Lord Melvedere's Ghost (34 page)

“
Who called
him
?” She glared at Jamie accusingly.

“
Him? Who?”

Hugo
shot out of his chair and stalked to the window, rapping out a
brief description of the man steering his curricle down the
driveway.

“
The doctor?” Jamie asked with a frown.

“
Yes, the doctor,” Cecily snapped, staring at Jamie as though
he had just betrayed her. She jumped off his lap as though she had
just been scolded and stared down at him in horror. “You called
that man to this house?”

“
Yes, why? He is the doctor,” Jamie replied blankly.

“
Well you can see him then, because he is coming nowhere near
me,” Cecily declared flatly, staring at Jamie as though he was a
snake in the grass.

“
But he needs to take a look at your head,” Jamie argued,
feeling at a loss to find a way to pacify her. “Your cut is
bleeding again, or had you not noticed?”

“
I can deal with it myself,” Cecily scoffed. “I don’t need that
man coming at me with his bag of horrors. You can see him. Let him
take a look at your head. My head is staying where it is thank you
very much.” Her desperation grew at the sound of the rapid knock on
the front door. Nobody moved to answer it. Cecily heard rapid
footsteps followed by Mrs Nantwich’s melodic voice.

“
Where are you going?” Jamie cried, watching her stalk toward
the French windows.

“
As far away from that, that, torturer as I can get,” she
huffed, slamming out of the door without a backward
glance.

Jamie
stared blankly at Hugo who merely grinned. Simon was no help either
and made no attempt to hide his amusement.

“
I guess she doesn’t like the doctor,” Jonathan mused, slugging
another gulp of brandy around a laugh. It was good to see his
friend being kept on his toes and was glad that he had found
someone like Cecily. She was solid and dependable, not like most of
the waspish young females hankering after marriage. He liked her,
and that made the ordeal of the last few days all the more
bearable.

Jamie
moved to go after her only to pause at a knock on the study
door.

“
The doctor -”

“
I know, but erm,” Jamie glanced at the door Cecily had just
used and wondered if he should just carry her upstairs and hold her
down while the doctor dealt with her head, but knew that she would
most probably refuse to marry him if he did. Scowling in
consternation, his gaze flew to Simon when he sighed heavily and
motioned the doctor inside.

“
He,” Simon pointed to a shocked Jonathan, “has had a bash on
the head and needs checking over.” He cast a disgruntled Jonathan
an unrepentant smile and watched as the doctor began to ruthlessly
poke and prod.

While
Jonathan was complaining about the pain, Jamie snuck outside,
studying the gardens carefully for any sign of Cecily. He walked
past the shattered library door and spotted Sophie and Mrs Nantwich
tidying up the mess.

“
She went that way,” Mrs Nantwich said with a smile, pointing
at the hallway door. “I think she doesn’t like the
doctor.”

Jamie
shook his head and took the servants’ stairs two at a time. He
found Cecily in the master bedroom, washing blood off her face.
Although she had yet to remove her soiled dress, her face was at
least cleared of blood and matted hair.

She
glared at him in the mirror and watched cautiously as he moved to
stand behind her. She felt the cool waft of air at her back and
knew he was undoing the long row of tiny buttons at the back of her
dress.

“
What are you doing?” She asked carefully, drying her face with
a towel. She really did need to bath and wash her hair but, right
now she had more pressing matters to deal with, like the imminent
arrival of the doctor. She glanced warily at the door and turned a
scowl on Jamie.

“
I am helping you to remove your dress. It is soiled and
dirty,” Jamie replied reasonably as he eased the fabric slowly off
her shoulders. He dropped tiny kisses along the warm, bare skin of
her shoulder.

“
Don’t ever do that to me again,” he said darkly, resting his
chin on her shoulder and staring into her eyes through the glass.
“You had me scared for a moment there.”

“
Did you really mean all of those things you said?” Cecily’s
voice quivered with nerves. She had to know, she simply had to.
Before anything else happened, and while Hugo was still downstairs
and available to take her somewhere else, she simply had to find
out from Jamie once and for all just exactly how much he cared. She
knew he wanted her, and desired her, affectionately, but it wasn’t
enough.

“
I did,” Jamie whispered. “I meant every last word of it.” He
turned her slowly around and eased a wet curl away from her
forehead. He gently cupped her cheek in one large palm.

“
I love you, Cecily Tinsdale,” he whispered. He caught the
hiccupping sob she took with his lips. He backed her steadily
toward the bed and then slowly sat her down on the edge of the
mattress. Cecily was about to lie back when his hands on her
shoulders stopped her.

Frowning
she leaned back from his kiss and stared up at him in
confusion.

“
What are you doing?” She asked warily, watching him drag the
small table beside the bed over to her knees. She gasped when he
yanked his shirt out of his breeches, drew it over his head and
began to tear it into strips. “Jamie! Have you gone mad?” She
watched as strip after strip landed on her lap.

She
glanced up at him when he didn’t answer and gasped as his lips
landed on hers. She moaned as her senses swam, but she was destined
for disappointment. The hands she placed on the bare muscles of his
chest were captured in his large palms and placed back in her
lap.

“
Marry me?” He whispered, searching her eyes for any sign of
lingering fear, worry or the dazed look that told him that her mind
was clouded by the knock to the head.

“
I love you,” Cecily replied, unable to keep the words in. She
watched his face soften at her words and she smiled gently back.
His brows lifted and she smiled sheepishly when she realised that
he was still waiting. “Of course,” she added, bracing her hands on
his chest to stop him from kissing her again. “But only on one
condition.”

Jamie
paused and leaned back warily, one brow arched in silent
query.

