Scandalous Summer Nights (18 page)

“Quite.” She’d forgotten how much she loved the view from atop a horse, and the feeling of freedom that came from riding. She couldn’t wait to get into an open field and see how fast the mare could run.

James tied her crutches to the back of his saddle and deftly swung himself onto his chestnut gelding.

He led the way up the village’s main street, past the tiny shops and the village square. The road wound around a well-kept cemetery and, farther up the hill, a quaint church. The church in which they could very possibly be married.

As her mare trotted by it, Olivia’s gaze lingered on the stone walls, arched door, and yellow wildflowers that surrounded the brick path leading to the steps. The picturesque scene was not so different from her fantasies.

James did not seem to notice the church. His eyes focused on the rolling green mountains, the deep silver lake, and the cloudless azure sky. The warm breeze tousled his hair and the sun streaked it gold, leaving Olivia rather breathless. After a mile or so, he stopped and pointed across a field of tall grass. “We’re headed west, toward the tree line. We can keep to this pace if you’d like, or—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Olivia grinned and urged the mare into a gallop. The wind whipped at her bonnet, pushing it off her head and freeing long tendrils from confining pins.

James rode several lengths behind her. Though he surely could have overtaken her at any time, he gave her space and let her savor the rush of thundering over miles of grass and watching the trees rise up to meet her.

A long, winding stream bordered the edge of the woods, and she pulled back on the reins, catching her breath as the mare meandered along the water’s edge. James joined her there and slid off his horse, encouraging him to drink. Looking up at Olivia, he said, “You seemed like your usual self just then. I liked it.”

She arched a brow. It might have been the exhilarating ride, the warm breeze, or the lush scenery. Whatever the cause, her heart
did
feel lighter.

James walked along the stream, leading both horses toward the shade of the trees, then surveyed their surroundings. “Uncle Humphrey was right—this is a beautiful spot. Let me spread out a quilt, and I’ll help you down.”

He untied their supplies from the backs of their saddles and handed a lacy blue and white parasol to her. She opened it, and from her perch atop the mare admired the view as James set up the picnic.

His muscles flexed beneath his jacket as he unrolled the large quilt and snapped it in the air before letting it float to the ground, half in the sun, half in the shade. He propped her crutches against a tree trunk and set a bag in the shade. Olivia hoped the bag held the hot cross buns—the mere thought of them made her mouth water.

He approached then, holding his arms out to her. She slid off her sidesaddle and wrapped one arm around his neck as he easily caught her. He slipped an arm beneath her knees and walked toward the blanket. After he set her down in the shade on the soft cotton quilt, she closed the parasol, put it aside, and removed her bonnet. The day was warm, and she was thinking that it wouldn’t bother her one bit if James were to remove his jacket. Or shirt, for that matter.

He tended to the horses, watering them and feeding them a few apples before tying them to a low bough several yards away. He paused at the edge of the stream to wash his hands and shook them dry, then joined her on the blanket, sprawling his long, muscular legs in front of him.

They began their meal with wine that he poured from a canteen into rustic tin cups, and it tasted better than anything she’d sipped from a crystal glass.

“For the first course,” he said, “we can dine on sandwiches or sweet buns. Name your preference.”

At last, an easy decision. “Sweet buns.”

There were four, and after Olivia ate two—which were every bit as heavenly as she’d remembered—she decided to forgo the other offerings, at least for the time being. As James refilled her cup with wine, he said, “I think we should talk.”

Olivia looked into the green eyes that she’d once trusted… and still adored. “I agree. What would you like to start with?”

“Your father’s letter.”

“I’m not discussing the contents with you,” she said.

“I understand. I won’t push you to reveal what he said if you don’t want to. However, I don’t think we should keep secrets from each other.”

Ah.
Now
he didn’t want to have secrets. She bit back the remark, closed her eyes, and listened to the soothing gurgling of the river.

“I planned to tell you about the letter that night—the night Huntford found us. I was about to, but you looked so… so… beautiful. You can be damned distracting. I don’t expect you to believe me, and maybe it doesn’t make a difference anyway, but I thought you should know.”

Olivia gazed at his slumped shoulders and haunted face. Yes, she believed him. Besides, she was still glowing on the inside from the fact that she’d distracted him with her beauty.

“I should have told you about the letter before—I wanted to—but I didn’t want to betray your brother either. I should never have gotten involved in your family’s business anyway. I’m sorry.”

“Is that why you visited my brother the day after the Easton ball? To discuss the letter with him?”

James nodded slowly.

“Do you want to know how foolish I am?”

“You’re not foolish.”

“I thought you’d come to ask Owen for my hand in marriage.”

“Oh, Olivia. I’m sorry,” he said again.

