“Jane!” said Madeleine, as Ned returned with a glass of punch for her. “Wherever did you get your gown, dear? It looks just like the one the vicar’s wife used to wear.”
“Mrs. Kellar was kind enough to lend it to me.”
“Another of her charitable works?”
Jane was about to show Madeleine a decided lack of charity, when Ned spoke up.
“Miss Wetherby, I must tell you how much I admire your medical work. As someone with no patience for the sickbed – neither as patient nor visitor – I must profess my profound respect for those who make it their life’s work. You do us all a service.”
This pronouncement was met with weighted silence. The members of the Barrington party were torn between their ingrained prejudice against anyone who lowered themselves to a profession and their fear of antagonizing Lord Edward and his esteemed family.
“A dance my lord?” said Madeleine, when she could think of no safe rejoinder. “I believe you promised me one.”
“My pleasure, Miss Merriman,” said Ned curtly, bowing to the lady to whom he’d gone out of his way to avoid promising anything. And to block the exit he was sure Jane was about to make with all due haste, he added, “Overton, may I suggest Miss Wetherby as a partner?”
Wills Overton looked amused both by Ned’s maneuver and the outright pique Madeline was barely suppressing. “Will you do me the honor, Jane?” asked Wills. “I get the distinct impression Lord Edward doesn’t want to let you make your escape.”
“I’m sure Lord Edward has no opinion upon the matter one way or another,” said Jane as Wills led her into the dance.
“I know you better than that, Jane. There’s no better observer of human nature than you. And you’ve been that way since we were children.”
* * *
Perhaps she’d once possessed that skill, thought Jane, but she’d become self-delusional lately. As she looked over at Ned and Madeleine, perfectly matched in looks and grace, she wondered why she’d ever thought the assembly would be anything but miserable.
Jane Wetherby had to be one of the most interesting individuals Ned had ever met. Certainly more of a match intellectually than the beautiful Madeleine Merriman who was currently in his arms and taking every opportunity to brush her breasts against his chest. The admiration he’d expressed for Jane’s profession was genuine, even if he still found the whole situation odd. But he couldn’t let Miss Merriman continue to abuse his Jane.
His Jane? Hardly. Despite the myriad attractions of Jane – and she did look stunning in the gown, vicarage cast-off or not – she still was most genuinely not a match for him for anything other than the position he’d once offered her and been rejected for. Yes, he’d been on the verge of proposing that day in Brussels when he returned to find her gone. But, surely, that had been the result of gratitude for her care with perhaps a bit of fever blended in. He couldn’t imagine the Duke of Lynwood countenancing the lively Jane’s life as a surgeon. And he certainly couldn’t see himself throwing off family obligations to live in dreary Marston Vale with a wife who’d be off every second hour to deliver a baby or stitch up some farmer after first wasting half a bottle of good Scot’s whiskey.
The problem was that she intrigued him as no other woman ever had. He was attracted to her to such a degree that just seeing her in another man’s arms was enough to make him want to march across the room, throw her over his shoulder and take her off to be thoroughly ravished. Just what he’d do when he was finally done having his way with her, he had no idea. He rather thought the ravishing might take quite a long time.
Perhaps even years.
“La, Lord Edward, I must ask where your mind is,” asked Madeleine, more than mildly annoyed.
“I assure you, with beauty such as yours, any man’s attention could not stray for long,” said Ned, absentmindedly slipping into his town mode of mindless flirtation. “If you forgive me, Miss Merriman, I detect a bit of friction between you and Miss Wetherby. Would you care to enlighten me as to the reason?”
Miss Merriman looked at him as if measuring her words. “There is no friction, my lord. Just a long-time acquaintance between two ladies who know each other’s secrets.”
“That sounds intriguing. Pray, tell me what secrets you keep.”
“Well, Lord Edward, as long as you asked…”
They were interrupted by applause for the musicians, followed closely by a young man in his country best seeking out Miss Merriman for the next dance. Ned was already scanning the room, seeing if he could locate Jane. He saw her pass through the French doors to the terrace.
