Courtesan's Kiss (32 page)

David could feel anger explode out of her. Mia pulled out of his grasp, and when she raised her hand to slap him he allowed it.

“You disgust me as much as Franklin does!”

David watched as Mia ran toward the house. She might be disgusted with him, but not half as disgusted as he was with himself.

He turned toward the stables. Leaving in a timely way was the least of his problems.

David hoped his blunt words had shocked some
sense into her, shown her the reality of her absurd dream. She was stung, and angry, either because of Franklin’s abuse or his own words, or both. In any case, he did know that he had ruined any hope of her accepting his proposal.

So he’d best come up with another plan.

I
T WAS SOME TIME
after noon before they departed, and not only because Mia had taken as long as she possibly could to make her farewells to the Cantwells and the rest of the servants. Their departure was slowed even further by the last-minute arrival of a breathless Mr. Novins, who was anxious for a personal good-bye.

Mia gave the last of her traveling items to Janina. “I promise I will not be long,” she assured her and went to greet Mr. Novins.

He bowed to her. She curtsied.

“I want to thank you for visiting Miss Horner. I saw her today and she asked if I would extend her farewells with my own.”

“You spent some time with her?” No suit could have prospered in the few hours since she and Mary Horner had met.

“We talked,” he said.

She waited, hoping that silence would prompt details.

“I know it will sound odd, miss, but she actually said no to me when I asked her to do me a favor. She said no, and when I showed my surprise and perhaps a little disappointment, Miss Horner laughed and said that I should thank you.

“I left in some confusion but as I thought about it, I do believe the word
no
from Miss Horner is one of the wonders of the world.”

“I hope so, for both your sakes, sir.” He nodded, and if he thought that an odd wish he gave no sign of it. “Mr. Novins, I want to thank you for the care you gave us, and I promise you that the duke and duchess shall hear of it and send their own thanks.”

“I appreciate that, Miss Castellano. I hope that the angling will bring you back to Sandleton.”

Mia said all the right things one more time, while she marveled at the fact that a suit
could
prosper in so little time. She would write to Miss Horner and encourage her to respond. Until news of an engagement came to her, Mia would not consider her conversation with Mary Horner a complete success.

Mr. Novins escorted her back to the coach where he waved farewell to the others, including Lord David, whose horse was pawing the ground, as ready as his master to be off.

Romero, of all people, was acting as coachman. “He is a man of many skills,” Janina bragged as they set out.

Alan Wilson rode alongside Romero in the coachman’s box and the two grooms rode in the rear behind the trunks lashed on top.

Even though they were leaving late, Lord David announced that they would stop every five miles or so.

“Why are we to stop so often?” Mia called to him, but Lord David had already urged Cruces into a canter. He was out of sight before they had left the edge of town. Mia watched him until she could not see him anymore as she untied her bonnet and tossed it on the seat. It was too small and made her temples ache.

“Where is Lord David going?” Janina asked as they passed through the cloud of dust that Cruces had stirred up.

“I do not care.”

“What happened?” Janina asked, her eyes narrowed.

“He is awful and crude.”

Janina raised a hand to her mouth. “Is this about last night? Oh, my God, did he force you to have sex with him?”

“What? Force me? No, never.” Then Mia realized what Janina’s comment meant. “You know we were together?”

Nina gave a tiny nod that was as much apology as confirmation.

“How did you find out?”

“Mia, your dress was ruined. When I saw it this morning, I thought it was because of a passion that could not be denied, but now I see I could have been gravely mistaken.”

“No.” Mia sighed. “You were right the first time. It was the most wonderful evening of my life.”

Janina nodded encouragement.

“It is much too private to discuss, but please believe me when I say that the seduction was totally mutual.”

“So now you are going to marry him.” Janina clapped her hands.

“No. Never.” Mia closed her eyes and waited until she could talk without shouting. “He does not love me. He would be forever saying ‘Listen to me,’ and telling me things I do not want to hear.” She swallowed her heartache. “If love makes all things possible, trying to live without love in a marriage would be horrible.”

“But he must like something about you to propose.”

“He has not proposed, Nina. He only asked what I would do if I found I was with child.”

“Oh, dear, that is not even a little romantical.”

“Not even a little.” Mia pulled off her gloves and dug through her bag for her own handkerchief. “And there is something even worse.”

“What could be worse?”

“He told me that my idea to live independently was a fairy tale. That if I live without a chaperone in no time I would become part of the demimonde.”

Mia slipped to the floor, put her head in Nina’s lap, and began to cry. Nina smoothed her hair and then made matters worse. “I have always thought the same thing.”

“What!” Mia stopped crying, bolted upright, and pushed herself onto the seat next to her sister.

“I have never understood why you could not invite some poor but wellborn woman to live with you, to convince everyone that you are and always will be a lady. You
could even live at Penn House in London. It is more like a palace than a home, and you could have your own apartments and never even have to see the duke when he comes for Parliament.”

“Nina, have you forgotten my ruined engagement? I have no idea how Elena will react to that. She may send me to my room for a month. She may refuse to speak to me. William is her dearest relative. And I hurt him badly.”

“But think how much this choice of living alone will hurt Elena.”

Would it? Mia wondered. She would not know until she reached Pennford and discovered how Elena felt.

“I will think about my plans, Nina. Not because of what David said but because you’ve asked me to.”

