Page 43

Thirty-One

They stayed in bed much longer than necessary the next morning.

Part of it was that it was the first night of good, deep sleep Eliza had gotten in days.

It was so easy to sleep with Simon at her back keeping her warm.

But as the sun rose higher in the sky, she became more aware of him in bed with her and sleeping became less important.

She’d never before considered that a man could take a woman from behind, but that morning Simon showed her it was possible.

They had been sleepy and warm and half-aroused from touching each other in their sleep.

He’d reached over and taken a sponge from the jar and pressed her forward into the blankets.

She’d barely had to open her eyes at all before that glorious wave of pleasure was cresting over her and his grunts of need and fulfillment were filling her ears.

They had tried to rise afterward, but washing themselves had turned into washing each other and they had fallen back into bed.

This time she had sat astride him, like in the carriage, but there had been no clothing between them and no uncomfortably narrow bench seat to deal with.

He’d lavished extensive attention on her nipples while his hands were filled with her bottom, guiding her hips. She quite liked that position.

By the time they made it downstairs, breakfast was already finished, but plates of sausages and eggs had been left for them.

They ate quickly before going to the drawing room where everyone was waiting.

Her mother was reading a newspaper while Jenny and Mr. Dunn sat at a table playing some sort of gambling game that he was teaching her.

Fanny looked up first. “Good morning, darling, Simon. You’re looking well considering the recent brawl.”

Eliza tried not to blush. She could feel the heat sweeping over her and she tried with all her might to fight it.

Every person in this room had to know what they had been up to.

She had been given her own room, but it must have been obvious that she hadn’t slept there.

She’d only hurried over to get dressed right before they had come down.

Some kind soul had left the trunk with Simon’s clothes outside his door instead of knocking and bringing it inside.

Even now they stood too close together. Simon was at her back, one hand at her waist while the other was entwined with hers.

They both muttered their good mornings and went to sit on the sofa together. Mr. Dunn and Jenny both looked over at them, pleased as punch, judging from their expressions.

Fanny laid the paper aside and said, “Now that you are both here, I feel that we need to discuss how we move forward.”

It was a perfectly reasonable suggestion, but Eliza wasn’t yet prepared for that conversation. She and Simon hadn’t talked about the future at all last night. She had intimated that she wanted him with her, but he hadn’t directly replied to that.

I’ll always find you…always be with you…if you’ll have me.

“But I thought we could take a couple of days—” Eliza began, only to fall silent when Fanny gave a slow shake of her head.

“I’m afraid we are short on time, darling.” She paused and looked to Jenny, whose face had gone serious.

Oh dear, this would not be good.

Fanny continued, “Lord Mainwaring returned last night. Violet sent a wire this morning. It seems that when his friends had their trouble in Rome, he boarded the next train home and has been traveling all this time. He’s looking for you.”

Beside her, Simon squeezed her hand, but she could feel his entire body go stiff.

“Then that is good.” Eliza tried to keep her voice even. “I had planned to have Devonworth tell him that the marriage is off, but this way I can do it myself.” It was the right thing to do.

“Eliza.” Simon’s voice was so soft that only she heard it.

Fanny charged on. “I’m afraid that we’ll need to speak with Charles about this first. He signed the agreement, he’ll need to break it, and we’ll have to convince him to do so.”

The last thing she wanted to do was speak to Mr. Hathaway, but if that was what needed to happen, then so be it.

“Eliza?” This time Simon’s voice was low but firm enough to be heard. “We should talk about this. Privately.”

His heart was in his eyes. They were soulful and deep and the prettiest blue she had ever seen.

Fanny nodded and Eliza and Simon rose. She had no familiarity with the house, but he did.

He led them across the hall to a small parlor with windows that faced the side of the property.

Aside from a few hedgerows, the landscape here had been left largely uncultivated.

A sea of tall green grass spread out before meeting rolling hills in the near distance.

She wanted to be out there. Anywhere but here in this room where she very much feared Simon was planning to tell her things she did not want to hear. He walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. She closed her eyes against the ache that swelled in her throat.

