A Bright Particular Star (8 page)

“
Well, this Bath Fox will encounter mor
e than he bargained for if he tries to ambush
us.
”

“
I believe he
would,
”
said Sophie, eyeing him
from under her lashes
.
A moment late
r, she added,
“
You know, I
have a shocking lack of sensibility.
My nerves should be jangling at the possibility of encoun
tering him, but I am not
concerned, particularly
in your company.
”

His mouth quirked
into a grin
.
“
Your confidence is gratifying, but you are disconcertingly fearless, Miss
Devereux
.
You make my si
ster appear demure
,
something
I would not have believed possible!
”
He shook his
head, adding
in an admiring tone,
“
After running away from home and dropping into a speed
ing curricle, you were ready
to travel to London
alone on the stage
coach.
Good grief
, I dare say you would have taken the guard
’s
blunderbuss and threatened the Bath Fox with it, should he have been foolish eno
ugh to accost you
!
”

Sophie blushed and laughed.
“
He usually targets private post
chaises and carriages because
the pickings to be had there are far richer.
”

“
I doubt
we’ll
encounter anything more alarming than fly-blown cheese and poor
ly-aired sheets on this journey,
”
observed Theo in a d
ry voice.

The Bath Fox was not discussed further, and they passed through West Kennet, Overton and Fifield wit
hout incident
. It was therefore only mid-afternoon when they reached the half-timbered buildings and overhanging gables of Marlborough high street.

As Theo waited in the crush of carriages pulled up at t
he front of the elegant Castle
I
nn, he was more than satisfied with their progress.
He had travelled this route many times but, in Sophie
’s
company, he was viewing familiar
surroundings through her new and eager
eyes.
For a man who knew every monotonous tree and milestone between Bath and London, this was a refreshing change and th
e journey had beguiled away
pleasantly as a result.

But t
here was
a great deal
more
he wanted to know from
Miss
Devereux
.
She had not yet explained who she was going to stay with in London
and he
determined to broach this subject over dinner.

There was no private parlour available but the landlord, who knew Theo well, accepted his explanation of their circumstances without a qualm and showed them to a quiet corner of
the coffee room where they were served
with
coffee and a jug of porter.
Sophie refused the offer of broiled mutton and haricot beans, but did ask for cold meat and fruit, and some cake
,
if there any was to be had.
The food arrived
shortly
afterward
and
,
while they ate, Theo was treated to Sophie
’s
lively observations on the other occupants of t
he room
.

The heavy-jowled, pessimistic-looking man of perhaps thirty years old who sat near the fireplace reading his newspaper was, Sophie suggested, a merchant fallen
on hard times
.
T
he
young man with
an anxious expression
, seated near the window with the stout older lady, was taking his mama to meet his betrothed
’s
family and terrified they would not approve of each other
.
T
he bearing of the gentleman sitting at the table in the corner declared that he
was, in Sophie
’s
opinion
, a
soldier
.
The girl
accompanying him
,
who threw adoring looks in his direction
,
must be his sweetheart.
Sophie, studying them
covertly
, declared they were
probably
lovers in the throes of a clandestine affair.

Theo had been listening to these
descriptions with amusement
, but this
caused him to choke on his ale
which immediately drew upon him the attention of the o
ther occupants.
“
Keep your voice down,
for
goodness
sake!
”
he urged
.
“
I
’d
ra
ther not be called out
in the middle of the afternoon!
”

“
But you must agree th
ey look very much in love,
”
said
Sophie, shooting him an
i
nnocent look over her teacup
.
“
I think it vastly romantic, don
’t
you?
”

“
I suppose so,
”
agreed Theo, glancing at the couple in question and, for some reason while in Sophie
’s
company, feeling a flush rise to his cheeks at their subtle displays of affection.
“
But it
’s
wiser not to be curious about people
’s
business in places such as this
. C
ould get you into trouble.
”

“
I’m
sorry if
I’ve
been indiscreet,
”
she said, looking downcast.

