Page 80 of The Trick of the Treasure
Protectiveness surged and had to be calmed, for she did not want that controlling kind of protection, and she did not deserve it. They could only protect each other.
Her long lashes fluttered. She saw him watching her and smiled. He had to kiss her. How long that might have gone on, he never discovered, for a knock sounded at the door.
Reluctantly, he threw off his blanket and climbed into his rumpled coat as he crossed the bedroom and opened the door.
It was Janey, bearing a tray of coffee and an expression of anxiety. “How is she?”
“She slept well,” he managed. “For the rest, we shall see in a little while.”
“I’ve brought coffee. Do you want breakfast together, or do you have to get home?”
Solomon ran his hand over the rough stubble of his jaw and eyed the limpness of his crushed coat with displeasure. “I do need to go home, don’t I?”
“You could,” Constance said, “have breakfast first.”
“I believe I will,” he said, glad he had given her the choice and happier yet to stay. “I want to see how you are.”
“I’ll open the office as usual,” Janey offered, setting down the coffee pot, and leaving them to it with a pleased expression.
“She’s an old romantic at heart,” Constance said.
So am I, God help me.
*
Two hours later,properly washed, shaved, and dressed, he was back with his comfortable, well-sprung traveling carriage. He had left Constance being examined by the doctor, and having her dressing changed. The doctor’s instructions would determine whether or not she journeyed with Solomon, but he had alreadydecided that the carriage, where he could control the speed and the number of stops, would be smoother for her than the train.
As she had pointed out in no uncertain terms, if they found Miss Lloyd in Folkestone, Constance would be a considerable asset in persuading the lady to return to her imperfect family. She would have lots to say about the possibilities for a woman’s independent life without involving a man.
Not for the first time, it struck him what Constance was giving up to marry him. She currently had no fetters except the law, andthatshe was managing to get around by means of her own. Once she married him, he was legally and financially her master. The world would no doubt see it as a wealthy man ensnared by a courtesan. He knew better, and the level of her trust in him was humbling.
When the liveried footman admitted him, she was already in the entrance hall, elegantly dressed for an expedition, her bandage hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat tied with ribbons.
“The doctor says I am quite well enough to travel,” she said by way of greeting.
“Not quite, he didn’t,” said Sarah, materializing behind her. She appeared to be Constance’s lieutenant. “What hedidsay was that a short, gentle outing with a little fresh air might be beneficial, but she’s still to rest.”
“Well, what else would I be doing in a carriage?” Constance asked tartly.
Solomon met Sarah’s gaze, and she gave the tiniest shrug. He bowed to the inevitable, offering Constance his arm, and was rewarded with a blinding smile that took his breath away.
*
“I’m sure wewould be quicker by railway,” Constance said anxiously. She had removed her hat and drawn the loose hood of her warm traveling cloak over her hair instead.
“Not if we had to alight at every station because your head was so painful from all the rattling. Besides, the carriage will be handy if we have to find their lodgings in Folkestone.”
“And if we find they have already gone to France?”
“Then you must take the carriage back to London—the coachman will have his instructions—while I go on to France and try to find them there.”
She lapsed into silence.
He said, “We should set about adding you to my passport when we are married. Then we can go abroad on a wedding journey or whenever else we choose.”
“Really? You mean we could for no reason? Just for fun?”
He knew a twinge of pity for the girl who had never known leisure time and holidays. For all her talk of happiness and friendship, they were snatched moments in the midst of work and responsibility. Even when she took her household on little jaunts into the country, they were never for more than a day. They all had their days off. Constance never did. If she was not looking after the establishment or its denizens in some way, she was investigating with him. The very idea of Constance focused only on happiness, on her own pleasure, was intoxicating.
