More than Passion (20 page)

“Geoffrey.” She breathed, needing his possession. “Please ….”

He swept her up into his arms and placed her gently in the middle of the big bed. She watched him as he slowly removed his clothes. When they came together at last, it was in an explosion of splendor.

They slept entwined in each other’s arms.

Chapter 20

The next morning began the very pleasant routine of a long visit in the country. Geoffrey, John, and the other gentlemen went hunting after breakfast and the ladies spent the morning in the parlor, discussing the affair of the previous night.

Lady Beatrice’s daughter, Constance, could barely hold herself still in her chair. “Oh, Rebecca! The ball was everything wonderful. The music, the dancing, the food. Simply marvelous.”

“I take it you enjoyed yourself, Constance?” Becca asked her.

“Oh, yes.”

“Constance,” Lady Margaret intoned, “I believe you spent quite a bit of time with a certain gentleman?”

Constance lowered her gaze, blushing. “Lord Chester and I only danced two dances, Lady Margaret.”

“It would seem to me that two dances were enough.” Becca laughed.

Constance nodded.

“I daresay we have quite a few eligible young men with us for a visit,” Lady Margaret said.

“Yes, indeed.” Lady Helen nudged her daughter, Michelle, with her elbow. “Isn’t that so, Michelle?”

The pretty red-haired girl sighed and looked heavenward. “Yes, Mother.”

“And whom did you prefer last evening, Michelle?” Becca asked, smiling.

Michelle returned her smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Hmm, I don’t know,” she began, a thoughtful look on her face. “I think I rather liked all of them.”

“Michelle!” Lady Helen gasped.

Becca joined Michelle in her laughter while Lady Margaret hid her grin.

Becca schooled her expression. “I believe Viscount Leed was quite taken with you.”

Michelle lost her smile then. “He didn’t ask me to dance. Not once.”

Becca leaned over to whisper in her ear. “But the looks he gave you from across the room ….”

Michelle’s eyes rounded. “I didn’t know that anyone else noticed.”

Becca simply nodded and sat back.

Lady Margaret spoke then. “Didn’t any of you girls find Lord Roberts attractive?”

“Oh, yes!” came the response from nearly all the young women present.

It was the older ladies’ turn to laugh then. The girls ignored the laughter and went on, extolling the viscount’s every virtue.

“He danced divinely,” gushed Sarah, Constance’s cousin.

“His eyes,” began Diane, “are most beautiful.”

Patricia snorted at the girl’s choice of words. “Diane, you act as if you have never seen a handsome man before. Aren’t you acquainted with my husband?”

Diane reddened under Patricia’s piercing gaze. Becca noticed Diane’s discomfort and knew then that Geoffrey hadn’t been the only one played false by John and Patricia.

“He wasn’t afraid to ask me to dance,” Michelle stated.

Becca saw Michelle meant to ease the conversation and Diana’s sensibilities. “No,” Becca said. “I don’t think Lord Roberts would hesitate to ask a pretty girl to dance.”

“You didn’t dance with him, Rebecca,” Constance said.

“My husband was most attentive last evening, Constance.” Becca smiled. “I had no room on my dance card for anyone else.”

“I daresay my son wouldn’t let you out of his sight, Rebecca,” Lady Margaret added.

“Oh, Rebecca,” Sarah began. “The two of you made a most remarkable pair last evening.”

“Thank you, Sarah,” Becca returned.

Constance sighed loudly, drawing the others’ attention. “If only I could find a love like that,” she said dramatically.

“I’m sure you will, Constance,” Becca said.

The ladies passed the morning speaking more of the lovely evening they’d shared. After a while, they went into the dining room for lunch. They dined without the gentlemen, who picnicked out in the fields on their hunt.

After lunch, the ladies went their separate ways. Becca went upstairs, stopping in the study to add to her notes. Smiling to herself, she wrote Lord Chester’s name next to Constance’s and Leed’s next to Michelle’s. On another line, she wrote down Lord Roberts with a question mark after it. It was obvious that all the young ladies were quite taken with him. Whom would he choose?

Becca shrugged and went into their bedroom. Mary soon joined her and helped her change into a tea gown of moss green. Mary went into Becca’s dressing room to ready her clothes for that evening and, leaving Mary to her task, Becca walked to the door and pulled it open. She gasped in surprise.

