Chapter Eight
The week passed without incident, although Gwendolyn still had mixed feelings about leaving London.
First and foremost, she feared Andrew would turn up at her door while she was off at Milbury Hill.
But she refused to allow this fear to hold her back any longer.
Biggs knew where she would be staying and also knew to tell Andrew her whereabouts on the chance he thought to ride down to Milbury Hill and surprise her.
Biggs also knew to ask Andrew for his London address so that she could send a message to him immediately upon her return.
Would he ride down to Milbury Hill to find her?
Gwendolyn shook out of the thought. He was not going to suddenly show up at her door in the one month she was away.
“M’lady, the footmen are loading our bags onto the carriages,” Agatha said, bustling into her bedchamber, her eyes bright with excitement. “Lord Milbury and his sons await you in their carriage. I am to ride in the second one with his valet and the trunks. Oh, isn’t this thrilling!”
“Yes,” Gwendolyn replied with a genuine smile. Despite her illogical concerns about missing Andrew’s arrival on her doorstep, she was eager to spend time with Milbury and his boys.
In truth, more than eager. Since she always tried to be honest with herself, she was not going to deny her growing fondness for Milbury.
She had not been able to put their kiss out of her mind.
Oh, she knew it was merely meant to test his absurd pointy-nose theory and not intended to put her in a swoon.
But it had. Even all these days later, her heart still fluttered whenever she thought about their kiss.
“Let me take a last look around and make certain I haven’t forgotten anything.” She quickly went through a list in her head and mentally checked off each item.
She was very good at making lists, especially of prospective brides for Milbury. It wasn’t her fault he was stomping on each carefully crafted introduction she had planned for him.
“No, m’lady. Nothing’s forgotten,” Agatha said. “I’ve already checked everything twice. The only thing you are lacking is a bathing costume, and we’ve agreed it is best to obtain one for you in Brighton, where you’ll find a far better selection.”
“You’ll need one, too,” Gwendolyn mused.
Agatha’s eyes rounded in obvious surprise. “Oh, no. You’ll not get me into the water! I’m no fish and I don’t know how to swim.”
“Nor do I,” Gwendolyn admitted. “But I would like to learn. I’ll ask Fiona to teach me. I’m sure we’ll be seeing quite a lot of her, since Shoreham Manor is right next door.”
“Upon my word! It is Lord Milbury who must teach you. What lady in her right mind would give up the opportunity to be in his arms, even if it is while in the water and he’s holding on to you to keep you from drowning? It still counts.”
Gwendolyn laughed. “Agatha, that might be too scandalous.”
“Who’s to know? We’ll be there for several weeks before the other guests arrive. I’m sure his servants know better than to tattle. They’ll be loyal and true to a good man like him.”
Gwendolyn acknowledged her words with a nod, and then gave herself a quick inspection in the mirror. She smiled in approval of her travel attire, a gown of dark-blue muslin with matching velvet pelisse and a soft velvet hat of the same dark blue that looked quite pert atop her head.
Everyone was bustling around the two carriages lined up one behind the other, but all Gwendolyn saw was the smile on Milbury’s face as she walked out the door. He strode toward her, his expression warm and inviting. “Ready?”
She smiled back and nodded, determined to overcome her hesitation. It was time to move forward, even though her stomach was in agonized revolt at the idea. “This is beginning to feel very real.”
“Quite the adventure?”
She nodded.
“A good one, Gwen. I promise. You look lovely, by the way.”
She blushed. “It’s the hat. Completely makes the outfit.”
“No, it is all you.” He tucked her arm in his. “Ladies dress for other ladies. Men do not give a fig what a woman is wearing because our simple brains are only thinking of the body that lies beneath.”
“Truly? Even you?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Yes. I may be difficult to please, but I am not dead. Even an old man taking his last breath will notice a nicely shaped woman. Jordan is only thirteen and has already taken to gawking at the ladies. Oh, gad,” he said with a wincing groan followed by a chuckle.
“He’s staring at you as though you are a hot, buttered scone.
Oh, now he’s putting on a simpering smile. ”
“Oh dear.” Gwendolyn tried not to laugh, but both of his sons were now standing beside the carriage and grinning at her like a pair of hyenas.
