loves a good fight and that’s all there is to it. Hurry or it’ll be over before we’re out there.”
Mia watched them leave, all their interest in her forgotten. It could be he had punched the man quite deliberately to distract the travelers from her embarrassment.
A woman came from the kitchen just as Mia remembered what had started this. She still needed someone to help her.
“Miss.” The woman introduced herself as the innkeeper’s wife.
“I do so beg your pardon, Mrs. Wills,” Mia began, but the woman seemed unperturbed by the incident.
“It happens all the time, miss. It’s good for business. Lord David will pay us for the inconvenience when, in fact, the crowd will be thirstier than ever.”
“You know Lord David?”
“That we do. He’s been traveling through here for years now. He and my son often put on amateur boxing fights. They are well matched, they are.”
Boxing! And he took offense at her behavior.
“Come along, now, miss, before they return. You say your maid is ill.”
The innkeeper’s wife entertained her with a delightful mix of caring and coarse. For the next few minutes, as Mrs. Wills untied her dress and unlaced her stays, she treated Mia to stories that made her laugh and gasp.
Mrs. Wills told her about the time that a family left one of their children behind, quite by mistake, and did not return for three days, and about the newlywed couplewho was with them now, who had broken the bed with their before-dinner use of it.
“The Belforts!” Mia exclaimed. She hoped so, though she could never, ever refer to it. Still, it would make her feel so much better. How unbelievably embarrassing.
“Discretion is an innkeeper’s most important virtue. Stories, but no names.”
Mia thought for a moment. “How many newlywed couples are guests this evening?”
“Only one,” Mrs. Wills answered with a smile that showed her crooked teeth. “I wish I could have offered you a bed for your maid,” the older woman began, deftly changing the subject, “but we are full up tonight.”
“Oh, that’s quite all right. I lived in Italy during the war with Napoleon and I am used to inconvenience.” Who would ever have thought that she could so casually talk about those years of deprivation and worry? “So, Mrs. Wills, now I suppose I am one of the stories.”
“Oh no, miss. The crowd in the common room came tonight because they heard that Lord David would be here and more than ready to fight. If that man had not been so rude to you, I’m sure someone else would have picked a fight with him.”
Mrs. Wills bid her good night and left Mia marveling at what men were allowed.
Mia tossed and turned, and not because of the pallet. When she had traveled with her father she had grown used to them.
Tonight had reminded her of that descent into the debacle that had been her engagement. One ill-timed kisshad ended her engagement and jeopardized her place in society, but Lord David could start a brawl in a public place and not suffer any consequences. It was maddening and wrong.
She counted the beams in the ceiling, measured how often Janina snored, and heard when the men retired for the night—quietly enough, but the sound of their drunken steps was impossible to mask.
Quiet settled with the slam of one door and Mia wished it were as easy to close the door on what had been one of the worst chapters of her life. Bad enough to make her realize that what she had wanted so intensely was forever out of reach.
At first she made excuses for the lack of passion between her and Lord William. It didn’t matter. With him everything was so much fun, even the most mundane outing. They were
sympatico
and that would be so much more lasting than passion. It had taken her months to realize that marriage meant more than having adventures together.
The realization came one day at the Pennistan house in Richmond.
They had all been at dinner for hours and clearly had spent too much time with the children
Mia watched them leave, all their interest in her forgotten. It could be he had punched the man quite deliberately to distract the travelers from her embarrassment.
A woman came from the kitchen just as Mia remembered what had started this. She still needed someone to help her.
“Miss.” The woman introduced herself as the innkeeper’s wife.
“I do so beg your pardon, Mrs. Wills,” Mia began, but the woman seemed unperturbed by the incident.
“It happens all the time, miss. It’s good for business. Lord David will pay us for the inconvenience when, in fact, the crowd will be thirstier than ever.”
“You know Lord David?”
“That we do. He’s been traveling through here for years now. He and my son often put on amateur boxing fights. They are well matched, they are.”
Boxing! And he took offense at her behavior.
“Come along, now, miss, before they return. You say your maid is ill.”
The innkeeper’s wife entertained her with a delightful mix of caring and coarse. For the next few minutes, as Mrs. Wills untied her dress and unlaced her stays, she treated Mia to stories that made her laugh and gasp.
Mrs. Wills told her about the time that a family left one of their children behind, quite by mistake, and did not return for three days, and about the newlywed couplewho was with them now, who had broken the bed with their before-dinner use of it.
“The Belforts!” Mia exclaimed. She hoped so, though she could never, ever refer to it. Still, it would make her feel so much better. How unbelievably embarrassing.
“Discretion is an innkeeper’s most important virtue. Stories, but no names.”
Mia thought for a moment. “How many newlywed couples are guests this evening?”
“Only one,” Mrs. Wills answered with a smile that showed her crooked teeth. “I wish I could have offered you a bed for your maid,” the older woman began, deftly changing the subject, “but we are full up tonight.”
“Oh, that’s quite all right. I lived in Italy during the war with Napoleon and I am used to inconvenience.” Who would ever have thought that she could so casually talk about those years of deprivation and worry? “So, Mrs. Wills, now I suppose I am one of the stories.”
“Oh no, miss. The crowd in the common room came tonight because they heard that Lord David would be here and more than ready to fight. If that man had not been so rude to you, I’m sure someone else would have picked a fight with him.”
Mrs. Wills bid her good night and left Mia marveling at what men were allowed.
Mia tossed and turned, and not because of the pallet. When she had traveled with her father she had grown used to them.
Tonight had reminded her of that descent into the debacle that had been her engagement. One ill-timed kisshad ended her engagement and jeopardized her place in society, but Lord David could start a brawl in a public place and not suffer any consequences. It was maddening and wrong.
She counted the beams in the ceiling, measured how often Janina snored, and heard when the men retired for the night—quietly enough, but the sound of their drunken steps was impossible to mask.
Quiet settled with the slam of one door and Mia wished it were as easy to close the door on what had been one of the worst chapters of her life. Bad enough to make her realize that what she had wanted so intensely was forever out of reach.
At first she made excuses for the lack of passion between her and Lord William. It didn’t matter. With him everything was so much fun, even the most mundane outing. They were
sympatico
and that would be so much more lasting than passion. It had taken her months to realize that marriage meant more than having adventures together.
The realization came one day at the Pennistan house in Richmond.
They had all been at dinner for hours and clearly had spent too much time with the children
Similar Books
