Her destination could be anywhere north of the capital. In fact, it would be easy to circle around and end up back near where she started. Jane gave up speculating, and opened the circulating novel she had slipped into her reticule. It wasn’t often she had the luxury of enforced idleness.
Several hours later—long enough for her tummy to rumble and her mouth to become dry—the coach lurched over cobbles as it turned into the yard of a pretty whitewashed inn. The door opened and a young fresh-faced girl of around eighteen years curtsied to Jane. “My lady, I’ve been asked to tend to you for the rest of your journey. We’ll stop here for luncheon, and then by your leave press on to our overnight destination.” The look on her face was a combination of appeal and terror. Jane translated it as one of please don’t ask questions. Jane took pity on her.
“Perfect, I’m famished and I need to freshen up. What do I call you?”
“Lizzie, my lady.”
“Then lead the way, Lizzie.”
***
By the following afternoon Jane was sick of coaches, travelling, and the prosy writings of her alleged romantic novel. Only Lizzie’s innocent cheerfulness kept Jane from screaming. Some might think the journey romantic. Jane was beginning to suspect it was merely to confuse her, and disguise her destination. When, as the sun began to set over an old stone church they rumbled passed, and Lizzie looked out of the window and clapped her hands, Jane sat up and took interest in the passing scenery.
“Five minutes, my lady, and we’ll be home. Look ahead. Do you see the copse of trees? The gates are near there.”
Ah, but the gates to where? Jane was still none the wiser. The day’s luncheon stop made her think of Nottinghamshire, but that was several hours previous. Lizzie strangely had no definitive accent, and spoke very properly. With each passing mile, Jane was convinced the bulk of the journey was unnecessary.
The coach stopped by the gates and Lizzie stood up. “I’ll be leaving you now, my lady. I hope your visit goes well.”
Her companion swung out of the coach and closed the door behind her before Jane had time to utter a word. To her surprise, the coach didn’t turn through the gates but continued down the lane. The track became narrower and branches began to scrape the sides of the vehicle as they moved forward. Jane changed her mind about looking out of the window too closely and watched from a safe seat in the middle of the carriage as branches and twigs whipped by.
The lane was well rutted and the carriage swayed like a ship in a storm. Jane started to doubt her sanity. After all, what did she really know about Molly Simpkins? Only what she’d garnered from others. Yes, she’d taken to the lady, and the gossip she had heard was favorable, but that faded to nothing as she was driven to where? And to whom?
As one particularly violent lurch landed her on the floor, Jane began to swear under her breath. Her husband and his lover had treated her as an equal and rarely tempered their language around her. Their language had often been impolite, and more suited to a taproom than a drawing room. Jane had never minded. Now, as she ran through her vocabulary of epithets, she was glad she knew them. Really it was ridiculous. Only the thought of the tiny lady’s pistol in her reticule gave her some sense of protection.
She stayed in relative safety on the floor as the vehicle turned a corner. All of a sudden the lurching stopped and the coach moved smoothly forward. She ventured up onto her knees and glanced outside. The view had changed to a wider avenue of trees, and in the distance some cows were settling down, presumably for the night. The first star appeared in the dusky sky, and Jane couldn’t help but gain a sense of peace from the sight. She levered herself from the floor and sat on the squabs again, brushing her pelisse down as she did so. If she was nearing her destination she wanted to look cool and composed, not like a hoyden who’d just enjoyed a roll in the hay. The unfortunate expression and its connotations made her giggle. Not much chance of that.
The sensation of tendrils of hair tickling her cheeks made her withdraw a small comb from her reticule to tidy the strands back into their pins. With a sigh, Jane wished she had the forethought to keep a damp cloth beside her. Her hands were grubby, and she felt she would be at a distinct disadvantage with whoever she was to meet. At least they knew whom they would bed. Jane had no idea.
As it was, she didn’t have long to wait. Just as she glimpsed a honey-stoned house, the carriage stopped, and the door of the carriage opened. A familiar, and most unwanted voice spoke to her.
