Page 65 of When a Duke Loves a Woman
“You said you’ve never been outside of London. We’d be killing two birds with one stone.”
The thought of leaving what she knew filled her with dread, but then a good part of her life had been doing things that filled her with dread only to be grateful later that she had. But the dread had never been this great. “I can’t afford to neglect my business any more than I already have.”
“Pity.”
He sounded as disappointed as she felt. “Still, I’ll think on it.”
“While you do that, I’ll get muddled. To be honest, based on the past week, I’m surprised I haven’t turned to copious drinking sooner.”
Men were so unattractive when three sheets in the wind. “The drinks will not be on the house.”
“I don’t expect them to be.”
“Don’t you have clubs for this sort of thing?”
“Ah, yes, but people know me there and gossip will abound.”
“People know you here.”
“Not as many.”
She wouldn’t be able to keep running over with drinks. She’d have to let her girls do it. With their fine figures and the jutting out they’d be doing, if he returned to the tavern after tonight, it wouldn’t be to see her. She didn’t much like the jealousy that swept through her. Still, he wasn’t hers, would never be hers, and she’d always prided herself on being a realist. “You should be forewarned I leave gents where they pass out.”
He grinned, his eyes sparkling with teasing. “Warning noted.”
“I’ll bring you another whisky.”
“You might as well fill it to the brim.”
When she stood, so did he. “You don’t have to do that,” she told him.
“But I want to.”
“If gents stood up every time I neared, they’d be popping up and down all night.”
“Then I shall pop up and down all night.”
She did wish his response didn’t please her so much, but she had a good many more things to keep an eye on than one customer. “I’m going to have one of my girls bring you your drinks.”
“As you wish.”
It wasn’t what she wished, but too much time in his company was likely to make her wish he’d ask other things of her, things that involved going to his estate and doing something other than messing about with horses.
He’d spent many a night in taverns and public houses, drinking the swill, talking with his mates, laughing uproariously about nothing at all, and having a jolly good time so that when waking with a pounding head he could claim the discomfort worth it. But he’d never simply sat in a corner alone, sipping on his whisky, and observing the small details and intricacies of the world that surrounded him, of the woman who fascinated him.
She had to be exhausted, yet her smiles never faltered, she never gave the appearance of impatience. Now and then when someone said something to her, she would laugh, the sound reaching out, circling about, causing others to smile, causing something to stir deep within his chest that lightened his mood more than the whisky. Watching her, he realized she served more than drinks. She served up an attentive ear, a kind word, a soft smile, an occasional laugh. She created an atmosphere of warmth and welcome.
He found himself becoming drunk on her rather than on the spirits she offered.
She’d made a good point: he could have indulged at the club. But he hadn’t because he’d needed something more than amber liquid spreading warmth through his chest. He’d needed her.
He wanted her to himself, yet she belonged to all these people. Like him, they came here because of her, because she offered more than a glass of escape. She offered hope that on the morrow, the reasons that had brought them here wouldn’t seem so dire.
She’d opened her tavern here because she’d recognized she was needed, but the hell of it was he believed she could have opened her tavern anywhere and met with success, because she offered people a portion of her heart. Without thought, without guile, without expecting anything in return. She was incredibly—
The three empty chairs around his table were scraped across the floor, turned about, and straddled by her brothers, crossing their arms over the backs. It seemed to be a night for the Trewlove men to make their presence known. “Gents,” he said calmly.
“Thought you might buy us a pint,” Aiden said.
