In fact, Jasper had a sneaking suspicion Julia needn’t have met with Prinny at all, as this man might already have had it all sorted out for the sake of his own fiancée’s happiness. Clearly, Denbigh would do anything for Julia’s sister.
“Wouldn’t it have been nice if we’d had a double wedding?” Lady Worthington mused.
“No,” both men said at once.
Jasper looked at the viscount, who stared back at him.
“Never mind,” Julia’s sister said, “I shall have to put up with a separate expensive wedding, since nothing done in London can be done by halves.”
Jasper looked at Julia, who’d fallen silent. After a moment, his new wife smiled.
“You could go to Gretna Green,” she suggested, looking between her sister and the viscount. “Only think of all the money you would save, enough for a hundred blankets, a thousand loaves of bread, perhaps a new poorhouse west of the city and—”
“She won’t stop now,” Jasper said, and he imagined if he hadn’t married her in Gloucestershire, he would have ended up saying his vows north of the Scottish border if that’s what his bride had wanted.
***
WHEN JASPER HELPEDJulia down from the carriage in front of their home, she paused.
“It’s a miracle,” she said.
“That a rake like me won the heart of a lady like you? Agreed.”
She smacked his arm. “No silly. That I can see the stars tonight. I don’t feel a breeze, but there must be a high wind up there,” she pointed above their heads, “blowing the smoke away.”
He put his arm around her to keep her warm, and they looked up. The dull grey mantle that normally blanketed the city had been lifted.
“At least from Mayfair,” Jasper agreed. “I’ve decided we should keep the air clear over our heads and thus ordered it so. It cost me a king’s ransom, but you know how extravagant we nobby gents can be.”
She laughed but then stopped. “Listen.”
From one of the nearby houses, music played. Someone was having a ball, right on the earl’s own Grosvenor Square. She sent him a querying look.
“It seems the Belmonts are home from the same house party which your sister attended if I’m not mistaken. Before you ask, no, I was not invited to their ball.”
Julia was shocked. He was Lord Marshfield, after all. “Nor were my sister and I, come to think of it. I looked through all the mail that had arrived while I was busy getting tupped and married.”
Jasper smiled. “If you say that aloud in mixed company, you might want to switch the order of your words.” Then he cocked his head toward the music.
“For the time being, I suppose we are not welcome in a ballroom anywhere in London, nor at most dining room tables except your sister’s,” he surmised. “Simply because we ran away for a fortnight doesn’t mean the quality folk have forgotten their doubts about you or about me.”
“You mean your woefully low accounts?” she teased.
“That, yes, and many are still wary I’ll steal their wives or daughters, even if they have heard of our marriage.”
“Oh.” She didn’t like to think of that aspect of his life.
“And they’re afraid you’ll steal their necklaces and earrings,” he added.
“Oh,” she said again.
“Never mind. The music is loud enough. We shall dance together right here.” Jasper took a step back and raised his arm, palm toward her, as if they were already mid-dance.
In the carriage, so they could interlace their bare fingers while holding hands, they’d both removed their gloves. They’d carelessly left them on the squabs.
“Dance outside in January?” she asked. “Without gloves on? They’ll take us to Bedlam.” But Julia raised her arm and pressed her bare right palm against his bare right one.
As usual, sparks not merely of desire, as she now realized, but of richly layered love burned through her.