“I think it is I who should be sorry. I never should have kissed you on the terrace. That’s what started this whole series of unfortunate events—from your fight, to my sprained ankle, to the coach’s broken axle, to my fall from grace. All of it could have been avoided. If I’d only refrained from kissing you.”

James lay on his side and propped himself on an elbow. “I’m not sorry you kissed me. And I distinctly recall kissing you back. And liking it.”

She tried not to look into his seductive eyes—truly, she did—but she’d never been able to resist their pull, more powerful than the tide. Something warm stirred in her belly, and it almost melted her resolve to keep her distance. Almost.

“We’ve both made mistakes, and now we must live with the consequences. But there’s no need for you to miss out on exploring the Egyptian ruins, not when you’ve waited so long for this opportunity. I want you to go.” She managed to utter the words without the slightest tremor in her voice. It was imperative that he believe she was perfectly fine with sending him off shortly after their wedding and living in solitude for two years.

He sat up then. “Are you certain? The
ton
will think it odd.”

“That’s not a good reason to give up your dreams. You have the chance to go on an adventure that comes along only once in a lifetime. Why would you bow to convention?”

“I wouldn’t want you to be an object of ridicule. I care for you.”

Olivia swallowed the knot that formed in her throat. He cared for her but made no mention of love. Summoning
all her acting skills and every ounce of courage she possessed, she said, “I care for you, too. And that won’t change just because you spend a couple of years away. We can begin our life together when you return.”

“You are very generous, Olivia.”

She shrugged as if it were a trifling matter. “It’s not as though I’m accustomed to married life. Little would change for me, I suspect. I could move into your house, where I’d be close to my brother and sister and could visit any time I liked. I’d spend the rest of my time doing a bit of decorating and getting to know your staff.”

“I don’t have a large staff—just a housekeeper, cook, and maid.”

“I can hire additional people if it seems necessary.” She congratulated herself on sounding so matter-of-fact while discussing these sorts of mundane details while, inside, her heart was breaking. “I can take care of things at home while you’re away—I can even visit your mother and brother.”

“No, I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Very well,” she said coolly, pretending that his curt reply didn’t sting in the least.

“I don’t know what to say. After the events of the last few days, I never imagined that you would encourage me to leave on my expedition as planned.” His face broke into a cautious smile, and she knew she was doing the right thing.

“I see no reason why our marriage should change your plans. Lots of husbands and wives spend time apart.”

He gazed out at the sparkling summer day, a thoughtful look on his handsome face. After several moments of silence, he turned to her. “I want you to know how much this means to me. Thank you.”

Tentatively, he reached out and cupped her cheek, then leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her so tenderly, so sweetly, that it almost hurt. Her body begged for more—his tongue in her mouth, his hands on her skin, his body melded to hers—but they both kept their passion in check. She savored the cinnamon taste of him, the warm breeze that tickled the curls on the back of her neck, and the simple fact that, for now at least, they were together.

He abruptly ended the kiss and looked up at the leaves rustling above them. “If you’ll excuse me for a few moments, I’m going to take a short walk, stretch my legs. Do you need anything before I go?”

She briefly touched a finger to her lips, still tingling from their kiss, and shook her head. “Feel free to explore. I shall be fine.” She could use a moment to collect herself as well.

James shot her a grateful smile, scooped up his bag, and strode toward the narrowest part of the stream, which he crossed in one long jump and followed on the other side. Olivia watched him as he walked away, and when she could no longer see him, she lay back on the quilt and sobbed.

O
ne chaste kiss with Olivia had left James as hard as a rock. He’d wanted to reach under her skirts and touch her till she moaned with pleasure. He’d wanted to strip off her clothes and lay wildflowers on her belly. He’d wanted to bury himself in her and make her his, once and for all, forever.

But if he was going to Egypt, he could not seduce her. No matter that they would soon be husband and wife. He could not risk getting her with child.

So he’d scooped up his bag, which contained a few basic digging tools, and walked away, hoping to cool off. He followed the winding river, staying close, in case Olivia should need him.

He stopped at a bend where the bank sloped gradually to the water, shrugged off his jacket, and rolled up his sleeves. The lazy current meandered over rocks and branches, too weak to sweep away anything more than a few leaves and twigs. He leaned over the stream and
splashed water on his face, letting cool droplets trickle down his neck.

He hadn’t expected Olivia to encourage him to leave on his expedition at summer’s end. Most new brides would petulantly demand their husbands’ time and attention. But she was giving him a gift.

As the truth of that struck him, his gaze automatically scanned the landscape and rested on the wall of hard-packed earth in front of him. Several rocks jutted from the claylike embankment, and something about their arrangement struck him as odd. They seemed too uniformly spaced to have been randomly deposited by the stream, so he rummaged through his bag, located a small pick, and began to break away at the soil.

