Page 13 of Just Think of the Scandal (The Fairplace Family Novellas #2)

T heo’s heart dropped into his shoes as he realized what she’d heard last night. But I wasn’t a part of that. He swallowed. “I’m so sorry you heard that.”

Eliska snorted. “I bet you are.”

He passed a hand over his brow. “Now this makes much more sense.” The frantic, panicked feeling that overcame him when he read her note finally abated, leaving guilt and regret in its place. If he had known she’d been listening…. Well, that hardly mattered, did it? He should’ve called them out right there in the corridor in the middle of the night. Dueling didn’t happen anymore, but he could’ve done something to defend Eliska’s honor. She deserved a few bloody noses in her name at the least.

“I am sorry,” he said, lowering his hand to meet her gaze. “I beg your forgiveness. The men—they are not my friends—were absolutely foxed last night. I didn’t drink a drop because I wanted to feel well for our wedding and because the last time I drank, things went rather sideways, didn’t they?” He offered a small smile, but she didn’t return it. She stared across the small compartment, arms crossed.

“They behaved abominably. I ignored their remarks until the end, when I reached my room. I told myself that not speaking up would just make the conversation end sooner. I imagined taking you away immediately following the ceremony to get us far from prying eyes.”

Eliska looked at her gray skirts, then back up at him, wariness in every line of her body.

Theo wanted her to believe him more than anything. “I swear to you, I did not condone or take part in their words. I have no plans whatsoever to allow Evelyn to take me to a courtesan. Ever .”

The look on her face told him that she didn’t believe him.

“My father was faithful to my mother,” he explained. “He’s been gone for ten years, but their marriage was a happy one. My older brother adores his wife. I think he’d die before he committed adultery. I have always expected to treat my wif,e the same way. My father came from a banking family and he was a barrister; I was not raised with aristocratic values concerning marriage.” He paused, then took the risk. “I don’t know what expectations are for nobility in Prague or the Austrian court, but I hope you will be faithful to me, also.”

“I am no longer your betrothed,” she told him stiffly.

He nodded. “After Evelyn’s offer, I went into my room and shut the door. I heard someone say other things.” He winced. “I opened the door, ready to plant a few facers if necessary so they’d understand they shouldn’t talk about a woman like that. Especially not my betrothed, not in my hearing.”

Eliska made a little sound of protest at his choice of words.

“I know, I know. We’re not betrothed.” Theo hung his head. “I despise that you heard the exchange. I wish I could go back and respond differently. By the time I opened the door they were mostly all in their own rooms. I missed my chance.” He wondered, belatedly, if this is what Eliska had meant when she wrote, ought to fight harder.

“Do you know how that made me feel? Those horrible men commenting on my body, like I’m nothing more than a—than a vase? Some sort of vessel for men’s lusts?”

“I can only imagine,” Theo said honestly. “But I can swear to you that I do not think of you that way. Our courtship is not a Drury Lane drama,” he said. “And you, as my wife, would be respected. I’d never tarnish what we have or break your trust by sharing private details for people to laugh about.”

Eliska’s arms had slowly dropped throughout the conversation, no longer held tightly across her chest. Now they drooped in her lap. She looked at him with such painful hope it sent a pang through his heart. “I…I believe you. Thinking back, I didn’t hear your voice among them.”

Theo sighed with relief, though he knew it wasn’t over yet. “I desperately apologize. Could you eventually find it in your heart to forgive me?”

She opened her mouth, but he rushed ahead to forestall any firm denial. “When you’re ready, of course. I shall not ask again.”

Eliska nodded.

They fell into silence punctuated by the rumble of the locomotive. Theo searched for a way to break the awkwardness growing between them.

“Horrible rain we’re having,” he commented.

Eliska tilted her head. “I thought this was typical for England.”

He laughed. “True, but this amount of rain is unusual.” Theo pointed out the window, foggy and blurred with raindrops. “Can you see the fields, how they’re nothing but ponds now?”

She leaned forward and squinted at the blurry glass, bringing her head next to his. He took a breath, smelling spring on her. His chest ached and he rubbed it with his fist.

