In the Wake of the Wind (31 page)

“But I don’t think I can thank your aunt for Aiden’s improved disposition,” Lord Delaware said with a sideways glance at her. “I’ve never seen the boy so happy. Today he looked as if he might burst out into song, and it had nothing to do with choir practice.”

Serafina
blushed. She still couldn’t believe it was possible to feel such happiness. Maybe magic did exist after all, for Aiden had finally banished her ghosts, brought her into the fullness of her love for him. And she did love him, she was sure of that now. The goddess truly had given her to the man she was meant to be with, and she later intended to thank and honor the god and goddess with all due ceremony on this, their special day. They had brought her a true gift.

Aiden had made love to her most of the night, taking her to never before imagined heights of pleasure, but the day had held equal delights, for the simple, singing pleasure she took in his company fulfilled her every bit as much as his lovemaking.

Their walk today had brought her nothing but joy, her hand tucked securely in his as he regaled her with amusing stories of his time in faraway places. His physical attentions, once so dreaded, she now welcomed with open arms and a glad heart, the lightest of his touches sending shivers through her.

“Serafina?
Have I lost you again, dearest?” Lord Delaware shot her a quizzical glance.

She came back with a start. “I’m sorry. I have been a bit dreamy today. What were you saying?”

“Only that Aiden looks a happy man, and I believe you have everything to do with that. He reminds me of myself when my dear Isabel was still alive.”

“Does he?” she said, pleased beyond measure that Aiden’s father thought so. “I’m so glad. I wish for Aiden’s happiness above all else.”

“Why … why, I do believe you love him, my dear,” Lord Delaware said, his spade stilling in his hand. “Is it possible after such a bad beginning?” He regarded her gravely.

Serafina
lowered her gaze. “I do,” she said softly. “I love him with all my heart. You won’t tell him though, will you?” she asked nervously. “I don’t think he’d like to hear it.”

“Not like to hear it?” Lord Delaware said, incredulity coloring his voice. “Why ever not? What man doesn’t want to know that his wife loves him?”

Serafina
pressed her palm against her forehead, wishing she hadn’t spoken so freely. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just that Aiden doesn’t love me, and I don’t want to make him uncomfortable with unwelcome emotions.”

Lord Delaware snorted. “That’s the biggest load of poppycock I ever heard. Aiden could use some love in his life. He’s never had it, not where it mattered, and that’s my fault for shutting myself away and not tending to his needs.” He sighed heavily, digging the point of his spade into the earth. “I didn’t deal well with Isabel’s death, you see. I let Aiden fend for himself, and Charlotte too when it comes down to it, and I have only myself to blame for their misery.”

“You were in pain, Papa. You couldn’t help grieving,”
Serafina
said, trying to be fair.

“Nonsense,” he said bluntly. “I could have tended to the needs of my children instead of indulging myself. I could have given Aiden support and encouragement instead of blaming him for my wife’s death. If I could take the last twenty-eight years back I would, but I can’t, and I know it. But if there’s any hope for Aiden it lies with you, my dear, so you love him as he deserves, and don’t you worry about sparing his feelings just because he doesn’t think he has any.”

Serafina
reached her hand out to his, tears blurring her eyes. ‘You’re a good man, Papa, and I can understand why my father held you in such high regard. I feel as if in some way my own father has been given back to me through you, and I am so grateful, so very, very grateful for that.”

“Good heavens, child. You might make me believe you even love me a little,” he said, his own eyes tearing up.

“But I do,” she said, squeezing his dirt-encrusted fingers. “I really do. Is that really so hard for you to believe?”

“I’ve been a fool,” Lord Delaware said roughly, rubbing his eyes with one hand, leaving a streak of mud behind. “I’ve done so many things I regret. But the one thing I’ll never regret is arranging your marriage to my son, as self-serving as it was at the time.” He pulled out his handkerchief and blew his nose hard. “The first kind thing God has done since taking my Isabel away was sending you to us, and for that I will be eternally grateful.” He mopped at his eyes. “I’m sorry. Forgive an old man his sentimentality.”

