Page 7 of Tamed By a Passionate Lady
Isabel smiled wanly. “I rather think that it has, James. At least, I feel so much better in my spirits.” She hesitated. “The city streets of Liverpool depress me, I find. It is so cold and dark there. At least here there is always the sky, and the sea, to lift me when I do feel a little overwhelmed with everything.”
James nodded. “And have you been taking long walks along the beach?”
Isabel coughed into her hand. “I go as far as I dare to. But sometimes, I lack courage when I am alone, and my thoughts veer in dark directions.” She paused. “I keep thinking that I might collapse, and then what would happen to me?”
James nodded again. “I understand your fear, but you must let it go, my dear. Everyone at Birkenhead Lodge is aware of your condition, and if you were longer than expected, then the alert would be raised immediately. We would find you and bring you back.”
Adaline leaned forward in her chair, gazing at Isabel with warm eyes. “If you like I can accompany you on your walks, Isabel. It might make you feel a little more confident.”
Isabel smiled. “You would do that for me, Mrs. Townshend? I do not wish to impose. I know that you have your own routine, and I do not wish to interrupt it…”
“Nonsense,” said Adaline, in a firm voice. “You would not be imposing on me in the slightest. I would be honoured to accompany you, and besides, I love walking along the beach!”
Isabel bit her lip, but she looked pleased. “Well, if you are sure…”
“Of course I am sure.” Adaline smiled. “Shall we make arrangements for tomorrow? And by the way, you really must call me Adaline. Mrs. Townshend sounds so stuffy! I declare that I do not even recognise who that person is!”
Isabel blushed. “Very well then, if it makes you happy…Adaline.” She coughed into her hand for a moment. “Thank you so very much. It would be lovely to have you come along with me. Do you like to collect seashells?”
Adaline laughed. “Indeed I do! Tell me, do you hold them to your ear?”
“No,” said Isabel, looking intrigued. “Why should I do such a thing?”
“You can hear the ocean, of course,” said Adaline, her smile wide. “A most delightful sound, and one that I never tire of hearing.”
James gazed at his wife. Gratitude warmed his heart. She was so very kind and doing her best to make Isabel feel at home here.
He knew that he had been asking a lot of her, when he had told her that his good friend and his ailing sister would be staying at Birkenhead Lodge indefinitely. She did not know them well, at all. Reuben and Isabel had been introduced to her on their wedding day, but they had never visited. And now, they were ensconced in her home.
Birkenhead was a very large house, and many people could rattle around inside it and choose not to meet, if they so desired. The grounds were also extensive, and then there was the expanse of cliffs and coast. Adaline could still maintain her own routines, with minimal interruption.
But it was still an imposition – her privacy was being breached, in having them stay so long. She had never complained to him about it, nor had she raised any objections, but he had still felt slightly guilty.
Hearing her extend a genuine hand of friendship to the young lady was reassuring and allayed his guilt. He exhaled slowly. Perhaps it would be good for Adaline to have a lady companion. It was very isolated on this stretch of Lancashire coastline, and she was bound to get lonely sometimes, wasn’t she?
He quickly quashed his guilt at the thought. If his wife was lonely, he had no one to blame but himself.
He listened to them prattle on about things they had found along the shoreline, smiling to himself. He could tell that Adaline liked Isabel. Her brown eyes were shining as she gazed at the younger woman, and her voice was filled with warmth.
Suddenly, he was conscious that he wasn’t the only one observing her. Reuben was leaning forward in his chair, gazing at her intently. He recognised that look. His friend’s eyes were brimming with lust.
For a moment, he was stunned. He simply hadn’t noticed it before; perhaps his friend had disguised his feelings before now, when they had all sat together. He hadn’t spent much time with the two of them alone, either.
Carefully, he probed his feelings about it. Adaline was a beautiful, desirable woman – of course she would have male admirers. But they had were so isolated here, and rarely entertained. He simply had not been aware of her effect on other men.
And Reuben was just Reuben. He had always been hot blooded, with an eye for the ladies. Back in Liverpool, when they were younger, he had flirted with many, and done a great deal more with quite a few. If he was being honest, his friend was a womaniser. It was almost par for the course that Reuben would lust after an attractive woman, wherever he was.
Suddenly, another memory assailed him. Back in Liverpool, when they had been younger men, and foolish in the bargain. A memory which sometimes made him uneasy still…
***
It was discreetly called the white house, on top of the hill. But every gentleman in Liverpool knew that it was really called Mrs. Johnston’s establishment. A place where gentlemen could retire to, late at night, after the Athenaeum and the theatres closed if they did not feel inclined to go home.
He had heard of it, of course. Mrs. Johnston’s was talked about in furtive whispers when he had attended his exclusive boys’ grammar school. He knew that a lot of his fellow pupils’ fathers frequented the place, and a lot of the boys were eager to go there, too, when they were finally old enough to do so. But the establishment had never intrigued him.
But one night, when the Athenaeum was about to close its doors and they were pleasantly tipsy on fine brandy, Reuben had turned to him, smiling.
“I have a surprise,” his friend had whispered, almost giggling. “Send your carriage home and come with me. I am about to lead you on a magical mystery tour, through the dens of Liverpool, my friend.”
