Page 37 of Lady of Charade
“No,” Clarence shook his head before showing it to Berkley, who also had no recognition of the ring. “However, we can look further into it — unfortunately likely not until we return back to London.”
“Very well,” David said, nodding his head.
A few hours later, they finally arrived at Berkley’s estate and the ladies emerged from the carriage, looking pleased to finally be out amidst the fresh air.
“We should have ridden ourselves,” Julia grumbled, though her countenance turned much more pleasant as they entered the grand estate through the front entrance, which was surrounded by columns reminiscent of Greece. The entrance hall where they congregated as the servants greeted them and took their bags was a mint green with cream wainscotting. A large fireplace was surrounded by busts of Roman figurines, the pattern which was echoed within the ceiling.
“My great-grandparents were slightly overzealous,” Berkley said with a bit of a shrug in reference to his ancestors who David knew had built the estate years prior in order to impress their guests — and impress it did.
David attempted to capture Sarah’s attention, but it was no use. She was purposefully ignoring him, he knew, and yet he had no idea what he was to do about it.
* * *
Sarah had never before beento Berkley’s estate. In fact, she had never been to any English estate before. She had been outside of London, sure, but only to Bath and Newmarket. This… it was like she was returning to her forests, albeit much more manicured ones. As they walked up the drive, she stopped for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of the sweet smelling air. She could sense David’s attention upon her, but she resisted looking at him, despite the fact that every fiber in her being was urging her to do so.
Since the day they had made love with one another, she had managed to keep from doing so again. Most often she feigned sleep before he returned to her rooms, and the one night he had caught her awake, she made the excuse of feeling as though she was coming down with an illness.
He never asked her to do anything again, never pushed her, never attempted a thing. But he was making it clear that he would appreciate some intimacy — not sexual, but rather, emotional, which was much more dangerous, and the very reason she was staying away.
For it was not that she did not want to make love with him again. Oh no, every part of her body was yearning to do so. It was that she knew if she did, it would only make it that much more difficult when the time came for them to separate.
“I will escort you to your rooms, Miss Jones,” the housekeeper said, interrupting her reverie. Sarah noted David watched the direction in which they walked quite closely, but finally they were in a place where he would not be required to guard her nightly. In fact, Lady Alexander was due to arrive the next day, along with other guests of the house party. She had agreed that it was fine for Sarah to travel with three married companions, despite the fact that there would be a single man within their party — for what could happen in one night?
Sarah was certainly not inclined to tell her.
She thought back to her conversation with her friends within the carriage.
“You must tell us,” Phoebe had demanded, “What has occurred between you and Mr. Redmond. For clearly, there is something amiss.”
“Perhaps,” Sarah had said with a nod of her head. She hadn’t planned on telling them the entirety of her current relationship with David, but she also wasn’t about to lie to the three women in front of her.
“You are aware that Mr. Redmond was left at my door quite injured, and that I treated him and told him a bit of my situation. What I didn’t tell you is that once he was well, Mr. Redmond decided that my safety was an issue. He did not feel that I should be staying alone in my rooms.”
“He’s quite right regarding the fact that you should never have been alone,” Elizabeth agreed with a nod, but then went silent to allow Sarah time to continue on with her story.
“So he decided that he would stay with me each night.”
Three shocked faces had stared back at her, her words quelling them all into silence. In fact, had the carriage not begun to rock slightly back and forth, she was not sure any of them ever would have ever moved again.
“David Redmond… has been staying with you every night?” Elizabeth asked, obviously attempting to mask her disapproval.
“He has been altogether a gentleman,” Sarah said, feeling the need to defend him, for, in all actuality, he had been. “In fact, he insisted on making himself a bed on the floor, and has even proven himself useful when I have been treating others who have come to me for help.”
Julia smiled at the story. Elizabeth continued to look slightly concerned and Phoebe studied her contemplatively, as though she knew there was more to this.
“Nothing has ever happened between the two of you?”
Sarah’s cheeks became so hot she knew they must have turned a bright red. But if she couldn’t tell these women about what had happened between the two of them, who could she speak to?
“About a week ago,” she began slowly, “We had a moment in which we were so close — as close as two people can be. We… acted upon it. But—” she added quickly before any of them could say anything, “—It was completely my choice. He could not have been more concerned, more understanding, more questioning about whether or not that was what I truly wanted.”
Phoebe reached across the seat to place a hand on her knee reassuringly.
“Afterward, did you regret it, or were you happy that all had occurred?”
Sarah sighed. She wasn’t much for dramatics, but then, if ever a situation called for them, it was this one.
“Both, in equal measure, I suppose,” she said, raising a hand in the air helplessly. “It honestly seemed as though it was one of the best things to ever happen to me. Had you asked me that night, right afterward, I would have told you that it was the best decision I had ever made in my entire life. Nothing before had ever felt so right, so fitting, as to lie in his arms after coming together. I’m not a fool — I know that I am certainly far from the first woman he has ever been with, and yet it seemed to me to be more than simply a physical joining, but that somehow our hearts, our souls spoke to one another.”
