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He held her tightly, his hand moved to the bodice of her gown. His other hand went to her rump, and he pulled her in against his hardness. She made a little sound of pleasure which drove him to distraction, and yet something, perhaps his admiration and respect for her, called him to a halt. He simply held her in his arms, kissed the top of her head, and said her name. “Jessie...my little spitfire, you deserve better than I.”
She realized, all at once, what a position she had put herself in. She gently pushed away from him.
“Rodrigo, you devil!” merrily called a male in the garden but out of sight.
Rodrigo caressed Jessie’s cheek but said nothing as he put her hand on his bent arm and led her forward to his friend. “Coming, el perro!” Whatever disquiet he had felt was lost in the face of reality.
Simon Bolivar rushed Rodrigo and grasped his taller friend’s upper arms as he greeted him warmly. “Well met!” He glanced towards Jessie and whistled softly as he turned fully and made her a flourishing bow. “Madre de dios, but now I see that you, my friend, may be wishing me at the devil!”
Rodrigo gave his friend a withering glare and made the introductions. Simon declared himself enchanted and offered Lady Jessica his arm. “My lady, it will be my pleasure to rescue you from this miserable fellow and take you to my bride, where you will be more comfortable, I am sure.”
“Simon,” Rodrigo said sweetly.
“Si?” his friend returned.
“Do take yourself off to Hades,” Rodrigo said just as sweetly, and set all three to laugh as they entered the inn through its garden doors and found a full bodied and lovely dark-haired woman in Spanish raiment awaiting them.
Here, Jessie experienced the irritation of watching Rodrigo go to the dark-eyed plump and pretty woman to plant a light kiss upon her full lips. Jealousy. She felt jealousy and chided herself. It was nonsense. She had no right to feel this way. She turned back to Simon, who was going about the business of introducing her to his wife.
Simon saw Jessie seated while Rodrigo began an outrageous flirtation with Simon’s bride.
“Away, devil!” Simon said merrily, not really disturbed by his friend’s dalliance with his wife. “Away, I say! God’s death, do you ignore me? You do, you devil. Shall we meet on the dueling field, amigo? Eh? Shall we?” He turned in mock rage to his wife. “My Beatrice, my love, tell him you will have none of him.”
“Oh,” the pretty woman pouted, “not even a little bit of him, my Simon? Ah, but I think you very cruel.” Her eyes twinkled and her full lips curved.
Simon tweaked her nose, and his voice was softer, tender, as he said, “Many things you must have, but he is not one of them!”
She clapped her hands. “’As though I would want any other but you.”
Laughter ensued, and Simon rubbed his hands together and offered, “So, we are hungry, are we not? Come, let us see what these English can do for our appetites.”
“Ah, as to that, I have found the English fare...most delectable,” Rodrigo said softly as he took Jessie’s hand and put it to his lips.
It was precisely at this moment they heard and turned towards the sound of a man’s voice as he made an inquiry of the innkeeper. Jessie’s winged brows went up with surprise because she recognized the voice. Her suspicion was confirmed when the man rounded the corner and entered the elegantly furnished dining room.
He stood tall and well dressed in town riding clothes of blue. His hat was in his hand, and his auburn locks appeared carefully windblown. His hazel eyes smiled as they rested on Jessie.
“Lady Jessica!” he exclaimed with a great deal of apparent astonishment. “What wonderful fortune it is to actually find you where I least expected, as I have been thinking about you all morning!”
Jessie might be an innocent, but she was not naïve enough to believe he was at this particular inn by chance. She immediately suspected her great-aunt, and thought her dear relative had either sent him in pursuit or told him where she might be found. She made him no great welcome, as she would not be hunted to earth. “Well, Sir Warren, whatever brings you here?”
He was nodding to Rodrigo and putting on his punctilious smile as he included the Bolivars in his glance. He had met them on occasion in London and needed no introduction. “I was visiting friends not far from here and decided to stop by the Greenwich for a late lunch before traveling back to London. And you?”
“Really?” Rodrigo challenged. “How odd that your friends did not offer you luncheon before you left them.”
“Oh...it was too early, and I was bored and ready to go, you see,” Sir Warren said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Rodrigo.
“I am certain you already know the Bolivars...we were just about to have lunch ourselves,” Jessie stuck in, not bothering to answer his question. She was very annoyed he was here and was ready, quite ready, to snub him.
Rodrigo saw her reaction to Sir Warren. It appeared to him that while she did not have a great dislike of Sir Warren, she was supremely annoyed with him now. He was certain the man had somehow discovered where Jessie had planned to be and had taken up the chase. This was a contrived meeting, and one that irritated the bloody hell out of him.
Simon coughed and glanced sideways at his volatile friend. This was awkward indeed. He sensed not only his friends dislike of Sir Warren, but Jessie’s as well, yet...he was not about to behave impolitely. Amenities must be preserved, and he took it upon himself to uphold them. He eyed Sir Warren without smiling and said, “Perhaps, Sir Warren, you would like to make one of our number and join us.”
“Why, that would be splendid,” Sir Warren responded at his most cordial. “I would like that very much.” He took up a chair and managed to squeeze out a slot between Jessie and Simon. Beatrice Bolivar eyed him with displeasure.
Simon, well-acquainted with his friend’s temper, and also aware Rodrigo did not like Sir Warren, he took the precaution of laying his hand upon his friend’s arm. “I think, my friend, you will not...reck not...our pleasant day, eh, amigo?” Simon whispered in Spanish.
It was an old English saying they had not often used during their long-standing friendship. It served to appease Don Rodrigo’s ill humor and put things in proper perspective.
