Authors: Stella Whitelaw
‘Good,’ said Jessica. ‘I’ll put the rescued seaweed in a bucket.’
Lucas came over to her, awkwardly. He was as handsome as ever, but there were lines etched on his face, as if he had aged. Rain was spiking his hair and his clothes were wet, but his eyes were smiling with a quiet hope.
‘Are you ever going to forgive me, Jessica?’ he said. ‘I’ve been such a fool. A complete idiot.’
Lucas was standing barely a few inches away from her. A lump formed in her throat. He was looking at her with an odd, searching look. Jessica refused to allow any romantic thoughts to flood her mind. Lucas had to say them. He had to heal all the hurt.
‘Jessica,’ he said, his voice gravelly and full of anguish. ‘We must put this right. I don’t want to lose you.’
Jessica was aware that she was very cold. One side of the fleece was soaked through and the rest almost as wet from holding Daniel in the car. But she had to stay and listen to what Lucas had to say.
‘You almost have,’ she said, trying to stop her teeth from chattering.
He groaned. ‘I know. I don’t know what devil got into me. I felt I couldn’t go through intrigue and deception again, even when you proved to me that it was all lies. I hadn’t the sense to trust you.’ He bent and touched the lovely line of her mouth. ‘Please forgive me. Please take me back into your life.’
‘Take you back?’ said Jessica. ‘After what you’ve put me through? You expect me to fall into your arms and say
everything
is all right? Will it happen again? How many times will it happen? I don’t want to be constantly living on a knife edge.’ Her feelings washed over her body in a wave of pain. She had suffered so much in the last few days.
Her mind was teeming with angry, bitter things to say even
though she loved him. No way was he going to walk in and say he was sorry and everything would be back to square one. There was no way she could handle this now. The search for Daniel had drained her. She was exhausted. She was wet and she was cold. This was not the time for soul-searching.
‘I’ve made some tea,’ said Jessica, pouring out two mugfuls. ‘Perhaps we should put some warmth inside ourselves before we talk any more.’
Lucas took a step back with his mug of tea. ‘Always the nurse,’ he said with a note of sadness. ‘Where’s my fiery, passionate woman?’
‘Your fiery, passionate woman is soaking wet and close to hypothermia.’
It was the first time he had looked at her physical condition and it shocked him. He gulped down some tea and then put his hands lightly on her shoulders, turning her in the direction of the stairs.
‘Bath and bed, in that order,’ he said.
The terse words meant more to Jessica than any flowery declarations. Some sort of communication sprang up between them. She let him propel her out of the kitchen, taking her tea with her, sipping the hot liquid. She wanted to be looked after, to be taken care of as lovers took care of each other, whatever the world presented.
He turned on the landing towards her yellow bedroom. She was too numb to wonder what was going to happen. The
swirling
feelings inside her were all part of the trauma of the night’s events. They had found Daniel. They did not have to worry about him for a while.
Somewhere on the way upstairs, she lost her sodden shoes. The soft carpet was bliss underfoot. Lucas steered her into the primrose bathroom, leaned over and put in the plug and turned on both taps.
‘Get undressed,’ he said.
But her fingers were to cold to obey. She struggled with zips and buttons and hooks. At some point Lucas took over, his face
intently serious. He unzipped the fleece and removed it. Then he helped her out of her clinging wet jeans. He could barely keep his hands from stroking her long brown legs. He caught a glimpse of her white lace briefs and his desire was on fire.
He pulled her T-shirt over her head, his fingers skimming her skin, and her heart turned over as his touch became a
sensitive
delight. How could he know what he was doing to her? Stripping her of her clothes as if she was another eight-year-old?
Lucas could not hold back his feelings as she stood before him in lacy bra and pants. His lips parted in anticipation and he drew her to him, taking her mouth into his, drowning his
feelings
in an intimate imprisonment.
He ran his fingers lightly over her thigh, hip and waist, caressing her skin with a feathery touch, outlining her soft curves. Then he realized she was shivering, from cold or from passion, he did not know.
‘Into the bath,’ he said.
He helped her step in and lower herself into the warm water. His eyes were clouded with desire. He could not bear to look at her loveliness. A great wave of tenderness overcame him. Jessica was his woman, the only woman in his life and he wanted her for his wife.
