“David!”
“Don’t fret, my lady. I have heard much worse.”
Sarah didn’t think that excused David from losing his tongue, but she decided to say nothing more on the subject.
“I suppose we have made ourselves an enemy today, my dear,” he continued. “We had better proceed with caution.”
Sarah nodded her agreement. “I believe you are right. Perhaps we should go back to the inn and devise a plan to find William as soon as possible, so that we may clear this thing up forthwith.”
Sarah and David said their farewells to Melinda after making plans to meet at the inn the next morning, and then they made their way back to their carriage. Sarah found herself unimaginably tired after all the events of the day. And somewhere, deep inside, she had the most horrible sense of foreboding. This mission was going to get ugly before all was said and done. Of that she was sure.
Chapter Nine
Adaptability is a necessity of life.
—The Duke of Lancaster
When their carriage stopped outside the Queen’s Head Inn, David was concerned to see a man who looked a lot like the Earl of Blackwood leaving the establishment. His fears were confirmed when he entered the building and tried to go to his room.
“My Lord, I’m afraid your patronage is no longer welcome here.”
The inn’s proprietor looked nearly green, and his eyes seemed to be begging David not to make a scene.
“May I ask why?” David asked calmly, even though he was sure of the answer.
The slighter man tugged at his cravat. “Ah, Lord Blackwood said you are a man of ill-repute and that your presence here would greatly affect our business going forward.”
David took his meaning immediately. Obviously Blackwood held a lot of clout in this town, and anyone willing to let a room to him and Sarah would pay the consequences.
“I see. May I retrieve our things before we go?”
The innkeeper scurried behind his desk. “I took the liberty of having one of our boys gather your belongings. Everything is here, sir. I guarantee it.”
“I have no doubt.”
David inclined his head in farewell and, taking Sarah by the arm, led her back out to the carriage.
“The audacity of that man,” Sarah sputtered. “Telling such falsehoods! Lady Lancaster was right to send us here. If anyone needs to be taken down a peg by the Garden Society, it’s the Earl of Blackwood!”
“Wait! What?” David replied, aghast. “The Garden Society sent you here?”
“Of course! I assumed you knew that.”
“No, you told me you wanted to help the Coles; why would I think Lady Lancaster would get involved?” David paused. “Does this mean you are one of her spies, too?”
“Why do you sound so surprised? Hannah told me she let you in on our little secret.”
“Well, yes she did, but I didn’t think…”
He broke off there and looked down at his feet lamely.
“You didn’t think I would have been included by Lady Lancaster,” Sarah finished for him. “Because I’m too loud, clumsy, or just plain stupid?”
David couldn’t believe the pain her accusations caused him. That was precisely what he had thought. Well, almost. He would never call Sarah stupid. Naive, maybe, but he knew just how canny she could be.
“I’m sorry, Sarah. I know you well enough now to see what an asset you would be, but when Hannah first told me of the Society I was not prepared to give you the credit you are clearly due.”
Sarah looked at him thoughtfully and finally nodded.
“I suppose I can understand your mistake. I, myself, was surprised when Lady Lancaster included me. It has taken some time for me to realize my own value. I can’t, then, hold it against you for not realizing it, either.”
David smiled gratefully. “You are remarkable, Sarah. I will not forget that again.”
Smiling, Sarah brought them back to the subject at hand.
“Now, about Blackwood. Why spread such lies? To what purpose?”
“He’s scared,” David surmised. “That can be the only explanation. He is worried we are going to find out something…though about what I am not sure.”
“Surely about William?”
“Yes, but I think there is more to it. William is just one man. His being found innocent may sting Blackwood’s pride, but ultimately does him no damage. Why make such a fuss?”
“Do you think it has something to do with whatever he is looking for on his property?”
“I am beginning to lean that way, yes. I think he is trying to send a message to anyone else who may think of trespassing on his land. Perhaps he is afraid whatever he is looking for will be found by accident by someone else?”
“We need to locate the Potters now. They must know something for Blackwood to be so intent on destroying them.”
“I am inclined to agree.”
“Then I suggest we find you a place to sleep,” a familiar voice said from the shadows of the alley running beside the inn.
Peering into the darkness, David could just make out Melinda’s slender form.
“Melinda, what are you doing here?”
“Some of my spies told me that Blackwood was coming here. I thought he might try to force you out of town.”
“He has done something like this before, I gather?”
Chuckling wryly, Melinda said, “The lord likes to throw his weight around, that is certain.”
“And you know of a place we can get a room outside the purview of said lord?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. If I may?” Melinda motioned to the carriage and David indicated that she proceed.
After giving brief directions to their driver, David helped Melinda and Sarah up into the vehicle before joining them.
“I’m taking you to my house,” Melinda announced once they were on their way. “We have an attic room. It’s nothing special, but it’s clean.”
“I’m sure it will be just fine,” Sarah assured Melinda. “I hope our presence will not be putting your parents out, however.”
Melinda looked away. “That wouldn’t be possible. My parents died years ago.”
