Never Wager Against Love (Kellington Book Three) (9 page)

The innkeeper, who’d no doubt seen the fine carriage and
assessed their financial worth accordingly, bowed and scraped and promised all
sorts of private parlors and delicious fare and heated bathwater.  All of that
sounded heavenly to Vanessa, even if she hated to think of the cost.   As she
walked up the stairs to their room which looked out onto the back garden, she
tried to come up with a suitable punishment for Arthur’s highhandedness.  But
all she could think about was spending a night with him in the same room.  If
anyone would be punished, surely it would be her, having to endure that temptation. 

When the innkeeper had finally bowed himself out and the two
of them were alone, Arthur explained himself.  “After arriving in that gaudy
carriage, I wanted to ensure we’d attract the least amount of attention as
possible.  Norwich is big, but word does travel.  Nothing is more boring to
gossips than a happily married couple.  I find them rather nauseating myself.” 
Arthur loosened his cravat.  “The good innkeeper and his wife, not to mention
the ostler and any onlookers, wanted to see if we were lovers from London come
to Norwich for an assignation.   Now that they think we’re here on our
honeymoon, they’ll go back to gossiping about shop girls and clerks, or
whatever it is they gossip about here.”

“I guess you did put some thought into it,” grumbled
Vanessa, a frown creasing her forehead.

“I’m all aflutter at your wild praise,” said Arthur, as he
began unpacking his satchel.   As she began doing the same, he noticed she’d
packed her breeches.  His mind immediately filled with the sight of her in them. 
And out of them. 

“Don’t worry,” she said, as she caught him watching her, “I
have no plans to create a scandal by going about town in men’s clothing.”

“That’s a relief.  I can’t imagine my Mrs. Rennard wearing
breeches outside this chamber.  You are welcome, of course, to wear whatever
you like while we’re in here or even nothing at all.” 

His remark was accompanied once again by his crooked smile. 
And she was, once again, tempted to wipe it from his face with a heavy
implement.  Or kiss it off.  Dismayingly, the second choice had more appeal.  Instead
she asked, “Why did we have to share a room?  Isn’t it the custom of your set
to have separate chambers?”

 “While that is the way of the
ton
in general, I
assure you that if I ever become enamored enough of a woman to marry her, I
certainly won’t leave her to languish in her own bed chamber.  I would imagine
one of the very few benefits of marriage would be the sheer convenience of
having ready access to your wife.”

“But we’re not really married.  And you’re not Lord Arthur
Kellington.  You’re Mr. Rennard, who may long for his own bed.”

“He doesn’t.  And there are practical matters to consider. 
When I went to Kent to chaperone Lizzie, I didn’t anticipate a chase through
the countryside in some sort of spy ring scavenger hunt.  And while normally I
can get credit just about anywhere I go, as you pointed out I’m currently not Lord
Arthur Kellington, brother to a disgustingly wealthy duke.  I’m Mr. Rennard,
known for having a beautiful wife, but not much other than that.  Therefore, we
must economize.”

“Then why didn’t we stay at a less expensive inn?  We passed
one not half a mile from here.  We could’ve simply checked back here each day
for Dumbarton’s message.”

“Are you speaking of the inn with the sagging roof and the not-quite-identifiable
odor wafting from it?  Because while I travel with Mr. Rennard’s pocketbook, I
am still Arthur Kellington when it comes to comfort.  Relax.  I promise not to
ravish you in the night.”

“What about during the daytime?”

“If I must, I shall extend the promise to daytime hours, as
well.  You are, of course, allowed to make free with me whenever you like.”

“I shall keep that in mind, my lord,” she said as she finished
unpacking her satchel, “in case I am suddenly made insensible in the head.”

Arthur finished unpacking and was thankful yet again that
he’d never grown used to a valet’s service.  Now all that remained was the
reason they’d come to town in the first place.  He watched her move about the
room with her usual brisk efficiency.  “If you’d like to freshen up, I can take
myself off for a bit.”

Vanessa looked at him.  His innocent demeanor made her
instantly suspicious.  “What do you have in mind?”

“Nothing.  I was just extending the common courtesy of
allowing you to get settled.  I thought it was rather gallant of me, actually.”

