Chapter 30
Royal Crescent
Bath
Pilcher came upon her in the back garden cutting daffodils, nearly ready to unfurl in all their glory, both yellow and white.
He walked directly to her, leaned down and kissed her neck.
Cam thought it was a bee and slapped her neck.
Pilcher said behind her, “So very sweet, my dear, so very invigorating.”
She whirled around to see Pilcher standing not even an arm’s length away, looking what? Determined? He’d kissed her neck? It was nearly as bad as Teddy The Toad. How had he found her? Had Finch let him roam free? No, more likely, Pilcher had snuck in through the garden gate.
Before she could smack him, Pilcher grabbed her shoulders, jerked her against him.
“Camilla, at last I have found you away from watchful eyes. At last. I have admired you for so very long, courted you, given you all my attention. I have discovered my heart aches for you when you are not here. You must say you are mine, you must show me your regard. Lady Camilla, I want you to be my wife. Let me kiss you, show you my limitless regard.”
Be calm, be calm. She slowly pulled away from him. It was close, but she didn’t yell at him, she was frankly too surprised. What was this all about? He wanted to marry her? Just like Teddy. She said to the smashed daffodils she was still holding in her fist, “Not again. Bloody hell, am I cursed?”
A lady shouldn’t say bloody hell, it grated on the ear, but Pilcher said, “You’re blessed, not cursed.”
Cam pushed up her glasses, stared at him.
She was blessed? In that world did he live?
“Your heart aches? You are in need of a physician, not me.” She backed up, holding the daffodils out in front of her.
How odd—he looked like a polished gentleman in riding britches and lovely black boots, but she saw the now fierce determination in his eyes, she’d heard it in his voice.
She rubbed the back of her neck where he’d kissed her, slowly backed away.
Use reason, continue to be calm, don’t knock him to the ground just yet.
She said with great restraint, “Let me be honest, Pilcher. I do not wish to marry you. You may leave now.”
His smile never faltered. “I spoke too quickly. You must let me explain, Lady Camilla—no, give me leave to call you Camilla. After last night, I realized I simply could not let us continue with such intense feelings between us without acting. I had to finally tell you of my feelings, my deepest regard for you. And you, Camilla, the sweet looks you’ve been giving me and such shy smiles, full of pleasure in my company.
I knew, my heart knew, it was time for me to speak.
Marry me. Be my wife. I will give you all that I have. ”
She could but stare at him. Sweet looks? Pleasure in his company? She said, calm as could be, “Listen to me, Pilcher, I have not given you any sweet looks, any shy smiles. You must believe me, I do not find particular pleasure in your company—”
He grabbed her, the daffodils went flying, and kissed her, hard, grinding his mouth against hers, trying to open her lips.
When he didn’t succeed, he shook her shoulders.
“No more teasing, no more flirting with other gentlemen to make me jealous. I am here to tell you I will take you to wife. So there is no more need for you to be coy, no more need to drive me to lustful thoughts.”
She was all set to bring him low, all set to yell and so her mouth was open. He stuck his tongue deep into her mouth and without hesitation, she bit him, hard.
He yelled, jerked back, grabbed his tongue. Cam shoved at his chest hard with her fists. It didn’t move him. He was much stronger than Teddy Jewel.
They stood staring at each other, Pilcher still rubbing his tongue, making him look ridiculous, and the look he gave her wasn’t amorous. Cam wanted to kick him, mentally measuring how high she’d have to bring up her leg. Would her wretched petticoat let her leg go up that high?
He dropped his hand from his tongue. “Why did you bite my tongue? Do you believe I’ve moved too quickly?
But you wanted me to kiss you, you’ve encouraged me, inflamed me!
Listen to me, Camilla, you know what I feel about you.
Seeing you here, with the flowers, looking so womanly and soft, I couldn’t help myself.
You didn’t have to bite my tongue, it hurts, you could have chewed it in half. ”
By the end of his speech, he sounded like a bewildered little boy and it settled her, calmed her, but wait. Was he that accomplished an actor? She said, sarcasm thick, “Really, Pilcher? Was I to allow you to shove your tongue down my throat?”
