Hidden Talents (14 page)

Phyllis put her sherry glass down quite loudly on the polished oak coffee table. “This is preposterous. What is going on here, Caleb? Surely you aren't serious about becoming Miss Makepeace's business partner.”

“I'm very serious about it, Aunt Phyllis. I've got a signed contract,” Caleb said softly. “It's a very interesting project. Takes up most of my time these days. I'm practically living in Witt's End.”

Serenity stared at him. For a second she thought she saw stone-cold anger and an even colder pride in his eyes as he faced his family's combined disapproval and surprise. She had the uneasy impression that invisible battle lines were being drawn.

The expression in Caleb's gaze was quickly veiled, but not before it had ignited a deeply disturbing suspicion in Serenity's mind.

Perhaps Caleb had not brought her here in order to introduce her to his family for the conventional, traditional reasons.

Perhaps he had brought her here in order to use her as a pawn in some unknown game that he was playing with his relatives.

People here in the outside world operated under a different code, she reminded herself. Sometimes the subtleties of those rules escaped her. She had better make it clear to Caleb that she had no intention of allowing herself to be used.

T
HE CHEAP LITTLE JEWELRY BOX WAS STILL HIDDEN EX
actly where he had left it the night of his eighteenth birthday. Caleb pried open the panel in the back of the bureau and reached inside the small space. His fingers closed around the case.

He drew it out slowly and examined it in the light of the bedside lamp. It looked even tackier than he had remembered. A couple of the fake gems had loosened. The imitation gilt trim had almost worn off entirely. The blue vinyl cover had faded and had started to crack and peel in spots.

Caleb put the jewelry box on the nightstand and sat down on the bed. He leaned forward, rested his elbows on his thighs and contemplated the only thing he possessed that had ever belonged to his mother.

Roland had given the jewelry box to him the day he turned eighteen. It was the first time Caleb had realized that his grandfather had allowed anything of Crystal Brooke's to survive.

“It's all in there,” Roland had told him. “The whole goddamn story of how she seduced and ruined by son. I kept the clippings for you so that you could see how that bitch very nearly succeeded in destroying this family.”

“Why are you giving this to me, sir?” Caleb had stared at the jewelry case and seen a terrible Pandora's box.

“Because it holds the truth. A man has to be able to face the truth without flinching. You're a man now, Caleb.”

“Yes, sir.” Caleb had taken the jewelry box as if it were made of molten lead. It had burned his hands.

“I've raised horses all my life.” Roland had stood at the living room window and gazed out toward the paddock where one of his prized Arabians, a stallion named Windstar, grazed. “If there's one thing I've learned, it's that blood always tells. I've told you that often enough.”

Caleb's hands had tightened on the jewelry case until he thought it would shatter. He had heard this lecture often enough in the past. “Yes, sir.”

“You've got her blood in you. There's no denying it. The blood of a cheap little hustler, a no-good whore. But you've also got Ventress blood in you, Caleb. The Ventresses are a strong breed. God knows I've done my best to make certain that your Ventress bloodlines are the only ones that show.”

Rage had squeezed Caleb's guts, but he kept his face impassive, as always. “I know you have, sir.”

“And I think I've succeeded.” Roland's voice held fierce satisfaction. “I know I've been a little hard on you at times, but it was for your own good.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I'll tell you the truth, Caleb. Part of what happened all those years ago was my own damn fault. Franklin is right when he says that I was too lenient with Gordon when he was growing up. Your father was my only son and I wanted him to have everything. That was a serious error on my part. My leniency weakened his sense of duty and responsibility. It made him vulnerable. When
she
came along, he was easy prey.”

“I know. You've told me that, sir.”

Roland had made a fist at his side. “But I didn't make the same mistake with you, by God. I've made certain that you learned what it means to be a Ventress, what's expected of you. Now you're off to college. The future of the Ventress family lies in your hands. Don't ever forget that.”

“I'll do my best, sir.”

Roland had turned around to look at him, his eyes glittering with determination. “Of course you will do your best. A Ventress always does his best. You will be a credit to this family, Caleb.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And when the time comes,” Roland had concluded with quiet vehemence, “you will marry a good woman, a woman who is above reproach, one who will bring strong, clean bloodlines back into this family. You will choose a woman who is the exact opposite of the cheap bitch who bore you. Do you understand that, Caleb?”

