With His Ring (Brides of Bath Book 2) (21 page)

With lowered brows, she asked, "What are you
proposing, Mr. Jefferson?"

"Veiled, you could slip into my house."

"Your house?" she shrieked in outrage.

"My servants are very discreet."

She seethed. Everything Blanks had said
about the man was correct. The wicked Mr. Jefferson was, indeed, a
conscienceless womanizer. The gall! Trying to lure her into his
house. Though she was young and ignorant of sexual matters, Glee
knew no woman—married or single—would go unescorted to the house of
a bachelor. Not even a woman who wished to appear "fast" to earn
Blanks's affection.

To do so would be to sink so low as to never
rise back to respectability. Though Blanks no doubt had dallied
with women who had been that careless with their virtue, Glee knew
he would never countenance such actions in his wife. "And my
husband is very jealous," she said. "I will never set foot in your
house."

They had completely circled the room, and
the orchestra music trailed off as they came back to where Appleton
and the twins stood.

"We will see," Jefferson said to her as he
smiled broadly at the trio.

None of them returned the smile.

Glee detached herself from Jefferson to join
the others as Jefferson bowed his farewells and took his leave of
the Pump Room.

"I say, Pix," Appleton mumbled, "Forgot to
warn you about Jefferson. The man's a nasty piece of work. You'd
best not encourage a friendship with him."

"Blanks won't like it above half if you was
to be anything but barely civil with the scoundrel," Elvin
said.

"I daresay if Pixie were to give the fellow
the cut direct, Blanks would be overjoyed," Melvin added.

"As a married lady, I can hardly cut a man
without giving rise to speculative gossip."

"She's got a point there," Melvin said.

"The main thing's that she now knows how
dangerous a man Jefferson can be," Appleton said.

Elvin shook his head and began to whisper.
"He's very bad form."

Glee peered from Elvin to the other two.
"The man's actions and conversations persuade me that you good
gentlemen are correct about Mr. Jefferson."

Anger flashing in his eyes, Appleton stepped
toward Glee. "What has the beastly man done to you?"

She smiled confidently. "Nothing that I
cannot handle."

Elvin, his hands balled into fists, drew
closer to Glee. "Are you sure? Nothing would give me greater
pleasure than breaking that bounder's pretty nose."

Glee looked at Elvin's nose, then at his
twin's identical nose. Unfortunately, their noses were excessively
long. A pity. With less obtrusive noses and more hair on their
heads, the twins could have been rather handsome. In a bland sort
of way.

Melvin's brows lowered and his voice
trembled with anger. "It's my belief that vile Jefferson is
planning revenge against Blanks for that business with Miss
Douglas."

"By Jove! That's it!" Appleton
exclaimed.

"What business with Miss Douglas? And who
is
Miss Douglas?" Glee asked, her anxious eyes darting from
one man to another.

"It's not a matter we are at liberty to
discuss," Melvin said.

They did not need to discuss it. Glee had a
fairly good notion that Miss Douglas had most likely angered Mr.
Jefferson by preferring Blanks over him. Really! What woman
wouldn't? And knowing Blanks's propensity for fast women, Miss
Douglas, no doubt, had a very light skirt, indeed. Still, Glee
wished she knew more about the mysterious Miss Douglas. What had
she looked like? What had happened between her and Blanks? Had he
loved her? With a thud in her heart, Glee wondered if Miss Douglas
and Blanks still saw each other. Oh dear.

Her gaze skimming to the other two, Glee
smiled and said, "I'm greatly obliged for your concern. Consider me
warned about the singularly unacceptable Mr. Jefferson."

"I say," Appleton said, his vision directed
some distance behind Glee's shoulder, "Is that not your sister and
the nabob she's married to?"

"Thomas Moreland," Melvin said.

Appleton nodded. "Just so."

A smile on her face, Glee spun around and
saw Felicity and Thomas walking toward her.

Wearing wrinkled merino traveling clothes,
Felicity fairly shot toward her sister and secured both her hands.
"I knew I should find you here, my pet!" Then her glance scanned
the crowd. "Where is that dear husband of yours?"

Glee shrugged. "Poor lamb. He's having to
pour over his father's books with that dreadful lawyer."