Milbury let out a resigned breath. “Both my boys adore you and think you are beautiful.”
“And you?” she asked, then immediately regretted asking. “Oh, do not answer that! I did not mean to put you on the spot. Besides, it is entirely irrelevant, since I am not one of your bride prospects.”
He frowned and held her back a moment as they stood on her front walk. “I beg to differ. It is quite relevant because none of those prospects have come close to being as pretty as you.”
“But they were all ton diamonds in their day.”
“As you would have been. The only difference is that you did not put yourself forward because you felt that your heart was already taken.” Milbury motioned for his boys to climb into the carriage and resumed leading her toward it.
But Gwendolyn was curious to know more about Milbury’s feelings for her.
Clearly, she was quite dense not to have realized what was happening over the span of their acquaintance.
Having worked together fairly closely with her for several months now, he was growing to trust her and feel comfortable around her.
Too comfortable. He was mistaking their natural ease around each other for attraction.
The same was happening to her, she realized. She could not deny how much she had grown to enjoy his company and how intensely their kiss had affected her.
There was no help for it: They needed to have a private conversation about these unexpected feelings developing between them before matters got out of hand.
Would it not be a disaster if he spent the entire house party staring at her instead of the two new prospects she had chosen for him? Nor would he ever give Miss Pointy Nose or Miss Pouty Mouth a second chance if his thoughts were all on her.
Suzanna and her dear friends, Berry and Miranda, hurried out of their homes to bid her a fond farewell, momentarily distracting her from her thoughts.
“Give our love to Fiona,” Berry said, and then squealed in delight before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“This is so exciting for you,” Miranda remarked with equal enthusiasm. “Do not worry about a thing. All you need to do is have a good time.”
“Open your heart, Gwen,” Suzanna whispered in her ear, and gave her a fierce hug.
Gwendolyn felt another twist to her stomach that was already in a roil.
Leaving Duchess Square was surprisingly hard for her to do because this had been a haven for her, and she had built an enjoyable life here with good and loyal friends.
Perhaps it had been a hideaway, too. A place where she could retreat from the world while waiting for Andrew to return.
Would he ever come back?
By making this trip, she had resolved to no longer put her life on hold. But moving forward was a frightening proposition because Andrew had been in her life for so long and they had cherished each other so dearly since they were children.
However, it was time for her to open her eyes to new possibilities. If it did not work out…well, she would only be away for the month.
Milbury handed her up into the carriage. She settled on the seat bench beside Jordan. Milbury climbed in next to Robert, and then they were on their way.
Gwendolyn felt a lurching tug to her stomach as the carriage moved away from Duchess Square, as though she were attached by a cord to her home and it was now being stretched taut. She put a hand to her stomach in the hope of calming it as they made their way through the busy London streets.
Since Milbury’s gaze had followed her hand’s movement, he had to know she was unsettled.
He frowned momentarily but said nothing.
Gwendolyn could not meet his gaze yet, so she stared out the window to watch the bustle of carts, carriages, and pedestrians scurrying all around them.
The morning had started off sunny, but clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon, growing ominously darker as they rode beyond the city limits.
“Rain,” Milbury muttered, mirroring her thoughts. “Let’s hope it will only be a light shower.”
Indeed, a heavy downpour would significantly slow their progress.
His boys had been captivated by all the activity going on around London. But as they left the noise and crowds behind, there was little to see beyond open roads. There were a few carriages, but mostly just sheep to be seen in acres and acres of meadows, and so they grew restless.
Gwendolyn already knew from past experience that the boys could not sit still even for an hour. Requiring them to sit for eight or ten hours at a stretch was going to be impossible.
As it turned out, Milbury was prepared for traveling with them and knew just when they would reach the limits of their tolerance.
“I have this timed to a science,” he jested the first time they stopped to let them run around an open field along the roadside for a few minutes. “How are you feeling, Gwen? I noticed you had your hand on your stomach when we rode away from Duchess Square.”
She nodded. “Leaving home felt a little daunting, but I am fine now.”
“Are you certain?”
“Well, not really,” she said with a wince. “But I’ll get used to it. I’m glad I am making this trip, even if my body has not yet adjusted to it.”
He grunted. “I think it is your heart that is resisting. That is the organ constantly holding you back.”
They soon resumed their travels.