Deeply moved,
Serafina
wrapped her arms around his neck. “Dear Papa,” she whispered against his rough cheek, “I forgive you everything, for you brought me to Aiden, and for that
I
will be eternally grateful. Maybe we both had to wait until the time was right. But as a result, not only do I have a papa to love, but a sister and a husband to love as well.”

Lord Delaware disentangled himself. “Good heavens, girl,” he said gruffly. “Are you forgetting yourself? We have a choir practice to attend. Tomorrow is our debut, and it won’t do to forget it.”

“Certainly not,”
Serafina
said, laughing and loving him all the more. “We’d better hurry.”

They walked back to the house, both wrapped in their separate thoughts, Serafina’s focused on counting her blessings.

“A
iden?” Serafina
knocked on the study door, hoping Aiden wasn’t too busy to see her. She’d had a wonderful idea when she was dressing for dinner, and she wanted to present it to him privately. But the real truth of the matter was she didn’t want to be away from him for another minute. Her idea was really just an excuse to be in his company.

“Come in,” he called and put his pen down as she entered. “Hello, sweetheart. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”

“Am I disturbing you?” she asked, her heart skipping a beat as he smiled warmly at her. He was so beautiful, so incredibly beautiful and so very masculine, and yet he was capable of such gentleness. But best of all, he was hers, hers to love and honor, just as she had vowed.

“Not at all. I was just finishing up some paperwork before dinner. We have a ship sailing to Nice next week and I have to approve the cargo invoices. But you haven’t told me why you’re here.” He came around his desk and gave her a kiss, his mouth lingering on hers. “Or did you simply miss me?”

Serafina
ran her hands down his chest, savoring the smooth hard planes under her palms, remembering exactly how they looked beneath his jacket and shirt. “I suppose I missed you a little,” she said, slipping her arms around his lean waist, wishing she could tell him the truth—that she’d missed him terribly, even though she’d seen him only two hours before at choir practice. And then she’d found it very hard to concentrate on her job, her gaze straying to him the entire time as if she were a besotted schoolgirl.

“Good,” he said. “I’d hate to think you’d forgotten all about me. So. Are you ready for our big day tomorrow?”

“Oh, yes. I think we’ll do brilliantly. Everyone seems so excited, and won’t Charlotte be surprised?”

“I think I can safely say that Lottie will be overcome, but I can’t swear it will be with joy. I have no idea what she’ll make of seeing the household staff standing in church singing their hearts out, side by side with her father, brother, and sister-in-law.”

“Will she think us undignified?”
Serafina
asked with a worried frown. “I know how strongly she feels about observing the proprieties.”

“I wouldn’t give it another thought. My sister is a touch top-lofty, I’m afraid, but I suppose she has little else in life other than position and God to think about. Maybe being in London will do her some good.”

“That’s why I wanted to speak to you,”
Serafina
said. “If she’s going to come to London with us, then she’ll need some nice dresses, and there won’t be time to have anything made. Would you mind terribly if Janie alters some of my clothes? She’s clever with a needle, and you bought me far more dresses than I can use.”

“I hadn’t thought of
that …
hmm.” He scratched his cheek. “I suppose Lottie’s dresses are a bit subdued, but that’s the way she likes them.”

“I know, Aiden, but she’s such an attractive woman. She ought to look her best, now that she’s finally come around to the idea of going out in society.”

“But you heard her last night, sweetheart. She said that was only for the sake of appearances, that she felt she had to do her duty. I’m not sure she’ll think that her duty extends to wearing pastels and lace and ribbons.”

“Well, as far as I’m concerned, it’s hard to feel gay when one is dressed as if in mourning. I can try to persuade her, at least.”

“As you wish,” Aiden said, dropping a kiss on her hair. “You are thoughtful as always toward Charlotte. Now why don’t you sit down in that armchair and provide a glorious distraction for me while I finish up my work? I won’t feel so put-upon if I have your beautiful face to look at.”

Serafina
blushed. “Aiden, you don’t have to flatter me. I honestly don’t mind being plain as long as my looks don’t worry you.”

“Plain?”
He stared at her.
“Serafina,
I swear to you, I’ve never been inclined to flatter you—I don’t have to.”

