The Wedding Affair (19 page)

“It was too large to remove. My grandfather had it built right inside the room.”

“Well, at least he left you something.” Penelope turned her back on the devastation and went downstairs, letting her glove trail lightly along the banister as she descended. The leather would never be the same, she thought, looking at the dust she’d picked up.

And yet…

The earl stopped to talk to the men who were finishing up the haying. Penelope stood by the sagging front steps and studied the front facade of the house while she waited for him.

It was not an elegant house nor—strictly speaking—a beautiful one, especially in its present condition. It must have always been more utilitarian than graceful.

But Stoneyford spoke to her in a way the imposing new townhouse in London never had. Stoneyford must have once been the sort of home where dogs could flop down on the hearth rug and drool without anyone getting upset, and where children could play hide-and-seek or wheedle sweets from the cook or hold pretend jousting meets in the great hall on rainy days…

She caught herself in midsigh.

“You’ve been very patient,” the earl said as he boosted her back into the saddle. “I’m used to seeing the house in ruins, of course, or at least I thought I was, until… At any rate, I’m surprised you didn’t scream and run.”

“Tell me about it,” Penelope said. “Tell me about Stoneyford.”

***

The group of riders crossed fields and trailed along lanes so narrow that they had to ride single file. Kate had dropped to the back of the line so she could more easily keep count of her charges—and stay well away from Andrew. But as she approached the top of the last hill, she realized Andrew had been quietly sitting on his horse in the shadow of a huge old oak tree right at the crest. Her heartbeat speeded up at the thought that he had waited for her, but she told herself it was foolish to read hidden meanings into casual actions.

He nudged his gelding toward her, and they climbed to the top of the hill together. “Did you discover the duke’s secret plan?” Kate kept her voice light.

“No. He just told me to go away.”

He sounded quite calm, but Kate wondered if he would have preferred to hover about Olivia. Not that she cared.

She paused at the crest of the hill to look down across the ruined abbey. From this vantage point, the half-fallen walls formed an almost geometric labyrinth, a pattern of long roofless corridors flanked by multitudes of small rooms.

Kate drew a long breath. “Oh, dear. They’ll be able to get lost in that tangle of hallways with no effort at all.”

“It’s beautiful. Look at the way the light falls across the stones, and the pattern of sunshine and shadow.”

Kate looked again. Andrew was right; caught up in her responsibilities, she had seen only the risks presented by the ruin, not the beauty of sun-warmed stone heaped against rich green grass, or the sparkle of light on the river beyond. She let her gaze wander across the vista and felt her heart warm.

“There is a serenity about England,” he said softly, “that feeds the soul in a way more exotic landscapes cannot.”

She turned slowly to look at him. “So you
have
traveled and seen exotic places.”

“As well as many that are neither exotic nor beautiful.”

“But you told the bridesmaids you’re an ordinary tutor.”

Andrew’s smile flashed. “On the contrary, Kate. I told them I didn’t know enough Latin to teach it. You know quite well I’m telling the truth there.”

She did indeed. Latin was only one of the subjects in which Andrew had been faltering during that long-ago summer he had spent at Halstead. But it seemed to be the one he and the vicar spent the most time reviewing. Each day, the vicar would release Simon from servitude and keep Andrew behind for a bit more practice.

And each day, Kate would manage to be nearby when his lessons were finally finished. Sometimes they shared only a word or a smile. Sometimes he lingered to talk with her about her book or her work. Sometimes he walked her to a parishioner’s cottage.

Once… just once… in the garden behind the vicarage, he had kissed her.

And after that, as if that kiss had frightened him, he had made certain never to be alone with her again. For a while, she had continued to haunt the vicar’s study at the end of the day—until Lady Daphne had gleefully told her how silly she looked and what a foolish girl Andrew thought she was…

Water under the bridge
, Kate reminded herself. “If you were not teaching the standard subjects, what sort of instruction did you provide Lord Winchester’s sons?”

“He wanted the boys to be informed about the family business—including the pineapple plantation in Antigua, which I visited last spring because Lord Winchester did not care to leave his new bride.”

“He’s your employer, then?”

“Not precisely. He does not like to travel, and I do. He has considerable property he does not care to visit, and I am happy to take his place.”

“How fortunate you are to have such a patron.”

Andrew grinned. “Indeed. The only thing that would make my situation better is if I could convince him to invest in Brazil, so I would have an excuse to canoe up the Amazon… Shall we race to the bottom of the hill?”

***

The abbey, built of native stone, had once loomed over the wide level plain adjoining the river. Now few of the walls stood more than head high, but the remains still formed a formidable maze. “I know why the stones look so familiar,” Olivia said as she and the duke rounded a bend in what must once have been a long and twisting hallway. The stone floor had been overtaken by moss and grass, and she had to watch her footing. “It’s because I see the same shapes and colors every day in my own cottage.”

The duke nodded. “When the abbey was closed down and the abbots dispersed, scavengers hauled away enough stones to build Steadham village.”

“It must have taken hundreds of cartloads.” She looked around. “I should be helping Kate to keep an eye on the bridesmaids.”

“Even with their genius for troublemaking, they will take time to get into mischief.”

“You’re only saying that because at the moment you feel safe from their schemes.”

He smiled. “It’s true I can’t be cornered as long as I have you to protect me.” He drew her around a corner into what must have once been an abbot’s cell. Now it was open to the sky, but the walls in this section remained stronger and taller than the surrounding ones.

Olivia shivered. “It’s chilly in the shadows.”

“Come here and kiss me,” the duke said softly, “and you won’t be chilly any more.”

