AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Caught by surprise, Evie looked up, blinking stupidly at him. He sat up and raked his hand through his hair. “I got carried away. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said without looking at her.
Evie didn’t know what to say to that. Did she say it was all right, even if it wasn’t? Should she say the fault was hers, even though she wasn’t certain it was? Even if she knew what to say, her tongue refused to cooperate after that moment of pure red-hot passion. Her body still tingled all over.
Gabriel stood and walked to the washbasin. He splashed his face several times with the water, then stood in silence, his hands braced on the washbasin, his head bowed.
Evie took the time to sit up on the bed and adjust her clothing. She was in the process of re-pinning her hair when he finally spoke.
“We should head back to London.” His voice was still hoarse. “I’ll wait for you outside while you change.”
Evie opened her mouth to reply, but Gabriel walked swiftly to the door and exited the room without a backward glance.
* * *
What was it about the girl that made him all randy with just one kiss? He couldn’t quite figure it out. He was always easily aroused. That was not new. But he enjoyed kissing and foreplay as much as he enjoyed the act itself and sometimes could spend hours indulging in it. With her, he just wanted to throw her skirts up and have his way with her. It was probably the dry spell. He’d get himself a nice, willing woman at the next village and…
He looked up at the window of the room they’d occupied at the inn. He didn’t want any random woman. He wanted his wife.How bourgeois. He smiled to himself.
No, he wouldn’t be able to bed anyone else until their wretched trip was over. But he couldn’t have her either. Luckily, London was full of women willing to fill his bed. And once Evie moved away, he’d be free to do as he pleased, without the thoughts of her intruding on him all the time. Now that he was rich again, he could indulge in as many lovers as he wished without feeling like a whore.
Gabriel washed with the frigid water by the inn and changed into cleaner clothes. The water helped sober him up, and his bruises seemed to hurt less.
When he was more or less presentable, he went to the inn counter to find them a carriage. He could not ride with her on his lap anymore. That was just plain painful now. Since Gabriel had let his carriage go back to London, however, they needed to find themselves another vehicle. And Gabriel knew just where to find one.
His wife owned an estate in Carlisle. All they needed was to get there, and afterward, they’d travel back to London in style. In the duchess’s carriage. Perhaps they would even have outriders with them. The thought landed a satisfied smirk on his face.
No carriages were available for lent, but to his luck, he found an elderly couple who were traveling south toward Lancaster.
Evie was out by the time he strapped their valises on the outside of the elderly couple’s carriage. She looked at him questioningly as she made her way toward him.
“I’ve found us a ride,” he said merrily, waggling his eyebrows at her. “Mr. and Mrs. Adley, I am pleased to introduce you to my wife, Evie St. Clare, the Duchess of Somerset.” He smiled at the elderly couple and then looked at his wife’s dumbfounded expression. He realized this was the first time she had been introduced officially as Evie St. Clare. For some reason, he realized that he liked the sound of that. True, she would never carry his title, not that he wished she would. He wasn’t fond of it, either. Perhaps he could wear hers?
“A duke and a duchess, my-my.” The elderly woman clapped her hands.
“No-no, my dear wife is the duchess. I am a simple viscount. My lady wife,” he said and turned to Evie. “Mr. and Mrs. Adley were gracious enough to give us a ride all the way to Carlisle. I told them we had carriage trouble on our way here that probably won’t get fixed soon.” He winked at her and reached to hand her into the carriage.
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Adley.” Evie smiled at them sweetly. “How generous of you to give us a ride.” She climbed into the carriage and eyed the interior in horror as she realized the elderly couple had taken the forward-facing seats.
“Will you be all right?” Gabriel instantly recognized her distress. “You see”—he turned to the elderly couple—“my wife is in a delicate condition, oomph!” He earned a jab in his ribs from his wife’s elbow but continued. “She gets ill in the rear-facing seat. Is it all right if she switches seats with one of you?”
“Oh, of course, my dear,” both of them grumbled as Mr. Adley vacated his seat and sat opposite his wife.
“Thank you, I appreciate it very much.” Evie smiled at the elderly couple and shot daggers at Gabriel with her gaze once she was seated.
“Oh, not at all. I might be old, but I still remember what it’s like to be with child,” the woman said kindly.
“But we never traveled when you were in a delicate condition,” the old man noted. “The young people today are not afraid of anything. And to be accosted by thugs! My-my!”
Gabriel had to tell a tale of a broken carriage and thugs to explain their disheveled state, his bruised face, and their lack of a vehicle.
“You must be careful with that,” Mrs. Adley agreed. “All kinds of misfortunes happen on the road. And you are much too thin for your condition; you must eat more. Here, I have some biscuits in a basket somewhere.”
“Thank you for worrying, but eating during travel makes me ill,” Evie said apologetically.
“That is why one shouldn’t travel in your condition,” exclaimed Mr. Adley.
Gabriel shot her a laughing gaze while Evie narrowed her eyes on him.
“They are right, you know,” Gabriel drawled. “You need to eat more.”
“Thank you, dear,” she said pointedly. “I would rather have a nap, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, of course,” Mrs. Adley chimed in. “When I was carrying my first child, I used to sleep in all sorts of situations. One time, I fell asleep during a dance, on the dancefloor!”
With that came a story of every single time Mrs. Adley was with child—which was a lot—and how that affected her moods, her lifestyle, and her eating habits. As it turned out, the Adleys had eight children, so the narrative went on for a while.