“What’s the correct greeting now? Oh yes; hell has frozen over.”
Jane almost fell out of the carriage door. A loud ringing in her ears warned her she was about to pass out. I must be imagining things. Life can’t be so cruel as to play that sort of trick on me surely. Her skin was clammy and the thud of her heart vied with the ringing to be the loudest and most persistent.
“Ah...” Jane had no idea what to say. She just stared at the man in front of her. Silhouetted against the darkening sky, he looked as if he lived up to every name ever attached to his.
“So, you need a good fucking, Jane? That’s a turn up for the books now isn’t it? And what poetic justice it is that I’ve been chosen as the one to give it to you? I have such a week planned out for us. I don’t think you’ll be able to sit comfortably, and I’m damned sure any material against your tender skin will hurt like the proverbial hell we’ve just melted. But then, as you’ll spend the best part of the week naked it will be not only no material, but immaterial.” Her nemesis laughed. To Jane it sounded like a death knell.
“Now, my lady, may I help you out and into the warm. No time like the present to begin.”
Jane did the only thing she could think of. How on earth, once she’d heard he was back in England, could she have kept a tiny glimmer of hope that they might one day be together? He was a cad. She kicked out hard, felt her foot connect with soft, clothed flesh, got immense satisfaction from the grunt of pain she heard... and fainted.
Chapter Five
It was hard not to feel a flicker of sympathy for the comatose woman in front of him, even though she’d just done her best to rearrange his balls and ensure that if they did have sex there would be no chance of any repercussions. Luke studied her as impartially as he could while looking at a well-turned ankle and pale alabaster skinned legs that seemed to go on forever. His balls hurt like hades and felt lodged in his arse, and his cock deflated and hid. Even the thought of that well aimed thrust gave him pain.
Fuck, she has a kick like a mule.
He really should rearrange her skirts before he lifted her up and carried her inside. But the glimpse of her soft flesh gave him such a masochistic pleasure, he had to indulge, if only for a minute.
“You’ve gone and done it now, guv.” Adkins, his general man of all work at the hunting lodge grimaced and spat into the verge. He looked down at Jane and back at his master. “Where d’you want me to dig the grave.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Don’t act more the fool than you really are. You know fine well the shock of seeing me made her faint.”
“Ah well, it would to anyone with an ounce of sensibility.” Adkins guffawed at his own wit. “Want me to give you a hand?”
“No, you see to the horses.” Luke clapped the other man on his shoulder. “Then get off to your long suffering wife. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, for us.”
“Ha, let’s hope she does. My Minnie would be most unhappy if I had me bollocks sorted like this’un did to you.”
Luke laughed, and hid the twinge of pain it sent to his balls. “After ten children, I reckon your Minnie might be relieved.”
“Nah, she loves babes does Minnie. Mind you, she did say Bertie and Franny are the last.” Adkins touched the brim of his cap and went away whistling.
Luke watched him disappear round the side of the carriage and waited until it moved away. Then he touched his toe to the stockinged leg of his companion. “You can stop shamming now, Jane. I know you’re over your faint. Your breathing’s chang
ed and your color has come back. It might be almost dark, but there’s enough light to see that much.”
Jane gave a shaky laugh and used her hand to lever herself upright. Luke stretched out and took hold of her arm to pull her to her feet. She dusted the driveway from her clothing. “Ten children?”
“From six months to fifteen years. Three sets of twins, and four singles. You’ve met one of them. Lizzie,” Luke said. “Who hopes to be a lady’s maid.”
“She’d be good,” Jane replied and looked him in the face. “Now what on earth is going on, Luke?”
“Hell’s freezing over and we’re going to fuck.”
The look on her face would be enough to freeze hell by itself. He didn’t need more than the lamp over the door to see that.
“Are we now? What makes you think that?”
Luke urged her toward the doorway, and into the hall. Three hounds bounded up to them and he ordered them to heel.
“They’re fine. I love dogs.” More than men, her tone implied. “What are their names?”
