Chapter Twenty-One
Julian accepted congratulations from the group of people who had unfortunately blocked his view of Lainey. He felt like a fraud, but rather than call himself out in front of everyone, he waited until the crowd dispersed and he was alone with Lord Darlington.
“My lord, I must ask, did you override Miss Bantham’s recommendation?” If the man had cast Lainey’s opinion aside, Julian would have no choice but to decline the honor. He wouldn’t challenge her wishes.
“Pardon?” the man cocked his head to the side. “Oh. No. Of course not. I told you she would be the one to decide whether you were suited to join us.”
“And she stated that I was?” There must be some mistake. There was no way Elaina would have approved of him. She’d seen him at his worst. And he wasn’t only referring to his drunken laughter.
“Yes.” The man chuckled. “You seem surprised.”
“It was clear your niece didn’t want me to go when I first made the request.” He rubbed the back of his neck trying to puzzle it out.
Lainey had said she’d already mailed off the letter with her decision before he’d kissed her. But perhaps she’d changed her mind after the kiss. Had Julian seduced her compliance after all?
“When did she tell you she approved of me?” he pushed.
He knew he should just stay quiet and be happy to be included. It was what he wanted after all. But not like this. Never like this.
“She wrote to me while you were in Scotland to tell me of your performance there. She stated you were hardworking and quick to ask questions so you could learn how to do things properly. She told me how thorough you were while excavating a piece of pottery you found. She even said she was impressed that you never once dismissed her authority over the site.”
“Of course not. It was clear she was competent in handling a site.”
“Surely you know how many men would think otherwise simply because they are men and she is a woman.” He raised one of his fluffy gray eyebrows.
“I dare to hope I am not so ignorant as that.”
Henry nodded in approval.
“May I ask why you expected a different outcome?” Both of the man’s eyebrows had pulled up now, and Julian felt the question shift to something resembling a threat.
“As I said, your niece didn’t care for me when I first asked to be included. I wasn’t certain she would allow me to go even if I proved myself.”
“My niece may be impulsive at times, but she is fair. I trust her judgement implicitly.”
“As do I,” Julian agreed truthfully. Except maybe in this. Why had she allowed him to join them? It made no sense. “Thank you for this once in a lifetime opportunity. I look forward to our journey. I’ll be counting down the days until we can set sail.”
“You will soon see there is much to be done before we leave and the time will go by quickly.”
The man was not wrong. There was much to do before being away for four months. Normally he would be in the country over winter, but this year he would be in a warmer climate.
Still, he needed to make sure all of his estates were handled. He met with the steward and made sure enough funds were available for any unexpected expenses. It would take quite some time to get mail in Cairo.
With only a week left before it was time to leave, he visited his friend Hale at his home in Scotland.
“You’re doing what?” his friend said, confusion clear on his face.
“I’m going to Egypt to explore the pyramids. We’ll be working on the Bent Pyramid.”
“You were just exploring in Scotland.”
“As I told you at my last visit, my father is forcing me to marry before I turn thirty next May and I want to do something adventurous before I settle down.”
“Some days I’m not sure which of us had the worst sire.”
Julian didn’t answer, but he was certain he had it worse than Hale had. Hale’s parents left him alone on their estates. He only remembered seeing his father twice. Julian would have rather had an absent father than one who was involved in every aspect of his life and found fault in every breath he took.
But he hadn’t walked in Hale’s shoes, so he couldn’t know what the duke felt.
“At least yours hasn’t come back to haunt you from his grave with his ridiculous demands.”
“If you pick the right woman for your wife, every day will be an adventure.” He pointed to where Gia, the Duchess of Roxburghe led a giant stallion from the stables.
“I doubt my father would approve of an adventurous bride. I need to marry the perfect countess.” Proper, chaste, boring.
“You need to make sure you are happy. It is your life. Marry for love and the rest will work out.”
“The rest is my livelihood and that of the tenants and miners that depend on me. I am destined to be shackled to a staid, proper woman.”
Julian thought briefly of the tall, red-headed hellion who wore men’s breeches while she dug through the dirt. A smile came to his face when he thought of how it had felt to kiss her.
How she’d touched him back. She was innocent, but she wasn’t staid or boring. Unfortunately, she wasn’t proper either.
He hadn’t seen Elaina since the night of the ball when her uncle announced that he would be joining the expedition. He hadn’t had the chance to thank her in person, though he had sent a few bouquets of flowers to their home.
Each time he’d stopped in to visit, she and her aunt had been out gathering things for their journey.
In a week, it would be the new year, and they would be boarding a ship set for Africa and he would be with her again.
“I don’t know what has brought that smile to your face, but whoever she is, you should pick her.”
When he returned home, a number of parcels had arrived from Mr. Harper’s shop.
“What is all this,” Julian asked Spencer.
“There is a note, my lord.” The butler held it out.
He recognized her writing immediately. He recalled the way her tongue had caressed her bottom lip as she focused on filling out the logs each afternoon. Now he knew what that lip felt like and how she tasted. A smile tugged at his lips as he eagerly opened the letter.
Lord Melville,
I’ve taken the liberty of commissioning some garments for you and Mr. Bentley for the expedition. As you are aware, the pyramids are in the desert, and it will be rather warm even in January. Therefore, loose-fitting, light-weight clothing is preferred as it allows the air to flow and keep one cooler.
