“No, you don’t,” she said with a quiet smile. “I understand exactly what you mean.”
“Thought so.” He nodded with satisfaction.
“My lord.” She hesitated, then gathered her courage. She might not have another chance. “I was wondering ... I saw the scar. Was he badly hurt?”
A shadow passed across Nigel’s eyes. “His wound was serious, of course, but he recovered quickly. It was his, well, heart, I suppose, for lack of a better word, that suffered most.”
Nigel paused, choosing his words carefully. “He was not a suspicious sort as a boy. He was easygoing and trusting. Refused to believe the worst about anyone. He was different when he came home. It might have been a combination of maturity and war or specifically connected to his injury. In truth he never told me exactly what happened. I suspect it involved betrayal of some sort.”
“By a woman?”
“It’s possible but I don’t think so.” He shook his head. “But then I have never asked.”
“I see,” she murmured.
“However, what I have seen of him recently, and most notably since you’ve come into his life, indicates his heart too has healed. And for that you have my thanks. Now then.” He held out the package. “Take this with you. Rand should have it. It doesn’t belong here. It never did.”
She accepted the parcel and turned it over in her hand. It was square in shape, perhaps a foot across and a bit heavier than she’d expected. “What is it?”
“It’s the portrait of Rand’s grandfather. The one his grandmother brought with her from Avalonia.” Nigel stared at the packet for a long moment and Jocelyn wondered if he was thinking of the unexpected twists and turns of life. If he was wondering what might have happened if he, and not his father, had been the one to meet and marry the desperate young princess. If he was thinking about love. “She wanted her grandson to have it. Even if he wants nothing else of his heritage, he should have this.”
“Wouldn’t it be wiser to keep it here until the next time we visit? When things aren’t quite as, well, hectic?”
“Come now, girl. We’re about to burn down a castle.” Nigel’s bushy brows drew together. “That brother of yours has taken no end of precautions, damned impressed with him by the way, and storm clouds are rolling in, but you never know for certain with fire. Can’t be too careful. I promised his grandmother he’d get the portrait and I think the time is now.”
“You do know, Nigel...” She tucked the portrait into her bag. “Should anything happen to the castle you are more than welcome to make your home with us at the cottage.”
“At the ... cottage?” Nigel said carefully.
“Absolutely.” She closed the bag, fastened it, and smiled at him. “We would insist on it.”
“You’re very kind.” Nigel studied her. “I’m quite pleased with how the quirks of life have caught the two of you so nicely and brought you together. My nephew is a lucky man.”
“I feel rather lucky myself. It addition to all his other sterling qualities, it’s quite pleasant to discover”—she smiled innocently—“that I shall never have to worry about his borrowing my clothes.”
———
They drove a short distance from the castle and waited until the glow from the tower fire lit the evening sky.
“That’s it then,” Nick called down to them. A moment later the carriage lurched forward.
Jocelyn settled into the seat opposite Alexei, beside Rand, his leg pressed next to hers. His muscles were tensed and she knew he was alert to any possible problem. For those on the road and those they left behind. Rand’s hand found hers in the dark and at once a sense of calm enveloped her. What harm could possibly come to her with this man at her side? In her life? Jocelyn vowed to herself to do whatever was necessary to make certain no harm came to him as well. For this journey and for rest of their lives.
They drove in silence for a good hour until thunder cracked overhead and lightning illuminated the sky. The heavens opened and rain poured down. Soothing relief filled the carriage, in stark contrast to the storm outside. Rand squeezed her hand and Jocelyn realized she’d scarcely breathed at all until now.
The downpour lasted for much of the next hour and ended as quickly as it had begun. The now muddy roads slowed their progress but Nick was experienced at the reins and they continued steadily onward, each turn of the wheel bringing them closer to London. Jocelyn dozed on and off, lulled by the rocking of the vehicle and the comforting warmth of the man at her side.
Rand spelled Nick at the reins so the other man could rest, throwing on a coat over his gown and tucking the skirts in as best he could. Shortly before dawn, the men again exchanged places.
