Her lips parted, as if she had something she wanted to say, but Hal found that he didn’t care to hear it.He strode from the room before she could do more than lift a hand.And as he went, he felt that chasm between them deepening with every heavy step.
Good, he told himself fiercely.She’s not for you.She’ll never be yours.You shouldn’t want her anyway.
Maybe if he told himself often enough, it would start to feel true.
ChapterSix
Gemma had never bungled a conversation so badly in her life.
It was as if Hal had annihilated every rational thought and response with the slick, sure glide of his tongue and the sheer overwhelming heat of his body.
And then he’d pulled away from her, with a terrible look on his face that reminded her so sharply of—but that was no excuse.He’d given her no real reason to lash out, but she’d been unforgivably rude anyway, and worse, she’d sounded like exactly the sort of snob who had made the year of Gemma’s debut such a misery.
There was nothing else for it.She would have to apologize.
Her mounting dread of that awkward conversation did not keep her from enjoying the simple but delicious breakfast Bess had set out in the bar room of the inn.As she chased the last spoonful of creamy porridge around her bowl, she marveled at the difference it made when one didn’t over boil the oats, and when one added embellishments like plump sultanas, wildflower honey, sweet cream, and a grating of fresh nutmeg.The plain nursery fare was transformed into something altogether delectable.
“First the stew last night, now this breakfast,” Gemma mused, licking her spoon thoughtfully.“At last, a bit of good luck.”
Beside her, Lucy was sprawled back in her chair leafing through the same set of newspapers and scandals sheets she’d brought with her from London.The corners were bent and the edges were beginning to look a bit frayed from repeated handling.“I mean, I am glad to know we’ll eat well for however long we’re stuck here, but I wouldn’t say it amounts to the kind of good luck that will do much beyond hopefully enhancing my figure.”
Gemma blinked at the hint of bitterness in her sister’s tone.“Your figure is lovely.”
“Certainly, if one is partial to wooden planks.”Lucy turned a page a little too vehemently, tearing it a bit.“Oh, blast.When is the next mail coach set to arrive?Marianne promised she’d send me a packet with all the latest news.”
“You’re not a wooden plank.”
Lucy sent her a look over the edge of her paper.“Next to you, everyone is a wooden plank.”
Gemma waved her spoon impatiently.“Give yourself a little time!Perhaps you’re merely a late bloomer.”
“That’s what Mama always says.I’m tired of waiting.Not that I want blooms as big as yours, necessarily,” Lucy muttered, sulky.
“Certainly not,” Gemma agreed.“More trouble than they’re worth, most of the time.”
After all, if she’d been less well endowed, she’d have been able to dress herself this morning, leave the room, and avoid the entire episode with Hal.
Instead, she had to live with the memory of a kiss that sent her soaring into the stratosphere—and the horrified regret in his eyes that had immediately brought her back down to earth with a thump.
Determined to focus, Gemma continued, “But if they help us out of our current difficulties, so much the better.And my chest is no longer all we have going for us!”
“What do you mean?”
“We have Bess.”Gemma leaned her elbows on the table and glanced around the empty bar room.The imagination she would have sworn she didn’t have sprang to life, filling in the vacant tables around them with guests and customers, talking and laughing and enjoying Bess’s flavorful dishes.Plunking down their coin for a night in a comfortable, well-appointed room and a delectable meal.
“She truly is an extraordinary cook.Why do you suppose no one has yet discovered this place, even though she’s been cooking here for ages?”
“Well, Little Kissington isn’t exactly a known stop along the Bath Road, though we’re no more than a five mile detour.If we can only convince people to go slightly off the beaten path, a reputation for delicious, filling food will be a true asset to an inn like this.We can build on that.”
“And a handsome bar man,” Lucy observed, folding her newspaper as carefully as if it were made of gossamer.“That will be a draw for the ladies.”
Gemma felt hot color scorch her cheeks and ears.“Yes.Quite.Look, all the world passes through a good coaching inn, sooner or later.So we need to make this placegood.”
“It’s so unfair,” Lucy burst out, her face screwing up.“We should have been able to inherit!We shouldn’t have had to leave our home.We should have more options than to either sell ourselves into marriage or starve in the hedgerows.”
The fire inside Gemma’s breast burned a little brighter.Her sisterwouldhave more options, better options; Gemma would make sure of that.“No one is going to starve, in the hedgerows or elsewhere.And you will not have to marry for money.We will use the inn to lure in a good match for me, and you and Mama will be taken care of.But it will not be easy.I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
Lucy straightened in her chair, a new light coming into her dark blue eyes.“I’ll do whatever I can to help, I promise.But I’m not sure we can count on Mama for much.”
