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She chuckled. “You can take full credit, sir.”
“Please, I really must insist that you call me Jack,” he interrupted, giving her fingers a squeeze. “We are friends, are we not?”
She paused, a warning that her husband would not be pleased to discover his new bride speaking so intimately with another man. Even so, she tilted her chin in an unconscious gesture of pride.
Gabriel had given up his right to dictate her behavior when he had driven her from London.
“Jack,” she breathed.
Satisfaction flared through his dark eyes. “Much better. Now, what were you saying?”
“I was admitting that I shall unfortunately never develop a talent for fashion. Which is why I am so thankful for your advice.”
“A foolish business.” He shrugged. “You have far more important talents.”
“You are very kind.”
“No, my dear, I speak with all sincerity,” he assured her. “Your presence at Carrick Park has enriched the entire neighborhood.”
“Jack…”
“Only this morning Mrs. Jordan was singing your praises for having so quickly acquired a suitable doctor.” He overrode her embarrassed protest. “And Mr. Stone is convinced you are an angel for the meals you have provided for his family. And, of course, your plans for the new school have the entire countryside twittering with excitement.”
With a laugh, Talia pressed her hands to her heated cheeks. Her entire life had been filled with criticism and the knowledge she was a disappointment to those who were supposed to love her.
She had no notion how to accept such admiration.
“Enough.”
He took a step closer, releasing her hand so he could cup her chin in his palm.
“I simply wish you to know that your servants and tenants consider you to be one of the finest Countesses of Ashcombe in memory.”
Genuine warmth filled her heart. The realization that she had the power to improve the lives of those who depended upon her had given a sense of purpose to her days. And more than that, it had offered a newfound confidence in herself.
Something she had never expected.
“It is pleasant to think that I am not an utter failure in my position.”
His brows snapped into a frown. “Failure? Why would you say such a thing?”
“How can I not? As you are well aware, I have yet to be welcomed by my more noble neighbors. They are obviously not so pleased by my presence.”
He studied her pale face. “Does that trouble you?”
She grimaced. “The thought of bringing shame to my husband’s family troubles me.”
Without warning Jack grasped her upper arms in a firm grip, his dark eyes blazing.
“Do not,” he growled.
“Vicar…Jack.”
“Forgive me, but I cannot allow you to talk such nonsense,” he barked, not sounding the least apologetic.
Talia regarded him with a measure of surprise, taken off guard by the sudden vehemence in his tone.
“It is not nonsense to be concerned for my position as the Countess of Ashcombe.”
“Surely your position means tending to those in need, which you have done with admirably, rather than wasting your time and resources on impressing those unworthy of your concern?”
Talia frowned, suddenly suspicious that Jack Gerard hid dark depths behind his smooth charm. But she soon shrugged aside her brief moment of disquiet.
What was the matter with her? Jack was a handsome, excessively pleasant gentleman whom she counted a friend.
“I am not so certain my husband would agree with you,” she said, returning her attention to their conversation.
“Then he is a fool.”
“Jack,” she gently chastised.
“My lady…Talia…” He paused, as if searching for the proper words. “I have only been here a short while, but the people tend to confide in me.”
She laughed. It was rare that the church was not filled with eager females seeking a word alone with the handsome vicar.
“Yes, you do have a skill for earning the trust of others, especially if they happen to be the fairer sex,” she teased.
His expression never eased. “Then you will believe me when I tell you that the locals had few kind words for the previous countess.”
Her breath caught at his blunt confession. The sensible part of her knew she should gently turn the conversation in another direction. It was hardly polite to gossip about her mother-in-law with the local vicar. But a larger part of her was consumed with curiosity about the woman who had yet to acknowledge Talia as a member of her family.
“Why?”
“She is like far too many in society.” His voice was edged with disgust. “She cares for nothing beyond her own comforts and her social standing. In less than a month you have managed to spend more time among the tenants than she has in the past thirty years. Certainly she has never taken the effort to learn their names or to discover their needs.” He grimaced. “To be honest, I doubt she is even aware of them as more than additions to the barnyard animals.”
Talia frowned. She had always thought the Countess of Ashcombe a conceited, overly proud woman when she had seen her in London, but it was disturbing to think she had no concern for the poor and vulnerable.
“I do not believe she could be entirely oblivious to those who depend upon her.”
“No?” Jack pointed across the distant fields that provided a perfect view of Carrick Park. The sight was magnificent as the last rays of sunlight brushed the windows in pinks and violets, and the water cascading in the marble fountains sparkled like jewels. “Last winter she insisted that old Lucas be forced from the cottage that had been in his family for two hundred years because it spoiled her view of the church.”
“Surely she did not realize…”
“The poor man begged on his knees to have his home spared, but he was tossed like so much rubbish into his daughter’s care and his cottage was destroyed.” He deliberately held her troubled gaze. “He died less than a fortnight later.”
“I cannot accept she would be so cruel.”
“It was more indifference than cruelty,” he mused. “For aristocrats such as the countess, those without blue blood running through their veins are simply unworthy of their consideration.”
