Page 25 of A Deal with the Rebellious Marquess
Fleur closed her travelling trunk shortly after one in the morning, letting the enormity of the trip overwhelm her at last. When she came back from Meltham, it would all be over, the search for justice settled. She was both excited and terrified by the prospect. To have closure, to know for sure, would be a blessing and it ought to bring peace, but she wondered if it would. It couldn’t bring Adam back; it couldn’t resolve the differences their marriage had ended on. It could not absolve her of the guilt she carried. But it could help the paper, it could solidify her position and her ability to hold on to Adam’s empire.
She had slept very little that night, her thoughts in turmoil. She rose early and dressed in a blue travelling ensemble that she liked for its simplicity, then left the house. Better to do her waiting at the station than roaming the house and checking the clock every two minutes. This way she could feel as if she was doing something.
Alone at the station, she had another set of nerves to contend with. She could not ignore the other facet of this trip. She was going away with Jasper. Not the Marquis of Meltham, or Lord Umberton, but withJasper. A man whose touch made her tremble, whose gaze made her warm, made her feel seen. A man who had kissed her, made wild love to her and danced with her beneath the moonlight. A man who made her feel alive, even though he was poised on the opposite side of the business between them.
How might that play out? He’d said they were friends last night. Was that all there was for them? Whatever there could be between them would always be short term, but Meltham offered a certain freedom to explore that potential, away from society’s eyes. Away from his mother’s list of debutantes, away from politicos and a prickly board of directors who might find their association a conflict of interests.
She caught sight of his tall, broad-shouldered form cutting through the crowd coming towards her, her pulse quickening at the sight of him in his buff trousers and blue coat. She rather wished her pulse wouldn’t do that. It made her mind ask difficult questions like what would happen if they were just Jasper and Fleur, if they could just be themselves? Was that even possible? Or was the business between them too much?
‘You’re early. I am impressed.’ Jasper smiled, his gaze lingering on her longer than needed, and the conversation lagged into an uncomfortable silence. Perhaps he, too, was nervous. What had seemed like a straightforward idea in the quiet of the evening suddenly seemed more complicated by daylight. Or perhaps, like her, it was simply nerves born of their unsettling attraction to one another. He recovered first. ‘Are you ready for our adventure? Our train is over here.’
He dropped a hand to the small of her back and ushered her towards the London Northwestern Railway locomotive, already huffing on the track. They let talk of the journey’s details fill the empty space and ease the way. ‘I have a first-class compartment reserved for us. We might as well enjoy some luxury while we can. I’ve arranged for breakfast to be served privately.’
She smiled. ‘You’re spoiling me. Should I be concerned?’
He laughed. ‘We’ll see if you feel that way at the end of the day. Not all of our trains will be this comfortable.’ They’d take this train to Leeds and then a train to Huddersfield. From there it would be a carriage ride to the seat of the marquessate at Rosefields. ‘It will be a long day.’ He handed her up the steps into the train car, allowing her to precede him down the narrow aisle leading to their compartment, each gesture making her acutely aware of him, of his closeness, of his consideration even though she could very well be the enemy before this was through.
‘I don’t mind.’ She laughed over her shoulder, catching his gaze. ‘It is still a marvel to me that we will be in the west Yorkshire Dales tonight when it would have taken three or four days to make the journey by coach just a few years ago.’
‘We’re right here.’ He gestured to the coupe compartment at the far end of the train car. ‘The compartment seats three, but I bought the third ticket so that we needn’t worry about any intrusions. Ah, look, our breakfast basket has already arrived. Thank goodness, I’m famished.’
She was famished, too, Fleur realised as their day progressed. Famished not for food, but for care. She secretly revelled in the little comforts he’d arranged becauseshe’dnot had to do the arranging. Along with that secret came another one: part of her liked being cared for, looked after, having someone else to share the burden for once. Not all the decisions had to be hers alone.