“
Don’t ever send for the doctor again,” Cecily whispered with a
knowing look.

Jamie’s
lips twitched. “You may need him a time or two in the future,
darling,” he argued glancing at the gash visible through her hair.
“But right now, we will leave it with just the two of
us.”

Cecily
slumped with relief. “Where is he?” she demanded glancing warily
around the bedroom as though he was going to pop out from beneath
the bed.

“
Downstairs, giving Jonathan a headache,” Jamie replied with an
unrepentant grin.

“
He did give me one very good piece of advice the last time he
was here though, I will grant him that,” Cecily announced
conversationally several moments later. Her lips tingled from his
careful ministrations and he hadn’t even touched her head
yet.

“
Oh, what was that?” Jamie asked. He reluctantly drew back and
began to dab at the blood in her hair with one of the strips of his
shirt.

“
He told me that with a head injury, the best recovery was
plenty of bed rest.”

“
Bed rest, you say?” Jamie mused, making no attempt to hide his
grin. The cut was really quite small and had already stopped
bleeding. Her hair had blood in it, and needed a thorough wash, but
he would save that ministration for later, when he could share the
bath with her.

“
I am afraid that I am going to have to insist that I carry out
the doctor’s orders, and must take to my bed at once,” Cecily
sighed. She didn’t know where the emboldened side of her had come
from but she grabbed hold of his waist and drew him down onto the
bed with a giggle. He fell down onto the mattress beside her and
rested his head on one hand. His gaze turned solemn as he studied
her.

“
Are you really all right?”

Cecily
studied him carefully before reaching over to cup his beloved face.
“With you around, I will always be all right.”

EPILOGUE

Cecily
had never been more nervous in her entire life. She smiled shakily
at Mrs Nantwich who handed her a small bouquet of flowers before
quietly leaving her to have a few moments to herself. The carriage
was waiting in the morning sunshine outside and her groom was
already at the church with most of the Star Elite, but Cecily took
a moment to gather her thoughts.

Today
she was going to marry the man of her dreams; the love of her life;
and the man who was the father to the child she carried. She smiled
secretively and took one last careful look at herself in the
mirror.

Her only
regret was that Portia wouldn’t be here to share her special day.
She had so desperately wanted to see her sister on this wonderful
occasion, and had tried several times to persuade Jamie to delay
the nuptials until they were safe to meet, but Jamie had refused
point-blank to even consider the notion. Jamie had been adamant
that given the fact that they were already sharing a bed, it was
folly to delay a wedding any longer than was absolutely necessary.
When the possibility that she may be with child became apparent,
Cecily realised that he was right and she owed it to her, their,
child to ensure that things were done properly. She had agreed that
the wedding should go ahead and had been stunned by just how
swiftly Jamie had put the arrangements into place.

Although
she had never asked him, she strongly suspected that he had already
made all of the arrangements anyway, but she couldn’t find it in
her heart to be angry with him. He had a way of diverting her anger
that inevitably left her exhausted, delighted and thoroughly
bemused at his ability to bend her to his will.

She
turned toward the door and froze. There, standing beside the door
to the corridor, was Jamie’s father. He was dressed in a morning
suit, with a beautiful pink rose in his lapel. He smiled brightly
at Cecily and looked at the door. Thoroughly bemused, if shaken,
she smiled back and watched as he nodded before he turned toward
the door to the sitting room, and disappeared.

With a
sigh, Cecily walked out of Melvedere and climbed into the carriage,
her stomach fluttering nervously as she smiled up at Billy, the new
coachman.

A lot
had happened over the last several weeks, not least the passages,
attics and servants quarters had been thoroughly cleaned by an army
of new staff all shepherded along by Mrs Nantwich and the new
deputy housekeeper, Sophie. Doreen had taken up another position at
a smaller house closer to the village so that she could spend more
time with her husband, and her position had been filled by a shy
young maid called Molly.

All too
soon the carriage drew to a stop outside of the church. Cecily took
a deep breath and glanced out of the window. Her eyes grew wide at
the sight of the large crowds gathered to watch. She had agreed
with Jamie that the ceremony should be kept small, with only
Jamie’s friend and colleagues from the Star Elite in attendance,
and his cousin Florence Seabrook and a step-aunt, Tabatha
Seabrook.

She
gathered her skirts and reached for the door only to jump when it
flew open and Archie’s head popped into view. Her eyes widened, and
she squealed in delight.

He
grinned at her. “Thank God you are here,” he announced, holding his
hand out to help her down. Her feet had no sooner hit the floor
than she was swept into a huge hug. “I had notes that you were
well, but I wanted to make sure for myself,” he declared softly.
“He took care of you then?”

Tears
gathered in Cecily’s eyes and she nodded, unable to speak past the
lump in her throat.

“
Don’t mind these people, they are villagers here to wish you
and Jamie well, that’s all.” Archie stood back and held his arm
out, placing a fatherly hand on hers as he led her through the
crowd toward the church.

“
Portia? Is she here?” Even saying her sister’s name made
Cecily’s voice quiver.

Archie
merely smiled secretively and led her through the excited
masses.

The
coldness within the church was in stark contrast to the brilliant
sunshine but Cecily was oblivious to everything other than the
excitement that began to build within her.

She had
no sooner taken a step into the small anti-room than a flurry of
pale material captured her attention. Within seconds she was swept
into Portia’s hug and together the sisters stood, clinging together
fiercely for several long moments while the tears
flowed.

It was
several long moments before either lady was able to say
anything.

“
Ahem.” Jamie smiled and moved forward to pull Cecily into his
arms.

“
You arranged this,” she whispered chidingly, not caring at all
that Portia and Archie were themselves hugging tightly.