Page 7 of The Duke of Ruin
She cast him a quick glance, and in the dim light from the single lantern hanging inside the coach, he confirmed from the concern in her eyes that she was agitated. “Honestly, I couldn’t think of where else to go. I left a note saying I didn’t wish to marry the duke and that I’d gone home to King’s Grange. That’s our family home in Norfolk.”
He admired her courage. “That couldn’t have been easy. What will happen when the note is found tomorrow morning?”
“My father will rage and likely leave immediately for Norfolk. It will take him three and a half days to get there or perhaps less because he’ll wish to overtake me. He won’t, of course, and so he’ll go all the way before finding I’m not there.”
“You’ve thought this through.”
The look she gave him then would have shriveled the staunchest of knights. “I had no choice.”
No, she did not, and for that, he would feel eternally regretful.
She exhaled, and finally, a bit of tension seeped from her frame. “I don’t blame you. I’m angry and frustrated, but it isn’t your fault. You’re doing your best to help me.”
“You blame Nick.”
“I should, but you’re right—I wouldn’t want to be married to someone who was in love with someone else. I’m glad for him and Violet. Or I will be when I’m finished being angry.”
Simon smiled in the near darkness. “I like you, in spite of your youth.”
Her gaze took on a glint of circumspection. “My youth?”
Damn, he hadn’t meant to sound insulting. He’d never had much interest in young debutantes, which was precisely what Miss Kingman was. She couldn’t be a day over twenty-one and maybe wasn’t even that old. “My apologies. In my experience, the younger set is typically lacking—and I include myself in that description when I was your age.” At thirty-one, he felt positively ancient beside her. “How old are you anyway?” He winced inwardly, wishing he hadn’t asked.
“Nearly twenty-one. But as to whether I’m lacking… You scarcely know me.” Her tone carried a hint of scolding, which he heartily deserved.
“That will be rectified in the coming days, and I can already tell you are quite… What’s the opposite of lacking?” he asked.
She blinked at him. “Profuse? Or perhaps sufficient.”
Sufficient was not a word he’d use to describe her. That seemed to indicate a bare minimum and there was nothing bare or minimal about Miss Kingman. “You are delightful, and I’m a beast. Will that description suffice?”
She nodded primly. “For now, yes.”
A chuckle escaped his throat. Yes, he liked her. And perhaps in time, she’d grow to like him in return during the course of their journey. On that topic, he wanted her to know what to expect. “We will enjoy close quarters as we travel, both in the coach and where we stay. I will purposely choose smaller lodgings, and we will pose as Mr. and Mrs. Phineas Byrd.”
She stared at him. “Phineas Byrd? That’s the name you chose?”
“It’s a bit dashing with a dose of humor. Don’t you agree?”
“Do I have a name?”
“I thought you should choose, though I will endeavor to refer to you only as Mrs. Byrd. I do admit I thought Kitty might be amusing.”
“Kitty Byrd?” There was a beat of silence followed by her lyrical laughter filling the coach. She laughed loud and long before finally putting her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she managed at last. “That’s preposterous. I love it.”
Damn. He more than liked her. He enjoyed her company. The trip would be long and perhaps challenging, but Simon suspected he would enjoy it more than any other journey he’d undertaken during the past two years. And he’d undertaken quite a few. That was what one did when one didn’t want to be at home to face the horrid memories there.
She took a deep breath and burrowed her gloved hands beneath the blanket. “I hadn’t thought about us posing as a married couple, but I suppose that makes the most sense. Don’t I need a wedding ring?”
Hell, he hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“Never mind. If anyone inquires, I will say I lost it,” she said. “But we’ll, ah, have to share a room?”
He sensed her unease and wanted to reassure her. “Undoubtedly, but your virtue is entirely safe with me.” The tension around her mouth and eyes seemed to loosen a bit. “Masking our identities will also offer protection, and, as I said, we’ll be staying in smaller lodgings away from the main road so it’s less likely that people passing through would recognize us. Discretion will be key to our success.”
“I do appreciate the thought you’ve put into this, Mr. Byrd.”
“My pleasure, Mrs. Byrd.”
