A Christmas In Bath Read Free Page A

could mean he was possessed of a fine house. And wealth too, most probably. A wealthy man would not mind that Miss Arbuckle had no dowry.
    Jonathan found himself regretting that he'd left Bath several weeks earlier. Had he known Miss Arbuckle was going to go about displaying her . . . her fleshy bits and her milky shoulders, he would have stayed here and put his foot down! She obviously needed a steadying presence such as himself. Certainly not Glee!
    Was Miss Arbuckle not going to tell him who her admirer was? He did not like this at all. He and Miss Arbuckle never kept secrets from one another. When Jeremy Bentham had quietly come to Bath for the waters, she was one of  the few who had learned of the great philosopher's secret presence in Bath. Though she had been told to tell no one, she found it impossible to conceal Mr. Bentham's presence from him, a huge admirer of Bentham's for the greater good political teachings.
    She shared many other things with him. She was the first to suspect that Glee was increasing with their son, and she shared that too with him. And of all their mutual acquaintances, he was the only one who knew what a fine poet she was. For she shared her impressive works only with him.
    And now she was being courted. He swallowed. Would he lose her friendship?
    The very notion put him in a foul temper.
    "I do hate to disappoint you," Glee said to him, "but Miss Arbuckle must rush home to prepare for the Assembly Rooms tonight."
    He glared at Glee, glared at Miss Arbuckle. "Then I shall see you—and your suitors—there." His fists clenched, he pounded up the stairs.

Chapter 2
     
    Though it was against her nature to show anger, Miss Arbuckle could not conceal her displeasure with Glee Blankenship. Miss Arbuckle had ever so much wanted to go into the library with Mr. Blankenship.
    Once he had slammed the library door, she directed a shocked gaze at Glee. "You've gotten me in a fine fix! What shall I do at the Assembly Rooms tonight? Mr. Blankenship will be expecting me to have admirers, and you know I have none."
    Glee gave a smug smile. "I am not above inventing admirers for you. Was that not clever of me to have those flowers sent to you?"
    Miss Arbuckle frowned. "At first I was foolish enough to believe I actually had an admirer, then I realized how cunning you can be. I am mortified, I assure you, by all this."
    Glee continued to descend the stairs. "My carriage should be here now. Come, Miss Arbuckle, allow me to take you home. It's beastly weather for you to be walking in."
    After they both wrapped themselves in warm garb, they got into the fine Blankenship coach, sitting opposite each other. "Did you notice how Jonathan could not remove his eyes from your very fine breasts?"
    There went the scarlet—this time  colouring Miss Arbuckle's entire face. "I have never been so embarrassed."
    Glee turned a shocked gaze upon her. "You cannot be serious! Do you not realize it is a very good thing when a man becomes aware of a woman's sexuality?"
    Oh, dear . No one had ever uttered the word sexuality in front of Miss Mary Arbuckle before.  And to think it was being used in connection with her! She was truly mortified. "I shall die if Mr. Blankenship thinks me fast."
    Glee began to giggle. "You and I must be vastly different. I wanted Blanks to think me fast so he would want to bed me—then fall in love with me.  Men have much more prominent sexual desires than women, you know. They often fall in love with women who satisfy their primal needs."
    Miss Arbuckle clapped her hands over her ears. "I cannot listen to such talk." Truth be told, she did not believe Jonathan Blankenship like other men. A man possessed of so fine a mind would not be interested in carnal pleasures. Never had a single breath been uttered that linked him to brothels or doxies or other such pursuits many other young men were attracted to.
    Before today, he had never shown the slightest sign that he thought of her as anything other than