The Desires of a Countess (10 page)

She smiled at his deference. “No, it’s
quite all right. Actually,” she paused with a pretty blush. “I
wasn’t honest when I said I didn’t realize you would be here.
Ingram told me you’d come in and I wanted-”

She broke off with a dip of her
head.

His eyes widened. Was she going to
admit she wanted to see him? His heart soared at the thought,
though he managed to swallow back his emotions and give a
noncommittal nod. “I was just going over these books as you wanted
me to.”

She raised her eyes. “Yes?”

“
Henry had some expenses
that explain a lot about the goings on here at
Westdale.”

The blush returned to her cheeks, but
this time it was the flame red of embarrassment. Her reaction
supported his theory that she had known full well about Henry’s
extramarital activities.

“
My husband never squandered
his money. The estate is still as solid as ever,” she whispered as
she reached forward to clutch the back of a chair.

“
No, he never squandered his
money.” Simon took a step closer. “He squandered yours.”

With a little jump, Ginny dared to
meet his eyes again. In their blue depths he saw her pleading with
him not to press, not to make her relive whatever unhappiness she’d
gone through so many years before.

“
It doesn’t signify.” Her
voice was barely above a breath.

Simon dipped his head. How many times
had he told himself that same lie? But those kinds of humiliations
always signified. Always.

“
You know, I once spend a
great deal of time at Westdale.” He took a step away from her and
sensed her relief that he’d changed the subject. “As a
boy.”

“
Did you?” she asked as she
slipped into the same chair beside the fire that she’d been mauling
a few moments before.

“
Yes.” He took the one
beside her and did his best not to be distracted by the sweet smell
of lilacs that always lingered in her presence. “My mother and
Henry’s father were brother and sister. Mother used to drag us here
for a few weeks in the summer after the Season was over. I hated
it.”

Ginny’s smile grew to one of
understanding, and with a few words, Simon realized he’d struck on
the one thing they had in common. Though he rarely spoke of his
history even to his closest friends, telling this alluring woman
seemed natural. If only to let her see that he’d suffered by the
Blanchard’s hands, too.

“
It’s a beautiful place,”
she offered softly.

He shook his head. “Not when you’re
the poor cousin. My father was a virtual nothing. He’d married my
mother out of love, but the fact that he’d gain favor in the
ton
certainly didn’t hurt. Henry and
his sisters took great pleasure in pointing out that I was the son
of an untitled no one.” His mouth turned down in a deep frown at
the memory. “And when my father left us, my cousin’s treatment of
me only grew worse.”

Ginny’s face softened. “Your father
left your family?”

He nodded, surprised at the shock of
pain that ripped through him after so many years. He’d somehow
thought he’d mastered the hurt. Apparently not.

“
He was drawn to the ocean,
drawn to sailing the world. He felt tied down by a family,
especially one as oppressive as my mother’s. And she couldn’t keep
him with her. Neither could I.”

With a gasp, Ginny reached out to
cover his hand with her own. The small gesture touched him. It
wasn’t desire that drew them together this time, but
understanding.

“
Surely you don’t believe
your father’s going had anything to do with you?” Her voice was
compassionate.

He frowned. She’d touched on the
subject that had haunted him since he was nine years old and
watched his mother beg his father not to leave them. And his father
hadn’t even turned back to say goodbye to him.

“
Of course not,” he lied.
“But Henry took an even greater pleasure that my no one father had
left me than he had before. He taunted, he teased. He maimed with
words meant to cut.”

She nodded as if she understood
perfectly, and he had a suspicion that she did.

“
And then his father and
mother cut my mother off from their family.” His eyes narrowed.
“They said her shame brought too much of a blight upon their name.
Though she continued to receive her pathetic inheritance, she was
no longer considered part of her own family.”

Ginny shut her eyes with a dip of her
head. “I’m so sorry. You must hate me for being Henry’s
wife.”

He shook his head. “No! Of course not.
What I’m trying to tell you is that I understand. I understand how
important it is to have something that’s your own and not related
to a person who has taken so much from you.”

She tilted her head. “I don’t know
what you mean.”

“
I’ve found an error in
these books.” He motioned to the ledgers as he drew his hand away
from hers. “Henry took money that was meant to be yours and bought
things with it that he never should have. I want to return that
inheritance to you.”

Ginny jumped up. “What?”

He smiled at her shocked expression.
“I will draft a letter to Mr. Randall today instructing him to
redeposit the money that was taken back into your trust. With
interest.”

Her face softened as his words sank
in. “Oh, Simon, that’s so kind, but I couldn’t take that money from
my son.”

He waved his hand with a snort of
derision. “I’ve already arranged for some investments that will
more than replace anything we withdraw.”

She stepped forward to take his arm
and her warmth enveloped him. “It was only pin money. Just meant
for silly things I’m sure I don’t need.”

He shook his head as he fought to keep
his mind clear. Looking down into her eyes, all he wanted to do was
claim her lips. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m in control of
your destiny. This account will be yours and yours alone. You won’t
need permission to access your funds.”

Her eyes widened as she leaned away in
surprise. “I would have no trustee?”

“
None.”

Her eyes misted with tears she blinked
back. The reaction made him swell with pride. With something so
right and simple, he’d brought that light into her eyes. He’d given
her back a bit of the dignity his cousin had so callously snatched
away.

“
Simon.” She reached up and
cautiously brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. It felt
like heaven, but somehow he managed to remain still and let her
continue. “You don’t know what this means…”

She trailed off as she stared up into
his eyes. He saw the very need he felt reflected in their depths.
He could feel it in the way her hand stilled on his cheek. She
leaned into his chest and tilted her head up. As her eyes fluttered
to near-shut, Simon bent his own head.

