“What can I say? I care more deeply for you than a mere friend should. When we kissed that night at the ball, you stole a piece of my heart. I want to spend time with you to not only see you safely to your grandfather, but also for you to see the real me.”
Leah squeezed his hand. “Thank you for your honesty, James. But could we agree to start our journey together with just being friends? I am not sure what else I am capable of feeling right now.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
She gave him a shy smile. “James Radley, you are full of surprises.”
They agreed to set out later that morning on the road to Exeter. By leaving later each day, they would avoid the early morning mail coaches as they came thundering through on the main road.
Breakfast would be taken in the secure privacy of their room, with Leah remaining out of sight as much as possible. At day’s end, they would find lodgings at an inn in one of the villages off the main London-to-Exeter coach route.
It was comforting to know that someone else had her best interests at heart. James may have failed her by not getting Guy to give up on his marriage proposal, but he appeared to be doing everything he could to make amends. However, his confession of having feelings for her beyond that of mere friends left her wary. She was still undecided as to how much she could trust him.
The carriage James had hired the previous night was only big enough for his travel trunk and their bags to fit inside, leaving both he and Leah with no option but to ride upfront behind the horse. His profuse apologies over the size of the barouche were touching. She’d politely refused his offer to hire a bigger carriage with a driver. She didn’t want to take any more of his money.
“This could be fun without a driver. Who knows? You might even let me hold the reins at some point,” she said.
A single raised eyebrow was the only response she got from James. Leah stifled a grin. She recalled the game of lawn bowls and his silly hijinks with his cousin Francis. James was in possession of a pleasing sense of humor.
She found herself wanting to get to know him better, to understand the man behind the easy smile. Apart from the odd comment that Claire had shared about her brother, Leah didn’t know much about James Radley at all. She knew him to be a caring man, one who was prepared to race after a fleeing bride and ensure that she spent her failed wedding night under his protection in a warm, comfortable bed, with a belly full of hearty stew and spicy ale. There was a lot to be said about that sort of man.
While James and two of the porters wrangled his trunk into the back of the barouche, Leah stood to one side and studied him. She appreciated what she saw. Strong muscular arms and broad shoulders spoke of a life which extended beyond the mere social pastimes of theton. Her gaze settled on his well-formed rear and she softly smiled.
She turned away quickly from her private observation of him when he reached down and picked up her travel bag. In the cool air of the morning, she felt the heat of embarrassment burning on her cheeks. Her study of James Radley had not been with the right amount of cool, detached interest that society would demand of a young unmarried woman. Leah had broken so many rules over the past day, she doubted she would ever be able to follow the strictures of polite society again. She would live the rest of her life on her own terms. This morning she had woken the same as she had for all her life, a spinster, and for that she was thankful.
“Are you ready to leave?” James asked.
Praying that the heat on her cheeks had faded, Leah took a step forward. Yesterday had been a day when she had played out a long-rehearsed scenario. Everything had been planned down to the last detail.
Today, however, would be different.
Instead of taking the mail coach alone onto Exeter at first light, she was about to embark on an adventure with the beguiling James Radley. A bubble of excitement sat in her stomach. The fear she had felt during most of the previous week, and especially in the early hours of yesterday morning, was mostly gone. James made her feel if not completely safe, then at least protected.
James held out his hand. It was a high step into the driver’s seat. Gathering her skirts, Leah looked for a suitable foothold. It would require an inelegant move for her to make it all the way up there.
“It might be easier if you would permit me to lift you,” he said.
The notion of him placing his hands on her waist and lifting her into the carriage was more than a little outrageous. The thought had her mouth suddenly going dry. It wasn’t the first time that James had touched her. Memories ofthatkiss still lingered in her mind. The scent of his cologne had been heady enough. The moment their lips touched; her mind had gone utterly blank. He had held her prisoner in his sensual embrace, their tongues dancing over one another. The taste of his brandy had been a sharp, but welcome . . .oh.
The sensation of heat racing down her spine, along with other secret parts of her body becoming suddenly warm, had her breathing hard. Her peaked nipples lay flush against the bodice of her gown. She had never been so affected by a man before. Just the thought of his strong hands on her body had her quivering with anticipation.
She looked at James with his arms held out. It was beyond proper behavior for her to even be considering what he was suggesting. But then again, for all intents and purposes she was already ruined. She had shared a room with him the previous night; them both being fully clothed mattered little in the story of her fall from grace.
If her father didn’t come chasing after her, he would make damn certain she would never be able to make a suitable marriage. She decided that she may as well enjoy her downfall. A girl could only fall once and if it was going to happen to her, she couldn’t think of a more handsome man to crash to earth with.
With a nod of approval, she turned her back to him and James placed his hands about her waist. Just before he lifted her, she caught the now familiar scent of his cologne. If her flight to Cornwall ended with her living out the rest of her days as a spinster, then the memory of his manly smell and strong hands would be one she would treasure in the years to come. She would take comfort in the knowledge that for one brief moment, she had been with a man who made her feel alive. A man who made her believe she could be free.
“Place your feet on the running board, and grab hold of the bar,” he instructed. He firmed his hold on her and lifted her up. Leah placed one foot on the board and reached for the bar. When she began to fall back, James slipped his hands from her waist and pushed hard against her backside. His fingers spread firmly over her buttocks and gripped tight.
“Oh!” she squealed as she was lifted high into the air. She dropped down onto the softly padded seat with an inelegant “oomph.” Reaching for the handrail, she quickly steadied herself. Only when she finally managed to get her feet settled on the wooden runner and had her hands on the rail did her heart begin to slow its fast beat.
The sound of raucous laughter filled her ears. She looked down at James. The saucy devil was doubled over. His shoulders shook. When he eventually managed to look up at her, she caught the sparkle of delighted mirth in his eyes.
Leah giggled; James’s laugh was infectious.
“Oh, I am so sorry. I am . . . bah ha!” He walked around to the other side of the carriage, still chuckling. She watched him place his boot on the side of the barouche and step up with ease to take the driver’s seat. They exchanged a foolish grin as he plopped down beside her.
“I can go and hire a driver,” he finally said after several more snorts of laughter.
