“I will be glad to discuss it with you. But it never hurts to pack as many sweets in your trunk as you can,” said Wes with a grin. He bowed to Lord and Lady Edward, even as he hugged the smaller children. “Pray forgive my unannounced visit. I hope I have not arrived at an inconvenient time.”
“Of course not,” said Lady Jane, as she kissed his cheek. “You are always welcome. And you will stay with us, will you not?”
“I was planning to stay at the inn.” But he was hoping for an invitation to stay at the house. He craned his head about looking for Violet. Surely she would have heard him drive up by now, would she not?
“Nonsense,” said Lord Edward. “We have plenty of room and we are all looking forward to hearing about your time in Philadelphia.”
“Yes,” said Violet, who had just emerged from the house looking so beautiful it took Wes’s breath away. “We are all most anxious to hear what kept you from England.”
* * *
Violet still could not believe her eyes. She had spent so much time dreaming of this moment she was stunned to find it was finally upon her. Of course, in her dreams she was wearing an elegant gown and swanning about the terrace in a very elegant manner. She might even have had flowers in her hair. Though, in fact, she rarely swanned and the last time she had made the mistake of putting a flower in her hair, a bee had found it.
A short time ago she had been dressed in an ordinary gown, perfectly well suited for an average day in the country. She had been engrossed in a particularly good book when the children had run into the library to peer out the window.
“What a grand phaeton,” Daniel had said. “Do you think it is Uncle Hal’s?”
The younger children had crowded around and even Violet had been curious to see who was paying them a visit. Her aunts and uncles visited frequently, but never in anything smaller than two carriages, though her Uncle Hal did have a few phaetons and curricles. They had been described as his last remaining vice.
But when the driver finally came into view, Violet could not have been more surprised. For surely it was surprise and no other emotion which made one forget to breathe. Her heart was squeezed and her face flooded with warmth. Surprise had to be the leading cause of running upstairs to her bedchamber to quickly change gowns, tidy her hair and give her cheeks a quick pinch. There could be no other rational explanation for such behavior other than plain old surprise.
By the time Violet had returned downstairs she was almost calm. She could almost face Wes with the polite distance one would accord a friend of many years. She could be perfectly dispassionate about the fact that one moment he had been kissing her ardently and the next he had set sail for America.
So she walked outside with perfect aplomb, which fled the moment she came face to face with him.
He was, if possible, even more handsome than the last time she had seen him. He seemed taller, though that didn’t seem likely. But he had definitely become more muscular. She wondered what he had done in America to fill out his jacket quite so nicely, but she certainly would never ask him. Indeed, if he asked if he had changed, she would say she hadn’t really noticed.
Though that would be a lie.
He was so busy greeting her parents and hugging the children, he hadn’t even noticed her. So, she made her presence known with what she hoped was the ideal degree of disinterest, “We are all most anxious to hear what kept you from England.”
Specifically, she wanted to know if he was betrothed to some bloody American. She had nothing against Americans, particularly since both her Aunt Melanie and her friend Anna had been born there. But she dreaded hearing that he had given his heart to someone on a distant shore. That would get in the way of her theory that he was unable to give his heart to anyone and not just to Violet in particular.
Wes looked at her and it was as if time froze. All intentions of being calm and indifferent fled. It wasn’t just his good looks which made her stomach flutter. It was her memories of their kisses and caresses. And from the look in his eyes, he had not forgotten them, either.
“It is lovely to see you again, Violet,” he said as he bowed and took her hand. “I was most anxious to see you again upon my return to England.”
“Were you away long, my lord?” she asked, as if she didn’t know exactly how long he had been gone.
Perhaps sensing her prevarication, Wes’s eyes twinkled. “Altogether too long. I am glad to be home.”
Violet was afraid that despite her resolve to remain cool, her face gave away her joy at his homecoming, even as she wondered why he was there. Her mother interrupted her thoughts.
“Violet, perhaps you would like to show Wes to his room.”
Before Violet could object, she saw the challenging look in Wes’s eyes. She knew very well that if she declined her mother’s suggestion he would know she was afraid to be alone with him.
And she would not allow him to think that. So, she turned and led him into the house.
* * *
“What do you think that was about?” Ned asked his wife, as they kept an eye on their youngest son who was chasing a squirrel.
“I believe Wes is finally ready to marry.”
“What gives you that idea?”
Jane’s only response was a pointed look.
“You do not believe he means to marry Violet?” Ned’s look of alarm, though sincere, would not look out of place at a Covent Garden melodrama.
“Well, he cannot mean to marry me.”
“He had better not have romantic designs on either of you!”
“I am just teasing about me, love, but I do believe he has his heart set on Violet.”
“She is much too young to marry.”
“I was already a mother at her age.”
Ned looked close to fainting when Jane kissed him. “I believe she is in love with him, as he is with her. However, there is the matter of his leaving the country to be dealt with. It was very difficult for her. But in the end I believe everything will work out, though I have a feeling she will not make it easy for him.”
“She gets that from you. Though in this case, I believe she should take all the time in the world to decide if they are right for each other. She need not marry for decades – or ever – if she so chooses.”