He had not put on the light and only light from the bedroom shone into the bathroom. It was a softness that shadowed any flaws. He took the tablet of jasmine soap and rubbed the suds over Jessica’s arms and shoulders. Then he found her feet and legs and gently soothed them with massage and kneading, each little toe receiving loving attention. .
Jessica began to relax, sliding further into the warm water. His hands were magic. She did not care what he did to her. She did not have the strength to resist him even if she wanted to. She was starved for this kind of attention. Tears stung her eyes.
Then Lucas was unhooking her bra and sliding his hands over her breasts, cupping them with sweet sensations, letting the suds soften his touch. Jessica moaned, stretching her
lacerated
nerves, almost unable to keep her fragile composure. They
were meant to be together. She was being swept into a torrent of wanting.
Jessica lifted up her arms towards him, not saying anything, sending an unspoken message racing out to him.
Lucas slipped out of his clothes, and with infinite care, stepped into the bath. The water almost overlapped the side. He lowered himself down onto her and without a word, his body told her everything she had ever wanted to know. He held his mouth on hers, reluctant to break the spell, wrapping her body closely, hungry for her, their storm of desire gathering.
It was long after dawn when they awoke, in her bed, still wrapped around each other. Jessica could not believe that she was seeing Lucas’s dark head on the pillow beside her. He was still asleep, long eyelashes fluttering, breathing soft and even. She studied his ruggedly handsome features and stretched her weakened body. She was spent and sated.
‘Lily always charges in here, early morning,’ she whispered in his ear.
‘She knows me,’ Lucas said, half asleep. ‘I’m her daddy. She’s seen me before.’
‘But not in my bed.’
‘She’ll have to get used to it.’
‘Will she?’
He turned and gazed at her, turning her face to kiss her tenderly. How easily and snugly their bodies fitted together,
‘But I think we’ll need a larger bed. How about a king-sized? When shall we go shopping?’ Lucas asked with a wicked grin. ‘Though there is a certain delightful togetherness about a small bed,’ he added, pulling her close.
They had to savour these last few moments of privacy. Jessica could hear Lily padding along the landing, telling Floppy Ears to hop, hop, hop. Lily climbed onto the bed beside Jessica, then she saw Lucas on the other side.
She looked puzzled.
‘Daddy? Did Jessica promise to read you a story and then
you fell asleep?’ she asked.
‘Something like that,’ he agreed sleepily. ‘It was a lovely story.’
‘Are you going to tell me the story now?’
‘It’s got very long words in it,’ said Lucas. ‘You might not understand them. Floppy Ears would certainly be lost.’
Lily was instantly diverted. ‘Floppy Ears has been extremely naughty this morning already. He wouldn’t clean his teeth and he wouldn’t wash his ears. He’s not going to get any breakfast.’
‘That rabbit has a hard life,’ said Lucas. ‘Shall I take him to the hospital with me as a punishment?’
Lily looked aghast. ‘Oh no, he has to stay here. He has to keep Grandmother company while I go to school. That’s his job.’
‘Does your grandmother know this?’
‘Yes, I ‘plained it to her.’
‘And what did she say?’
‘She said she would put him in a cupboard and shut the door when he was naughty.’
Jessica took the opportunity to slip out of bed and put on her bathrobe. Lucas caught a tantalizing glimpse of her bare back, the curve of her spine, her hair falling over her shoulders.
‘I’ll go downstairs and make some tea. Everyone will be awake by now, all this racket going on.’
‘Early morning tea in bed,’ teased Lucas. ‘I am being spoilt. Shall I get this service every morning?’
‘No,’ said Jessica. ‘You’ll be in the cupboard with Floppy Ears.’
They started laughing, their eyes warm with love. They could not take their eyes off each other. Lily joined in the laughter though she was not sure what she was laughing at.
Lucas had to go to the hospital. He had a list that morning and Maggie was still a concern. Laughter united them. He could not stop touching Jessica, loving every moment that she smiled at him. It was going to be all right. One day they would talk about it all, but now was not the time.
Jessica’s arm encircled his waist as he ate some toast and marmalade standing up. Lucas was going, after the briefest of breakfasts in the kitchen.
‘Tomorrow,’ he said, ‘I am going to take you out, firstly with a call to see young Maggie. When did you last have a day off?’
‘I’ve never had a day off,’ said Jessica, enjoying the
consternation
on his face. ‘My employer forgot about days off. He’s mean with days off. I’ve had a few hours off, but you could hardly call them a day.’
