Page 60 of The Return of the Rake

King drank in the sight of her. She wore a gown of fine French blue cloth, tiny silver buttons embellishing the bodice. The collar of a white lace undershirt ornamented her lovely throat with a pretty cameo brooch, and a white underdress with rows of lace was just visible where the gown fell open at the skirt. As ever, she was everything that was elegant and lovely and King wanted her with a force he had never known in all his days.

“You came back,” she said simply.

“So I did,” King replied, grinning at her. He didn’t move, just stood admiring her as he leant an elbow upon the desk and wondered at the speed with which his heart was thudding. He would put his heart on the line for this woman, a thing he had never thought he would ever wish to do, and yet suddenly the prospect was daunting. Surely, such a prize had never been meant for the likes of him.

“And I was wondering if… perhaps you might like to take a little walk with me? I’ve been shut up in a carriage for too long and would like to stretch my legs, but I didn’t want to waste a moment before I saw you.”

Her cheeks turned a little pink, for she knew as well as he did what he was asking. Everyone would see that he had called upon her the moment he arrived, and that she was walking out with him. Soon enough the entire town would know the wicked bastard they had chased out of town was back, and he intended to court Anne Adamson.

“If you would give me a moment, I will fetch my pelisse,” she said, and turned, hurrying away.

King let out a breath, surprised by the relief he felt. Well, the first hurdle had been cleared. If only there were not so many left to leap over.

Anne did not keep him waiting long, reappearing in a pelisse of the same blue fabric as the gown. Her bonnet was trimmed with ribbons of the same shade and white ostrich feathers, and pride swelled in his chest as she took his arm, and he escorted her down the steps of the hotel and out into the town.

They walked down towards the sea, and King was glad to discover the promenade bustling with people. It seemed to be the day that the shops took deliveries, for there were carts filled with goods being offloaded, as well as a fellow who had set up selling hot chestnuts. Many of the local children had crowded about, for the vendor had a pet monkey that ran about among them, stealing hats and causing much merriment. The redcoats Dearborn had mentioned were also milling about, whilst some of the local girls, huddled with their friends, giggled and sent the men admiring glances.

“You look very beautiful, Anne,” he said, causing her to glance up at him.

She smiled, holding his gaze. “I’m glad you think so. I admit, I wondered if the delights of London might draw you back in, and my allure might seem a frail temptation set against such glamour and excitement as you’d find there.”

“Don’t be a fool,” he said with a snort. “Your allure is far from frail, as I am quite certain you are aware.”

“Are you accusing me of fishing for compliments, sir?” she demanded, a brief flash of spirit lighting her eyes.

King laughed, delighted by her as always. “If you were, there’s no need, I assure you. I am perfectly willing to tell you I have never seen a woman as lovely as you in all my days. I should consider it a privilege to tell you so every day of my life too. Devil take it, Anne, I missed you something fierce,” he said, his tone low and forceful.

If he had expected her to blush and turn away, he’d have been wrong, for she held his gaze.

“I have missed you fiercely too,” she said, her bold words stealing his breath, what little he had to call upon as his heartbeat thundered so erratically. “I ought not to admit it, but I have been counting the hours and the days, waiting for you to come back again. I was never gladder than just now when I saw you standing in the foyer.”

“Well, what a state we are in,” he said ruefully.

She laughed. “Indeed. Whatever are we to do about it?”

They walked on a little farther as King collected his thoughts and told himself to get on with it before he lost his nerve. They nodded a greeting to Captain Underwood, who returned it before hailing his men and marching them out of the town.

“I have some thoughts about that, if you’d be interested in listening,” he said, wondering if she would be indignant at his daring to place himself in her future, not only personally, but professionally. King smiled as she sent him a rather impatient look.

“I have been driving myself quite out of my mind trying to imagine what the plans you spoke of could be, so yes, I would be interested, you wretched devil,” she said dryly.

“Then I shall tell you,” he said soberly. “But before I do, I must know, what plans do you have for the future, and do not tell me you have none, for I know you are an ambitious creature.”

She smiled at that and looked rather smug, which only delighted him further still.

“I am going to build a new hotel,” she said, the words ringing with pride. “I have already bought the land over to the west there. It faces the sea, but it is high enough and set far enough back not to be at risk of flooding. It will be a grand place, fit for the nobility, with all modern conveniences, and even a ballroom. There, what do you think of that?” she asked, a look on her face somewhere between triumph and defiance, as if he might laugh at her audacity.

King looked down at her, wondering if she could read his gaze as easily as he could hers. The idea was disconcerting, for he felt certain his heart was in his eyes, alongside all his hopes and dreams, and that this slender creature at his side had the power to destroy all of them quite so thoroughly was one that scared him half to death. He’d given no one such power over him, not since he was a foolish child still innocent enough to want his father to love him. Yet, here he was.

“I think,” he said quietly, “that you are a wonder, Mrs Adamson. I have never met a woman like you in all my days, and I cannot believe there is another like you in all the world.”

She blushed, a startling shade that clashed dramatically against her russet-coloured hair, but her eyes glowed with pleasure, and she gazed at him just as he had described Mrs Jenner looking at Captain Dearborn, as if he had hung the moon for her alone.

“And you, Mr King—”

“Jasper,” he corrected, waiting for her to say it.

“Jasper,” she said obediently, making his name sound different from anything he’d ever heard before. When she said it, his name sounded like that of a successful man, one due respect and worthy of love and admiration, and he savoured it, knowing he would replay the sound over and again when he was alone. “What plans do you have?”