Instead, he stepped back, drew a deep breath, and bid her goodnight. He then turned on his heel and strode away, wondering how the bloody hell he was going to survive seven days in her company when he was barely able to get through one.
3
Unfortunately, when Louise went in search of Bridget the following morning, she found the poor maid huddled beneath her bed sheets and trembling with fever. “Is it already time to leave?” Bridget asked, punctuating her question with a wet cough.
She looked worse now than she had the previous evening. After saying good night to Lord Alistair, Louise had left her room and gone to check on the maid. Her face had been flushed but she’d assured Louise that a good night’s rest was all she required, but she’d clearly been mistaken about that.
“We’re supposed to depart in half an hour,” Louise said, handing Bridget a handkerchief.
Blowing her nose, Bridget nodded. “I’ll be right down.”
Louise frowned. She really shouldn’t suggest this, but demanding a woman with influenza endure a week-long carriage ride when she’d be far better off in bed prompted her to say, “I think you ought to remain here.” She also had no desire to catch the affliction and pass it on to the Channings.
“Oh no, Miss. I can’t do that.” Bridget tried to sit but promptly collapsed onto the mattress with a groan. “You’ll have no chaperone. It wouldn’t be proper.”
Louise was keenly aware of the fact. “I am well aware, but you are not in any condition to travel and we cannot delay our journey. Lady Channing expects our arrival.” She hesitated, perturbed by the only logical option yet quite intent on being practical. “And Lord Alistairisa gentleman.”
“Yes, but for you to be alone with him in the carriage is inadvisable.”
“I’ll be fine,” Louise said, hoping to dispel not only the maid’s concerns but her own as well. “You obviously can’t travel in this condition, and we cannot wait for you to recover. All things considered, it will be best for you to remain here until you are fully recuperated.” She had no idea how Lord Alistair would respond to her making such a decision, but it seemed like the reasonable thing to suggest.
As it turned out, he fully agreed. So they left the inn after he ensured enough funds were left to support Bridget’s continued stay and her subsequent return to London.
Two hours passed. Although they spoke amicably of their various interests, Louise regretted the comment she’d made the previous evening. In an effort to respect her wishes, Lord Alistair had refrained from asking personal questions and had shared nothing special about himself, either. And while she knew she ought to appreciate this, she now felt as though a ravine had been wedged between them. It strained the atmosphere and turned it into a stilted awkwardness that grated on her nerves.
“I think I made a mistake,” she finally said, when the fourth hour rolled around, and they’d exhausted their opinions on fashion, their thoughts on art, and their views on the British landscape and agricultural industry.
He frowned. “How so?”
She drew a deep breath. “I’ve ruined what promised to be an enjoyable journey and turned it into something from which I’m sure you now wish to escape.”
A gruff sound made her wonder if he agreed, but then he said, “Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, I like you. More than I imagined I would. And if you will set your preconceived ideas aside for a minute, I would like to say that I never turn my back on my friends. No matter what.”
“I wasn’t implying you would.” She was suddenly horrified by the possibility that she might have insulted him.
“Yes, you did. I know I didn’t comment at the time, but I intend to do so now since you’ve opened the topic.” Leaning forward, he braced his elbows on his knees while peering into her face. His eyes held hers so confidently, she was prevented from looking away. Instead, a tiny thrill of something unknown ignited inside her, the intensity of it tightening her belly and prompting her heart to beat faster. “You may be taking on the role of governess, but you will be doing so in an unconventional household. Mark my word when I say you will become fast friends with the countess, and I myself would never in a million years be able to ignore you.”
Swallowing this assurance, Louise dug her fingers into the bench on which she sat. For reasons she could not begin to imagine, he’d made her skin prick with awareness, her insides quiver with a strange sort of anticipation, and her mouth go completely dry. And all he’d implied was that he’d be her friend. But the way in which he’d said it while subjecting her to a most intense stare left her feeling a bit out of breath.
“It is kind of you to say so, but—”
“Kindness has little to do with it, Miss Potter.” He must have perceived the puzzlement she felt since he chose to clarify. “I am a man and you are an extremely attractive woman. Ignoring you would be out of the question.”
Her heart made a funny leap and heat surged inside her. She’d known he found her pretty – beautiful even – for he’d told her so plainly enough. What she hadn’t considered was a possible attraction – the sort that wasn’t based on looks alone but on need and desire. She felt it now as he held her gaze. It hummed through her body, tickling her senses, heightening her awareness, and forcing a longing upon her she’d never felt before.
“I…”
Words failed her as the reality of her situation came barreling toward her. She was alone in a carriage with a handsome and virile man who’d all but expressed his desire for her while making her acutely aware of her own. She should be afraid – very, very afraid – and yet she found that she wasn’t. Quite the opposite, really.
Which was why his next comment felt like a bucket of ice water dumped on her head. “You needn’t worry however. I will remain on my best behavior. Nothing will happen between us. You’re perfectly safe.”
As relieved as she ought to have been to hear it, disappointment brought her swiftly back to reality – the reality in which a man like him was not supposed to have designs on a woman like her. One in which he could have, if she’d belonged to the middle or lower classes. But now that he knew she didn’t, he’d be sure to keep himself in check and avoid succumbing to any form of temptation.
“Thank you,” she muttered. “I cannot tell you how grateful I am to hear you say that.”
He tilted his head, studied her a moment, and then, “I believe I may have upset you.”
“Upset me? Not at all, my lord. You merely caught me by surprise, that is all.”