“No, no, I wouldn’t have done that, only a bit, a man likes to be inside a woman’s mouth, it’s like—no, no, never mind that. You know how I feel about you. You’ve encouraged me, given me your sloe-eyed looks. I am ready to come up to the mark. Listen, you are precious to me, you must know that—”
Since she’d practiced, she managed a credible eyebrow arch. “Really? I am so precious you felt you had to attack me?” She paused. “I guess you didn’t hear about what I did to Teddy Jewel in London.”
He flushed, stammered, “Well, yes, I heard, but I didn’t believe it. You are so gentle, so innocent. I asked you to marry me, to be my wife. I wouldn’t lie. You needn’t fear returning my physical regard, you will be my wife.”
She could but stare at him. “Pilcher, listen to me, I have not been teasing you. I have not been coy. I do not wish your regard or your wet kiss on my neck or your tongue in my mouth. Actually, I wish you would leave and I would never have to see you again.”
That drew him up short. He stared down at her, not that far down because Cam was tall.
She watched his Adam’s apple stutter about in his neck.
“I know you do not mean that, you are still teasing me, tempting me. You must believe I am not deceiving you, no, I am a man in love, Camilla, with you. I lost my head, admittedly, in my enthusiasm, but you should not have bitten my tongue. It wasn’t the act of a lady. You shouldn’t wear glasses either.”
“You would have preferred I fainted?”
Her sarcasm floated over his head. He said with great sincerity, “Well, yes, of course that would be expected, the appropriate thing, and I would be pleased to soothe your maidenly sensibilities, convince you of my love and my promise to wed you.”
Did he live inside the pages of a bad novel? Cam could but stare at him. “You really mean that? Honestly?”
“Of course. Any gentleman would agree with me.”
“It’s horrifying.”
“Ah, here you are jesting again. But it’s time to attend me, Camilla, it’s time to tell me you will marry me, smile at me and tell me you want to bear my children. I will provide handsomely for you, you’ll see, my father will adore you, you will be happy, content.”
Bear his children? The thought curdled her innards.
Was he an idiot? She pressed her palm against his chest to keep him back.
“Pilcher, listen to me. I am not jesting. I am not the lady for you. I know you adore riding to hounds. Not only am I not an ardent rider, I abhor riding to hounds. I much prefer”—what did she much prefer?
—“I much prefer studying mathematics and geometry and I am even developing my own theorems, my own applications for my own theorems. I also plan to be an architect, mayhap build another Royal Crescent here in Bath.” She stopped, no place to go from here. Her brain stalled.
He stared at her, nonplussed, genuinely flummoxed.
“But you’re a female. Everyone knows a female cannot begin to comprehend such matters as mathematics and science.
Develop theorems? Why that’s ridiculous, a theorem is—that’s—” Pilcher stopped cold.
He had no idea what a theorem was. But it didn’t matter, she didn’t either.
He got on his hobby horse and rode hard.
“Come now, an architect? That is far beyond a well-bred lady. Such matters are far beyond them. Come, admit such pursuits are meant only for a man’s brain, a man’s intellect.
” There was clear dismissal in his voice, contempt in his eyes, a lovely infuriating broth.
On the other hand, Pilcher was right. She was a lady, a female, worth little besides marrying and bearing children.
The only difference between her and Cilly or a washerwoman was she had nicer clothes and didn’t have to worry about her next meal. She was unutterably depressed.
He took a step toward her and Cam took another step back.
“Listen to me, my love, I do not claim to be a man of science, but of course I could be if I wished to.
But I think such things should be left for men with tedious brains and nothing else.
They are not men of action like I am. If there were but a war, I would be riding my stallion into battle, my sword cutting down the enemy.
But even in times of peace, I am still a man of action, a strong man, and that is what you need, Camilla, a real man to help you understand your place.
“I have courted you. I have given you all my attention. I have worn those white gloves that make my skin itch.
“You are nineteen years of age. It is time you wed, very nearly past time, time you birthed a child, my child, my heir. Now enough of your coyness. Both you and I know this is all a lady’s game to bring gentlemen up to the mark so he may have you—make you a woman in all ways.”
Cam said, “You are a terrible dancer.”
He shrugged. “Once we are wed there will be no need to waste time twirling around a room. I will keep you content without dancing. Now, no more of your teasing games.”
And he lunged.