Chapter Nine
Jaimie wiped his dirty hands on a rag. ‘Is she alone?’ he asked his butler who had brought in her calling card.
‘No, my lord.’ The man sniffed. ‘Brought her maid along.’
Thank the Lord for small mercies.
He glanced down at the worktable where he was in the midst of a critical graft. If he left it now the stems would dry and the graft would fail. If that happened, he’d have to wait another six weeks for the right shoot to appear. ‘Offer tea to the maid in the kitchen and bring Lady Tess in here.’
‘Here, my lord?’ He sounded scandalised.
As well he should. Jaimie glanced around his conservatory. It really was not the best place to entertain a lady, but really, he hadn’t asked her to come here. Why could she not simply wait for him to get in touch? He was busy. He glared at his butler. ‘I am sure I can rely on you to be discreet, Rider. After all, any gossip and I would know from where it came. And send up a tray of tea with biscuits and cake, would you, please?’ He was starving. He glanced at the clock on the far wall. No wonder. He’d missed luncheon, though he was pretty sure it had been announced. He’d been too engrossed in what he was doing for it to register.
The butler left with another sniff.
He was certainly going to have a word with Tess about upsetting his servants with her madcap ways.
He began the careful work of binding two stems together at the precise point where his knife had removed the outer layer of bark. Focusing on the intricate task was all that was stopping him from losing his temper. The more he thought about Tess’s folly, the higher his ire rose. And the last time he’d truly lost his temper the result had been utter disaster. He’d stomped off to London after a blazing row with Hester about her lack of driving skills after she’d scraped the paint off his brand-new curricle. Just to prove she was better than he, she’d then driven the horses he’d forbidden her to have put to and had ended up with a broken neck. He should have known better than to have left her alone and angry. He had known better.
But he’d been unreasonably angry himself and had lost his wife as a result...
‘Lady Theresa,’ the butler announced. He directed a footman to put the tray on the end of the workbench and the two men left.
‘Sandford,’ she said.
He preferred it when she called him Jaimie. He nodded and continued inspecting his handiwork to the sound of tea being poured.
It pleased him that she got on with things without waiting for the formalities. It also irritated the hell out of him that she thought nothing of taking charge. ‘Why are you here, Lady Tess? I thought we agreed this would not happen again.’ He took up another piece of twine. You could never use too much in his opinion. He carefully wound it around the joint.
‘Because apparently you could not call for me in this weather.’
He fumbled and the thorn he’d been avoiding stabbed his thumb. He cursed and stuck it in his mouth.
She walked up behind him and peered over his shoulder. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Grafting two roses.’
‘That is nice.’
Nice. A milk-and-water sort of word. It wasn’t how he would have described it. It was more of an obsession.
‘Tea is ready,’ she said.
He picked up his magnifying glass and inspected the joint again. Perfect. ‘Give me a moment.’
He replanted the cutting and tidied up the implements while she wandered up and down the conservatory, inspecting the pots and plants set on benches along its length. She leaned in to sniff at a bloom. ‘No scent.’
‘No. Something about crossing them seems to rob them of perfume.’ He washed his hands using the bowl set on a washstand at the other end of the long room.
‘Not an improvement, in my opinion.’
Nor in his. He made his way to the tray and picked out his favourite biscuit.
She handed him a cup of tea and they sat down side by side on the old sofa he’d had placed in here.
‘You weren’t expecting me to make my horses stand around in a downpour so you could visit the Seven Dials, were you?’ he asked when she had taken a sip of her tea.
She sighed. ‘I wasn’t sure. Your note said, in my phaeton. I wondered if you meant that we could go if we went in the closed carriage, but that you couldn’t very well drive up to the front door and expect Wilhelmina to let me drive out in it.’
And here he’d thought he’d been making the reason for his non-appearance clear. Something she could surely have figured out for herself. ‘I meant exactly what I said. Our drive will need to be postponed until tomorrow.’ The woman needed a husband to keep her in check, though he’d pity the poor fellow. Well, perhaps envy him, too...
Her gaze wandered the room. ‘You spend a lot of time with these plants.’
‘I do. I started working on creating my own rose when I was twelve.’
‘An unusual hobby for a boy.’
‘When I was young I was unable to go about much. I was recovering from an injury and this was a way to pass the time. These days, I find it helps me think.’ Though his brain hadn’t had much chance for thinking recently because his body seemed to have taken over.
‘Think about what?’
‘Well, for example, your comment about the objects stolen. I have been thinking about that.’ Or trying to. He’d also been thinking a lot about Lady Tess and her delicious kisses.
Indeed, right now he was having a hard time not focusing on her cleavage. He took another biscuit to keep his hands busy. Shortbread. His second-favourite.
‘What sort of injury?’
Damn, he had left that door open, had he not? His brain really did seem to be working at less than full capacity. Hell, what did it matter? The fire was common knowledge. Better that he tell her some of the true story than have her listening to gossip. ‘Our house caught fire when I was a small child. I was not burned. At least not much.’ He held up his hand and she could see the odd way the little finger stuck out and that the skin there was scarred. ‘Unfortunately, I inhaled a lot of smoke. My lungs were badly affected.’
