Page 54 of An Engagement with the Enemy

“My sister has asked me to visit a score of times, but it never seemed to work out. I am glad I came at last,” Miss Allan said, looking about her with wide-eyed interest. “She made it sound like such a small, sleepy place. I find it hard to believe at the moment.”

“It is quiet enough, most of the time,” Jessica admitted. “Mr. Aldwick’s parents, Lord and Lady Retford, are making the summer a great one for entertainment. We have had more excitement these past two months than in the two years prior.”

Miss Allan glanced up at James, her eyebrows raised. “How interesting. Mr. Harrington has told me so much about your family, Mr. Aldwick. It sounds as though you have long been friends.”

“Since we were boys,” James admitted.

Miss Allan looked at Jessica. “And what about you, Miss Westcote? Mr. Harrington mentioned you, too. Particularly when he acquired a box I painted. He said you looked rather like the lady I depicted, and now that I see you, I must agree.”

“Oh? I am afraid to ask what the scene was.” Jessica’s gaze dropped to her lap, where she turned the now-empty cup in her hands. “I will have to ask Mr. Harrington to show it to me, since he saw a likeness.”

“He no longer has it,” Miss Allan said with a sly smile in James’s direction. “I believe he gave it to another, as a gift. A perfect betrothal gift, he called it.”

James’s cheeks warmed. He cleared his throat, then drank more lemonade and cleared it again.

“Are you all right, James?” Jessica asked, brows drawn together. “Is the lemonade not to your liking? It was a trifle sour.”

“Quite all right.” He looked up as Leo approached, glaring at his friend. For his part, Leo only raised his eyebrows as though innocent of any wrongdoing.

“I think we all ought to dance,” Leo said, handing lemonade to Miss Allan. “After the ladies have finished their drinks.”

“Are you equal to another dance, James?” Jessica raised her eyebrows at James, who grinned back at her.

“So long as my partner is eager, I am, too.”

Again, they found themselves at the village square, where the lively notes of a fiddle beckoned them to join in the revelry. First Jessica and Leo danced together, their steps light and graceful, sharing equally in the enjoyment. James and Miss Allan twirled alongside them, their own laughter adding to the merriment. Then James partnered Jessica again, and as their gaze met with each clasp of hands, he wished the moment wouldn’t end.

Miss Allan and Leo hadn’t seen all of the fair yet, so when the musicians took a break, Jessica offered to act as their guide. She was much happier, much freer, then she had been at the beginning of the day.

They walked through the rows of stalls, Jessica always on James’s arm, admiring the myriad of handmade trinkets, baked goods, and fresh produce on display. They found their way back to the games, where Jessica and Miss Allan’s cheers filled the air as the gentlemen played both games of skill and games of chance.

Traveling performers had arrived and took their time on the stage, creating a spectacle that captured the attention of many. They juggled daggers, then lit torches, and one man put a sword down his throat while women and children gasped and screamed in shock. Jessica leaned into James’s shoulder, her eyes round as saucers, then relaxed when the sword came out and the man bowed to the crowd.

Several times, James steered them away from the crowds to quieter corners and booths. Always when he noticed Jessica’s grip on his arm tightening, or the way her fingers would clutch at the pendant on her necklace and slide it hastily back and forth on its chain.

She never seemed to need long to recover, and she gave him a look bright with gratitude when she was ready to face the crowds again.

Hungry from their adventures, they wandered over to a pie vendor, their mouths watering at the delicious aromas wafting through the air. They bought chicken pies, their flavors rich and satisfying, and found a quiet spot to sit and enjoy their treats.

Miss Allan seemed comfortable in their company and teased Leo with ease. Perhaps his friend hadn’t been over-eager when he’d told James his hopes for a relationship with the lady.

Perhaps James ought to have more faith in his own feelings for Jessica.

When Jessica’s eyes began to droop, and she leaned more into his arm as they walked, James couldn’t help the tenderness that stole over his heart. The day filled with the vibrant colors and tantalizing scents of the village fair had left her exhausted.

“Jess?” he asked as the shadows lengthened in the later afternoon. They stood in the shade of a tree, watching children run a race on the empty side of the field.

“Hm?” She raised her chin to look up at him, the movement languid and soft. “Yes?”

“I think I should take you home now.”

“But the fair isn’t over,” she protested, her voice soft. Then she started to yawn and hastily covered her mouth. “Oh. I beg your pardon.”

He chuckled and reached up to tuck a strand of her hair back into her bonnet, behind her ear. He hadn’t meant to do such a thing in public, where anyone could see. But he also hadn’t been able to help himself.

“The fair goes on for two more days, dear Jess.” She didn’t even blink at the subtle endearment. “If you exhaust yourself on the first day, how will you make it to the last? And there will be a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, at least in part, on the last evening.”

“And I know how you enjoy Shakespeare.” Her eyes widened, then closed while she yawned a second time. “Oh, bother these yawns. I hate it when you’re right.”