The Folly at Falconbridge Hall (11 page)

When he withdrew from her to spend, she wanted to cry. She throbbed with an odd unfulfilled need.

He leaned over her. “Was that so terrible?”

“No.”

“But not wonderful. Not yet.”

“I liked it. I did really.”

He traced her swollen bottom lip with a finger. “You liked it? I want you to love it. To cry out from the pleasure of it.”

“You do?”

“Mmm.” He turned his attention to her breasts, his soft fingers stoking the fire still smoldering within her like a deep ache. He pressed soft kisses against the pulse at the base of her throat and down over her stomach, making her giggle, then lower, as she seized handfuls of his hair, writhing, embarrassed.

His tongue stroked within her intimate folds and an explosion of feeling raced through her. Her breasts tingled, and her thighs tensed. Pulling at his hair, her hips bucked under him and she moaned.

He continued drawing her to some place she knew not. She gripped his shoulders, her nails raking his back, losing herself completely in the sensation. Embarrassment cast aside, she searched for some sense of completion that hovered tantalizingly out of reach. And then with a cry, she understood just what she had been seeking. Her body clenched as waves of pleasure took her. Julian slipped a finger inside her, and the pleasure intensified, making her call out incoherently. He lay beside her.

“My goodness.” She fell limply back against the pillow.

He propped his head on a hand. “You liked it?”

“I loved it.”

He smiled. “It will get better.”

She gave a long sigh. “Better than that?”

He stroked her hair away from her face and kissed her lightly. “You’ve had a big day, my sweet. Sleep now.”

She stretched luxuriously, incapable of worrying about anything now. Endure? How wrong Lady Forster had been. Every fiber of her being felt drugged. Her eyelids seemed weighted down, and she had to close them.

“I will for a little,” she murmured.

Vanessa awoke at a knock on the door. She had slept so deeply she hadn’t noticed when Julian left the room. Mary came through the door.

“What time is it?” Vanessa asked, yawning behind a hand.

“Nine o’clock, my lady.” The maid placed a tray by the bed. “His lordship told me to bring you some breakfast.” She opened the curtains. Rays of bright sunlight fell across the red rug, turning it to flame.

How could she have slept so heavily and so late? Her face heated as she recalled their lovemaking. A worrying thought tugged at her. Had Julian enjoyed it as much? Unlike her, he seemed very much in control of his emotions. Vanessa held the sheet against her naked body as she sat up. “Thank you, Mary. Pass me my gown, will you?”

Once in her gown, she poured herself a cup of tea and buttered a piece of toast. She smoothed on a layer of marmalade and took a bite, relishing the bitter orange flavor. How decadent to be eating in bed and at this hour! Where
was
Julian?

Vanessa didn’t want to ask the maid, so she ate quickly then headed for the bathroom where Mary had run her a bath. Bathing refreshed her and soothed her tender nether regions. She returned and sat in front of the mirror to brush her hair.

A maid had thrown back the covers and was stripping the sheets from the bed. Vanessa flushed as the evidence of her and Julian’s night together went its way to the laundry maid. Impossible to keep such things from the servants. She must not mind such things, she told herself sternly.

She couldn’t bear it any longer. As she drove pins into her scalp in her impatience, she asked, “Mary, do you know if his lordship has left for the city?”

“I believe he’s gone riding, my lady.”

“With Miss Blythe?”

“Yes, my lady.”

She should have gone with them. They would think her a poor thing sleeping half the day. “How long ago did they leave?”

“I saw them go out on my way to you.”

Vanessa began to unbutton her dressing gown. “Please help me with my riding things.”

Mary hurried to the wardrobe and took out Vanessa’s sad, pea-green skirt. She hadn’t thought to replace it. Vexed, she decided it would have to do.

A short time later, Vanessa hurried along the path past the lawn tennis court. At least, this time she knew the route the riders would take. It would be a nice surprise for Blythe, and, she hoped, her new husband. She reached the stables where Jim polished a saddle resting it on a stall wall. There was no sign of Lovel, for which she was grateful. “Good morning, Jim, could you saddle Flora for me?”

He performed the task quickly, and a few moments later, Vanessa rode Flora along the bridle path. Choosing the trail that led to the meadow, she urged the horse to take the left fork. Flora obeyed her with a little firm coaxing. There was no sign of them, but fresh horse dung showed they had ridden this way. The narrow track widened, and the shrubbery peeled away to reveal a wide meadow covered in cowslips. At her bidding, Flora cantered over the soft, uneven ground. Vanessa raised her head from watching for rabbit holes and saw a group of riders in the distance.

