least some of the older man’s pride.
“Well, if that is true, then I am more than glad of your assistance,” Jane said, reaching over and taking Elliot’s hand and giving it an affectionate squeeze. Elliot tried to force a smile, but he hated keeping so many secrets, telling so many half-truths. It made him feel soiled, dirty.
To while away the hours, they played cards and read books. From time to time one or other of them would nap. They stopped each day at noon to take luncheon, then at five o’clock for supper and rest overnight in the best coaching inns that could be found. Day by day, Jane seemed to grow stronger and happier. It lifted Elliot’s spirits to see her improve and when she asked if they might stay in one of the towns along the way so they might hire horses and go for a ride, Elliot and Lady Faith knew that she had fully recovered.
All of them agreed that a day of rest and recreation would do them good. Elliot knew of a comfortable coaching inn, just outside of Leicester, in an area that would offer Jane and Elliot fine riding, and Lady Faith panoramic views that she might draw and paint. He arranged for two horses to be saddled and made ready for them immediately after they had broken their fast in the morning, and had Walter unpack Lady Faith’s trunks from the carriage to find her easel and watercolors. Elliot led Lady Faith to a spot by the river, not far from the inn where he and Walter helped her set up her things. “I have arranged for the innkeeper to bring you us some luncheon, here, at midday,” he told her. “I promise Jane and I will be back in time.”
“Take care of her,” Lady Faith urged him. “She is still a little unsteady on her feet. I would hate for her to have a fall and undo all her progress.”
“She is safer on horseback than she has ever been on her own two feet,” Elliot laughed, “but I shall indeed take care of her.” He turned to Walter. “And I expect you to take care of Lady Faith. Whatever she wants, you fetch it for her. You do not let anything happen to her in our absence.”
Walter nodded. “Yes, mi’lord. You can count on me. I shall watch over her as if she were the Crown Jewels.”
“She is far more valuable than that,” Jane said approaching them leading a grey mare and a chestnut gelding. She was clad in a grey velvet riding habit with a split skirt. It accentuated her womanly curves in a way that lady’s dresses so often did not in this day and age. The skirt was cinched in at the waist, rather than under the bust, and the matching jacket fitted her form perfectly. “You have found a perfect spot,” she added, looking out at the rolling countryside. “I look forward to seeing what you make of it upon our return, Faith.” She leant over and kissed Faith on the cheek, before turning to Elliot and handing him the reins of the mare.
“Are you ready?” she asked him impatiently as she stuck her boot into the stirrup of the chestnut and leaped into the saddle.
Elliot grinned. “I will race you to the top of the hill,” he said, his tone light.
“Care to make a wager?” she asked him, looking over her shoulder as he mounted up.
Elliot glanced over at Faith, remembering the conversation they had shared just a few days previously. “We both know I will lose,” he said. “But, why not? What do you want of me if you win?”
Chapter Eleven
The winter sun was low in the sky, and there was a chill in the air, but Jane had never felt warmer or more alive. The sensation of the chestnut gelding’s powerful muscles moving beneath her as they galloped across the fields, through woodland and over hedges and fences was one she had missed since leaving her home, even before she had been unwell. While she rode she was able to forget all about the fever, the aching limbs and the weariness that had been her companion for too long. She was able to forget her feelings for Elliot, and her confusion about what had happened between him and Faith. She simply rode, feeling the wind whip at her cheeks and let her mind empty.
So wrapped up in the sensations she was experiencing and the glorious countryside all around her that she forgot that Elliot was with her and that she was part of a race. Jane had always been one to throw herself into things whole-heartedly and to lose herself in them utterly, and now she was utterly consumed in the feelings of being on horseback and being in nature once more. She had missed it so dreadfully since she fled to Dorset. Riding was such a part of her, she wondered how she had managed to live without it for so very long.