The digging wasn’t strenuous, and the steady thump of metal sinking into the clay provided a welcome distraction. He concentrated on a one-yard span of embankment, methodically chipping no more than a few square inches of dirt at a time. Before long, dust covered his hands and sweat glistened on his arms. Though he found nothing more than a collection of stones the size of his fist, the way they lined up suggested that they may have been a boundary of some kind.

He checked the position of the sun in the sky—he’d been known to lose track of time while digging—and packed his things in his bag. While washing up in the stream, he was already making plans to return to the spot and continue his digging. His head was full of questions about the stones and who might have once inhabited this idyllic spot by the river.

Oddly enough, he couldn’t wait to share his discovery—meager though it was—with Olivia.

He hurried back toward the tree where he’d left her. From yards away, he spotted the quilt lying in the shade.

With no one on it.

His heart hammered and he picked up the pace, jogging as he scanned the surrounding area looking for her. Surely a pink dress trimmed in white would stand out against the green backdrop. And then it did.

He drew up short when he saw her. She sat on a large flat rock with her skirt hiked up to her knees, toes dangling in the water. Leaning forward, looking into the stream, she offered him an enticing view of her breasts above the rounded collar of her gown. Her crutches lay on the grass behind her, abandoned.

She didn’t see him at first, and he didn’t want to startle her by shouting. But then she looked up, smiled, and waved, warming something deep inside him.

He joined her on the rock, took off his boots, and sank his feet into the chilly water next to hers.

“Isn’t it heavenly?” she asked. “I feel cooler all over.”

“Your bandage is gone.”

Raising her chin, she said, “I took it off. It doesn’t hurt… well, as long as I don’t walk on it.”

“I hope you weren’t bored while I was gone.”

She arched a brow. “I’m capable of amusing myself.”

He nodded, wondering if she was implying she was capable of amusing herself for two whole years while he was in Egypt.

“I began digging at a spot a little farther downstream.”

Her eyes rounded. “Did you find anything?”

“Not yet. But it might be promising.”

“Don’t let me keep you from it. I’m content to remain here if you’d like to return.”

“No,” he said quickly. “I’d rather spend the afternoon here with you… talking.”

“Very well.” She smiled encouragingly. “What would you like to discuss?”

“I’ve been thinking that I should write to my mother and brother,” he surprised himself by saying, “to inform them of our engagement.”

“That’s a lovely idea.” Brown eyes alight, she said, “Do you think they’d be able to attend our wedding? I’m eager to meet them.”

“I don’t think so.” The day would be full of drama as it was. James didn’t want to place Ralph in the middle of it. He didn’t want his brother to feel like some kind of pariah. Besides, it was too far and difficult for him to travel.

“I understand,” she said evenly.

“My family situation is complicated,” James admitted. “You are fortunate to have such a close relationship with your brother and sister.”

“Perhaps. Although at times I find my brother’s involvement in my life to be extremely
in
convenient,” she said pointedly. “I don’t pretend to know the challenges you’ve faced in having a younger brother with physical limitations. But I do know that family is family and it’s a bond that can never be broken.”

She was right. And no matter what excuses he made, their wedding would be an excellent opportunity to introduce his brother to Olivia and Huntford, at least. “Family is family,” he repeated. “Thank you for reminding me of that. I shall write to my mother and Ralph this evening and encourage them to come to Haven Bridge.”

“Truly?” She swirled her feet in the water, clearly delighted. He found himself delighted by her happiness—and possibly the view of her bare legs.

“Do you think your sister will come?” he asked.

Her gaze snapped to his. “Hmm?”

“Lady Rose. Do you think she’ll attend the wedding?”

“Oh, I hope so. Owen can be such a bear, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if he banned her, Anabelle, and Daphne from attending just to spite me.”

“Something tells me that nothing could keep them away.”

“We’re fortunate to have been blessed with siblings. I don’t know what I’d do without mine.” Her voice cracked a little on the last word, and she looked as though she might cry.

He placed a hand over hers, on the rock between them. “What’s wrong?”

She sniffled and took a moment to compose herself before responding. “I wish I could leave Haven Bridge—just for a few days.”

His gut clenched. “What? Why?”

“To return to London. There’s something I need to take care of… someone I need to see.”

He wanted to ask her
who
, but if she’d wanted him to know, she would have already said. “You could write to your brother and ask him.”

“No, he’d never agree to let me leave this village before the wedding, and after all I’ve put him through, I don’t blame him.”

“Perhaps if he knew the reason?”

“I can’t tell him—or anyone. Not yet.”

“I see.” Clearly she wasn’t ready to trust James with her secret, whatever it was. And why should she? He tamped down his disappointment. “Would a letter suffice?”

