With a shuddery breath, she recalled those extraordinary moments in the carriage. Her hand crept toward the breasts he’d caressed to such devastating effect. Oh, what his hands had done to her after that. Just now when she’d run the damp flannel over her body, wicked images had flooded her mind, and she’d blushed, even though she was alone.
The maid came in with a laden tray and set it on the sideboard. She turned and curtsied. “Good evening, Lady Garson.”
“Good evening, Mary. Do you know where his lordship is?”
The expression in the girl’s eyes looked like pity. “I saw him heading out for a walk, my lady.”
Clearly Mary thought the bridegroom already tired of his wife and went in search of diversion.
Had he? Surely not. Jane refused to accept Hugh could touch her like that, then rush out to pump his frustrations into some doxy. Call her naïve, but she just couldn’t believe it.
Jane glanced out the window to avoid the maid’s sharp eyes. While she and Hugh had been doing outrageous things in his luxurious carriage, the weather had closed in. “It’s snowing.”
“He mentioned wanting some fresh air.” The girl began to set out the dishes, then paused to place something else on the table.
“What’s that?”
“He left you a note, my lady.”
That sounded more like him. “What about his supper?”
“He said he’d have something downstairs when he came in. He also said he might be late.”
What in heaven’s name was going on? Although one thing was clear. She’d provided Mary with enough entertainment for one evening. “You may go.”
“Shall I come back to help you to undress?” With a curiously gloating light in her eyes, the girl plastered a humble expression onto her pretty face. Jane cringed to realize that everyone at the inn must know that she and her husband didn’t share a bed. The clean sheets were evidence enough.
“I’ll ring if I need you,” she said firmly.
“Very good, my lady.” The girl’s curtsy conveyed a hint of insolence.
Nasty little minx. Although she always simpered at Hugh.
Once Jane was alone, she ripped open the note. But it proved irritatingly uninformative.
I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep well. H
Sighing, Jane set the sheet of paper down and stared blindly across the room. Since the w
edding, she and Hugh had been together every day. Perhaps he wanted some time to himself. The fact that she enjoyed his company didn’t mean he felt the same about her. She’d been so lonely at Cavell Court—the recent attentions of an attractive, intelligent man had shown her how lonely. Hugh on the other hand had always led a full, engaged existence.
Oh, dear, had she bored him? Was that why he left her alone? She’d seen no sign that she had, but his perfect manners meant he’d do his best to hide any dissatisfaction.
“Stop panicking,” she muttered. “He’s gone for a walk. It’s not the end of the world.”
But while she’d come into the parlor famished after a day in the fresh air, not to mention that exquisite hour in the carriage, now she contemplated her rapidly cooling dinner and wondered if she could swallow even a morsel.
*
Chapter Sixteen
*
A distant thud wrenched Jane from a restless dream where she was running across the treeless wilderness of Salisbury Plain toward Stonehenge. But the monument kept receding, and she never got closer, no matter how she tried.
She opened her eyes to thick darkness. The lack of noise from the street told her it must be late.
There was another thud, and a muffled curse.