Samantha Kane (9 page)

them, she would give in to her deepest secret desires and have

them. And then, when Christmastide was over, she’d give them

up. She had to. Nothing in her life, neither her family nor her

social position, would alow her to have the two men forever.

But six days? That just might work.

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“Miss, there are two gentlemen here to see you. Mr. Wilkes and

Mr. Gabriel.”

Greely’s voice was perfectly modulated, as always. The butler

had been here longer than Vanessa. Longer than her father,

actualy, although he’d been a lowly footman in his youth. He

never gave anything away. Vanessa knew almost nothing about

him. It seemed a sad state of affairs that she’d known someone

her whole life and didn’t realy know him at al. How tragicaly

typical of her life.

She sighed. Then she straightened her shoulders and serenely

folded her hands in her lap. “Thank you, Greely. Show them in.”

“Oh, are these your two suitors?” Aunt Grace asked. “Chasing

you to ground at home, hmm?”

Vanessa made a face at her aunt, who seemed pleasantly

surprised at her playful attitude. “They are here to escort me to

surprised at her playful attitude. “They are here to escort me to

the orphanage and help hand out gifts.”

“Oh, good,” her aunt said with relief. “With my hands and knees

aching so today, I was feeling terribly guilty for not

accompanying you. I’m so relieved you’l have help.”

“We shal have to marry you off to your grocer while you can stil

walk,” Vanessa teased. Her aunt’s mouth opened in shock at the

suggestive comment. Vanessa just laughed.

“Good morning,” a pleasantly deep male voice said. Vanessa

knew that voice and it slid like silk over her skin, leaving

goosebumps behind.

“Good morning,” Aunt Grace said as she held her hand out to

Oliver. “Mr. Gabriel, is it not?”

Oliver bowed slightly and took Aunt Grace’s hand. “Yes, Lady

Grace. We met at the Shelbys’.” He turned to Nick. “And Mr.

Wilkes.”

“How do you do?” Nick said with a smal smile. He too shook

Aunt Grace’s hand.

“Very wel, thank you,” Aunt Grace replied with a twinkle in her

eye. She smiled mischievously at Vanessa. “Here to take Nessa

to the orphanage, are you? You are the best of men to do so.

My old bones are tired today, and it is rather cold, so I’m afraid

My old bones are tired today, and it is rather cold, so I’m afraid

I had to cry off. I’m quite relieved she won’t be trying to do it al herself.”

Oliver was bending over Vanessa’s hand as Aunt Grace talked.

His back was to the older woman so she didn’t see him turn

Vanessa’s hand and lick the pulse at her wrist. Vanessa had to

repress her gasp of awareness. Oliver stood with a satisfied

smile and turned to her aunt while Nick took his place.

“We were glad to offer our services,” Oliver told her aunt.

Nick took her hand and rubbed his thumb over the spot Oliver

had licked, as if smoothing the damp remains of his kiss into her

skin. Then he looked up at her. “Are you wel today, Lady

Vanessa?” he asked quietly. “Nessa?” he whispered with a

roguish grin.

She blushed at the childhood nickname. “I’m fine,” she mouthed,

not wanting her aunt to wonder at their conversation. “Quite

wel,” she said aloud. “Would you care for some tea before we

leave?”

“I insist,” her aunt said in a tone that brooked no refusal. She

indicated the sofa and empty chairs about them. “Sit. Please.”

Both men glanced at Vanessa, but she had no idea what her aunt

was up to.

“Do you have any family in London over the holidays?” Aunt

Grace asked after they’d taken seats. She poured tea for both

men and handed them their cups while she waited for an answer.

After thanking her, Oliver replied, “No, ma’am. I have no family

here. An aunt and uncle reside near Thornby, in

Northamptonshire. But that is the only family I have left.”

“I see,” Aunt Grace said sympatheticaly. “I’m so sorry.” She

turned to Nick. “And you, Mr. Wilkes?”

“My family is from Gloucester, ma’am, although my parents now

reside in Cheltenham. For the restorative waters.”

