by Rebecca King
She had the good grace to look a little sheepish. “I haven’t written to inform him, no. It has only just been decided. What with the break in last night, and the mystery over the flowers, it completely slipped my mind.”
Trenton suspected she wasn’t telling him the truth but decided not to push. “Well, now that you will be in London for longer, I shall endeavour to show you as much as I can.”
As if to prove his point, he drew the curricle to a stop at the side of the road and handed her down.
“Now, tell me what you think about Covent Garden,” he murmured as he led her through a high brick arch into a huge square that was literally packed full of people.
She gasped and stared about them in rapt wonder. A laugh escaped her when a flower seller held out a small bouquet, asking for a penny a posy. Instinctively shaking her head, she was about to turn away when Trenton handed the old woman a coin.
He bowed and smiled into Ursula’s eyes as he handed her the small bouquet of poses.
“A small token from me to you,” he said as he handed them to her. “At least with me, you know who sent them,” he declared only half-joking.
“They are wonderful, thank you,” she smiled, deeply touched. For some reason this simple gesture meant considerably more to her than the numerous arrangements that kept turning up at Adelaide’s house every day.
“Chestnuts?” he mused wryly.
“Pardon?” She smiled happily, and linked arms with his when he held a gentlemanly elbow out to her.
“Would you like some?” He nodded to the stall holder selling little packets of them and handed him some coins. “Careful; they are hot,” he cautioned as he handed her a packet of the steaming treat.
As they ate, they stopped to watch street performers, artists, and flower sellers trading their wares. The sight, sounds, colours, and utter chaos of the tightly packed square was as overwhelming as it was delightful. She loved every moment of it; mostly because she was able to share it with Trenton.
“How about a walk down the Thames?” he asked once the din had subsided enough for them to speak without having to shout at each other.
“We don’t have to see everything in one day,” she laughed.
“I have a lot to show you,” he mused, not entirely talking about seeing the sights. He nodded to a narrow path that ran alongside the huge river. “Shall we?”
“I would love to,” she replied, and followed him down the narrow steps to the towpath. “I have been longing to walk the Ladies’ Mile in the park since my arrival in London, but Aunt can never be persuaded. It’s wonderful to be outside for a while without having to meet and converse with people.”
“Do you miss Yorkshire?” he asked thoughtfully as they joined the towpath and began to saunter alongside the river. “When I first arrived here, it took some time to get used to the hustle and bustle.”
“I do miss the open spaces, and being able to walk freely without the risk of causing a scandal,” she replied thoughtfully. “I won’t miss the smog though, or smoke.”
She nodded to a barge on the river as it floated slowly past them, chugging out thick black smoke as it went. “It seems a world away from Yorkshire,” she mused.
“It is really,” he replied, not bothered in the least who saw him tug her closer to his side. His attention was focused completely on the delightful woman on his arm. “I must admit that I am looking forward to returning to my estate next month.”
Ursula was shocked by the strength of the disappointment that swept through her upon hearing his words. “You are leaving soon?”
Trenton smiled with masculine delight at dismay she struggled to contain. “I have to return to my estate soon because there are matters awaiting my attention that I can’t put off for much longer.” He looked down at her somewhat ruefully. “I like to get out of London before the season gets too busy.”
“I thought you were staying for the season.” She winced when she realised how presumptuous she had been. “I am sorry. It is none of my business.”
“Nonsense. We are making conversation. There is nothing wrong with that. I don’t usually come to London during the season. It is too crowded and the formalities drive me mad.” He shared a rueful look with her. “I am only here now to tie up some loose ends before I head to my estate for the winter.”
“So you will be in Yorkshire at Christmas?” she asked, unsure where she would be.
He nodded. “I am looking forward to it,” he replied.
When she didn’t seem inclined to say anything else, he looked down at her. “How do you like the London at this time of year?” he asked and threw her a cheeky smile. “Aside from the formalities.” He hadn’t really considered it before, but he wanted to know if she intended to remain in London because she liked the constant social whirl, or was here purely to escape her father.
“It is alright, I suppose. I am not here by choice, I can assure you,” she confided.
He heaved a sigh of relief at that and threw her a measured look. “Your father told you to come to find a husband.”
“I can’t believe he told you,” she snorted in disgust.
“There is nothing to be ashamed of,” he assured her. “Your father has ordered you to find a husband within the month, that’s all.”
“That’s all?” she cried, and stared at him in horror. “He is trying to force me into marriage.”
“He only wants the best for you, Ursula,” he reasoned cautiously. He could feel anger positively vibrating off her.
“Are you saying he is perfectly right to give me four weeks to choose a husband I am expected to share the rest of my life with?” She was horrified at the very thought that Trenton would side with her father. It made her wonder whether she knew either man at all. She frowned when she realised she didn’t really know Trenton anyway, in spite of the fact that he had been the main focus of her existence for years.
