Regency Romance Collection From Christina Courtenay (4 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

They travelled all night, heading north through the Cotswolds, and stopped only once to change the horses. They passed by Cheltenham, James preferring to break their journey only at smaller towns so as to put anyone following them off the scent. There wasn’t much likelihood of this, but he also thought it would be wise to avoid the larger places where there was a possibility of meeting acquaintances out travelling as well. Finally, they came to a halt at a country inn late in the morning and he shook Amelia gently to wake her up.

‘
Time for some breakfast, or perhaps lunch? I’ve asked for a private parlour.’

‘
Thank you, that would be wonderful.’ Amelia followed him into the inn. She felt slightly flustered when the landlady addressed her as ‘her ladyship’, but James sent her a warning glance and she played along with this. He had said he thought it best that they pose as a married couple.

Their ruse brought it home to her more forcibly just what she was doing – eloping with a complete stranger who could be
a wanted man for all she knew. The tension of the previous day returned as she wondered whether Bernard had somehow found them out after all. Was he on their trail despite their subterfuges, thundering north to stop this marriage? And what of her aunt? By now she would have read the note Amelia left, and no doubt was in a fearful temper at having lost her unpaid servant. Amelia shivered involuntarily and took a deep breath. She must stop thinking about it and hope for the best.
No one knows where I am except Bootle and he won’t tell.

In order to calm down, she went to freshen up and w
hen she returned, James was already seated at a table groaning with food, looking for all the world as if this was just a normal day. Amelia decided to follow his lead. There was no point in worrying now, the die was cast. She sat down and joined him, tucking in with gusto. She had always had a hearty appetite, even when under pressure.

‘
You do not seem to subscribe to the popular idea that young ladies should eat virtually nothing,’ he commented, glancing unobtrusively at her waistline. ‘Although I must say, I prefer ladies who don’t look as though they would blow away in a gust of wind,’ he added, obviously anxious not to insult her.

Amelia only smiled and replied airily,
‘Oh, I like to eat a lot at breakfast time to sustain me through the day, but then I usually take quite a bit of exercise one way or another.’ She had not forgotten that she was still wearing the padding, but unfortunately she could not discard it yet as all her dresses had been made to fit this larger shape. Besides, it might be a good thing, she thought, if he did not see her true figure until after they were wed. After all, if James married her looking like this, she could be sure he wasn’t as shallow as Bernard.

James hid a frown and privately doubted whether the exercise Amelia claimed to take was enough, judging by her plump figure, but he was too polite to say so. And he had not chosen her for her looks after all, or had he? He looked at her again, observing the pretty face with hyacinth blue eyes that sparkled in the morning light. Her hair was still dreadful, but perhaps with a little help from a hairdresser she could be quite presentable. He shook himself mentally.
What does it matter?

They were soon on their way again and time p
assed quickly in conversation. Amelia was eager to hear everything James could tell her about the places they were passing through, and he found himself regarding everything through her enthusiastic eyes. Sometimes they simply sat in companionable silence, but it was not strained in any way. James surprised himself by thinking that he had seldom felt so at ease with anyone before. It was as if they had known each other for a long time and he wondered why this was so.

They stopped for the night at another small country inn, where the innkeeper was honoured enough by such exalted guests as to give them his two best bedchambers. Amelia worried all through dinner about the sleeping arrangements, as their rooms were connected and she was not sure what would be expected of her. She had felt some sort of bond between them the previous night when she fell against him in the carriage, and she had caught him looking at her with a slight frown several times since, but she didn’t know what to make of it. Had he felt it too, that strange pull of attraction?
Or was it just me?
As he escorted her to the door of her room, her worries redoubled and she felt butterflies dancing in her stomach.

He took her hand and Amelia braced herself for what was to come
, but to her relief his lordship simply raised her fingers to his mouth and grazed her knuckles with a soft kiss. She felt the tantalising rasp of the stubble on his chin against her skin and had to suppress a shiver of ... delight?
Surely not! But how can it be so rough and yet soft at the same time?

‘Goodnight, sleep well,’ he said with a small smile.
‘I’ll see you in the morning.’

‘G-goodnight.’ Amelia fled into her own room and leaned her back against the door. Her legs were shaking, although she didn’t know why.
I agreed to this,
she reminded herself. If the viscount had asked to sleep with her on the grounds that she was already compromised, it would not have been easy to refuse.
And perhaps I would have enjoyed it?
She shivered again, remembering the velvety feel of his lips on her knuckles. That had been very pleasant, very pleasant indeed.

Still, s
he was grateful that he hadn’t made any demands on her as yet. It was too soon.

The following morning she took the liberty of ordering a bath and had a long
soak before washing her hair. It was wonderful to have clean hair again, and she revelled in the silky feel of it as she combed it out. Keeping it dirty and in an unflattering style had been one of the subterfuges she had employed in order to possibly put Bernard off, although sadly that had not worked for any length of time either. When her hair was reasonably dry, she put it up in a simple knot on the top of her head, and was pleased at the effect this had on the viscount when she descended for breakfast.

‘
I say, that hairstyle becomes you very well,’ he exclaimed. Amelia turned away to hide a smile. She had seen him eyeing her ringlets with disgust and she couldn’t blame him as they had been dreadful indeed.

‘Thank you, my lord.’

