Page 54 of Somewhere I'll Find You
Julia saw no point in objecting. It would be hypocritical after what had just happened. She gave him a small nod and wriggled away, feeling him slip from her body.
Glancing back at Damon, she choked on a sudden giggle as she saw him fishing at the bottom of the pool for his shoes. When he resurfaced and held up the ruined leather articles in triumph, Julia shook her head slowly. “Do you intend to walk to the inn dressed in wet clothes? You'll catch a chill, or worse.”
Damon drew her out of the bath, his gray eyes caressing as he glanced over her flushed, naked body. “You can warm me when we reach your room.”
Chapter 9
Filled with vitality and a sense of lightness, Julia stood on the stage of Bath's New Theatre and surveyed the activity around her with satisfaction. The fire in London didn't seem to have daunted the spirits of the cast and crew. Busily they assembled new scenery, rehearsed bits of dialogue and stage blocking, and exchanged jokes about the hardships of touring.
“Bloody boring little city,” Arlyss murmured, resting her hands on her hips. She made a comical face at Julia. “Not a healthy young man in sight. Nothing but desperate old maids and invalids.”
Julia smiled wryly. “I thought we were here to performMy Lady Deception, not to look for men.”
“The day I stop looking…” Arlyss began, and suddenly stopped with an odd expression on her face.
Following her friend's gaze, Julia saw that Mary Woods, one of the company's minor actresses, was flirting openly with Michael Fiske. The scene painter seemed more than a little interested in the pretty young woman and her ebullient smile.
“What is she doing, taking up Fiske's time when she should be rehearsing her part?” Arlyss demanded, a scowl pulling at the bridge of her slim nose.
Julia repressed a smile as she heard the distinct note of jealousy in Arlyss's voice. “Mary has only a few lines. I'm sure she knows them to perfection by now.”
Arlyss's scowl remained. “Mr. Fiske has enough to do without entertaining the likes of her.”
“You could have had Fiske, had you wanted him,” Julia said matter-of-factly. “But as I recall, you were more taken with Lord William Savage.”
“Well, he was no better than any of the others,” Arlyss retorted. “Although William is divine in bed, he apparently has no interest in me outside of it. I'm finished with him. Withallmen, at the moment.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she pointedly turned her back on the sight of Michael Fiske and Mary Woods. Just then Julia saw Fiske take a surreptitious glance at Arlyss. So he was trying to make her jealous, Julia thought, and her lips twitched with sympathetic amusement.
“Let's talk aboutyourparamour,” Arlyss suggested, turning impish. “Lord Savage came to see me in London—he was trying to find you. All I said to him was that the company was going to begin touring in Bath. Did he come here? Have you seen him?”
Julia hesitated and nodded, while warm color burnished her cheeks.
“Well?” Arlyss prompted. “What happened?”
Shaking her head, Julia gave a self-conscious laugh. Even if she were inclined to tell her, no words could describe last night. After leaving the bath house, they had walked to the inn. The brisk night air had felt refreshing to Julia, but she had been aware of the shivers that ran up and down Damon's frame as his wet, chilly garments clung to his body. When they reached her room, Julia had stirred a fire in the grate, and they had hung his garments to dry.
After climbing into the small but cozy bed, they had pressed their naked bodies together until Damon's skin had turned as warm as her own. He had made love to her wordlessly, using the tender brush of his fingertips, the heat of his mouth, and the movements of his body to communicate his feelings. Remembering the ecstasy she had found in the fire-touched darkness, Julia felt her blush deepen. This morning Damon had been slow to awaken, yawning and stretching and grumbling…pulling her against him when she tried to leave the bed. He had taken her once more, plunging into her body with slow thrusts that had driven her senseless.
Somehow Julia pulled her mind away from the lurid thoughts. “It's nothing I would feel comfortable discussing,” she murmured.
Arlyss leaned closer in conspiratorial delight. “I'm so happy for you, Jessica! I've never seen you look this way before. You must be in love. It's been a long time coming for you, hasn't it?”
“Don't tell anyone, please.”
“Oh, I won't…but they'll guess anyway. You know how gossip is. Besides, you can't hide when you're in love—it comes out in a hundred different ways.”
Julia was spared from replying by the arrival of Logan Scott, who had been detained by a bevy of local politicians, clergy, and townspeople, all of them eager to make his acquaintance and welcome him to Bath. His vivid blue eyes took in the activity onstage, and he gave a short nod of approval. As people gathered around him with questions, he held them off with a murmur and strode toward Julia.
“Mrs. Wentworth,” he said briskly, “how are you?”
She held his gaze and smiled slightly. “Perfectly well after a week's rest, Mr. Scott.”
“Good.”
Sensing that her presence wasde trop, Arlyss promptly headed toward Michael Fiske, who was still occupied with Mary Woods.
Logan didn't remove his penetrating gaze from Julia's face. “I've heard that Savage is here in Bath,” he remarked. Though the words were toneless, Julia felt as if she had been accused of something.
“Yes,” she said in a way that could have been taken either as confirmation or as question.