The hours passed at an inexorably slow pace. They stopped only for necessities and to change horses. The carriage was stuffy, overly warm, and even opening the windows did not help. Tempers frayed. Any comment from Alexei or Rand was met by the other man with a response that was sarcastic at best, snide at worst. They reminded her of petulant children and there were moments when she wanted nothing more than to smack them both.
Finally, a little after dusk, the carriage rumbled into the yard of an inn and shuddered to a halt. A moment later Nick pulled open the door.
“I’ll see to the horses as fast as I can but it will take a bit,” Nick said. “The place isn’t overly busy but I’d suggest Your Lordships ... er ... Your Ladyships stay put.”
“Very well.” Rand sighed.
The trio sat in silence for no more than ten minutes.
“We’ll stay beside the carriage,” Rand said firmly, “but I think we all could use a breath of fresh air.”
“Without a doubt.” Jocelyn sighed with relief. She’d never been particularly bothered by enclosed spaces but right now, she desperately needed to escape the close confines of the carriage.
Rand moved to the door and allowed Nick to help him out. By the faint glow of the carriage light Jocelyn could see that the older man was having a difficult time keeping a grin from his face.
“One laugh from you and you’ll regret it,” Rand muttered. “I’m only accepting your help at all because it’s damned difficult to move in these bloody clothes.”
“Wouldn’t think of laughing, my lord. This is serious business it is,” Nick said as if laughter was the furthest thing from his mind and quickly turned to help Jocelyn out of the vehicle, hiding his face in the process.
Bright light shown from the windows of the inn and raucous laughter sounded from inside. At once Jocelyn was grateful there was no need to go into the facility.
Alexei climbed down and cast a disgusted look at their surroundings. “Another charming taste of the English at their best. I daresay, once I leave this country I shall never return.”
“Englishmen everywhere are raising a toast at the thought.” Sarcasm dripped from Rand’s words.
“I don’t see—”
“That’s because you’re—”
“Stop it at once, both of you,” Jocelyn snapped. “Honestly, you two are like squabbling sisters. And I have had more than enough.” She turned on her heel and stalked off, knowing full well it was impossible to leave them altogether yet needing at least the respite of a few yards distance.
“Jocelyn,” Rand’s voice sounded quietly behind her. “I am sorry. I know this is difficult for you.”
“For me?” She whirled to face him. “It’s difficult for all of us. Nick can barely keep his eyes open. You’re no doubt as hot and sticky and cranky as I. And as for Alexei...” She glanced around Rand to see Alexei with crossed arms leaning in a bored manner against the carriage in a most unladylike position. “Regardless of what you or I might think of him, he has gone along with all this with a remarkably good nature.”
“Good? Hah.” Rand snorted.
“As good as yours,” she said firmly. “I think he’s behaving admirably.”
“And I am not?” Rand said indignantly.
“Of course you are.” She struggled to keep h
er voice cool and not lash out at him. “And you should be. After all, he has only a crown to look forward to. You”— she favored him with a suggestive smile—“have me.”
He studied her for a moment. “Very well then. I’ll behave. For now.” He grinned slowly and leaned closer. “But I’ll make no promises as to my behavior when we get home. When we are—”
“Do go away.” A high falsetto voice rang in the evening air. “Leave me alone or you shall be sorry.”
Jocelyn and Rand turned as one and started back.
“My, yer a big ‘un you are.” A stocky, grubby man a good foot shorter than Alexei stood leering up at him in a decidedly drunken manner. “I like ’em big. Like a woman with meat on ‘er. Shows a ’ealthy appetite.”
“Well, you wouldn’t like me.” Alexei’s tone was imperious but had absolutely no effect on his admirer.
“Come now, luv, give ‘ol ’Enry a little kiss.” He reached for Alexei’s arm.
“Now, now,” Rand said in an overly high-pitched voice. He grabbed the besotted Henry by the scruff of his neck and pulled him away. “The lady said she’s not interested so be on your way, good sir.”
