Page 13 of A Lovely White Christmastide
“A might tense there, Kaye?” Bingham looked him up and down. “Did you sleep well?”
“Fine.” Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. It was fine if one did not count the mesmerizing dream of a certain cheery blonde who sat in the parlor recently indicated. Not that it had been a bad dream, only that the vividness had woken him far too early.
Early. The word stuck in his mind. It was far too early to be drawn to the woman. He’d had many a chance to court in his twenty-six years, but never had a woman drawn him in soquickly. And that was saying something as he’d found himself swiftly drawn to several women over the years.
She was beautiful, to be sure, with those golden blonde curls and that pert little nose sprinkled with a handful of freckles, but it was the mischievous glint in Miss Julianna’s intelligent blue eyes when she’d recognized her sister’s interest that had drawn him in. It showed a playful side he rarely saw in the women of his acquaintance. They were all far too sedate for his taste. He wanted someone he could laugh with, have lovely little larks with, and yes, even plot with.
All he could see in front of him were five glorious weeks with a fascinating woman. He knew he should temper his expectations and not rush into things blindly, but he’d never been very good at pacing himself.
Bingham waved a hand in front of his face. “Kaye. Are you sure you are well?”
He chuckled nervously. “Very well, just hungry I suppose. Let us join the ladies.”
His friend appeared doubtful but turned and walked with him to the parlor. Inside Mrs. Barker was complaining loudly about the consistency of the porridge.
“All I am saying is that they could have reduced the amount of water to make it much more palatable.”
“There are a lot of guests to feed at present.” Miss Haynes placed a spoonful into her mouth. The wince that followed belied her generous words.
“Good morning,” Daniel said, then gestured for the ladies to remain seated as he and Bingham took up their seats at the table.
“There will be kippers coming soon, my lord,” the innkeeper said from the doorway. “Only give us a bit.”
Bingham nodded and Daniel wondered why they had not been offered to the ladies first. Then again, this trip had taughthim how much deference was shown to a lord compared to a common gentleman. It still astounded him how quickly they were seen to at every stop.
“I do hope you all had a good rest,” Bingham said to the ladies, but his gaze strayed to the elder Miss Haynes.
Daniel met Miss Julianna’s eyes and they both smiled. It was evident that at least on Bingham’s side there was some interest, but when Daniel had tried to question him the night before he’d been met with a flat refusal to discuss ‘such nonsense’. It did not matter, though. Eyes did not lie, and Bingham’s were speaking volumes at the moment.
Miss Haynes ducked her head. “Well enough. And you, Your Lordship?”
“The beds were adequate, but it will be nice to reach General Waverly’s. I much prefer a room where you cannot hear all the goings on downstairs. There was one fellow last night in particular that talked quite loud. I do hope, however, that he is able to find his pearl-handled pipe, for he was quite distraught at misplacing it.”
“Oh dear, that is a bit more than one would wish to hear.” Miss Haynes chuckled softly.
That had not been the only thing said, but the rest was not fit for ladies’ ears. Actually, it had hardly been fit for Daniel’s ears either. It reminded him of the time he, Alfred, and Robert had heard the stablemaster at Eton curse after a horse had stepped on his foot. Needless to say their mothers had not been fond of their newfound expansion in vocabulary.
“It has been a dreadfully loud establishment, if you ask me.” Mrs. Barker sniffed loudly and eyed her porridge as if it might jump out of the bowl and accost her. “I will be quite relieved to leave this dirty place with its less than acceptable occupants. One would think the innkeeper would be a little more circumspect about the people he allowed in.”
Daniel frowned. No one had asked the rather brusque lady for her input, and by the disapproving expression on Miss Julianna’s face, she felt the same. The woman spoke rather freely about the suitability of others for someone in service. One would think with her station, she’d have a little more compassion for her fellow travelers upon the road. He opened his mouth to tell her so when someone kicked him under the table.
He peeked down to confirm his suspicions and then met Miss Julianna’s gaze. She gave a little shake of her head and he closed his gaping mouth. He was tempted to open it again if only to further the physical contact, but he did not wish to anger the pretty woman. He gave a subtle nod and the dazzling smile she cast him was far more of a reward than he’d have gotten with another kick.
Thankfully, the innkeeper delivered the promised kippers, removing the need for any of them to confirm or deny the older woman’s assertions about the inn and its guests.
“How long will it take to reach our uncle’s home from here?” Miss Haynes’s question caught Daniel off guard.
Neither he nor Bingham had ever visited the general’s home before. He’d assumed the two women would be more familiar with that information. It seemed they were all quite in the dark.
“You will forgive me,” Miss Haynes said at his bewildered expression. “We used to make yearly visits to our aunt’s, but it has been some time since we last traveled to Kendal.”
Bingham nodded. “With the estimated distance it will take the better part of the day. But if we change the horses out a time or two we should reach your uncle’s estate well before nightfall.”
The ladies deflated at the idea of an entire day’s travel. He did not blame the sisters. It was cold out, and with only their grumpy companion as company it would make a long hard day that much more unbearable.
“Perhaps we could change positions a few times throughout the journey to break up the monotony. Miss Haynes, you might ride with Lord Bingham and I could switch to your carriage for the beginning of the journey.”
“Absolutely not,” Mrs. Barker said indignantly. “That would be highly improper.”