“Oh, Melinda, I am so sorry.”
David squeezed Sarah’s hand. No child should have to endure the loss of both parents, especially so young. At least Sarah had her father, even as neglectful as he was.
Melinda made to brush aside Sarah’s concern. “It was long ago, and my brother and I were left in the care of my maiden aunt. She is…ah…curmudgeonly, to say the least. It would probably be best if we didn’t alert her of your presence.”
David frowned. “I’m not sure we would be comfortable deceiving your aunt in that way, Melinda. Certainly we wouldn’t want to get you into any trouble.”
“You really are a gentleman, aren’t you,” Melinda said with something like awe.
“I endeavor to be, yes,” David replied with a smile.
“Humph, nice to know such things actually exist, but in this case it really would be better if we do this my way. My aunt has kept us healthy and fed by telling tales to the earl. I know she means well, but she doesn’t seem to see the turmoil of the rest of the cottagers and husbandmen.”
“You aren’t from the working class, are you? Not originally?”
“No,” Melinda said with a sigh. “Technically we are of the gentry. My father was a baron. Baron Monmouth. But we were left penniless when he died, and we now rely on the charity of the earl.”
“Which comes at a price,” Sarah finished.
“Exactly.”
David could see that there really was no choice. Sarah was clearly exhausted, and he was not feeling particularly fresh, either. They needed a place to sleep for the night. The next few days promised to be long ones. Everyone would be better off with a full night’s sleep.
“I suppose under the circumstances, some subterfuge is required,” he admitted aloud.
“Good,” Melinda said, once again looking out the win
dow. “Because we are here.”
At Melinda’s direction, David had his driver move the carriage and horses into a dilapidated old barn. One side of it had been shored up, providing a somewhat stable shelter for the horses and the driver. Promising to return with food for the man, David followed Melinda and Sarah around to the back of a modest stone cottage. It was crumbling a bit about the edges but looked fairly habitable.
Behind a copse of trees that had grown up around the back corner of the home over the years, David could just see some makeshift steps leading up the side of the building. At the top of the steps, there was a moderate-size window covered with ramshackle shutters. Opening them, Melinda motioned that he and Sarah follow her inside.
The window led to the end of a dark hallway. Despite the lack of light, it was clear the space was well taken care of. There was no dust, cobwebs, or any other sign of neglect. It was certainly lacking amenities, but the hall was clean as a whistle.
To the left of the window was a small staircase, presumably leading to the attic. Melinda again led the way.
“My aunt does not move around as well as she once did, and she never comes upstairs,” she whispered as she opened a door at the top of the steps. “As long as you don’t make an inordinate amount of noise, I don’t think there is any chance of being heard below.”
Looking around, David could see the spacious attic had been furnished with a serviceable bed, some mismatched chairs and tables, and a slightly listing wardrobe. But again, everything was clean and neat. Under the circumstances, David would have accepted a lot worse for a few hours of much-needed sleep.
Apparently Sarah felt the same way, for she immediately went to the bed and flopped down on it. It was not ladylike, but it was all Sarah, and David couldn’t help but smile. One thing was for sure, you always knew where you stood with his wife. Her visage and behavior were open and honest…almost to a fault. However, David was finding himself much more often captivated than anything else.
Turning to Melinda, David said, “I believe this will serve us quite well. We are in your debt.”
Melinda gave David a long look. “Before all is said and done, I believe we all will be in your debt, sir.”
Not saying another word, the girl nodded in farewell and left the room, closing the door firmly behind her.
David was struck with a sense of foreboding. He worried that he and Sarah were giving Melinda false hope, but somehow he got the feeling the serious young lady was right. Something was wrong here, and David was beginning to feel that perhaps he and Sarah were exactly what this town needed.
Loosening his cravat and shrugging out of his coat, David walked slowly toward the bed. Sarah had curled up onto her side and looked halfway asleep already, dress and all.
“Honey,” David said gently, “do you think you ought to change into something a bit more comfortable?”
Sarah opened one eye and looked at David. Sighing, she pulled herself up into a sitting position. Both her eyes were closed, and David could have sworn she had fallen asleep again, despite being upright.
Chuckling, he moved to stand in front of her. With deft fingers, he removed her pelisse. She was like a doll the way she swayed back and forth as he tugged off one sleeve and then the other. When he began to slip her day dress up her legs to pull over her head, Sarah made a small protest, but David ignored her. He pulled her to her feet and into his arms. She was unable to stand successfully on her own, but that was only partly the reason for his actions.
The sight of his wife’s shapely legs had reminded David of the kisses they had shared and how surprisingly intoxicating Sarah was turning out to be.
While continuing to move her dress up her body, David began to nibble on the soft, sweet smelling curve of Sarah’s neck. In her vulnerable state, he was gratified when Sarah tilted her neck to grant him more access. Moving to her lips, David gloried in a searing kiss. He was quickly losing control, but his conscience was pricked. Yes, Sarah was his wife and therefore it was his right to engage in sexual acts, but in her current state and with their relationship what it was—would she forgive him taking liberties?
