Page 44 of The Hidden Heart

“I am afraid that it looks as though you will be here for the present time, Miss Pargety,” Jessica replied. “I am sure your sister will understand, given the weather.”

“Well, I don’t know how she will handle it all without me,” Miss Pargety said in tones of gloom. “She will be most put out.”

“I am sure that she will simply be relieved to know you are safe and out of the weather,” said the other woman, who then turned, smiled at Jessica and introduced herself as Mrs. Woods.

Mrs. Woods was an attractive woman in her thirties, with a smooth olive complexion and thick black hair. She had a low, faintly husky voice, and there was a trace of an accent to her speech. She looked, Jessica thought, a trifle exotic for such a plain name as Mrs. Woods. Her coat and hat were a dark hunter-green, plain but expertly cut, and as Baxter relieved her of her coat, Jessica saw that the brown wool traveling dress beneath was also fashionable and expensive.

“We wouldn’t have had any problem,” Miss Pargety plowed on, undeterred by Mrs. Woods’ attempt to soothe her, “if it hadn’t been for those two young men. They were reckless. Absolutely reckless.”

“No doubt they were unused to handling their horses on such a road,” the minister told her, with a faintly apologetic glance toward Jessica and Gabriela.

“Where are the two young men?” Jessica asked. “I assumed they would be coming, also. The roads are impassable, surely.”

“Oh, yes. They were not so foolish as to think they could travel on,” Reverend Radfield told Jessica with a faint smile. “But the men you sent were able to get their carriage out of the ditch. It had only had a wheel slip off the road, and it was in a good enough state to drive, so they are following us in it.”

“I see.”

“That must be they,” the reverend said, turning toward the door at the sound of voices outside.

The front door opened, and in strode Cleybourne, his arm around Lady Westhampton, who sagged against his side. They were followed by the lady’s maid and the coachman. Rachel was pale and shivering, and Jessica hurried toward them, followed by Gabriela.

“Lady Westhampton! You must be chilled clear through. Let us get you upstairs.”

“Thank you. I am all right. It has been quite an experience, but I am sure that I will be none the worse for wear. Thank heavens Richard came, though. I fear we would have gotten lost trying to return.”

“Who the devil are all these people?” Cleybourne exclaimed rudely, glancing around the entryway.

“Passengers on the mail coach. It broke down on the road not far from here.” Cleybourne scowled at her, and Jessica looked back blandly at him. “I felt sure that, had you been at home, you would have insisted they come here.”

“Yes, yes,” he said impatiently. “That’s all very well. But right now Rachel needs to go to her room and get warm.”

“Of course. Gabriela and I will take her. Miss Brown will see that our other guests are taken to their rooms.”

At that moment there was a knock on the door, and the footman opened it. Two young men, the “gennelmen” of the coachman’s description, Jessica was sure, strode into the entryway. They were obviously young men of the Ton, dressed in greatcoats sporting double rows of bright brass buttons and several capes at the shoulders, their boots polished to a mirror shine, and if their clothes had not given away their status, their arrogant demeanor would have.

“Lord Kestwick,” the one in front said, immediately picking out the duke as the important person in the room and bowing to him.

The other man stepped around to Kestwick’s side, saying, “Mr. Darius Talbot.”

Jessica stiffened, her eyes widening in shock. It was all she could do to not gasp. Darius Talbot! Lord Kestwick’s companion was none other than the man to whom she had once been engaged—the man who had thrown her over at the first sign of scandal.

CHAPTER 10

It was all Jessica could do not to duck behind the duke so that Darius would not see her. However, she clenched her fists and managed to remain standing where she was. Darius did not even glance at her.

The duke unenthusiastically greeted the two men, then introduced Rachel, Gabriela and Jessica. Kestwick hardly spared her a glance, but Darius’s head snapped around at the sound of her name, and when he saw her, his eyebrows shot up. He stood, staring at her blankly.

Jessica decided to forestall his saying anything to her by slipping her arm through Rachel’s and turning to Cleybourne to say, “I think I had better help Lady Westhampton to her room now.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Cleybourne handed Rachel over to her, his face creased with worry. “I shall be up in a moment to see how you are doing, Rachel.”

She smiled at him. “I shall be fine, I’m sure.”

But Jessica noticed that Rachel leaned on her rather heavily and was still shivering. Jessica swept her up the stairs and along the hall to her room, doing her best to concentrate on Rachel’s condition and not on the presence of her former fiancé in this house. It seemed the worst sort of luck that he should wind up here—and it looked as though the whole group would be stuck here for several days.

Inside Lady Westhampton’s room, Jessica quickly helped her off with her coat and boots, both rather sodden from the snow. Next she whisked away the rest of Rachel’s clothes and wrapped her in a warm towel, then urged her into bed. A maid had warmed the sheets with a warming pan, and there was a hot-water bottle, as Jessica had requested, on the bed. Jessica positioned it at Lady Westhampton’s feet and pulled the covers up about her shoulders.

Now Lady Westhampton was shuddering almost uncontrollably, and her teeth chattered. “I’m so sorry. I—I didn’t even realize how cold it was until we came inside.”