“Are they il?” Aunt Grace asked, wide-eyed.

Nick shook his head with a smile. “No, ma’am. A fact they

attribute to the waters.” He chuckled and her aunt folowed suit.

“I see,” Aunt Grace said. “Have you no brothers or sisters?”

“Several through the years, but alas, I am the only one stil

living.”

“Why are you not with your parents this Christmastide?”

“They do not care to celebrate the holidays, ma’am. They find

the excess to be bad for their health.”

Her aunt laughed outright. “Yes, wel, il health or not, it is good

for the soul. I am glad you’ve chosen to stay in the city with us,

then.”

Nick’s eyes met Vanessa’s. “As am I, Lady Grace.”

“I understand you both served against Napoleon,” her aunt said

after taking a sip of tea.

“Yes, at Waterloo,” Oliver said. Nick’s look had turned hard

and inscrutable.

“And since the war?”

Ah, thought Vanessa, that’s what this is about. She’s trying to

determine their situations. She almost laughed aloud. Surely Aunt

Grace knew her father would never condone either man as a

suitor? Her inquiries were a waste of time.

“We’ve been traveling on the continent,” Oliver said. “Neither of

us had a tour as young men and so we took the opportunity after

seling out to travel.”

“And now that you are back in England?”

Nick’s expression softened with amusement. The look he gave

Vanessa from the corner of his eye was sly. “We haven’t

decided, Lady Grace,” he answered. “Perhaps I shal take up

decided, Lady Grace,” he answered. “Perhaps I shal take up

trade.”

Her aunt’s eyes widened. “Surely not?” she said, scandalized.

“Have you no property?”

Oliver laughed. “Oh, he was just teasing, my lady. Nick is a man

of property, indeed. He has a smal estate in Oxford. And is, of

course, his father’s and his uncle’s heir.”

“Oh, realy?” Aunt Grace said, leaning closer to Nick. “That

sounds promising.” She turned to Oliver. “And you, Mr.

Gabriel?”

Oliver held his empty hands out to his sides. “You see the extent

of my wealth here before you, ma’am. I own my soul and little

else.”

“Wel, in these times a man is lucky to stil lay claim to that,”

Aunt Grace said soothingly. “Perhaps Mr. Wilkes can give you

some advice about your finances. You two seem bosom beaus.”

Vanessa had had enough. She stood abruptly, and Oliver and

Nick set down their cups and folowed suit. “Now that we have

established that neither Mr. Gabriel nor Mr. Wilkes wil be

holding me for ransom, we realy must go, Aunt Grace.”

Aunt Grace’s look was reproving. “We have not established

anything of the sort. Mr. Gabriel may very wel profit from such a

anything of the sort. Mr. Gabriel may very wel profit from such a

scheme.”

Nick bowed low. “I shal endeavor to keep her safe from Mr.

Gabriel’s nefarious plans, Lady Grace.”

Oliver put his hand over his heart, sighing dramaticaly. “My

name is impugned. I must protest my innocence.”

“You may protest,” Aunt Grace said with a stern look, “but we

shal judge your name on your actions.”

At that Oliver looked horrified. “Wel, I daresay that’s a sight

worse, wouldn’t you?” he asked Nick.

Nick shook his head sadly. “You’re done in, Oliver. You may as

wel give up now.”

Vanessa put her hands on her hips. “I shal be doing the

kidnapping if we don’t leave immediately. I’l not have the

orphanage staff waiting on us.”

Vanessa seemed rather melancholy today. Nick didn’t care for

that at al. It was hard to woo a sad woman. Or so he imagined.

It was also hard to woo a woman—one you planned to know

carnaly as soon as possible—when her wide-eyed maid was in

attendance. Nick glowered at the girl sitting next to Vanessa in

the carriage, across from him and Oliver, and she shrank back

the carriage, across from him and Oliver, and she shrank back

against the seat as if she wished to disappear.

“What are we handing out at the orphanage?” Oliver asked

Vanessa. “Should we stop and pick something up?”

“Food and clothes,” Vanessa answered. “I had them sent ahead.