“Yes, sir.”

A small, scratching sound on the veranda outside his bedroom broke into Caleb's thoughts. He pushed aside the memories of his eighteen birthday and rose from the bed.

There was a soft, urgent knock on the French doors just as Caleb reached for the knob.

“Caleb?” Serenity's voice was barely audible. “Are you in there?”

He opened the door and found Serenity, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers, standing outside. She had her hair twisted up into a loose knot on top of her head. The style emphasized the graceful line of her neck. She was hugging herself against the cold.

Caleb felt his insides grow warm and heavy at the sight of her. She was just what he needed to take his mind off the jewelry case. “Fancy meeting you here,” he said softly.

“Can I come in? It's freezing out there.”

“Be my guest.” He held the door open. “I wasn't expecting you.”

“I want to talk to you.”

Caleb arched one brow as he slowly closed the door. “Something wrong?”

“I don't know. That's what I want you to tell me. I've got a few questions to ask you.” Serenity broke off as she caught sight of the jewelry case sitting on the bedside table. “What's that? It looks like a woman's jewelry box.”

“It is. It belonged to my mother.”

“Really?” Serenity went over to the box and picked it up. “It's beautiful.”

“It's just cheap plastic.”

“What does that matter?” Serenity examined the box with an air of excited wonder. “Your mother probably used it to hold things that were very important to her. I imagine it meant a lot to her, and it must mean a lot to you because it's something that belonged to her.”

“I'm not the sentimental type.”

Her smile was very knowing. “Of course you are. You're a very emotional sort of person. That was one of the things I liked about you right from the start.”

“What you liked about me from the beginning was the fact that I could help you get your catalog business going.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “What's wrong with you today? You've been in an absolutely lousy mood since we left the mountains.”

“Sorry, I don't have much variety when it comes to moods. For the most part, I don't even have moods.” Caleb crossed the room and plucked the case from her hand. He opened the nearest bureau drawer and put the jewelry box in it.

“Are you going to take that with you when we leave tomorrow?”

“Why would I want to do that?” Caleb closed the drawer.

“Because it's obviously important to you.” Her hand went to the little griffin at her throat. “We all need to keep a few things around us that have a special meaning. No one should try to live in a vacuum, Caleb.”

“Forget about the jewelry box. What was your question?”

“Oh, that.” She narrowed her eyes. “I want to know why you brought me here.”

“Isn't it obvious? You and I are involved. I wanted you to meet the family.” He drew a finger down the side of her cheek. “I'm the conventional type, remember?”

The simple act of touching her aroused and warmed him. The gate that had opened deep inside when he had removed the jewelry case from its hiding place closed once more. The old rage was safely trapped behind the iron bars. He had himself back under control.

Caleb knew that Serenity saw the desire in his eyes because she caught her breath and took a step back. He smiled slightly. She couldn't hide her response, he thought. She hadn't had the practice that he'd had at concealing his emotions.

“I'm not sure you brought me here for the sole purpose of meeting your family,” she said. “At least, not in the conventional manner.”

“No?”

“No. It was almost as if you wanted to make them disapprove of me. And I was trying so hard to fit in, too.”

“You did fit in.”

“Well, I certainly did my best, but I didn't get much help from you. I didn't like what was going on in that living room tonight, Caleb. It was as if you were deliberately taunting your family.”

“Taunting them?”

“Taunting them, baiting them, whatever.” Serenity sliced her hand through the air in an impatient gesture. “I got the impression you wanted to provoke them and that you were using me to do it.”

“Why would I want to provoke my family?” He moved toward her, and this time he was irritated when she took another step back to avoid him.

“I'm not sure.” She glared at him as she came up against the wall. “But I've been doing a lot of thinking this evening. I couldn't help remembering how you came totally unglued when you first learned about those pictures Ambrose had taken of me.”

“What do those damn pictures have to do with this?” Caleb didn't like the direction of her thoughts. Instinctively he wanted to distract her. He braced his hands against the wall on either side of her head and trapped her.

She lifted her chin. “It occurred to me that your grandfather would probably be even more outraged than you were if he ever found out about those photos. He's from another generation, after all. I'll bet he's even more straitlaced and conventional than you are.”

“Don't worry about it. He's not going to find out about those pictures.”

“But if he ever did find out, he would be very upset,” Serenity insisted. “He might not be able to accept me. He might want you to stop seeing me.”

