by Heather Boyd
Her breath caught as Gideon smiled at the woman.
Acid burned in her belly as he continued to talk as if he was in no hurry to leave Mrs. Beck’s side.
He was called to his horse then and joined Lord Rafferty, who was already mounted and ready to ride. Mrs. Beck followed Gideon, too, while Jessica silently fumed. How dare he encourage that woman after their kiss last night?
Lord James cleared his throat. “Can I assist you down, my lady?”
She scowled. “What? Oh, I’m fine right where I am.”
Her pulse grew loud as Mrs. Beck cast Gideon the most flirtatious smile Jessica had ever witnessed.
In public!
The harpy was practically drooling over her Giddy!
Her breath caught. “Oh, no,” she whispered.
“Is something the matter, my lady? Do you need a refreshment or perhaps to sit in the shade?”
She glanced at Lord James, annoyed by his suggestion. She was no wilting wallflower who needed coddling, even if her heart had really begun to pound in her chest. “I am not in distress.”
But she was in a way. She’d like nothing more than to scratch out Mrs. Beck’s eyes right now for flirting with Gideon when she wanted to.
“Do not let me keep you, Lord James,” she said as she waved her hand in his vague direction.
Lord James withdrew, but Jessica couldn’t move a muscle, more for the shock and wonder filling her soul.
Natalia’s hand stole onto her sleeve, distracting her from her stunning realization. “Lady Jessica,” Natalia whispered. “Jess, you are staring…in a rather frightening manner, I must say.”
Jessica blinked and looked down. “You were right,” she whispered. “She means to have him.”
“Do you mean Mrs. Beck? I am ever so sorry. I know you care for him,” she whispered.
“I do,” she whispered. Her chest tightened, and her breath came quick and shallow. “I love him,” she admitted at last.
Dear God, I love Giddy so much. She darted a glance in his direction just as the race began.
He burst away, and she cried out. The crowd’s wild cheers drowned out the sound. Within minutes, he and Lord Rafferty were just a spec of shadow disappearing around the first corner in the road.
Natalia hugged her quickly. “I know you love him.”
“What?”
“I’ve always known,” Natalia said with a half-hidden smirk on her face. “Took you long enough to admit it, but I don’t mind that you didn’t tell me sooner.”
Jessica stared at her friend. “I…I didn’t understand. Not until this moment. How could I not have known my own feelings for him ran so deep?”
Natalia hugged her against her side. “Love is like that, and I suppose it is not at all surprising, given the way he is around you.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s always there, but makes light of your friendship. It is easy to miss his interest.”
Jessica’s heartbeat began to thunder in her ears. “Gideon is interested in me?”
“Oh, yes. It quickly became apparent to me once I spent a little time in your orbit. That the gentleman sees no other lady but you. He moves with you, though he tries to hide what he’s doing. And you are always talking about him.”
Jessica’s face burst over with heat and shy pleasure. “I didn’t realize.”
Natalia shook her. “That is what makes you both an adorable couple. I don’t know why he hasn’t spoken up yet, but he should have long ago.”
Because he never meant to marry anyone. Because of the way his own father had treated him as a boy.
Jessica closed her eyes. “What can I do?”
“Nothing until they come back,” Natalia murmured, and then tugged on her arm. “Come on. I’m desperately in need of a cup of punch if there is any left.”
Jessica smiled quickly. “If there isn’t, Cook will find something for us to drink anyway if we ask.”
“I would be happy with water, honestly. It has become quite warm, hasn’t it?”
She glanced at Natalia, and saw her friend was grinning madly. “Indeed,” she agreed.
They clambered down unaided, leaving Paulson to stay behind with the gig, and strolled through the crowd arm in arm.
But Jessica’s heart continued to beat wildly in her chest. She was in love with a man she’d never doubted would always be there when she needed him. Was it her turn to show him he didn’t need to be alone after all?
A pleasant warmth filled her body at the idea of pursuing her own husband. Giddy had made a good show of pretending not to want to kiss her when he might have wished to do so very much. Oh, how she must have tortured him with her request for lessons. She would have to make it up to him.
