AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, of course we shouldliketo be there, but to travel such a great distance only for—”
“We will discuss this at a later time.” Lord Claverley dipped his spoon in the soup that had just been set before him and slurped it with satisfaction.
Conversely, I had lost my appetite.
I stared at the white soup in my bowl and recalled the night in the Fullers’ kitchen when Benedict had first found me and snuck down to convince me to travel home with him. It had been frustrating to see him, of course, but had it not also been something of a relief? I’d been found, told to return to my regular life and to people who cared about me, and saved from further ruining my callused hands. I lifted my hand a little to better see it in the candlelight, and though my fingers were wrapped around the spoon handle, I could see the callouses and hardened skin. Would I have scars? The soap had been harsh, and my skin had once been so soft.
Pressure beneath the table against my knee stole my attention, and I leaned a little toward Benedict. “Calling in your favor so soon?”
His voice was not teasing as he responded. “I will let nothing happen to you.”
I could not joke now, not after hearing the strength that marched along his words. I turned to look at him again, my soup forgotten. “I was only just thinking about the Fullers’ kitchen.”
His knee pressed again into mine, and he left it there. “You will never have a reason to run away again. Not if I can help it.”
It was then, without any thought for what I was doing, that I slid my hand beneath the table and pressed it softly to his arm where it was resting on his lap, before retrieving my napkin to dab at my lips. The action was so quick and smooth, I was positive no one else could possibly have noticed it. But from the way Benedict’s forearm muscles had bunched during that brief connection, and from how still he had grown afterward, I was certain it had some effect on him.
Which was a little concerning, because it had certainly had an effect on me.
Chapter21
BENEDICT
Lord Claverley had been doing his utmost to put himself into a position where he could be close to Thea all evening, and I was about ready to take the man by the cravat and throw him from the house. Had he always been this way? If so, why the devil had I not noticed it before now? He was ridiculous in his attempts to sit beside her on the sofa, and I was not positive, but I was nearly certain he pressed his shoe to hers beneath the table while we were playing whist from the way that she startled and looked at me—perhaps questioning if I was the culprit.
But that hadn’t been me. The only time I’d dropped all semblance of being a gentleman and touched her tonight was an attempt to gather her attention during dinner. I wanted her to continue to feel safe as she had before coming to Chelton. I was responsible for her being here, but above that, I cared about her.
The second time I’d pressed my knee to hers had not been quite as innocent. It had been a product of the overwhelming urge I had to be near her.
I supposed I could understand why Claverley desired to be near her as well, but the man needed to rein it in. He was married, and his behavior entirely inappropriate. It was no wonder Thea had been adamant about not going to stay at his house. I swallowed hard, fighting the burning rage that filled my body with fury.
Lady Claverley yawned for the fourth time in the last quarter hour, and her husband shot her another irritated glance. “I suppose we ought to be on our way,” he said. He looked to James. “Though it is rather dark, and the roads might have ice.”
“It did not rain today,” I said.
There was only a beat of silence before James cleared his throat. “All the same, if you would like to stay the night, we would be more than happy to accommodate you.”
“Yes, I can speak to Mrs. Prescott straight away and have her make up a room,” Felicity said.
Panic seized Lady Claverley’s face in a way that shocked me. “It did not rain, as Benedict said. I’m certain we would not wish to put anyone out when our ride home is not so very great a distance. We have done it before numerous times.”
“It would be safer—”
“But Gwenny,” she pleaded. “She will certainly be missing me already. And poor Nurse is always so glad when we arrive home, for I can soothe Gwenny straight away. She will be keeping the entire household awake all night waiting for me if we do not make it home, of course, and we cannot have that when the children become so very ornery when they do not sleep the full night. You must agree that the risk of driving in the dark is not as great as disrupting two households—”
“Very well,” Claverley snapped, his round cheeks mottling red.
The countess let out a long breath, unequivocally relieved. She was not the only one to feel that way. Thea’s shoulders relaxed in the same manner.
We all gathered while their carriage was brought around and Claverley stepped apart from the group to approach me. I had been watching him closely, and I wondered if he had discerned as much and wanted to question my actions.
“Bumpton, then? How was it?”
He surprised me, and I looked at Henry quickly, who was listening calmly to the countess share a story of their oldest boy’s recent success training his pony.
“Dilapidated,” I said. “Not worth what they are asking, of course. I considered offering less.”
“Worth the effort to inquire, at least,” Claverley said with approval. “The family is out this week, and you may walk through Kellinger tomorrow at noon sharp. They are very particular about it, so do not be late.”