She’d had that with Adam. Mostly. At least she’d thought she had. They’d made decisions about which charities to support, which stories to run, which direction to take the newspapers. Of course, she knew now that it hadn’t been perfect. Decisions about the debt had not included her. And when it had come to the biggest decision in their marriage, the decision to have a family, Adam alone had made the choice.
With Jasper she would be certain to ensure this was a true sharing of responsibility. She was well aware that control was hard for both of them to surrender. Until last night, Jasper had controlled when they would meet by withholding an address. But she’d paid for lunch. These were small things, but they did hint at the larger need. They were both establishing their boundaries, protecting themselves. And yet the thought tickled: wouldn’t it be wonderful if instead of protecting themselves, they could protect each other. She feared circumstances made that an impossibility, a reminder that even this partnership had limitations.
‘Fleur, Fleur, wake up, we’re nearly there.’ A gentle shake roused her as a soft early evening light bathed the interior of the coach. Sweet heavens, she’d fallen asleep. Jasper shifted on the seat beside her and she realised where she’d slept. On the ledge of his broad shoulder, or from the looks of his once perfectly pressed coat, against his chest in that space where shoulder meets torso. She put a quick hand to her face, hoping she hadn’t drooled. It was bad enough she’d fallen asleep on him.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...’ She stifled a yawn. ‘The late night apparently caught up to me,’ she apologised.
He gave a soft smile. ‘I didn’t mind. Although I was worried it might have been my company that had sent you off into the arms of Morpheus.’
‘Not at all,’ she assured him truthfully. He’d been an excellent travelling companion today, full of interesting small talk about the countryside they were passing. By tacit agreement, they’d discussed nothing too meaningful, or too personal that would lead them back to their business. Yet talking with him had still been enjoyable. It was no wonder he was one of the most sought-after bachelors this Season. He knew how to put a person at ease, how to engage them even on the most mundane of topics.
He leaned forward to look out the window, then turned to her with a smile that spoke volumes. ‘We’re coming down the drive now. You can see the house.’ There was pride in his voice, she noted, and relief, too. Helikedit here. Rosefields was not just the seat of the marquessate it was also a homecoming for him.
And he’d invited her here, into his world.
Fleur’s hands clenched in her lap as she took in the sandstone façade of the house. The realisation was a bit overwhelming given that it might shortly become the site in which a horrible truth was revealed. How might that taint his associations with the place? ‘It’s very beautiful,’ she acknowledged.
‘I’ll give you the tour after supper if you’d like. I thought we’d dine on the terrace and enjoy the spring evening.’ He paused, reconsidering. ‘Unless you are too tired?’
‘Not at all. It would be good to stretch my legs. I am not used to so much sitting.’ Or so much comfort, so much spoiling. Was that what he was counting on? They’d sworn to be friends, to be on the same side, but he’d deceived her once. She would be foolish not to think about this from a strategic point of view.
Were today’s comforts meant to lull her into complacency? Was being here at Rosefields meant as an attempt to soften her desire to pursue his brother? Was their very attraction to each other meant to also be a tool by which her mettle was undone? She didn’t want to think of it that way, but she must. Her station in life required it. A woman alone must always be on her guard. Even at the paper she wasn’t safe. The board of directors were always looking to question her decisions.
The carriage came to a halt and the step was set. Jasper jumped out first and handed her down, his grip on her fingers warm and sure, yet a cold, warning trill went down her spine as she looked up at the majestic façade of the house. What had she walked into?
She was on the Marquess’s ground now and she was alone.
Chapter Fourteen
This feltright. Whenever Jasper had imagined bringing Fleur to Rosefields, it had been just like this: walking with her through the grounds at sunset, the June evening wreathed in the violet and pink remnants of long midsummer daylight, the famed white roses in full bloom, their scent wafting on the air of the garden.
‘The roses are legendary. They date back to the Plantagenets,’ he told her as they walked.
‘The white rose of York?’ She smiled.