Still holding Glee's hands, Felicity stood
back and studied her sister. The bodice of Glee's copper colored
gown was much lower than anything Glee had ever before worn in
front of her sister. "I declare I shall cry," Felicity said, "for
my baby sister is now a full-fledged woman."

Exactly what Glee wanted Blanks to
think.

Felicity kissed Glee's cheek. "A very
beautiful woman, to be sure."

Now Thomas Moreland moved to Glee and
pressed the obligatory kiss upon the back of his sister-in-law's
hand, then he and his wife greeted the trio.

"Why did you not tell me you were coming to
Bath?" Glee asked.

"We just decided," Felicity said. "I
couldn't bear being so far away from you when—as a new wife—you
might need me."

"I'm happy, indeed, that you've come!"
Felicity said. "You will stay at Winston Hall?"

Thomas nodded. "In fact, George and Diana
will follow shortly."

"How wonderful!" Glee exclaimed. She
had
missed her sisters dreadfully. Unfortunately, their
mates' adoration would only make Glee hunger for similar devotion
from Blanks. And underscore the perfidy of her own marriage, she
thought gloomily.

Chapter 18

Despite the chill in the air, Archie was
waiting on the pavement when Gregory arrived at Willowby's office
that morning. The lad tipped his battered cap. "Mornin', guvnah.
Need yer 'orse watched?" he asked hopefully.

Gregory dismounted. "I do, indeed."

Archie smiled up at Gregory. "Will I get to
earn another crown?" the lad asked.

"Most likely more. My business today will
take several hours, so I'll need you longer."

"Fancy that," Archie exclaimed. "I'm only
eight years old and makes more in a day than me mum makes in a
month."

Instead of pleasing Gregory, such knowledge
only made him feel guilty for being party to a society which did
little to compensate its hardest workers. The lad confirmed that
cleaning women made a pittance of little more than a penny a day.
No wonder the boy was so wretchedly thin. He was unlikely to get
one square meal a day. And what of toy soldiers and riding ponies?
Gregory thought with disgust. Of course, such privileges of the
privileged were denied those of Archie's class.

Patting the boy on his fair head, Gregory
moved into the building. It was bad enough he was having to dredge
through his dead father's most personal affairs, but now Archie's
misery also weighed on him. This would not be a pleasant day.

On the cold stone stairway, Gregory passed a
person who must be Mrs. A. because she carried a bucket of water
and rags and brushes. Gregory was startled by her youth. She was no
older than he, which meant she must have given birth to Archie when
she was no more than fifteen. And if he had found her son thin,
Gregory must consider the mother emaciated. In fact, she was not
much bigger than the little boy who was her son. Gregory had to
fight the urge to carry the woman's heavy bucket of wash water for
her. Poor, wretched woman!

Her blond hair was the same shade as her
son's. She wore one patched muslin dress over another, both of
which hung on her bones. Her tiny feet were shod in heavy leather
boots that lacked laces and were much too big for her.

"Good morning," Gregory said, tipping his
hat to her as they passed on the stairs.

She merely nodded her response as she
whisked past him.

And he smelled the gin.

The knowledge that Archie's mother was a
soaker sickened him. Was that why Archie knew his mother would not
fit in at Blankenship House? Could a lad of eight who had known no
other life be wise enough to be ashamed of his mother? Poor
lad.

Throughout the day, no matter what important
documents he was being asked to peruse, Gregory could not remove
his thoughts from Archie and his youthful mother. There must be
something he could do for them.

"Do you bring your lunch here, Hopkins?"
Gregory asked the solicitor's young clerk.

"Yes. Every day. Would you care to share it
with me?"

"It's very kind of you to offer, but no.
However, I have a . . .a small business matter I would like to
propose to you."

Hopkins arched a brow.

"Could I impose on your cook to prepare
three lunches each day? I'm willing to pay five pounds a month for
such a service."

Hopkins started coughing. "Five pounds! 'Tis
almost as much as I earn in a month! Can I be persuaded you are in
earnest?"

Gregory's gaze was unwavering as he nodded.
"I'm in earnest. I wish to know the urchin and his wretched mother
have one good meal each day."