“You don’t have to toss away your future for me.” The words were low and hollow.

“Toss away my future?” She whirled to face him. The pain that shone on his face made her hurt, too.

“I can’t give you what Mainwaring can. I can’t make you a lady, or open the many doors for you that he can. I can’t give you a fancy wardrobe or a fine home or even the means to educate your children.”

“None of that matters to me, though, not without you. If I were to marry Mainwaring, I would be miserable. That’s why I needed this summer. I don’t want any of those things.”

His brow rose. “You don’t want to educate your children?”

She shook her head. “You’re thinking too much about this. Of course I want that. I want a home. With you. I don’t care how fine it is. I don’t like wearing ball gowns anyway. They make me feel like a peacock and they’re very uncomfortable.”

He grinned at that, but she hadn’t changed his mind.

She could tell by the resigned tone of his voice when he spoke.

“I’ve had some time to think about it since I’ve been here, and the way I see it, I only have one option.

I can’t go back to London, not as long as Brody is there.

I need to leave the country. America, perhaps.

San Francisco might be far enough away. I’ve heard that it’s growing and there are clubs. I could find work there.”

She didn’t like how often he’d said I in that speech. “That sounds like a fine idea. I’ll go with you. There should be some work for women, too. I could be a shopgirl, or sometimes we gave piano lessons back home. I could do that.”

“We couldn’t afford a piano.”

“Then I’ll be a shopgirl until we can.”

He shook his head.

“You’ll need someone to help with Daisy.” She thought it was a very reasonable thing to point out.

“I only have the money I earned from the exhibition fight. Brody drained everything else away. It’s enough to get me and Daisy there and settled for a bit, but it’s not enough to promise you a future.”

She placed her hand on his back. “Simon, I love you . I love your pain and your history and every scar you’ve earned. You will make something of yourself. I know that you will, and I want to be there with you while it happens. I don’t expect luxury.”

“But I cannot promise you anything. You mentioned college, and I can’t afford to send you.”

“It’s not as if Mainwaring is a viable option for that. I’ll go later.”

A sound that was suspiciously like a sob caught in his throat. He drew her against him, his arms around her so tight that she melted into him.

“I can’t ask it of ye,” he whispered against her ear. “It’s not fair to ye.”

“You haven’t asked. It’s a point that I’m starting to find quite irksome.”

He drew back to look at her, amusement lighting his face. “God, I love you.”

She smiled and took his face between her palms. He hadn’t shaved yet this morning, and the overnight growth of beard felt nice abrading her skin.

“Good, because let me explain this to you. I want to make this as clear to your mind as possible. Let’s imagine for a moment that you leave for San Francisco and I don’t.

Which of these do you think will be the more likely scenario?

Do you suppose I’ll stay here depressed and moping, or do you think I will borrow the money from Cora and book passage and find you in San Francisco? ”

Laughter tore out of him in a reluctant burst, and he crushed her against him, his chuckles shaking both of them.

When he got hold of himself, he held her tight as he brushed a strand of hair back from her cheek.

“Perhaps I should save us both the trouble. Eliza Dove, will you run away with me to San Francisco?”

“Simon Cavell, I thought you’d never ask.”

A shadow of a smile lingered on his lips, but it melted away as he dropped to his knees before her. “And will you go there by my side as my wife?”

“Yes!” She spoke a little too loudly. Laughing, she tried again in a more reasonable tone. “Yes, Simon, yes.” She leaned down and kissed him.

“What this, then?” The voice belonged to Mr. Dunn.

They looked up to see that he along with her mother and Jenny had come into the room, no doubt drawn by Eliza’s outburst.

“I’ve asked Eliza to marry me and she said yes.” Simon came to his feet and kept her firmly in his arms.

Her mother’s hands went up to cover her mouth in happy surprise, and Mr. Dunn came over to congratulate them and shake Simon’s hand.

Fanny recovered herself and hugged them both and even gave Simon a kiss on his cheek.

Jenny was more subdued; she smiled, but it didn’t meet her eyes, and she congratulated them, but the joy was missing from her voice, which confused Eliza.