Page 85 of Road Trip With a Rogue
Chapter Forty
Daisy shared the carriage with Ellie and Tess the following morning while the three men rode, and Perry and Violet occupied the second vehicle. It was a journey the three women had made together on countless occasions, usually filled with a joyous round of lively discussion, and this time was no exception.
“How do I know Justin loves me?”
Tess’s brow wrinkled as she considered Daisy’s question. “Well, it wasn’t obvious at first, I’ll admit. He desired me before he actually fell in love with me. But he shows his love in lots of different ways now. Of course, he likes to give me expensive presents, like jewels and dresses andracehorses”—she rolled her eyes at that particular absurdity—“but it’s the smallest things that mean the most. Like the way he always refuses to let the servants remove my cloak whenever we go to the opera; he likes to do it himself as an excuse to put his arms around me in public.”
Ellie grinned. “Harry’s the same. He’ll always sit nearest the door because he knows I hate a draft. And he’ll offer to steal me a fan if I’m hot and have forgotten my own. Not that I’d ever let him, of course.”
“Justin stays in my bed on the week I’m having my monthly courses,” Tess added. “I know a lot of husbands keep to their own rooms, but he just holds me close, even though he knows we won’t be making love. And he’s always touching my hand or kissing my hair.”
“When we’re separated at a ball, or a party,” Ellie said, “Harry always manages to catch my eye from across the room. We have these little private jokes, just between us.”
Daisy bit her lip. She and Lucien had those.
“I suppose it’s not just about offering physical pleasure,” Tess continued thoughtfully, “but comfort, and companionship as well. Justin and I have plenty of shared interests, and we like doing things together, but we also have our own separate pursuits, and that’s important. We both respect the work the other does, and we find ways to be flexible and understanding if work occasionally has to take precedence.”
Daisy sighed. “Vaughan does all those things too. He kept me company when I was ill. And he’s always been appreciative of my skills and my work for King and Company.”
Ellie adjusted her spectacles. “I admit, it is sometimes hard to distinguish the difference between a man who’s merely enjoying your company and a man who’s fallen in love with you. Men are terrible at saying what they mean, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. They usually deny they’re in love at all until it becomes impossible to ignore.”
“They’ll call it almost anything else too,” Tess chuckled. “They’ll convince themselves it’s dislike, or jealousy, or even indigestion, rather than admit that they’re in love. It’s only when they make unusually stupid decisions, or do something completely out of character, that proves they’re well and truly smitten.”
“Vaughan never does anything stupid,” Daisy said miserably. “He’s far too self-controlled. And he’s such a scoundrel that to do something out of character he’d have to do something ridiculously sweet to prove his love.”
Ellie tilted her head. “Like what?”
Daisy shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s hardly the romantic type. I can’t see him proposing in a field of wildflowers, can you? Or getting down on his knees in the middle of a ballroom to profess his undying love.”
Tess chuckled. “You’d think less of him if he did. That’s the sort of thing Peregrine would do, and Violet would think it dizzyingly romantic.”
“True,” Daisy said. “I wouldn’t love him if he wasn’t a little bit wicked.”
Ellie was still looking pensive. “He should still propose some other way, though. It’s pretty clear you’re going to have to marry him to salvage your reputation, but if he proposed now, when there’s no real need, then it would show he isn’t just doing it out of duty. It would show he actually wants your hand. And that he’s willing to humble himself to get it.”
Daisy snorted, remembering the way she’d rejected him at the inn.The only way I’d accept your hand, Vaughan, is if you put it between my legs.
She wanted him now. All of him, not just his hand. She wanted him, body and soul. And she wanted him to want her.
Bloody Hell.
The rest of the journey passed quickly, since the weather was fine and dry. When Daisy recognized The Mitre at Barnet, she looked out the window and tried to pinpoint the exact spot she’d encountered Vaughan that fateful night, but the trees and bushes all looked remarkably similar, and she felt a pang of disappointment thatshe couldn’t identify the place. It seemed significant. Not merely as the spot where two men had died, but as the start of their unexpected adventure.
“Do you want us to take you to Dalkeith House?” Tess asked as they rattled toward Knightsbridge. “Or would you rather come back to Wansford House with us?”
Daisy often stayed with Tess and Justin when her father and brothers were out of town.
“I’m not sure my father’s at home. If I’m lucky, he’ll be off visiting and won’t even have noticed I’ve been missing.”
It was a forlorn hope, but there was still the slight chance that none of the gossip about his wayward daughter would have reached his ears.
“I should to go and see Violet’s father, first, and explain why I didn’t complete my mission,” Daisy said.
Ellie nodded. “Peregrine mentioned that he and his uncle were going straight there to talk with Mr. Brand.”
“Would you like us to come with you?” Tess asked. “On behalf of King and Company, Harry can be there as ‘Mr. King,’ too, if you want extra support.”
“No. It’s all right. I appreciate the offer, but this was my mission. My failure. I’ll own up to it directly. I’m just sorry we’ve lost Brand’s five hundred pounds, that’s all.”