Embracing the chance to show Julian she had become a proficient rider, she leaned over Flora’s neck, urging the horse to go faster. The ground was far less level than it looked, and it proved a bumpy ride. Vanessa slid uncomfortably about on the sidesaddle as the ground flew dizzily past. Flora stumbled over a hillock, sending a stab of unease into Vanessa’s chest. She did not feel in control. Wishing to present herself well in front of such skillful riders, she attempted to slow the horse. Flora misinterpreted Vanessa’s instruction, barely slowing before she stopped dead. Vanessa fought to keep her balance and failed. She slid, rather than fell, onto her bottom on the muddy ground, just as the others reached her.

Julian and Blythe were not alone. Miss Patterson, in her superbly cut green habit, with sweeping feathers gracing her hat, accompanied them.

“Nessa!” Blythe cried, pulling her mount up.

Julian dismounted and ran to where Vanessa struggled to gain her footing on the soggy ground. She was conscious that her bottom was covered in a large patch of damp. It seeped through, chilling her to the bone. He grabbed her arm in a steely grip. “Are you all right?”

“Only my pride suffered.” She brushed the back of her hateful skirt with an impatient hand. “How do you do, Miss Patterson?”

Miss Patterson’s smile failed to hide the flare of satisfaction in her hazel eyes. “So nice to meet you, Lady Falconbridge. I do hope you’re not hurt.”

As they had met before, Vanessa flushed at the deliberate snub. “Not at all. I was foolishly hurrying to catch you all up. Are you a close neighbor of ours?”

“Yes.” Miss Patterson blushed prettily and pointed towards a distant bank of elms on the farthest rim of the meadow. “Howe Park is only a few miles on the other side of the wood. I rode a little farther than usual this morning. When I caught sight of his lordship and Miss Blythe, I thought I’d come and offer my congratulations.”

“How kind.” Vanessa stretched her mouth into a polite smile.

“Do you feel up to riding home?” Julian asked her.

Vanessa wasn’t sure if Julian frowned out of concern or annoyance.

Her face burned. “Of course. If you’ll assist me back into the saddle.”

With Julian’s hands at her waist, she was up on the horse in a trice. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, she took the reins, hating to be back in the saddle. She would never be entirely at home on a horse.

“I’ll take this opportunity to offer my felicitations to you, Lady Falconbridge.” Flora bared her teeth, and Miss Patterson’s beautiful bay mare sidled out of her way.

Vanessa tamped down the desire to also bare her teeth. “Can we prevail upon you to join us for morning tea, Miss Patterson?”

Miss Patterson glanced at Julian. “Thank you, no. I’m already running late for an engagement. I’ll take the shortcut through the woods.”

Julian raised his brows. “Then I’d best accompany you, if I may. If you don’t mind, Vanessa? Blythe, see Vanessa back to the stables, will you? I’ll be home directly. We are attending a cocktail party tonight, don’t forget.”

As if, she could! The thought of meeting Julian’s friends was nerve-wracking. Vanessa was left to follow Blythe’s horse as the other two turned their handsome mounts and rode off in perfect rhythm across the meadow. She chewed her bottom lip. Really, could she have been more clumsy and unattractive?

Blythe’s sympathetic voice broke through her thoughts. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt, Nessa.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. If we ride every day, I’m sure I’ll improve.” Vanessa laughed to mask her annoyance at Julian. Was it only concern for Miss Patterson that made him wish to escort her? Or might there be more to it? She felt a rush of unfamiliar and painful jealousy. It heated her face and shocked her.

“You will become a great rider. I just know it,” said the loyal child riding beside her.

Vanessa gave herself a brisk, silent talking to. “I’m parched, aren’t you? We’ll be back in time for tea.”

Vanessa followed Blythe’s horse along the track. She couldn’t banish the thought of Julian’s frown. She wanted him to be proud of her, at least. Their night together had been extraordinary. Thinking of it made her tremble. She had examined every detail as she bathed, her tender body reminding her. What a poor thing she was, already hopelessly in love with a man who obviously did not love her. She pressed her lips together. Julian would never leave her bed dissatisfied and thinking of Miss Patterson if she had anything to do with it.

*****

Miss Patterson slowed her mount and sidled closer. She reached out a gloved hand and touched Julian’s arm. “If this hastily arranged marriage does not please you, my lord, I am prepared to wait.”

Shocked, Julian stared at her. He had considered her an innocent, but the look she now gave him was anything but.

“Wait?” he asked coolly. “For what exactly?”

Miss Patterson blushed and withdrew her hand. “You knew perhaps that my parents would never agree to such a marriage when you are on the brink of leaving for such a long time. I am merely saying that I shall wait should you wish to alter your arrangement when you return …”

“My dear Miss Patterson,” Julian said impatiently. “I find your assumption extraordinary. I don’t believe I’ve ever given you reason to hope …”

“Not in words exactly, but I saw it in your eyes more than once.”

“You are a pretty woman, and I admired you,” he said, hoping she would desist in this embarrassing conversation. “If that were made a crime, the jails would be overflowing with men.”

She leaned forward, her full bottom lip thrust out in petulance. “You desired me. But you lacked the courage to pursue it.”