‘Then I shall have to do something about that before you sue me or report me to some union. Do you belong to a union?’
‘Of course, I do,’ said Jessica.
‘Tomorrow I want you to come with me,’ said Lucas. ‘It’s very important. Can you arrange for Mrs Harris to stay the whole day? Lady Grace is so much better. She can cope, can’t she?’
‘She’s got the trusty Fred.’
He was gone before Jessica could even say another word. His kiss was brief but permanent. It would last until he came home in the evening. Jessica knew she would love him for the rest of her life.
The morning rolled into its usual routine. Daniel seemed none the worse for his adventure. He did not share his feelings. He did not mention taking the seaweed back to the sea. But
everyone
knew that something had changed in the household.
‘Nice to see you smiling,’ said Lady Grace, over her breakfast tray.
‘Has his lordship come to his senses?’ said Mrs Harris. ‘And about time too, if you ask me. We don’t want to lose you, none of us does.’
‘It was difficult for him,’ said Jessica, not wanting to give away what had happened. ‘But I think it’s going to be all right now. I hope so. I can’t go through any more.’
‘We women always manage somehow,’ said Mrs Harris, reminding Jessica of how she had managed for years, through love, to keep going.
‘I couldn’t do it.’
‘You would, if you had to. Believe me, you would. Lots of women do.’
Mrs Harris nodded firmly but she could not conceal her delight.
‘I wonder if it would it be possible for you to stay all day tomorrow?’ Jessica asked. ‘Lucas wants to take me somewhere. I don’t know where, but he says it’s rather important.’
‘Of course,’ said Mrs Harris. ‘About time too. Lady Grace will be all right. She has that friend of hers coming to play bridge. Nice gentleman. Nice manners. I’ll do them a bit of supper.’
‘Thank you so much,’ said Jessica, giving her a quick hug. ‘You’re a star.’
‘More a burnt-out planet at my age,’ said Mrs Harris.
Lucas was home early for once. The children ran to him, urging him to play cricket, What’s the Time, Mr Wolf? and hopscotch. Tea was in the kitchen. It had turned too cold to eat outside. The table was laden with a healthy tea.
Lucas sauntered over to Jessica, his eyes sharp and bright. ‘I was expecting to find you all wet,’ he said, picking at the hem of her T-shirt. He bent and kissed her gently.
‘Not a hope,’ said Jessica.
‘Later?’
‘Don’t count on your chances.’
It was an evening of enchantment. Daniel still drawing
pictures
of trees and rain, getting the nightmare storm out of his mind. He didn’t seem to mind that the seaweed was living in a bucket. Jessica promised that they would take it back at the weekend. Lily was reading a story to Floppy Ears, which made a change. She knew the words by heart.
Lucas and Jessica went for a walk, leaving the rose garden and taking a path towards the Downs. He held her hand easily as if they belonged together.
Jessica saw the South Downs as he loved them, sweeping fields dotted with sheep. Hills with sturdy knolls of trees, those left from Henry VIII’s deforestation, when trees were cut down
to build his ships of war.
Lucas showed her corn circles from the top of the Downs. Where they came from, no one knew, but they were there for all the world to see far below. Great overlapping circles, patterned in the cornfield.
‘Aren’t they amazing? Even if they are made here, overnight, by some fun group of people after a few bottles of cider, they are still a work of art.’
Jessica had never seen corn circles before, apart from photographs in newspapers, and they were indeed strangely mesmerizing. She clung to Lucas’s arm. ‘It’s lovely to see them, wherever they come from.’
‘Is tomorrow still on?’ she asked, as they began the walk back to Upton Hall. Mrs Harris had agreed to stay for the day. There was no reason why Jessica could not have the time off.
Lucas nodded. ‘We’ll go to see Maggie first. She’s looking forward to meeting you. I’ve told her all about you and she’s quite excited about having a visitor. Her grandmother has never been able to make the journey. The nurses make a fuss of her, but they don’t have a lot of spare time.’
‘Poor girl. How sad. I’ve some of Lily’s toys and both children have made cards for her. Daniel wants to give her one of his drawings.’
‘Then I’m taking you somewhere else, but I won’t tell you about that until we get there. It’s somewhere quite special.’
They reached the gate into the grounds of Upton Hall. They wandered through the rose garden, the night air still heady with the scent of rose.
‘Come into my garden,’ said Lucas. ‘I want my roses to see you.’