As expediently as possible, Jasper pulled her farther inside, leaned out and managed to grab the door handle, although a jarring of the coach made him whack his head on the side of the opening.
He swore loudly, but in a tick, he had the door closed and secured.
Julia Sudbury was getting to her knees, a fetching image, but he thrust away his improper thoughts and assisted her onto the rear-facing seat before resuming his own.
“What trouble have you brought me today?” he asked, rubbing the side of his bruised noggin.
She said nothing while adjusting her bonnet and attempting to brush down her coat, which was smeared with dirt. After a moment, she gave up and folded her gloved hands, also grimy, upon her lap.
“Whatever can you mean by trouble?” she asked.
He couldn’t help himself. He laughed. When she said nothing else, he folded his arms.
“Come now, not every citizen of London is lucky enough to be chased by the famed Bow Street patrolmen, a cut above the ordinary thief-taker.”
“Is that who they were?” She blinked at him again, trying to appear innocent. “I noticed men following me, and thought they might be pickpockets or worse.”
“When did you first notice them?”
She shrugged. “I have seen someone trailing me before when all I did was go on the most tedious of errands.”
“What happened today?”
Julia released a large sigh as if she were the most put-upon person in existence.
“I went to the milliner for gloves,” she began, “and then to Sarah’s favorite perfumery. When she returns from Great Oakley, I thought it would be a nice little gift to give her a new bottle.”
“Yes, I can see why they were pursuing you so enthusiastically,” he told her, his tone laced with sarcasm. “Gloves and perfume would certainly set off the runners.”
“Then I may have stopped in at the pawnbrokers to sell something.”
He uncrossed his arms, gripped the edges of the leather squabs, and tried to keep his head from exploding like a cannon blast.
“It was something that had come into my possession weeks ago,” she added, as if that excused her.
Jasper closed his eyes and leaned back. There was a silver flask of brandy in his pocket. It was the only thing that kept him from throwing himself out of the moving carriage, or maybe throwing Miss Sudbury. However, he would save the soothing drink for later in the journey, when he grew desperate.
Hell!Even though they were barely passing Shepherd’s Bush, thiswaslater! Drawing it from his pocket, he took a swig, keeping his eyes closed. He didn’t offer her any. She didn’t deserve it.
“Say something,” she said after a minute, not sounding as sorry as he wanted her to.
“Do you know who I am?” he muttered.
“Of course,” she said after a brief hesitation.
Finally, he opened his eyes to see her staring at him as if he were a dunderhead.
“You’re the Earl of Marshfield,” she added.
“Iknowyou know that,” he growled.
“Then why did you ask?” Julia tapped her foot impatiently, which both irritated him and made him want to take off her boot and draw her leg onto his lap, run his hands up her calf, and...
“It was more of a question I was asking myself, or the world at large.”
She cocked her head, looking charming but infuriating, as ifhewere the one with all the problems.
“Are you well, sir? Perhaps you hit your head a little harder than I thought.”
