Page 17 of Forever Her Bachelor
Hair pins clanged to the ground, and loose tendrils of hair fell into her face. Pushing it back, Pippa crawled to her hand and knees. Although her ribs throbbed where Jessie had hit her, Pippa felt alive and free for the second time that week.
“Now, remember a man’s weakest body part is his cock. You hit him there, and he’ll be down for at least ten bloody minutes.” Jessie made a crude gesture, grabbing herself.
Climbing to her feet, Pippa tried not to laugh at the crass remark. “Ten whole minutes?” she asked in wonder.
Beatrice tapped her finger against her chin. “You could run extremely far in six hundred seconds.”
“Hit ’em in the right place, and you could get longer than that. Take a bollock and squeeze it like a peach. They’ll cry like they’re missing their momma’s tit,” Ini added, laughing sardonically.
For a moment, there was no other sound in the room but Ini’s maniacal laughter until Pippa, Beatrice, and Jessie all barked out laughter.
They all laughed at Ini’s words as Pippa tried to ignore the pain in her rump and ribs. She hoped she’d never have to defend herself against anyone, but Pippa couldn’t help the overwhelming pride that surged through her at the thought that if anything arose, she could.
Jessie walked over to her great coat that lay on a small chair in the corner. “I’ve injured many men who thought they had an advantage over me. Now, if none of the defense moves gets you out of a bind, we can always get you a small dagger.” She picked up a jeweled dagger that was hidden under her great coat. Shetossed it in the air like a juggler Pippa had seen at a fair with her parents once. The sight of the sharp knife flying in the air had her holding her breath in anticipation until Jessie caught it with skill and precision.
“I’ve always fancied a dagger. Taught her everything she knows.” Ini rose from her chair, gathering up her mending. “I’ll go start dinner. Can you two stay, Beatrice? Miss Price?”
“I promised Papa I would have dinner with him.” Beatrice smiled at the older woman, squeezing her shoulder as she passed.
Pippa placed an errant lock of hair behind her ear, smiling at the elderly woman. “No, thank you, Ini, I must return to Mayfair.”
Pippa had to prepare for the dinner the following evening with Julia, Lady Heartford. It was her first dinner party as a married lady, and Pippa had promised her friend that she would be in attendance.
Nerves swirled in her abdomen at the thought of seeing St. Clara again. She ignored the tingle at her cheek. She could still feel his touch, smell his spicy scent that was pinewood with top notes of bergamot, vanilla, and cedar. The only thing Pippa wanted to do was smell him one more time before she married.
CHAPTER 6
Dear Kitten,
I can hardly believe the end of term is a fortnight away, and then I will see you again. The day you came to live with your aunt and uncle was the happiest day of my life. To show you how much you mean to me, I have a little present courtesy of Eton’s library.
Your friend and loyal companion,
Chauncey (The Assistant)
The small townhouse of the Marquess and Marchioness of Heartford was cleared of all disarray and paint. St. Clara stood at the fireplace, the room aglow with candlelight and light from the fire. Julia must have focused all her efforts on decorating, as the last time he’d visited, the townhouse had been bare. Now, it was ornately decorated with furniture upholsteredin rich, deep blue. The marchioness’s own finished paintings were neatly situated on various walls around the parlor.
A loud laugh from the settee caused his body to bristle. Every muscle in St. Clara fought the urge to flee the room in search of peace. It had taken the strength of a thousand men for him not to grimace every time his guest had laughed in ten brief minutes. It had become increasingly more difficult as the minutes ticked by.
Escorting Lady Florentia Vaughn and her mother to the Heartford’s dinner was the logical choice since currently he had no prospects for a wife. However, every time she let out an obnoxious hyena-like laugh, his body shivered in complete horror, the sound deafening him to where instinctively he just wanted to cover his ears.
There was no deity in heaven or hell that could convince St. Clara to marry the chit. The thought of being tied to that obnoxious sound for the rest of his life had him wanting to run outside and throw himself in front of the first fast-moving carriage he saw. Even the threat of being penniless could not convince him to marry Florentia Vaughn.
There was a small part of him that felt horrible. Allendale had looked to St. Clara with such hope that there was a portion of him that had hoped Lady Florentia would be just what he needed. She wasn’t, and it was no wonder that Allendale had abandoned both his wife and daughter to St. Clara’s care while he gallivanted around London free of both of them. One could hardly blame the fellow.
As the woman laughed loudly, occasionally glancing over at St. Clara, he stilled, wishing there was a way one could make oneself invisible. The slight twinkle in Florentia’s eyes as she gazed at him while she rudely over-inspected his person alerted St. Clara that she had set her cap at him. After the completion of her third Season in society, she was desperate to find a husband.
Lady Florentia released another loud laugh at something Edwards was saying. A smile tugged at the corner of St. Clara’s lips as he thought of a simpler time in his life.
As a boy, he and Pippa would often spend days in the old laboratory, conducting experiments or peering through one of her father’s many books the girl had in her possession. One particular day came to St. Clara as he recalled the dog-like animal they had discovered one rainy afternoon.
He had to fight back the laughter that threatened to bubble out of him as the same laugh that Pippa had demonstrated many years earlier pierced through his eardrums, thus forever changing Lady Florentia Vaughn’s name in his regard toHyena.
“How wonderful it is that you and the duke remained friends after your engagement ended, Lady Heartford.” Florentia’s predator-like gaze darted from St. Clara to Julia, who was sitting on the other end of the sofa away from Lady Florentia.
He watched Lady Heartford, whom he affectionately calledBird. From the moment he met her, she had always flitted around on some sort of mission or another like a determined little bird. She had been a friend to him during one of the lowest points in his life, and for that, he would always hold Julia in high esteem. He wouldn’t allow her to be bullied in her own home by Florentia Vaughn. Everyone of their acquaintance knew that their engagement had been a farce between friends.
“As we have always been friends, there was no hardship to continue.” His glare of annoyance slid from Lady Florentia to Julia, his face softening instantly. “Isn’t that right, Bird?”