Fair Juno. Stephanie Laurens
Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу Fair Juno - Stephanie Laurens страница 14

Название: Fair Juno

Автор: Stephanie Laurens

Издательство: HarperCollins

Жанр: Историческая литература

Серия:

isbn: 9781408912553

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ avoiding the mirror above the mantelpiece. She had little real idea how bad her state was, but could not imagine knowing would help.

      Martin heard her sigh. He glanced at her, then said to the landlord, ‘We had an accident with our chaise. Our servants are following behind, with our luggage. Perhaps,’ he continued, raising his voice and turning to address a weary Juno, ‘you’d like to refresh yourself above stairs, my dear?’

      Helen blinked, then readily agreed. Led to a small chamber and supplied with warm water, she washed the dust of the road from her face and hands, then steeled herself to examine the damage her adventures had wrought in her appearance. It was not as bad as she had feared. Her eyes were sparkling clear and the wind had whipped colour into her cheeks. Clearly, driving about the countryside with Martin Willesden agreed with her constitution. In the end, she undid her hair and reformed the mass of curls into a simpler knot. Her dress, the apricot silk marred by a host of creases, was beyond her ability to change. Other than shaking and straightening her skirts, there was little else she could do.

      Returning to the parlour, she found their repast laid out upon the table. Martin rose with a smile and held a chair for her.

      ‘Wine?’

      At her nod, he filled her glass. Then, without more ado, they applied themselves to the task of demolishing the food before them.

      Finally satisfied, Martin sat back in his chair and put aside contemplation of their problems the better to savour his wine while quietly studying fair Juno, absorbed in peeling a plum. His eyes slid over her generous curves— generous, ample—such words came readily to mind. Along with luscious, ripe and other, less acceptable terms. Martin hid a smile behind his goblet. All in all, he had no fault to find in the arrangement of fair Juno’s dispositions.

      ‘We won’t reach London tonight, will we?’

      The question drew Martin’s gaze to her lips, full and richly curved and presently stained with plum juice. A driving urge to taste them seared through him. Abruptly, he refocused his mind on their problem. He raised his eyes to Juno’s, troubled green and concerned. He smiled reassuringly. ‘No.’

      Helen felt justified in ignoring the smile. ‘No’, he said, and smiled. Did he have any idea of the panic she was holding at bay by dint of sheer determination?

      Apparently, he did, for he continued, more seriously, ‘Getting stuck in that ford has delayed us too much. However, I draw the line at driving my horses through the night, not that that would avail us, for I can’t see arriving in London at dawn to be much improvement over our current state.’

      Helen frowned, forced to acknowledge the truth of that remark. He would not be able to hire a chaise for her if they passed by Hounslow in the middle of the night.

      ‘And, before you suggest it, I refuse to be a party to any scheme to hire a chaise for you to travel alone through the night.’

      Helen’s frown deepened. She opened her mouth to argue.

      ‘Even with outriders.’

      Helen shut her mouth and glared. But his tone and the set of his jaw warned her that no argument would shift him. And, in truth, she had no wish to spend the night jolting over the roads, a prey to fears of highwaymen and worse. ‘What, then?’ she asked in her most reasonable tone.

      She was rewarded with a brilliant smile which quite took her breath away. Luckily, he did not expect her to speak.

      ‘I had wondered,’ Martin began diffidently, unsure how his plan would be received, ‘if we could find an inn where neither of us is known, to put up in for the night.’

      Helen considered the suggestion. She could see no alternative. Raising her napkin to wipe her lips, she raised her eyes to his. ‘How will we explain our disreputable state— and our lack of servants and luggage?’

      The instant she asked the question, she knew the answer. Deliciously wicked, but, she reasoned, it was all part of her adventure and thus could be viewed with a lenient eye.

      Pleased by her tacit acceptance of the only viable plan he had, Martin relaxed. ‘We can tell the same story I edified our host with—that we’ve had an accident and our retainers are following behind with the luggage.’

      Still a little nervous of the idea, Helen nodded. Did he intend to claim they were wed?

      ‘Which reminds me,’ said Martin, sliding the gold signet from his right hand. ‘You had better wear this for the duration.’ He held the heavy ring out and dropped it into her palm.