He shook his head. He had never seriously considered Miss Patterson as a life partner, but he didn’t wish to hurt her. Women were so damned difficult to understand.

“Please don’t waste your life waiting for me, Miss Patterson,” he said, moving his horse forward. “It would be a big mistake to do so.”

*****

By the time they returned to the house, Vanessa, still rattled by Miss Patterson, was in the right frame of mind to tackle the housekeeper. She found Mrs. Royce in the servants’ hall.

“Mrs. Royce, why do you keep all the curtains drawn during the daytime?”

“It keeps the sun from fading the furnishings, Lady Falconbridge.”

“But the house is always so dim.”

Mrs. Royce’s mouth pinched. “His lordship requested the curtains in his study be opened every morning. He likes the windows wide open in his bedroom too. Says he can’t abide a fusty bedroom.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how he can bear those nasty drafts.”

Vanessa hid her smile. He was a man after her own heart. “Perhaps the rooms we use regularly might benefit from more light. Could you have the maids see to it?”

Mrs. Royce looked as if Vanessa had asked her to walk about the house in her bloomers. “Yes, Lady Falconbridge.”

“But I quite agree with you. The sun can do quite a bit of damage. We’ll leave those rooms not in constant use as they are.”

Mrs. Royce looked relieved. “As you wish, my lady.”

Vanessa and Blythe were taking tea when Julian walked into the conservatory, still wearing his riding clothes. “I called in to see the estate manager.”

His eyes met Vanessa’s with an intimate smile, and she read the greeting in their depths, some unspoken reminder of what they had shared the previous night. It made her hot all over. “I thought you’d like to sleep in this morning.” His intimate smile made her draw breath. “A few hours in the saddle didn’t seem to be a good idea.”

He used a special tone of voice only for her, lower, with the suggestion that they shared a secret. Her body responded, and she forced herself to concentrate on pouring the tea. Blythe’s sweetly childish chatter was like background music that required no close attention on her part. For a moment, Vanessa felt perfectly contented.

Blythe wiped her chin with a napkin. “Did you take Miss Patterson all the way home, Father?”

Julian picked up his cup and took a long swallow. “Just through the woods.”

“Didn’t she know the way?”

“Yes, but I don’t like ladies to go into the woods unaccompanied.”
He gave Vanessa a steely look. “I know you will obey me in this.”

Blythe looked up wide-eyed. “But why? Miss Lillicrop and I used to walk there often.”

Vanessa frowned at him and held her breath, not wishing him to alarm the child.

Julian cocked an eyebrow at her as he stirred his tea. “The gamekeeper has set traps for foxes.”

“Oh. I see.” Blythe said.

“Am I to employ a new governess?” Julian asked, adroitly changing the subject.

Blythe swiveled with a cry of protest. “We don’t need one, do we, Nessa?”

Vanessa smiled. “I should say not.”

“Then I’ll leave it until I return,” Julian said. “We’ll discuss it then.”

“Why?” asked Blythe. She seemed unable to accept it wouldn’t always be so.

“Things may then change,” her father said vaguely. “But we’ll not talk of it now.”

Vanessa bent her head over the cup. The mention of the trip stripped away her joy. What did Julian mean by “things may change”? She doubted Miss Patterson had been truthful when she said it was a chance meeting and sensed something had occurred between them in the wood. Vanessa acknowledged how irrational it was. Jealousy was a terrible thing she had never before experienced. She would not allow it to eat her up. She was better than that. She would distract herself with housekeeping matters.

She arranged the cream magnolia and late blooming roses she’d picked in vases in the drawing room, when Julian came in. He had changed his clothes, and his hair looked damp. She tried to tamp down the rush of desire at the sight of him and concentrated on her flower arrangement.

“Why have all the window curtains been pulled back?” he asked. “The house is filled with sunshine.”

“I’m afraid that was my doing. I thought the house too gloomy and requested Mrs. Royce let some light in.” Vanessa hoped he was pleased. She personally thought the house looked lovely. The furniture and floors were polished to a high shine and glowed in the light. Gilt-frames and mirrors sparkled. Sunlight brought out the colors of the rich blue damask curtains and the floral Axminster carpet. She planned to ask the head gardener for her own pair of secateurs. She would fill the rooms with blooms come spring.

Julian turned from studying the room. “And Mrs. Royce gave in without a fight?”

“Only a very small murmur of protest,” Vanessa said with a laugh.

He smiled. “Well done.”

“I thought you might be immersed in your work.”

“I was, but I couldn’t keep my mind on it. A fellow is allowed a bit of a honeymoon, isn’t he? What is Blythe doing?”

“She’s playing with her doll house. Agnes is there with her doing some mending.”

He took her free hand, interlacing his long fingers with hers. “I think it would be wise if we had a rest. This engagement tonight will probably be late.”