Page 61 of Regency Whispers: Scandalous Matches

He stretched and reached for his pocket watch, patting himself down for it, cursing when he realised he must not have brought it out with him the night before. Slowly, working out the stiffness in his muscles as he went, he levered himself up from the chair, pausing as he caught sight of Jane on the bed. Her hair was loose, fanned out on the pillows, one arm thrown up over her head in a casual manner. She still wore her dressing gown, tightly secured, but it had risen up a little, exposing the creamy white skin of her legs.

He shook his head in disbelief. Over the years he’d had liaisons with the most desired courtesans, dallied with women said to be the most beautiful in Europe, but here he was, unable to draw his eyes away from Miss Jane Ashworth’s ankles.

‘Jane,’ he whispered, aware that he needed her to accompany him downstairs to lock up after he had sneaked out through the back door.

‘No,’ she murmured, not opening her eyes and turning away from him.

Smiling into the darkness, he tried again. ‘Jane, you need to wake up.’

This time she flopped an arm over her ear so she wouldn’t have to listen.

Gently he laid a hand on her shoulder and gave her a shake. ‘Jane, you need to let me out before anyone wakes up again.’

He didn’t think she was going to rouse, but after a few seconds his words seemed to sink in and she remembered their predicament. She sat up so fast, they almost banged heads, leaned over her as he was. Luckily he moved quickly, taking a step back and avoiding a sore head for them both.

‘What time is it? Did we fall asleep? This is a nightmare.’

She had leapt out of bed and was already pacing the floor, her words delivered in a low whisper. Tom spotted the clock on the mantelpiece and went over to look, an icy flood of horror spreading through him when he realised it was much later than he had thought. Far from dozing for a few minutes in the chair, he must have been asleep for hours.

‘It is a quarter to seven.’

Jane let out a panicked squeak, a hand flying to her mouth.

‘Cook will be up. The maids will be up. Any moment one of them will be coming in to light my fire.’

‘Can we sneak past them?’

Jane paused for a moment and then shook her head. ‘To get to the back door, you have to go straight past the kitchen.’

‘How about the front door?’

‘I don’t have a key and there isn’t one kept anywhere accessible.’

Tom ran a hand through his hair, aware of the minutes ticking away. Every second they wasted standing here, debating the best way out instead of moving, increased the chance they would be found and if they were found there was no way he was getting out of marrying Jane.

He glanced over at her, taking in the way her hair was ruffled and loose, flowing over her shoulders. There was a beautiful pink glow to her cheeks and a brightness to her eyes. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad waking up to Jane every morning. Or tumbling into bed with her each night.

Silently he reprimanded himself. If they got caught he would, of course, do the right thing and marry Jane, but that didn’t mean it would be a conventional marriage. Already, sometimes when he looked at her he saw a flash of true affection in her eyes. He couldn’t risk that growing any more. Their lives would have to be separate, a marriage in name only, for he knew if he spent even just one night in her bed he would never be able to leave her behind. There was a primal pull between them, something he couldn’t quite describe...something that was very hard to fight.

‘I can’t just stay here,’ he said. ‘We’ll have to risk the kitchen door.’

‘There’s too many people. There is a door leading onto the patio in Lord Mountjoy’s study. The key is in his desk. We might be able to sneak in there if the maids are upstairs lighting the fires.’

‘Good. Let’s go.’ He paused for a second and then turned back to Jane. ‘I’m sorry I came here last night and put your reputation in danger. It was beyond foolish to get that inebriated and allow my head to follow my heart.’

She looked up at him with her big green eyes and Tom got the overwhelming urge to kiss her. He wanted to fold her in his arms and kiss her until the whole household was hammering on the door, demanding to know what was happening inside the room.

‘I forgive you,’ she said with a little half-smile. ‘Now, wait here whilst I go and fetch a glass of water from the kitchen and see where everyone is positioned. If a maid comes in...’ She trailed off, glancing at the wardrobe behind him.

‘You want me to hide in the wardrobe.’

‘It’s better than under the bed.’

‘Be quick,’ he instructed her, watching as she adjusted her dressing gown and smoothed down her hair. It was nice to see her this early in the morning, to see the version of her only her husband would see in the future.

Jane slipped out of the door, clicking it closed behind her, and he slumped back in the chair by the window. He felt drained, probably hung over, but also emotionally drained from being so honest the night before.

Not completely honest. The thought popped into his mind. He had told her everything about his past, all the reasons he could not marry, but he had not told her how much he was tempted to throw all of that to the wind. She tempted him. Every night he fell asleep with her face in his mind, he dreamed of her body pressed against his. Never before had he felt an infatuation like this, the need to be close to her.