Historical Romance – The Best Of The Year. Кэрол Мортимер

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ not be easy.

      ‘Gideon—’

      ‘Hush.’ He held up his hand. ‘We have given your cousin quite enough time this evening. Let us instead listen to the music. This next soprano, I have been told, is quite matchless.’

      * * *

      Their last weeks in town were very busy. Dominique felt quite low when Gwen departed for Brighton, but she left Dominique a long list of things she considered necessary for a protracted stay in Buckinghamshire.

      ‘Buy your loose gowns before you go, for there is but one dressmaker in the village, and although you will want to put some work her way you will need more gowns than she can provide. And make sure you buy some warm petticoats. Flannel ones, my love, because the corridors at Rotham can be icy in winter! Then you will need books,’ Gwen continued, counting off the items on her fingers. ‘I left one or two novels at Rotham, but I doubt my father will have anything new, and it is such a fuss to send to London every time one wants a diversion. If you wish to paint, then you should find everything you need in the old nursery.’ She pulled a face. ‘Poor Papa, he insisted we have the very best—tutors, materials, paints, charcoal and sketchpads—but I was a sad disappointment and not at all proficient at drawing or painting. Oh, and buy at least two pairs of stout boots, the lanes become prodigiously muddy...’

      She went on for some time and when she had finished Dominique gave an uncertain laugh.

      ‘You make Rotham sound like something from a Gothic novel, all gloomy shadows and empty, echoing halls.’

      ‘Well, it is,’ replied Gwen with alarming candour. ‘Since Gideon escaped, Papa has rattled around in that great house all alone, with only an elderly neighbour to visit him.’ Gwen noticed her sister-in-law’s dismay and quickly assured her that Rotham was in no way as bleak as it sounded. ‘The local families will be glad to welcome you, I am sure, and Ribblestone and I will be returning to Fairlawns in December, so we shall only be a few miles away.’

      To Dominique, December sounded a very long time ahead, but she put aside her worries and threw herself into preparing to travel to her husband’s family home.

      * * *

      Travelling in easy stages, they took two full days to reach Rotham. A baggage coach was hired to follow them, the roof piled high with trunks and Dominique’s precious harp packed inside. Dominique rode in the elegant chaise sent up from Rotham for her comfort. Her only disappointment was that Gideon preferred to ride, but since this meant that Kitty could join her in the carriage she was not lonely on the journey, and when they stopped overnight at a prosperous coaching inn there was no lack of conversation with Gideon.

      They dined in a private parlour served by the well-trained staff of the inn, who were efficient and unobtrusive. Even so, Dominique kept the conversation to innocuous subjects until at last the covers were removed and they were alone.

      ‘Tell me about your father,’ she said, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. Gideon looked nonplussed and she added with a smile, ‘Are you very like him?’

      ‘In looks, perhaps, but in temperament—my father is very reserved.’

      She thought of the long silences she had endured with Gideon, but did not comment upon it and said instead, ‘Is his health poor? Is that why he lives so quietly? Gwen told me,’ she explained, when he raised his brows at her. ‘She warned me that Lord Rotham rarely entertains.’

      Gideon gave a crack of laughter.

      ‘Rarely? He never entertains. However, that must change if you are living there. You must invite whom you please.’ He was silent for a moment. ‘You must not be frightened of my father, Nicky. He might appear cold, but his heart is very generous.’

      ‘It will need to be,’ she murmured. ‘I bring no dowry.’

      ‘You must not let that worry you.’

      ‘But it does, Gideon.’

      ‘I think Father will be too relieved to know I have settled down to worry about your lack of dowry. You see, he was sorely disappointed when I went off to make my own life in London.’ He was silent while he poured himself another glass of wine. ‘I did not behave well, I admit it. And once in town I fell in with your cousin and his friends. I am not proud of that time.’

      After the suffocating discipline of Rotham, Max’s mischievous merrymaking had seemed very attractive. Gideon had willingly participated in the pranks and jokes they played on each other and even on total strangers—boxing the Watch, stealing an old gentleman’s wig, holding mock duels, bribing the coachman to let them take the reins of the stage and race it against one of their own carriages... It had all seemed like harmless fun at the time, but looking back he saw how childish it had been. When he stole that little lightskirt from under Max’s nose it was inevitable that the earl would retaliate, but bullying his innocent little cousin into marriage—!

      Glancing up, Gideon saw Nicky’s anxious face and he added quickly, ‘That is no reflection upon you, Nicky. I could not want for a better wife.’

      ‘But perhaps you could want a more beloved one.’

      Gideon frowned.

      ‘We will not discuss that, if you please. The actress Max employed to impersonate you would not have been acceptable to my family.’

      Dominique met his eyes across the table, the wine making her brave.

      ‘And am I any more acceptable?’

      To her surprise the coldness in his gaze was replaced by something warmer, including a hint of laughter.

      ‘With your grace and dignity and your indomitable spirit—yes, you are, my dear.’

      She was inordinately pleased with his answer even though it made her blush rosily. At the same time she felt that strong tug of attraction to the man sitting opposite. His look seemed to burn right through her decorous gown and she could feel her body responding, the breasts tightening, pushing against the restricting material as she imagined his hands caressing her body. It had been weeks since he had touched her like that and she was filled with an indescribable ache to feel his arms around her. She longed to say so, but the words would not come. The silence stretched between them, becoming ever more uncomfortable.

      ‘It—it has been a beautiful day,’ she said at last, glancing out of the window. ‘It seems a shame that we spent it travelling.’

      ‘I at least had the benefit of riding. You were shut up in the chaise all day. Perhaps you would like to take a little stroll with me now and catch the last of the sun?’

      ‘I would like that very much,’ she said, reaching for her shawl.

      * * *

      The inn was situated on a busy street, but Gideon had noticed a lane to one side and once they had walked a few yards the noise and bustle were left behind. They strolled side by side in companionable silence. The lane was bounded on each side by large fields of ripening corn, gleaming and golden in the setting sun.

      ‘How long will you stay at Rotham?’ she asked him.

      ‘Until you are established. I shall drive down to Brighton to see Gwen, then I shall go to Chalcots and see what is СКАЧАТЬ