Please reach out to Mr. Harper if you need any adjustments made.
—E
The smile on his face grew as he considered her gesture. He was most appreciative she had taken the time to see to his comfort as well as to Ben’s. But this was more than that.
This was her way of showing her acceptance.
The smile faded slightly as he recalled her offer of forgiveness before he’d even made a proper apology.
He didn’t deserve her acceptance. He didn’t deserve to be welcomed on this journey. But knowing that wouldn’t keep him from going.
It wasn’t just about the adventure and his last chance to enjoy his freedom before being forced into a marriage he didn’t want.
It was about Elaina. He wanted to see her again.
No. He wanted to kiss her again. And he knew he bloody well didn’t deserve that either.
What a selfish bastard he was.
Hale’s words floated around him.
I don’t know what has brought that smile to your face, but whoever she is, you should pick her.
If only he could.
*
“I don’t haveto tell you, it isn’t done to purchase clothing for a man,” Aunt Rose mentioned as she and Lainey were sitting in the drawing room alone after dinner. “Especially intimate clothing.”
“Is it a good thing then that I forwarded the bill to him as well? And confirmed that Melville paid it immediately.” She smiled mischievously.
“You know what I mean,” Rose said with a raised brow.
It wasn’t done to buy a man undergarments suitable for the desert. It wasn’t done to wear men’s undergarments either. It wasn’t done to spend weeks alone with a man or kiss him. Or want to kiss him again. Even still, knowing how very not done Lainey was in general, Aunt Rose’s reaction puzzled her.
“Actually, I don’t know what you are getting at. Before, you told me to be patient and friendly to the earl. Now you are accusing me of being too friendly? What am I to do?”
Rose let out a breath and put her book to the side.
“I didn’t like seeing you unjustly angry at the man, but you must also protect yourself, Elaina. The man, while pleasant and an enthusiastic donor is still a rogue.”
Lainey stared at her aunt in shock.
“You knew this and still sent me to Scotland with him unchaperoned.”
“That was Henry’s idea. He thought it would get you past your anger, and he assured me, Lord Melville—despite his reputation—was not a debaucher of innocents. We knew you would be safe in his company. And it is you who refuses a chaperone.”
The last was said with the raised eyebrow again.
“I wouldn’t mind a chaperone if they didn’t need to be with me at all times, hovering and watching over me.”
“Perhaps you don’t have a sound understanding of what a chaperone is, for you just described their every duty.”
Lainey smiled tightly. “It is of no matter now, anyway. I will have you with me on this expedition, so I need no cranky, meddlesome, older woman ordering me about and pointing out all the ways I fail as a proper lady.”
“Was he dishonorable?” Rose asked, nonchalantly with her eyes back on her book.
“Of course not. He was a perfect gentleman.” Her cheeks heated when she thought of his kiss and his improper flirtation. When she looked toward her aunt she found the woman studying her. This was not good. Her aunt had the uncanny ability to see into Lainey’s thoughts whether she spoke them aloud or not.
Had Lainey been smiling? She looked away, hoping to prevent the woman’s powers of intuition.
“Anyway,” Lainey paused, as Aunt Rose still scrutinized her. “It will not be the same. The expedition to Egypt will be much larger. I will rarely see Lord Melville on this excursion.”
“I see.”
Lainey refrained from asking her aunt exactly what she saw. Could her aunt see how eager Lainey was to see Julian again? How often she thought about the kiss they’d shared, and the dance, his hand on her back, warming her. The things they’d shared in Scotland. How he’d thanked her for helping him through his attack of anxiety?
No. Aunt Rose couldn’t see any of that. If she did, she’d probably not allow the man on the same continent as her spinster niece.
But he would be on the same continent. The same ship. The same expedition. Just a few tents from hers when they slept.
“The man needed the correct clothing for the warmer climate. That is all.” Elaina noticed how snappish she sounded and tempered it with a nervous smile.
“Of course. Forgive me for suggesting anything untoward.” A few pages later, she added, “You are a grown woman. It wouldn’t be the worst thing to share a discreet kiss with a handsome gentleman.”
“Aunt Rose!” Lainey could feel her eyes widen in shock as her cheeks warmed.
“What?” Rose rolled her eyes. “I was a young woman once. Do you think your uncle waited until after our vows to kiss me?”
“This conversation is unseemly.”
“Why?” Rose barely held back her laughter. “It is the way of men and women when there is a shared attraction. Just be cautious, love. One cannot un-ring a bell.”
“Dear God,” Lainey whispered before saying more loudly, “I assure you there is no attraction, shared or otherwise, between myself and Lord Melville.” Lainey spat the lie from her lips forcefully to help establish it as fact.
And perhaps there was more truth in her words than she thought. After all, Julian had gotten what he wanted from her. Unlike a rake preying on an innocent, it wasn’t Lainey’s virtue he’d wanted. It had been her acquiescence to allow him to come on this journey.
She wouldn’t expect him to pay her any attention at all now that he’d gotten what he wanted.
And why did that thought bring a sting to her eyes?
Aunt Rose had warned her to be cautious and had most likely meant in the way all virgins were told to be cautious. But Lord Melville exposed a far greater danger to her heart. He had broken down her long-standing walls with his kindness and laughter.
She was defenseless against him now.