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A bad idea. She’d had the shades pulled down on the carriage, but the sight of the area was shocking. The filth, the poverty, the sheer number of people milling around. A huge man appeared at her door immediately, and while he didn’t look particularly savory his smile was quite sweet, despite the number of teeth missing.
“You’ll need to stay in the carriage, miss. The king says that no one’s to go near you and you’re not to set foot outside. Too dangerous for the likes of you, if I do say so myself. There are some bad people around here. ”
“And you’re one of them, Neddie,” a woman’s cheerful voice came through, and Jane looked behind the man to see a pretty woman standing in the rain, a basket on her arm. “I’ve brought food for her. ”
“The King said no one was allowed in. ”
“Do you really think he was worried about me?” she woman countered, pushing past him. “The girl’s bored and hungry, aren’t you, miss? I’ve brought you food. ”
Neddie wasn’t looking any too happy with this, but he decided not to argue. He moved out of the way, and the woman climbed up into the carriage. “You call me if you feel the need, miss. I’ll be right here. ”
Author: Anne Stuart
“I’ll be fine,” Jane said, hoping she was right. The woman had plumped herself down on the seat opposite her, and when Neddie closed the door behind her the carriage was plunged into gloomy darkness.
Not for long. The woman rifled in her basket and a moment later came up with a tinder box. The two candles on the walls were lit, and she sat back to survey Jane.
“You’re a plain little thing,” she said frankly. “Oh, you’ve got pretty eyes and a nice mouth, and your skin and teeth are good, but in fact you’re quite ordinary, and the king has had some of the most extraordinary women in England. What does he see in you?” Before Jane could come up with an answer the woman thrust a basket in her hands. “I’m Gracie, by the way. I run yon ken—at least, the parts that they let me. And I’m wondering what would make King Donnelly give up everything, hand it over to an upstart like Jem Beesom with not so much as an argument. Mind you, Jem was making moves to take it over anyway, and he’ll be a good enough master around here. But for Jacob to simply hand it over fair makes one think, and I had to see the lass what made him do it. ”
Jane just stared at the voluble creature across from her. “I didn’t make him do anything,” she said, bewildered.
“No, I ‘spose not. He’s been restless for the last year or so. I’ve seen signs of it meself, and so has Jem, which is why he was ready to make his move. You should have seen his face when Jacob told him he was leaving and giving the leadership over to him. He looked ready to cry. Nothing like girding your loins for battle and having your enemy surrender. Not that Jacob and Jem are enemies, though let’s hope Jacob doesn’t change his mind, because Jem doesn’t give up what’s his easily. And of course you made him do it. He’s got a thing about you. He guards you like some precious treasure—he’ll be that mad when he finds out I came out here…. ”
Jane blinked while the girl continued to talk. Gracie had a thick accent, and for a moment she wondered if she was misunderstanding what she was saying. Gracie leaned forward and patted her hand. “Not much for conversation are you, Miss Pagett?” she said, ignoring the fact that she didn’t allow much room for it. “That’s all right—Jacob will take care of that. He’ll get you to talking, right and tight. There’s food in yon basket—Jacob said you were that hungry. And I’ve packed some of me own dresses for you, though you’ll hardly fill them out. You’re a skinny little thing, aren’t you—though Jacob says you’re tall. Are you in love with him?”
Jane was following all this silently, and she wasn’t expecting the sudden question. “I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me, Miss Pagett. Are you in love with him? Ah, it’s a daft question—most women are. All he has to do is look their way and they fall at his feet, me included. ”
Jane was tempted to tell the woman that it wasn’t any of her business, but there was only so far her courage could take her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said faintly.
“Ah, you do indeed, Miss Pagett. ” She reached out and grasped Jane’s wrist in a painfully tight grip. “Are you in love with him?” She squeezed tighter. “The truth now. I’ll know if you’re lying. ”
“You’re hurting me!” She couldn’t bring herself to meet Gracie’s eyes. “Of course I’m not in love with him. I barely know him. He’s simply been very kind to me, but he doesn’t care about me and I certainly am not in love with him. ”
Gracie released her wrist, and Jane rubbed it. There was a dawning smile on Gracie’s face, and she nodded. “You’ll do. I told you I’d know if you lied, and you just lied to me. You never once said he was beneath you. I think he’ll do right well with you. ” Before Jane could say anything Gracie opened the carriage door and scrambled down the steps. She looked back. “Mind you, if you break his heart you’ll have me to answer to. ”
“But he doesn’t love …” But Gracie was already gone.
She’d left the food behind, and the candles expelled some of the gloom. There was always a chance that Gracie was a madwoman who’d poisoned her, but at that point Jane was so hungry she didn’t care. The bread and cheese weren’t what she was used to—the bread was dark and dense, the cheese strong, and she ate every bit, loving it all.
It was getting darker outside, and when she heard someone at the door she drew back, afraid of another visit from Gracie, when Jacob Donnelly put his head in. “We’re ready to go, lass, if you’ve still a mind to. ”
He smiled up at her, that rakish, charming smile that matched his kiss. She shouldn’t be thinking of that. “Yes,” she said in a steady voice. “I have to save Miranda. ”
“Well, as to that I’m not sure her ladyship is going to need saving, but I’m at your service. ” He held out his hand, the strong, well-shaped hands that had once touched her quite indecently in the darkness, and she wondered if they’d touch her again. “I’ve got a smaller, lighter carriage waiting for us, and since you’ve expressed such doubts about my driving ability I’ve got a professional to drive us. If you’ll come with me. ”
She would go anywhere with him, she knew that to her everlasting shame. Gracie had seen the right of it: sensible or not, she’d fallen in love with the man, and she should just stop fighting it and spend her energy learning how to deal with it. How to keep from showing it, how to live without him. Because that was the way it was going to be. She wasn’t for the likes of him. She wasn’t for the likes of anyone.
But for a few brief days she could turn her back on common sense and self-respect. She would be with him, and that was enough.
She put her hand in his, and went.
24
All right, so this wasn’t working out as well as she’d planned, Miranda thought, sitting at the newly polished and tuned piano, her hands motionless on the keys early the next morning. The house was too big to drive Lucien crazy—if she was being bright-eyed and amenable, he could always simply walk away. She’d kept him from her bed last night by the simple expedience of asking when he was coming back and that she’d enjoyed it “oh, ever so much!”
She wasn’t quite sure if he knew the truth. He said he knew women’s bodies, knew her body better than she did, and from his astonishing mastery over her she suspected he was right. She could try to work harder on her flippant attitude. If he decided he wanted her again, which seemed unlikely considering the wide berth he was giving her, she would try telling him she found it tiresome. If he persisted she could keep talking as he touched her, even sing in her unfortunately off-key voice as he … as he …
