The Desires of a Countess (4 page)

Adam’s eyes grew wide, but then he
broke into a long burst of laughter. “It should be interesting to
see how she reacts to that!”

“
Yes. And that’s exactly why
I plan to do it.” Simon smirked at his friend before he flipped
open his pocket watch. In just a few hours he would be with
Virginia again. He was surprised to feel anticipation at the
thought. Everything she’d done so far was designed to make him
dislike her. Instead, he found himself enjoying the adversarial
dance they were engaged in. The question was, would he come out on
top?

And even more, did he want
to?

“
My lady?”

Ginny jumped at the sound of her
maid’s voice and pivoted toward the door to look at the girl with
what she knew were wild eyes. “Yes, Nora?”

Her maid hesitated and her concern was
plain. “The gentleman is downstairs in the Green Room, as you
instructed. He was told to help himself to a drink and that you
would be down in a few moments. His servant has gone to the kitchen
to have his meal.”

Somehow, Ginny found the strength to
nod through her anticipatory fog. “Thank you. That will be
all.”

The girl dipped out a quick curtsey as
she slipped from the room and shut the door behind her. Once she
was alone, Ginny turned to the full-length mirror again with a
short breath. Simon was there. Downstairs in her home. And for all
she knew he was furious about the state of the cottage. A furious
male was a dangerous male, that she knew from bitter experience.
Yet, she’d still goaded him. But only because she had no other
choice. Any problems she suffered now would be worth it if he took
her not-so-subtle hint and went back to London where he
belonged.

She wrinkled her brow at her
reflection. Was she primping? She’d been so focused on her fears
that she hadn’t even realized she was checking her hair until she
caught herself doing it in the mirror. How could she care about her
appearance when she went down to face him? He was the enemy. The
worse she looked, the better.

Unless…

She paused with her hand halfway to
her chignon. Though she’d tried to deny it to herself all day,
she’d felt Simon’s eyes on her that afternoon. She knew what the
glitter in his gaze meant. He was attracted to her. And if she
looked pretty, perhaps it would mitigate some of his anger and save
her from whatever punishment he was sure to dole out.

Unable to avoid the inevitable any
longer, Ginny gathered up her skirt and swept into the hall. With
every step, her imagination spun images of how angry Simon must
have been when he saw the state the cottage was in. Even though it
had been part of her plan, she still dreaded facing the
consequences. Though she had to admit, smashing holes in the walls
of the place where Henry had entertained his whores and widows and
even some of her ‘friends’ had been most rewarding.

It was with a smug smile on her face
that she entered the Green Room, but her smile fell when she saw
Simon.

He had a drink in his hand and leaned
with the other bracing his weight on the mantel. His eyes, the
amazing sea blue eyes that haunted her mind, were focused on some
of the trinkets that decorated the fireplace. He tilted his head to
one side to examine her favorite vase a bit closer, but he still
hadn’t noticed her quiet entrance.

A quick flash of heat rushed through
her at the sight of him. How could he be so handsome? So much
bigger than she was, even bigger than Henry had been. Yet, his
superior size didn’t frighten her as it should have. Instead of
wondering how he would use his height against her, she found
herself wondering what it would feel like to have those large,
rough hands touch her skin.

With a gasp, she shook away the
scandalous thoughts and straightened her shoulders. Was she weak?
Or just a wanton? Perhaps a glutton for punishment was a better
analysis. After all, desire only bred pain.

At her soft sound of distress, Simon
turned from the fireplace. His gaze locked with hers. For what
seemed like forever, the world slowed to an almost unbearable pace
and she was drawn to the intensity of his stare as easily as if
he’d reached out and physically pulled her nearer. Worse, the
sensations his mere look inspired were anything but
unpleasant.

Using the remainder of her dwindling
willpower, Ginny broke their stare and took a step into the room.
Icy detachment was the best course of action. She’d learned that
over the years.

With a thin smile, she said, “Good
evening, Mr. Webber. I hope you weren’t forced to
wait
long.”

His gaze, which had maintained its
intensity even when she looked away, softened with his smile. “No,
my lady, not this time. May I fix you a drink?”

A drink was the best idea she’d heard
in what seemed like years. Yes, a drink to make her hands stop
shaking, to help her stay relaxed as she faced off with this devil
who hid behind a handsome exterior.

“
Sherry, please.” As he
turned to the bar, she gripped the back of the chair and screwed up
what courage she had left. “How is the cottage?” she managed to
squeak out.

His shoulders stiffened and her heart
sank. Despite a friendly attitude when she first entered the room,
he
was
angry. She
straightened her spine and prepared for the harsh words she knew
would come.

But when he turned, his face was clear
of anger. In fact, an amused twinkle brightened his eyes before he
cloaked the reaction with a hooded glance. “Our accommodations are
fine, thank you.”

Ginny barely kept her mouth from
falling open in shock. The accommodations were fine? There was a
foot wide hole in the roof that
she
had ordered placed there. On a rainy night like this one, the
cold and damp would permeate everything and everyone who dared to
take shelter behind its damaged walls.

His smile widened and took on a rakish
air that made her stomach flip flop. “And I hope you haven’t put
your schedule off by having a formal supper prepared. You’ve gone
to so much trouble as it is.”

He arched one dark brow and there was no doubt in
the challenge of his stare. Ginny somehow swallowed past the sudden
lump in her throat. She’d all but forgotten her earlier lie about
not having formal suppers. It was so hard to keep all the lies
straight, especially with a man who seemed to see her soul with his
blasted, beautiful eyes.

“
We-well,” she stammered as
her fingers dug harder into the back of the chair. “I thought we’d
make a special effort for your first night here, Mr.
Webber.”

