Page 61 of The Lovers
“As it happens, I’m in London. I came to spend a few hours with my cousin.”
“Oh, sorry to interrupt.”
“You are not. She had to work, so I took myself to Hyde Park with the intention of taking a brisk walk. Instead, I’m sitting on a bench and watching the ducks.”
“If you’d like some company, I’d be more than happy to watch the ducks with you,” Rhys suggested.
“If you have nothing better to do, I’ll be glad to see you.” And she would be. Rhys’s company was undemanding and amusing. He was just the right antidote to brooding alone in the park.
“All right. Just give me a half hour. I’ll meet you there. Say, by the Prince Albert Memorial?”
They agreed on a time, and Rhys rang off. The prospect of seeing him lifted Quinn’s spirits. She wasn’t sure what she felt for him, but she was being honest when she told Jill that there was some kind of a connection between them. Rhys made her feel peaceful, whereas Gabe brought turmoil and uncertainty every time they saw each other. It hadn’t been that way while she was with Luke, but now Luke was gone and Gabe wasn’t prepared to wait any longer.
Quinn smiled happily when she saw Rhys walking toward her. He was casually dressed in jeans and his habitual leather jacket, with a tartan scarf in shades of blue and gray wrapped around his neck. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“I woke up this morning thinking that my prospects for this weekend looked bleak, but now I couldn’t be happier,” he said sincerely. “I’m so glad you are in London.”
“Me too. I love living in a village, but sometimes it does feel stifling. I miss the bustle of the city.”
“So, what would you like to do?” Rhys asked. “We can take a walk, go for lunch, visit a museum, or go see a film.”
Quinn pretended to give it some thought, then took him by the arm. “Let’s take a walk, then have some lunch, and after that we can see a film. What do you say?”
“I say that sounds like an excellent plan.”
They walked off together into the park, chatting animatedly. Rhys wanted to hear all about Elise, so Quinn filled him in, enjoying the shock on his face when she described plague-ridden London in great detail and told him of her strange dream. Eventually, they got tired of walking and sat down by the river. Quinn didn’t really notice when Rhys’s arm encircled her, but she rested her head on his shoulder as they sat together in companionable silence. They remained that way for some time before Quinn looked up at him. Rhys leaned down and kissed her, making her heart flutter in her chest. She hadn’t kissed anyone since Luke, so it had been a long while since she’d been kissed by a new man. The kiss was lovely, but it lacked passion, and Quinn carefully pulled away, mindful of hurting his feelings.
Rhys looked at her. “You are so beautiful, Quinn.”
“You must meet beautiful women every day in your line of work,” Quinn replied modestly. She wasn’t used to compliments.Luke had been stingy with praise, but he showed his admiration in other ways.
“I do, but they are not like you. You’re real and so very intelligent. Smart women are sexy,” he said with a smile. He kissed her again, but Quinn ended it after a few moments. Something just didn’t feel right. Perhaps she wasn’t ready to get involved with anyone just yet.
“Rhys, I…”
“There’s no need to explain. Come, shall we go? I’m famished, as usual.”
Quinn smiled and allowed Rhys to pull her to her feet. He wasn’t angry, but she felt a slight chill in his attitude. He didn’t touch her for the rest of the day.
FORTY-FOUR
JUNE 1665
Suffolk, England
Elise moved into the manor house two days after arriving in Suffolk. The house was gloomy and silent, as if it resented human presence and wanted only to be left vacant to continue its slow descent into decay. It smelled of dust and disuse after months, if not years, of being shut up and seemed to squint in irritation as shutters were thrown open and light penetrated shadowy corners. Mouse droppings littered the flagstone floor in the kitchen, making Elise wrinkle her nose in disgust, and a layer of grime covered the pots and pans that hung from the ceiling.
Elise walked from room to room, noting those that appealed to her. There were few. The house was decorated in an old-fashioned, almost medieval style, with oppressive dark paneling and heavy, uncomfortable furniture that didn’t boast so much as a cushion to soften the hard wooden seats. There were several faded tapestries, the colors muted by years of accumulated dust, and a few paintings of Edward’s illustrious forbearers. She chose a back bedroom for herself. Decorated in shades of dark green and mauve, it wasn’t overly pretty or feminine, but Elise was enchanted by views of the sea. She’d never seen the sea before, and the vast body of water that stretched all the way to the horizon and seemed to flow right into the sky intrigued and frightened her at the same time. When she opened the window, she could hear the sound of the surf crashing onto the beach, and a fresh, briny smell filled her nostrils. The fresh breeze blew away the stale smell ofthe room in seconds and fluttered the heavy curtains, releasing a cloud of dust.
“Ye’d best close that, me lady,” a voice behind her said. “Ye’ll catch a chill.”
Elise reluctantly closed the window and turned to Mistress Benford. The older woman would act as cook and housekeeper, and there were two girls who would come in from town to help out with cleaning and laundry. Peg would see to Elise and Barbara, and two lads had been sent over by the estate agent to care for the horses and help with any heavy tasks that were too much for the women. There was no permanent staff because Edward had not lived in the house since his wife died and he met with his riding accident. They were to be a small household, but that suited Elise just fine. She didn’t need an army of servants to spy on her every move.
“Mistress Benford, I will choose several rooms to be cleaned and aired out. The rest can remain closed for now since we won’t be using them at this time. The kitchen and everything in it needs to be scrubbed from top to bottom and all the supplies laid in fresh before any food is prepared. I prefer simple meals of mostly fish, fowl, or broth, and I take my supper early,” Elise informed her. She hated to eat just before going to bed with the food sitting in her stomach and making her feel ill.
“Surely ye need to eat well in yer condition, me lady,” Mistress Benford protested. “Meat and blood pudding and such. ’Tis good for the baby.”
“I don’t much care for meat, but I suppose if you prepare a meat dish once a week, I’ll partake of it. For the baby,” she added. But really it was for James. He liked meat, and Elise hoped that he would dine with her at least several times a week. Of course, for the lady of the house to dine with her husband’s manservant was unseemly and would reach Edward’s ears sooner rather than later,but she didn’t care. Here, in Suffolk, she would do as she liked. Elise smiled to herself, pleased with her decision. Exercising a modicum of control—no matter how small—over her life was intoxicating.
