Miss Woodley's Kissing Experiment by Lee Jade

Author:Lee, Jade [Lee, Jade]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Published: 2012-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

They arrived in short order at a small house in a respectable but rather poor area of town. Still, the residence appeared cheerful and well kept. Much more cheerful, in fact, than her companion.

"Is this your home?" Caroline asked quietly.

He did not speak, but nodded at her with a hard jerk of his chin. Indeed, beyond his last cryptic threat to pound some sense into her, Geoffrey had steadfastly refused to speak at all. He continued his silence as he drove the horses away from the house, around the back, and into the mews, and he did not help her down as he jumped from the landaulet and donned a protective apron before unhitching and storing the vehicle himself. Caroline could do no more than stand nearby, watching the play of his powerful muscles as he moved the conveyance into its proper place.

After nearly ten minutes, she stepped forward to speak with him, but his glare stopped her. "Not a word," he growled. "Not until we are inside and in private."

She nodded as she pressed her lips together. Then she watched as he went to work on the first of the two horses, grooming the animal and seeing to its feed. He had barely started when Caroline spied another apron. Without a moment's hesitation, she put it around her own clothing and began to care for the other horse. She thought at first that he would object, but this time her own steely determination won out. He returned to his task in silence.

As she worked, she could not help but shed a few tears. It broke her heart that he had to do such things himself. Many of the aristocracy would consider driving their own carriage and caring for their own horses beneath them. That Geoffrey did it without even a grumble underscored exactly how close to ruin the Tallis family teetered. Geoffrey obviously could not even afford a stable boy. Which meant his situation was more dire than she had ever guessed.

He finished his task before she did, coming up beside her and taking the brush from her hand. "You are getting your clothes dirty," was all he said.

Knowing better than to argue, Caroline stepped away, once again relegated to the position of observer while he quickly completed the task. Then, still without speaking, he grabbed her arm at the elbow and steered her toward the house.

He opened the rear door with his key, ushering her inside and forward into a sparse parlor. No butler offered to take her cloak. Indeed, no footman, maid, or other servant appeared at all. The house seemed deserted.

As if sensing her thoughts, he glanced toward the empty hallway. "Though no one knows, Mother and her maid have gone to Staffordshire to help Sophia. We have no other servants."

Caroline nodded, accepting this further proof of his poverty as she pulled off her cloak. "Is Sophia ill?"

Geoffrey's lips twisted into a rueful expression. "Not ill. Just delicate. And overwhelmed with planning for both a wedding and a move to India.

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