Michael stared at him, unable to comprehend how he could be so dimwitted. “I’ve been led to believe your sister is a crack shot. Have you considered the possibility that she didn’t miss?” He lifted one brow suggestively.
Robert’s eyes widened. “Of course not! Jane would never do such a thing. That she shot him is shocking enough, but to insinuate she aimed to unman him is out of the question.”
Resisting the urge to shake Robert by the shoulders until his teeth rattled, Michael drank his champagne and let the subject turn. He was struck with wondering if he, himself, was sometimes this obtuse? A novel thought and one he would have to ponder.
In future, her family’s neglect wouldn’t matter. She was his responsibility now, and he would make certain she was protected from any and all threats to her person, her well-being, and her happiness. He looked to his right and caught her gaze. “After breakfast, you and I will be on our way to Beckinsale House in Kent. It is the smallest of my estates, actually somewhat cozy. I believe you’ll enjoy a brief stay there before we return to London for the closing sessions of Parliament.”
“I’m certain it will be delightful, thank you.”
Something in her manner seemed off kilter. Her eyes, ordinarily boldly meeting his, were firmly fixed upon his shoulder. “Is anything amiss?”
Astonished, he watched her cheeks flush pink. “I find myself feeling out of sorts and a trifle awkward.”
“Because your family dislikes me?”
“They don’t dislike you, Blixford. They would react in this manner to any man I chose to marry. Give them time and they’ll warm up, I assure you.”
“Well, then, if your agitation is not due to your family, why are you feeling awkward?”
The blush deepened. “Perhaps this is a subject best left for later, when we’re alone.” She smiled across the table at Julian, then very prettily said to Michael, “I believe I’m done with breakfast and anxious to be on our way.” She glanced at his plate. “You’ve not finished your trout.”
He lowered his voice and said conspiratorially, “I actually dropped my previous serving into the joyous jaws of the mouser lurking about beneath the table. Deuced butler replenished me immediately and the damned cat has abandoned his post beside my chair.”
“Do you mean to say you don’t enjoy smoked trout?”
“I confess, ‘tis true. Poached, perhaps, or even thrown about with butter and lemon, but something about smoked trout is unpalatable.”
She met his gaze and grinned, as he’d known she would. “I’ve married a finicky man. Blixford, you’re a wealth of surprises.”
“As are you, my dear. Shall we rise and call an end to this, then?”
“I should like that above all things. Not only am I ready to go, I find these new slippers pinch and I’m most anxious to cast them into the fire at the first opportunity.”
***
In her bedchamber, Jane changed from her morning gown into a traveling dress of plum velvet, trimmed with pink ribbon and tiny rosettes. When she was buttoned up, she dismissed her maid and finished her toilette by herself, in order to converse more openly with Lady Bonderant, whom she’d asked to accompany her.
She lounged in a chair before the fire, her pretty silk slippers resting upon a dainty footstool. “What a lovely bride you are,” she said warmly. “I vow, it’s as it should be, you married to Blix. I said as much four years ago, but my brother is the obstinate sort and he wouldn’t consider it. That is, until his own nature overrode his will.” She caught Jane’s startled look and smiled. “We shall have no secrets. We’re sisters now. I’m fully aware of what happened, and truth be told, I didn’t blame you for jilting him. Blix is at heart a kind soul, but he’s an autocrat. I demanded he tell me why you left, for I was most certain you felt an affection for him and your actions belied any affection.”
“Did he tell you?”
“He did. Oh, no details, mind, but I got the gist of things. I informed him it was all badly done, that no lady would find honor in marrying a man who spoke so cruelly. He was perplexed, of course, quite angry, in fact, but he eventually conceded he handled the whole affair very badly.”
Sitting before her glass, Jane set her hat upon her head and affixed it with pins before she dabbed a bit of scent to her wrists and turned to pull on her half boots. “I was a fool, Lady Bonderant. It’s kind of you to voice an understanding of my motives, and exceedingly wonderful of you not to hold a grudge against me for wronging your brother as I did. But the truth to the matter is that I behaved like a spoiled, peevish child. I’ve told Blixford I will make it up to him.”