The Unexpected Wife - Jess Michaels Page 0,31

to start. The phaeton is open air and the best way to see the city is from the road.”

She clapped her hands, knowing she was acting a country fool but somehow not caring. “Oh, it’s wonderful, Owen. My father had this horrible dogcart for hunting and he tried to pretend it was a fine open carriage. He even called it a barouche sometimes—it was dreadful.”

“Why didn’t he buy a barouche if he desired one so greatly?” Owen asked with a shake of his head.

“You’ve met my mother.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you really think he had any say in it? She liked a fine carriage, not a racing rig. At any rate, I always wanted to ride in a phaeton like this. Is it very fast?”

She might have been a little embarrassed by the enthusiasm she seemed not able to control, but he laughed as he signaled for the horses to drive on and they eased onto the bustling street. “Not in the city, of course. But if we went out onto a less populated road, we could frighten the devil out of any poor passerby.”

She bounced in her seat with uncontrollable glee at that thought. “May we?”

“If you wish. I’ll plan it for another day.” He winked at her. “You can even drive.”

“I would love that!”

She settled back against the seat in pure bliss. For the first time in days—no, months—she felt…content. And it was due in no small part to the remarkable man at her side who could both coax desire from her that she feared and present her with hope and happiness even in the worst of situations.

They rode for a while with Owen pointing out the landmarks she had read about so many times. They bounced past Covent Garden and its famous theatre, peered into Hyde Park with his seemingly sincere promises to return, and oohed and aahed over the fine houses in Twickenham.

Every turn seemed to reveal some new pleasure more wonderful than she had ever imagined when she dreamed of escaping her rustic village and coming here. She leaned so far out of the vehicle to sneak her peeks that several times Owen had to place a hand on her lower back to steady her so she wouldn’t tumble from the rig and crack her head open.

Not that she minded when he touched her. There was something wonderful about the warmth and weight of his hand. It both enflamed feelings she hardly recognized in herself and also soothed her. An odd dichotomy she was beginning to crave.

Finally, he turned the rig into a glorious green haven and slowed the horses as they meandered down the tree-lined lanes of a park.

“This is lovely,” she breathed.

He smiled. “It is Pettyfort Park. It’s not as showy as Hyde or St. James, but it’s my favorite in the city. I come here as often as I can to walk and take in the air. My home is just on the other side there.”

He motioned past the entrance, and she craned her neck. Through the trees she saw a pretty neighborhood, quiet and peaceful. She wondered which of the colorful little row of houses was his. Not that she would ever see it.

“It’s also not so crowded. Those are places where those who wish to be seen go to exhibit and someone is always watching. But here you and I can have that conversation you’ve been so desperate to start.”

He winked, and her stomach flipped. “Conversation?” she repeated.

What could he mean by that? Had he read all her wicked thoughts that afternoon as he toured her around the city? Had he felt her desire for him to kiss her again? And again? And then maybe more than kiss her, even though that sort of thing had never appealed to her all that much in the past? Sex with Erasmus had been…well, she’d spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling and thinking of anything but him grunting over her.

Now she found herself wondering what it would be like if Owen touched her. Stripped her bare. Claimed her.

“About what you learned,” he explained with a chuckle that yanked her from her wicked thoughts. “You look so nervous right now, Celeste, almost like you’ve seen a ghost. I only meant that back at the house you tried to talk to me twice about your observations regarding Abigail and Phillipa.”

“Oh, of course,” she gasped, gripping her hands together in her lap. “I wasn’t thinking. Yes, yes.”

He turned his attention back