“Which is why I want to know what you’re up to.”  He looked
somewhat offended, so she added, “You have been quite gallant on the journey so
far.  I just wonder what possessed you now to give me time alone.  I would’ve
expected at least a few more indecent suggestions before you gave up and took
yourself off.”

“I would hate to become quite so predictable,” he said as he
turned from her and rummaged through his satchel.  “And, fear not, I have a number
of activities I’ll be glad to suggest later tonight, but for now…”  He put down
the satchel and looked around.

“Are you looking for these?”

Vanessa held up the pistols he’d borrowed from Dumbarton. 
He reached for them, but she pulled them away.  “I can only assume you had some
fool notion that you’d go to the castle without me,” she said.  “Or, worse, go
looking for Mortimer and Cassidy alone.  That will not happen.   Although I am
glad to see you had sense enough to know you should be armed.”

“Yes,” said Arthur as he took one pistol from her and placed
it in his coat pocket.  “I do have at least a modicum of common sense.  Why not
remain here as I scout the area?  I promise to report back to you on anything I
find.”

“There will be no need to report, since I’ll be there with
you,” she said, as she placed her pistol in a beautifully embroidered reticule.  
“Shall we go?”

*                    *                    *

As they slowly strolled through the area, they gave their
very best impression of a newly married couple, with Arthur doing his part
exceedingly well.  As they walked past inns, Vanessa expressed the need to rest
on benches in the yards.  Arthur’s solicitous concern for his wife resulted in
good natured chats with ostlers and stable boys, who were only too happy to
talk to the newlyweds who looked like they were generous with their coins.  As
various servants spoke about out-of-town visitors and guests, no one at more
than a dozen inns reported anyone matching Mortimer and Cassidy’s description. 
Finally running out of inns, Arthur and Vanessa continued their journey by
walking further into town.

“I am thoroughly tired of resting,” said Vanessa, as they
walked along the street, stopping to look in store windows, while at the same
time checking to see if they were being followed.  “After travelling by coach
for so long, I needed a brisk walk instead of this crawl between benches.  I
hope I am not this coddled when I am seventy.”

“I just pray you live so long,” said Arthur softly.

She looked up at him.  “Pardon?”

“Nothing.  Have you always been fond of walking?”

“Excessively so.  It was one of the reasons I enjoyed my
time in Kent so much.  The country air was quite invigorating.  I have never
understood why ladies of your set prefer sitting to walking.  And when they do
go about by foot they do it so slowly that it must take an entire day to get
anywhere.”

“Ah, but you miss the point of their excursion,” said Arthur
as he pulled her closer to him protectively as two youths ran by.  “They don’t
walk as a means of getting from one place to another.  There are carriages to
accomplish that.  They walk to be seen and admired.”

“I suppose you prefer your females to be leisurely walkers. 
The type who faint at even the slightest excitement.” 

Arthur unconsciously pulled her even closer to his side. 
“In truth, I prefer my females to have some life in them.  And I certainly
wouldn’t want them to miss out on any excitement by fainting.”  Then he brought
her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers.

The contact didn’t last long.  They were, after all, in the
middle of Norwich’s busiest thoroughfare and although they were pretending to
be married, there were limits to what even newlyweds could do in public.  But
the brief contact was enough to flood Vanessa’s senses.  All of them.  Not just
the ones in the direct line of fire from his lips.  It seemed every part of her
had made contact with his sinful mouth.  They stood only inches away from each
other.  Close, but not close enough.  But as the two youths ran past them yet
again, they reluctantly moved apart.

“Shall we continue our walk?” asked Arthur, a bit unevenly.

“Yes,” she said in a voice so deep she barely recognized it
as her own.

When they returned to the inn, Arthur gave her a few moments
alone to ready herself for dinner.  But he was the one who needed some time
apart.  He was about to ask the innkeeper for an additional chamber, when Vanessa
emerged from their room. 