Soon.
As they drew closer to a linen-covered table, a pair of chattering ladies cut across their path. Mrs. Napier turned, and then fell into step beside Jessica. “Isn’t it a lovely day, Lady Jessica? My sister and I have been quite diverted by all the chatter. We are enthralled by Mr. Whitfield’s beautiful grounds, too.”
“Of course.” Jessica changed direction when she saw the punch bowl was empty and the servants missing, but Mrs. Napier and her sister kept pace with them still.
“If you will indulge me. Lady Jessica Westfall, I must have the pleasure of introducing my dear sister, Mrs. Alice Beck, lately of Bath.”
Jessica stopped walking and studied the other woman. She was pale, stiff-postured, arms held across her body as if she was extremely uncomfortable.
Jessica extended her hand, offering it to shake even though she had wanted nothing to do with the woman minutes ago.
After a brief hesitation, Mrs. Beck extended her right hand.
Jessica caught an expression of pain that flickered over Mrs. Beck’s face before their palms connected. “How do you do?”
Mrs. Beck shook Jessica’s hand lightly, and even so, she noticed the woman winced. “Very well, thank you.”
Jessica released Mrs. Beck quickly and the widow hugged her arm to her body immediately. The woman was injured and trying not to show it.
Jessica glanced at Mrs. Napier, whose smile revealed nothing—no concern, no guilt, either—but she had a tight grip on her sister’s other arm. She returned her attention to Mrs. Beck. “I heard you have children.”
“Yes, two boys.”
“I simply adore children. Are they here today?”
Mrs. Beck shook her head. “Not today.”
“They were left home, doing chores,” Mrs. Napier cut in. “A little work is excellent exercise for idle minds.”
Yet Mrs. Beck’s expression suggested otherwise, and they were her children. Not Mrs. Napier’s. Jessica did not like the way Mrs. Napier crowded her sister, either. She appeared to be almost a hostage.
“Well, I look forward to meeting them one day. Perhaps you and your sons could visit the duchess tomorrow at ten o’clock, Mrs. Beck. I understand from Mr. Whitfield that we have a common interest.”
“I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of my sister soon,” Mrs. Napier said smugly. “Why, you never know, one day you could be very close neighbors indeed.”
There was an obvious hint that Gideon was pursuing Mrs. Beck. Impossible for Jessica to miss or refute right now.
“I don’t know about becoming neighbors,” Mrs. Beck said quickly, a blush climbing her cheeks. “But I would like to meet the Duchess of Stapleton very much.”
Jessica nodded. Once she got Mrs. Beck alone, she would discover the source of that injury and judge her intentions toward Gideon for herself. “We were just on our way to see what is keeping Mr. Whitfield’s servants,” Jessica muttered. “If you will excuse us.”
She bid goodbye to Mrs. Napier and pulled Natalia away, her mind in a whirl. It seemed Mrs. Beck might not be the one pushing for a marriage with Whitfield after all. But Mrs. Beck did want something from Gideon, she was sure of that, too.
“Mrs. Napier is not happy you did not invite her to visit the duchess,
” Natalia warned in a quiet voice.
“I have my reasons for not wanting her there tomorrow.” Mrs. Beck might be willing to speak freely without her tormentor, or tormentor’s wife, silencing her.
Jessica knocked on the door to the servants’ quarters and called out to Mrs. Harrow. From within, she heard the sound of rushing feet.
“Oh, is that you, Lady Jessica?”
“It is.” Jessica hurried up the hall toward the kitchen. “Is anything amiss, Mrs. Mills?”
“It’s Mrs. Harrow! She’s taken a spell.”
Jessica rushed inside to find Gideon’s housekeeper slumped over the kitchen table. She went to the woman and pressed her fingers to Mrs. Harrow’s brow, noting the perspiration damping her hot skin, and then her wrist. “We should take her to her room.”
