The Wily Wastrel Page 12

  In the act of taking his own seat, he paused, looking startled. “I am your husband!” he said. “Of course it is my duty, my responsibility to look after your welfare.”

  Well, if it was not quite the declaration of love that Juliet would have liked to hear, at least it reassured her that however he felt, James would always try to make things as pleasant as possible for her.

  If it was less than she wished, it was more than many brides could expect to hear. Juliet forced herself to smile and thank him and then allow James to serve her a slice of ham and a cup of tea. She would need, she reflected, to have all her strength whenever James chose to go out, on his own, to do his experiments.

  But somewhat to her surprise, James made no effort to evade Juliet’s company the rest of the day. Indeed, he suggested she change into sturdy shoes or boots and accompany him on a long walk. She did so gladly.

  If she thought it strange he headed straight for the shore, she did not say so. If she thought it strange he addressed scarcely a word to her on their excursion, she said not a word. If he muttered about angles and heights and light intensities, she said not a word.

  Instead, she stored up every moment to consider carefully later. It was enough, for the moment, to be in his company, to be at his side. She would not distract him with idle chatter. He had once called her a sensible woman and said it as if it were the greatest compliment he could bestow. She would do her best to live up to that encomium.

  It was dark when they returned to the inn, and to her delight, James came to bed with her. He made love to her with a tenderness that drew him even more deeply into her heart than before. And she knew that no matter what happened, she would never let go of this man. With a fierceness she had not known she possessed, Juliet vowed that for the rest of her life, she would be at his side.

  ———

  James lay quiet in the darkness, his arms still around Juliet. He found himself wondering why he had waited so long to marry and whether Juliet could possibly be as happy with him as he found himself with her.

  To be sure, he had not bargained on anything stronger than mutual respect when they wed. Indeed, he had come to think himself incapable of anything more. But somehow Juliet had found a way inside his heart and he found himself silently vowing to keep her there forever. It was a very strange feeling, James thought, but a rather wonderful one as well. In the morning he would have to say something of the sort to Juliet. Although, perhaps, on second thought, he ought not to do so. After all, she had married him only because propriety dictated they marry. Perhaps she would be embarrassed by an effusive display of emotion.

  For the first time in his life, James wished he had paid as much attention to the ladies as he had to his inventions. To be sure, no one could pay a compliment better than he or entertain a hostess with a more deliciously scandalous on-dit.

  But when it came to actually courting a lady, James had never done so and he was not entirely certain how to begin now, with Juliet.

  For now, however, he had a man to meet. Careful not to wake Juliet, he slipped out of bed and dressed quickly. But he waited to put his shoes on until he was outside the door.

  Downstairs, in the public room, he found the place crowded. The innkeeper smiled at him in a knowing way, and to his annoyance, James felt himself flush.

  “Need a brew, do you, to revive your, er, spirits?” the fellow asked with an impertinent wink.

  James drew himself up to give the man a setdown, but before he could speak, someone appeared at his elbow. A rather shabbily dressed fellow who had obviously had too much to drink.

  “Now, now, don’t roast the poor feller,” the new man said, slurring his words a bit. To James he added, “You must be the newlywed.”

  This time James really did intend to put an end to the impertinence. Right up until the moment he looked closely at the fellow’s face. Then he could barely conceal his astonishment.

  “No need to be ashamed,” the man said, tapping the side of his nose. “Every man needs a tipple or two once he realizes just what he’s gotten himself into, marriage-wise. Ask any married man here.”

  “I, er, that is—”

  A drink was pressed into James’s hands and he allowed the fellow to tug him over to a table in the corner. “Sit, sit,” the man said amiably. “Let me tell you a tale or two about my second wife. Or was it my fourth?”

  Several others in the room shook their heads at the man but lost interest as he mumbled some long-winded story that clearly had no point. Fascination as much as anything else kept James in his seat.

  His patience was rewarded. When the other man was certain no one was paying them any attention, he leaned closer, as though to impart words of wisdom. And then suddenly his voice was no longer that of a country bumpkin but rather the cultured accents James had heard so recently in London.

  “My apologies about the towers. I had assumed they were on a cliff, not down on the beach to repel invasion. Nor did I realize they would likely be inhabited.”

  James followed the other man’s lead. He leaned forward, his chin on one hand, elbow on the table, as if the pint had gone to his head.

  “What now?” he whispered back.

  Frederick Baines roared with laughter as though James had just said something terribly funny. He seemed, James thought indignantly, to be greatly enjoying himself! What sort of man was he that he had no trouble pretending to be a drunken lout of a fellow?

  Then Baines leaned forward again, his voice devoid of humor as he said, “We look around tomorrow, a bit farther afield, but if, as I fear, we find nothing suitable, then we’d best push on to Dover. I don’t like having to be so close to the castle, but I can think of no place else likely to provide the setting you need. If all else fails us, there is a tower within the castle walls there that looks out to sea. With the letter your brother gave you, the governor will most certainly agree to let you use it. We shall meet again here tomorrow night, and if we still have not found any suitable spot around here, then we’ll meet again in Dover, a day or two after that, all right?”

