Her Heart's Desire (5 page)

‘Good evening, Miss Lowell,’ he said, smiling at her.

‘Good evening, Lord St. John,’ Marisa said, smiling back at him, feeling nervous.

Lord St. John was at the head of the table; to the left of him was a striking brunette. Marisa recognized her immediately as the woman in front of the fire.
Felicity,
she thought. Sitting next to her was the blond man, clearly her husband, Marcus. They were seated at the far side of an impressive polished mahogany table, which had enough seats for thirty people. Marisa smiled at everyone, feeling very awkward.

‘This is Miss Lowell, my new PA,’ Lord St. John said.

‘Marisa, meet my sister, Felicity, and her husband, Marcus.’

‘Hello, Marisa, nice to meet you,’ Felicity said in a cut glass, high-pitched voice.

Marcus stared openly at her, which she found very disconcerting. He stood, reaching over the table to offer his hand, and she accepted, shaking it gently. His grasp was really strong, and he looked her right in the eyes, and his pale blue gaze struck her as icily cold.

‘Hello, Miss Lowell, so nice to meet you,’ he said.

‘Oh, please call me Marisa,’ she replied as confidently as possible. She took an immediate dislike to him.

Lord St. John caught her eye, and he seemed unsettled. Marisa hoped she hadn’t done anything to offend him. Could he tell she didn’t like Marcus? Was she that obvious?

Lord St. John chatted merrily throughout the meal. He talked about Highcroft with great passion, and Marisa thought he was absolutely lovely. He looked smart and relaxed. He was wearing a pink shirt and chinos, his dark hair a little ruffled at the front as though he had been sleeping on it.
How sweet,
she thought.
He must have had a nap
. She knew the English upper class often ‘retired for the afternoon’ for a nap before a heavy dinner. She wondered where his bedroom was.

‘So, Marisa, how do you like the old house so far?’ He broke into her thoughts, and she was blushing again.

‘Oh, for God’s sake, James, leave the poor girl alone to eat dinner. You haven’t stopped since she sat down. Good Lord, she will think us terrible bores,’ Felicity chipped in with her clipped, plumy accent.

Marisa thought Felicity was being bitchy. She was very attractive with her high cheekbones, glossy hair, and pretty blue eyes. Shame she didn’t have the personality to match. She felt awkward being in the same room as the frisky couple. She wished she hadn’t been so nosy earlier.

‘It’s great, thank you, so far so good,’ Marisa replied to Lord St. John’s question, choosing to ignore Felicity’s put-down.

I’m pleased to hear it,’ he said, smiling.

His eyes seemed to call her to him. Marisa felt light-headed.

‘You must miss home, though, surely. No boyfriend?’ Marcus chipped in.

Marisa sucked her breath in. She couldn’t believe he was being so personal.

‘No, there’s no one,’ she answered simply, not wishing to discuss her personal business.

‘A pretty girl like you won’t be alone for long. You ought to watch out for the locals. People can be quite amorous around here.’

You’re not kidding.
She wished he would be quiet.

‘I think Marisa’s personal life should remain personal Marcus. It’s a bit impertinent to be discussing her love life, don’t you think?’ Lord St. John glared at Marcus.

He was clearly aggravated by him. Marisa could tell there was no love lost between them. She wasn’t surprised. She couldn’t see how anyone could warm to Marcus.

‘Marisa, if you like, I can show you around the village tomorrow,’ Felicity chimed in, trying to change the subject, anxious to avoid any recriminations as her husband looked at James with his steely gaze.

‘Oh, well, I don’t know. I expect to have quite a lot going on with my first day at work and everything.’

‘If you wish to go to town tomorrow, please do so, Marisa. You are free to do whatever you want in your own time; I won’t work you around the clock, you know,’ Lord St. John said.

Marisa smiled at him politely.
Damn
, she thought.
I’ll have to go now.

‘Well, if Felicity is sure she doesn’t mind.’

Felicity folded her napkin and laid it on the plate in front of her.

‘Of course I don’t mind or I shan’t have offered,’ she said, smiling primly.