“
No, no!
”
he insisted.
“
You haven
’t
said anything
wrong
—
in fact, I was
enjoying your observations
—
but best not let anyone else hear them.
”
Wh
en she still looked crestfallen
, he took her hand
s
in a comforting grasp
.
“
You’re
a strange girl,
”
he murmured, his voice warm and teasing.
“
My words have upset you when a headlong flight from Bath
could not.
I’m
sorry
,
t
his must be a difficult journey for you.
You’ve
left behind your home and all you know and I don
’t
want to add to your distress.
”

“
Indeed, you haven
’t
.
”
Sophie
’s
gaze fell
and she gave a helpless shrug as she studied th
e
hand
s
holding hers.
“
I am to blame
.
I’m
too impulsive and often think without speaking. A
unt Eudora is always criticising
me for it.
She says
I’m
wild to a fault and
my behaviour and mann
ers do not match those
expected
of a delicately bred female.
”

Theo uttered a mild curse.
“
Your aunt is a fool, Sophie.
You’re
an impetuous girl, but a charming one nevertheless.
”

****

His words seeped into
Sophie’s
soul, the timbre of his voice conveying much more than his light-hearted comment alone did.
S
he
looked up to
find him regarding her intently
,
some
indiscernible emotion flaring
in his
eyes.
H
er heart leap
t
in response
and, just as before, her skin grew highly sensitised under his touch.

A
n
unfamiliar thrill
of sensation bega
n to spread throughout her body.
It was so fierce
and compelling
she
was forced to stifle
a gasp as it
leapt
from nerve to nerve, igniting he
r senses in a blaze of
anticipation.
Her blo
od felt like
it was on fire and
pleasure
raced through her
.
Dazed and uncertain,
her gaze
remained fixed on the man so close to her
. She had never experienced such feelings before
,
bu
t even as her body
revelled
in them
,
her mind reeled in
shock
and confusion.

This
was wrong.
It
had
to b
e.

Such feelings seemed
disloyal to James, and even though
part of
Sophie knew it was ridiculous to think that way, she seized on the thought as a
way of dealing with her reaction
.

“T
hank you,
”
she said huskily as she disengaged her fingers.
“
Perhaps I am not as graceless as my aunt says, but I should
learn to curb my tongue.
M
y passionate nature
is to blame. I wish I was
more like Olivia
. S
he doesn
’t
blurt things out at inconvenient moments.
”

“
But Olivia couldn
’t
stand up to her mother without your help,
”
Theo pointed out.
“D
on
’t
underest
imate yourself.
You have charm
and spirit, qualities
considered an attractive combination by many in the
ton
.
”

W
hen she did not respond, he added
,
“
I need to see if the horses have been dealt with.
Do you mind waiting here for a while?
”

She shook her head and
,
after a slight hesitation when he looked as if he would say
more, he nodded, got
to his feet and strolled out
.

Sophie
exhaled slowly.
What
was the matt
er with her?
It
would not do to behave like a dewy-eyed idiot.
Her aim was to reach James and she must not plague her rescuer with
her
problems a moment longer than necessary.

She
walked to the window to survey the
busy scene in the
courtyard
outside
and
again
pondered James
’s
reaction when she arrived on his doorstep.
Once he had recovered from his surprise,
she was sure
he
would be glad to see her
.
She was less certain how he would react to her proposal.
Some of the confidence she had felt when fo
rming her plan had already drained
away.
The idea had seemed perfectly reasonable whil
e lying in bed at Ludstone
.
H
ere and now
,
in a bustling inn on the road to London, it appeared impulsive if not downright foolish.

Sophie gritted her teeth
against the thought
.
Her actions might be foolish, but she could
not go back.
James was the one
person who could offer her sanctuary.

Gradually, she
became aware the hum of conversation had f
aded away
.
F
eeling a sliver
of alarm, she wheeled around.
She was alone apart from the pessimistic-looking man, who had put down hi
s newspaper and now sat
wa
tching her.
He did not
attempt to
disgu
ise his insolent, admiring look
which roamed
lasciviously
over Sophie.
Then he licked his lips in a way that made her skin crawl.
She shivered, wishing Theo would return
. W
hen the door opened a moment later, her eyes flew to it in relief.