The wagons should be waiting for us there.”

Nick frowned. “Shouldn’t they already have those?”

“They do,” Vanessa said with a nod, “but traditionaly they

receive a new set of clothes at Christmastide, and some special

treats, such as sweetmeats and chestnuts.”

“Why today?” Oliver asked. “I would have expected that on

Twelfth Night instead.”

“Yes, wel, many of the orphanage workers are with their

families on Twelfth Night. The children attend church and are put

to bed. It’s thought that giving them the gifts now is better for

everyone.”

Vanessa’s argument was a solid one, but Nick couldn’t help but

feel sorry for the children and their sad Twelfth Night. On the

other hand, he’d never gotten a gift of any kind at Christmastide

from his parents. Not out of spite or dislike, but because they

simply didn’t think about it. Nick had been six before he realized

he was missing out.

he was missing out.

“We have chestnuts?” Oliver asked hopefuly. Nick grinned.

“Yes,” Vanessa said, dragging the word out a bit. “Why?”

“I like chestnuts.” Nick laughed outright at the anticipation in

Oliver’s voice.

“There may be one or two extra for you,” Vanessa promised.

“But only if you behave.”

Oliver solemnly crossed his heart. “I swear, Lady Vanessa, I

shal be on my best behavior.”

Vanessa laughed then, and Nick relaxed. Whatever had been

bothering her had been washed away with Oliver’s teasing.

Thank God for Oliver.

When they arrived Vanessa sent her little maid back with the

carriage. “Return in about two hours,” she told the carriage

driver. Nick was elated. Two hours of unchaperoned time with

Vanessa.

An hour later his elation began to wane. They had not had a

moment’s peace. Vanessa was very wel liked by the children

and staff at the orphanage, and she clearly doted on them al.

Nick couldn’t begrudge them her time. She was so happy here,

and free with her smiles and laughter. He hadn’t seen her like this

and free with her smiles and laughter. He hadn’t seen her like this

before. Her work here was obviously important to her.

The children accepted Nick and Oliver because they came with

Vanessa. The staff was not quite so welcoming. Nick found

judgmental eyes watching him at every turn. He could almost

hear them talking amongst themselves later, trying to decide

which of them was more worthy of Vanessa’s attentions. If they

only knew they were both having an affair with her, how

shocked they would be. Nick would have laughed at the thought

except for the grave implications were they to actualy find out.

Vanessa would be branded a whore or worse, and the chances

were quite good that she wouldn’t be alowed back into the

orphanage. Nick knew how devastating that loss would be to

her.

And yet he stil wanted her. Even though he knew the situation

was unusual and society would brand them unnatural for their

desires, he stil wanted her.

“I missed you last night,” he whispered to her at one point when

they had a modicum of privacy as the children frolicked in the

yard. “I thought of you while I lay in my bed.” Which was true,

though he’d been with Oliver at the time. Actualy, they’d talked

about her while they were together and how much they wished

she were there. He’d tel her that tonight. Not here, not now.

“I missed you too,” she whispered back with a sultry look. “I

wish I’d been in your bed with you.”

Nick caught his breath at her confession, mirroring his and

Oliver’s wishes from the night before. “Do you?” She nodded.

“Tonight,” he promised fervently. “I shal find a way for us to be

together.”

“With Oliver?” she asked. “I want to be with you both.”

He nodded. Yes, he wanted the same thing. He wanted them

both.

Oliver smoothed his palms on his thighs yet again. He caught

himself and forced his hands down to his sides while he smiled at

a young girl saying something to him. He couldn’t hear her in the

din of the orphanage, but the smile seemed to be the right

response, and she ran off happily.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like children. He did. He just had no idea

what to do with them. He glanced over at Vanessa where she

stood with a little toddler on her hip. It was easy to imagine that

was his or Nick’s child she held. He liked that idea. He liked

thinking of her big with their child, creating something inside her

that came from the three of them together. The image, and the

desire, shook his composure. He’d never wanted that before.

Never imagined getting any woman with child and being happy