Page 56 of The Moonstone Governess
Daire rode offfor Plymouth at dawn the following morning, feeling as restless as Scipio, who needed his daily run or else would be kicking down his stall. They were going to make good time, Daire knew, for his big warhorse was a sturdy beast and used to riding long distances under the worst of conditions.
But the weather was no impediment today, for the air still held the cooling breeze of night, and there was no sign of rain. Indeed, the storm had deposited every last drop of rain onto the village yesterday, leaving quite a bit of mud but also a crisp, dry day ahead of him. The breeze carried the familiar saltiness of the sea and the sweet scent of honeysuckle that grew along the hedgerows.
Daire spurred Scipio past the field of poppies along Brenna’s hillside. He resisted looking toward Stoningham Manor or back at the little village of Moonstone Landing, for he already felt a palpable tug, as though a rope connecting him to the manor and the village had wrapped itself around his heart and was pulling him back.
But it wasn’tthingsthat held him in this heavenly patch of Cornwall—it was Brenna.
For this reason, he had grabbed the samples and her journal and hurried off to Plymouth in the hope of putting distance between him and the girl. He needed to slow things down between them. He needed to contain the fire that tore through him whenever he laid eyes on her. Hollingsworth had put his finger on something yesterday, asking if there was anyone whose happiness meant more to Daire than his own.
The answer was Brenna.
Was it not obvious?
He took pleasure in spoiling her. Indeed, he wanted to do so much more for her.
But to admit it, even to himself, was to give Brenna too much control over him. He was not ready to cede power to anyone yet, and certainly not to this little dove with big green eyes and a gentle heart he could so easily crush.
He tore along the countryside, eager to put that necessary distance between him and the girl. Why else would he bother dealing with something as trivial as draperies and bed canopies? Well, the days were passing, and he wanted to have as much put in order as possible when his mother and Matthew arrived.
He reached Plymouth by early evening and immediately sought the business establishment whose samples he carried. The Dumbley & Hayworth owners were just closing up as he arrived. Daire, with his usual rampaging bull approach to all business dealings, insisted they reopen for him, and soon had them hopping to his demands. It was amazing what offering to pay double the fee accomplished in very little time.
Not only did the owners stay on to review all his samples and requirements, but they left instructions for their workers to immediately halt all other commissions and start work on his orders first thing in the morning.
Brenna would purse her cherry lips and frown at him, but where was the harm in paying top price to jump ahead of the queue and get the work done? It was not possible to have everything completed within ten days, but the drapery, cushions, and bedding for his mother’s bedchamber and private parlor would be done first. Afterward, wagons hauling the other finished items would begin to arrive on a weekly basis until all was completed.
Content with his accomplishments and bone weary, Daire next rode to one of the Plymouth gaming hells owned by a friend of his, Ajax Monteith, the newly installed Earl of Bradford. This newfound respectability did not sit well with his friend, for he had been merely a distant relative of the earl’s, cast off from his family, and never expected to succeed to the title. But Daire always thought of Jax as far worthier than any of his useless relatives, even though the man’s line of work was not at all wholesome.
“Jax,” he said, relieved to find his friend at the elegant gaming establishment he owned that managed to quietly prosper among the gentry in this more dignified part of town. Yes, gaming and probably a bit of bootlegging on the side was not exactly honorable, but Jax had never cheated anyone and could always be relied upon to follow through on his word.
“Daire, what brings you here?” Jax greeted him warmly and ordered one of his footmen to take Scipio to his stable. “Tell Grimm this horse is to be treated like a king.”
“I had business not far from here, and hoped I might impose on your hospitality for a day or two.”
“Of course. You know you are always welcome here. Stay as long as you like.” Jax ushered him inside and offered him food and drink. “I was just sitting down to supper. Care to join me? We’ll dine and catch up with each other while I have a room prepared for you.”
“Sounds good.”
“Ah…would you care for some entertainment after we dine?” He motioned in the direction of several finely gowned ladies seated at the gaming tables.
Daire shook his head. “No. I’ve sworn off those amusements for now.”
Jax arched an eyebrow. “Sworn off the ladies? Dare I ask what happened?”
“Nothing happened. I just got bored. Same greedy look in their eyes. Same meaningless romps. It began to feel dull and distasteful, my using them and their using me.”
Jax led him into his private dining room and crossed to the tall cupboard. He took out a bottle of brandy and two crystal glasses, then poured the amber liquid into each glass. “I know what you mean. I have been feeling quite restless lately, too. Perhaps this is the reason why. There’s not an ounce of genuineness to any of it. Returning to London is even worse. The ladies here in Plymouth are easily satisfied with coins or pretty trinkets. But in London, especially the Upper Crust ladies who frequent my copper hells, they can eat your soul. I thought I was hardhearted, but I am a lamb compared to some of them.”
Daire laughed. “I doubt anyone would ever describe you as a lamb. You are almost as ruthless as I am.”
His friend held up his glass in toast. “And almost as wealthy as you because of it.”
After dining, they spent the rest of the night catching up over drinks. “So we are to be neighbors now?” Jax asked. “You in Moonstone Landing and me here in Plymouth?”
Daire nodded. “I would hardly call us neighbors, but certainly we are much closer than between here and London. I am determined to set up my mother and Matthew in Moonstone Landing. I’ll make more permanent arrangements if they take well to the quieter life the village offers. Perhaps I will settle there too. I haven’t decided yet.”
“I beg to differ. It seems you have firmly made up your mind to set roots there. I’ve never heard you speak of anything with as much enthusiasm before. What makes you reluctant to admit it to yourself?”
Daire sighed. “I don’t know. Perhaps because it is such a big change for me.”