Together, they half-carried the wilting housekeeper into her chambers and onto her narrow bed. The room was dim and cool, much better than the stifling kitchens, where the ovens were warming the air. “Mrs. Mills, you may leave her in my care. Please make sure Mr. Whitfield’s guests have refreshments outside.”
“You shouldn’t trouble yourself over me, my lady,” Mrs. Harrow insisted, trying to rise. “I’ll be better in a moment.”
“You’ve never been sick a day in your life, Mrs. Harrow,” Jessica murmured, pressing a damp cloth to her brow that Natalia had thought to bring. “Just lie there and let me take care of you.”
“Should we send for help?” Natalia asked as she fluttered a book about to create a breeze.
“No, not the doctor,” Mrs. Harrow begged in fear, clutching at Jessica’s hand.
“Shh,” Jessica murmured, knowing many servants were terrified by men of medicine. “I think it is just the heat of the day, but it might be wise to have a second opinion.”
“I was just too warm all of a sudden. I couldn’t catch my breath.”
She thought a moment, and then turned to Natalia. “Could you find one of the older female servants from Stapleton and send them to me? There are a few here today. They will know what needs to be done for Mrs. Harrow.”
From outside, the crowd cheered loudly and Jessica looked toward the window. “Is that the race ending already?”
“It might be,” Natalia suggested. “Shall I go and see?”
Jessica glanced at her timepiece, noting only fifteen minutes seemed to have passed. “Please do. If Mr. Whitfield has returned, send him to me.”
When Natalia was gone, Jessica touched the older lady’s cheeks and then refreshed the cloth with cool water. She perched on the edge of the bed and smiled down at the housekeeper. “I think you’re looking much better now, but you are not to move a muscle when Mr. Whitfield comes in.”
Mrs. Harrow plucked at the blanket beneath her. “Never thought I’d live to see the day when a Westfall lady would tend a servant of Quigley Hill.”
“It is no trouble,” Jessica promised. “May I ask you a personal question, about the late Mrs. Whitfield?”
“The master’s mother?”
Jessica nodded. “Was she ever frightened of her husband?”
Mrs. Harrow’s gaze darted away but then she nodded. “She never complained.”
“Did Gideon know what was going on?”
“Of course he did. Tried to stop his father, too, when he were young, only ended up getting more of the same. He was such a sweet little lad. His father tried to beat that goodness out of him.” Mrs. Harrow suddenly caught her hand, eyes wide with fright. “You won’t tell him I told you, will you?”
“Never, and thank you,” Jessica murmured but her mind raced. Gideon had always been extremely protective of women, and now she knew why.
Jessica put her finger to her lips and made a shushing noise as heavy footsteps raced toward the room.
“What the devil is going on?” Gideon asked as he burst into the room, eyes a little wild as he stared at Mrs. Harrow.
“I am sorry, sir.”
Jessica pressed the housekeeper back down when she tried to rise and turned toward Gideon. “Could we speak outside?”
He gulped and nodded, eyes a little wild still.
Jessica reminded Mrs. Harrow to rest and stepped outside, drawing the door closed behind them. “I think it is just a faint brought on by the heat of the day. I’ve sent Miss Hawthorne to fetch a second opinion from an older Stapleton servant, though.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “She’s never sick.”
“It happens.” There were matters that affected women later in life, not that she could discuss them with Gideon. “I am confident one of the women I’ve sent for will offer the best advice for Mrs. Harrow.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
She smiled up at him. “Are you happy?”
He looked up at her sharply. “Of course not.”
“I meant about the race. You made excellent time today.”
Gideon’s expression changed to annoyance. “I did not best Lord Rafferty today. He forfeited the win.”
She blinked. “How could he do that?”
“The man stopped in the shade to drink before we’d gone half a mile. He never intended to complete the usual course.”
She laughed. “Perhaps Lord Rafferty wanted an excuse to refill your cellars with his wine?”
“It wasn’t a fair race. I cannot accept the winnings.”
