A Gentleman's Vow (Saints and Sinners 2)

A pleasant warmth filled her body at the idea of pursuing her own husband. Giddy had made a good show of pretending not to want to kiss her when he might have wished to do so very much. Oh, how she must have tortured him with her request for lessons. She would have to make it up to him.

Soon.

As they drew closer to a linen-covered table, a pair of chattering ladies cut across their path. Mrs. Napier turned, and then fell into step beside Jessica. “Isn’t it a lovely day, Lady Jessica? My sister and I have been quite diverted by all the chatter. We are enthralled by Mr. Whitfield’s beautiful grounds, too.”

“Of course.” Jessica changed direction when she saw the punch bowl was empty and the servants missing, but Mrs. Napier and her sister kept pace with them still.

“If you will indulge me. Lady Jessica Westfall, I must have the pleasure of introducing my dear sister, Mrs. Alice Beck, lately of Bath.”

Jessica stopped walking and studied the other woman. She was pale, stiff-postured, arms held across her body as if she was extremely uncomfortable.

Jessica extended her hand, offering it to shake even though she had wanted nothing to do with the woman minutes ago.

After a brief hesitation, Mrs. Beck extended her right hand.

Jessica caught an expression of pain that flickered over Mrs. Beck’s face before their palms connected. “How do you do?”

Mrs. Beck shook Jessica’s hand lightly, and even so, she noticed the woman winced. “Very well, thank you.”

Jessica released Mrs. Beck quickly and the widow hugged her arm to her body immediately. The woman was injured and trying not to show it.

Jessica glanced at Mrs. Napier, whose smile revealed nothing—no concern, no guilt, either—but she had a tight grip on her sister’s other arm. She returned her attention to Mrs. Beck. “I heard you have children.”

“Yes, two boys.”

“I simply adore children. Are they here today?”

Mrs. Beck shook her head. “Not today.”

“They were left home, doing chores,” Mrs. Napier cut in. “A little work is excellent exercise for idle minds.”

Yet Mrs. Beck’s expression suggested otherwise, and they were her children. Not Mrs. Napier’s. Jessica did not like the way Mrs. Napier crowded her sister, either. She appeared to be almost a hostage.

“Well, I look forward to meeting them one day. Perhaps you and your sons could visit the duchess tomorrow at ten o’clock, Mrs. Beck. I understand from Mr. Whitfield that we have a common interest.”

“I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of my sister soon,” Mrs. Napier said smugly. “Why, you never know, one day you could be very close neighbors indeed.”

There was an obvious hint that Gideon was pursuing Mrs. Beck. Impossible for Jessica to miss or refute right now.

“I don’t know about becoming neighbors,” Mrs. Beck said quickly, a blush climbing her cheeks. “But I would like to meet the Duchess of Stapleton very much.”

Jessica nodded. Once she got Mrs. Beck alone, she would discover the source of that injury and judge her intentions toward Gideon for herself. “We were just on our way to see what is keeping Mr. Whitfield’s servants,” Jessica muttered. “If you will excuse us.”

She bid goodbye to Mrs. Napier and pulled Natalia away, her mind in a whirl. It seemed Mrs. Beck might not be the one pushing for a marriage with Whitfield after all. But Mrs. Beck did want something from Gideon, she was sure of that, too.

“Mrs. Napier is not happy you did not invite her to visit the duchess,

” Natalia warned in a quiet voice.

“I have my reasons for not wanting her there tomorrow.” Mrs. Beck might be willing to speak freely without her tormentor, or tormentor’s wife, silencing her.

Jessica knocked on the door to the servants’ quarters and called out to Mrs. Harrow. From within, she heard the sound of rushing feet.

“Oh, is that you, Lady Jessica?”

“It is.” Jessica hurried up the hall toward the kitchen. “Is anything amiss, Mrs. Mills?”

“It’s Mrs. Harrow! She’s taken a spell.”