Page 16 of A Lovely White Christmastide
Miss Haynes nodded.
“Jule I assume comes from Julianna; might I then assume Bethie comes from Elizabeth?” Daniel glanced at Bingham knowing his aversion to shortening names.
“Actually, it is simply Beth, but my sister has always added to it in the most ludicrous ways. Bethie seems to be her favorite.”
Bingham cringed, adjusting in his seat to sit up straighter. “So there are others?”
“Far too many.” Her pale cheeks were already pink with the cold, but Daniel imagined that if they were not, she’d probably be blushing.
The curl of his friend’s lip at the idea of any more creative monikers had Daniel battling back his laughter again.
“For a while I called her Bet because I could not pronounce the ‘th’ in her name,” Miss Julianna admitted. “Then when I could spell she became Bee. Mama vehemently opposed that one as she was terrified of the little insects, so it did not last long. Then there was Betty, Bethy-wethy, Bee by three, and Beth-of-mine.”
Bingham straightened his coat front. “Bee by three?”
“Yes. Beautiful, blonde Beth.”
“Very nice alliteration,” Daniel said.
Miss Julianna grinned. “Thank you.”
“And descriptive.” Bingham leaned back into the squabs, his gaze assessing the woman across from him. The man may not be willing to admit his interest in Miss Haynes, but he hid little with his increased attention to her.
They talked for the better part of an hour about the importance of a name. Bingham shared his firm conviction that if one was named it, they should be called such. Interestingly Miss Haynes, who Daniel had assumed to be more reserved, disagreed with him. He had thought her too timid to stick to her convictions when confronted, but she held her own, even making Bingham stop to think a few times.
Good. His friend needed a woman to challenge his stodgy ways. Bingham removed his hat and placed it on the seat beside him, then slowly began removing his gloves. He never removed his gloves in front of people if possible.
There was the tale-tell wince that meant his friend’s hand was paining him again. He knew from his time attending Bingham after Waterloo that the only way to stop the cramps was to massage each finger out. His friend had been rubbing his hands together, but he’d assumed it was for warmth.
It seemed the massage was not working through the thick winter gloves.
The carriage hit a large rut and the conversation stopped as they were all thrown to the right. The conveyance then righted itself, but as the wheel landed, an ominous crack filled the air. The coach tipped to the left. This time Bingham lunged to place his body below Miss Haynes, cushioning her fall. Daniel took his cue and pulled Miss Julianna toward him so she would not land on her sister.
Thankfully the postilion was a good hand with the horses and brought the tilted conveyance to a stop quickly. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief.
“Are you well?” he asked Miss Julianna.
She trembled in his arms. “I believe so. Only a few bumps and bruises.”
“How ‘bout you, Captain?… Captain?”
Bingham did not answer. Daniel shifted to look at him, then smiled. No answer was necessary.
Chapter Five
Carswell stared into the most dazzling blue eyes he’d ever seen. Miss Haynes blinked and her frightened look faded to one of wonder. His back was against the door, his body cushioning what would have been a painful fall. He should know since his right shoulder throbbed with the force of the impact. Somehow, though, Miss Haynes’s gaze dulled the ache quite nicely.
Her fingers curled against his chest and the press of her form opened ideas in his mind that he’d never considered. He did not believe in love, but perhaps taking a wife would not be such an imposition. Eventually he’d have to do it, but until now it seemed like another duty to undertake rather than the pleasure he now contemplated.
“My apologies, Lord Bingham, but could you help me up? I cannot seem to untangle myself.”
Carswell knew it was the proper thing to do, but she fit so nicely in his arms. Then he caught sight of Kaye’s smirking face.
He was not sure how to right Miss Haynes in their current position, but the last thing he needed was for his former lieutenant to get matchmaking schemes in his head. Even if hedid like the woman, Kaye would only bumble things for him. “How can I assist?”
She blushed. “If you could move your right leg I believe I can untangle my skirts.”
His chest grew hot with embarrassment as he realized how completely she sat in his lap, her skirts pinned against the door by his leg.
