The men chose that moment to enter and saved Laura from possible embarrassment. Stimulated by their port and brandies, the men added much-needed stimulation to the conversation. When politics were discussed, Laura absorbed every word with thirstydelight.
A short time later, all the guests departed into the night, the weather having remained fine. Hugh politely escorted Cilla to hercottage.
Laura and Nathaniel stood at the door as the last carriage rattled away. “Did you enjoy your birthday dinner?”
He slipped his arm around her waist. “I did. I must thank Mrs. Madge, especially for the cake. Rather a lot of candles on it, weren’t there? But it proved a great diversion. You were a gracious hostess. Your mother would be proud.” A corner of his mouth quirked and his eyes twinkled. “If I may say so.”
She laughed. “You may.” Finding respect in his eyes, her heart warmed. “Shall we have another when I return?”
“We will certainly entertain more often. You look beautiful tonight.” He stroked a finger down her cheek and followed it with a kiss.
She held her breath, hoping he’d change his mind about her leaving, but he said nothingmore.
“When am I to go?”
He turned away, his face half in shadow. “The day after tomorrow, sweetheart. The best inns have been booked en route, and when you arrive in London, you might like to spend a night or two at the Savoy hotel where we were married.”
The honeymoon suite for one? Laura swallowed. “No. I’ll go straight to Richmond.”
He took her arm, and they climbed thestairs.
“Let’s make every minute count,” he said in a husky voice. “Hurry and dismiss your maid.”
Laura sent Agnes away and quickly finished undressing. Naked and trembling at her boldness, she pushed back her hair as it swung to her waist in tousled waves. Her hand at her throat brushed the ruby necklace. She searched for the spring hidden within the carved molding. The panel slid back. Nathaniel spun around, his shirt in his hands, his broad chest bare. “My God, Laura!” He came swiftly to her. “You’re a goddess!”
They would make love in his bed, and he would remember this night long after she was gone from Wolfram. Of that, Laura wasdetermined.
***
With relief, Nathaniel watched Laura’s carriage depart for London. A hollow feeling enveloped him as he whistled to the dogs and walked to the stables. The abbey would seem profoundly empty without her. Before this latest disaster, Wolfram had begun to feel more like the wonderful place it had once been. Praise had been heaped upon his graceful lady wife by those who admired her visits to the poor and her interest in the children’s schooling. She was a blessing, the vicar hadsaid.
But it was Nathaniel who was again dogged by suspicion. A deep yearning for closeness had grown within him since Laura entered his life. Was he foolish to hope that when all this was over it might be possible? His father had always said a man should keep a mistress and not allow his emotions to rule him. But hadn’t his father failed in his marriage? Nathaniel had never wanted to be like him, but he feared he might be. He sighed. What was he doing mulling over the past when the present and the future required his attention?
There had been distinct rumblings amongst the villagers since Mallory died, and yesterday someone had yelled at him: “Two is one too many for coincidence.” A stranger to Wolfram, but there were those here who shared the same opinion. The smugglers might be rounded up, but even when the last of them was brought to justice, the rumors would continue to hound him. He’d never befree.
He shook his head to rid himself of the depressing thoughts. He had work to do if he was to bring Laurahome.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Until the very last moment, Laura hoped Nathaniel would ask her to stay. When he didn’t, she gloomily waved goodbye from the carriage window and turned to face the arduous, lonely trip north.
Laura’s new lady’s maid, Agnes, accompanied her. At the prospect of seeing London for the first time, the maid filled the carriage with excited chatter, which gradually subsided into awed silence as the distance between them and the only place the maid had ever known increased. The constant rain made the trip seem endless, with mist obscuring the view from thewindow.
The slow journey provided Laura with too much time to contemplate the state of her marriage. Her face heated at the thought of their last night together. Nathaniel was an undeniably passionate lover and a generous man. Nor was he ever unkind to her. But she hated when he clamped down and placed a wall between them, which nothing she did or said couldbreach.
At Wimbledon, the butler, accompanied by a footman, hurried out as the carriage pulled up. “Lady Lanyon, I trust your trip was pleasant?”
“It was long and tedious, Barker. You’re keeping well?”
“I am, thank you, my lady.”
Laura entered the house yearning to seek comfort from her father’s quiet strength. Yet she held back when she saw how tired he looked. He seemed to have aged since she left home. The failure of his tilt at prime minister surprised her. She never considered failure where her father was concerned. He’d always triumphed with everything he attempted. She began to doubt her own dreams, which had remained as vigorous asever.
As soon as she’d changed her dress, she wandered into her father’s study to read the London newspapers, searching for any articles on further inroads the suffrage movement might have made. She found nothing to hearten her. “It seems the push for the right to vote has stalled,” she said to herfather.
He looked up from his desk. “Because of wrong tactics. Men will never be swayed by violence from women.”
Her mother entered the study, having been away at a charity luncheon. “Let me look at you, Laura. You’re pale. Not increasing, are you?”