There in the doorway stood her husband, looking fine and fit. He favored her with a dazzling smile, his eyes twinkling. “Hello, love.”

“Hello, darling,” she answered, staring up at him.

He kissed her lightly and drew her into his arms. She rubbed her cheek against him, breathing in deeply. He smelled of the outdoors, fresh and masculine.

“I’ve missed you,” she said against his chest.

“Didn’t you have a pleasant day, Becca?”

“Yes, of course.” She disentangled herself from his arms and crossed to the fireplace.

“What is it, love?”

“I know we must spend time with our guests, but I would also love to spend some time with you.”

He walked over to where she stood and grasped her chin gently. He tilted her head up to look her in the eye. “Ah, Becca.”

She watched as he brought his mouth to hers. She lowered her lashes as their lips touched, the contact brief. He held her in his arms once more. “I’ll try to spend more time with you, Becca.”

She nodded, snuggling closer to him. A long moment passed and Geoffrey finally let her go. “Meet our guests for tea, love. I’ll follow shortly.”

When Becca presented herself for tea at precisely five o’clock, the parlor was already full of lively conversation. The young girls had changed into tea gowns and it seemed as though all the colors of the rainbow were represented.

Constance approached her. “Rebecca, do you think the gentlemen will join us?”

Becca tried to ease the girl’s nervousness. “Constance, I know for certain that my husband will be here. I’m sure that his friends will join us, as well.”

The girl nodded enthusiastically, her blond ringlets bouncing. As if on cue, the gentlemen strode into the parlor then. Chester greeted Rebecca, quirking a half-smile in Constance’s direction. She returned his smile shyly and asked him if he’d care to join her on the settee. He bowed his assent and they sat down, a proper distance between them.

Michelle caught Becca’s eye as Leed entered. With a curt nod in the red-haired girl’s direction, he crossed to the window. He seemed intent on the view of the grounds, his back ramrod stiff. Becca gave Michelle a small smile of encouragement. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned, startled to see Lord Roberts directly behind her.

“Good afternoon, Rebecca,” he said, smiling winningly at her.

“Good afternoon, Lord Roberts.”

He stood close to her, but she gave that little notice. Her mind on matchmaking, she waved at Diane.

The girl crossed to where the two stood, curtsying to Roberts. “Hello, Lord Roberts.” Diane breathed, her eyes like saucers.

“Why, what a pleasure it is to see you, Lady Diane,” he said smoothly. “I enjoyed our dance last evening.”

“As did I,” she answered.

Becca left them then and walked over to where Lady Margaret sat with the older ladies. She motioned for Becca to lean closer, presumably so she could speak quietly and Becca sat down next to her.

“Rebecca,” she whispered. “I think we’re off to a wonderful start, don’t you?”

“It seems that Chester is quite taken with Constance,” Becca answered softly.

“Hmm,” Lady Margaret intoned. “If only Viscount Leed would notice the beautiful girl right under his nose.”

“Give them time, Lady Margaret.” Becca laughed. “I don’t know whom Lord Roberts will choose. Do you have an opinion on the subject?”

Lady Margaret opened her mouth to respond just as Geoffrey entered the parlor and nodded in Becca’s direction. She started to stand and halted her movement as her husband walked right past her to speak with Leed at the window.

After a few minutes, Geoffrey joined her. He leaned down and pecked her cheek. “Becca,” he said near her ear. “I need to speak with Chester and Leed in my study. I won’t be long.”

“Geoffrey,” she said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. “You said we would spend more time together.”

“We will, love.”

“What is this about?”

“Don’t worry yourself about it, Becca.”

With a bow to his mother, Geoffrey left the room with Lords Chester and Leed in his wake. Lady Margaret stood then, telling Becca she wished for the maid to bring out more biscuits.

Roberts walked over to her, settling himself quite close to Becca on the settee. His leg touched hers fleetingly. “What has you so sad, Rebecca?”

“What?” She blinked. “Oh, nothing.”

Once more Geoffrey chose to keep her out of his affairs and worries. She heard little of the conversation around her, all but missed the charming smile of the man seated close to her. Her eyes were on the door as she waited impatiently for Geoffrey’s return.