“You don’t?” she said uncertainly, not sure of what he meant. “Why not?”

“Why not?” He cupped her face in his hands and released a long breath. “Because, my sweet girl, you happen to be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Serafina’s mouth dropped open in sheer astonishment. “No,” she said flatly. “I don’t believe it.”

“Believe it,” he replied quietly. “I’ve thought so from the first moment I saw you. You took my breath away. This isn’t the first time I’ve told you what I think of your looks, you know.”

“But I—but I always thought you told me I was pretty because you wanted to make me feel better about myself, or because you were trying to have your way with me,” she whispered, taken aback.

Aiden burst into laughter. “Do you really think I’m that much of a hypocrite?”

“No—no it’s not that,” she said quickly. “It’s just that I know I’m odd looking. I always have been, you see.”

“Odd looking is an interesting way to describe you,” he said, running his thumbs over her cheeks. “I’d say you were enchanting. Unique. You make other women look boring.” His thumb rubbed over her mouth. “You have the widest, most extraordinary eyes I’ve ever seen, and your mouth is the most delectably kissable mouth I’ve ever encountered. So soft and full, and so very responsive.”

“And my front tooth is crooked,” she pointed out, about to melt into a puddle at his touch. She still couldn’t believe he actually thought her beautiful but the way he looked at her made her feel it.

“That front tooth of yours is not what I’d call crooked. It’s—it’s as unique as the rest of you, and absolutely perfect as far as I’m concerned.” He covered her mouth with his and ran his tongue over it, sending little shocks through her body. “Mmm. You see?” he said, lifting his head, his breath coming faster. “Dear God,
Serafina,
but you’re dangerous. I can’t come near you without wanting to do all sorts of deliciously erotic things.”

“I think that must just be your nature,” she said, wishing he would do deliciously erotic things to her. She loved the way he touched her, the way he made her blood sing in her veins.

“I really did made a bad impression on you the day we met, didn’t I?” He sighed, stroking her back. “I wish I could say I was sorry, but I’m afraid that I was smitten by you on the spot. I swear to you, I really don’t go around behaving like a depraved rogue, assaulting innocent women. I couldn’t help myself.”

“You may have behaved like a depraved rogue, but I have to admit, I did think you were the most handsome man I’d ever seen. I’m certain you’ve had women fluttering around you since you were old enough to notice.”

Aiden kissed her again, his lips soft and warm on hers. “Jealous?” he asked softly. “You have no reason to be. I’m all yours, sweetheart. But I’m happy to know my face pleases you.”

“Everything about you pleases me,” she said, resting her cheek on his chest, drinking in his scent, that faint mixture of sandalwood and lime and pure Aiden. She longed to tell him how she really felt, but at the same time she couldn’t bear to have him laugh at her, all because he thought she was living in a fairy tale, still expecting him to be a prince. He didn’t believe in love to begin with, so he was bound to think her the biggest sapscull.

“And you please me greatly, every last inch of you,” he said, his fingers straying to her nape. “I should have remembered to dress your aunt down on that subject as well this morning. She had no business making you think you were plain or undesirable.”

“She never actually said I was plain or undesirable,”
Serafina
said in her aunt’s defense. “She just told me I wasn’t pretty, but then it’s not Auntie’s way to praise.”
Serafina
paused. He had spoken with her aunt? The thought made her nervous in the extreme. Aunt Elspeth could be depended on to go off half cocked on any number of subjects and
Serafina
only hoped the subject hadn’t been her. “Aiden … what did you dress my aunt down about this morning?”

“Oh, a number of things,” he said, idly playing with a lock of her hair. “But what really sent me into a temper was discovering that your dear, misguided aunt has been doctoring the dinner wine.”

“What?”
Serafina
took an appalled step backward. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Aiden shook his head. “As I said. She’s been putting some kind of brew into the dinner wine thinking it would boost my sexual potency, as if it needed boosting.”

“Oh,
no …”
Serafina
pressed her hands against her mouth, horrified that Elspeth would have done something so awful. No wonder poor Aiden had been suffering so severely. “Oh, Aiden, I’m so sorry—I had no idea.”

