The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway

Author:Bee Ridgway
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fiction, General
ISBN: 0525953868
Publisher: Penguin UK
Published: 2012-12-31T13:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Julia frowned at her reflection in the mirror. For an hour or more she had stared at the ceiling, then at her reflection, then out of the window, then at her reflection again. Eyes, nose, mouth. Neck, arms, breasts. Hands. Belly, sex, thighs. Knees, feet, toes.

Trouble.

But now the clock and her troublesome body were both telling her it was almost time to go down to dinner. Her dress was laid out upon the bed; her combs and ribbons were on the dresser. Everything was in waiting. Julia rang for the maid.

When she was dressed and the maid dismissed, Julia pinched some color into her cheeks. The clock ticked loudly but slowly. If she went down now she would be a mite early. If she was early, she would have to watch his face as he entered. If late, she would have to watch his face as she entered. These seemed like completely different possibilities, and yet no matter which she chose, she would still have to see Blackdown over dinner, she would have to talk to him, she would have to look at him and pretend that nothing had ever happened. That had been easier before, when they had only kissed once, under a tree in the rain. She had struggled with her desire after that, but ultimately she had managed to pack it away. Or so she’d thought. Give her Blackdown alone in a pretty little glass room high up over the square, and it turned out that her neatly folded desire was a jack-in-the-box, ready to spring up.

In the end, it happened that Julia and Blackdown met at the top of the stairs. He smiled when he saw her, and his expression was neither knowing nor distant, but simply his own. She relaxed and fell into step beside him.

“Have you read the poem?”

“Not yet.”

“Enough excitement for one afternoon?”

“Quite!” She swept past him, enjoying the sound of his laughter tumbling down the stairs after her.

The dowager marchioness and Bella were dining in Greenwich tonight, and staying the night as the guests of Lord and Lady Latch, which meant that the table was set for only four. When Nick and Julia entered, Clare and the Russian were already seated and chatting away in that light manner they had. Julia could not understand how Clare could bear the count, but she seemed actually to like him. The Russian got to his feet and bowed when Julia entered, and Clare explained that he had been telling her about how best to escape wolves in Russia. “It is all nonsense, of course,” she said. “But he claims that they cannot bear the sound of French. All you must do is speak French to a wolf, and he will run away.”

“It is true, I swear it,” the count said, pulling out Julia’s chair but never turning his attention from Clare. “Do you speak French?”

“A few words.”

“A few words, they are enough for a wolf. Here, we try.” He leaned across the table toward Clare and growled.

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