Of course it was all his fault. By reminding her of her wrongdoing, he’d prompted her to retreat. And he’d regretted it ever since because he’d actually enjoyed the conversation they’d shared up until that point. He’d found himself missing it during the dull stretch of time that had followed.
The touch of her hand sent a shock of awareness through him. Unprepared, he sucked in a breath and held it while she stepped down from the carriage. One booted foot came into view, above it a flash of ankle, before Mrs. Lawson’s long skirt fell into place with a swish.
Strangely unsteady, James went to collect their bags from the boot. Clasping one in each hand, he led the way inside the inn while Mrs. Lawson followed.
“I’d like to book two rooms for the night along with a spot in the loft for my coachman,” he told a large burly fellow who’d introduced himself as Mr. Oaks, the innkeeper.
Mr. Oaks stared at James before shifting his gaze to Mrs. Lawson. “Does your ’usband’s snoring bother you or something?”
“He’s not my husband,” she informed the man in a clipped, no-nonsense manner. “He’s my brother. And yes, his snoring does tend to keep me awake.”
James glared at her while Mr. Oaks chuckled. “Right then. I’ll give you numbers three and five.”
James took the keys the innkeeper gave him. “Any chance you’ve seen a young couple come through here on horseback earlier?”
Mr. Oaks scratched his head. “Blonde woman and dark haired gent in their early twenties?”
“Yes,” Mrs. Lawson said. She snapped her mouth shut when Mr. Oaks gave her a curious look.
“Aye,” Mr. Oaks said, returning his attention to James. “I’d say they stopped for a change of horses ’round three.”
Happy to know they were gaining on Michael and Cynthia to some degree, James nodded his appreciation. Hopefully, an early start in the morning would help them catch up. “I trust the rooms are that way?”
“Straight up the stairs and to your left,” Mr. Oaks said.
“Thank you.” James started turning away.
“And Madam?” Mr. Oaks said, his eyes once again fixed on Mrs. Lawson. “There’s noMrs.Oaks. In case you was wonderin’.”
“I can assure you I was not,” Mrs. Lawson replied.
“Pity,” Mr. Oaks drawled. “It’s not every day a woman as lovely as you stops by.”
“If you don’t mind,” James told the impertinent innkeeper tersely, “my sister never said she wasn’t married, merely that she’s not married to me.”
“In that case I do beg your pardon.” Mr. Oaks smiled with humor in his eyes. “I’ll leave you to go and get settled.”
James waited for Mrs. Lawson to precede him, then sent Mr. Oaks one last scowl before following her up the stairs. They reached the landing and quickly located their rooms. Both were small but at least they looked clean.
James set her bag on the only chair her room offered. “Wait for me before going back downstairs. I don’t trust Mr. Oaks not to try something with you.”
She gave him a hard stare. “Neither do I.”
James blinked. The certainty with which she spoke suggested she knew how brutal men could be from experience. He shook himself as the unpleasant thought of her having fought off such a man in the past invaded his mind.
Stepping back before he pressed her for answers, he said, “I’ll knock on your door in ten minutes. Is that enough time for you to freshen up?”
“It’s fine.”
When she started opening her bag, James left and entered his own room. He shut the door and leaned against it with a hard sigh. There were traces of Mrs. Lawson’s past in her expressions and the things she said. Earlier today, when she’d mentioned her husband, her face had lit up with fondness before she’d managed to school her features and change the subject. It didn’t make any sense. If she’d loved Mr. Hewitt, as James was inclined to believe she might have, then why had she taken lovers?
Because Mr. Hewitt had failed to reciprocate her affection and had engaged in his own trysts?
James scrubbed his hand across his face and dropped his bag on the floor. The person Mrs. Lawson had been revealed to be two years earlier didn’t square with the hardworking woman he’d just spent the day with. She’d been principled – had insisted on covering her share of the expenses for heaven’s sake.
Straightening, James removed his jacket, waistcoat, and shirt. He filled the ceramic basin that stood on a table near the window, and wrung out a wash cloth. The cool water soothed the ache he’d sustained to his muscles by shoveling dirt. Sitting inside a carriage most of the day had only made him sorer.
He ran the cloth over the back of his neck, then over his chest and arms. An unexpected vision of Mrs. Lawson seeing to her own ablutions beyond the wall to his right sneaked into his head. Stomach tight, he glanced in the direction of her room and muttered a curse. He did not want to find her desirable any more than he wanted Mr. Oaks to do so. And yet, in spite of her representing everything he despised, he still wanted her in ways he knew were unseemly.
