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“Have I offended you?” He sought mildness, but his tone crept into a hostile classification. He clasped his hands. Natural emotional matching, that’s all.
Ursula paused. Her brow knitted and her mouth pursed, twisted to the side in a strange but adorable expression. “No, not at all, at least not today, well at least not a great deal. The other night, you treated me like I was desperate—”
Jay raised an eyebrow.
The cat on her lap stiffened and she stroked the beast’s head. “I could’ve found a plan myself. You’re making matters easier, but I would’ve succeeded on my own. You and I are just different. You don’t offend me, but I just can’t imagine either of us ever speaking to each other if it wasn’t for this plot.”
She was a puzzlement. How to respond? Everything she said was true or should be true, but the recitation, in that calm, assured tone mangled something deep inside his gut.
They hit another bump, and his head connected with the velvet-lined ceiling again. If not for the showy fabric, he’d have passed out. Flamboyance had its perks.
Jay winced through all the discomfort. “That’s fair. Though, I suppose, we’re going to be forced to spend quite a bit of time together these next few weeks, and since we’ve agreed on no physical enjoyment, I’d at least hoped we could try for some decent conversation.”
A wry smile spread over her face at the mention of carnality.
“I’m not sure what we shall converse about, Mr. Truitt, at least for an extended period of time, but speaking with you isn’t a chore. You may not be an intellectual man, but you’re amusing, almost adroit in your dialogue.” She nodded and her smile turned warm because...mercy, that was a compliment. A generous one too—at least in her mind.
Good lord.
Jay threw his head back and did the only thing he could do. He laughed. He laughed so hard Hecate screeched, and Artemis hissed, but he paid them no heed. He just couldn’t stop.
Tears swarmed in his eyes. He should check himself back into the asylum, it would be easier. He was about to make a similar quip, without the confession, when another sound surprised him. Ursula had joined him, hers a loud, full giggle, and damned if that wasn’t the best sound he’d ever heard. He closed his eyes.
Wonders never did cease.
Chapter Four
The three-hour, thirty-mile ride to Philadelphia was much more pleasant than anticipated. True, Ursula wasn’t able to go through as much of the books as she’d scheduled, but who knew Jay Truitt could be entertaining? He’d been to so many interesting places: Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Cairo. She tapped her chin. Well, if one thought about it, he, himself, wasn’t entertaining, more his lifestyle. Though he could tell a story and had witty turns of phrase.
Outside the carriage, she stared at the house in dread. Almost half a city block in size and six stories, just off Delancey Street. It wasn’t ugly, just forbidding. The residents’ disdain for her mother—and by extension, her—wafted off the sedate bricks. So much silence, so many glares.
Why did Jay’s expression have to be so curious when she explained? Or didn’t explain. Because she couldn’t. Because her parents and their past were a mystery. Because reading people might never have been her strong suit, but the air around some topics was too thick, too melancholy, too ominous to traverse. Besides, what did it matter now anyway? Her mother was gone. And never coming back. And without her father...no, she’d be married before that happened.
Rose fiddled with Ursula’s collar and smoothed her immaculate skirt one last time. No doubt every inch of her was flawless. The maid was good.
If only Rose could attend all the parties too, be her companion, her friend. She twisted her pendant. The pink topaz had been one her mother’s favorites. The gold flowers and ribbon detail had glowed against her hair. She’d been so lovely. Why did she have to leave them?
Now though, she’d get to experience the power of the Truitt name, at least for a little while and after that, the Middleton one forever. No one would snub her again. She should be excited.
Footmen retrieved their bags, and the butler ushered them inside, towards the parlor where a series of servants hurried about opening shutters to permit the cool night air inside the room.
Her father, having arrived earlier in the day to meet with their lawyers, rose from a heavy, over-carved, near-black armchair and kissed her on the cheek. Ursula closed her eyes. Safe. Her father would make things all right once more, would protect her.
He shook Jay’s hand. A sheen glistened on her faux fiancé’s brow and her father reached for his handkerchief the moment he released. So someone else developed Hugo’s malady. At least she wasn’t the most out-of-place person in the room, for once.
Judah indicated two young girls, in their late teens, side by side on a deep crimson and yellow silk chaise. The smaller of the two had the same coloring as her father and her aunt—her cousin, Rachel. She was much prettier and softer than the elder Nuneses. Her jet hair and smooth skin shone onyx and pearl, while her deep brown eyes held an almost sweet expression.
The other girl was a different story. Taller and thinner, she possessed a pinched, pink mouth and small eyes that darted from side to side, though most frequently fell on Ursula, well, at least on her neckline.
She shan’t blush, she wouldn’t give the girl the satisfaction. She was what she was, right or wrong, though no matter what she did, she usually lost in that assessment. But why? The dress was of the latest style. Still, Ursula moved to the side, behind Jay’s arm, to keep the most prominent part of her anatomy out of view.
“Mr. Truitt, please meet my niece, Rachel, and her friend, Lydia. My nephew, Isaac,
is about, somewhere, and my brother-in-law will return after the men at Mikveh Israel tire of his browbeating and adjourn their committee meeting,” her father said.
Ursula swallowed. Uncle Bernard. Why couldn’t he be in Newport with her aunt and older cousin and the new baby? The way he asked questions with no correct answers...hopefully he had quite a few gatherings at his beloved hundred-year-old synagogue scheduled over the next few weeks, so she could avoid him altogether.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jay bowed and flashed an almost princely smile. He certainly enjoyed showing off his skill set. She folded her arms before forcing them to her sides.