‘You are fully recovered now?’
‘For the most part.’ He was fit and healthy, but he could not run any great distance without falling into a fit of coughing.
She touched his arm. ‘I am glad. Fire is a terrible thing.’
Fire was his worst nightmare. ‘I lost nearly all of my family in that fire.’
‘Oh, no! I’m so terribly sorry, Jaimie.’
He remained silent. The guilt was his to bear alone. Only his cousin Michael knew the full story and he insisted none of it was Jaimie’s fault. It had simply been an accident.
Jaimie and Tess sat side by side on the sofa in companionable silence, sipping their tea and nibbling biscuits. An odd feeling of contentment slid over him. This was the sort of marriage he hoped for. Something peaceful. A haven he could come home to as a respite from his work.
‘Can we not visit the next shop on the list now?’
He hurtled into the present. ‘We will go tomorrow.’
‘But what if it is raining again tomorrow? Who knows how much longer Mr Stedman will remain away? He has been gone three days already.’
Why could she not trust him to make the necessary arrangements? ‘If it rains tomorrow, then I will offer to escort you to visit the two remaining members of my family. Lord and Lady Hawkhurst. They rarely come to town and it would make sense, since we wish my intentions to appear honourable, for me to take you to meet them. In the company of your maid, of course. We will visit the last shop on the list on the way back.’
‘You have it all thought out, don’t you. But how do you know I am not busy tomorrow?’
This was exactly the sort of argument Hester would use to tie him in knots. He’d been too young to handle her then. Too besotted
with her beauty and the fact that she had chosen him of all the fellows to marry. Likely because she’d thought she could wrap him around her little finger. Well, that would never happen again.
‘Are you busy tomorrow? Because if so, then we will go the next day.’
She heaved a sigh. ‘As it happens I am not. My cousin is going for a fitting for a new gown and I am at a loose end.’
‘Then there is no more to be said. As soon as you are finished your tea, I will return you home in my carriage.’
‘Oh no! I wouldn’t dream of putting you to such trouble.’
‘No trouble at all.’ He glanced at the clock. ‘I was going out shortly anyway. The carriage should be ready in five minutes or so.’ Damn, he really should have had lunch. Still, there would be sustenance to be had at his club.
She half-turned in the seat, her face alight with anticipation. He had the sudden urge to kiss her again. All over this time.
‘Why do we not go now then, so that tomorrow we can think of what to do next if nothing useful turns up?’
A dash of cold water killed his desire. It was not him who had her looking all enthusiastic after all. He put aside his cup.
‘We go tomorrow.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘Were you intending to go there now, without me? Is that why your carriage is ready?’
Damn, but her suspicions struck him on the raw. ‘If you think so badly of me, Lady Tess, I am surprised you risked coming here at all.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Oh, I do beg your pardon. That was terribly rude of me. It is just that every man I having dealings with seems to let me down.’
He stiffened. ‘I can assure you I am a man of my word, my lady. I have offered to take you there tomorrow and that is what I will do. However, it will be the last such place we will visit.’
She gasped. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I was wrong to expose you to such ugly surroundings. It is not fitting.’
‘You think I should pretend not to know that such places exist? That I must not see or hear anything unpleasant because I am a woman?’
‘A gently bred woman does not...’
Her eyes glittered with anger. ‘Does not what?’
His own anger sparked. ‘Does not needlessly endanger herself. She leaves things of a questionable nature to her responsible male relatives.’
‘Hah.’ It was the most scornful noise sound he had ever heard. As if he had just made the most ridiculous statement, instead of speaking simple common sense.
Her chin came up. ‘Then we must suppose I am not at all gently bred. I can assure you, Lord Sandford, I have no intention of giving up my quest to find my brother, with or without you.’
A bitter smile curved his lips. ‘I must say, I am starting to pity old Stedman trying to keep you in line.’
‘In line? Oh, you are the rudest man I have ever met—and the most arrogant!’
‘Thank you.’
She bit her lip. ‘I beg your pardon. That was rude of me. You seem to bring out the worst of my temper.’
She brought out the worst in him, too. Because every time she showed that flash of temper, he wanted to kiss her and explore all that fire and passion.
He must be losing his mind, because the only way that could ever happen again was if they were married. But she was the last woman he wanted for a wife. And she was right. The sooner they visited this last establishment, the sooner he could be done with her.
There was not a doubt in his mind that if they did not go now, the moment he set her down at her front door, even if he carried her inside, she would be off to visit that shop on her own—and that he would not allow. It was dangerous in the extreme.
‘Very well. Have it your way. We will go now.’
She smiled in triumph, but then she shook her head. ‘It won’t work. What will Wilhelmina think when I arrive home in your carriage? You will have to set us down before we get to the square.’
‘Nonsense. Having seen you out walking in the rain, I offered you and your maid a ride. What could be more normal?’
A shrug greeted his words ‘I suppose it would work.’
‘I’m glad you approve. Let us be off.’
