The Desires of a Countess (2 page)

He shut his eyes and counted to ten in
his head. When he felt no better, he tried twenty. She seemed
determined to quarrel with him, to read malice into his every
action.

“
I didn’t mean…” he began
with an exasperated sigh.

“
But you did.”

She frowned at him as she folded her
arms. Simon did the same and the two stared at each other. How long
would this little showdown last? Judging from the steel in her
eyes, quite a while. His aunt’s warning that Virginia wasn’t well
flickered into his mind again.

He covertly shifted his gaze from her
auburn-highlighted hair over her softly rounded breasts, slender
hips and the shapely legs he’d wager hid under her blue skirts.
Virginia looked perfectly well to him.

He shook the thought from his head.
Months at sea had obviously made him weak if he’d experience such a
strong pang of desire for a lady who had just set him down with
wild accusations. Since she didn’t seem capable, he had to be the
calm one in the situation.

Start over. Just start
over.

Clenching his teeth, Simon held out
his hand to her. “Lady Westdale, I’m your late husband’s cousin,
Simon Webber.”

She eyed his hand with distrust for a
moment as if sizing him up, then cautiously extended her own. He
took it for a brief squeeze then immediately released her hand. Her
face relaxed a fraction and her stance became less like a
fighter.

“
I assure you I’m not here
to do you any harm,” he continued. “In fact, I’m hoping my presence
here will be of some help you through what must be a difficult
time. And James, too.”

The wall flew in front of her narrowed
eyes again. Apparently he’d made another blunder.

“
We call him
Jack.”

“
Jack,” he corrected with a
placating smile. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting
Jack.”

“
I’m sure you are.”
She took a seat but continued to stare at him with obvious
contempt. “Now I wonder if you could stop playing your little games
for a moment and tell me what you
really
hope to accomplish while you’re
here?”

Simon’s mouth fell open and it took a
moment to compose himself enough to speak. “I beg your
pardon?”

“
You heard me quite well.
Why are you here?”

He blinked. Twice. “Didn’t you receive
the letter from your husband’s solicitor?”

She looked at him like he was some
kind of idiot. “Yes. But I think we both know there’s more behind
your arrival than just Henry’s will. Did his mother send you to
check up on me? Or perhaps you’re hoping Jack’s inheritance will
pad your own purse for the next twenty years?”

At that, Simon forgot about control.
The idea that she would accuse him of stealing from a child threw
his mind into a fury. He slammed his palm down on the desk, and she
jumped at the harsh sound.

“
Apparently you’ve done
nothing to find out who I am, have you, my lady?” he asked with
lethal calm as he circled around the desk closer to her.

Her shoulders stiffened, but she
didn’t rise from her seat. “I don’t need to research you or your
past to know that any man would be thrilled by the kind of money
you now have access to,” she said, but her eyes dropped from his,
as if the intensity of their stare frightened her.

He took the chair beside her and
leaned closer. He was greeted by a soft whiff of flowers that
radiated from her flushed skin. Despite his frustration, the
feminine scent set his body on edge and cooled his anger, while it
heated his blood in other ways.

“
Ah, but in this case, Lady
Westdale, you do. You have no idea what I do, do you? Who I
am?”

Her nostrils flared and from the
closer angle, Simon was surprised to see more fear than anger in
her dark blue eyes. Between that and the intoxicating lilac scent
of her skin, he was intrigued enough to tamp down his remaining
fury.

“
No.” she admitted through
clenched teeth.

“
Then allow me to fill you
in on the details. I am involved in shipping, my lady. I have been
for years. What I’ve earned from my own sweat and labor could buy
what James has inherited three times over.”

He couldn’t hold back a smug smile of
pride as her eyes widened, first with doubt and then with
surprise.

“
Three?”

Her husky voice was barely a whisper
and the timber ignited sparks of awareness throughout his body.
What in the world was wrong with him? He’d met the woman not
fifteen minutes before!

“
Perhaps four.” He cleared
his throat as he forced his focus back to business. “So you don’t
have to fear my sweeping in to take your son’s fortune. I have no
need to do so.”

Now it was her turn to lean in closer.
She searched his face, taking in every angle and curve. What she
was looking for, he didn’t know, but he would have been lying if
he’d said he didn’t enjoy the sweep of her gaze.

“
I don’t understand.”
Her voice was soft, as if she meant to speak her words only to
herself. “If you aren’t here for Jack’s money, then why
are
you?”

His smile fell. That explanation would
have taken far too long, and he doubted a woman like Virginia
Blanchard would understand. Besides, he wasn’t sure he wanted to
give her such a glimpse into his personal life.

Finally, he took the easy explanation.
“Family duty, my lady. It’s all about family duty.”

There was a long pause. Without
warning, the moment of openness she’d displayed vanished. “Ah, yes,
the Blanchards. I’d almost forgotten who your family was.” She
shook her head and he had the sneaking suspicion she wasn’t really
directing that comment to him either.

“
And your family,” he
offered.

Her eyes lifted to his and there was
no mistaking the fire of hatred that sparked within them.
“What?”

“
They’re your family, too.
By law.”

“
They are
not
my family,” she said with venom.
Then the anger faded, though what replaced it seemed false. For the
first time since she’d stormed into the office, Virginia smiled.
“But now we must discuss where you’ll be staying during the short
time you’ll be here to look over Henry’s books.”

Simon nodded. There was no use telling
her that he had no idea how long or short his visit would be.
Judging from her manner, his stay might involve more than a cursory
look over the finances of the estate. It might include
investigating her fitness. An exercise that suddenly didn’t seem so
very unpleasant.

