SEATON HAD TAKEN precautions to ensure that Blackthorne wouldn’t discover he’d traveled to Northumberland and ask what business he had there, all of which might come undone, because Lady Lark was making the long journey north on the same train. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out what Fanny had done and tell her brother. He would need to be careful what he said to her when they met for tea.
He arrived at precisely ten o’clock in the dining car, as they’d arranged, and was surprised to find Blackthorne’s sister sitting at a table all by herself, without a friend or a maid or a chaperon in sight. She smiled in welcome when she saw him and shifted her shoulders back as she straightened in her chair.
He forced his gaze away from the fashionable fit of her bodice, which emphasized her feminine assets, toward the expected cherubic face. Except, he discovered that the once-full cheeks had thinned, the wide-set blue eyes were framed by very long, very black lashes, and the once-pouty mouth had developed into surprisingly kissable lips.
Seaton couldn’t take his eyes off his best friend’s sister and realized he needed some distraction, or he would soon be in no condition for decent company. As he settled himself opposite her at the table in the dining car, he said, “Where are Mr. and Mrs. Court and their daughter?”
Her smile got even brighter, if that were possible. “In London, I imagine.”
Seaton was confused. “They’re not here with you?”
“No.” Just that one word, with no explanation.
“You’re traveling alone?”
“Yes.”
He glanced around the dining car. “Where’s your maid?”
“Visiting her mother in Devon.”
“Are you telling me that you’re on this train all by yourself?”
“Of course not!”
He felt relieved, until she added, “I’m here with you.”
He felt his heart take a giant leap and grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself. “What’s going on, Lark?” He realized he’d called her by her first name, without the title he’d begun using over the past year to keep her at a distance.
She looked at him with round, innocent eyes and announced, “I’ve decided to have an adventure.”
“On a journey that can’t be completed in a single day? Alone in the company of a single gentleman? Your brother will kill me—after he forces us to marry.”
She had the grace to blush, the minx. When she was younger, he’d admired Lark for her willingness to try anything. While Lindsey had run screaming when he’d threatened her with fishing worms, Lark had stood her ground.
But she was no longer a child, something he’d become painfully aware of during the past year. He’d been philosophical the first time he’d become aroused in her company. She’d been shoved against him at a crowded garden party, and her breasts had accidentally been crushed against his chest. That had caused a very natural, very predictable male response.
He’d told himself the same thing would have happened no matter who the woman had been. The problem was it didn’t happen with Lindsey, when the same sort of mishap occurred later that same day, and not once with Lark’s sister in the three months since.
Only with Lark. And always with Lark.
He was aware of her whenever she came into a room, but he’d schooled himself to ignore her presence. Blackthorne’s sisters were barely out of the schoolroom, and he was nowhere near ready to marry. Besides, he had no intention of losing his heart to any female. Not for a long, long time. Waiting for Fanny to die—and watching Blackthorne suffer through her illness—hadn’t just been difficult, it had been a nightmare from which he didn’t think he would ever awaken.
He could understand why Blackthorne had been willing to marry without love the second time around. Love hurt. He was in no hurry to have a wife who might die in childbed or fall sick from some other illness. Or to have a child who died at birth, taking its mother along with it.
So he was particularly concerned by the fact that he now found himself in the uncomfortable—unbearable—situation of being the chaperon for a young lady to whom he was sexually attracted.
There was no question of sending Lark off on her own. He owed his protection to his best friend’s little sister, even if time spent with Lark was going to play havoc with his body and seriously challenge his self-control.
“What am I supposed to do with you?” he demanded in a severe voice.
“Enjoy my company?”
He wanted to laugh but forced a ferocious frown onto his face. “This won’t do, Lady Lark. We need to get off this train at the next station and—”
“No. Please.”
The look of entreaty in her eyes stopped him in mid-sentence. He stared at her, perplexed.
“It was difficult enough to make the decision to do this,” she said in a voice that trembled. “It would be too humiliating if you drag me home like a wayward child.”
“Why did you do this?” He couldn’t fathom why she would engage in such risqué behavior.
She chewed on her lower lip, and he felt himself thinking that he’d like to be doing that. Which caused the response one might have expected. He gritted his teeth and shifted in his seat. And waited for her to explain herself.
“I’m no good at this,” she muttered.
“At what?”
She spread her hands helplessly. “This.”
He still had no idea what she was talking about. “Where were you planning to stay when we arrived?”
“At the Courts’ home, of course.”
“How were you planning to get there?”
“I suppose I’ll hire myself a carriage.” She hesitated, then looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes. “Unless you’re willing to escort me.”
“You expect me to change my plans to accommodate this foolish prank of yours?”
She met his gaze squarely. “I know how thoughtful you are, Seaton. And I know you and Marcus had adventures when you were young,” she said earnestly, “so you must understand why I wanted to spread my wings and do something I’ve never done before.”
It didn’t hurt his ego to be called thoughtful. And of course he understood her desire to break free of the shackles her grandmother put on her behavior. The dowager was a fierce guardian who took her duties seriously. He could imagine how a free spirit like Lark might chafe under such restrictions. “How did you evade your grandmother’s eagle eye?”
“She believes I’m being watched over by the Courts.”
“You lied to her?”
She nodded but didn’t look contrite. “I had no choice. It was the only way to escape.”
“You can’t hope to keep this from her indefinitely.”
“Why not? She believes I’m with the Courts, who only come to London to shop once a year. By the time she discovers what I’ve done, I’ll be a matron with four children at my knee.”
He grinned. “Four?”
“Two girls and two boys, if you must know.”
“That will keep your husband very busy.” The words were already out of his mouth before he realized how provocative they sounded.
She looked him right in the eye and said, “I hope so.”
Seaton slid a finger around his collar, which suddenly felt like a noose. Was Lark suggesting that he should father those children?
“Will you help me?” she asked.
“We have a long journey ahead of us,” he said at last. “We can decide what to do once we arrive at our destination.”
The smile she gave him made his heart skip a beat. Seaton realized there was far more at risk on this journey than Lady Lark’s reputation. He had to be very careful not to be caught in parson’s mousetrap. There were good reasons why he didn’t want to be married. He’d do well to keep them in mind for the hours he spent on the train with his best friend’s little sister.