Page 15 of The Beauty and the Boxer
The images that were suddenly passingthrough her mind made her cheeks flush. Something about Jack Archermade her feel electric, almost as if every cell in her body was seton edge and hummed when he was close. It was most unnerving and yeteven as she hurried out of the parlor, she was eager to feel itagain.
Chapter Four
Jack had his fingers beneath his collar,trying to stretch out the cravat that had been tied too tightlyaround his neck as his horse came around to the front of hisbrother’s home. He hated formal dinner dress and was alreadycounting down the hours until he could remove the damned noose fromhis neck.
He had originally thought to take a coach tohis brother’s, but it had been stifling in the vehicle. The warmweather that had arrived on the heels of the wind storm a week agohad settled and hadn’t left Bristol, giving the city and thesurrounding area something of a second summer. The carriage hadbeen damn near unbearably warm and so he decided to rideDrachma.
As soon as he arrived, he dismounted theblack horse and paused to set his jacket right and looked upabsently at the same window he had seen Meredith in last week, whenhe had come to discuss her investment. She wasn’t there now ofcourse and he ignored the vague disappointment he felt at notgetting to catch a glimpse of her as he had that day.
Remembering the way she had stared at him,he felt the familiar feelings of anticipation and desire thataccompanied thoughts of Meredith now. She hadn’t turned away, ormade a move to conceal herself. Instead, she had openly watched himas if she were searching for something. It had both unnerved himand warmed him. For years no one had ever dared look at him for solong without quickly averting their eyes. He had always assumed hisscars unnerved people and made them feel sorry for him, but notMeredith. And that had made him uncomfortable.
Nearly as uncomfortable as he felt now,dressed like a damn pigeon, as he made his way into the house.
Simon’s home sat on the neighboring estateof Burnwall Hall, the home Jack had bought. While Burnwall was aGregorian mansion built some thirty years ago, Simon’s home hadjust been completed in a Jacobethan style, made of red brick withlimestone ashlar dressings, stone-coped plain tile roof withgranite ridge and end stacks with molded stone cornicing todiagonally set flues. It was modern and luxurious. Simon’s housewas set on one of the hills that surrounded Bristol, while Jack’shome was definitively more reclusive.
Burnwall was surrounded by an ancient oakwoodland that had been thinned and maintained as a hunting groundfor nearly a century before Burnwall Hall had been built. Jackpreferred the isolation to Simon’s desire to sit on a hill, a kingoverlooking his kingdom, but the brothers had often disagreed onpersonal tastes.
Simon, for example, found tall, dark-hairedwomen irresistible, whereas Jack couldn’t help preferring shorterfemales, with rounder curves and piercing, moss-colored eyes. Ofcourse, Jack couldn’t be sure if Meredith had curves since she wasalways dressed to the chin in dark layered dresses. That alone wasone of the only things he was anticipating tonight. He wanted tosee what sort of evening gown Meredith would be wearing.
It had surprisingly been the singularthought that had nagged him all day. Would she borrow one of hersister’s jewel-colored gowns? Would she have her hair pulled backin the same severe fashion as she usually wore it? He doubted a bitof fabric would change her appearance significantly, but then hewasn’t so sure she needed to change.
He nodded to a footman who announced hisarrival in the formal parlor room.
Several ladies and gentlemen looked surpriseto see him as it was widely known that he rarely made socialappearances. At first glance he noticed a few men that hadfrequented the same gentlemen’s club he was a member of in Bristol.Mr. Jenik, a redheaded man with a smallish nose owned the largestpolitical newspaper in Bristol, while Mr. MacDougall was asuccessful inventor from Scotland. Dr. John Henderson was one ofthe most prominent doctors in England. There were two othergentlemen that had a definitive air about them that suggested theywere of the peerage. Jack wondered who exactly had been invited forMeredith’s benefit and who had come strictly to gain access toSimon.
The peers and ladies present glanced at himquickly before turning away and Jack had to stop himself fromsneering. He didn’t enjoy the quick glances and when Simonapproached him, he was itching for a drink.
Luckily, a footman had been privy to hispreference and appeared with a scotch. Jack took it and swallowedthe bracing liquid. Followed by a deep breath and he was ready toface any of the others.
“Good of you to come,” Simon said.
“Where’s your wife?” Jack asked bluntly.
“She’s helping Meredith finish up.” Hepaused. “Care to be introduced?”
“Not in the least,” Jack replied beneath hisbreath as Simon patted him on the back. “Quite a diverse littlegroup for your party.”
“Come along.”
Jack greeted MacDougall and Henderson as hehad previously known the two and had even been tended to by thegood doctor during the last year of his fighting days. Jack wassurprised that Simon and Sarah had let a newspaper man into theirhome, considering their dislike for certain publications, but sinceJenik’s paper was strictly political, Jack guessed that they werecomfortable with the man.
A short, red-headed woman with a similar,small nose stood next to Mr. Jenik and was trying desperately notto make eye contact with Jack. He guessed and was correct inlearning that she was Mr. Jenik’s sister. A tall, older brunettewoman stood next to a younger woman of the same coloring. They werespeaking to two fine ladies, peers’ wives, Jack guessed, as theirhusbands spoke with Jenik.
“Jack Archer at a party,” Henderson said,his teeth flashing as he grinned, shaking Jack’s hand. “I neverthought I’d live to see the day. How have you been?”
“Henderson,” Jack acknowledged. “Well,enough not to need a visit from you,” He turned to his right.“MacDougall. It’s been a while.”
“Aye, it has,” the Scot replied. “How didSimon get you to come to this? Blackmail?”
The men all laughed at Jack’s expense as heplaced his empty glass on an end table.
“Something like that,” Jack said as afootman came into the room to announce the arrival of Sarah andMeredith.
The gentlemen bowed to the ladies as acourtesy since it was expected of them as they entered the room.Sarah was dressed in a yellow, floral printed bell-shaped gown thatcertainly commanded the attention of everyone in the room, but whenMeredith came into full view from around her sister, Jack wasgrateful that he had put his glass down, for he might have brokenit.
He had never seen her like this before. Shewas breathtaking.
Meredith’s hazel eyes shined as she glancednervously around the room, evidently aware that this was a partystrictly for her to make a match. Her golden-brown hair had beencurled and pulled up in a delicate fashion that framed her face.Not rigidly, as was the fashion, but looser, almost as if it hadhappened naturally, and Jack felt his fingers twitch at his side.He wanted to pull the crème-colored ribbon that was braided throughit and see it spill down her shoulders.