He smiled and her eyes strayed to the
drink he’d prepared for her. Wasn’t he going to give it to her? She
needed it now more than ever. She was shaking so hard she was
afraid she wouldn’t stay upright for long.

As if he’d read her mind, he took a
long step closer. His stare never left her as he held out the
drink. With trembling fingers, she reached out to take the glass,
but they slid from the damp crystal and instead brushed across his
hand.

The electricity that shot between them
at the inadvertent touch stunned her. Ginny blinked up at him, and
the flash in his eyes made it clear he’d felt the heat, too. And
that it confused him as much as did her.

But she’d just met him! There was no
reason for him to inspire any strong emotions beyond wariness and
anger. No reason for her to be slowly leaning toward him as she was
doing at that moment. Yet she couldn’t seem to control the slow
sway of her body any more than she could control the wild cadence
of her heart.

“
Ginny?” Harriet’s voice
came from the door.

The sound of her name startled her
back to reality. Ginny dropped her hand from Simon’s fingers to
take a stumbling step back. The spell between them was broken, but
from the look in his eyes it was one neither would soon
forget.

Damn devils and their
charms.

“
Harriet.” She turned toward
her friend with a wide smile that felt more false than any
expression in her life. Behind her, she heard Simon set her drink
down on the table with a clink. If only he’d done that in the first
place she never would have touched him. She shook away the memory.
“I’m so glad you made it through the torrent.”

Harriet eyed her with a questioning
gaze that slowly shifted to Simon. At her perusal, she let out a
gasp of “Oh my,” under her breath. Ginny tossed a look over her
shoulder and had to agree. The man was sinfully
handsome.

“
The torrent has eased,”
Harriet said, shaking off whatever surprise she felt and giving
both occupants of the room a bright smile. “But I’m glad to have a
skilled driver. The roads can be treacherous on a night such as
this.”

Ginny linked arms with her friend. Her
own shakiness began to fade with Harriet’s strength.

“
Then it’s good you live so
close by. May I present Mr. Simon Webber? He’s the man Henry named
as trustee to Jack’s entailed inheritance. He’s only here for a
short while.”

She finally looked up and saw that
though Simon bowed slightly in Harriet’s direction, his gaze was
still fixed firmly on her face. It was disconcerting enough that
she lost all thread of thought.

“And I’m Harriet Percy,” Harriet finished for her
after a few awkward moments had passed. She gave Ginny a hard glace
out of the corner of her eye. “My late husband was a Squire in the
shire.”

Simon turned from Ginny to smile
kindly at Harriet. “Mrs. Percy, it’s an honor to make your
acquaintance. I’m so sorry about the loss of your husband. It’s
good that you and Lady Westdale can support each other through your
grief.”

With a shrug, Harriet released Ginny
and held out her hand. As Simon placed a kiss on the top of her
glove, she said, “Ginny is the best friend I’ve ever known. I’ve
heard very much about you.”

“
Really?” Simon sent an
intrigued smile in Ginny’s direction. She hardly noticed it, for
she was entirely focused on his hand. The one that still gripped
Harriet’s even though Simon had done his duty and greeted
her.

“
Let go,” she muttered under
her breath. How she hated the little twinge of emotion in her
chest. Almost as much as she hated the surge of triumph when he
followed her silent order and released her friend’s
hand.

Ginny smoothed her skirt and wished
she could straighten her emotions so easily. These distractions
weren’t helping her cause at all. “Shall we adjourn to the dining
room? I believe Ingram is eyeing us from the door with that gleam
in his eye that tells me the cook is ready for us.”

“
Very well.” Simon smiled at
the two women, obviously waiting for Ginny to decide which one’s
arm he should take.

While propriety dictated that he
escort her as lady of the house, somehow she doubted her reaction
to his touch would be any different than it had been earlier. The
thought of feeling that shock of awareness again was terrifying.
But as her eyes drifted to her pretty friend, Ginny felt the stab
of something akin to jealousy. Cursing herself, she swept past
Simon and into the hall, leaving little doubt that he should take
Harriet’s arm. But she didn’t have to watch.

***

Simon made a show out of stabbing his grouse and
slowly cutting a slice from the breast. It could have been an
aardvark on his plate for all he cared. The only thing he seemed
capable of concentrating on was the alluring young woman who sat a
few chairs down from his own.

Virginia.

No, Ginny. Her friend, Mrs. Percy had
called her that, and it fit her. It put him to mind of the girl she
must have once been before she’d become colder. But why had that
happened? And why did she continue to hide herself beneath that
cloak of ice? In the Green room he felt the heat she kept hidden.
He wanted that heat. And he still did.

He stole another glance her way and
swallowed hard as she took a slow sip of wine. She darted her
tongue out to catch an errant drip that clung to the curve of her
lip. It was as if every move she made was designed to bewitch him.
To make him throb for her as he throbbed now. But he could and
would fight those urges. His desire only confused an already
complicated situation.

“
Mr. Webber, perhaps you
could tell us a bit more about yourself.”

Simon shook off his increasingly
erotic thoughts to give Harriet Percy a quick smile. The woman
seemed kind enough, though he’d be a fool not to realize her
friendliness only extended as long as he was considerate to Ginny.
He had a feeling the other woman would lash out if he dared to harm
a hair on her friend’s head.

Even the questions she’d posed
throughout the meal weren’t really designed to get to know him on a
personal level. They were meant to determine what kind of man he
was. But he had nothing to hide.

“
What would you like to
know, Mrs. Percy?” he asked, leaning forward with a half-smile for
her. She returned the expression and he knew without a doubt that
they understood each other perfectly.