Page 34 of Adeline

Yet, his proclamation meant she’d likely be packed up and shoved off toward home at first light. God, Adeline glanced about the room until her gaze settled on a small clock on the table by the windows. Seven o’clock…in the evening.

A meal would likely be served shortly, and then she’d be sent to her chambers for the night, that is if Jasper didn’t demand she dine there alone as she was still outfitted in the damp, borrowed riding habit. She’d paused briefly before sitting on the lounge, worried the water from her skirts would damage the fabric of the furniture, but ultimately, she’d decided her skirting was not saturated enough to cause lasting injury.

“Wonderful, m’lord,” Watson replied with a curt bow to Ailesbury and then Adeline, where she still stood.

“Wait,” Adeline said, stepping away from the lounge. “If you have not traveled beyond the village, how can you be certain your carriage will not suffer the same fate as mine?”

Watson chuckled, and Jasper frowned as she looked between the two men.

The servant spoke first, “Because, m’lord maintains his carriages hisself. He not be overlook’n anythin’, I can say that for certain.”

“He does?” Adeline asked, turning back to Jasper. “That is very interesting. I was aware you owned the plant but—“

“Oh, he be do’n far more than that, miss,” Watson said in a conspiratorial tone, leaning in close to Adeline. “My master looks after the livestock, the crops, and all the repairs—both here and in the village.”

Yet, Adeline had witnessed the villagers turning away from him after he’d risked his own safety to save Grovedale.

“Watson.” The warning in Jasper’s tone was similar to when he’d caught her at the plant. “As I was saying, ready the carriage for Miss Adeline and her maid. Maxwell can ride up top with George to London. They will leave at first light and arrive with the noonday sun.”

The smile fell from Adeline’s face, and her spirits dipped. She would see no further reprieve, gain no more time with Jasper.

“And, as Miss Adeline has voiced concern, I think it best I accompany them to town and the safety of her brother’s townhouse.” The man did not so much as smile at his news, his mouth drawing into a straight, serious line.

“You do not have to do that,” Adeline countered. “I am certain we shall make the journey without incident.”

She would never insist he make the trip to London with her; never expect him to leave his home, his duties, his people to make certain she arrived safely. The prospect of hours nestled in the closed carriage, no one but Jasper and Poppy for company, should excite her after thinking she’d be departing Faversham and would never see the man again. Yet, the idea of Jasper in London terrified her.

He’d lived a sheltered existence at the Abbey. Something he was accustomed to.

Things were not the same in London. People gossiped in parlors, in ballrooms, at the opera, at the playhouse, in the parks, in the gardens…and most never even bothered to lift their fan to hide it.

“It would assuage my gentleman’s honor to know you made the journey safely,” Jasper said as he moved to the sideboard and poured a clear liquid into another polished, glass tumbler. “We shall leave at daybreak, and I shall return not long after nightfall.”

The words were spoken low, as if he were reassuring himself that the decision to accompany her was not the grand mistake Adeline feared it would be.

Lord Ailesbury punctuated the decision by throwing his head back and swallowing the liquid he’d poured from the sideboard.

His resolve instilled a measure of confidence in Adeline at Jasper’s plan.

Abbington stepped into the room once more as Watson bowed and made his departure.

“Dinner, my lord,” the man announced.

“I will take my meal in my room, Abbington.” Jasper set his glass back on the table. “Please see that Miss Adeline eats her fill. I am certain she is ravenous after our long, eventful day.”

He stepped before her, made to take her hand, but paused when he seemed to remember her fingers were bare. Instead, he issued a quick bow and turned to leave the room.

“Until the morrow, Miss Adeline,” he called as he crossed the threshold.

She gave Abbington a weak smile as he gestured for her to proceed him from the room, following in Lord Ailesbury’s wake.

Adeline was most certainly, positively, undoubtedly starving—but not for any food to be had at Faversham Abbey. Her cheeks heated at the thought, and she ducked her head as she passed the butler to hide her flaming face.

Chapter 13

Adeline stretched her arms above her head and arched her back with a low groan, careful not to knock into Poppy, who slumbered on the seat next to her. The maid had been like a hawk the entire journey to London, completely at odds with her less than attentive demeanor while at Faversham Abbey.

And what a comfortable jaunt it had been. Jasper’s traveling coach was as he’d proclaimed, well-maintained and lavish, with an even, smooth ride to match—so far superior to her own family’s carriage she might as well have been riding in a market cart before. Now, she had the sense she traveled like a queen—or at least a princess. As they’d rolled through the small towns on their way from Kent to London, people had stopped to gawk and wave as they passed. Young children dropped whatever they held and ran alongside, shouting their hellos.