It was not
Theo
, but
one of the young post boys employed by the inn.
Even so, Sophie was glad
she
was no longer alone with the
man who had eyed her in that unpleasant way.
The
post boy
shut
the door, hurried over to the traveller
’s
table and
spoke to him in low accents.

W
hatever he said was not well received; the man
’s
expression turned ugly.

“
Imbecile!
”
he roa
red, a
f
lush spreading over his
neck and face.
“
I said half an hour and no more.
”

“
S
orry
,
Mr Melville
, but one of the horses was lame and
we’ve
had to find a replacement,
”
replied the boy, cowering in the face of
this
sudden
fury.
“
‘t
’
will
be but a short while now
and you can be on your way again.
”

Mr
Melville got to his feet.
He towered
over the lad, who was
trembling in his boots.

“
I expect better service than this
.
”
He thrust
his nose within inches of the boy
’s
face.

The lad recoiled.
“
We
’
re doing our best,
sir
.
”

“
I doubt it.
”
Melville
’s
mouth twisted mirthlessly.
“S
uppose my money
’s
not as good as the Quality
’s
, eh?
You
’
ve been bribed to deal with some fancy mort
’s
cattle before mine!
”

The
post boy
hurrie
d to correct this
.
“
N-No i
ndeed,
s
ir!
Every customer at t
he Castle is important.
It
’s
as
I said—
”

He got no fu
rth
er.
Sophie watched in horror
as
Melville swung his fist, catching
the
lad
on the side of the head with a sickenin
g thwack and sending
him flying across the room.
He
landed
by the wall where he lay
stunned
, a
vivid
circular weal
already emerging
on his cheek
.

Appalled, Sophie hurried over
and fell to her knees by the boy.

His eyes were closed, but he mumbled a faint, unintelligible comment.
Indignation and anger swelled in Sophie
’s
breast
.
S
he had always detested injustice in
any form.
After telling him
to lie still, sh
e
stood up and
rounded on
his assailant.

“
How
dare
you treat the child in that way?
”
she said, eyes blazing.

Melville threw
her a scornful look.
“
He
’s
a
servant
and
I
’
ll deal with him any
way
I choose
.
I told him I wanted my carriage ready in good time and he failed.
H
e
’s
got his reward now.
W
hat business is it of yours how I treat th
e miserable little snipe
?
”

“
I can
’t
see you strike him in that disgusting way and remain silent!
Whatever your grievance, it cannot justify such treatment.
”

He came toward her
a little unsteadily
.
“
Quite the
firecra
cker, aren
’t
you?
”
he leered.
“
I like spirit in a woman.
Thought you were a
prime article
the moment I saw you.
”

Sophie willed her heart to stop hammering so hard again
st her ribs.
If she could
keep him talking a moment longer, someone must come in.
“
Keep your observations to yourself and help the boy.
”

His
ugly
smirk
revealed
a set of stained teeth
.
“
I
’
ll do nothing of the sort.
It will teach him not to disobey his betters in future. What
’s
your name?
I
’d
like us to get acquainted and since your beau h
as abandoned you—
”

“
He will return at any moment.
”

He sniggered, sending a waft of wine-laden breath into Sophie
’s
face.

“
M
aybe he will, but there
’s
no need to be coy in the meantime.
You can spare Josiah Melville a kiss before he comes back.
There
’s
no one else to see.
”

Shuddering, Sophie
scuttled
behind
a chair.
“
You must be mad,
drunk
or both
! I
t
’s
the middle of the afternoon
and someone is bound to come in.
”

“
B
ut rarely do I find myself alone with such a taking little piece and I
’
ve a mind to make the most of it.
First bit of luck I
’
ve had in weeks!
”
He edged closer
, giving her a lupine look
.
“
One kiss is
not too much to ask, is it?
Or maybe you
’
re too grand for
the likes of me.
”

Sophie glanced at the door to judge whether she could make a dash for it.
She kept
her face blank,
refusing to
let him see her growing alarm.
“T
he b
oy
…
he needs attending to
.
”

Melville
’s
hand shot forward, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her wrist.
“
Not yet,
”
he said, tugging her towards him.