Not Always a Saint (14 page)

She'd loved Philip and their quiet country life, but now her life was opening up in numerous ways. She couldn't decide if she was more excited or alarmed.

T
hey entered Hyde Park and Daniel drove along to the Serpentine, the long, curved lake that was one of the park's chief features. When the road was at its closest approach to the water, he halted the curricle and climbed out, passing the reins to the groom who'd been riding on the back of the vehicle.

He asked Beth, “Would you like to fly like a duck?”

“Yes!”

“Fly, little duck, fly!” He caught her around the waist and swooped her twice around before setting her on the ground. She squeaked with pleasure.

With Jessie, Daniel took more time, gazing into her eyes and clasping her hand warmly as he helped her to the ground. She smiled. “I can see you're well experienced with small people.”

“Practice. When a child has fallen and gashed his head and is bleeding copiously, a certain tact is required.” He reached behind the curricle seat and produced a small canvas bag, then left the groom to walk the horses back and forth to keep them from cooling off. “Now for the ducks!” he announced as he handed the bag to Beth. “There are pieces of bread in here for them and any swans who might come by.”

“
Quack!
” Beth took off for the lake as fast as her short legs would carry her.

“Your daughter may have a future as a racehorse,” Daniel observed.

Jessie laughed as she took Daniel's arm and they followed Beth at a more sedate pace. “At some point, I'll need to explain the concept of ‘ladylike' to her, but I hate to quell all that exuberance.”

“I'm sure she can become a charmingly exuberant young lady.” He chuckled. “But it won't happen overnight.”

Walking along the edge of the water was a blond girl about Beth's age, accompanied by a young woman dressed as a nursemaid. Beth trotted up to the other girl and produced a handful of bread chunks from her bag. “I am Beth, Lady Kelham. Would you like to help me feed the ducks?”

The blond girl brightened. “I am Lady Lydia Hambly, and yes!” She belatedly glanced at her nurse for permission. “Please?”

The nurse studied Jessie and Daniel as she considered. Then the two women exchanged a nod of mutual approval. “You may, Lady Lydia.”

As the nurse settled on a bench to watch, the chattering girls scooted to the water's edge and started tearing the chunks of bread into small pieces. Lady Lydia tossed her bread one piece at a time while Beth inclined to flinging several pieces at once. Ducks seemed to appear out of nowhere, quacking in a gathering throng.

“The girls both have a nice sense of equity,” Daniel observed. “See how they try to make sure that all the ducks get some bread?”

“Beth always wants to share with other children.” Jessie chuckled. “It looked as if she and Lady Lydia may be striking up a lifelong friendship here. I think Beth will make a wonderful big sister when the time comes.”

Daniel looked down at her, and she was suddenly, acutely aware of just how that new sibling would be created. Blushing, she said, “We were going to discuss practicalities this morning, weren't we?”

“Ducks and practicalities,” Daniel agreed. “This afternoon I'll go to Doctors Commons for a special license. I'll need your full name and your place of birth. Is Jessie your Christian name, or is it a nickname for Jessica or Jessamine or Janet?”

Jessie sighed, some of her good humor fading. “It's short for Jezebel.”

“Seriously?” Daniel said, shocked.

“I told you my father hated females. Jezebel, the wicked woman who tried to turn her devout husband from the true God,” she said bitterly. “The name is inscribed right there in the family Bible.”

“Jezebel also means ‘princess,' ” Daniel said quietly as he rested his hand over hers where she clasped his arm. “That suits you much better.”

“Thank you.” She swallowed hard, thinking that she'd wanted a husband who was kind, and she had found one.

“Given your feelings about your father, would you be willing to marry in a church, or would you prefer a private ceremony?” he asked. “With a special license, we can marry when and where we wish.”

She hesitated. Her father had made her deeply wary of the Church, but kindness worked both ways. She suspected that marrying in a church would matter more to Daniel than not marrying in one would matter to her. “As long as you and our friends are present, a church is a fine and proper place to wed.”