Piqued, Becca stood and excused herself. She hurried out the door and toward the back of the house and could soon hear voices behind the door of the study. She knocked smartly, at which the voices ceased.

Geoffrey pulled the door open. “What is it?” he asked sharply.

“I … I wanted to see if—”

“I’ll join you in a short while, Becca.”

He closed the door, leaving her to stand alone in the hallway, hurt and angry. With a gasp of frustration, she took herself outside to the gardens. She sat on the stone bench where she and Geoffrey had sat only the day before.

Hugging herself, she let the tears come.

* * * *

In the study, Geoffrey turned back to his friends.

“Kane, you should share this with her,” Chester offered.

“No!” He softened his tone. “I won’t have her put in danger. Not again.”

“But until we get to the bottom of this mess, she is in danger,” Leed added. “Perhaps she should know of it.”

“Becca will know of nothing, Leed,” Geoffrey vowed. “And when I find the son-of-a-bitch who nearly took her from me, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”

“I don’t like the way this is going, Kane,” Leed said, bringing the topic back to the notes. “The path is getting darker and dirtier the further we travel down it.”

“What do you mean?” Geoffrey asked him.

“Well,” Leed went on, “Roberts and I have already traced the notes to White’s, but none of the regulars remember who passed them. No one had any of them on their persons, either. Seems they wanted payment directly, more’s the pity. That leaves us with no recourse but to head to the waterfront ourselves.”

“You don’t think any of that riffraff is involved, do you?”

“It seems more than possible,” Chester answered. “And you know how closed-mouthed those scoundrels can be.”

Geoffrey nodded slowly. “Dark and dirty, the path may be. But I’ll be damned if this scoundrel gets away with this.”

* * * *

Out in the garden, Becca sniffled as her tears dried. She felt a hand grasp hers and looked up.

Roberts smiled down at her, tenderness in his eyes. “Are you all right, Rebecca?”

She pulled her hand out of his gentle grasp and straightened her shoulders. “I’m fine, Lord Roberts.”

He sat down next to her, a half-smile on his face. “You agreed to call me ‘Roberts’, Rebecca.”

“Yes, I did,” Becca allowed. “You shouldn’t be out here with me, Roberts.”

“You’re upset. I couldn’t sit there in the parlor and let you suffer alone.”

Becca smoothed her hands over her skirt. “I’m not suffering.”

He brought his hand up to her face, cupping it gently. Becca could only stare at him, shocked by his actions.

“I want to see you happy, Rebecca,” he said, a serious look on his face. “Your life should be filled with laughter.”

“My life, Roberts, is wonderful, thank you.”

He shook his head slowly. “Then why are you out here alone and your husband is closed up with his friends, hmm?”

“Geoffrey has some business—”

“Ah, yes,” Roberts interrupted. “The notes.”

Becca straightened. “What notes?”

“Never mind about that.” Roberts stroked her cheek. “You’re so beautiful, Rebecca.”

“You shouldn’t speak to me so.”

His eyes darkened as he bent his head to hers. His lips brushed hers, the contact brief. She jerked her head back, stunned.

Roberts seemed to regain himself and sat up straight. “Rebecca, forgive me. I—”

She didn’t let him finish his apology. She jumped off the bench and ran back into the house. The bell sounded as she entered, signaling to the guests that it was time to ready themselves for dinner. As they ascended the grand staircase to their rooms, the ladies chatting excitedly, Becca looked toward the study. The door was still closed tight. The matter didn’t concern her?

She took herself up to their chamber and changed for dinner.

Mary fixed Becca’s hair and helped her into her gown. The dress was sapphire blue, making her eyes look a deep green. Becca thanked the girl and sent her out of the room, taking the opportunity to think about all that had happened.

Geoffrey had her so angry, she could hardly see straight. Her tears of frustration had burned hotly on her cheeks. But she didn’t know what to make of Lord Roberts’s actions. She felt nothing for the man, only a kind of friendship. When he’d kissed her, she’d been stunned. Should she tell Geoffrey? What would he do? She didn’t want to come between friends, not with Lord Roberts helping him with the sticky business of his missing funds.

She’d never told him about John’s behavior before her accident. She would put this incident aside, as well. She would, however, make certain that Roberts knew that such actions couldn’t be repeated. She loved her husband and desired only him. No other man would ever touch her again.