Henry’s eyes grew huge and he looked from Rand to Alexei and back. “Bloody ‘ell, there’s two of ’em.” He grinned a wide, toothless grin. “We could ‘ave a good time, we could, the three of us.”
“Not with you.” Alexei sniffed. “And if you make one more improper suggestion my ... my sister and I shall be forced to give you a proper setdown.”
“Like a woman with spirit.” Henry stepped closer to Rand and gazed up at him. “And always been fond o‘ sisters, I ’ave. You—” Henry squinted and studied Rand’s face in the shadow of the hat. His brow furrowed and his voice dropped. “Don’t mean no insult, miss, but I think you be needing a bit of a shave.”
“Heavens.” Rand held his hand up to cover his face and choked back a sob. “I have never been so mortified. Jocelyn dear, do help me into the carriage.” Jocelyn stepped to his side and assisted him into the vehicle.
“You beast,” Alexei said and cuffed Henry on the back of the head. “How could you have been so cruel?”
“Yow!” Henry cringed with the blow. “Didn’t mean nothing by it.”
Nick stepped into view.
“Humph. You men are all alike.” Alexei lifted his chin and climbed into the carriage. “You only want one thing from a girl.”
Henry cast Jocelyn a brief glance, then dismissed her. Not enough meat, no doubt. He looked plaintively at the carriage door and called after the sisters. “I like a woman with a bit o‘ ’air on ‘er.”
“Get on with you now.” Nick firmly grasped the lovestruck Henry’s arm and steered him away, then returned to help Jocelyn into the carriage. He didn’t say a word but it was apparent he was struggling not to laugh. Nick closed the door, and the moment the carriage started moving, laughter rang from his perch.
It was all Jocelyn could do not to join him. She sat in the darkened carriage and waited for someone to say something, firmly resolved it would not be she.
“Apparently,” Alexei said at last, in the same high pitched tone he used with Henry, “Lord Worthington isn’t the only one who likes long legs.”
Shocked silence hung over the trio for a moment, then all three burst into laughter.
“Did you see his face when he said you needed to shave?” Jocelyn choked out the words between gales of laughter.
“His face?” Alexei laughed. “Did you see the drunken sot’s eyes when he realized there were two of us? Sisters?”
“ ‘E likes ’em ‘airy, ’e does.” Rand’s falsetto imitation of Henry triggered another round of laughter.
“Well, I do have to say one thing for our erstwhile swain.” Alexei sniffed. “He has exceptionally good taste.”
“Hardly.” Rand laughed. “He preferred us to Jocelyn. I’d call his taste anything but good.”
“That’s simply because he likes them big. Meat on their bones and all that,” Alexei said dismissively. “However, of the two of us, he liked me best.” A grin sounded in his voice. “I told you I was the prettier.”
Chapter 16
“We’re here.” Rand’s tired voice awakened Jocelyn from a restless doze. She peered out the carriage window. It was late afternoon and they’d made much better time than they’d anticipated.
“Where, precisely, is here?” Alexei voiced the question uppermost in Jocelyn’s mind.
“London,” Rand said. “My townhouse. I suggest you change here, then go on to your hotel.”
Alexei nodded. “Sound idea, cousin. I certainly can’t present myself to my entourage dressed like this. As it is, there will be no end of recriminations because of my absence. I daresay they’ve all been wondering when I was going to return and where I’ve been.”
“Some perhaps more than others.” Rand’s words were measured and his gaze met Alexei’s, neither obviously willing to give voice to uneasy speculation.
The carriage door opened. Rand allowed Nick to help him down, Jocelyn and Alexei following close behind. They stepped quickly to the front door. Jocelyn caught a brief glimpse of the surrounding street but she recognized it at once as not merely respectable but quite a fashionable area. Far nicer than she’d expected.
The door opened and a stern-faced butler gazed out at them. “May I help ...” The servant’s voice faltered and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “My lord?”