“No, but if it gets you to consider the possibility of marriage then I can see his reasoning. You are hardly a debutant at your first coming out.”
She drew to a stop in the middle of the path and stared at him in outrage. “Are you suggesting that I am old?”
“No, I am just saying that at four and twenty, your father is right to try to push you to think about marriage. Someone like you should be married and with a family by now.” He winced when her outrage turned into icy disdain and he suddenly wished he could take the words back. It was too late though, she was furious with him.
“I think I should like to go back now,” she said crisply and spun on her heel.
Before she could walk away, he caught her elbow and spun her around to face him.
“I am just saying that you should consider marriage, but not to just anybody,” he snapped. “Nobody should choose a husband after just four weeks’ acquaintance. However, you should not remain locked away in Yorkshire all of your life.” He touched the side of her face gently, relieved when she didn’t smack his face, or attempt to push him into the river. “Someone as beautiful as you should be adored by a husband who would give you whatever your heart desires.”
Ursula wasn’t about to be appeased though and continued to glare up at him. “Oh, so I am incapable of surviving by myself, am I? I need a husband to look after me.”
Trenton sighed at the disgust on her face and wondered if she was always this argumentative. He was starting to sympathise with her father for having been driven to send her to London in the first place.
“Have you always been this averse to marriage?” he demanded.
“I am not averse to marriage. People do it all the time, and I wish them well in their endeavours. I just don’t see why I should be made to marry when I don’t want to. After all, I am not incapable of making decisions for myself. People just arrogantly assume that I am happy to have the majority of my day decided for me. I have no intention of handing my future over to a husband. You might be happy to step into the parson’s trap, but I certainly won’t,” she snorted.
Affronted by his reasoning, she yanked her arm out of his grip and began to march back to the main street where Trenton’s curricle was waiting.
It was only once she was walking back down the towpath that she realised just how far they had walked, and she hadn’t even looked at the Thames. She had little interest in it now, and didn’t even spare it a cursory glance as she stalked toward the steps with ground-eating, and every unladylike, strides.
“Wait. Ursula.”
He caught her arm when she made no attempt to stop and hauled her around to face him before she could scold him.
Ursula gasped when she found herself slammed against his chest. Valiantly ignoring the shiver of awareness, she tossed her head back defiantly, ready to scold him some more.
Trenton studied her; she had never looked more beautiful; so vibrantly, gloriously alive. There was a hint of wildness to her that captivated him and made him want to push to see more.
“I won’t be forced into marriage,” she bit out.
The sight of the tears shimmering on her lashes unmanned him and he instinctively drew her into his arms. “I am not suggesting for one moment that you should. You should certainly never enter into any engagement under pressure from anyone. Accepting someone’s offer for your hand should only be done when you know he will love you unconditionally. You should be assured that he wants to share his life with you for no other reason than he cannot live without you. A man who offers you anything less than everything he is most definitely is not worthy of you.”
She gasped when one large palm cupped her cheek, but she didn’t try to pull away. The earnest look in his eye held her spellbound.
“Promise me that you won’t accept anyone’s offer without being confident that you know everything about him. You must make sure that his intentions are entirely honourable, and driven only by the deepest affection. You deserve nothing less, Ursula,” he murmured, his own voice fuelled with determination.
It bothered him to realise that he was speaking about himself. In that moment he knew, exactly, what he had to do to be the one to persuade her to marry. Before she could find the words to answer him, his lips covered hers.
She wasn’t aware of his hands on her hips until she was flush against him. By then it was too late to put some distance between them. His words still rang in her ears, but she couldn’t formulate a reply. She couldn’t focus on anything other than the wondrous sensations his masterful kisses elicited deep within her. If only he was the one who would make a declaration of affection to her, she knew her life would be as perfect as it could be. If only Trenton would offer for her, she wouldn’t ask for anything else.
Barbarella. That thought came out of nowhere and was enough to give her the strength to push him away.
“We cannot do this,” she gasped in horror as the memory of the spiteful Barbarella came flooding back. “You cannot do this. You are engaged to be married,” she cried anxiously, her voice full of bitter regret.
“Ursula.” He tried to stop her but she pushed out of his arms, spun on her heel, and ran quickly down the towpath without a backward look. Cursing his luck, Trenton chased after her. He momentarily lost sight of her when she dodged behind a horse tugging a boat, led by a group of gaggling children.
To his disbelief, by the time he had dodged around the horse and children, she had vanished.
CHAPTER SIX
He frantically scanned the towpath for any sign of her. Where had she gone? How had she managed to vanish so easily in such a short space of time? He turned around to look behind him. Had he passed her and not known it? Desperation clawed at him, urging him to do whatever it took to find her again.
He was practically running by the time he reached the main road that ran alongside the embankment. Once there he scanned the road in both directions and finally spotted a woman in a dress the same colour as Ursula’s. Dodging around the traffic, he ignored the outraged calls of several coachmen, and raced after her. His fury grew the closer he got to her until, by the time he reached her his anger was at boiling point.