‘Okay, great!’ Marisa said, feigning enthusiasm.

‘Fabulous, that’s settled then. We shall take tea at the chocolate house, and I shall show you all the best shops.’

Marisa did not cherish the thought of spending time alone with Felicity. Nothing could rid the image of the dastardly couple writhing naked in front of the fire, and now she would have to sit and drink tea with her and make small talk.

Marisa excused herself straight after dinner, blaming jet lag. She was relieved to be alone in her room after the stifling dinner. She removed her makeup, brushed her teeth, and climbed into bed, anxious for a good night’s sleep.

* * * *

She had a restless night filled with bad dreams and woke to her alarm clock at seven, feeling groggy and sore. The bed was really hard, and she missed her lovely bed at home.

‘Home,’ she murmured wistfully. ‘I don’t have a home anymore.’

Thoughts of Mike invaded her mind, making her stomach churn. He’s probably sleeping in my bed with Adrianne right
now
. Feeling anxious, she decided to get up straight away. She refused to lie in bed and get upset thinking about him.

She showered and dressed quickly to combat the cold, choosing a conservative gray pencil skirt and a soft blue turtleneck. She wore woollen tights and knee boots to keep her legs warm. She would have to ask Mrs. Reed about the heating. It would soon be getting even colder, and it was only early October. She was starving, so she headed straight down for breakfast, hoping she could finish before the in-laws arrived.

She was relieved to see only Meryl in the room, busy setting the table. A buffet of cereals and croissants were laid out on the sideboard, along with an array of jams and marmalades, juices and coffee.

‘Just help yourself, my dear.’ Meryl busied past with a jug of cold milk, placing it on top of the crisp, white cloth. She patted Marisa’s arm gently.

‘If you want a full English, let me know.’

‘What’s a full English?’ she asked.

‘A cooked breakfast, dear. Bacon, sausage, and eggs. Do you like them fried, scrambled, or poached?’

Marisa’s mouth watered. A hot breakfast would be wonderful to heat her up and revive her.

‘Scrambled eggs, please.’

‘With everything?’ Meryl asked.

‘Yes, please, that would be wonderful.’

Meryl checked the dining table, making sure everything was in order.

‘How are you settling in, dear, everything go all right at dinner?’ She chatted as she busied around.

‘Yes, it was all right, thanks,’ Marisa mumbled as she poured a coffee. ‘Ooh, your syrup sponge cake and custard were so incredibly delicious. I’m going to have to be careful. You’ll make me fat.’

‘Nonsense, you have a beautiful figure. You can’t fatten a thoroughbred, my dear.’

‘Thank you, Meryl. I do try to look after myself.’

Marisa smiled at her, thankful for a friendly soul in this big, cold house.

Their conversation was halted by the arrival of Lord St. John.
Jesus, he gets more handsome every day,
Marisa thought.

‘Good morning, Meryl.’ He nodded and smiled, and the woman’s cheeks turned crimson red. Marisa smiled. She obviously wasn’t the only one in the house with a crush on the handsome Lord.

He looked at Marisa, and she felt her heart boom.

‘Good morning, Miss Lowell, I trust you slept well?’ He looked at her intently; she felt as though his eyes were penetrating her very soul, and she wondered what it would feel like to have those eyes looking at her while he made love to her.
Stop it, Marisa!
She scolded herself and smiled at him, trying to act normally.

‘I didn’t sleep so well. I think I just have to get used to the bed, though.’

‘Oh dear, I am sorry to hear that. I hope it doesn’t cause you too much discomfort tonight. If it does, we shall have it changed for a more suitable one. I can’t have you worn out from lack of sleep.’

I wouldn’t mind being worn out from lack of sleep if you were in the bed with me,
she thought naughtily. He was causing havoc with her libido; no one had ever had such a powerful effect on her before. Thoughts of Mike were fading rapidly by the second.

‘Thank you, Lord St. John. That’s very kind.’