She stood her ground. “I’m quite hopeless as a mistress, aren’t I? How is it, sir, that I did not anticipate your intentions?”

“I told you I was discreet. If you won’t come to me, my lady…” He closed the distance between them, and before Olivia could move, he’d swept her into his arms. “And you are far from hopeless.” His mouth brushed hers softly before he turned his attention to her temple, her ear, and the hollow under her cheekbone.

“If you think I’m going to make love with you here,” Olivia began, “with a dozen people just outside that wall—”

The duke went still, his lips pressed against her eyelid. “I was going to say you require only practice to be the ideal mistress, but suddenly I’m inclined to think you’ve already learned it all. Do enlarge on this fantasy of yours, my dear, for I find it quite arousing to think of you seducing me in an abbot’s cell.”

“Me, seducing
you
? I just said…” Olivia gasped as he nibbled from her chin to the hollow at the base of her throat and beyond. How had he released the buttons down the front of her bodice without her noticing? Cool air flowed over her breasts, but she barely had time to register the chill before he warmed them once more with his hands and his mouth. She tried again. “Do you always make love outdoors, Your Grace?”

“Hardly ever. But since you seem to prefer it…”

Olivia’s throat closed up as he traced a slow, erotic circle with his tongue around the eager tip of her breast. Shafts of heat shot through her and pooled between her legs, and suddenly it seemed quite a good idea to pull him down on the stone floor. “We can’t,” she moaned.

“If I reached under your dress right now, Olivia, would I find you are as ready as I am?”

I want you wet and hot and eager
, he had told her before making love to her in her garden. Now she knew exactly what he meant, and if she hadn’t already been aroused, his question would have been sufficient to do so.

He seemed to find her silence answer enough. He drew her closer and kissed her deeply, his tongue sampling her in gentle contrast to the hardness of his erection resting insistently against her belly. Then he said, “Regrettably, you are correct—we can’t. And it was never my intention to do so. I meant only to steal a kiss.”

Olivia gave a little shriek and tried to stamp on his foot.

He only held her more firmly. “As stolen kisses go, my dear, that was remarkable. For the rest of my life, whenever the abbey is mentioned, I shall remember your fantasy and picture you lying on this bed of moss as I make love to you. Unless you would care to return with me one day so I won’t have rely on imagination?”

“Of course not, Your Grace.” Olivia’s voice felt raspy.

He laughed and let her go. In the midst of her relief, there was a thread of regret that Olivia refused to think about right now.

He leaned out of the cell to survey the twisting passageway outside. “No one is in sight. It’s safe enough for you to go and meet up with a few of those dozen people now—but I shall have to wait a while before I rejoin you.”

Her gaze flicked down to the front of his breeches.

“Looking at me like that won’t help. It is odd, I grant, but it seems you don’t even need to be touching me to make me more aroused. I wonder if the same works in reverse. If I simply look at you…”

Olivia didn’t wait for him to experiment. She ducked through the door of the abbot’s cell and out into the passageway. Just around the first turn, she came face to face with Andrew Carlisle and a trio of bridesmaids.

Olivia fell into step with them just as Kate spoke from the shadow of a half-fallen wall. “The footmen are setting up the picnic.”

“Already?” When Olivia saw Kate’s sharp look, she would have given anything to take back the comment. How much time had passed while she and the duke lingered in that quiet little cell, anyway?

The outdoor luncheon was the most elaborate Olivia had ever seen. Several small tables complete with starched linens had been set up in what must have once been the abbey’s dining hall, and the tidbits the footmen served were as dainty as anything to be found in the dining room of a fine estate.

Olivia’s chair was directly across from the duke’s, and though she tried not to look at him, she was quite aware he was watching her.
I wonder
, he had said,
if I simply look at you…

She hoped he didn’t realize how very effective his technique was. She felt hot and cold at the same time, and she could barely taste anything, much less swallow. Still, when the meal was finally over, she complimented Daphne on her choices.

“It was all well enough,” Daphne responded indifferently as she collected a couple of friends so they could go off to further explore the ruins.

Much to Olivia’s relief, Andrew Carlisle drew the duke aside, leaving her free to turn to Kate. “You must be the one who really organized the picnic, Kate.”

“Perhaps I should become a housekeeper,” Kate mused, “for my other options for employment don’t seem to be showing much promise. Walk with me so I can follow the bridesmaids at a discreet distance.”

“I’m sorry. I should have been helping you earlier.”
Instead of playing delightful games in the abbot’s cell…

“I’m growing used to dealing with them on my own. Most of them are only heedless, not truly troublesome. And I’m not complaining, mind you—neither you nor Penny were foolish enough to agree to this job.”

“Penny? Have I met her?”

Kate looked around. “I wonder where she disappeared to… Penny is Lady Townsend, and if you haven’t been introduced, I expect you soon will—if the duke continues on this course. What is going on, Olivia? One minute you and His Grace are at dagger’s point, and the next it appears he’s—well—courting you.”

Olivia tried to look innocent. “Strange, isn’t it?”

“But he can’t mean it, Olivia. Simon and you… No, that’s just impossible.”

For a moment Olivia was hurt that her friend was so certain—and she wondered if, despite Kate’s assertion that she had no personal interest in the Duke of Somervale, she was now discovering she was jealous. It worried Olivia to think that Kate might be hurt by something that wasn’t even real.

“Olivia, do take a warning to heart. Simon is extraordinarily charming, and he’s far too used to having his own way. I cannot think he is serious in this.”

“Of course he isn’t serious. Don’t trouble your head over it, Kate. I know exactly what I’m doing.”