Page 5 of Hot and Bothered in July
In reply, Reed sent her a silent salute.
As his friends escorted the three ladies away, Jackson remained at his side. “That was a most… unexpected occurrence.”
Reed snorted. “You say that as though she was not the most disagreeable lady in all of London.” He shook his head. “I actually feel pity for the poor soul who gets saddled with that one for the rest of his days.”
Jackson shrugged. “It might not be so bad. She obviously has passion and fire.”
“I am not sure it would be worth the trouble that would inevitably ensue outside of the bedchamber,” Reed muttered. “Either way, I can take some heart, for I feel this is the last time I shall encounter the lady.”He returned to the hillside to gather his things so that he could squish home and change. He had not anticipated taking a swim in the pond today, so he had not prepared with dry attire.
With a lifted brow, Jackson replied, “One never knows.”
Unfortunately, Reed was about to learn just how correct his friend truly was.
“Are you terribly mortified?”
Sariah looked at Ava and her bouncing blond curls as though she could not believe that question had actually left her mouth. “No. I am furious! Who does that gentleman think he is to treat me in such a fashion! I daresay I say the wordgentlemanin a loose manner, as he is anything but one.” She ended her tirade with a huff, her cheeks heating with annoyance and frustration—and something she would neveradmit to her friends, no matter that they were her closest and dearest ones.
Henry had paid a messenger to send word to Maggie’s driver that they were going to leave the pond earlier than anticipated. They were standing together as far from the activity as possible, Sariah shivering and feeling very much like a rat who had fallen into the sewer. Although the day was warm and the sun was still shining brightly, she had unwittingly ruined an otherwise enjoyable outing with her friends. The Lord only knew what sort of gossip might reach their parent’s ears. The only promise she could find on this day was that she had not immediately recognized anyone, thus she might be spared the horror that might arise should anyone discover her identity. Her companions had already assured her that they had not mentioned anything other than their first names to the other gentlemen.
Either way, mortification truly wasn’t a strong enough word to explain how Sariah was currently feeling.
She shook her head. “I should just like to go home and forget about this failed venture.” She glanced at both of them. “I am sorry that it did not turn out as we had all anticipated.”
Maggie waved a hand. “I did not encounter one bare chest and a common gentleman is not much different than one with a title, so I daresay we were doomed from the beginning.”
As the coachman returned and they all climbed inside, Sariah noticed that Maggie and Ava had opted to sit across from her, giving her sodden gown a full seat of her own to spread out. Sariah glanced down at her straw bonnet, now ruined beyond all hope of repair, just like her pink dress. At this point, she was starting to wonder if the items hadn’t been cursed somehow. She had certainly not endured much luck from either of them today after their lengthy absence from her wardrobe.
She was the first one to be deposited back at her front steps. She hesitated, wondering if it might be best to take the servant’s stairs and hope that she might hasten to her room without encountering anyone. But that was just wishful thinking on her part. Her father employed a full household, and they would likely be busy in the kitchen just now, getting ready for the midday meal.
With a heavy sigh, she bid her friends farewell and trudged up the stairs to the front door, the crude woolen blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. Sariah would hazard a guess that it had been procured from the public stables, but she had been so grateful for the chance to cover herself from the blond Adonis’ prying eyes that she had not cared for the scent of hay or horses that had emanated from it at the time. Now, she realized she must present herself as a street urchin as the door opened and the butler glared at her a moment before recognizing her. “My lady!” he gasped in horror. “Whatever happened?”
“I do not wish to talk about it other than to say there was an accident.” She did not pause in her stride as she headed for the stairs. “Send my maid to me immediately.”
It did not take long for Sophie to appear. Her gaze took in Sariah’s wet, disheveled form, her mouth going slack.
“Do not say anything.” Sariah held up a hand. “Just help me get out of these miserable clothes and burn them afterward, if you would be so kind. I never wish to lay eyes on them again.”
Sophie swallowed whatever questions she might have been about to ask and quickly set to work. It wasn’t until Sariah was sitting in front of the fireplace in a new set of undergarments, stays that weren’t laced quite as tightly as before, and a blue cotton day dress—her stringy hair restyled into a becoming chignon, a cup of hot tea in her grasp, that she finally felt more at ease.
“Thank you, Sophie,” she sighed contently. “I daresay I would not know what to do without you.”
The maid beamed at the praise. “Of course, my lady.”
Sariah dismissed her, finding the urge to be left in solitary much more agreeable. It was, after all, the only way she could think of her Adonis without anyone seeing the strange, dreamy look that was likely plastered on her face. She had not wanted to reveal that his actions had been quite brave and heroic. It seemed easier to bear her humiliation if she could lash out instead. If he despised her and wished her to the depths afterward, then it did not matter, since they would likely never see each other again.
It was the one positive thing she might take away from such a disagreeable venture. What had started as a grand show of rebellion with two of her best friends, a way to prove their independence, had ended in near tragedy. Thinking of how close Sariah might have come to an abrupt end was certainly not how she wished to end things in this world. After all, how could she find a way to reform the current legislature if she were not there? It was the one goal she had ever hoped to achieve, to see the society she lived in turn into something of value for both men and women.
Settling into her chair, she retrieved the book by the side table and opened it, intending to read. But for some reason, her mind kept wandering to a pair of green eyes when she had imagined they might have been blue.
Chapter Three
Inside one ofthe affluent bachelor apartments of The Albany in Piccadilly, Reed was sprawled out in his bedchamber when the door opened with little more than a warning knock. He reached instinctively for the pistol he kept at his bedside table. Survival instincts from his past that would likely never cease.
He sat up with a glare, his intentions clear as he trained his weapon on the unwanted intruder. He was not in the habit of employing many servants, and they knew better than to disturb him unless he specifically asked.
When his brain caught up to his actions and he spied Jackson standing in the doorway with his hands in the air in surrender, he lowered his weapon. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. “You are fortunate you are still standing right now.” His stomach wanted to protest his every movement as the alcohol he’d consumed threatened to make a resurgence from the previous evening.
He’d gone out carousing with Jackson, James, and Henry after the upset at the pond. He had never craved a drink so bad as he had after meeting the lady in pink. He had done his best to exorcise her memory from his mind, but considering she was thefirst image that entered his thoughts now, it was obvious he’d failed miserably at the attempt.
