Beautiful Tempest(19)

And she hadn't lied to Jeremy. How could she be nervous when she was exhilarated? No matter the outcome, she'd have answers tonight.

Jeremy was driving his two-wheeled, single-horse chaise, which only had a wide perch that was designed for one but could accommodate two. He used this vehicle to get around London by himself, when he was out and about without his wife and children, since he wasn't fond of riding a horse. He'd brought it tonight so they could both sit on the wide perch, which would allow them to see far ahead of them when they neared the Wapping dock stairs.

A while later, Jeremy remarked, "You know, if this is actually a suitor of yours, he had time to call on you for any farewelling in a nice, safe parlor. Didn't that occur to you?"

"My beaus get turned away at the door, so he couldn't. He might have tried, then left the note instead."

"No callers a'tall? Hell's bells, Jack, I thought you were going to have a normal Season. This doesn't sound the least bit normal."

"I am, and I was, but-"

"Never mind, there's nothing normal about the number of your suitors, either. You're going to force Artie and Henry to retire, you know, if they've been having to slam the door shut so often."

"Nonsense, those two old salts love slamming doors. They complained when they had to let my suitors in!"

Jeremy tsked. "I would have thought you, of all women, would have had no trouble a'tall dismissing the men you aren't interested in marrying. You're certainly not known for being subtle, Jack."

"Nor was I. I warned them I'm not considering marriage proposals this year. They're just being stubborn. So it's not my fault if they figure out too late that when I say something, I bloody well mean it."

"Did I strike a nerve? Or are you nervous?"

"Neither, but maybe you can tell me why a man thinks he can change a woman's mind about him simply by persevering?"

"You're joking, right? A no never discouraged me, it merely made me more charming."

"So it's just the chase that keeps men interested? Or more likely the competition in this case?"

"Probably both, but foremost, it's simply you, minx. You're the prime catch of the Season. It would also be the coup of the century for a young buck to marry James Malory's daughter without getting trounced first."

She laughed. "There is that, I suppose."

"But what if you've got it all wrong," Jeremy persisted, "and we only have to contend with an obnoxiously determined suitor. D'you actually favor this fellow above the others?"

She grinned. "I told you. He piqued my interest because he posed a mystery, professing to want to win my heart but refusing to give me his name. I'd like to solve that mystery before he leaves England."

"Hell's bells, Jack!" Jeremy stared at her for a moment before he shook his head. "You're being played. Sounds like something I might have done if I was determined when I was still chasing skirts. He's worked his way to the top of that ridiculously high stack of yours, hasn't he? So his ploy worked. And I'm going to bloody well pummel him m'self if he's lured you to the docks just to get you alone, away from his competition. He probably wants to steal a kiss before-have they been stealing kisses?"


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Suddenly Jeremy looked quite angry. Jacqueline chuckled. "Course they have-well, course they've tried-but I'm not interested in kissing yet. Even had to sock Lord Giles to get that point across a few weeks ago. Blackened his eye and didn't feel the least sorry for it, though I did accept his apology the next day. But when I'm ready for kissing, I'll likely be the one stealing them, so you needn't worry about that."

"That's supposed to put my mind at ease?" Jeremy snorted with a roll of his eyes, but said no more about it.





Chapter Nine




THE DOCKS BUILT AT Wapping were well protected with high walls surrounding them. Ships had to pass through basins to get from the Thames River to the dock's fancy warehouses, which housed only luxury goods. But to find the old stairs that accessed the river at high tide, Jeremy and Jack's guards had to follow the winding road outside the large enclosed docks to get to Wapping Street, which ran along the riverbank. The street was high enough above the tidewater mark to offer extensive views of the ships on the water, some already sailing toward the Channel. Even this far from the dock entrance a few vehicles were going in both directions.

"Are you still hoping this is legit, Jack?" Jeremy asked.

"Oh, no, I'm hoping it's not."