Caleb set his back teeth. “Do you think for one minute that I'd end our relationship because my grandfather didn't approve of you? Understand something here, Serenity. I do a lot for my family, but I don't allow them to interfere in my personal relationships.”

“I'm more concerned that you might be throwing your relationship with me in your family's face. I watched you tonight. It was as if you were daring them to disapprove of me.”

“The hell with all of them.” He captured her mouth and kissed her hard to stop the flow of words.

She didn't fight him, but she didn't respond the way she had the last time, either. She simply waited until he was finished.

When Caleb raised his head, he was breathing hard. “Serenity, this has nothing to do with my grandfather.”

“Are you sure of that?”

“Damn sure.”

“Because I mean it, Caleb.” Her eyes searched his. “I won't let you use me in some private vendetta you may have going with your family.”

“I want you,” he muttered against her throat. “I brought you here to introduce you to my grandfather. I grew up in a family that values conventional rituals and I'm expected to honor them. But nothing Roland Ventress says or does will influence what happens between you and me. Is that clear?”

She hesitated and then slowly some of the tension went out of her. She smiled tremulously. “Word of honor?”

“Word of honor,” Caleb whispered.

The realization that he meant every word of the vow hit him with the force of a tidal wave.

He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything else in his life. She was one of the few things he had ever wanted just for himself, alone, not because it would please his grandfather or satisfy the old man's unrelenting demands for perfection and success.

Caleb was aware that his desire for Serenity made him potentially vulnerable in a way he had never been. It gave her more power over him than he had ever granted to any other woman. But he was certain he could handle the situation. If there was one thing he had learned growing up in his grandfather's house, it was how to control his emotions.

Furthermore, he had no intention of making the same mistake his father had made. He would not allow a woman, any woman, to destroy his life. Not even Serenity had that much power, Caleb thought.

“Caleb?”

“Kiss me.” He caught her head between his hands and set his mouth on hers. This time he coaxed rather than stormed, persuaded rather than invaded.

Serenity opened her mouth and let him inside. She wrapped her arms around his waist and melted against him.

Excitement rushed through Caleb. He slipped his hand inside her robe and found the sweet shape of her breast. She trembled in response. She wanted him. The knowledge set fire to his blood.

Without releasing her mouth, Caleb started to ease Serenity toward the bed. At first she went willingly enough, but after two steps she abruptly dug in her heels.

“No,” she whispered, pushing herself out of his grasp. “We can't.”

“Why not?” He did not want to argue. All he could think about was getting Serenity into bed. “The other night I got the impression that you'd changed your mind, that you wanted me to make love to you.”

She scowled at him while she hastily adjusted her robe. “It's got nothing to do with what I want. At least not tonight. I'm sure it would constitute a terrible breach of your grandfather's notion of good manners. His generation doesn't approve of that kind of thing. It's only right that we show proper respect for his ways when we're under his roof.”

“Damn it, Serenity, I just told you, I don't care what he thinks.”

“Yes, I know, but I'm a guest in this household, and I feel I should behave according to your grandfather's rules. He strikes me as a very old-fashioned sort of person. He would probably think it was quite indecent of us to have sex here in your childhood bedroom.”

Caleb realized she was very serious. “My grandfather may be in his eighties but he's not senile. I'll give you odds he thinks we're sleeping together.”

“That's not the point,” she grumbled as she stalked toward the French doors. “The point is, he's the kind of person who would expect his grandson to conduct his love affairs with discretion. That was the way things were done in his day.”

“How would you know?”

“Come off it. It's obvious.” She paused, one hand on the door knob. “Tell me the truth. Have you ever made love to another woman under this roof?”

Caleb rested his arm on top of the bureau and regarded her in silence for several seconds. He realized he was well and truly pissed. He wanted to take the next step in this relationship. Serenity was deliberately being difficult about it for some reason. If she had been any other woman, he would have suspected that she was playing games with him. But Serenity was Serenity. He could not envision her successfully playing this kind of game.

“No,” Caleb said. “I haven't.”

“There? You see? Until now, you've felt the need to be discreet while visiting here. Admit it.”

Caleb thought about it and then shrugged. “You could say that.” There were times when Serenity was too damn perceptive. It was true that on the handful of occasions when he had brought a woman to meet Roland, he had always made it a point to behave with the propriety that he knew was expected of him.