If he remembered correctly, she’d grown up not far from Suffolk.
This particular villagewasinordinately sleepy. Almost as though it had been forgotten by the rest of the world.
A bell rang when Luke pushed open the door to Mr. Clapwell’s mercantile and echoed as he held it wide for Naomi to enter.
“Once you’re finished, meet me in front with your selections.” He’d allow her time to look around while he located the supplies he would need for the next few days. She might appreciate time to simply browse. His sisters seemed to enjoy doing just that in London far more than making actual purchases.
Why hadn’t she ventured to town more often?
Although the tavern at the posting inn could become raucous late at night, the establishment boasted a few private dining rooms where Gil could have brought her out to share a meal. A person couldn’t spend all of their time hiding away in the country, could they?
Hearing the bell ring again, Luke glanced up in time to see another young woman enter and look around. He could just make out ebony hair tucked beneath her bonnet, and she seemed oddly familiar.
The exaggerated sway to her hips jolted his memory. She was the barmaid who’d attempted to provide him with…entertainmentof a sensual nature several times since his stay.Bridget,if he recalled correctly.
When the young woman caught sight of Naomi, who was perusing fabrics near the front window, she froze. Naomi glanced up and offered a tentative smile.
Naomi must miss the company of other ladies. In London, she’d not only attracted the gentlemen, but she’d been popular with several of the other young women in society.
The barmaid’s demeanor transformed, and Luke tensed before she even spoke.
“You!” She spoke loudly enough that any other customers would have easily overheard. “You’ve ruined everything.”
“Pardon?” Naomi’s expression fell.
“He was mine before he ever met you. Mine! He was going to come back to me. He was going to marryme. But he left because of you. And now he’s gone!”
“You are mistaken.” Naomi reached out a hand to reassure the woman, but her gesture only caused the woman to recoil.
“Arthur Gilcrest. He loved me.”
Luke rushed around the aisles to Naomi’s side, an insidious foreboding causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.
What in the hell have you done, Gil?
Luke saw the exact moment Naomi realized what the young woman was saying. The color drained out of her face, and she moved her arms in front of her as though to protect her baby.
“Whatever you believe of my husband is a mistake. He married me last spring because he wanted to marry me. I’m sorry if you think?—”
“But that’s not precisely true, now is it? He married you because he had no choice. Do you think he didn’t tell me everything? Do you think he didn’t come to my bed this summer whenever he could? He said goodbye to you and then spent his final night in my bed.My bed! He was mine.” The anger and possessiveness in the woman’s demeanor faded then, to be replaced with obvious grief. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her complexion had turned a ruddy pink. “He was supposed to be mine.”
For all Gil’s mistakes, Luke would have done anything to protect Naomi from this one.
You fucking bastard.
Because Luke didn’t doubt the chit was telling the truth. Of course, Gil hadn’t given up his ways simply because he’d married. This must be why he hadn’t wanted Naomi to come into town.
It had likely been easier for the scoundrel to return to the front than face the tangle he’d made of his life in England. If the lying codpiece was here now, Luke would plow a fist through his cheating face.
Luke placed one hand on Naomi’s arm and the other on the small of her back and steered her toward the front of the store. She walked as though in a daze while Bridget’s claims molested the memories Naomi had of her brief marriage.
She was carrying Gil’s child, for God’s sake.
Her feet shuffling along, Naomi lifted a trembling hand to cover her mouth. But she was no longer shaking her head in denial. It was as though pieces were falling into place.
Had she suspected any of this?
Bridget refused to move out of their path, pinning her gaze on Luke. “You are more than welcome to ask anyone at the inn,Major Cockfield. Arthur knew me long before she trapped him. Helovedme.”
