The Heir (18 page)

Sabrina heard him approaching, and without looking, knew it was Duncan. There was something about his stride, so brisk, that was quite recognizable. Her pulse picked up a beat, an odd occurrence that happened each time he was near. She wondered why he was there. It wouldn’t be for the same reason she was, she was sure.

As soon as the storm had begun, she had sought a quiet place to observe the primal magnificence of nature unleashed in full fury. She loved storms as much as she did gentle rain. While some people might grow nervous at the rumble of thunder or a whip-crack of lightning, she actually found such things soothing and would as soon be out in the midst of it.

That was impossible, at least today it was. But the next best thing was to watch, and the balcony doors with their glass panes gave her an unobstructed view of the terrace and beyond, and the empty ballroom gave her the privacy to enjoy that view alone.

But she didn’t mind that she was being disturbed by Duncan; in fact, it was rather nice that she could share the view with him.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said when his step stopped next to her.

She thought she’d have to explain what she meant, but knew he understood when he replied, “Would you like a closer look at it?”

She glanced at him and smiled, but shook her head sadly. “My aunts would disapprove of a wet, bedraggled look, particularly so close to the luncheon hour when I wouldn’t have time to go home and change.”

He smiled back, but took her hand in his and, opening the balcony door, pulled her outside with him into the rain. He stopped there on the terrace and lifted his face to the sky, savoring the elements as she might have done.

God help her, in that moment she fell completely in love with him.

Duncan thought he must be mad, to have given in to that impulse—until he looked down at Sabrina. There was such joy in her expression, such delight, that it made her radiantly lovely. Even though her hair had quickly soaked and was stringy about her face, for a brief moment he was completely mesmerized, by her incredible
eyes, a raindrop on one lash before it slid to her cheek, another rivulet pooling in one dimple before dividing and rushing over her perky little chin, the suppleness of her lips when she smiled that drew his eyes to her mouth.

He cupped her adorable face in his hands and kissed her. It was another impulse, but one he couldn’t regret once begun. The rain was stingingly cold, but he didn’t feel the cold, felt only the heat of her lips, and the steamy heat where their bodies touched. She was ambrosia to taste, a fresh breath of summer in the bleakness of winter.

Thunder rumbled distantly and he drew her instinctively closer. Lightning flashed and he parted her lips, his tongue thrusting inside. For a time there was no one else in existence, just the two of them and the elements, and the passion that had burst upon them.

When Duncan came to his senses, he was assailed with guilt, embarrassment, and something else, which he didn’t recognize immediately as fear. He could blame Archie for having set him to thinking about Sabrina as a woman, rather than just as a friend, and he would blame him if this impulse ended up costing him her friendship.

He took his hands from her and stepped back. He was too upset now to look at her, wanted only to escape before she said something that would sever their relationship, yet he had to apologize first, couldn’t leave her thinking that he was the barbarian he was reputed to be.

“That was—it shouldna—” Duncan groaned
inwardly. When had he ever been so bloody tongue-tied before? “I’m sorry, lass. I dinna ken why I did that, but it willna happen again, I promise you.”

Twenty-six

I
t was quite a while before Sabrina came out of the daze Duncan’s kiss had left her in. She was shivering, had been for some time, but was only now aware of it. She didn’t go back inside, though, to get warm. She walked around to the stable to see if she could find the coachman who had brought them.

He was there, fortunately, and agreed to take her home so she could change her clothes. Her aunts wouldn’t have to know that she had gotten soaked, so she wouldn’t have to explain why. She was in no condition to explain anything when she couldn’t fathom what had happened herself.

Duncan had kissed her, thrilled her to her depths, then swore it would never happen again. What was she to make of that? That it was an accident, a spur-of-the-moment thing that
shouldn’t have happened and likely wouldn’t have if they had been anywhere other than standing in the middle of a violent storm? Storms soothed her, but they apparently excited him, Mother Nature in her finest fury. Yes, there was something primitive in that, she supposed, something that might incite a man’s passions.

She wished he hadn’t done it. Knowing how wonderful and exciting it was, being kissed by him, wasn’t going to help her peace of mind any. Not that it mattered compared to the other thing she had discovered, that she had actually fallen in love with him.

She wasn’t surprised, really. There had been vague hints that it was happening, which she had tried to ignore. But actually admitting it … She knew it was going to make her miserable, loving Duncan. How could it not when she could never hope to have him for herself, when she would have to watch him marry someone else? And not from afar. She was his neighbor! She would see him often, him and his wife, and then him and his wife and their children.

She was late for lunch, not that it mattered since it was being served over the course of many hours, like breakfast, so not everyone was trying to crowd the tables at the same time. It still wouldn’t have mattered either way, since she had no appetite now, had too much emotion churning around inside her to tolerate any food.

She joined her aunts in the drawing room. They’d already eaten and there was only a brief inquiry about her new day gown, which she covered
nicely by simply saying the other had needed changing, without giving a reason. They accepted that, drawing their own conclusions as she’d figured they would, which kept her from having to lie about it. But then they had news to impart and were eager to impart it.

Alice beat Hilary in that, saying, “Ophelia has decided to stay here rather than with us, and has already sent for her things.”