  James nodded. It was, at least, something of a plan and he could think of none better.

  “You’d best go now,” Baines said. “We are starting to attract attention. Let it look as though you’ve finally had your fill of me.”

  It was, James discovered, something rather exciting to play a part. Was this what drew actors to the stage? He could begin to understand it as he felt the heady thrill of successfully deceiving the others in the public room. He even allowed himself to stagger slightly as he made his way toward the stairs.

  Apparently this was a touch Baines thought excessive for his voice called out, “Quality! Can’ts hold their liquor worth a damn, can they?”

  That hastened James’s footsteps, and a few minutes later, he was safely upstairs in his room. Too late he realized he ought to have asked Baines which tower he was supposed to ask the governor of Dover Castle to allow him to use. A new tower? An old one? There could be any number of possibilities. The devil take it, why hadn’t he thought to ask?

  He could, he supposed, go back downstairs. But that would draw far too much attention to the both of them. No, time enough to find out tomorrow. If he were lucky, either he or Baines would find something right nearby Folkestone. If not, then it was off to Dover and Dover Castle to meet with the governor and discover what he could. After all, any suitable tower would do, would it not?

  Thus uneasily reassured, James undressed and slipped back into bed. Time enough, he thought, to worry about all of this in the morning.

  Chapter 16

  Two mornings later, Juliet found herself thoroughly confused. James was as affectionate as she could have wished. She had not expected, to be sure, that anyone made love in the morning. But she could not help conceding it was a very pleasant notion. And he was as gentle as she had ever known him to be.

  Then, abruptly, as he lay holding her afterward, James suddenly pulled free his arm and sat bolt upright. “We
had best get up,” he said briskly as he got out of bed. “I mean to move us to another place today.”

  Juliet blinked at him, too stunned, for a moment, to react. Then abruptly she sat up as well. “Why?” she demanded.

  “Why what?” he asked cautiously.

  “Why must we move? And why can we not do so later?”

  “Oh, er, it is just that I do not like to lose the morning light. If we arrive at our new stopping place by noon, then we shall have time to go for a walk this afternoon.”

  He evaded her gaze. He colored bright red. He hastily turned away. All signs, Juliet thought with a grim expression, that something very strange was going on. Well, if he could pretend that it was not, then so could she!

  With a briskness that matched his, Juliet climbed out of bed and began reaching for the basin of water. Then, in an act of pure mischief, she dropped her nightshift to the floor, leaving herself completely uncovered in front of James.

  With her back toward him, Juliet could only guess at what he was thinking. But she did hear something that sounded suspiciously like his hairbrush hitting the floor. She bent forward to wash her face and thought she heard a moan. Even better. Then she turned around, and careful not to meet his eyes because she did not think she could keep her expression impassive if she did so, Juliet calmly sauntered the length of the room to where her clothes were hanging.

  Without the least haste she chose everything she needed for the day. So far as she could tell, James stood stock-still behind her and she could not resist saying, “Come, James, shouldn’t you hurry? You did say you wanted to leave as soon as possible.”

  He stammered some sort of reply that was incoherent to both of them. Then, abruptly, he began to move around the room, swiftly gathering up what he needed. By the time Juliet had donned her most intimate garments, including her chemise, she turned to find James fully dressed and headed toward the doorway.

  “But James,” she said, with an air of innocence as she pulled her gown over her head, “you cannot desert me now. I shall need your assistance to fasten up my dress.”

  He gulped. He visibly gulped. “I shall send your maid up to you,” he said, reaching for the door handle.

  “But James,” she said, a hint of petulance in her voice, “I should like you to help me.”

  He closed his eyes and sighed and then opened them again. Gingerly he approached. Juliet turned her back to him and lifted her hair up and out of the way. Were his hands trembling as he did up the fastenings? It certainly felt so but she dared not try to look. She was, after all, pretending to be oblivious to his reactions.

  And then he was done and heading for the door faster than before. “Wait, James!” she said again. “I am ready to go with you.”

  Above all else he was a gentleman. There was nothing for James to do but to wait for her and even offer Juliet his arm when she reached his side. Without a word, but with the sunniest smile in the world, she took it. And together they went down to the private parlor for breakfast.

  ———

  What the devil was he going to do? James wondered. It was bad enough when he reacted to Juliet this way under the covers at night. Every night. Or even in the morning. But it was most unseemly to do so out of bed and in daylight!

  If it did not stop, then surely, sooner or later, she would notice. James shuddered to think what her reaction would be when she did. Juliet was a gently bred young lady. She had a right to expect him to treat her with respect. Not as if she was some strumpet who existed solely for his pleasure.

  She could not possibly realize the effect she had on him. And she would be most embarrassed if she ever did. It was clearly his duty to protect her from such knowledge. But how was he to do so when she persisted in behaving in such a way around him?

  It was proof of her innocence, of course. Had she the slightest notion—but she could not, he had already established that to his own satisfaction. Still, he must do something to warn her away from such behavior as this morning when she was dressing. Daresay it came from being around only females. One wouldn’t need so much modesty in front of other females. If one was female oneself.