She tugged from his lingering grip, licking her dry lips. She barely noticed that his dark gaze seemed fascinated by the small gesture.
“And what of my…” She still struggled with what to call the man who had taken her as his bride, then stolen her innocence before shipping her off to the country. “Of the earl? The servants and tenants speak of him with great respect.”
“As if they have a choice,” he said dryly.
A sickness settled in the pit of her stomach. She could not explain why, but the thought of Gabriel as yet another worthless aristocrat living off the sweat of his tenants without offering them the assistance and appreciation they deserved made her heart ache with disappointment.
“Oh.”
There was a brief hesitation, then without warning Jack heaved a harsh sigh.
“Forgive me, Talia. I am not being entirely fair.”
She blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“From all I have heard your husband is a decent landlord who has done much to introduce the latest farming techniques to his tenants.”
“But?” she prompted, sensing he was not revealing the full truth.
“I beg your pardon?”
“What are you not telling me?”
He gave a lift of his hands. “The earl tends to be an intimidating figure to most in the neighborhood. Few would dare approach him without invitation. Which means many have continued to suffer.”
A portion of Talia’s distress faded upon hearing Gabriel was merely aloof and not a callous brute. Surely with a bit of encouragement he could earn the trust of those in his care? Not that she intended to be the unfortunate individual making the suggestion, she acknowledged with a tiny shiver.
Nor would her companion. Not if his barely hidden sneer was any indication.
“You disapprove of my husband?” she demanded, wondering if the two men had ever crossed paths.
“I have little use for those who treat their power as a God-given right rather than a duty to others.”
She narrowed her gaze at the intensity in his voice. “Are you a Jacobin?”
His charming smile returned in the blink of an eye. “I am a humble vicar who is devoted to his flock, not a revolutionary.”
“Hmm.” She tilted her head to the side. “Why do I sense there is much you keep hidden?”
Before she could realize his intent, Jack had reached to tug at a stray curl that rested against her cheek.
“I will admit that my estimation of the earl has risen considerably since your arrival at Carrick Park,” he murmured, his dark gaze regarding her with blatant admiration. “I would never have suspected that he possessed the good sense to wed a lady of such value, rather than a typical debutante.”
Talia blushed, vividly aware of the intimate touch of his hand against her cheek.
“You must know that I was not the bride of his choice,” she said in flustered tones.
His thumb brushed her lower lip. “Are you so certain?”
“Of course.” She regarded him in bewildered shock. He could not possibly mean that Gabriel was anything but horrified to be married to Silas Dobson’s daughter. “He barely noted my existence until my father bullied him into marrying me.”
“It is my experience that gentlemen such as Lord Ashcombe rarely allow themselves to be bullied into any situation, let alone into marriage.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You have not yet had the untoward pleasure of meeting my father.”
“I do not doubt he is a man of considerable…”
“Pigheaded stubbornness combined with a brute lack of morals?” she offered wryly.
“Whatever his power, he could never truly take on a wealthy peer of the realm,” he smoothly continued. “He might have given Lord Ashcombe an excuse to take you as his bride, but the earl would never have wed you unless that was what he desired to do.”
Talia’s heart gave a strange leap of excitement before she hastily quelled the ridiculous reaction.
Jack clearly underestimated Gabriel’s pride. He would have wed a savage from the colonies to avoid a nasty scandal. Now he hated her for the sacrifice he had been forced to make. And she did not blame him.
“You are quite mistaken.”
His lips twisted. “Perhaps.”
Giving a shake of her head, Talia parted her lips to continue her protests only to be distracted by the heavy tread of footsteps approaching from the cemetery behind the church.
With a frown she turned to watch two men dressed in rough woolen sailor coats and loose trousers come to an abrupt halt as they noticed her.
A strange chill inched down her spine at the sight of their heavily muscled bodies and their weathered faces that spoke of endless hours toiling in the sun. Still, it was not their rough appearances that made her consider the need to flee for safety, it was instead the unmistakable air of violence that hovered about them.
She took an instinctive step backward, not sure what to expect. Then surprisingly, she felt Jack move to stand protectively at her back, his hand circling her waist.
One of the two men glanced toward the vicar, and Talia tensed, terrified that they were about to be attacked.
Instead there was a taut moment of silence before they gave a respectful dip of their heads and turned to make their way into the church.
Talia gave a baffled shake of her head, not entirely certain what had just happened.
“Good heavens.” She turned to meet Jack’s wary gaze. “Who were those gentlemen?”
“No one who need concern you,” he assured her.
Talia was far from comforted. “Are you certain? They look to be ruffians.”
Jack shrugged. “Ruffians have as much need of spiritual guidance as any other. Even more so.”
“But…”
“It grows late, Talia.” Without warning, Jack leaned down to brush a soft kiss over her cheek. “Return to your home.”
She ignored his forward manner, sensing that he was deliberately attempting to be rid of her. Why?
Did he fear the men might still be a danger to her? Or was there some other reason for his desire to send her on her way?