Janina took her hands and kissed her cheek. And all was right in their world. Mia settled back and closed her eyes.

“Mia?” Janina asked in a timid voice. “Has it been five miles yet? Do you think we will be stopping soon?”

Oh, so that was why David had insisted on the frequent stops
. His kindness was as guarded as everything else about him.

Those first five miles were the last that Janina could handle inside the coach. With her hands pressed to her stomach and her face too pale, it was decided Janina would squeeze into the coachman’s box with Romero and Alan Wilson so they could move a little faster than a snail.

Mia tucked herself into the corner of the carriage so she could see out both windows, one over her shoulder and the other across from her. The sun was moving west
and the air was still dry. There was enough shade that the inside of the coach did not feel like an oven. If she could doze off she could escape her worries. It would be a relief.

Instead she would pray. That she would be allowed for once in her life to make her own choice.

That Nina and Romero would find the happiness each deserved. That Mary Horner and Mr. Novins each grasped the value of the word
no
, except in bed. That Elena would understand that Mia’s ending her engagement to William was the right thing for both of them, and even that William would find someone worthy of all he had to give.

That David Pennistan would discover such a powerful love—She stopped that prayer before it fully formed. To pray for love was too much like asking for a miracle, and how dreadful to ask for one and then discover it was not the answer to all her problems. So the last thing she prayed for was that she was not with child. It was a prayer for both her and David and, she hoped, not too much to ask.

Sleep, blessed sleep, spared her any more self-pitying thoughts.

She woke up when the coach slowed to a stop, but kept her eyes closed. The carriage rocked as Janina climbed back inside, and once they were under way again Mia opened her eyes.

David sat across from her; Mia blinked the sleep from her eyes to be sure that she was not dreaming. No, he was still there, looking at her with an intensity that would have been flattering if he had looked at all happy.

“Is Nina all right?” she asked as she struggled up, and
winced when she realized she had been sleeping on her now-crushed bonnet.

“Janina is fine. She remains in the box with Romero, who assures me he knows how to take very good care of her.”

Mia tried not to smile. “And Cruces?”

“Alan Wilson is riding ahead to alert Pennford that we will be there before dark.” His expression relaxed a little, though he still did not seem inclined to smile. “I do believe he is jealous of me.”

“He is?” Mia looked out the window but could see no sign of the young groom.

“Yes, he is very protective of you.” David took a breath. “Who do you think called for me when he saw Franklin stop you by the stable?”

“Do not ever remind me of that disgusting man again.” It was possible that with an effort she could forget Franklin’s insults. David’s diatribe was another horror entirely.

“As you wish.” He nodded as though he agreed with himself about something even more important.

“So you are in here with me because you have no other choice.”

“I am in here because I want to tell you what will happen when we arrive at Pennford.”

“You can see the future and know what is going to happen?” Did he even know that he talked as though he were responsible for the whole world?

“Oh, yes, I can predict with unerring certainty.”

“I am not at all interested in your
opinion.”
Mia looked out the window. There wasn’t much else she could do to ignore him in such a small space.

“When we arrive at Pennford we will go our separate ways. You will spend your time with Elena and Olivia and I will spend my time with my brother and Olivia’s husband.”

“In the boxing ring?”

“Undoubtedly.”

With that one word he made it sound all her fault.

“We will not see each other except at dinner.”

She shrugged and watched a leafy branch rub against the side of the carriage.

“Within a few weeks, or less, we will know if you are with child. If you are, then we will marry as quickly as possible. Between the duke and Michael Garrett, who is a priest, that can be arranged. If there is no reason for us to marry then we do not have to see each other ever again. You can make any arrangements you wish with the duchess and I can build my cotton mill.”

Pain tightened her chest. He could barely wait to be rid of her. “There must be some other option if I am going to have a baby.”

“Yes, there is, but we will marry. You may not feel the need but I have a responsibility to my family name, and I will do what is right.”

Responsibility. That was the reason he would marry her. Of course it was. He would marry her so his brother would not be unhappy. Anger began the slow burn that
meant trouble. “If we go our separate ways we will never make love again.”

“That’s right.” There was the reasonable tone again. It was beginning to annoy her.

She leaned forward. “That means that making love two times was enough?”

“Apparently.”

And that single word was exactly the answer she was looking for.

“Oh, my lord David Pennistan, you are so wrong.” She moved a little so that she was more directly across from him. “Two times is barely a beginning. Have you ever made love in a moving coach with people all around you?” She moved over to his side of the coach as she spoke.

“Mia, stop.”

“We would have to be very quiet,” she whispered, and nipped his earlobe before settling back on the bench. “You know I am very dexterous. I could sit on your lap, splay my legs on either side of you in a way that would seem impossible. Do you want me to show you?”

“Mia, I do not—”

“Shhh.” She pressed her fingers to his mouth. If he thought he was immune to this, she was about to prove him a liar. His erection pressed against his trousers, making his interest clear. “I want you as much as you want me, David Pennistan. I want to feel your fullness in me and move with you in time to the way the carriage sways back and forth. I want you to swallow my cry of pleasure as your seed fills me.”

He turned to her, both angry and aroused, his hands
grasping her waist, which was exactly what she had been waiting for. She patted his cheek as she slipped away out of his arms.

“I would say that I have just proved that two times was not enough.” Mia moved back to her side of the carriage and resettled her skirts decorously around her. “But that is all you will ever have from me, my lord.”