  Bewildered, James wondered just how he was going to bring his naive bride to a clear sense of what she was doing without distressing her any more than was absolutely necessary.

  Fortunately the need to deal with that dilemma was suddenly overshadowed when James had to arrange for their departure. The proprietor of the Cock and Bull was offended. Grievously offended.

  “Your valet said you meant to stay at least two weeks,” he said, with a disdainful sniff.

  “My valet was mistaken. Besides, I’ve changed m’mind,” James replied gamely.

  “I have already been paid in advance for the days and laid out much of it in anticipation of the meals you would require and an extra servant for the establishment during your stay,” the proprietor countered.

  “Keep the funds!” James said, a hint of desperation in his voice.

  “The insult to my establishment! The entire countryside will know,” the proprietor persisted.

  “M’wife. She’s subject to megrims. Needs a different view,” James said, unable to think of anything else.

  Juliet opened her mouth to protest, and without the slightest hesitation, he tromped on her foot under the table. She glared at him, but she pressed her lips together and did not speak.

  “You may tell everyone how eccentric my wife is,” James offered. “Everyone will surely understand that. Women are notorious for their whims and whimsy.”

  The proprietor nodded slowly. “True,” he agreed grudgingly. “Me own wife takes fire at the least little thing. Nothing that anyone sensible could possibly find objectionable. Very well, sir. I cannot say I like it, but when do you wish your carriage to be ready for your departure?”

  “Oh, in an hour,” James said carelessly. “I daresay it will take that long for m’wife’s maid and my man to pack up our things anyway. Will you tell them to get started at once?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  This last was said with something of a malicious air and James guessed that things were not going altogether smoothly below stairs. Still, soon they would be on their way and none of it would matter.

  He was just congratulating himself on how smoothly he had handled things when Juliet looked at him across the table and said, in an unnaturally even voice that alarmed him, “If you must make up farradiddles, I do wish you would leave me out of them.”

  James spread his hands. “But there was nothing else he would accept as a reason.”

  She nodded. And just as he was about to give a sigh of relief, she said, “Yes, you convinced him. But how are you going to convince me that this move is necessary?”

  He stared at her in disbelief. “But… but you are my wife. I don’t need to explain anything to you.”

  With a sinking sensation, James realized that Juliet was now staring at him with equal disbelief. She spoke slowly, as though keeping her temper barely in check.

  “You don’t need to explain to me? Because I am your wife? I suppose you are saying that I must do whatever you wish, whenever you wish, merely because you are a man?”

  “No,” James said, eager to correct her error, “you must do it because you are my wife.”

  “I see.”

  Juliet rose slowly to her feet and James felt a distinct sensation of alarm. Before he could find out, however, what she intended, the door to the private parlor opened and a servant brought in a tray of food.

  “Here now, the missus has made a very nice collation for you,” the woman said, bustling about, setting out plates and food. “You’ll find yourself nicely filled after eating all this, I’ll be bound!”

  “I shall be surprised if we manage to eat the half of it!” Juliet told the woman, with a merry smile.

  The woman smiled back and winked at Juliet. “Well, a new bride as you are, and your husband new at this as well, the missus was thinking you’d be wanting and needing to
keep up your strength.”

  Juliet blushed, becomingly in James’s opinion, but she did not take offense. James felt himself blush when the woman had the temerity to wink at him. But he could think of no seemly way to reprove her without acknowledging the implications behind the wink.

  Still, he felt greatly relieved when the woman said, “I’ll be bound you don’t need me around. You’ll want to be alone, you will. I’ll be back later to collect the dishes. Enjoy your breakfast now!”

  The moment the door closed behind the woman, James and Juliet looked at one another and burst out laughing.

  He could only feel relief that her anger was apparently forgotten. Before he could enjoy the feeling, however, his bride rose to her feet and said, primly, “I had best go upstairs and help Margaret pack.”

  “But wait! You haven’t eaten!” he protested.

  She smiled without humor or amiability and indeed curtseyed before she said, “Consider that one more of my whims, sir.”

  And then she was gone. James started to follow but then decided that perhaps it would be wiser, after all, to give her some time to herself. Besides, someone ought to eat the breakfast the cook had provided. Especially if he was going to spend the afternoon tramping about the cliffs at Dover.

  Let Juliet have her whims and megrims. He was the husband. It was for her to come to him and apologize, scarcely the other way around.

  By the time he had finished eating, James had even halfway convinced himself that something of the sort might actually happen. He was almost whistling as he entered the bedchamber he and Juliet shared. And halted in the doorway, his mouth gaping open. Juliet stood there holding a mirror, one that he recognized only too well as his father’s, and she had one piece of it in each hand.

  The look of dismay on her face matched his own, and even though he had never liked that mirror, James felt something tug at his heart at the thought it was broken.

  “I was trying to help pack,” she said.

  But he scarcely heard her. Instead he took several steps forward, noticing that both Woods and her maid were as far away as possible from the pair of them. He held out his hands and she put the two pieces of the mirror into them.