* * *
Why had he given in so easily? Tess worried the tip of her gloved finger. Was he going to take her home and reveal the whole to Rowan as he had threatened? It was just the sort of thing a man would do. They wouldn’t see such behaviour as dishonourable when dealing with a woman.
She could not help but watch his lithe figure as he walked briskly to the other end of the room and rang the bell. He looked gorgeous in his shirtsleeves. Good enough to eat. And the scent of earth and growing things mixed with the delicious scent of his cologne sent warmth trickling through her veins. It was a good thing he had rung for the butler or she might be tempted to do something quite untoward, like twine her arms around his neck and kiss him. She loved the feel of his wonderfully hard body against hers. She had dreamed of it last night.
The butler, when he had received his instructions, shot her a most disapproving look, then left.
‘Your butler is exceedingly high in the instep,’ she observed.
‘Somewhat.’
‘Has he been with your family a long time?’
‘No. I hired him a couple of months ago.’
How strange. In her experience servants stayed with one forever, if one was reasonable. Was he a harsh employer? Was that cool calm exterior merely a front?
‘The carriage will be at the door momentarily,’ he continued. ‘Let us go.’
Swept along by his obvious impatience, she let him escort her to the front hall, where Mims was already waiting. At the sight of the dear old stick, he hesitated.
‘Mims,’ Tess said, ‘this is Lord Sandford. He is going to drive us home in his carriage. He has an errand to run along the way.’ Mims’s gaze sharpened. There wasn’t much that escaped her notice, but nevertheless, she bobbed a curtsy. ‘My poor old feet thank you, my lord.’
Jaimie made an odd sound. Was he laughing?
A moment later they were climbing into his town carriage, the porte cochère making it unnecessary for them to use their umbrellas, and, once settled in the vehicle, Jaimie engaged in pleasantries about the weather with Mims.
Surprised at this spectacularly unusual unbending, Tess watched Jaimie with interest. She’d thought him arrogant, but he was going out of his way to be nice to an old lady. And since it was likely only Mims’s presence that had convinced him to take this journey this afternoon, she could not help wondering if that was because he didn’t trust himself to be alone with her, or because he didn’t trust her not to be wanton. Whichever it was, the thought intrigued her. Set up little flutters low in her belly.
Desire he had made sure she could do nothing about.
* * *
It did not take them long to reach their destination. They left Mims inside the carriage and entered the shop. Tess had thought nothing could be worse than those they had visited the day before, but she had been wrong. The smell that assaulted her senses as she entered this one robbed her of breath. Her eyes watered and the stink from the man behind the counter caused an involuntary contraction of her throat.
Sandford, blast him, gave her an I-told-you-so look. No wonder Mr Rundell had been so firm about her sending a footman.
The greasy-haired moustachioed man rose from his stool behind the counter.
‘Wot do you want?’ Clearly he didn’t like the look of them, either.
‘We are looking for—’
‘Don’t give me that load of rubbish,’ the man wheezed. He wiped his sleeve under his nose. ‘What? You think we don’t talk to each other? You visited three shops yesterday and now you is visiting me. Well, I ain’t got whatever you is looking for, so you can tell that to the Runners.’
Tess twitch
ed Jaimie’s sleeve and shook her head. No matter how bad things were, she was quite positive Grey would never set foot in such a place as this.
‘My good man,’ Sandford said, ignoring her silent appeal that they leave, ‘you will answer my questions or you will find yourself facing a magistrate.’
The man shrank back. ‘Now let’s not be too hasty, sir.’
‘My lord,’ Jaimie corrected.
The fellow’s eyes shifted back and forth as if he was looking for an escape route. Finding none, he cringed and bowed low. ‘Whatever you require, my lord.’
Jaimie outlined the items they sought. The ugly fellow frowned. ‘’Tis not me you should be asking, your lordship, ’tis that woman at Covent Garden. Undercutting me, she is. Selling on the cheap. Selling those sorts of things wot you is asking about.’
Sandford tilted his head. ‘Unlikely you would be intimidated by a woman.’
‘Ah, well, me and the boys thought we might show her the error of her ways, but she’s got a feller. Quiet as a cat he is and as lethal as a snake.’ He shook his head. ‘They’s up to no good, I’ll bet a guinea to a monkey.’
Talk about throwing your competition under the proverbial carriage wheel.
‘Covent Garden, you say?’ Tess asked, a strange feeling invading her chest. A sort of knowing. How very strange.
‘At the Friday market, miss, er, my lady.’
She glanced at Sandford, who was poking around one of the shelves. He picked up an ornate candlestick and inspected it closely.
‘All right, guv’ner, I’ll admit I might have the odd file or two who asks me to sell items for him, but it’s honest business. This woman and her hoity-toity ways is cutting the legs right out from under shops like mine, pretending to be honest and charging pennies for top-quality goods. Up to no good, she is, you mark my words.’
It was the strangest thing Tess had ever heard.
Sandford scratched at his chin. ‘This candlestick, now. Where did it come from?’
Rescued by the Earl's Vows Page 13