“Thank you.” He smiled apologetically. “It wouldn't seem real to me if we were married in a parlor.”

Her first wedding had been in a parlor, her second in a church. The second marriage had worked much better. Maybe that was an endorsement of church weddings.

“You'll need my married names as well as my birth name.” She didn't like revealing so much of her past, even to Daniel. But this was her third marriage with a special license, so she was something of an expert. My full legal name is Jezebel Elizabeth Braxton Trevane Kelham. I'd better write that all down for you.”

“That would be helpful,” he agreed, tactfully not mentioning the number of married names. “Is Elizabeth a family name?”

“Yes, my mother was Elizabeth. I hated being called Jezebel and my mother didn't approve, so when I was little, I was often called Lisbet.” Though she had few memories of her mother, the ones she had were good. She wondered sometimes how different her life would have been if her mother hadn't died. “When I moved to York, I needed a new name, so I decided to use Jessie as a nickname for Jezebel.”

“I'm sure your mother would be honored to know that the family name is being continued,” he said. “Now, for a different practical topic. The Kirklands have offered the use of a manor house they own that's only about an hour from London if we want to have a quiet honeymoon before we travel to Castle Romayne. Would you like that?”

“After all the rush of my time in London, that sounds wonderful.” Her brow furrowed. “Though having Beth there will make it less quiet.”

“Laurel has offered to take her, and says that the duchess and Lady Julia would happily do the same. Would you be comfortable leaving Beth with one of them? If not, of course she should come with us.”

“I've never been apart from her.” Jessie hesitated. Though Beth was part of her, a husband should be equally important in a different way. “But a few days just for us is a good way to start a marriage.”

As she spoke, she realized that she wanted that private time, too. She was uncertain how well they'd suit in the long run, but given the degree of attraction between them, the honeymoon should be splendid.

Daniel glanced at the girls, who were still tossing bread and chattering like magpies. A pair of stately white swans had joined the throng and were honking greedily. “The decision is yours.”

“Beth is so friendly and outgoing that she'll be fine staying with friends,” Jessie said decisively. “The Ashtons and the Randalls are about to leave town, but they both live to the west. Since we'll be traveling in that direction anyhow, we can collect Beth on the way to Castle Romayne.”

“That will work.” He smiled sympathetically. “Being separated will be harder on you than Beth, I suspect.”

Her return smile was uneven. “I'm sure you're right. But I really do like the idea of a week or so of quiet time just with you.”

“Good,” he said, heat deep in his eyes.

She blushed again, exasperated with herself for acting like a nervous virgin.

Apparently reading her mind, Daniel murmured, “You blush most charmingly even though you're not an innocent girl from the schoolroom.”

His words were casual, but she realized this was a topic that needed to be aired. “Does it bother you that you'll be my third husband? That seems so
extreme
on my part!”

Daniel's brows arched. “I don't mind being the third husband as long as I'm your
last
husband.”

She laughed, relieved not to see signs of jealousy. That had been the worst failing of her first husband, Ivo—and he'd had no shortage of failings. “You will be! I would have stopped at two if not for practical reasons.”

His eyes cooled a little. Perhaps she should not have been quite so honest. She was wondering what to say when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man walk purposefully to the edge of the Serpentine. He was carrying something in one hand. When he reached the water's edge, he tossed a small sack into the water as far as he could. A high feline wail came from the sack before it splashed into the lake.

Lady Lydia shrieked. Beth—dear God, Beth plunged right into the water! She was splashing her way toward the sinking sack when the bottom dropped away under her feet. Suddenly Beth was in over her head, splashing and yelping frantically.

As Jessie gasped with horror, Daniel bolted from her side and straight into the water. Though the Serpentine looked placid, it was formed from the Westbourne River and a slow, steady current was pulling Beth away from the shore.

When the bottom dropped away, Daniel began swimming toward Beth with powerful strokes. He overtook her quickly, but she was weeping and kicking. To Jessie's surprise, he didn't return immediately to shore but kept swimming, Beth under one arm.