      Helen studied the ring, still warm from his hand. Obviously, they were to appear married. She slipped it on to the third finger of her left hand. To her surprise, its weight, in that remembered place, did not evoke the expected horror. Instead, it was strangely reassuring, a source of strength, a pledge of protection.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAAEApgCmAAD//gAfTEVBRCBUZWNobm9sb2dpZXMgSW5jLiBWMS4wMQD/2wCE AAcFBQYFBAcGBQYIBwcICxILCwoKCxYQEQ0SGhccGxoXGRkdISojHR8oHxkZJDIlKCstLy8vHCMz NzMuNyouLy0BBwgICwkLFQsLFS0eGR4tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0t LS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLf/EAaIAAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEBQYHCAkKCwEAAwEBAQEB AQEBAQAAAAAAAAECAwQFBgcICQoLEAACAQMDAgQDBQUEBAAAAX0BAgMABBEFEiExQQYTUWEHInEU MoGRoQgjQrHBFVLR8CQzYnKCCQoWFxgZGiUmJygpKjQ1Njc4OTpDREVGR0hJSlNUVVZXWFlaY2Rl ZmdoaWpzdHV2d3h5eoOEhYaHiImKkpOUlZaXmJmaoqOkpaanqKmqsrO0tba3uLm6wsPExcbHyMnK 0tPU1dbX2Nna4eLj5OXm5+jp6vHy8/T19vf4+foRAAIBAgQEAwQHBQQEAAECdwABAgMRBAUhMQYS QVEHYXETIjKBCBRCkaGxwQkjM1LwFWJy0QoWJDThJfEXGBkaJicoKSo1Njc4OTpDREVGR0hJSlNU VVZXWFlaY2RlZmdoaWpzdHV2d3h5eoKDhIWGh4iJipKTlJWWl5iZmqKjpKWmp6ipqrKztLW2t7i5 usLDxMXGx8jJytLT1NXW19jZ2uLj5OXm5+jp6vLz9PX29/j5+v/AABEIAvIB3wMBEQACEQEDEQH/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/APUwvFUfS3HBfagm44LigVxcYoAUDigQmKAFxQAbaAuLjFAhQtAXHBaBXF2i gVxNtA7ibaAuG2gLhigBOBUOcUK6Q4Rlui/nUuouhLqJDxbjoW/AVm6jM3VfQkVUj4xUXM229yWN gDg4z2oRDJSRkCqJFbGQBQINnY0wuAGPzpADe1IaKl9dW9hp815eyrDbwIXkkY8KBUt2VykZV1tn gWWFt8cih1I7gjINRI3gzGmkMLFZFPXisnobpX2M6dEnO49M4IqHqWtCrPGu0genSoZSZjywgOw9 eakopmFgMYPJ5PpQA6OTa2ARtFAFrAOMD9akCGZsAdM9qaEVZG4ODx3qhEQZs9flqhBs3ZGMKB1o EVrkBVJ9BxQTI4rUru4l1VIY0X5ScEHkZ9PStVBct2c125WR1umaGjwxSXBZ2A79qxbOmMUjejgE ShVH0xWbNkidUwV6UhlpYgRgDrTENa0XuKYFaWyXcc8CmIpS2fGNvSmMz57EMMgAGncDLnstvanc Bttd3Vh8qEPH/cb+npW0K0obHXQxdSlpujXtdRtrz5Vby5P7jf0rvp14z0PboYuFbRaMsmPj0re5 1XGFOOlMY0rt+tMBNvIwKAG7SKYBt+Y9OKADbQIQL82BQM9xArI+LHAYoEOxQIXFAhcUCDbxxQFw 2+lAXHBaBXF20CuOC0xXF20hXAp6UDuVLy/trCMtcyquPUgY/E0nJI1hTlPYi0/VbbVZJE09o7ho iA4jkVtmfXHSp5wnD2a95mqLUj7/AOVS6j6HK6vYcIUUYArNtszcmyJ0CnA6dqkBhfFSBG8pBGDS KsRvIWJH40ALHcDPP8NCYmi35ucNmquRYsqcrmrIJCOhoEN79KQxcfKcUgMTxf4efxV4XudHiuVt muNuJGXcvDA4I/Ck430KTsYHgi6e48KfYJ7mO5udInk0+WWMEK2w/KQDzjaVqLaWNEye7Uord8e1 ZM6YmNL8zH+D3FZM2Qx4GZAQyke/FFguUn0 СКАЧАТЬ