“It’s something that would best be accomplished in person,” she said thoughtfully, “but I suppose a letter might be better than nothing.”

“It sounds as though both of us have letters to write this evening,” he said. “But for now, I have a suggestion.”

“I’m listening.”

“I propose that we eat the sandwiches I packed and rest a little before it’s time to ride back to the inn.”

A smile chased the seriousness from her face. “That sounds wonderful.”

She turned to reach for her crutches, but he stood and swept her into his arms and whirled her around. She clung to his shoulders as he walked her to the quilt and set her down. After she adjusted her skirts and took off her bonnet, he handed her a sandwich.

“Are you going to return here tomorrow to explore some more?” she asked.

“I am.”

“Do you think you might bring me with you again? I promise not to distract you. And I would be happy to bring our picnic.”

Warmth bloomed in his chest. “I’d welcome your company tomorrow, with or without sandwiches. And though I am sure I’ll find your presence a distraction, it will be the best possible kind.”

Olivia poured wine into each of their tin cups and raised hers. “To new discoveries,” she said.

James touched his cup to hers and drank, thinking that where his beautiful fiancée was concerned, there was much he longed to discover.

At the inn that evening, Olivia tried composing a letter to Sophia. Again. She’d started three times before, but all she had to show for those attempts were the crumpled
papers littering her desktop. So before she began anew, she thought for several minutes, and then she wrote.

There. She’d debated whether to include the bit about the scandal but figured that Sophia would find out the sordid truth sooner or later. Perhaps word had somehow spread to London and her half sister had already heard the stories about the notorious Lady Olivia.

Olivia smirked to herself, for the thought didn’t trouble her nearly as much as it should have. And with that, she folded the letter and the sketch and carefully placed them in an envelope to go to London on the next mail coach.

The following day was even hotter than the day before. Once again, she and James rode to the spot beneath the tree, but Olivia was curious to see whatever it was that had captured James’s attention. “May I watch you dig?”

He blinked in surprise. “Of course. If you don’t mind being in the sun.”

“I shan’t wilt.”

“Very well. It’s downstream a bit.”

A little farther on, Olivia spotted an old cottage in the woods, barely visible through the thick foliage. “Look,” she said, pointing. “A little house. Do you suppose anyone lives there?”

“Stay here.” James swung his leg over his horse and hopped lightly to the ground. “I’ll investigate.”

He returned less than a minute later. “Nothing but a shack. I’m guessing it’s been deserted for years. Probably
an old woodcutter’s cottage. I’ll ask Uncle Humphrey about it.”

Olivia would have loved to see it for herself if walking weren’t such a chore at the moment. Perhaps she’d have the opportunity on a future picnic.

“We’re almost there,” James said. “We’ll set up camp at that next bend.”

“Set up camp,” she repeated, arching a brow. “Does this qualify as an expedition, then?”

He turned to her and frowned as though the mere suggestion were an insult. “Hardly. It’s just a pleasant afternoon outing.”

“Is that all?”

“With a beautiful woman,” he added.

Olivia beamed. “While I appreciate the compliment, I must disagree with your conclusion. There are two of us exploring, and we have a specific destination in mind. You yourself said that we shall set up a camp, and I have brought provisions. I assume that you brought tools?”

“Of course.”

“Well, then, what more could we possibly need in order for this outing to count as an expedition?”

His beautiful mouth slowly curled into a heart-melting smile. “Nothing. I assume you are willing to work. All the members of an expedition have duties, you know—responsibilities to the larger team.”

“I’m more than willing to do my part.” As long as it didn’t require walking. And wouldn’t soil her dress overmuch. Oh dear.

“Let’s go.”

They stopped near a bend in the stream, where the bank was waist-high and a wide, sandy area at the bottom
sloped gently toward the water. From atop her horse, Olivia saw a dozen or so rocks lined up on the pebbly sand. “Is that what you found yesterday?” She’d been hoping for something more interesting, and preferably sparkling.

James dismounted and helped her do the same. She balanced herself beside the mare while he retrieved her crutches. “Yes,” he said, his enthusiasm far out of proportion to the discovery, in Olivia’s admittedly inexpert opinion. “They were jutting from the embankment, spaced just as I’ve arranged them there.”

He handed her the crutches and she slipped them under her arms. “Are we going to look for more today?”

“Yes. But there’s no telling what else we’ll find. Sometimes the unexpected discoveries are the sweetest.”

She fed the horses some carrots while James spread the quilt on the grassy embankment.

“If you’re going to work down there”—she nodded toward the sand—“then I should, too.”

Smiling broadly, he hopped off the embankment and spread the quilt by the stream, doubling it over so that it would fit. He waved her closer, took her crutches and laid them on the grass, then held his arms out to her.