He had no choice but to follow.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The cool evening breeze was exactly what Jane needed to put some sense into her head. She should never have come tonight. Her long ago night of passion with Ned had meant a great deal to her. It was vexing to see him now with someone as unworthy as Madeleine. It was extremely vexing.
“Are you enjoying the assembly?” asked Ned, cursing himself for such an unimaginative line.
Jane turned to see the object of her thoughts close at hand.
“I’ve enjoyed seeing my friends.”
“Am I one of your friends, Jane?” he asked softly, standing all too near.
She ignored the question, offering one of her own. “Shall I offer you my best wishes, my lord?”
“Whatever for?”
“Your upcoming nuptials. It is all anyone in the village can speak of.”
“You shouldn’t listen to gossip, Jane.” He took another step toward her, backing her into a wall that was hidden from anyone inside the assembly room. “I have no plans to marry in the near future.”
“So, it’ll be a long engagement?” asked Jane, who was struck by the heat of having him so near.
“I have no plans to marry Miss Merriman,” said Ned, as he touched a curl that lay against Jane’s cheek. It was like the purest silk and Ned had to fight himself from pulling the pins from her hair. “Jane, do you ever think of that night?”
“That night?”
She looked up at him, with wide brown eyes grown almost black. Her soft lips were slightly parted. She seemed to have the same innocence he remembered, which was ludicrous. She was a woman of age living by herself in the country. Surely she’d had lovers. She might have one right now. Just the possibility made Ned see red. It also made him lean into her.
“My lord?” she whispered as she stared at his lips.
“Ned. Say it.”
“Ned.”
His name on her lips was impossible to resist. He leaned down and kissed her. It was meant to be simple, easy. A gentle caress of the lips to remind her of what they’d experienced so long ago. But no sooner had she parted her lips just a touch, than his greedy tongue pushed past to taste her mouth.
She opened for him and mated her tongue with his. As soon as he felt her lean into him, he knew he was lost. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her toward him. Her softness against his hard muscles. And he was now achingly erect.
He moved one hand slowly up her ribcage to just below her breast, stroking it lightly with his thumb. She moaned into his mouth. He moved his hand fully onto her breast and it sent a jolt all the way down to his cock. He tugged her pebbled nipple and deepened the kiss.
Jane never thought she’d experience these sensations again. The kiss, his tongue against hers, had filled her with warmth. When he pulled her into him, the heat pooled deep in her belly, between her legs. The place only he had ever touched. The feel of his arousal against her mons made her long for what she knew she couldn’t have. She felt herself grow wet. When he tugged at her nipple, she went wild, rubbing herself against him, running her fingers through his hair.
There was something almost otherworldly about the experience. And she longed to follow the path to completion. To feel once again what she’d experienced in Belgium.
As if he could read her mind, he began lifting her skirts with one hand, while the other continued t
o fondle her breast. Through the haze of desire, Jane knew she had to call a halt to the proceedings soon, but perhaps after a few minutes more.
“Joe, stop it,” said his wife Sue. “If anyone sees us, we’d never live down the scandal.”
At the sound of the couple who’d just come out onto the terrace, Ned and Jane drew back from the kiss. They were hidden from the main terrace, but would be discovered if the blacksmith and his wife walked toward them.
“There’d be no scandal, Susie. Yer me wife. And it’s been too long since we’ve had the chance to come together.”
“You regret the babe?”
“Of course not, ye daft one. I love the babe. But can I help it if I also love me wife beyond all reason and miss bedding ye down?”
Then the talking was replaced with the sounds of two lovers becoming reacquainted.
Ned and Jane looked into each other’s eyes. He still had one hand on her breast. The other held her skirts. It was Jane who came fully back to her senses first.
“We should go back before they see us.”
“It sounds like they only have eyes for each other.”
“Ned, it wouldn’t do to be caught together.”