Given what had happened only last night, it was foolish to race through the streets of London all by herself. Didn’t she know the dangers that lurked around every corner in London for single, unchaperoned women like her?
“Ursula!” When she didn’t respond, he yanked hard on her elbow only to curse bitterly when a strange woman whirled around with a scream. “I am sorry,” he apologised. “I thought you were someone else.”
His worry increased tenfold as he studied the people on the street but couldn’t see any sign of her. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t even hear the chastisement of the woman and her companion.
“Sorry,” he muttered absently as he turned away.
He knew now just how much Ursula meant to him. His life - he - would never be the same without her beside him. She was a very large part of him. If he didn’t have her by his side, his future would be dire indeed. She was the most captivating woman he had ever met, and he wanted to know everything there was to know about her. It didn’t matter how long it took. As far as he was concerned, they had a lifetime together to get to know each other. If only he could find her.
Casting that thought aside, he retraced his steps and made his way back to the towpath. His fear grew when he immediately saw the group of barge children gathered around something on the floor. Closing his eyes on a silent prayer, he raced toward them. His horror grew the closer he got when he noticed a pair of boots sticking out from between the children’s feet.
He knew instinctively who was lying on the ground.
“Dear God, what happened?” he growled as he pushed his way through the children and dropped to his knees beside Ursula’s prone body. “Who did this to her?”
“’Ere, it weren’t us guvnor,” one of the boys protested.
“We just found her like this,” another piped up as they began to back away.
“She came from behind that tree ‘ere, and fell down,” a young girl added with a nod at the tree beside them.
“Did you see anyone else?” he asked, and cursed silently when they all shook their heads.
“There ain’t no-one else around here but you,” one boy replied knowingly.
“Thank God,” Trenton sighed when he saw the steady rise and fall of her chest. The strength of the emotion that swept through him was so strong that he had to take a moment to gather himself. Once he had, he prodded gently at her shoulder while his eyes scoured her for any sign of injury.
“Ursula?”
She immediately groaned before her eyes fluttered open.
“Trenton? What are you doing? Where am I? What’s happened?” she murmured in confusion. She pushed at his arms so she could see where she was when she realised she was lying on the floor, but he was having none of it.
Ignoring her protests he swept her into his arms and held her against him for several long moments.
“Just lie still for a moment, darling,” Trenton murmured as he scoured the length of her for any sign of injury. “I’ll get you a doctor.”
“No, I don’t need one,” she croaked. “Please, Trenton. Please don’t call a doctor.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” he asked with a frown. Not wanting to upset her any more, he relented on the doctor for the moment.
While he waited for her to reply, he scoured the area and only then noticed a slim figure, dressed entirely in black. He watched the man disappear into the pedestrians walking along the top of the embankment. It wasn’t that the figure was different to the other pedestrians in any way. Most of the men in London wore black suits. However, very few of them had their collars tugged up to obscure their faces like that man did.
Was that the man responsible for breaking into Ursula’s room last night? Was that man her secret admirer and now, her attacker?
He studied Ursula’s pale cheeks but just couldn’t bring himself to leave her, even for a few minutes, so he could go after his quarry. Right now, s
he needed him and her safety and wellbeing had to come first.
She stared at him blankly for a moment while she wracked her memory for anything other than the curricle ride. “I cannot remember much,” she declared after several moments of careful thought. “My head hurts.”
Trenton looked at one of the urchins. “Go and fetch a doctor.”
“No!” Ursula protested loudly, and immediately winced when her head began to pound. “I am fine. I just want to go home.”
Tears loomed, but she didn’t want to let them fall. She would do that when she was in the privacy of her room, not sitting in the middle of a towpath with what felt like half of London looking at her. She didn’t object when Trenton pressed a handkerchief to a lump on her temple and told her to keep it there before he swept her into his arms and stood up.
“Wait!” she protested. “My posy.”
“What?” he growled.
One of the urchins handed him the posy he had purchased for her earlier. He almost groaned in disbelief and shook his head at the mysteries of the female mind.
After everything that had happened, she was worried about a few small flowers. She had a blasted house full of them at home, yet she wanted the smallest posy available in London.
With a rueful shake of his head, he thanked the urchins for their help and carried his precious burden toward the embankment steps.
“Thank you,” Ursula whispered. She had no idea what had just happened, but she was very glad that he was there. “I should be avoiding you,” she whispered, although had no idea why she should be telling him that.
Trenton frowned down at her. “You should? Why?” he demanded with a scowl.
As far as he was aware he had done nothing wrong – well, apart from kiss her that is, and it certainly hadn’t been enough to scare her.
“You are engaged. We shouldn’t be out together,” she replied.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks,” he assured her truthfully. “Let’s get you home, shall we? Then we can get a doctor to take a look at your head. Then I think we need to talk, Ursula. There are things you need to know.”