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‘Henri, is everything all right? Have you seen another dog?’ Robert noticed all the colour had drained from her face and she stood as still as a marble statue. He grabbed her arm, preparing to shove her behind him. He’d hoped her fear of dogs had gone, but obviously not. Silently he cursed her late husband. He should have taken more care.
‘Look over there.’ She broke free, raised her hand and pointed. ‘That is my aunt’s carriage. I am sure of it. I would recognise the mismatched wheels anywhere. Only my aunt would have one blue wheel and three yellow ones. Sebastian had long lamented the folly of such an arrangement, but Aunt Frances says it makes the carriage distinctive and easy to spot in a crowd.’
‘Then they are here.’ Robert opened his arms, ready to embrace her. ‘Henri, you are a marvel. You found them.’
‘I told you that Sebastian would make for Jedburgh. I knew it! A triumph for woman’s intuition!’ Her face became wreathed in a triumphant smile before her brow knotted. ‘I wonder why they have stopped here. My aunt’s carriage is slower than Sebastian’s curricle, but they still should have made good time.’
‘Why ponder the ways of providence?’ He linked arms with Henri. Cawburn had not made it to the safety of Scotland. He could ensure that Sophie was properly married, rather than being married through Scottish law. There would be no question about Sophie’s marriage lines or tittering behind fans. Sophie would not be ostracised. He’d fulfil his promise to Ravel. ‘Shall we go and find the errant lovers, Henri?’
‘But we will do this discreetly,’ she said firmly, tightening her grip on his arm and holding him back. ‘The last thing we want is a huge scandal that will be all over the Borders and beyond.’
He gave a sigh. What did she think he was going to do—go in and haul Cawburn from the bed he was undoubtedly sharing with Sophie? ‘I want to protect Sophie’s name. There is nothing to be gained by making this a bigger scandal. And there’s a slim possibility that Cawburn can be moulded into a good husband.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, laying her hand on his arm. ‘Nothing is gained through complexity. There’ll be a simple explanation.’
‘I would love to know what it is.’ Robert looked down at Henri’s upturned face. Her blue eyes were troubled. He wanted to take her away from this, take her someplace where they could be together. Somehow, he knew that whatever happened here, she wouldn’t be satisfied. And he refused to give in to her overly simplistic request of waiting. ‘I will give Cawburn a chance to explain, before I pound his face to a pulp. And, Henri, he deserves a beating. You know he does.’
‘But you will give him a chance to say more than two words.’
‘Because you ask, I will give him the chance to say two words.’
The corners of her mouth twitched. ‘Thank you. My cousin believes his features enhance his fortune.’
‘Without them, he’d be a pauper.’
She did not move away from him, but stood there, looking up at him. Her breath fanned his cheek. Giving in to impulse, he lowered his head and drank from her lips. Her sweet mouth opened and he tasted the cool interior. Summoning all his self-control, he broke off the kiss and put her away from him.
‘What was that for?’ she asked, bringing her fingers to her mouth.
‘For luck. You are not going to deny we need all the luck we can get, are you?’
‘I never took you for a superstitious man, Robert.
I thought it was all the modern scientific method with you.’
‘Sometimes, we can all use a fair wind and sunshine.’ His fingers twitched her bonnet into place, making her into the formidable Lady Thorndike again. Robert pressed his lips together. ‘Sometimes, all you can have is hope.’
* * *
Henri entered the smoke-filled public room with trepidation. She lifted her skirt slightly to prevent it from making patterns in the sawdust-strewn floor. A good part of her wished Sebastian would be there, but the other part hoped he wouldn’t. Everything was conspiring against her. With each touch and with every kiss, she fell more in love with Robert and it was becoming impossible to keep a clear head. She knew that if she wanted to keep Robert in her life, she had to be discreet, but discretion was the last thing she wanted to be with Robert.
A variety of farmers, labourers and drovers filled the smoke-wreathed room to bursting. A game of cards was in progress and the sound of voices assaulted her ears. She gave a quick glance around the crowded room and the tension in her shoulders eased slightly.
There in a dark corner with his greatcoat obscuring his face sat Sebastian, morosely nursing a pint of beer. She glanced about the room, but he appeared to be alone; not even her aunt’s coachman sat with him. Her stomach clenched. Something had happened. Sebastian never drank alone. Ever.