They continued their journey and made good time. There was no sign of anyone following them, and Amelia began to relax and enjoy herself. They stopped overnight once more and yet again the viscount left her to sleep alone after a kiss on the cheek this time, which made her heart flutter. She told herself sternly not to be so silly.
He is not courting me, he is merely being polite and trying to get me used to his nearness.
And it was working, she thought ruefully, since she found herself wanting his touch. He was either very clever or very adept at wooing a lady. She was not sure which.
Perhaps it is best not to know?

I
n the afternoon of the following day they finally approached the border of Scotland.

As they drew nearer to their destination, Amelia once
again became a trifle nervous.
After all, I’m marrying a virtual stranger in far from normal circumstances and I have no idea what the future will hold.
However, she was of an optimistic nature and would not let herself dwell too much on unpleasant possibilities. It was therefore with a cheerful smile that she later entered the forge at Gretna Green, after they had first stopped at an inn to hire a room for the night and allow Amelia to freshen up a little.

His lordship looked as handsome as ever, and Amelia felt
a jolt of awareness stab her. He gave her a small smile and handed her a bouquet of flowers with a flourish. ‘For the bride,’ he said.

‘Why, thank you!
How thoughtful,’ she murmured, almost overcome by this kind gesture. Any doubts she may have been harbouring fled in that moment.
I am marrying a nice, kind man and I’m doing the right thing,
she thought.

The ceremony was luckily very brief and after they had signed the register,
together with the two witnesses – their coachman and the smith’s wife – they went back to their inn for an early dinner. Amelia felt quite exhausted from the journey and all that had happened beforehand, but she knew that tonight there would be no sleep for her until after she had fulfilled all her wifely obligations. Although she did know what these duties entailed, she was nervous and sat picking at her dinner.

‘
You are not hungry?’ his lordship enquired.

‘
Yes, I mean no. I’m just a little tired.’ She felt herself blushing under his scrutiny and stared at her plate.

‘
You are not afraid of me, are you?’ he asked gently. ‘I assure you I would never hurt you in any way.’

‘Oh, no.
Of course not, my lord.’

‘
Perhaps you could call me James now that we are married, Amelia?’

‘
I … yes, if you wish, er, James.’

He handed her a glass of wine.
‘Here, a little of this will calm your nerves.’

Amelia accepted gratefully and drank deeply, forgetting th
at she hadn’t eaten very much. The wine went to her head very quickly and she began to feel much more composed and cheerful. So much so, that the meal passed in a blur. Before she knew it, she had consumed at least three glasses of wine, with the result that she felt a bit strange when she stood up.

James did not seem to notice, however, and simply picked her up and carried her to their chamber, where he put
her down just in front of him. A frisson slithered through Amelia as her body came into contact with his, and when he put his arms around her it felt so right. She twined hers around his neck with a smile and when he bent to kiss her, it was even more wonderful than that first time on the terrace, and she responded eagerly.

He kissed her slowly at first, almost reverently, then began to deepen the kiss until Ameli
a parted her lips in response. The most wonderful sensations began to course through her and it was beyond anything she had ever felt in her life. Eagerly, she pulled him closer to kiss him back in equal measure, but her passionate response was cut short as James tore his mouth away. He held her at arm’s length, staring at her with a frown.

‘
What’s wrong?’ she asked, confused and dizzy.

‘
I think perhaps we need more time to get to know each other before we pursue this, my dear,’ he said. His voice sounded oddly cold and Amelia shivered. Had she put him off with her ardour? She knew that young ladies of quality were not supposed to show their feelings, but she had not thought this applied to encounters with one’s own husband.

‘
As you wish,’ she murmured, distraught that she may have given him a disgust of her. She stumbled towards the bed and sat down abruptly.

‘
It would be best if we get a good night’s sleep, we have much to do tomorrow,’ James said and went over to his side of the bed.

Engulfed in misery, Amelia hardly noticed as he blew out the ca
ndles, undressed and lay down. Without looking at him, she did the same in the dark, but it was a long time before sleep claimed her.

James lay staring into the darkness, very aware of the woman only a few inches away from him. The woman who had been willing to give him everything she had to offer.

He had wanted her – still wanted her – with a fierceness that had taken him by surprise, but her passionate response to his kiss had made warning bells ring inside his brain and stopped h
im from taking things further as yet. He found himself wondering how much he really knew about his new wife – what if she were not the innocent she claimed to be? What if he had been duped and she really had been Sir Bernard’s mistress already? Her abandoned caresses suggested experience. Perhaps this was all a ruse so that Sir Bernard would not have to accept the consequences of his actions?
What if Amelia was already with child?
She had claimed not to be, but she could have been lying.

And dear Lord, why didn’t I think of this before?
Why did I take her word for it?
But she had seemed so sincere and he had been so angry at her cousin ...

A co
ld knot formed in his stomach. He would have looked a fool indeed if she was pregnant and he had to claim the child as his own simply because he couldn’t wait to bed her himself. It would account for her willingness to marry a man she barely knew and her wanton behaviour just now.

James began to think of more and more possibilities, his mind torturing him with visions of Amelia kissing someone else as passionately as she had him
. All the conversations they had had during the journey, when he had begun to like and trust her, were instantly forgotten.

I must have been mad
, he thought.
I should have checked her story more thoroughly
. But he had been taken in by her air of a damsel in distress and the loathsome Sir Bernard had certainly done his bit to convince him. James swore silently. Well, he would not fall for her wiles. If she was with child, let her try and foist it on someone else. He would bide his time and make sure before he touched her again. Until then, she would be his wife in name only.