Her dress was an unremarkable brown.  Her hair was pulled
back at the nape of her neck in a style befitting a governess.  On any other
woman, the combination of the drab gown and the severe hairstyle would make her
look like a spinster.  However, on this woman the gown hugged her curves and
the color brought out the vibrancy of her hair.  But what really caught his
attention was the way she carried herself.  There was energy in her every
movement and life in each glance.  When she saw him, she broke out into a grin
that warmed him throughout.  Not that he needed any part of him to get any hotter. 
But he couldn’t resist giving her an answering smile. 

Dinner was a pleasant affair.  It could have been quite
awkward.  Other than their one evening under the stars in which the conditions
had been less than ideal, this was the first night they’d spent alone
together.  And the fact they would be sharing a room, registered as man and
wife, weighed heavily on Arthur’s mind.  To keep his thoughts from the night
ahead, he asked her questions about her past.  She deflected all of them but
became more and more animated as she spoke about their mission. 

“You must really enjoy your work,” said Arthur, as he
admired the way her eyes sparkled as she talked about the challenge ahead.

“I do,” she said.  “I don’t think I would’ve been happy in
service, in part because I have very little tolerance for the foibles of the
aristocracy.  Present company excluded, of course.”

“Are you saying I don’t have foibles?”

“Of course not,” she said, as her eyes laughed at him.  “I’ve simply become
accustomed to them.”

“Thank you, minx.  Did you never think of becoming a
governess?”

Something flashed in her eyes, then was just as quickly
gone.  “I have very little patience for other people’s children.”

“Do you want children yourself?”  Arthur realized with a
start that this was a question he usually avoided when conversing with a
potential bedmate.  But he was intrigued by every facet of Vanessa Gans.  And
he found himself very much wanting to know the answer.

“It’s not that I’m opposed to having children myself,” she
said carefully.  “I just don’t think it’ll happen.”  She stared into her wine
goblet before taking a sip, which seemed to restore her to her previous good humor. 
“And it is other people’s children who bother me.  Mine would be perfectly
behaved, of course.”

“Of course,” said Arthur smiling.  “I used to share your
view of other’s people’s children until I got to know my niece Violet.  She’s
not just a wonderful child, she’s a lovely person.  She and her mother have
certainly had a civilizing influence on Ned.  He’s quite besotted with both of
them.”

“I’m sure you’ll be equally besotted when you marry and have
a child of your own.”

Suddenly Arthur’s expression shuttered.  “I don’t believe in
love.  Or, more to the point, I don’t believe in it for me.  My parents loved
each other very much – and their children.  Ned and Jane have followed in their
footsteps and it certainly appears Lizzie and Riverton are just as mad in their
affections.  But I am cut from different cloth.”

“You don’t think you’ll find the right woman?”

For a moment, it looked like he wouldn’t answer.  Then he
said very quietly, “I don’t want to find her.” 

Before Vanessa could ask anything else, the serving girl entered
the parlor to refill their wine.  Arthur asked her about Norwich Castle.

 “It’s quite a thing to see, sir,” said the girl, with the
pride of a local.  “Was built back when the Normans come through, it was.  Most
famous thing in these parts, that’s for sure, even if it is used as a gaol. 
Don’t seem right for those villains to have such a fine home, but what’s to be
done about it?”

“I understand there are some historical items in the
castle,” said Vanessa.  “Do those attract many visitors?”

The girl thought about it for a moment.  “Can’t say that I
know the answer to that, ma’am.  Me mum once took us to look at the old Viking
treasures.  Said they was a bunch of history.  They just looked old and dirty
to me.  Will there be anythin’ else?’

Arthur waved her off with a coin, then turned to Vanessa
when the girl left.  “How would you like to proceed?”

“I suggest we talk to the gaol’s governor and tell him to
entrust us with the sword for safekeeping.”

“You don’t think an armed garrison would do better at
keeping it safe than we would?”

“In this case, no.  I learned long ago never to
underestimate Frederick Mortimer.  I have also learned that poorly paid gaolers
can be easily bribed.  If Mortimer and Cassidy learn they are to take the
sword, they will find a means of attaining it.  If we take the sword, they
won’t know where it is.”

“Unless they catch up with us.

“Or unless they’ve already taken it themselves,” said
Vanessa with a grimace.  “Either way, our next step is to go to the castle.”