After The Storm (20 page)

He cast her a speculative glance and turned to Lady
Hester to make the necessary introductions.

He watched warily as Jenny and Lady Hester exchanged
frosty greetings. He then turned to his brother, who coughed into
his hand and said, “Er … Jase, old fellow, if you and Lady
Hester don’t mind, we’ll excuse ourselves. Haven’t breakfasted, you
know, and your bride is famished.”

Jenny turned a glowing face to his brother, and it
annoyed the hell out of him. He was going to escort Hester to the
groom walking her horse and see her off. Damn, but he should be the
one taking Jenny into breakfast! It was what he had planned, but
when Hester had arrived he’d known he had to settle that situation
and be done with it.

Reluctantly he led Hester away after another cool
exchange and stiffened when she said in an aside, but loud enough
for his Jenny to hear, “Really, Jason, she is but a child and,
though pretty, not in your style, is she?”

He frowned at Hester and realized he would not allow
anyone to speak thusly of his wife. “Ah, but you do not really know
me or what is in my style, do you, Hester. That was never your
intent—
to know me
.”

One fine brow arched at him, but she evidently
decided to ignore this and put a hand to his chest as they arrived
in the courtyard. “Won’t you come by later … so that we can
visit?” Her eyes told him just what she had in mind, and the earl
found himself suddenly repelled. He had told her as gently as he
could that they could no longer continue as they had. Apparently,
she believed she could change his mind.

“I am afraid I have already neglected my bride too
much and have every intention of spending my afternoon making up
for it.” He turned towards the groom holding her horse. “Enjoy the
remainder of your ride,” he added as he gave her a leg up and then
turned hurriedly to leave.

A few moments later he strode into the dining parlor
to find his wife and brother doubled over with laughter.

Jenny dried her eyes and managed a cool smile in his
direction. He could see she was in a rare temper. He could almost
feel it across the room. Was she jealous? Was that what this was
about? He had thought he would never tolerate jealousy from a
marriage arranged for convenience, but the notion that she was, in
fact, jealous, made his heart pound with excitement.

“And what do you two find so amusing?” He poured
himself some coffee and sat beside his wife at the table.

“Ah, Jason, hope you won’t mind, but I was poking a
little fun at Lady Hester,” his brother answered.

“Oh?” His brother’s brow was raised, and he felt a
wave of affection for his younger sibling. Brad was actually trying
to soothe Jenny’s frazzled feelings, and he felt sincere gratitude
towards him for that.

“Yes, remember last summer? I was telling Jen what an
awful riding seat she has. You must remember? We went for that
ride, all of us together, and she couldn’t guide her horse around a
puddle, and then what must the beast do but take off with her
bouncing wildly in her seat and screaming like a banshee.”

The earl did recall this scene and grinned
good-naturedly. “Yes, brat, I remember that, but it is not at all
gallant of you to do so.”

He shrugged. “Don’t feel gallant in her regard—we
both know what she is.” He eyed his older brother, and Jason
realized with some surprise that a rebuke glittered in his gaze.
Well, well, his little brother had all the ‘right’ principles at
bottom, he mused to himself. A feat indeed, considering Brad’s
mother didn’t know the first thing about honor or ethics. He did
not respond to this, however, as Miss Helen and the Wendall boys
chose that moment to explode into the room.

The two men stood up immediately and sat only after
the governess waved them down. She busied herself getting a
breakfast plate and took a seat next to Brad, facing Jenny and the
earl.

The boys loaded their plates and sat beside her, and
a lively conversation ensued.

During a lull in the conversation, he noted the color
come into his wife’s cheeks as she directed a look at him and asked
quietly, “Do you think we could hire a few gardeners? I have a
notion to set up some flower beds and trim and reseed the
lawn.”

“Indeed, my bride, I will have Howard go about the
business and have him send them over to you for direction. How is
that?”

“Thank you,” she said and then turned to laugh as the
boys, who, having finished their breakfast, rushed out with their
governess in hot pursuit.