“You called me Ned.”
“An oversight, my lord,” she said, staring at the lips she’d just been kissing. “I must return to the ball.”
With that she pulled away. He held onto her for a moment, then let her go, reluctantly admitting to himself she was right. He didn’t want to tarnish her reputation. And to be caught in such a compromising position would mean marriage, which he certainly wasn’t ready for with anyone.
But if only they’d had just a few moments more.
* * *
As Jane walked toward the assembly room, she saw Madeleine Merriman near the French doors. From the annoyed look on her face, she was obviously searching for Ned. Wanting to avoid a confrontation at all costs, Jane continued along the terrace, then downstairs to the back garden.
Her nerves were on edge. She could still feel Ned’s hand on her breast. What was she thinking to lose control like that? And what she wouldn’t give to have it happen again.
Jane walked to a stone bench far enough away from the terrace, then sank onto it to think. Why was he still at Barrington Manor if he had no desire to make Madeleine his wife? If he stayed in Marston Vale, it was only a matter of time before he found out about Vi. She was surprised Madeleine hadn’t already told him. And while Madeleine had no idea Ned was the father, the man could count. He’d know right away he was Vi’s father.
“Don’t care much for dancing, do you?”
Jane turned to find Evan Cantwell standing behind her. She quickly rose.
“I just wanted a bit of fresh air. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she said as she tried to walk around him.
He caught her by the elbow. “There are a few things I’d like to discuss. Please have a seat.” He gestured to the bench with his free hand.
Jane pulled away and sat.
“I was surprised to see you here tonight, Jane. I know you don’t brave the world of the gentry often.”
She said nothing in response.
“Have people treated you unkindly?”
“No.” Jane was surprised to realize it was the truth. She’d been so caught up in avoiding Ned, then, of course, not avoiding Ned, that she hadn’t given much thought to how the others had treated her.
“I’m glad to hear it. It’ll make it much easier for us to marry.”
Jane didn’t try to hide her surprise at his statement.
“Mr. Cantwell, I believe I’ve made my feelings known regarding any further association between us. We are hard pressed to have even a simple conversation without arguing. I cannot imagine ever attempting marriage.”
“But what does good conversation have to do with marriage? You also forget, Jane, that you are indebted to me.”
“I do not forget, sir.”
“Then do you have the £100?”
“You know I do not.”
“Then what would you give me, were I to call the debt due?”
“Are you doing so?”
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
The very thought caused Jane’s stomach to plummet. “I’ll have the payment ready tomorrow,” she said, not having the slightest idea how she would get even a fraction of the amount due.
“I think I’ll have a down payment tonight,” said Cantwell, as he pulled her toward him and thrust his hand into her bodice.
“Stop that!” she said, as she tried to push him away. “I’ll scream.”
“And ruin your reputation again, now that it’s finally on the mend? I think not.”
He pushed her onto the bench then came on top of her. As one hand began lifting her skirts, the other started working the fall of his breeches.
“Get off!” she yelled. She was able to get one hand free. She cuffed him as hard as she could on the ear.
“Bitch!” One of his hands thrust her legs apart.
Then suddenly, he was pulled off her and thrown several feet away. Two men raced toward him in a rage: Ned and Joe Birch. Before Jane knew what was happening, Sue was by her side, helping her to sit.
She heard the sickening sound of fists on flesh.
“Save some for me, milord,” said the blacksmith. “I’ll not stand fer anyone hurting a woman, especially not our Jane.”
Ned clearly didn’t hear the man, or didn’t care, because he was furiously pounding away at Cantwell, who was on the ground, trying to protect himself.
Jane rose to get a better look. “Ned stop! You’ll kill him!”
“So?” He continued to pummel the man.
Jane made her way to him. “I’ll not have this man’s death on my conscience and, more importantly, I’ll not see you hanged.” She pulled him toward her. And reluctantly he went.
“Is it my turn now?” asked the blacksmith gleefully as he walked toward Cantwell.