The cat in the sack. He grabbed it with one hand and gave it to Beth, who clutched it as Daniel began side-stroking back to shore, moving more slowly since he could use only one arm.

Freed of her paralysis, Jessie ran for the curricle and grabbed the blanket that had been tucked behind the seat again. “Turn the carriage around,” she ordered the groom. “We're going to need to return to Ashton House immediately.”

As he complied, she raced back to the waterside, where Daniel was emerging with Beth in his arms and water streaming from both of them. He looked like a river god, gloriously powerful and protective. The tenderness in his face as he cradled Beth to his chest twisted Jessie's heart.

Beth was clutching the drenched sack. “The
kitty!
” she wept. “That bad man tried to drown the kitty.”

“I'll take a look at it,” Daniel said in the soothing tones of a doctor. “First we get you wrapped up in a blanket.”

Jessie opened the blanket in her arms. “I'll take her.”

Daniel laid Beth into Jessie's embrace, deftly took the wet sack, then wrapped the folds of the blanket around the little girl. As Jessie gathered her shivering daughter close, she realized just how chilly the air was. “You must be freezing,” she said to Daniel.

He shrugged. “I'll do.” He produced a folding pocketknife and cut the cord that tied the sack shut. Inside was a half-grown gray tabby that looked like a drowned rat.

“Kitty!” Beth reached for the cat.

“Just a moment.” Daniel stretched the tabby out on his left arm and gently pressed on its back for a few seconds. Press, release. Press, release. The little cat coughed up water and raised its head to look around in terror. Then it scrabbled up Daniel's chest to his shoulder with little needle claws, crying frantically.

“You've had a hard day, haven't you?” he crooned as he pulled it from the shoulder of his expensive, ruined coat. He tucked it under his coat to protect it from the cutting wind. It huddled close to him, only the small striped face and bristling whiskers visible. Daniel stroked its head with one finger.

Beth's bonnet had disappeared, so Jessie kissed her daughter's wet curls. Jessie was shaking, she realized. Forcing her voice to sound calm, she said, “Beth, you were very brave, but also very foolish. Don't ever,
ever
just run into the water like that!”

Beth looked up with a sunny smile. “But kitty and I are both well.”

“You could have drowned if the current had been stronger or if there wasn't someone around to pull you out of the water,” Daniel said, his voice stern. “Do
not
do such a foolish thing again.”

Beth looked up with wide, innocent, manipulative eyes. “No, Dandy,” she said earnestly. “May I have Smoky?”

His brows arched. “Dandy?”

“For Daniel Daddy,” she explained as she held her hands out for the little cat.

From his amused gaze, Daniel recognized that he was being manipulated by a master, but he brought the little cat out from under his coat, petted it a couple of times to ensure that it had calmed down, then placed it into Beth's eager hands. “Hold Smoky carefully with your arm underneath for support,” he ordered.

Clearly Daniel saw that trying to separate a child from a kitten would be both cruel and impossible. Especially a kitten that had already been named. Jessie said, “We need to get both of you warm and fed. The poor little puss looks like he's starving.”

“He can have the bread.” Lady Lydia had joined them, and she solemnly produced a handful of broken bread crumbs from the bread bag.

“That's very thoughtful of you,” Daniel said as he put the crumbs on his flat palm and held them in front of Smoky. The little cat dived at them ferociously. He might not be a bread eater by choice, but just now, he'd take what he could get.

A hesitant voice said, “Sir? Lady Lydia asked me to get our carriage robe for you.” It was the nursemaid, a dark green woolen carriage blanket in her hands.

“Thank you.” Daniel opened the blanket and pulled it around his shoulders. “You are both very kind. Where shall I return this blanket later?”

“Hambly House, sir. On Mount Street.”

Mount Street wasn't far from Ashton House. “Perhaps you and Beth can play together in the future,” Jessie said. “Would you like that?”