The depth of hurt and anger had shallowed now. He didn’t think he’d ever forget the bone-deep relief he felt when he finally opened the correct compartment and saw his betrothed sitting safe and sound. Theo hadn’t known what to expect. The entire race in his cousin’s curricle to the train station had been fraught with fear.

What if she fell in a ditch and hadn’t made it to the village? What if she had to purchase a ticket to a little, out-of-the-way line and he missed her? What if she’d already departed? What if there waere a train crash? What if her English failed her and she went the wrong direction? What if a brute joined her compartment and she was alone with a violent man?

Theo had pushed the poor horse harder despite the furrows in the muddy lane. He’d wiped rain out of his eyes since apparently he’d forgotten to grab his hat on the way out.

Now he sat in a puddle, his trousers drenched, looking at the sunrise as she stared at the rain outside. She was beautiful.

Eliska’s blue, blue eyes turned to look at him. “You can get off at the next stop.”

Theo shook his head. “Not without you.”

She gave him an incredulous look. “Sir, I am going all the way to London.”

Theo shrugged off his damp coat and set it to the side, hoping to air it out. “Then I’m going to London.”

“We are not betrothed,” Eliska said.

Each time she said those words it stung. Theo ran his fingers through his wet hair. “I’m still escorting you to London.”

She huffed. “That’s not necessary.”

Theo gave her a long-suffering look. “Did you come all the way from Prague by yourself?”

“No, I had a paid companion. She departed once my uncle picked me up in London.”

“And you’re about to have an unpaid companion,” Theo said. Travel for women by themselves wasn’t very safe. Travel for anyone by themselves wasn’t very safe. One could be stuck in tight spaces with strangers, good or ill, subject to accidents and being diverted far off one’s path with no way to communicate back home, or without a partner to watch one’s belongings in shifts to protect against theft. Border crossings, particularly in the middle of the night, could be exhausting and subject women to unruly guards. It was always better to have a travel companion, especially if one was a young woman.

Eliska sputtered. “You cannot mean to travel all the way to Prague with me!”

Theo had not planned that far ahead. “I’ll join you to London and make sure you’re safely ensconced at a reputable hotel.” At least . He paused. “Are you sure you want to continue with your plans to Prague? After our conversation?”

She eyed him, but didn’t say anything.

Theo’s stomach felt like he had drunk curdled milk.

They sat silently for the next twenty minutes until the train stopped at the next village. Theo gestured toward the door. “Do you need to stretch your legs? Use the lavatory?”

Eliska looked out the window at the rain. “Not really.”

Theo opened the door. “These benches are uncomfortable, and the more it rains the colder it’ll be. I’m going to buy a blanket.” He stepped out and went in search of a platform vendor. Once he completed his business, he passed the line of people waiting to use the lavatory and hopped back in the compartment.

Eliska took one of the blankets from him, and he breathed a sigh of relief that she was still there, waiting on him. Theo hadn’t realized he’d half expected her to disappear into the rain and fog until he saw her, corporeal and ordinary as any human still on the uncomfortable wooden seat.

“Here, let me help you.” Theo unfolded the blanket that Eliska struggled to manipulate due to her overflowing skirts and crinolines. It was a scratchy, gray thing, just one step above a horse blanket. But it was thick and dry. He leaned forward, tucking the ends behind her back. It brought his face close to her bosom.

They realized it at the same time. Eliska froze. Theo didn’t even see her breathing. Theo, on the other hand, was tempted to reach forward and pluck a jet button from her bodice with his teeth. He’d tug and tug until it popped free, and then her bodice would gape open just enough, hopefully, for him to see her corset.

What color would it be? She’d look gorgeous in purple, he thought. A rich emerald green or even a dusty rose would suit her coloring. Perhaps he could buy her a bright yellow corset one day, to match her sunrise complexion. She needed a new wardrobe after being in mourning and half-mourning for nine months.

Eliska cleared her throat.

Theo jerked back to himself. Right. He slowly eased up, his gaze riveted to the front of her bodice. “Forgive me,” he murmured, still indecently close. Her pulse throbbed in her neck. He imagined pressing a kiss there. His cock twitched.

“Theo,” Eliska breathed.

