Page 15 of Indecent
She looked up at him with a benign smile. “We can only hope.” Then her attention returned to her book, and he was effectively dismissed.
He’d bloody well trudge to the town himself—the rain be damned.
Chapter4
Prudence had spent the afternoon helping Mrs. Logan. Busy assembling the trifle, she startled at the sound of a door clicking shut. She looked up to see Bennet emerging, hair damp from the small bathing chamber off the kitchen. Mrs. Logan rushed to take the clothing he held.
“I’ll get this washed and dried out for you right away,” she said with a smile.
Wiping her hands on her apron, Prudence stepped around the worktable in the center of the kitchen. “What happened to your clothing?”
“I walked into town to fetch the part for the coach.”
She stared at him. While the rain had slowed a few times throughout the day, the past couple of hours had been a steady drenching as the wind had picked up once more. “You must have been soaked to the bone. How did I not see you come in?”
“You weren’t in here.”
“I must have been in the pantry.” She stared at his simply knotted cravat. “You miss your valet, don’t you?”
He laughed. “I don’t have a valet. Which is unfortunate since I’m rubbish at cravats.”
“No, you’re not. It looks nice and unfussy, not at all like most gentlemen in London. Do you prefer a more elaborate knot?”
“Honestly, I find them a nuisance. Not having to wear them while boxing is one of the things I like best about the sport.” He winked at her, and she hated how her body trembled. No one had ever flirted with her, and she likened her reaction to finding water after days in the desert.
“I still can’t believe you walked all the way to town and back. You must have walked very fast.”
“I ran partway. It seemed necessary if I was to return before dark.” A glance at the window told her he’d barely made it, for it was black as pitch outside now—not that the charcoal rainclouds had permitted the day to ever be bright. “Plus, there was the rain. I was quite eager to get out of it. The last mile was a complete downpour.”
“No wonder you needed a bath,” she murmured. “Are you warm enough? You had to have been cold to the bone. Why don’t you go sit by the fire?”
“Come with me.” He went to the door and held it for her.
She looked toward Mrs. Logan, but the woman was already waving her out. Prudence untied her apron and set it on the worktable. “Thank you for letting me help,” she said.
“Thankyou, my lady. The trifle will be especially delicious this evening.”
Prudence departed the kitchen, which was situated at the back of the inn, and made her way down a short corridor to the common room. Bennet followed her, and they sat at the table by the fire.
Bennet grinned widely. “I’m pleased to report that the coach is being repaired at this very moment. We’ll be able to leave for London tomorrow, provided the weather cooperates.”
“That is wonderful about the coach, but forgive me if I don’t hold my breath about the weather.”
“Are you always this skeptical?”
“Yes. It’s best to be prudent when managing one’s expectations.”
He frowned briefly. “You sound as if you’ve been disappointed too often.”
How did he see straight through her? No, notthroughher, but through her defenses and into her thoughts, into herfeelings, which she worked so hard to keep buried. It was most disconcerting. She didn’t like it one whit. “Did you forget my name is Prudence?” she asked saucily, hoping to distract him. “Who will drive us to London?”
“Ah, well, that is a slight conundrum, but I’m working on it. If necessary, I’ll drive us.”
She sat straight against the back of her chair and leaned slightly forward. “You can’t do that. Is this about money?” She saw his jaw tighten. “Don’t bother prevaricating. Haven’t I seen you at your worst?”
He laughed, and she was surprised he could find humor about the subject given his clear desperation surrounding his financial state. “It’s about a lack of money, yes. Everything seems to be about that.” He exhaled in resignation, and she wondered if he’d just decided to surrender. Whatever that entailed.
“I’ll pay for the driver.” She had some money saved, surely enough for that. “I can compensate him when we get to London.”