‘Not at all, it’s the least I can do. I will see to it you are shown the ropes after breakfast, then I’m afraid I must head into town, a meeting’s cropped up, but you’ll be pleased to know there’s no need for you to come with me today.’

Marisa felt disappointed. She couldn’t wait to see London, and she would have
loved
to go with him.

‘When will you be back?’ Marisa bit her lip, realizing she shouldn’t question her boss.

He looked surprised but smiled gently as he buttered his toast.

‘I shall return in the morning. I’m picking the children up, so you will meet them tomorrow.’

‘Brace yourself,’ he said, winking at her. She felt her heart miss a beat.

After breakfast, she became immersed in work, finding her feet at the office and familiarizing herself with the booking system and the daily routine of maintaining the Highcroft estate.

Lord St. John was a gentle and patient teacher, and Marisa delighted in listening to his charming and melodic voice, carefully telling her everything she needed to know about the business.

‘Okay, Miss Lowell, I will leave you to your own devices. If you can just finish typing up the quarterly reports and update the client files, I’ll sneak off and catch the train. I rather think I’m in for a boozy evening. A particularly demanding client from New York likes to be entertained before investing his millions.’

Marisa laughed lightly and wished he was showing her the town. She couldn’t imagine anything nicer. She watched him pack his briefcase. She studied him from behind her PC. She liked his dark hair. It was neat and short with slightly longer bangs at the front. She liked his clothes, the crisp blue shirt and the smart chinos that looked fantastic on his long, manly legs. Everything about him was fabulous. He looked like a movie star from the fifties—elegant, handsome, and impeccably groomed.

She felt herself wishing he would grab her and throw her onto the desk, pull her skirt up, and take her right there in the office.

‘Oh, my God, what’s happening to me?
’
she murmured, thinking aloud.

He turned and looked at her, a sexy smile lingering on his perfect face.

‘Sorry, Miss Lowell, what did you say?’ he asked, looking perplexed.

‘Oh, nothing, I sometimes think aloud that’s all. Please just ignore me. It’s just a little quirk of mine.’ She cringed.

‘I shall never ignore you, Miss Lowell; I think I should find that very difficult indeed.’ He grinned. She felt light-headed. Her mind raced with heady thoughts.
Oh, my God, is he coming on to me?
She stared at him, unsure of what to say.

He snapped his briefcase shut and pulled on his corduroy jacket.

‘Righty ho, I’m off. Enjoy the rest of your day.’ And with that, he was gone, leaving her feeling restless and disappointed.

She watched him stride across the gravelled yard towards his car, her heart beating fast, her head in turmoil. She rang her sister.

‘I’m falling for him, Melanie. What shall I do?’

‘Stop it, that’s what you should do!’ Melanie said, stunned.

‘I can’t. You should see him. He’s unbelievably hot, and he’s so gentle and kind!’

‘Oh, God, I sense trouble, maybe you should quit and come home. You’re obviously on the rebound from Mike.’

‘I am not quitting. I’ve only been here a day, and I’m not rebounding, just appreciating the eye candy, that’s all. I like it here.’

‘Well, I don’t think it’s a good idea to pursue anything with this guy. He’s your boss, and you only just got there, don’t forget that.’

‘I’m not going to do anything. I just like him, that’s all, you know, unless he made a move on me.’

‘Marisa, get a grip!’

‘Oh, God, you’re right. I still haven’t found out what happened to the PA before me. For all I know, he has this effect on everyone. I wonder if they had a relationship.’

‘Oh, I doubt that, hon. Take my advice, and forget about romance. Just do your job, enjoy England, and when you’re ready, come home.’

‘Okay, okay. I know you’re right. I love you, sis. I better go.’

Marisa hung up, feeling confused. She decided to take a walk in the grounds as she had an hour before the impending tea with Felicity.

She went out the back door and crossed over to the lawns, following the gravel path towards the rose gardens. She shivered as the chilly air hit her. Wrapping her coat tightly around her, she wished she had worn trousers. The gardens were expansive and beautiful, and she strolled slowly for a while, admiring the exquisite roses, wondering what skill must be needed to keep them blooming so late into the autumn.