"For that kind of money, they can have a
feast," Hopkins exclaimed.

Gregory patted the man's shoulder. "That's
my hope." Then Gregory produced five sovereigns from his pocket and
counted them out for Hopkins.

He went into Willowby's inner office and
worked with the solicitor for several hours. He had known his
father was rich, but he'd had no idea his father possessed such
vast holdings of property. And money in several banks. Not to
mention the stocks. No wonder his father desired that Gregory put
his wild days and rakish ways behind him before he could be fit to
manage such vast estates.

Throughout the tedious business with
Willowby, a nagging worry over the lad beset Gregory. But he did
not know what else he could do. He would have to talk it over with
Glee.

* * *

Glee had not dressed for dinner when she
came rushing down the stairs the minute Hampton opened the door to
Gregory. Taking both of Gregory's hands, she studied him under
lowered brows. "My poor Blanks," she said soothingly, "you look so
very tired."

He unconsciously brought one of her hands to
his lips and kissed it. "I am tired. Devilishly so."

She slipped her arm into his. "Come, let's
go to the library and sit before the fire. A glass of sherry is
just the thing to relax you."

He sat on the silk damask sofa near the fire
while Glee poured him a glass of sherry.

"Thank you, my dear," he said when she
handed him the glass.

She sat beside him and smiled. His gaze
swept over her. She really was a taking little thing. And so
cognizant of what it took to make him happy. He sipped the smooth
sherry and settled back, happy to be warm at last. Willowby's
office had been devilishly cold, but here warmth from the blazing
fire permeated the entire library and spread contentment over
him.

"I do so like it when you call me
my
dear
," she said. "By the way, you'll get the opportunity to
call me any number of endearments tonight."

"Tonight? he asked with disappointment. "I
thought we weren't going out tonight."

"Oh, we aren't. It's just that Felicity and
Thomas have come to Bath, and I've invited them for dinner."

Gregory scratched his head. "Did we know
they were coming?"

"Heavens, no! They just decided rather on
the spur of the moment. It's my opinion Felicity means to keep a
watchful eye on me—you know, assure herself you're treating me
properly. She'll want to see you lavish affection upon me, of
course."

"Of course."

"I daresay she wants to see for herself that
Mrs. Ennis is out of the picture."

Gregory gritted his teeth. He rued the day
he had taken the lavender-eyed beauty to his bed. Just as maddening
as Glee's far-too-frequent references to Carlotta was Glee's
complete lack of jealousy. He would have liked it if Glee were just
a little jealous. "The lady in question is history."

Glee affected a pout. "Poor Blanks."

"Why do you call me
Poor Blanks
?"

"Because you've had to give up so much. I
know Mrs. Ennis must have meant a great deal to you."

"I've told you any number of times I don't
wish to discuss the woman. She's nothing to me."

Glee slid her hand along the side of his
face. "You've had a most fatiguing day. I declare there's nothing
more tiresome than sitting and looking at figures all day. I vow,
'tis more exhausting than digging in the garden." She glanced up at
him and smiled. "Though I daresay you've likely never dug in a
garden in your life."

"My lack of skills is only exceeded by my
propensity to get in scrapes."

Glee scowled. "You've been listening to that
wretched Aurora for too long."

He could not help but to smile at the fiery
little woman who was his greatest champion. Some good things came
along with this marriage. Unfortunately, he would not be allowed to
partake of most of them. Before he knew what he was doing, he
lifted Glee's tiny hand and pressed a kiss into it.

She smiled. "What was that for?"

"For your loyalty," he said throatily.

"I told you I'll always be your best friend.
In that respect I shall be a true wife to you, even if we aren't
married in the real sense."

He couldn't get a read on her. She
did
care for him. She always had. She had even told him she
enjoyed kissing him. He laughed to himself when he remembered her
vow to improve her kissing. He could not see any need for
improvement. Just thinking about pressing his lips to hers aroused
him. Which wouldn't do at all. Nor would it do any good for Glee to
fall in love with him, as Carlotta had done. The only thing
constant about his affections was their inconstancy. And it
wouldn't do at all to hurt Glee. Precious little Glee.