The Defiant Wife (The Three Mrs #2) - Jess Michaels Page 0,6

and guided her toward the carriage. “I hired a maid for you, as we discussed,” he explained as they reached the carriage door. “So be prepared.”

She drew a gulp of air and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’m ready,” she lied.

He squeezed her arm and then opened the door, helping her up into the vehicle. A petite young woman sat on the bench, and for a moment Pippa stared. Sit next to this stranger or across? Across meant she would sit next to Rhys. She didn’t think she was ready for that.

So she slid into place beside the young lady as Rhys followed her into the vehicle. “Mrs. Montgomery, this is Nan Feeley.”

“Good afternoon,” Pippa said, extending a hand in greeting. “I so appreciate you taking on this position on such short notice.”

“Of course, ma’am,” the young woman said softly as they shook. “I’m happy to be of service to you.”

The way she looked toward Rhys made it clear she knew who her true employer was, but what did it matter? She had a kind way about her, and it was true that Pippa needed a maid. Her last one had…

Well, her last maid had mothered a child with Pippa’s husband, so there was that. She tried to push the bitterness of that truth away as the carriage rocked into motion and they headed onto the street.

“I’ll ride along with you ladies for a while,” Rhys explained. “Though I might change to my horse after a spell.”

“The weather is beautiful for it,” Pippa said, pulling the curtain back as the afternoon sun twinkled through the sparkling glass. “I don’t think I can hardly recall a finer late summer in years.”

For a while they discussed the weather, and she was pleased that Rhys had steered them that way. Surely Nan had heard of Pippa. He might have even had to pay her a little more to associate herself with such a fallen woman. But the topic of weather was benign and allowed Pippa to relax.

Except for when she looked at Rhys. Her foolish heart increased every time she was so wrong as to do that.

Eventually they rode from the confines of London, though, and the pace of their carriage increased. Nan reached for embroidery to pass the time, and that left Pippa to do nothing but stare once more at the man she’d been trying not to look directly at for an hour.

He smiled and his gaze slipped to Nan before it returned to her. His meaning was clear. Although he had hired the young woman and probably vetted her meticulously, she was still a stranger. They would have to be careful about what they spoke about in front of her.

“Are you pleased to return to Bath?” he asked.

Pippa pursed her lips. He probably thought that was a harmless question, as meaningless as the weather. She knew better. But she didn’t have to reveal herself. Not to either of her companions. She was capable of small talk, after all.

“I grew up there,” she said. “I know it very well.”

His brow wrinkled a little at the nonresponse. Of course he would catch it. He was too clever and observant not to. “I’ve visited a few times,” he said. “It is expected that one must go there to take the waters and see the sights.”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, it is a busy town. There were many diversions to be had there thanks to the bustling tourist trade. My father benefitted, of course.”

“He owns an…”

She filled in the gap. “Assembly room. A very popular one, at that. Visited by all of quality who come to the city. If you visited, you probably went there, yourself.”

That was a thought. The idea that Rhys had glided his way through the assembly rooms, that perhaps they had just missed each other, made her shiver.

She tried to keep her face neutral, but it was almost impossible. Worse when he said, “I think you must look forward to seeing your parents again.”

She swallowed, tried to control her breath and her tone as she shrugged one shoulder. Yes, that was a nonchalant action. “I suppose one might think that.”

He wrinkled his brow again and opened his mouth as if to press. But then he glanced at Nan. She was still sewing, but occasionally her gaze flitted toward Pippa. He shut his mouth and shook his head.

“It was an interesting experience growing up around such a place,” she offered as a way to break the discomfort her answers had created.