The earl rose from the table and offered his arm to
his wife. “May I take you on a tour of the castle, my Jenny?” He
felt a low, burning hunger as she accepted his arm and smiled up at
his face. Damn, but how was he to keep his hands off her? Last
night had been hell. He couldn’t count how many times he had gotten
off his bed and nearly charged into her room. It had taken all his
will power to stop himself. With her on his arm, he was flooded
with desire. He put up his chin with determination and looked away
from her as he maintained stoic control, but his hard-on made
demands, his blood was filled with tiny exploding bubbles of heat,
and all he wanted to do was pick her up, take her to bed, and make
her his own!

* * *

Jenny’s heart jumped, and she nearly put a hand to
her chest to keep it from exploding. That was how he made her feel,
she realized. Then she felt her eyelashes flutter, and she was
unable to look directly at him. Instead she examined her feet. She
did, in fact, lay her hand on his bent and extended arm and allow
him to lead her out, giving Brad a quick smile. She noted that he
received this with a wink and realized
he knew
—he knew how
she felt about the earl.

They passed the dowager on their way out of the room,
and Jenny felt a rush of relief as they left her at their backs
with a simple and quick good morning greeting.

The earl cast her a thoughtful expression and said,
“Ah, I see you have not developed any great liking for my
stepmother.”

“Oh, I …” Her hand fluttered. “I don’t really
know her,” she said, hoping to avoid any further comment regarding
the woman. However, the earl did not let it drop there.

“No doubt, female intuition?” he said, stopping to
touch her chin. “Gwen was forever throwing that at my head. Come
on, then, out with it—tell the truth.”

“The truth is, I don’t really have an explanation for
how I feel about your stepmother.”

“Yet, you find yourself relieved when you quit her
company,” he returned. “Jenny, anyone who knows you would know that
much.”

“I suppose that is true. You told me that she is
capable of many things but not murder, and I find I agree with Gwen
on this. I think she is capable of it, very much so. I think she
would dispose of anyone, or anything, that was in her way.”

He patted her hand patronizingly, which she found
extremely annoying, but she allowed it to pass. She could see he
didn’t know how to answer her, but she could also see she had
gotten through to him. Perhaps when it had only been his sister, he
had managed to discount it, but now, now she could see he was not
so sure any longer.

They had reached a long galley with large but dirty
windows, and he remarked on it. Again, she asked for some help to
be sent over to clean and spruce up the castle, and he readily
agreed. A wall of portraits had him pointing to tell her, “This is
William Danfield.”

“Oh, he is the one who dug that tunnel!” Jenny
exclaimed delightedly.

“Ah, Brad has already filled your head with tales of
our past, eh?” He grinned and touched her nose.

His touch thrilled her; she moved in close to him and
felt the charge of sensation that shot from him to her. She wanted
him to take her into his arms. She wanted him to scoop her up and
take her to a place where all else was forgotten, where he would
cover her with kisses and make her his own. The notion brought a
flash of heat through her.

Evidently, she thought, suddenly blue-deviled, he was
able to resist her charms, for instead of responding to her
movement, he grinned and said, “Howard and I went through all our
ancestor Alfred’s personal papers, many quite incriminating about
his activities during those turbulent times. The tunnel, for boys
with not enough to do, was of course something dropped in our laps
from heaven. Only Howard and I know its location.”

“Oh, perhaps you will show me one day?”

“I am not sure that would be wise,” he said and
laughed.

She let it go. “Then he was a Jacobite—your
ancestor?”

“Oh, most decidedly.”

“How did you find the tunnel?”

“You don’t think me so unwise as to tell you that
piece of information?” He shook his head. “It is a singularly
dangerous route. For all we know, it could cave at any time.”

“Are you saying you will never show me where it is?”
Jenny asked in sad disappointment.

“Have I dropped below reproach once again, Jenny?” he
asked on a tease. “I am sorry for it, but it is just too
dangerous.”

She sighed but at that moment noticed a portrait of
him when he was younger and dropped his hand to move in for a
closer look. “Jason, how old were you here?”

“About your age. It was painted by Lawrence. There is
Gwen’s beside mine.”