She patted his sleeve. “You’re always so concerned with doing what is right. It’s one of the things I love about you, but I’m glad you’re the acknowledged winner. Now you must escort me to the next ball.”
“It isn’t right to hold you to that wager,” he said stubbornly.
She looked at him directly. “Do you not wish to claim the very first dance with me?”
“Yes, but…” His jaw clenched briefly.
The Stapleton housekeeper rushed up to her. “You sent for me, my lady?”
She turned away from Gideon and led the woman back to the housekeeper’s room. “Yes, Mrs. Harrow is feeling poorly. Would you mind tending her for now and would you send for the doctor if you believe her condition warrants it?”
“Yes, my lady,” she agreed.
As soon as the woman had gone into Mrs. Harrow’s room, she returned to Gideon’s side. “No buts.”
His brow furrowed. “Our dance should be late in the evening. After you’ve had a chance to dance with the younger bachelors.”
A shiver raced up her spine at his statement. He was denying himself, and she realized he’d always put himself last. “The first dance is yours, Gideon Whitfield, and if you don’t claim it, I will not dance for the whole of the night.”
He frowned. “But you love dancing.”
“With you,” she promised him, noting his brows rose in surprise. “I love dancing in your arms. You are my favorite partner and always will be. I always feel safe with you.”
He shook his head. “You shouldn’t.”
She looked at Gideon, her heart pounding hard against her ribs. “I wish you wouldn’t try to push me away.”
He looked away suddenly, and her heart ached for him. “I need to tell you something before you hear it from someone else. I have changed my mind about Mrs. Beck.”
Jessica rushed to cover his lips with her fingers. “Whatever you were about to say, don’t do it.” She stared into his eyes grimly. “I know you through and through, Gideon Whitfield. You are a good man. Kind, compassionate, and very gentle. You’re willing to help anyone. But I saw Mrs. Beck today. She sees you as her savior from what I suspect is a terrible situation.”
“What do you know about it?” he asked around her finger.
“Enough to intervene. I will speak to Mother tonight and Mrs. Beck will be helped, financially.”
The air whooshed from Gideon’s lungs. “Thank you.”
“No man should ever marry a woman just to save her from pain someone else is causing her. That is not fair to you, when you deserve so much more.” She dragged her finger from his lips slowly. “Promise me you won’t
ask her.”
He sagged even more. “I promise.”
“I will hold you to that,” she warned. Relief that he would remain a bachelor made her smile again. “I know being my friend must be difficult for you. You must bite your tongue quite a lot so that you don’t shock me. But you don’t have to do that anymore. You can always confide in me too. I’ve always been full of questions, and I have a lot to learn still. You’ve always been there for me, and I want to do the same.”
His expression grew stricken. “You don’t understand.”
Jessica touched his face. “Not until you share your secrets with me, too?”
To that, he seemed to have no response.
She smiled sadly. “I’m not a little girl anymore, Giddy. I’m not content with the crumbs of your attention. I want it all. I trust you completely. I have since I was a child.”
He nodded slowly, and then shook his head. “I do care about you, Jessica.”
The passion in his kiss wasn’t pretend. But to have more, he’d have to want it, too. “I know.”
He looked away.
She waited but she couldn’t force him to reveal that he might love her. He’d had a long time to become this way. If they were to have any future together, he’d have to admit that he wanted more for his life. She waited a little longer then sighed. “I had better go before anyone comes looking for me.”
Jessica stepped around him and walked away with a heavy heart.
Chapter 13
Gideon pushed his hair from his eyes and settled his hat back on his head, but his heart was pounding so hard against his ribs he was almost breathless. As much as he hated disappointing Jessica, he had no choice. She was never meant for someone like him. The kiss had been a terrible mistake he couldn’t take back.
He followed her outside to the party, knowing there was nothing he could say that would make her understand. They were never meant to be more than neighbors, friends, no matter the astonishing passion that had flared hot between them, catching him completely by surprise. He had overwhelmed her last night, that was all, and she had been swept away by the romance of their midnight rendezvous.