She tore up the hill that Elliot had pointed out before they set off, sure that she must be far ahead of him, as she always was. Yet, Elliot and his grey mare were already waiting for her when she reached the peak of the hill and drew the handsome young horse to a halt to look out over the valley. Elliot was seated on the ground, but he jumped to his feet as she crested the brow of the hill. “How ever did you beat me?” she asked breathlessly. “We rode like the wind.”
“You did indeed, but it would seem that for once I am the better horseman,” Elliot said, his tone teasing, though not in any way gloating. “Though I think I may have the ague and this very fine mare to thank for it, I doubt I will ever beat you again.”
He slapped the neck of the grazing horse affectionately, the grey lifted her regal looking face and turned to nuzzle Elliot’s shoulder. He rubbed her nose fondly, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a carrot. The grey snaffled it eagerly, crunching on the juicy and unexpected treat. He moved towards Jane, as if he would help her dismount. But Jane was determined to prove that she was quite recovered. She began to prepare herself for the dismount. As she did so, she was dismayed to note that her legs felt like jelly. They quivered and shook with the slightest movement, as they had done many years before when she first learned to ride. But she did not want to seem weak or needy. With determination, she slid down from the saddle and almost fell over as her feet hit the ground. Elliot was there in a heartbeat to stop her from falling.
Jane’s breath caught in her chest, her heart beating hard and fast as she felt his warm hands upon her waist, holding her steady. She looked up into his eyes. They were dark as night, his expression hungry, strained. She began to wonder if she was dreaming, this moment was so intimate, so full of tension. She knew she had to tell him how she felt. She could bear keeping it to herself no longer. Yet, she could not find the words. She wanted to just reach up and kiss him, but she did not dare. They stood, motionless, for what felt like an eternity just looking into one another’s eyes.
“Then you must claim your prize,” she said eventually, her voice husky with passion and heavy with flirtation. She licked her lips, praying he might kiss her once more. “What would you take from me? A new pair of riding gloves, my hunting crop – I know you have always coveted it.”
Elliot did not answer. To Jane’s delight, he bent his head and claimed her lips, his arms pulling her closer to his strong body. Jane melted into him, relishing the almost bruising kiss and the fierceness of his embrace. Her body was alight with sparking, tingling sensations that made rational though impossible. She had so longed for this, for so much longer than she
had known. Elliot was everything to her, and always had been.
“Oh, Jane,” he moaned, as his lips kissed her cheeks, her eyes, her throat. “This, this is what I want. It is all I have ever wanted.”
Elated, Jane let her fingers twin in the curls that brushed his collar, as she kissed him back just as fervently. “I am so glad,” she whispered. “I have been so frightened to tell you of how I feel. I thought you wanted Faith and it broke my heart.”
Elliot paused his kisses and stared at her, open-mouthed. “But you seemed to be encouraging us to spend time together? I must confess, if I had been thinking rather than so concerned about you at the time, I would have thought that you wanted the match?”
Jane pulled herself from his embrace. It was all so complicated and even now she was unsure how she might ever explain it to Elliot. She sank to the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest, and stared back towards the spot where they had left Faith to her painting. “It makes little sense,” she admitted as he sat down beside her. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
“Tell me anyway,” he encouraged her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
Jane almost laughed, but instead just sighed. Elliot had always been the only person who had ever truly understood her. She prayed he still possessed the ability to do so. “I thought you saw me only as a sister, an old friend. I knew you would never love me as I loved you. And, I could never have returned home with you – I was betrothed to Lord Wulstan. Had I gone anywhere near the borderlands I would have been forced down the aisle of a church before I could blink.”
Elliot nodded, but said nothing. Jane felt his arm tighten at her waist, as if he was afraid she might bolt before her tale was told. “When my first fever broke, Faith told me that you had called every day. She seemed totally enamored of you. I would never seen her like that over a man before. She blushed when she spoke of you – and then I saw the two of you together, and you were so attentive to her. I suppose I got as caught up in it all as Faith did, we both truly believed that you were calling upon her.”
The Earl's Love Match: A Sweet Regency Romance Page 8
