Of course, that made him think of Lady Gemma once more.Hal must have allowed some trace of what he was feeling to show in his expression, because Jonathan leaned forward intently.
“Hal?What has happened?Never tell me you’ve met someone appropriate here in the country.”
Hal huffed.“No, not someone appropriate.She is perhaps the most inappropriate woman I’ve ever encountered.”
Interest sparked in Jonathan’s dark brown eyes, so Hal sighed and said, “Five Mile House has been infiltrated by London usurpers intent on rearranging it beyond recognition to attract wealthy suitors for this woman, Lady Gemma Lively.She came right out and admitted the whole scheme to me, if you can credit it.And commandeered my assistance in the endeavor.The brazen boldness of the lady!”
Hal related what her coachman had told him as they unhitched the horses and got them settled in the inn’s stable.The taciturn older man had acknowledged them as fair employers who paid a good wage and weren’t too demanding or unreasonable, aside from throwing the occasional strop over unavoidable traffic delays.And often Lady Gemma had wanted the carriage quite late, as she flitted from party to party—though that was all over now that the new duke, her half-brother, had moved into the London residence and tossed the ladies out.
They had no money, was the rumor belowstairs.Nothing to their name except Five Mile House.
No wonder she was so desperate to sell.And to find a titled husband.A woman like Lady Gemma had few options when it came to supporting herself in the extravagant style she preferred.
He’d guessed at it based on the elegance and expense of their clothes, the over-embellished flair of even their deep mourning gowns, but it gave Hal no pleasure to have it confirmed that Lady Gemma was accustomed to an exciting, fashionable life of parties, dancing, and revelry.
A life very different from the one she would find in Little Kissington.
“Wait.”Jonathan frowned.“Why were you helping with the horses?”
Hal felt the back of his neck flush hot.He lifted his chin defiantly.“Because I was pretending I worked at the pub.”
It was almost gratifying, the way Jonathan’s eyes popped wide with disbelief.“Why on earth would you do something so addle-pated?”
“Well.Lady Gemma’s younger sister specifically mentioned their goal of landing a duke.”
“And you thought if they knew they’d just met one, even an impoverished one, the lady would set her cap at you, and you’d…what?Have to marry her, just to be civil?”
“It sounds ridiculous when you put it like that.”
“And Bess Pickford is going along with this?”
“Not happily,” Hal admitted.“But yes.”
“My God.I cannot wait to get home and tell Sophia you’ve gone round the bend.”Jonathan shook his head in amazement.“Let me be sure I understand.You are now committed to maintaining this charade of pretending to be a potboy, or what have you, as long as these ladies remain in the village.”
“Barman,” Hal corrected him, ignoring his friend’s snort.“And you haven’t seen these particular ladies.They won’t make it a week in the wilds of Wiltshire.”
Damn.They had better not stay longer than a week.
Hal swallowed as he thought of Lady Gemma and the unreasonable, illogical, inconvenient tidal pull of desire that threatened to swamp him when in her presence.
It had taken more self-control than it should’ve to stop himself from kissing her there in the darkened back staircase of the inn.In all honesty, it was really only the logistics of where to put their heavy dinner trays that had slowed him down enough to allow his higher reasoning to function.
He’d never met anyone like Lady Gemma Lively.The curve of her waist and the intriguing sway of her lush hips.The way the sweetness of her features and the upward tilt of her dark pink lips contrasted with the shocking things that came out of her mouth.
God, her mouth.
Hal shook himself free of his musings to find his friend watching him with some degree of fascination.
“I shall have to make inquiries about the lady’s family,” Jonathan said mildly.“Since she appears to have made quite the impression.”
“She’s annoying.The entire situation is ludicrous.But ultimately, these ladies are tourists.They will not become a permanent fixture of life here in Little Kissington.So no inquiries are necessary.”
“But if there is money in the family, perhaps there is a dowry?—"
“Enough!”Hal pushed back from the table, his heart pounding in his ears.“Jonathan, I beg you.I know you’re only trying to help, but I cannot entertain the notion of marrying a wealthy society lady, even to save Kissington Manor.My brother’s wife was an heiress when they met.My mother in her day, as well.They always hated it here in the country, begging to be taken back to London the moment the Season began.The rest of the time, they threw lavish parties and invited their high-flying friends to come and stay at the manor for weeks at a time, so that the party would never have to end.And even with all of that, they were just…desperately unhappy.I saw it in every look, every gesture.I heard it in every brittle, false laugh.They didn’t see the beauty in the land or the people here.They didn’t belong here.And neither do Lady Gemma Lively and her family.The sooner they realize that, the better for everyone—including them.”
“All right, my friend.Pax.I can see that you have charted your course and are determined to traverse it, however perilous and ill-conceived it might be.I only ask that you keep me apprised as to what happens with this Lady Gemma Lively—if it were not crass beyond belief, I should be tempted to place a wager on how long she manages to survive here in Little Kissington.From what you have told me, I fear you may be underestimating the lady somewhat.”