David broke off the kiss, both out of guilt and so he could pull Sarah’s dress over her head. And there she stood, dressed only in her chemise, looking sexily mussed with recently kissed and swollen lips. And she was his undoing. He could see everything through the flimsy piece of fabric clinging to her nubile body.
Under the high-waisted dresses common among the ton, female bodies were somewhat of a mystery, especially in Sarah’s case. She was an uncommonly tall woman and therefore on the slim side. However, as she stood practically naked in front of him, David gloried in her hidden curves.
Her breasts were pale globes of perfection. Her waist narrowed femininely before flaring out into the loveliest curve of hips he had ever been privileged enough to witness. Her body was glowing with an innate sensuality from the passion they had recently shared, and it was all David could do to not throw her on the bed and take her right then and there.
Closing his eyes tightly in an effort to block the vision of his lovely wife from his mind, David pushed Sarah back down into a sitting position.
“Go to bed now, dear,” he said tightly, before turning physically away from Sarah.
Reaching up to fumble with his own shirt fastenings, David’s heart nearly stopped when he heard Sarah say, “I’m awake now, and I would very much like more kissing, please.”
Slowly swiveling around to look once again on the half-naked form of the girl he had always thought of as a friend, David suddenly realized he wanted Sarah in a way he had never wanted any other woman. He looked at her with something like agony.
“Sarah dear, I don’t think I can stop at just kisses. I want you terribly.”
Sarah looked back at him in shock. “Really? You want me? Er, romantically?”
“Surely this comes as no surprise considering our last few encounters?”
“Well, yes, your kisses have become more—ardent—lately, but I thought perhaps that you were just trying to be nice. I know you don’t, ah, see me that way.”
David let out a breath and moved to sit next to Sarah. The sexual heat she was inadvertently radiating nearly derailed his thought process, but he knew what he was about to say was important for her to hear and understand, even if he didn’t quite understand it himself.
“Well, it would be foolish of me to tell you that you are wrong about our relationship prior to and, frankly, after our rushed nuptials, but I can assure you that things have, well, changed significantly over the last few days.”
“They have?”
“Yes, quite so.”
A brief smile lit up Sarah’s face, but it quickly turned to one of suspicion.
“Why?”
Caught off guard, David could only repeat the query. “Why?”
“Yes, why. Why now? What has changed? How are things different now than a week ago, a month ago? I’m pretty sure I am the same person I was then.”
“Blast it all,” David burst out, “I don’t know what has changed, I just know that I care for you…differently than I did before. Does it really matter why?”
Sarah looked at him, and David’s sanity hung on her response. If she insisted the two of them examine this new predicament from all sides, he was going to die of unrequited need, because surely such a conversation would douse any and all desire currently racing through his body.
So he sat waiting, with bated breath, on whatever would come out of Sarah Jardin Rochester’s mouth next.
Chapter Ten
Surprising how a smile can be the beginning of love.
—The Duke of Lancaster
Sarah was amazed at how this day was turning out. Did David suddenly love her? He hadn’t said so, but what else could it be? Desire, she supposed. But what was friendship plus desire? Wasn’t that love? Well, if she were being honest with herself, Sarah could admit that there was actually a lot more to it than that. All she could do wa
s examine her own feelings for David.
Did she want him? The answer to that was a resounding yes. The last few encounters with him had proven that. And did she consider him a friend? Of course. That had been true for even longer than she had realized. But there was so much more. She cared more for him than she did herself. She wanted to spend every minute with him. She wouldn’t even give up their boring mealtimes if it meant being in his presence. And as much as he caused her to want to pull her hair out, she would defend him to the hills and back if anyone else said a word against him. There were parts of how she felt that were impossible to even put into words.
And while she was growing more sure of what he meant to her, David was only now becoming accustomed to thinking of her as more than just an obligation. The fact that he could admit he wanted her, and that his feelings were changing for her, should be taken positively. At least she hoped so.
Therefore, the question remained. Why had his feelings changed? And were they going to change even further? Sarah was sure David was honest in his response. He didn’t know why. And she got the impression that he didn’t like that he didn’t know. After living for so long on impulse and strictly for himself, he had made a concerted effort to grow up. To gain a conscience and to take responsibility for his actions. She applauded him for that. But it would stand to reason that after making such a change in his life, he didn’t like not knowing why he was feeling or acting a certain way.
Should she push him to examine his feelings? Would doing so drive him away or bring him closer? She definitely wanted the latter.
Sarah suddenly realized that she was having a conversation with herself, in her head. She hadn’t spoken a word aloud for nearly a minute. This was so unlike her, she had to wonder at herself. Under normal circumstances, she would have been already peppering David with all these questions. Why wasn’t she now? Could it be she was learning to keep some thoughts to herself?
Perhaps, just as David was learning new things about himself and about her, she was learning, too? And would talking about the new change help her figure it out? Maybe, but perhaps the feelings were too new to want to explore. Maybe she just wanted to enjoy this new-found power of hers.
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