“Och, Joe. Ye canna strike one of the gentry. Ye’d be locked up for sure,” said Sue as she dragged him toward her. “And he canna harm no one else. His lordship saw to that right good.”
“Are you all right?” Ned asked Jane. “Did the bastard hurt you? I’ll call him out or finish the job right now.” He couldn’t believe the rage he’d felt when he’d heard Jane’s cries. “Who is he? How do you know him?”
“His name is Evan Cantwell. He’s a landowner in the next village. But I’d rather not discuss this now.”
“You had no right to interrupt,” sneered Cantwell, as he slowly sat up, nursing his wounds. “The chit owes me £100. We were just discussing how I was going to get it back.”
“That weren’t no discussing ye was doing,” said Birch.
“How dare you speak to your betters?” spat Cantwell.
“How dare you speak at all, Cantwell?” demanded Ned. “You should know that it’s taking every bit of my control to keep from finishing what I started. It might just be worth a trip to the gallows.” He turned to Jane. “Is it true you owe him £100?”
“There was a fever outbreak in the village. I needed to buy supplies and bring people in to help nurse.”
“Almost everybody came down with it,” said Sue. “If it hadn’t been for Miss Jane, most would’ve died.”
Ned turned back to Cantwell. “I’ll have £100 for you on the morrow. Send a man to Barrington Manor after nuncheon and you’ll have your money. But you’d be wise not to show your face to me ever again. And in case you hadn’t heard, I’m Lord Edward Kellington, son of the late Duke of Lynwood, brother to the current duke. If you ever make trouble for Miss Wetherby again or this gentleman and lady who came to her assistance, you won’t just face my wrath. You’ll be up against the House of Lynwood. And no one goes against us and wins. Now get out of here.”
Cantwell met Jane’s eyes with a look of pure hatred before limping off.
Ned turned to the blacksmith and his wife. “Thank you for your assistance. I’m Ned Kellington.”<
br />
“We heard,” said Birch with a grin as he introduced Sue and himself. “I never seen a toff who was so good with his fives. Yer someone I’d like to have at me back.”
“Consider me in your debt,” said Ned, as he held out his hand. With a look of surprise, Birch shook it.
“Miss Jane, are ye sure ye want to go back to the assembly?” asked Sue. “Me and Joe was about to go. We could drop you off home, if ye like.”
“Thank you. I would like that very much.”
“I was hoping to escort you home,” said Ned. It’d be the perfect opportunity to finally learn where she lived.
“I don’t know how you’d ever explain that to Miss Merriman without making this an even bigger scandal than it already is. If Mr. and Mrs. Birch would be so kind as to drive me home, I think it would be best for everyone.”
All Ned wanted to do at the moment was hold her. To assure himself she really was unharmed. But he could tell her mind was made up. However, there was nothing to stop him from seeing her tomorrow. He’d befriended the Birches. A stop by the smithy in the morning should be all it took to find the information he needed.
“Mr. Birch, may I place her in your protection tonight?”
The blacksmith seemed to stand a few inches taller at the request, which was particularly impressive since he was in no way a small man. “Aye, milord. We’ll see her home safely.”
“Until tomorrow, then Miss Wetherby.”
Until tomorrow, thought Jane. She had one night to figure out how she was going to continue to keep her secret.
CHAPTER NINE
As Ned dressed the next morning, he cursed the understanding that bound him even informally to the Merriman family. Lord Barrington continued to be unavailable while his eldest daughter was just the opposite. He’d had a close call the night before when he’d arisen unable to sleep and gone in search of a book from the library. The selection had been dusty and limited, but after grabbing a tome of Shakespeare that looked rather unused, he’d returned to his room. It was a good thing he’d left the door open while he lit the candelabra because when he’d turned toward the bed, he’d found Madeleine propped up by a pillow. He’d quickly jumped back to the doorway and demanded to know why she was in his room, though even a simpleton would have had some idea as to the answer.
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