Page 50 of Regency Whispers: Scandalous Matches

Jane shook her head then moved to the window, pulling back the curtains.

Outside the street was buried under a thick layer of snow and delicate snowflakes were still falling from the sky.

‘That’s fallen quickly,’ Jane said, surprised. It had been after midnight when she had walked home with Lucy and Captain Weyman and although it had been overcast there hadn’t been any hint of snow. Lord Mountjoy had been predicting more snowfall for weeks despite the colder months supposedly being over and she knew he would be pleased his predictions had come true.

‘I do love the snow,’ Lady Mountjoy said, coming in and perching on the cushions of the window seat. ‘Years ago, Lord Mountjoy and I considered spending a prolonged period abroad. One of the things that made us decide to stay in England was the way the countryside looked in the snow.’

‘A snowy day in London is a little different, I suppose,’ Jane said. They’d had some snow a month or so earlier, a few days where the rivers had frozen over and the streets had been treacherous in the ice. At the time Jane had been focussed on finishing the book she’d been working on and had ventured out only once or twice.

‘It does not hold a patch on Somerset in the winter,’ Lady Mountjoy said with a smile. ‘But London does have charms of its own. Perhaps Mr Stewart might take you to experience some of them.’

Jane looked up sharply, knowing Lady Mountjoy was not aware of anything that had gone on the night before, but feeling her cheeks burn all the same.

‘I expect he will be busy with Edward.’

‘Of course, it will probably be Edward’s first time in the snow.’

Jane nodded, trying to ignore the ache inside that made her yearn to be there with them. This was an unacceptable feeling. Pure desire, physical attraction, she could dismiss as something primal and subconscious, something she was not in control of. Admitting that there was anything more than the physical was far too perilous. She shouldn’t even have had a flash of an image of Tom, little Edward and her cocooned together as a happy family.

‘You could offer to accompany them on whatever outing they decide,’ Lady Mountjoy said, trying to look nonchalant.

‘I wouldn’t want to impose.’

‘I doubt it would be an imposition. Mr Stewart seems to enjoy your company.’ Lady Mountjoy paused, as if considering whether to say any more. ‘You mustn’t fear his reputation, Miss Ashworth. Mr Stewart is a good man, one of the best, despite the awful example his father set for him.’

Jane knew she shouldn’t pry, knew that if it was something Tom wished her to know he would have divulged it himself, but she was intrigued by Tom’s past, by his background.

‘Was his father that terrible, then?’

‘He’s always kept the details close to his chest, but the Stewarts are an incredibly wealthy family,’ Lady Mountjoy said, gazing out of the window. ‘Yet at the first opportunity Rebecca Stewart elopes and is never heard from again and Thomas Stewart joins the army. He’s the only son, in a family richer than most of the titled aristocracy, yet he goes and risks his life unnecessarily.’

‘I can’t imagine wanting to get away so badly.’

‘No,’ Lady Mountjoy agreed. ‘Even when Mr Stewart was injured his father visited only once, I am told.’

‘No wonder he isn’t keen to tread the traditional path of marriage and family.’ Jane’s eyes widened as she realised what she had just said. Lady Mountjoy was an astute woman; it would only take one slip for their whole deception to come crashing down.

Trying not to overreact, Jane threw a cautious glance at the countess and gave a silent groan as she saw the quizzical look on the older woman’s face.

‘Has he told you that?’

Jane shook her head. ‘No, but it is what everyone says about him. They tell me he is a rake, a man who does not care for the niceties of polite society, yet he is still accepted into the ballrooms and dinner parties with open arms. He is forgiven his sins because of his charm and his easy smile.’

‘And what do you think?’

‘He’s not a rake,’ Jane said thoughtfully. ‘Not in the traditional sense. He knows what he enjoys, and allows himself to indulge in that enjoyment, but never if it would hurt someone. The sins that people whisper about, they aren’t real, that is why he is so easily forgiven. There is no one he has wronged, no one to hold a grudge.’

‘I think that is a very astute observation, Miss Ashworth. You obviously know him well.’

Jane thought of the way their bodies had swayed together in the darkness, the softness of his lips on hers.

‘I know him a little, but what I do know I like.’

‘And I can tell he likes you,’ Lady Mountjoy said.

Looking away, Jane tried to stop the tears forming in her eyes. She knew he did like her. She could tell it by how easy they were in each other’s company. They could talk for hours, debate the issues that interested them, speak more gently about personal matters. She also knew that he desired her from the flare of passion in his eyes, the firm way he had grasped her and the pure hunger in his kiss. Even though she couldn’t quite understand it, she knew it was true.

He might like her, might even desire her, but Jane knew it wasn’t enough. From the very start he had made his priorities clear, and a few fumbled kisses he probably already regretted would not change that.