The sounds of a busy taproom carried down the hall. She was certain that the soldier was not there. If she’d been him, she would have run from Roman’s temper with all haste. However, she didn’t know who all had witnessed her attack. She had a memory of what seemed to be scores of people gathered around afterward. Certainly, some of them had not left the inn.
It took all her courage to leave the water closet and walk to the taproom. At her appearance in the doorway, the room went silent.
Mrs. Stoddard was hovering anxiously around a small table set for one with what could only be generously described as the inn’s best silver. “Here, my lady.” She pulled out a chair.
Over a dozen pair of eyes watched Leonie take her seat.
She was familiar with being observed by jealous mothers who considered her their daughters’ rival and men of ages and sizes who enjoyed a leer, but this was different. She knew she had been the topic of conversation and it had not been flattering.
Leonie placed a napkin in her lap. The action allowed her to keep her head down and her injuries from the gawkers.
Mrs. Stoddard hurried in with a plate of eggs and beefsteak. Leonie didn’t know if she had the will to eat it. However, she was not going to allow these people to intimidate her—
She felt Roman’s presence before she saw him.
The air in the room literally changed. Those who stared became very busy with their own affairs. A hum of conversation returned to the room.
Of course, what Leonie experienced was this extra sense about him. She had not needed to look up to know he was there.
He stood by the door and surveyed the room. After that quick glance, she tried to keep her concertation on cutting her meat. It was hard. She feared he was coming to tell her that he’d changed his mind about her options and was sending her to London whether she chose to go or not.
The chair across from hers was pulled away. He sat in it and placed his hat on the table. “An ale,” he called to the innkeeper. He looked to Leonie. “Ale for you?”
Was this a test like the brandy? “I prefer tea,” she said.
“Tea for my lady.”
His lady.Leonie’s heart lifted at the title. Or was he being formal? She set down her knife and fork. “I’m going with you.”
He glanced around the room as if seeing who still had the audacity to stare. Eyes were quickly averted. He faced Leonie. “Mrs. Stoddard said as much.”
There was no hint of kindness in his tone.
Any apology she might have attempted died on her lips. Instead, she focused on her food, and did find it easier to eat. He was not going to abandon her or send her away. Yes, he was angry. Time would heal that, time and her very honest efforts to be the wife he wanted.
The tea tasted good.
“I had Mrs. Stoddard prepare a hamper for our noonday meal,” Roman said.
They were going to share another meal together.A picnic. This was a good sign.
“That is an excellent idea,” she murmured.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, seeing she had finished her plate.
“I am.” She picked up her hat. “When shall we arrive at Bonhomie?”
“Late afternoon.” He rose to his feet, took his own hat, and motioned toward the door with it.
Leonie was only too happy to escape the taproom. She took a moment to thank Mr. and Mrs. Stoddard for their hospitality. Tears were in Mrs. Stoddard’s eyes and she kept saying, “We are sorry, my lady. Very sorry.”
“It is not your fault,” Leonie assured them, conscious of a certain stiffness in Roman’s shoulders that let her know whose fault he thought it was—and he was right.
She could blame only herself. Once they were alone in the coach, she planned on apologizing to him. The words he’d said last night came back to her—I want to love and protect you and create a good life for us.She would challenge him to remember them, to let her prove that they were true.
It was with a lighter step that she went out into the day. The sun was shining on a lovely early spring morning. The sky was blue, new grass was coming in, and the trees were budding. Anything was possible on a day like this one.
The post boy held the coach door open for her. Leonie climbed in. Despite the huge hamper taking up a good portion of the floor, she settled in, leaving the majority of the room for her husband. However, instead of waiting for Roman, the post boy closed the coach door. She frowned and slid across the seat to look outside.
