Rescued By A Viscount(37)
She shouldn’t have allowed herself to rest against Simon as she had, and she should never have told him about Anthony’s child, either, or about her trip to Liverpool. The problem was, she had not had any other options, and Simon had managed to slip beneath her defences before they were fully erected. His kindness had made her weak, and Claire could not afford weakness, especially not now.
His face was relaxed in sleep, yet he could still make her weak female heart beat faster. He was a handsome devil, that silver and black hair making woman swoon when he was near. He was immaculately dressed, as he always was, and one large hand rested against the seat whilst his other sat on his thigh. His big feet were braced on the seat beside her. Splaying her fingers, she put them next to the one closest. They were huge, dwarfing her hand.
She had no right to involve him in this. If anyone found them alone together, she would be ruined, and he would be the recipient of her family’s anger. She would not allow that to happen. If she was ruined for rescuing her brother’s child, then it was her ruin alone, not Simon’s. He thrived as a highly sought-after bachelor in London society, and she would not be the one to bring about his downfall. If she had to leave London and retire quietly to the country, it would not destroy her as it would him.
Of course, now her chances of marriage were extremely unlikely. Few men would understand about the child, and add to that her sleep problems, and she did not present a very attractive prospect. In fact, Claire doubted she would find love and a man with such an understanding nature.
He would understand. Claire looked across the carriage at the slumbering man and ignored the little voice inside her head.
Leaning back in the seat, she let thoughts come and go through her mind as she watched Simon sleep. He didn’t move. His hands didn’t twitch or clench, and his head never rolled from side to side. It stayed perfectly still on the back of the seat. He didn’t snore or snuffle. His breathing was steady and even. She watched him closely as the carriage rolled on for mile after mile. She watched him and wondered what the child’s name was. She watched him as her mind filled with scenarios of what her future would now hold. Could she raise a child alone? What life would it have as a bastard?
It was as the carriage began to slow that he opened his eyes and looked straight at her. He gave her a slow, sleepy smile and then stretched like a large cat.
“I appear to have slept the journey away, madam. I do beg your pardon for being such a terrible traveling companion.”
His voice was deep and husky from lack of use and ran like heated honey down her spine. “Do you always sleep so deeply?” Claire questioned before she could stop herself.
“I believe so. Sleeping has always been one thing I truly excel at.”
“How lucky you are.” Claire kept her features calm as he gave her a searching look.
“Did you sleep?”
“Of course,” she lied.
He slid forward on the seat, trapping her between his legs again, and then grabbed her chin as she tried to look away from him.
“Why did you not sleep?” he said, studying her face, “when you so obviously needed it?”
“I-I do not sleep well in carriages.”
He was so close, she could see a small brown freckle just above his right eye. She’d never seen it before, and for some reason, it made her stomach flutter.
“You also do not lie very well, Miss Belmont.”
“I– What do you mean? I’m not lying.”
“Of course you are, and you’re atrocious at it, but the question of why you do not sleep can wait for another day. Right now, I shall tell my driver to stop somewhere quiet so we may eat and stretch our legs.
Minutes later, the carriage stopped, and she was pleased to step down and stretch her legs. They were beside a narrow, winding stream that was flanked by plenty of soft grass and shaded trees.
“Should we not press on, Simon? I fear we won’t reach our destination by nightfall.”
“As you have no idea where that destination is, how do you know how far away it lies?”
Claire huffed out a breath and placed her hands on her hips.
“I have promised you we will reach our destination by the time you wish to. The rest, I’m afraid you will have to leave up to me and my coachmen, Merlin and Ben. Now,” he added, reaching for the basket and blanket, “a few minutes to stretch our legs and fill our stomachs will not delay us overly.”
She trailed behind him as his long legs carried them towards the stream, where he placed a blanket beneath the shady branches of a tree and a large basket beside it.
“Simon, when I have the child, will you let me find my own way back to London, please?” Claire had not meant to say the words so quickly; she had wanted to speak slowly, in a calm, rational manner. Standing nervously at the edge of the blanket, she looked down at him, now sprawled on most of it. So much had changed between them since this morning, and she wasn’t sure how to cope with those changes.