Just one more kiss. Just one more
couldn’t change anything that hadn’t already been
changed.

The whisper of her breath warmed his
lips as he slowly cupped the nape of her neck. She trembled beneath
his hand as she clutched at his arm and drew him even
closer.

As their mouths met, a sharp rap
sounded at the door. Ginny made a soft sound of protest even as she
pulled away to straighten her skirt. Simon stared at her for a
moment and saw the same confusion and heat in her eyes that coursed
through his body.

“
Come in,” she called out in
a hoarse, strained voice. Her eyes held his for a moment before
they refocused on the door.

Simon turned and scowled at Ingram.
The damn butler looked from one to the other with a slightly
interested expression, but he quickly smoothed it away with an
apologetic nod. “I beg your pardon, my lady, but Mr. Dennison is
here to-”

He would have continued, but a tall,
blond man shoved passed him and came into the room. His brown eyes
fell on Ginny, then lit up with gladness.

Despite his rude intrusion, Ginny
smiled in return and sent a flash of jealousy through Simon. Who
the hell was this?

“
Robert!” She took a step
forward and held out her hand. The man took it and raised it to his
lips with a possessive smile. “Why I haven’t seen you what seems
like ages.”

The blond man nodded. “Yes, I have
been very busy with matters in the shire for the past few weeks and
I regret not being able to break bread with you lately. But I’d
heard you had an unwelcome visitor and I wanted to insure your
well-being.”

Ginny shook her head. “Unwanted
visitor? What on earth are you talking about, Robert?”

“
The trustee… People in the
village were talking about how angry you were when you got the
letter and I-”

As the man continued talking, Ginny
flushed a dark red and shot her gaze in Simon’s direction. He met
her flustered expression with a smile. As much as he hated this
person’s interruption, finally hearing the truth about Ginny’s
reaction to him was almost worth it.

“
Robert,” she blurted
out before the other man could do any more damage. “You must have
misunderstood.
This
is Mr.
Simon Webber. He’s Jack’s trustee and he and I have come to…” She
turned to face him, and his amusement faded at the lingering desire
in her eyes. “Simon and I have come to an
understanding.”

He smiled at her before he turned his
attention back to the man before him. He was handsome, the kind of
man women looked at a bit longer if they thought they wouldn’t get
caught. He had light hair and dark eyes, eyes that smoldered when
they fell on Ginny. And she’d called him Robert, his Christian
name. Slowly Simon clutched his hands into fists. Just what kind of
relationship did they have?

“
I haven’t yet had the
pleasure of your name, sir,” Simon said as he stepped
forward.

Ginny shook her head. “Oh, I’m so
sorry. Simon Webber, this is Robert Dennison. He’s our shire’s
magistrate and was a great friend to Henry and to our
family.”

“
Yes.” Dennison
stepped forward to extend his hand. When the two men locked grips,
both squeezed hard enough to send a clear message to the other.
“Part of my duties here in Westdale are to
protect
her ladyship from anyone who might cause
her harm.”

Simon narrowed his gaze at the other
man’s underlying message. “Funny, Dennison, that’s part of my duty,
as well. Perhaps that kind of protection is better left to family…
and friends.”

Ginny stepped forward and drew Robert
away with a gentle hand on his arm. “Mr. Webber, don’t be silly.
Robert
is
a friend. He has
been for years.”

Dennison gave a smirk of triumph.
Simon felt the urge to put his hand through the other man’s
teeth.

Ginny looked at him again, and her
gaze cooled his anger a fraction. After all, it was
him
who she’d nearly kissed moments
before.

“Well, I should leave you to your work, Mr. Webber.
Robert, since you’ve come all this way, perhaps you’ll have tea
with me in the salon?”

Any triumph Simon felt melted away
with her offer. Though she might be trying to keep the two men
apart, he hated that she’d spend time alone with this stranger. He
needed to find out more about Robert Dennison.

“
Ginny?” he called out as
she moved toward the door behind the intruder. He was unsure what
he wanted to say, but he wanted her to look at him
again.

She turned back. “Yes?”

For a moment they only looked at each
other and then, with a smile, she slipped from the room on
Dennison’s arm and left Simon feeling more alone than
ever.

***

He’d nearly kissed her again. After
all his apologies and the promises they’d each made to stay away,
there was still something almost dangerous that drew them together.
The thought gave Ginny a shiver that had nothing to do with a lack
of warmth in the sitting room.

“
You seem distracted,
Virginia. Are you certain Mr. Webber’s visit isn’t causing you
distress?”

Ginny shook her thoughts away and gave
Robert a weak smile. “You worry too much. Simon should be done with
his work soon, and then he’ll go back to his business. We shouldn’t
see him again for a long while once he leaves.”

Her smile turned down at her words.
Despite the fact that she wanted, no
needed
, Simon to leave, the idea of never seeing
him again left her feeling oddly bereft.

“
Well, don’t hesitate to
call on me if you need my help.” Robert reached over to grasp her
hand. “You know I’m your servant, Virginia.”

Ginny pulled her hand away with a
frown. Robert was a good man, but he was often too forward. He had
been even when her husband was living. Though she’d always
dismissed it as a harmless
tendre
, she never wanted to do anything to
encourage it. It wouldn’t be fair to lead the man on, especially
now that Henry was gone and Robert might believe he had a chance to
win her heart.