.
James was amused when Jo fell asleep in the blanket nest as soon as she had seen to her clothes, curling up in them with a yawn. He supposed that was what they called the sleep of the innocent, and no matter what Jo had been through or what hardships she had suffered, that was exactly what she was.
The same, however, could not be said for him, and he paced their small space a little before finally lying down next to her.
They were returning to London, and even though they were taking the winding back roads, they would likely be there in a few days, certainly no more than a week. London, where everything could change.
There was no law that prevented him from returning to London, none at all. He was a peer of the realm, and though what he had done was not precisely approved by Crown and church, neither was it illegal.
He had left because Society would not stop talking and because it was tiresome, not because he was in any way socially ruined. He had figured if he stayed away for a while that Society would find something new to talk about, but it hadn't been all that long.
James was painfully aware of the fact that he wasn't worried about what the members of the ton would say to him. He was worried about how it would affect how Jo looked at him. God, he loved the way she looked at him. Most of the women of his acquaintance looked at him with calculation in their eyes. They were wary of his reputation or enamored with it; they were seeking an assignation or a marriage. There was little beyond that, and he’d had no idea how very bored he was with that before he met Jo. She looked at him with anger, with a desperate need for his help, with a melting passion he wasn't even sure she understood yet, and with hilarity, but there was so much to it. There was so much to her. James knew that he could spend the rest of his life with her and never come to the end of the secrets in her heart, or the joy.
It was amusing, he decided, that she had laughed her head off when he suggested marriage. There were plenty of Society girls who would have leaped at the offer, even if they'd had to flee to Gretna Green, to be his wife. Despite his reputation in London, he was reckoned to be an impressive catch, with a great fortune, plenty of property, and good looks. To Jo... it was a joke, and James couldn't help but smile a little at it.
Well, it was hardly the most romantic proposal. Next time, when this is all settled, I will do better.
Jo murmured in her sleep, and he held her close. Just this morning, she had been kidnapped right out of the inn where they were staying, and he had nearly lost his mind with fear. He never wanted to feel like that again.
I suppose that means the best response is to make sure she's never taken from me again.
At some point, the rain stopped. James came awake to a chill in the air, and an utter blackness that was only relieved by a few stray moonbeams coming in the high narrow window opposite their makeshift bed.
A full moon. He would have tried to go back to sleep if he hadn't heard the stirring of hooves and a quiet snorting below.
He came awake in an instant. Horses slept through the night under most normal circumstances; there was no reason for Tempest or Gunner to be stirring at all. That meant there was something wrong, and James tensed, slipping away from Jo carefully. He thanked heaven for her exhaustion because it allowed him to dress hastily and to descend the stairs, pistol in his hand but down by his thigh.
The first thing he saw was that there was a soft light in the lower level of the ruin, and the second thing he realized was that there was a man in a greatcoat standing between the horses.
"Whoever you are, step away from the horses."
The man in the greatcoat paused, and for a moment, James was tensed for him to attack or to draw a pistol or any number of things.
Then, his hands up slightly, he stepped away from the horses, coming to stand closer to the light of the lantern he’d left at the door.
"I'm afraid you have the advantage over me," the stranger drawled. "Since this land and this structure are mine, you're the odd one out, you and your companion."
The man was about James’ age, fair where James was dark, and the slight sardonic twist to his lips looked slightly familiar.
"Dear God, you're Samuel Winthrop.”
The Earl of Huntingdon inclined his head slightly.
"Nice to be recognized, I suppose. Society has a longer memory than I would have thought."
James shrugged. "One could hardly hear about your departure from London and not mark it."
The more he remembered about that departure, however, the less likely it was that Samuel Winthrop wanted to speak about it.
"Society gossip is less important to be right now than who you are and what you are doing here. I am not armed, but I will tell you that I do not suffer poachers and thieves lightly."
James grinned. "Well, what a good thing it is that we are neither. If we have disturbed your plans for this wreck, I offer my deepest apologies."
"It is rather wretched, isn't it? I was walking past, and I heard the horses. I was actually half expecting them to be ghosts or something similar. Imagine my surprise when I found that they were real and so are you."
"Well, my companion and I were heading to London, and the deluge caught us—"
"James? James, what's going on?"
Both men looked up to see Jo on the step, barefoot and dressed in nothing but her shift, her auburn hair a thick rope over her shoulder. She widened her eyes when she saw another man with James, and fast as a rabbit, she darted back upstairs.
"It's fine, we've just found a missing peer of the realm."
"I was never missing. I always knew where I was."
"Well, that's fine for you, but it was all the papers could talk about for weeks."
"And I don't care to talk about it at all. So, that girl..."
James scrubbed his hands over his face.
"It's not what it looks like. I'm just playing escort to get her to London."
The Earl of Huntingdon glanced up at the ceiling wryly, where Jo was presumably getting dressed as quickly as she could. James knew exactly what it looked like, and escorting had nothing to do with it.
James wasn't sure he had ever worried about ruining a woman before, but now it struck him with the force of a blow how very vulnerable Jo was in this situation. Against all odds, they had been found by a member of Society, or perhaps it was against all odds that they had made it this long.
James took a step toward the earl, his hands curling into fists. "She's a fine and virtuous girl from West Riding, the daughter of a marquess. This may look... questionable... but she has done nothing but act in an honorable manner. If you say otherwise or if I even hear of you saying otherwise, I will call you out for satisfaction on a field of honor."
The earl gave him a cool look.
"You must be James Finley, Earl of Westmont. I may not be as wrapped up in the life of London as I once was, but I hear things. Is it wise to return to London so soon?"
James nearly snarled at the other man. "That is none of your concern."
Before the earl could answer, Jo appeared on the steps again, this time dressed in her slightly soggy riding attire. She walked as straight and tall as a young queen despite her bedraggled appearance, and she came to stand next to James.
James glared at the earl.
"Lord Huntingdon, may I present my traveling companion, Jo Smith."
James was relieved when Jo did not look surprised at his giving her a commoner's address. It may not be enough to save her reputation if it turned out that Lord Huntingdon was inclined to gossip, but it was better than nothing.
For his part, Lord Huntingdon smiled at Jo with something like real warmth, taking her hand and bowing over it as if they were at a salon in town.
"I am charmed to meet you, Miss Smith. I am only glad that this old property gave you some comfort in the deluge."
Jo smiled, her natural friendliness rising to the fore. "Oh, this is your place, my lord? I am sorry we were not able to notify you before we appeared."
"Nonsense, of course, you are welcome. Though my house in the country is less grand than what I keep when I am in London, it will be more comfortable than this place. Will you both allow me to offer you better accommodations while you are on Huntingdon land?"
Jo and James exchanged a look, and James nodded.
"We'd be honored."
Outside, the moon had risen and turned the woods and nearby fields as bright as day. Lord Huntingdon rode ahead with his lantern to show them the way.
From Tempest's back, Jo leaned closer to James.
"What in the world was a lord doing riding so late at night?"
James shrugged. "Visiting a mistress, seeing about poachers? All I care about is how he treats you."
"Just so you both know, I have better ears than you might think, and I will, of course, treat you both as honored guests."
Jo blushed, but James laughed. He wasn't sure of the mysterious Earl of Huntingdon, who had disappeared from London amidst scandal a few years ago, but damned if he wasn't beginning to like the man.