There had been no well-planned accidental collisions in the hall outside his room today, no yearning glances, no stolen kisses, and no blushes. An inauspicious way in which to begin such an important day, he thought.
"I believe there is a rather educational tale involving longitude calculations on one of Captain Jack's voyages to Boston," Jared said. He consulted his appointment journal again. "After the lessons have been completed, I shall escort your aunt to the library of the Society for Travel and Exploration."
Olympia perked up a bit at that. "Excellent, there are one or two more things I wish to check in the society's map collection."
One would never guess that this was her wedding day, Jared thought grimly. Evidently she was far more excited about the prospect of going to the library to prowl through old maps than she was about the notion of marrying him.
"While you are working in the society's library," Jared said, "I shall keep an appointment with Felix Hartwell. We have business matters to discuss. Robert, Ethan, and Hugh shall fly their kite in the park. When I am through, it will be time for the midday meal."
Ethan kicked his heels against the bottom rung of his chair. "What are we going to do this afternoon, sir?"
"Kindly refrain from kicking the chair," Jared said absently.
"Yes, sir."
Jared gazed at the next item on the schedule and felt every muscle in his lower body grow rigid with anticipation and apprehension. What would he do if Olympia had changed her mind?
She must not change her mind.
Not now when he was so close to possessing his own personal siren.
Not now when the only woman he had ever wanted with such passionate intensity was almost within his grasp. Nor now.
"After we have eaten," he said, exerting every ounce of his self-control to keep his voice even, "your aunt and I will see to the formalities of our marriage. The arrangements have all been made. The matter should not take very long. When we return—"
Silver crashed against china at the opposite end of the table.
"Oh, dear," Olympia murmured.
Jared glanced up in time to see a pot of gooseberry jam fly off the edge of the table. The spoon that had been sticking out of the pot went over with it.
Ethan smothered a giggle. Olympia jumped to her feet and bent down to dab ineffectually at the carpet with her napkin.
"Leave it," Jared said. "Mrs. Bird will see to it."
Olympia sent him an uncertain look, lowered her eyes, and quickly sat down again.
So she was not nearly as disinterested in the matter of her marriage as she had appeared. Something inside him relaxed slightly. He propped his elbows on the table, steepled his fingers, and concentrated again on his appointment journal.
"Dinner will be served earlier than usual tonight," he continued, "as we shall be going to Vauxhall Gardens afterward to view the fireworks this evening."
Predictably enough, a cheer went up from Ethan, Hugh, and Robert.
"I say, that is an excellent plan, sir." Robert's face was alight with anticipation.
"We have never seen fireworks," Ethan confided gleefully.
"Will there be a band playing music?" Hugh asked.
"I expect so," Jared said.
"And may we have ices?"
"Very likely." Jared watched Olympia's face to see how she was taking the prospect of celebrating their wedding at Vauxhall Gardens. It occurred to him rather belatedly that some women might be heartily offended.
But Olympia's eyes were suddenly glowing. "A wonderful notion. I should love to see the fireworks."
Jared breathed a silent sigh of relief. Who said he did not have a romantic bone in his body, he thought.
"May we go for a stroll on the Dark Walk at Vauxhall?" Robert asked with a suspicious innocence.
Jared scowled briefly. "What do you know of the Dark Walk?"
"One of the boys that we met in the park yesterday told us all about it," Ethan explained. "He said it was quite dangerous to go down the Dark Walk."
"That's right, sir," Robert said. "We were told that sometimes people who go along the Dark Walk at Vauxhall are never seen again." He shuddered. "Do you think that is true, sir?"
"No, I do not," Jared said.
"Another boy that we met said he knew of a certain maid who had worked in his house for years who had disappeared on the Dark Walk," Robert informed him. "She was never seen again."
"Ran off with a footman most likely." Jared closed his appointment journal.
"I should very much like to go for a stroll on the Dark Walk," Robert said persistently.
Hugh made a face at him across the table. "You only want to go on the Dark Walk because that boy in the park dared you to do it. But it wouldn't count if all of us went for a stroll on it together. Lord Chillhurst would be there to scare off the villains."
"That's right," Ethan added triumphantly. "The villains would not come around if his lordship and the rest of us were there with you. You'd have to go along the Dark Walk all by yourself in order to win the dare. You'd be too frightened to do it, I'll wager."
"Yes," Hugh taunted. "You'd be frightened to take a walk on the Dark Walk all by yourself."
Robert glared at his brothers. "I'm not afraid to go down the Dark Walk."
"Yes, you are," Hugh said.
Jared arched one brow at the twins. "That is quite enough. An intelligent man does not respond to the dares and taunts of others. He rises above such foolishness and makes his own decisions based on reason and logic. Now, if you have finished your breakfast, you may go prepare for today's lessons."
"Yes, sir." Hugh gave Robert one last sly look as he jumped out of his seat.
Ethan snickered and got to his feet.
Robert manfully ignored his brothers as he rose and made his bow to Olympia.
Jared waited until he and Olympia were alone in the room. Then he gazed down the length of the table. "I trust today's schedule meets with your approval, my dear?"
Olympia gave a small start. "Yes. Yes, of course." She waved her spoon in a vague fashion. "You're very good at schedules and such. I vow I have come to rely upon you in matters of that sort."
"Thank you. I do my best."
Olympia scowled briefly. "Are you laughing at me, Chillhurst?"
"No, my dear. It is myself I find rather amusing more and more often of late."
Olympia's eyes brimmed with disconcerting perception. "Jared, why do you mock yourself and your own passions? Is it because you do not like to admit that you are capable of strong emotions?"
"It has been my experience that forceful passions have a generally negative effect on a man's life. They lead to foolish excesses, dangerous adventures, and reckless behavior of all sorts."
"Only uncontrolled passions lead to such bad endings," Olympia said gently. "Your passions are always under control, sir." She blushed furiously. "Except, perhaps, when you are in the throes of romantic passion."
"Yes," Jared said, "except when I am making love to you." He met her eyes. You are my great weakness, my most vulnerable point, my Achilles heel. My siren. Jared finished his coffee and set the cup down with due deliberation. "You must excuse me, Olympia. My students await me."
"Jared, wait, there is something important that I wish to tell you." Olympia put out her hand as he went past. "It is about my latest discovery in the Lightbourne diary."
"My dear, the one thing that I will not discuss on my wedding day is that confounded diary. You know how much the damn topic annoys me. Once and for all, I do not want to hear another word about it." Jared lowered his head and brushed his mouth across hers.
"But, Jared—"
"Try to spare some thought for the wedding night which awaits us, siren," he ordered softly. "Perhaps you will find it almost as interesting as the Lightbourne diary."