“Satin, Silk, and Satan.” Each dog gave a happy yelp when he mentioned his or her name. “Too old to hunt and I’m too soft to let them go, even if it makes Bet jealous.”
“I should think so. Who’s Bet?”
“Her.” Another dog joined them and rolled over onto her back for a tummy rub. Jane obliged with a giggle and then stood up. “So, I presume I have a room?”
He nodded. “Oh yes. Mine.”
“No.” He could see she barely held her temper in check. Her eyes sparked and she clenched and unclenched her fingers. “Mine.”
“Ours,” Luke corrected her as he took her arm and ushered her toward the stairs. She stiffened, but didn’t pull away. One small victory for him perhaps? “This is a small house, and I have few staff here. We mostly fend for ourselves. Therefore I’m your escort to our room, and generally your personal maid. I can arrange for Lizzie to attend to you on those occasions you don’t think I’m suited to attend to your needs.”
“Why would I ever think you would be?” Jane asked as they mounted the stairs. “Suited. You thought nothing of my needs before, why should I believe you will now?”
There really was no simple answer to that. Luke felt like a scrubby schoolboy called to order for not doing his homework correctly. “I labored under a grave misapprehension, and I apologized,” he said stiffly.
“You did,” Jane agreed. “And as for that miserable mockery of an apology? I believed not one word of it.” She matched him step for step, her body tense and stiff.
Even through the ice surrounding them, every glimpse of Jane’s dainty ankles moved his arousal up a notch. Luke decided he could hardly wait to have her naked under him, over him, and ready for him.
Once he’d realized he had no choice but to agree to Molly’s ultimatum, and then found out just whom he was to deflower, his mood had improved dramatically. Perhaps he could make amends? And if not, at least ensure Jane’s introduction to sex was as perfect as could be.
“Nothing unusual, nothing extreme,” Molly had warned him. “Keep your proclivities to what ordinary people enjoy. Nothing to make her run screaming to the authorities. We want her to learn how beautiful sex can be.” He’d raised one eyebrow and Molly giggled. “Yes, well. I think maybe a simple in out is enough as a first step don’t you?” He didn’t, but kept that information to himself.
As he opened the door to the withdrawing room attached to his bedchamber, Luke was even more certain of what he wanted. It wasn’t plain or straightforward and he had less than a week to persuade Jane she wanted it too.
“Can we start again?” he asked quietly. “I was well out of order in the past, and believe me I have regretted my behavior. Just because I wanted you was no reason to try and foist myself on you, and certainly not in the manner I did.”
“It wasn’t.” Jane sounded quite amiable. Why did it worry him? “But to deny me in the way you did was cruel. Necessary certainly, but cruel. However, Luke, please don’t labor under the misapprehension it has scarred me for life. It has done no such thing. Not in any manner. Mind you, I didn’t deal with you in the correct way either.”
What? “You slapped my face and kicked me in the shins,” Luke reminded her. “That warned me off very successfully.”
“I should have followed on with a fist to the stomach and a foot in the balls. I was slow.”
“Ah, not slow, and believe me I knew how lucky I was.” Luke still hadn’t forgotten how hard she’d hit him. The lady had a fair left hook. “I heard about Ardingley and Blackett.”
“It’s amazing how many men think a widow is fair game. I soon put that misguided idea to rights.” Jane turned to him. “And if I don’t sort my condition out I’ll be doing it until I expire.”
“You want to be fair game?” Luke couldn’t keep the astonishment out of his voice.
“Not exactly, but I want to be all woman. One who knows.”
The rush of red-hot anger that filled him was a surprise. No one, but no one was going to play with this lady, unless it was he. That revelation stopped him in his tracks and he had to clear his throat twice before he could speak. “So I believe it’s up to me to rectify the situation,” Luke said. “In whichever manner I deem necessary.”
“It seems so.” Jane didn’t sound at all happy about it. “Why Molly thought of you I have no idea. Your reputation isn’t spotless by any means.”
