Of course, if the brunette knew what he really was, she wouldn’t pity him. She’d say what everyone else would: that coward Blackthorne got what he deserved.
“Oh, don’t pity him, Maddie,” Miss Brittany told her friend. “If you read the papers more, you’d know he’s a scoundrel, and so is his brother. The two Martingale brothers are known for drink and debauchery. Why, they’ve corrupted my brothers completely.”
Jack laughed. “Your brothers need no corrupting from me, Miss Brittany. Like you, they find enough trouble on their own.”
“How dare you—”
“This isn’t helping,” Lady Madeleine broke in. Her voice was still calm and soft, but it held authority. “What we have here is a misunderstanding. I’m sure if we went back and explained everything to Sir Gareth, you two would not have to marry.”
“But—” Mr. Dover began.
“Shh!” Lady Madeleine said, and looked from her friend to Jack hopefully.
Jack shook his head. If only Sir Gareth was the sole reason he had to get out of London. But he wasn’t about to worry her with mention of Nick’s little altercation with Bleven. Even if Bleven weren’t involved, only marriage to his daughter would stop Sir Gareth from shooting him on first sight.
“You’re noble to ruin your own plans to help me, my lady,” Jack told her, “but no one would listen at this point anyway. By now Sir Gareth’s gone to fetch your father, and we probably have a bevy of footmen after us. The time for talking is done. I don’t want to see anyone’s father again until I’m someone’s son-in-law.”
“I have to agree with him, my lady,” Dover said. “If we go back now, we’re all doomed. Your reputations are ruined—”
“I don’t care about my reputation!” Lady Madeleine argued.
“That makes two of us,” Jack said. “But, as I said, I’m doing this to save my neck. You might not care about my neck, but you probably care about your fiancé’s. He’ll fare no better than I if we go back now.”
Jack watched as Lady Madeleine turned those big blue eyes on Dover, reassuring her fiancé with a look that she would never allow him to face danger.
Jack felt like killing the professor. No one had ever given a damn whether he was endangered or not, especially not anyone like Lady Madeleine. He felt another stitch of jealousy knot in his heart and looked away.
Let the couple have their moment.
It was late afternoon by the time Jack looked back. He’d been watching the country roll by and assisting with the change of horses. They were making good time. He hoped to reach Stevenage before nightfall. The carriage had turned quiet, and as he surveyed his fellow travelers, he saw that all but Dover were sleeping.
Like him, the other man was peering out the window and occasionally checking his pocket watch. Each glance at the pocket watch was followed by a slight tsk.
Across from Jack, the two girls were slumped together. The brunette had her head on the blonde’s shoulder. Lady Madeleine’s eyes were closed and she breathed evenly.
Jack studied her, trying to remember if he’d ever seen her in Town. He didn’t attend many of the ton’s functions, so it was unlikely. Besides, he knew he would have remembered this exquisite creature. In fact, if they’d met under different circumstances, he might be the one sitting in Dover’s place.
Dover. That required another glance at the man beside him. Jack could not figure what the polished beauty saw in the professor. He supposed the other man wasn’t unattractive—not that he knew how to judge that in other men—and the other man definitely appeared intelligent. Even now he was polishing his spectacles and looking ponderous.
Lady Madeleine obviously preferred intelligence over passion. There couldn’t be much passion between the professor and the earl’s daughter. He couldn’t begin to imagine the dull Mr. Dover kissing the luscious Lady Madeleine senseless.
Too bad, because that was so obviously what the little brunette needed. He turned his gaze back to Lady Madeleine. She worried too much. Even in her sleep he could see that. There was a small crease between her two slender eyebrows that told him she was worrying.
Jack longed to reach across the carriage and smooth the line, to make it vanish forever. But he knew once he touched her, he wouldn’t be able to stop. Sure, it would start with an innocent caressing away of that line, and next thing he’d place his palm on her smooth, creamy cheek.
He could imagine the silky feeling of her skin beneath his own flesh. She’d be warm and soft. So soft. He wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of trailing a finger or two to her lips.
Even now, in the dim carriage, he could see they were rosy and full and lush. Those were lips a man begged to kiss. Those were lips that promised so much more than they ever took. Jack imagined slipping his thumb inside that rosy mouth, and then had to shift and look away.
With a sigh, he went back to staring out the window. Riding across from Lady Madeleine all the way to Scotland was going to be miserable. He was half aroused just thinking of touching her face. He hadn’t even begun to imagine exploring below her neck.
His eyes darted to the bodice of her pretty dress. The gown was purplish and white with small bows along the hem. The bodice was unadorned. No dainty bows for him to push askew there. If he just slipped one finger inside and touched—
“Sir?”
Dover spoke, and Jack pulled his eyes away from Lady Madeleine with a jerk of his head.
“What?” he barked far too sharply. Lady Madeleine moved and stretched, and Jack had to look away or embarrass himself.
