He let out a long sigh. “There have been several accidents in the factories here in London recently. I’ve seen the destructive damage those incidents have done. So I am…working on improving the conditions of those who work in the factories. And I believe my work may be able to protect those in the fields, as well.”
She caught her breath, shocked by that statement, but in only the best of ways. Colin was so straitlaced, so proper, she had never believed he gave the common man much thought, let alone put any time into his duty to protect anyone in a class below his own. But from the way he shifted, unwilling to meet her eyes, it was evident this legislation meant a great deal to him personally.
And it reminded her of the many things she had found attractive in him all those months ago. The kindness she had sensed in him that had long been turned away from herself. But it still existed, it seemed.
“Truly?” she said softly.
He cleared his throat in further discomfort. “You think me so cruel that I couldn’t give a damn about anyone but myself?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t realize that was your interest, that’s all.”
He ducked to grab his shirt from the floor and fiddled with the fabric as he said, “I have long fought for such things. It’s an uphill battle, of course. Men of rank are often complacent in the torment of their lowers, or oblivious to it. Teaching them the facts and then convincing them to do better is a challenge.”
She stared at him, handsome in his half-dressed state, but even more irresistible when she saw this softer, more caring side to him. A man who gave a damn about others, even if he refused to give one about her.
Regrets filled her. That they had been separated. That she didn’t understand why. That he couldn’t care for her the way he cared for strangers. She regretted it all and longed for the possibility of repairing it. Right now, lying in his bed, having a real conversation with him about his dreams, his goals, it felt like she could. If only she tread very carefully.
“I think it’s a fine notion,” she said at last, hearing the thickness of her voice. “In the running of your estate, I have seen how difficult it is for those in the positions you describe to survive. Certainly, you provide well for them, but there is little chance to improve their lot. How better to motivate a man than to give him the opportunity to provide a better life for his children?”
Colin cocked his head. “A good argument. Very good, actually. I’ll use it today, if you don’t mind.”
She smiled at him. “I don’t.”
He shifted, and whatever headway she’d made with him slipped away as the walls came up between them. He motioned to his dressing room. “I’ll go prepare for my day. And I’ll see you later.”
He moved away and she made no move to stop him. At the door, he turned. “Jane?”
“Yes?”
“There is a ball tonight, hosted by the Earl of Cornfellow. You will attend with me.”
The words were said as a statement, but she heard the request in his tone. She nodded. “As you wish, my lord.”
He stared at her a moment, then left the room and shut the door behind him. She smiled as she got out of his bed, wrapped her dress around her and moved into the lady’s chamber to ring for her maid. But as she waited for Laura, she grinned at herself in her mirror. She’d made headway in re-establishing some kind of connection with Colin. And that gave her hope.
“I’m going to win him back,” she said out loud, believing those words with all her heart as she said them. “I’m going to win my marriage.”
Colin stood with his cousin Arthur and their host of this ball, the Earl of Cornfellow, but he wasn’t attending to the conversation between them. Instead, he was staring across the room at Jane.
She was standing in a small circle of women, laughing and chatting. She was stunning, her blonde hair done in a complicated style that included ringlets which cascaded down in little tendrils across her back, giving him a path where he could later place his lips. Her gown was pale blue, matching her bright eyes perfectly and bringing out the perfection of her skin.
She was the focus of every stare. He supposed some of that had to do with the rumors of her return, as detailed in thatScandal Sheetrag a few days before. But he would wager much of it had to do with how beautiful she was, how charismatic, how fascinating.
“Look at him,” Cornfellow said, his tone slightly teasing. “If I didn’t know you better, Wharton, I’d say you were infatuated with your own wife, despite all the whispers about her long exile in the countryside.”
Colin jerked his attention back to his companions. Cornfellow, who was at least ten years older than himself and Arthur, was grinning, but his cousin looked troubled. Just as Colin felt troubled.
“Oh, don’t look so horrified that I know your secret,” Cornfellow said, nudging Colin gently. “Warm feelings about one’s spouse seem to be in vogue lately. And she’s a beautiful woman.”
Colin forced a smile on his face. “Indeed, she is.”
“Yes, lovely,” Arthur concurred, his face still lined with worry. Colin appreciated it, even though it didn’t help his current situation.
“Still, the merits of my wife are not what you and I need to discuss, are they?” Colin said, forcing his mind to go back to matters at hand, not things he didn’t want to ponder.
Cornfellow sighed and his smile slipped. “You are always working even when you are not working,” he said. “Wharton, I just don’t know if I can support your measure.”
Colin gritted his teeth. This had been his entire day, poking and prodding spoiled aristocrats while trying not to be completely distracted by thoughts of his wayward wife.
