“Go on. The train is due in soon.”
He placed his hat on his head and turned as she gave him an encouraging smile. That smile carried him all the way to the depot, where he found his parents. After a bone squeezing hug from his mother and a hearty handshake from his father, Jeremiah led them to a carriage that would take them all up the hill to the hotel.
He didn’t mention the funds or his plans as he got them settled into a room. His father would certainly bring it up tonight at dinner, and Jeremiah was content to wait until he presented them with Deirdre to hear what they had to say. Surely they couldn’t see him in his fine suit and meet a girl as lovely as Deirdre only to turn him down.
He spent the rest of the day in a buoyant mood despite a headache that plagued him most of the afternoon. When it came time to meet his parents at the hotel, he was more than ready. He’d rehearsed what he would say until he could have recited it backwards. His mind was clear—until Deirdre emerged from behind the dressing screen in a dress of vivid green.
Jeremiah’s breath caught in his throat. She’d caught up her hair in a style that allowed a few wisps to escape around her face, and the color of the dress made her blue eyes look even more brilliant than usual. Her lips curved into a smile as she caught his expression, and she flushed in a manner that was possibly the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.
He forced himself to drag his gaze away from her, busying his hands with smoothing down nonexistent wrinkles on his jacket. “You look very nice,” he said.
“Thank you.” Deirdre’s voice was as light as dewdrops on a summer morning. “I’ve only had occasion to wear this dress once before, and I couldn’t wait to wear it again.”
She could wear it daily to the livery and Jeremiah would never tire of looking at her in it. He smoothed down his hair in an attempt to push the thought from his mind. That was the sort of thinking that would only lead to an entanglement he needed to avoid.
When they left the boardinghouse, Deirdre paused on the sidewalk, her arm slightly extended. Jeremiah wanted to smack himself on the forehead. Could he be any less of a gentleman? He’d managed to avoid this up until now, but it would look awfully odd if they were dressed so nicely and he wasn’t escorting his own wife through town.
And so he drew in a steadying breath and tucked her arm around his. She fit perfectly at his side, and all he could think about as they walked was how warm her hand felt resting on his arm, even through the layers of his shirt and jacket. He felt oddly warm all over, and tugged at his collar again with his free hand.
At least her presence distracted him from the upcoming dinner and discussion with his parents. The worry came rushing back to his aching head the moment they stepped inside the hotel.
“Have you eaten here before?” he asked Deirdre in an effort to calm his mind.
“A few times, with Liam and some of his friends and associates.” Her smile was dazzling as she glanced up at him. “I can’t wait to meet your parents. I do hope they like me.”
“It would be impossible for them not to,” he said as he drew his gaze from her to glance around the large room. His eyes stopped on a familiar older couple near the entry to the dining room. “There they are.”
“I’ll say all sorts of glowing statements about you,” Deirdre said as he led her toward the dining room.
“Not too many, or they’ll suspect you’ve married someone else.”
Deirdre laughed. “Impossible. There’s no one as kind or as hard-working in all of Crest Stone.”
Did she really think that way about him? He surely didn’t think that way about himself. Jeremiah didn’t have time to wonder at it, because they were about to approach his parents.
He straightened his shoulders, forgot about his pounding head, tightened his hold on Deirdre’s hand, and hoped for the best.