“Yes, Chesney, it’s me.” Rand stepped past him and ushered Jocelyn and Alexei into a fair-sized entry hall. “It’s a rather long and bizarre story and I will be happy to give you all the absurd details at a later time. For now, please see to a change of clothing for His Highness and arrange for his transport to ...” He glanced at Alexei.
“The Pulteney.” Alexei pulled off his hat and thrust it at Chesney. “And do see to those clothes at once. I am most anxious to be on my way.”
“No doubt,” Chesney murmured, apparently too well trained to be overly shocked by the arrival of His Lordship and someone he referred to as His Highness in women’s clothing. Jocelyn wondered if the butler had seen much stranger sights on Rand’s doorstep.
“And have the maids draw a bath for Lady Beaumont—”
“Lady Beaumont?” Chesney’s eyes grew even wider, all training forgotten. Regardless of what other odd occurrences might have happened in Rand’s home, apparently there had never been a Lady Beaumont before.
“I suppose I failed to mention that when I left.” Rand passed a weary hand over his forehead, then realized he still wore his grandmother’s hat and pulled it off impatiently. The butler reached to take it even though the man was obviously still in something of a daze. Jocelyn would have laughed if she hadn’t been so tired.
“Chesney, I would like to present my wife.” Rand cast her an affectionate smile. “Viscountess Beaumont.”
“My lady.” Chesney bowed. “Welcome ... er ... home.”
“Good afternoon.” Jocelyn favored him with her brightest smile. This was not the way she’d ever planned on meeting the staff of a new husband, but then nothing about marriage had even remotely resembled her preconceived notions.
Rand laughed. “I don’t blame you for being a bit confused. I do promise to explain everything later.”
“As you wish, my lord.” Chesney’s momentary lapse in decorum vanished and he was once again the consummate butler who’d opened the door. “We were not certain when to expect your return, my lord. You were not specific about your plans and I fear the household is perhaps not up to snuff at the moment.”
Rand raised a brow. “I see. The mouse playing while the cat’s away, eh, Chesney?”
Chesney bristled. “Not at all, my lord, it’s simply that we are not entirely prepared for you and Lady Beaumont. However, we will do our best.”
Rand chuckled. “That’s all I ask.”
Chesney looked past Rand and nodded almost imperceptibly. At once two maids and an equal number of footmen appeared in t
he hall. Chesney took them aside and issued orders like an officer commanding efficient troops. Within moments the maids were headed up the gracious stairway and one of the footmen had vanished into the deeper recesses of the house.
“Your Highness.” Chesney gave Alexei something that was half nod, half bow. “If you would be so good as to accompany me.”
“Excellent.” Alexei sighed. “I cannot wait to get these wretched clothes off.” He glanced at Jocelyn, his tone resigned. “Although I shall be eternally grateful for the kindness of the woman who loaned them to me. Furthermore, I shall make certain she is amply reimbursed for the garments as well as her trouble.”
Jocelyn smiled with satisfaction. “It’s no less than I expected from you, Your Highness.”
“Yes, well, expectations are not always met. More’s the pity.” He stared at her thoughtfully, then turned and followed Chesney up the stairs.
Rand spoke to the remaining footman in a low voice and Jocelyn studied him carefully. In spite of how well she believed she knew him by now, there was obviously still a great deal he had neglected to tell her. Starting with this townhouse. This was not the home of a man of modest means.
The footman left the hall and Rand turned to her with a smile. “I have a few errands that cannot wait. Among them arranging for men to watch the house. I shall return in plenty of time to dress for tonight. Once this blasted Avalonian business is wrapped up, we should have no further involvement. Unless these plans too have changed, Alexei was to return to—”
“This is your house then?” she blurted.
“Well, I do tend to think of it more as my mother’s. Of course she’s rarely in London.” He hesitated. “But yes, I suppose it is, in terms of legal ownership, mine.”
“It’s quite nice.” She narrowed her eyes. “Even somewhat grand.”
“Oh, I would scarce call it grand.”
“I think it’s past time you told me—”
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