He stayed close, leaning across the small compartment to better catch the glint in her eyes. “Yes, Eliska?”

Her cheeks flushed and her eyes were dilated. She’d started breathing again, and it was all he could do to keep his eyes fixed to hers and not on her rising breasts. He’d woken this morning thinking he’d have sex with this beautiful, intelligent woman. He’d been looking forward to it. He imagined she’d look something like this in bed, pink and eager, eyes wide and focused. He wanted to know how long her hair was. How high the arches of her feet were. If she had birthmarks or dimples behind her knees. The color of her nipples.

Her breath warmed his lips. Her tongue whisked out from between her lips, and the sight of her wet, pink mouth made his cock harden. Her eyes flicked to the side. “Did you bring hot food, Theo?” she breathed.

Theo took the dismissal gracefully. He sat back in his seat, tucking his own blanket around him, then reached for the hot bread wrapped in newspaper and the two tin cups of lukewarm tea. “I thought you might be hungry.” He handed one cup over and then tore the hunk of bread in half.

He thought of his mother, likely stuck at Blatherwycke Hall wondering what had happened. He would send her a telegram at the next stop. Theo laughed, swallowing a large bite of bread.

“What is it?” Eliska sipped the bitter brew, eyeing him over the rim.

“My mother would be appalled by my lack of table manners. It’s a good thing she stayed behind at Blatherwycke.”

Eliska’s eyes widened in dismay. “Oh, your mother! I forgot she was coming.” She blushed. “I’m afraid I acted impulsively.”

“I wish you had trusted me enough to come to me, to demand an explanation for my behavior, rather than jilting me,” Theo admitted. “I thought we were friends.”

Eliska plucked a bite from her half of the bread with thumb and forefinger, then put it in her mouth and chewed while thinking. “I could have, yes. But we’ve known one another for less than a week. If we’d been raised together, I’d have hunted you down and demanded an explanation. But why would I give you the benefit of the doubt when we have no history together of you proving yourself trustworthy?”

Theo winced. That stung, though he couldn’t deny the truth of her words. “I’d like us to build a history together now.” He didn’t even know why he cared so much. Why he didn’t want her to disappear.

Apparently Eliska didn’t either. She eyed him warily. “Are you a fortune hunter?”

Theo reared back, surprised. “No, of course not.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why are you so determined to marry me then?”

“The baron wouldn’t shackle you to a fortune hunter,” Theo assured her. “If I were the sort of man to trifle with a lady’s affections just to get a hold of her inheritance, he wouldn’t have allowed Evelyn to invite me to the party, much less suggest we marry one another.”

She hummed suspiciously.

Theo spread his arms wide, displaying himself. “I’m not sure how to convince you that I don’t care about your wealth.”

“My inheritance is tied up in the courts,” Eliska reminded him. “It could be years before I see a single gulden from my father’s estate. If you need a fortune, I am not, as you British say, a sure bet.”

Theo shook his head, chuckling. “Eliska, Eliska.” He brushed the crumbs off his hands and off his blanket. “Yes, I am a second son. My father’s father was a bank clerk, yes. But my father made and lost and remade a fortune before his death ten years ago, even as a barrister. My mother receives a lifetime allowance from the Huston-Ives fortune, and when she dies the principal will be given in a lump sum to my younger sister. That was a part of their marriage contract. My brother and I invest in railways. Both the actual track and the engines and carriages. I had planned to return to our London office after the house party to review a report our clerk created about the Pullman company in the United States. Dennis and I are considering investing there, too.”

Eliska took another bite of bread, listening intently.

“I do not have the fortune that comes with generations of wealth and a title, like Lord Erswich or your father. But I am more than comfortable.”

“It seems my English has been faulty as of late,” she said dryly. “Define ‘more than comfortable.’”

Theo shifted his weight on the seat. “I can send my sons to a university without worrying about scholarships. I can send my daughters to one of those fancy finishing schools. I can buy my wife dresses of blue silk that match her eyes. We can take a honeymoon to Prague without saving in advance.”

“We are not betrothed anymore.” But she tried to hide a smile by taking another bite of bread, so Theo counted that as progress.