“Neither did I until Janie waltzed in with the decanter so your aunt could dispense another dose and accidentally spilled the story, not realizing I was there. Dear God, but I was tempted to strangle Elspeth.”

Serafina
wanted to drop through the floor. She couldn’t believe Elspeth had resorted to such a low ploy. On the other hand, it was just the sort of mischief her aunt couldn’t seem to stay out of. Strangling Elspeth did have its appeal. “She—she means well, truly she does.”

Aiden grinned. “I’m sure she means well, but I’d rather she didn’t take out her good intentions on me. I only hope my father and Plum recover from the effects or we’ll lose all the female staff.”

“
That’s
what’s been making Plum and your father behave so badly?” Serafina couldn’t help the gurgle of laughter that escaped. “I did wonder … oh, dear.” She covered her mouth with her hands, trying to sober. “I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t find this so amusing. Auntie shouldn’t have interfered.”

“Your aunt is a meddlesome nuisance, although I must confess I’m fond of her.” He tilted his head and regarded her curiously.
“Serafina,
there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you about your Aunt Elspeth. I suppose I should first tell you that I walked into an extraordinary scene this morning.”

Serafina
winced. The mental image of what Aiden might have witnessed was not reassuring. “You probably just saw Auntie honoring the Sabbat,” she said, trying to gloss over her aunt’s more peculiar habits.

“I believe that what you really mean is that your aunt practices witchcraft,” he said dryly.

“Well, it’s not witchcraft exactly. She, um … she just prefers the old ways.”

Aiden raised one eyebrow in cynical question.

“Oh, all right,”
Serafina
said, heaving a resigned sigh. Aiden was far too astute to be put off by prevarication, and the situation was already too far gone, if he’d seen Elspeth in full ritual preparation. “She’s a Wiccan. Some people call them witches, and they are really, but not in the way you might think. They only practice magic for good, and even though Auntie doesn’t always get it right, she only has the best of intentions. She’s really most devout.”

The comer of Aiden’s mouth twitched. “I suppose she only rides her broomstick on All Hallows’ Eve?”

“Oh,
no,”
Serafina
said earnestly. “Broomsticks aren’t for riding—that’s an old tale invented by witch persecutors. Brooms are ritual tools used for purification. And All Hallows’ Eve—Samain is the proper name, actually—is a sacred night in which to honor friends and relatives who have died.”

“Wonderful. I can just see your aunt now, calling up the souls of the dead. The house will be littered with them.”

“Don’t be silly. She wouldn’t think of doing such a thing. Anyway, even if you wanted to, you can’t call up souls who have gone on to other incarnations,”
Serafina
replied logically.

“I see.” Aiden rubbed a finger over his eyebrow, then dropped his hand with exasperation. “Are you telling me that your aunt’s filled your head with claptrap about reincarnation on top of everything else?”

“It’s not claptrap,”
Serafina
said hotly, wondering why everyone but herself and Elspeth had such a problem with the idea. “It makes perfect sense, and I think you should try not to be so close minded. What is far more illogical is to believe your soul was created just to have one life and then go play in the clouds with harps for the rest of eternity. Where’s the sense in that, may I ask?”

Aiden threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Ah, sweetheart,” he said, wiping his eyes. “You’ll never bore me, I’ll give you that. But do me a favor and keep your opinions to yourself, would you? I’d hate for the vicar to get wind of your theology—we’d all be excommunicated and Charlotte would never forgive me.” He grinned broadly.

Stung by his attitude,
Serafina
planted her hands on her hips. “There’s nothing unchristian about the doctrine of reincarnation, and furthermore, I don’t think God is nearly so narrow-minded as you, Aiden Delaware. He put plants on this earth, didn’t He, and they die and are reborn every year. Why shouldn’t people be reborn after they die?”

“It sounds exhausting to me.” Aiden took her firmly by the shoulders and sat her down in the armchair. “Now enough of this nonsense. I need to finish my work.” He picked up a book from the floor and put it in her lap. “Here, why don’t you read this? It’s a history of shipbuilding over the ages. I think I can safely guarantee that none of the people between the pages have popped back to life, for if they had, we’d be in serious trouble. Scoundrels, the lot of them.”