“
Of course you cannot stay
here in my home. That wouldn’t be proper.” Her smile fell. “So I’ve
arranged for you to stay in the little cottage on our property. It
isn’t large, but it will house you and your staff.”

Simon wrinkled his brow. This sudden
sweetness and accommodating manner was as confusing as her earlier
rage. But he had to admit, he was drawn to the act all the same.
Even a false smile increased her beauty tenfold. He could only
imagine what a genuine one would do.

“
Of course I wouldn’t want
to be a burden. And staying on the estate makes sense. The sooner I
can be done with my business, the sooner I can leave you to your
normal life. I appreciate your offer.”

She turned away, but not before Simon
saw her smile had turned to a smirk. What in the world was he
getting himself into?

“
Very good. I assume you can
take care of yourself for the most part. Since the household is
still in mourning,” she paused with a grimace. “We don’t have
formal suppers every night. I’ll have the cook bring down food for
you and your men. How many are there?”

Simon glanced at her gown. The pale,
spring blue was anything but mourning attire and he hadn’t missed
how she’d accentuated the
household
was in mourning, but had said nothing about herself. He
wondered why. Only a few short months had passed since Henry’s
accident.

“
Mr. Webber?”

“
I’m sorry.” He shook his
head. Maintaining focus around this woman was a difficult order.
“There will only be two of us. Just me and my valet.”

Her brow wrinkled and her eyes moved
over him again. “I would have thought you’d need an army of men...”
With a gasp, she shut her mouth and turned away. “If you need
anything, please bring it up with my butler. Ingram will be happy
to assist you. Good day.”

With that, she gathered up her skirt
and all but fled the room. Simon watched her go with a shake of his
head. In the span of twenty minutes Virginia Blanchard had
confused, aroused, and infuriated him. He found himself wondering
when they would meet again, and if he would ever find out who the
real woman behind the mask was.

Chapter Two

“
So what does he look
like?”

Ginny turned from the rain-streaked
window to glare at Harriet. “You’re missing the point.”

Her friend shrugged. “You said he was
younger than you thought he’d be, I was simply curious.”

With a sigh, Ginny sat back down in a
comfortable chair by the roaring fire. “I said he was unexpected
in
many
ways, not only in his
appearance.”

Still, despite her protestations to
Harriet, thoughts of Simon Webber had crept into her mind since
their meeting a few hours before. And not just because of the
heated words they’d exchanged.

“
Which was…?” Harriet
prodded.

“
You’re exasperating. He was
very handsome if you must know.” The image of Simon Webber standing
in her husband’s office as if he owned that and every other room
flashed into her mind. “He’s very commanding. Hard, like a man who
works outdoors, except for his eyes. I’ve never seen a color like
that before. Blue-green like the ocean.”

She trailed off. What was wrong with
her? Talking like that about a man she’d only just met? It wasn’t
like her.

Harriet arched an eyebrow, and Ginny
shook the images from her head before she continued, “He looked
like a man who could take what he wanted.”

“
You
were
looking closely.” Harriet’s
tone was low, as if that fact signified.

“
Why shouldn’t I? He holds
the keys to my future and my son’s life. I must learn everything
about him that I can.”

She frowned. They were pretty words,
but she hadn’t been thinking about those very rational things when
she’d been with Simon. No, instead of concentrating on the problem
– him, she’d been flustered by the odd feelings he’d inspired. It
had taken all her strength to maintain distance and control. Her
instinct had been far different. She’d wanted to run from him, from
the strange curl of heat that had begun in the pit of her stomach
and eased its way throughout her body when he looked at
her.

Harriet’s expression made it more than
clear that she didn’t believe her rationalizations any more than
Ginny did herself.

“
And what do you know about
him now that you’ve spent a few moments in his company?” her friend
asked with a wry smile.

Ginny paused to contemplate the
question. “Well, he doesn’t have that coldness most of his family
does. His eyes weren’t just amazing, they were warm. Not cruel like
Henry’s. Even when Simon was angry, they didn’t become
hard.”

“
Are you admitting I was
right, then?”

Ginny wrinkled her brow. “About
what?”

“
That he isn’t as much of a
threat as you thought. That perhaps he isn’t here to destroy you or
your son’s independence. Perhaps he’s here to help you, just as he
claimed.” Her friend tilted her head while she waited for an
answer.

It was one Ginny found hard to come
by. Yes, she’d been furious when she came into Henry’s office to
find Simon Webber sitting there like he was lord and master of the
estate. It had been too much of a reminder of her late husband in
that very spot, drunk, his voice harsh as he listed her faults as a
wife and lover. Henry’s cruel hands wrapping around her arms,
dragging her to their room for punishment for unknown crimes. She
shivered at the unwanted memory.

“
Ginny, you look as though
you’ll faint away. Breathe.” Harriet rose to her feet with a look
of concern.

“
I’m sorry.” Ginny shook her
head. She was being weak. Simon Webber didn’t hold any special
power over her. “My mind wandered.”

Her companion arched an incredulous
eyebrow. “I would say so, and I’d hate to be on that journey if it
makes your eyes fill with such terror.”

Ginny ignored her friend’s words and
forced her mind back to the subject at hand. “Mr. Webber isn’t what
I thought he would be. He doesn’t seem to be a monster, but that
could be part of his act. One way or another, it doesn’t change the
fact that I don’t want him here. I don’t want him, or any other
person, involved in my or my son’s life.”