Page 9 of The Beauty and the Boxer
“Well, good luck,” Jack said.
Simon stopped before he made it to the door.“Oh, how was your meeting with Meredith this morning? We rode intotown together, but she had me drop her off at the millinery andsaid she would walk the rest of the way. I thought it rather far,but she insisted and as I had an appointment at the bank, it suitedme. How did it go?”
Jack shrugged.
“She has a small sum of money. I’ve aninvestment I think could help her,” Jack said, searching throughsome papers as he came round his desk.
“Did you find out what she intends to buywith it?” Simon asked, seemingly interested. “She’s been very tightlipped about any plans.”
For some reason, Jack shook his head,unwilling to give up her secret want for a cottage by the sea. Itwas a foolish thing to keep secret, but then it wasn’t his totell.
“No,” he lied. “But I can’t imagine shewants more than a thousand pounds. It wouldn’t cost you much togive it to her.”
“I tried, but she’s terribly stubborn, notunlike Sarah,” Simon said, smirking absently at the mention of hiswife. “It’s beneath her to accept a monetary gift, I suppose.Besides, she insists on doing it herself.”
“Stubborn indeed,” Jack said, shaking hishead.
Simon smiled before nodding and leaving theroom to head to his own office across the hall. So, Meredith wasgoing to be out in society, officially it seemed. That was probablyfor the best. She wasn’t old enough to be permanently on the shelfand while she was attractive, now that he gave it a proper thought,she was really too pretty to be without a husband. Pretty womenwere always more trouble when they were unattached.
Jack recalled the blush on her cheek as hetried to concentrate on his work. He found himself wondering whatit would feel like to touch that cheek. Her eyes all but glowedbeneath her brows that arched in a way that made him feel curious.What could she possibly know that would intrigue a man likeJack?
He needed to get a grip on himself, as afamiliar feeling stirred within him. It wouldn’t do for anyone ifhe suddenly found himself attracted to the spinster. She was beingrelaunched into society after all, and Jack, well, Jack hadn’t beenwith a woman for too long it seemed. Especially if some puritandressed miss was setting his imagination on fire.
He would push her out of his mind and focuson work. Of course, that seemed impossible as he replayed theirearlier conversation in his head. What had she meant byAll mentry to make fools of women? Had someone tried to make a fool ofher? Perhaps even asked for a kiss?
Jack wasn’t pleased to find the thought ofher being kissed by another man made him feel mildly agitated. Ifhe had any sense, he’d forget Meredith Taylor that very moment andnot give her a second thought ever again.
Of course, since Jack never had the goodsense about doing what was best for himself, he didn’t stopthinking about her for the rest of the day.
Chapter Three
Meredith had expected that the next time shewould see Jack would be the following week, like he said.Therefore, she was surprised the next day when she saw a Friesianhorse ride up to the house from the bay window seat of the secondstory music room. She had been reading through a lesson plan thatmorning before starting her afternoon lessons with her nephewDaniel.
She had often retreated to this particularroom since her sister was terrible at all musical instruments andavoided it, along with most members of the household. Meredithwasn’t sure why Simon had even insisted on having a music room, butshe was grateful for it. Most evenings she would retire afterdinner to play the piano for an hour or two before her eyes grewheavy. She would often take her mornings here as well, writing downlesson plans at a small desk that sat in the corner of the room.Only today the sun had been so inviting that she had sat on theplush window seat bench that overlooked the western drive.
The sky had turned grey and while none ofthe leaves had begun to change colors yet, the coldness from thenight before seemed to hold on longer and longer with each passingmorning. The wind, that had refused to settle down since yesterday,moved through the tree branches as a dozen or so green leaves fellwhen another movement caught her eye.
She watched with interest as the glossyblack steed came bounding up the road at a speed that made heruncomfortable. It was Jack’s horse, Drachma, named after theancient Greek coinage. She had seen it once or twice since comingto live in Bristol, but never up close. From what she understood,Jack loved the horse, or at least, he cared for it a greatdeal.
She watched as he swung off the animal. Heremoved his hat for a moment, tousling his wavy hair with hisfingers to smooth it back. He handed the reins to a coachman andstraightened his coat before gazing up to the house. Meredithcaught his glance as he did a quick double take up at thewindow.
Having every intention to quickly leave,Meredith felt herself rather transfixed to the spot. She stared athim as a strange mixture of curiosity and attraction came over her.For a long moment, he didn’t move either, as if they were somehowmagically tethered together. She could have sworn his gaze darkenedas her skin began to tingle before she came to her senses andremoved herself from view.
Oddly, Meredith felt breathless as her handwent to her midriff. What a silly thing to have done. It was rudeto stare of course, and worse to be stared at, but then shecouldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from him. Something had urgedher to stay put and her mind began to wonder what it would be liketo be held in his arms.
Now that was a foolish idea. Best to avoidhim while he was here in case she had any other fanciful ideas. Nodoubt he would think her the worst kind of woman should he everknow how wild her mind wandered. Mercifully, her quiet, almostmatronly exterior confused men and threw them off of her otherwisesensual thoughts.
It was those same untamed emotions that hadgotten her in trouble six years earlier. Clandestine feelings hadno place in her life and would only serve to get her intotrouble.
Shame filled her at the memory of Clyde andhow hard she had fallen for him. In her youthful fancy, shebelieved herself to be truly, madly, and deeply in love with ClydePeterson, when really it had been a flash-in-the-pan kind ofromance. Clyde had simply been the first man to show interest inher and Meredith had been so eager to follow in her sister Sarah’sfootsteps and make a love match.
Clyde had been the third son of Sir SamuelPeterson, a landed gentry gentleman who lived next to Meredith’sfamily for a generation. While his older brothers had been seriousand steadfast, Clyde had been the opposite in all manners. He waseasy to smile and quick with a compliment, though Meredith knew nowthat it was all a part of his charm. Clyde could flatter anyone andfor a passing summer, he had flattered Meredith and she had givenher entire heart to him for a few pitiful sonnets.
Guilt washed over her as she remembered hiswords. It hadn’t been a particularly happy time for Meredith’sfamily that summer she turned eighteen. Her father had fallen illand was progressively getting worse. While Sarah had made asuccessful love match with the Earl de Marchand the year before,Meredith had been left with her mama, whose constant worry wasmarrying off the rest of her daughters. Beatrice, the youngest, wastoo young to be married off, but Meredith was the perfect age,except that it was likely that she would go into mourning beforeher season began.
What luck, she had thought at the time, whenClyde proposed to her. Her mama had balked, insisting that shecould do better, and with father so ill, she could hardly bring itto him to argue on her behalf. It was why she ran away to GretnaGreen with Clyde in the middle of a September night, like twostar-crossed lovers.
It had been dreadfully romantic and she hadbeen wildly happy for two whole weeks afterwards, as they took asmall honeymoon in the highlands. Her relationship with Clyde hadbeen doomed to fail from the beginning, but Meredith couldn’t quiteregret those two weeks of marital bliss. They had been separatedfrom the world, alone together and if this was where she could befor all time, she would have a happy life indeed. Only it didn’tturn out that way. Two weeks into their marriage, Meredithdiscovered that Clyde had no plans to support her. He had insteaddemanded a ransom for her from her ailing father to return, onlyher father had died during their stint in Scotland.