Sabrina’s surprise wasn’t that Ophelia would want to stay here, now that she’d been invited, but that she could. “They actually still have room here?”

“No, none a’tall, but she has friends here that offered to make room for her in the room they’re sharing.”

Hilary got her own thoughts in on the matter by adding, “Can’t see why she’d want to be crowded in with a bunch of other gels when she could have a room to herself only ten minutes away.”

Sabrina could and offered, “Being in residence, she’s less likely to miss anything that occurs.”

She didn’t add that Ophelia would probably prefer crowds because they gave her the audience she seemed to constantly crave. That was an unkind thought best kept to herself. But staying at Summers Glade would also put a thorough end to any of the gossip about Ophelia, if any still lingered after her appearance today.

Alice pretty much confirmed that by saying, “It’s being assumed she was invited back, so no hard feelings between her family and the Thackerays,
even speculation that young Duncan has changed his mind and will propose again. D’you think we ought to point out that she’s only here because
you
were invited, and she was our guest at the time?”

Sabrina sighed inwardly. She could frankly care less what turn the gossip took where Ophelia was concerned, but she didn’t want to be responsible for influencing whichever direction it went.

“I think if Lord Neville wants it known that she’s not here by his invitation, then he’ll let it be known. It’s not up to us to correct any false assumptions in that regard. Let everyone think what they like. You know as well as I that they will anyway.”

That was a touchy subject that Sabrina immediately regretted mentioning, so she quickly added, “I heard there is to be dancing tonight. Has that been confirmed?”

“Indeed it has,” Alice replied. “But there’s no need to rush home to break the ball gowns out of storage. It will be quite informal.”

“It has to be,” Hilary pointed out. “At gatherings this large, it’s almost impossible to set anything to a schedule, where everyone would need to prepare at the same time. Can you just imagine eight women in the same room, with eight ball gowns laid out, and eight maids trying to dress their ladies all at once? Can’t be done, not without mass confusion and tempers flaring.”

Sabrina did imagine it and smiled. “I don’t know, the flaring tempers might be amusing to witness.”

“Have you met Lord Archibald MacTavish yet, m’dear?” Alice asked next.

“No, but I’ve heard he’s here,” Sabrina replied. “Have you?”

“Not yet, though we were hoping to today.”

“She
was hoping to,” Hilary corrected her sister. “She has the silly notion that the widower MacTavish could use a new wife himself.”

Sabrina raised a teasing brow. “Why, Aunt Alice, are you thinking of getting married?”

Alice blushed and humphed in her sister’s direction. “Certainly not. It merely occurred to me that with his grandson moving to England, he’ll be alone up in those Highlands of his now.”

“We don’t know what his home is like,” Hilary argued back. “It could be filled to the brim with other relatives of his, for all we know.”

“Actually, it’s rather empty, according to Duncan,” Alice said, smirking at Hilary in triumph that she had that information.

Sabrina decided to nip their bickering in the bud before it got seriously started by satisfying her own curiosity. “You spoke to Duncan?” she asked Alice.

“Yes, just after lunch, though not for long. Poor boy seemed rather upset about something. He did ask where you had got to, and I couldn’t answer him. I presume this was when you went home to change?”

“Possibly,” Sabrina replied uncomfortably, and even more uncomfortably, tried to sound nonchalant in asking, “Did he say if he was looking for me for a reason, or merely wondered where I was?”

“No, but it’s all right for you to seek him out to find out,” Alice said.

“Yes,” Hilary confirmed. “It’s quite acceptable for you to do that in a gathering like this. You
are
his neighbor, after all.”

Sabrina gave both of her aunts a narrow look, aware of what they were doing. “If it’s important, I’m sure he’ll find me. But in the meantime, stop imagining there is more there than there is. He sees me merely as a friend, something
neighbors
tend to do.”

As they watched Sabrina leave the room, Alice said, “She stressed that rather nicely, didn’t she?”

“Yes, rather overstressed it, actually. He likes her, you know.”

“I thought as much, but apparently she doesn’t,” Alice said, frowning thoughtfully.

“Can you blame her for being less than confident after the disaster London turned out to be?”

“It wasn’t a disaster, merely a—”

“Disaster.”

“I swear, Hilary, could you
not
disagree with me for once, when we
do
happen to be in agreement about Duncan MacTavish? If Sabrina thinks he only wants to be friends with her, then she’s not going to notice any hints to the contrary that will come from him. We need to convince her that she has a chance at a fine match here.”

Twenty-seven

O
phelia wasn’t overly embarrassed to be the only woman there that evening wearing a ball gown. She would have changed her clothes, however, if she’d noticed it in time, rather than after she was already halfway into the ballroom. She’d been too busy trying to locate Raphael Locke, though, to see what everyone else was wearing.

But she ignored it after her initial surprise and momentary discomfort. She knew how splendid she looked, after all, and that was all that mattered. She would merely shine even brighter compared to the other women there, which was fine by her and as it should be.

She didn’t see the Locke heir yet, but she did see that Mavis was still there, and was exceedingly annoyed by it. The hateful bitch should have left Summers Glade already, but apparently
being labeled a lying, backstabbing traitor to her friends wasn’t enough to shame her into going. Ophelia would have to think of something else to send her running home in tears.