“No,” Luke agreed. “But my prowess in bed is.”
She stared at him for so long he wondered if he’d gone too far, then she put her hand to her mouth and giggled. As Luke watched, tears of mirth streamed down her cheeks, and her shoulders heaved. Jane stumbled to a chair and sat down heavily, still giggling.
“It’s not that funny.” Luke did his best to sound grumpy, but this small glimpse of how lighthearted she could be made him happy. It was the most carefree he had ever seen her, and it transformed her.
He thrust a large handkerchief in her hand then went to stand against the mantelpiece, throwing another log in the grate as he did so. It might be a long night.
“Oops,” Jane wiped her eyes. “Sorry, but I feel so much better now.”
“Glad I was of service.”
“Well, you haven’t been yet, but it seems you might,” Jane said somewhat cryptically. It didn’t take him long to understand the innuendo.
Definitely more to this lady than meets the eye.
“So.” Luke moved toward a long table that graced one side of the wall and reached for the brandy decanter. “For you?”
“Please, oh and food if you have some handy. Or I’ll be fit for nothing, not even saying yes or no. My stomach has been rumbling this last two hours or more.”
“I have a cold collation here, or we can ring for dinner to be served?”
“Cold is fine. The fewer people who know what’s going on the better. Er, who does know?” Jane took the brandy from him and lifted up the covers of several large platters. On cue her tummy rumbled once more. He moved swiftly toward her and filled the plate with cold meats and bread before handing it to her along with a fork.
“Tuck in. As for in the know? Only you, me, Molly Simpkins, and the Countess of Addersley. The staff who are here think it’s ‘everso romantic what you’re doing to woo your lady my lord’.” His voice took on a falsetto note. “Alas, when you leave here they will be sorry for me and wonder where I’m lacking.” He injected a note of pathos into his speech and Jane rapped his hand with the fork.
“Rubbish. They’ll think you had a lucky escape.”
Luke knew he wouldn’t. He filled his own plate and sat next to Jane on the settee. “Do you want to tell me all about it?” he asked softly. If she didn’t, he could see the week fraught with difficulties. Was it Jane who chose to shy away, or had Nic been incapable of getting it up? “I know very little except that your marriage was not consummated and in order to move forward you need to lose your virginity. A virgin widow would be somewhat difficult t
o explain without letting secrets out.” His skin tingled. What business was it what went on in a marriage? But wasn’t he as bad? Luke admitted he was as nosy as the next man. Since his return, Jane had turned down his offer once, and it stung. Then he’d wanted to know how he didn’t measure up to her late husband, even if his offer was somewhat different to what she’d enjoyed. Now he just wondered who hadn’t measured up to whom.
Jane pushed her half eaten food away, and took a healthy swallow of brandy. “I’ve lost my appetite,” she said. “Then if this is strictly between us?” He nodded. “My husband felt unable to couple with me. I knew this before we married, but, well...” She sighed. “In his own way he loved me and I him.”
“Still preferred John?”
Jane gasped and went pale. “Whaaa...” She swayed.
“Don’t you dare faint again,” Luke said harshly. His lack of sympathy brought some slight color back to her cheeks. “I’ve always known he and John had a thing going. Hell, Jane, I shared a room with them all through school and ran interference long enough. The first time you saw me naked I was on guard to enable them to have time together. However, when I left the country, and heard you and he were wed, I assumed you would be in a marriage of three. I didn’t realize it meant he wouldn’t be able to serve you.”
“He tried once. It ended with him in tears. It was heartbreaking. I always knew it might never happen, but to see him go against all he held sacred to try and please me, well... He was a remarkable man. He and John adored each other, and in their own way me. We were as happy as could be except...”
“Except you’re a virgin. No wonder you tried to incapacitate me when I made my crass offer to you.”
“Oh, believe me, Luke, yours was by no means the worst. Now, it seems, according to Molly, I need to experience your best.”
Miss Simpkins' School: Jane Page 3
