Page 11 of When Jess Wainwright’s Curiosity Was Satisfied (Wainwright Sisters #4)
Chapter Eleven
H e brushed his knuckle over the tip of her nose. “It pleases me that you aren’t faint of heart.”
Jess drew up so she could look down the nose he’d just caressed. “I have never been afraid of you, Cadoc Morgan. Even when you act the cur.” Jess finally knew the truth. She’d never been afraid of him - only of her reaction to him. When he’d kissed her, the antagonism she felt had quickly morphed into something entirely different.
He surveyed her for a moment, his expression inscrutable. “Good,” he finally said. “That means you’ll stop avoiding me.”
“I can’t afford to avoid you,” she grumbled. “Not if I ever want to see my microscope again.”
“Would you like to try again tomorrow evening?”
“All of my sisters will be home, including the two who are bringing their husbands in tow. I don’t think I’ll be able to escape.”
“Then I shall retrieve you.”
“Arie and Fran can be especially overprotective. And Lavinia is likely to skewer you. You owe her an apology.” Arie had mothered Jess from the time she was five years of age. She’d assumed the role of both their deceased mother and their negligent father, and was like a man-eating tiger when it came to her younger sisters. Even though she now had a babe of her own and four stepdaughters. Fran tried to run everyone’s lives and Vin grumbled and said it was because she kept company with Florence Nightingale. Jess suspected she was right.
“I will do everything in my power to reassure them. They may accompany you as chaperones if they don’t trust my intentions. And if I am given the opportunity, I will make amends with Lavinia.”
Jess sighed. “Fine. I accept your invitation. You’ll need to send a conveyance for me or drive it yourself. Be prepared to endure a long inquisition.”
“Watching you squirm when they ask me about our wager will be worth the pain,” he said as he winked.
“The only one of them that knows about the wager is Vin, and if she values her life she won’t say a word to the rest of them.”
“So you’ve sworn her to secrecy?”
“No, it wasn’t necessary. She has plenty of secrets of her own she’s keeping from them. It’s the threat of mutual blackmail that keeps us in accord.”
“That’s how Caris and I have always been. And my elder brother before he was taken from us.” There was a spark of something in his gaze before he doused it with a careless grin. “I think that’s why God invented siblings, to keep us from getting too arrogant about our ability to get away with mischief.”
Jess wanted to tell him she was sorry for his loss. To admit that she had losses of her own and she missed the soft croon of her mother’s voice at the oddest moments. To confess she’d worried over Fran every single day when her sister set off for the Crimea, especially when she heard about the conditions in Scutari. She did none of those things - because she was certain if she did he would discount them. “Then you won’t be surprised by any of their questions.”
He sniggered. “Raising four younger sisters inured me to surprise.”
“If you raised your sisters, you and Arie will probably bond over your shared horrific experiences. She’ll probably tread lightly if you lead with that.”
“What about your other sisters?”
“The only one you need to really worry about is Frances. But she’ll only be giving you half of her attention if her husband Mac’s there. I would hope for that outcome if I were you.”
“I assure you, I’m accustomed to meddling siblings. I’ll be there at six o’clock,” he said and held out her cloak.
His touch on her shoulders lingered for the briefest of moments, and his inhale was audible. Jess rearranged the cloak, pulling it tighter so it dislodged his hands. She silently reminded herself of her resolution to make this thing between them her own experiment.“My bonnet is out of reach because you’re standing in front of it,” she bristled.
He turned her around and set it on her head. Long, nimble hands covered in tiny nicks and scars tied the strings in a loopy bow before he chucked her chin. “I’ll see you safely home.”
“It’s less than three streets over. It’s no longer snowing and my ankle is nearly healed. I’ll be quite alright on my own. Besides, I know that your sister took the coach. I’ll not ride pillory in front of you again.”
He made a tsking sound. “It would be faster, but I’ll respect your wishes. I’ll walk beside you and lead Bacchus.”
She should refuse him or discourage him. She should make it patently obvious she didn’t need him to accompany her. She didn’t want to do either of those things.
The kiss had made her unsteady. And she wanted the cause of her lightheadedness to soothe away her nerves. She frowned at her folly. “I know arguing with you is pointless.”