Watson had missed his calling. He’d have been one of Tramel’s top henchmen.
Yet, if becoming more like the duke meant returning Cecilia to Felton’s arms, the gambit was worth it.
CHAPTER48
CECILIA—ALONE IN ACROWD
Waiting to board the coach was not terrible. I’d traveled a great deal by myself, so the prospects weren’t scary. Yet my throat tightened watching Felton glaring at me.
Across from me, ten feet away, he leaned against a barrel. With folded arms, he frowned. His shoulders, even beneath his greatcoat, looked tense enough to pop.
He mopped at his brow, then turned as he looked toward the rear of the line.
This was new, to see emotions on his face.
With his jaw stiff and the same bow-legged gait he had in Stabroek, he came to me. My breath caught. I thought I’d escaped his arguments or his attempts at persuasion.
“Lady Gantry, you seem very set in this course.”
“I am, sir. No need to toss me with abandon.”
He sighed and looked over my head. “I apologize for manhandling you. I was at my wit’s end, but I besiege you to reconsider. I’ll behave. I have plenty of room and another basket of treats to share.”
“Felton, you’re glorious with gifts, but we don’t know how to be. We are either too affectionate or—”
“Or you’re running and I’m chasing, my Lady Gantry.”
“I won’t be that much longer.”
“You are for now, Cilia.” His lips had flattened, then curled up. “This will give me time to plan the next pieces of your training.”
“Plan? You’re still going to help me?”
He took my hand, his warm palm cutting through my chill. “Yes, I’ve been thinking about it. Justice is deserved. When we’re calm and rational and not given to running, we can work through the steps.”
This was a new tack for him to take. The professional sound didn’t match his eyes. Had they always been this clear, declaring his feelings?
Maybe the glass of the lantern containing his soul had chipped.
I lowered my chin. “You’re right. When my emotions are easier, I won’t be given to run. I look forward to—”
“Dinner this evening in New Town. My carriage will get there a little faster than the coach.” He looked over my head. “Well, my man is signaling that we are done. Your fare is paid.” Felton had my hand and led me to the coach’s entry.
A woman with a big sack knocked past us. She wasn’t rude, just busy. All my comings and goings in the city had taught me the difference.
Transport especially near the ports, made people more tolerant of differences. The stares went away completely by Portsmouth and London. I had no need to hide or costume myself as I had in Covent Garden to keep people away.
“You’re sure about this, Cilia? It looks very crowded. And we haven’t discussed how to tell the children where you’ve been and why you’re still not coming home.”
Homewas a strange word, and now that I had Patience and Enna and Noah, I had my own.
“Make it all my fault. That way they hate me and not you, their father. I’m not required to be a relation to them.”
“You’re a relation to them. And everyone wants to know a famous artist. I’m sure that’s what you will be. The painting of me and Tramel is superb.”
I should’ve known he’d see that one at Warwick. “It’s not finished. I couldn’t picture how . . .”
“It will come to you. You paint what’s not there, remember?” He leaned in close. “The heart wants what it wants.”