She glanced at Gwen’s but returned to his to say, “He
captured the innocence in your eyes then …”

“And how sinister are they now?” His voice was tinged
with amusement.

She laughed. “No, no, that was not what I meant. But
you do have a much worldlier façade about you now.”

“Undoubtedly,” he said, taking her hand and putting
her fingers to his lips. “Perhaps we could have one of the two of
us—together—done … soon?”

“I would like that,” she said dropping her eyes.
Would he kiss her now? Would he? She took a step closer. She heard
his intake of air as he stepped away.

“Jenny, I am afraid I am going to have to leave you
now. I won’t be back till dinner. Howard has asked me to visit one
of our better tenants, the Hedley family across Bridgewater Pass,
and discuss a few ideas they have for expansion. I am loathe to
leave you and can only hope that you will miss me until my
return.”

She looked up into those blues of his and wondered if
he were telling her the truth. She thought he was, but a nagging
doubt entered her mind. Was he off to visit with Lady Hester? Her
heart felt the pinch, and she looked away from him. “Of course, my
lord … do what you have to do. I have no hold on you.”

He frowned and seemed to be about to say something
but then only inclined his head before he turned and left her to
herself. Jenny wanted to throw something, anything, but sighed and
calmed herself.

She went off in search of Bradley, for she had made
up her mind and was not backing down. She was going to
find the
tunnel.

She stopped short in front of the parlor doors, where
she heard the crescendo of angry voices. She shouldn’t listen, she
told herself, but she was so dashed curious about everyone in this
home that she couldn’t force herself leave.

“So, Brad, that is it? I am nothing to you?” Helen
Browne’s voice was tinged with fury.

“Let it go, Helen. Lord, girl, this has gone too far.
I should never have allowed this to start in the first place, and
besides, you don’t know what you want, me or Howard, and I fancy
you only want me because I might have a bit more of the ready than
Howard. I can’t stand here and argue this with you. Jason needs me
to go into town for him, and I am already late.”

“Don’t fob me off like that, Brad. It isn’t right.”
She sobbed, and then her words were spat out. “It is your brother’s
wife, isn’t it? I saw you two together. You are smitten with
her!”

“You are wrong. I more than like her, yes, but she is
my brother’s wife, a sister now to me.”

“You more than like her? How much more?”

“Leave it be, Helen. I am warning you. My brother
will not tolerate this behavior in the boys’ governess. Think about
your position here.”

“No, I can’t. I want you …”

“You are young and don’t know what you want. So am I,
too young to be tied down, but Howard isn’t, and I fancy he adores
you.”

“But, Brad—”

“Listen to me, Helen. I don’t want to say anything to
hurt you, but it was never about love. You know that. You came to
my room that first night, and I should not have allowed it, but I
did, and then I allowed it to continue longer than it should have.
I thought you understood—we were just about fun.”

“Just for fun?” Helen’s voice was a screech.

“Yes, damn it, and no man wants to be hounded into
the ground as you have done with me. A bit of advice for the
next—”

He was cut off by what Jenny assumed was the sound of
a harsh slap. Then she heard his booted steps heading for the door,
so she darted off and out of sight.

She grabbed her shawl from the hall rack and hurried
towards the kitchen, where she meant to take the back door outside.
Whew!

Cook detained her and asked her what she thought of
the menu—did she want the pheasant instead of the duck? Without too
much thought, she said, “Oh the pheasant would be lovely.”

The dowager, whom she had not seen enter the kitchen,
cleared her throat and said loudly and with a touch of anger,
“Really? Are you then taking over and deciding the menu here at the
castle? It has long been
my
place to do so.” The dowager’s
expression was filled with undisguised dislike.

Jenny was neither taken aback nor frightened. She
returned a wintry expression to the dowager and said with as much
sweetness as she could muster, “I do hope you don’t mind, but the
earl had asked me to take charge of such matters.”

Evidently mistaking Jenny’s polite response for
weakness, the dowager pounced. “
I do mind
. In the future,
Jenny, you will have the grace to leave such things to me and not
concern yourself with the running of this household.”