“Yet somehow I do not believe that would be her choice,” said Jane as she kissed her beloved husband again.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Despite having thought of her every day. Wes hadn’t known just how much he had missed Violet until he had seen her again. She was even more beautiful in person than he remembered. Her fair hair was pulled up in a loose bun, with a few tendrils at her neck. He longed to kiss his way across her neck before finally claiming her lips.
He wanted to pull her body against his and let his hands wander as he tasted her lips and breathed in the scent of lemon verbena which would always remind him of her. Instead, he took a deep breath and let her show him to the guest chamber.
She was doing her best to remain at a distance. Indeed, it appeared she was almost indifferent to him, which was frustrating in the extreme. He knew he had a great deal of explaining to do and even that might not be enough.
“The bedchamber has a view of the back garden,” she said. “It is where our rooster likes to roam, so you might find it a bit loud in the morning.”
“It has been a while since I have heard the sounds of nature. I quite look forward to it.”
“I will see that he crows loud and early, my lord,” said Violet, as she ran her finger along the bureau checking for dust and not finding any.
But, oh, how he wished she would run her hand over him.
“Can you not call me by my first name?” he asked.
“Very well, Lord Wesley.”
“Just my first name, without my title attached. We are, after all, fairly well known to each other. Some might say intimately.”
There. Color rushed into her face, though she remained outwardly composed. He supposed it wasn’t right of him to feel satisfactio
n in making her blush, but, damn it, he wanted her in his arms and she only wanted to give him a house tour. It was quite disheartening.
“I think it best that we both put the past behind us, my lord.” She emphasized his title in a way that made him want to kiss her even more. “Actually, I believe you already did that long ago.”
That got his attention. “Violet, you cannot possibly believe I forgot even an instant of what we said to each other. What we did together.”
“Let me see if I understand,” she said, taking three steps toward him and bringing her lemon verbena with her. “You were so…taken with our kiss that you decided it was necessary to put an ocean between us. I am flattered beyond belief. I can only imagine how much further you would have run had we taken things further.” She blushed again at the implication.
All Wes could think about was taking things further. But before he could even begin, she had brushed past him and was now at the door.
“If you need any assistance,” she said. “Do not hesitate to ring and Rigg will be up to attend to you. Until then, good day.”
* * *
He was back. Violet still could not believe it as she sat in her bedchamber chair. As suddenly as Wes had disappeared, he was now back. And here in Marston Vale. In the guest chamber just down the hall. A guest chamber she had just shown him, all the while too aware of the bed. He was only interested in trying to charm his way back into her life. Of course, she didn’t truly know if he was interested in doing that. He might simply be paying a visit to her family. And when he was done, he would leave once again. And this time he might never come back.
She would not chase him. She had built a good life for herself in Marston Vale. She had missed him, but knew no one’s life should be so tied to another that it simply ceased when the person was not around. Missing someone should not mean missing out on life.
She was very curious about why he was there and what she should do about it. She knew what her heart wanted. Now she just had to find a way to ignore it.
“How do you feel, my love?”
Violet looked up as her mother entered her bedchamber, then sat on the chair opposite her.
“I suppose you will not believe me if I say I am pleased to see an old family friend and have no thoughts on the matter beyond that.”
Jane smiled, as she reached for her daughter’s hand. “I am afraid not. I know you a bit too well not to have noticed you were rather…disconcerted to see Wes again. You never told me what happened at your come-out when the two of you disappeared.”
“You knew about that?” Violet couldn’t believe this subject had never before been raised.
“I love you, Poppet. I always keep an eye on you. And it fell upon me to keep your papa distracted so he would not follow you outside. If it had been any other gentleman other than Wes, I would have allowed your father to, well, be your father and chase the young man off. But I trusted Wes.” She hesitated a moment. “Was I right in doing so?”
“Oh, yes! He was a perfect gentleman.” She blushed at the remembrance. “Perhaps not a perfect gentleman for he gave me the most perfect kiss. But then he left and nothing was ever the same.”
“I did wonder why he left the country so abruptly. I thought perhaps you had sent him away, but when I saw how sad you were I figured it was a lover’s quarrel, a misunderstanding of the heart. Your father noticed, too. It is one of life’s great miseries to see your child unhappy but be unable to do anything to help. You used your time wisely by throwing yourself into your work and I knew your heart would be whole again eventually. But I still worried. I am concerned even now. Would you like us to send him away? I can do it tomorrow politely. Your papa can do it right now with considerably less finesse.”
Violet shook her head, with tears in her eyes. “No, thank you. I must learn why he has come and then decide what I intend to do about it. But it is of immeasurable comfort to know I am so well loved by you and Papa.”
“You are loved by a great many more people than that,” said Jane as she rose and pulled Violet into a hug. “I even suspect there is a gentleman who has come to call who will love you the rest of his life, though, of course, I hope very much he has an adequate apology for leaving so abruptly.”
Violet relaxed in the arms of the mother who had loved her forever and sacrificed so much on her behalf. “It feels good to hold you.”
“I am glad to hear it, since I never intend to stop holding you. You are my great love, Violet. You always have been. You always will be.”
“Is everything all right?”
They looked up to see Ned, who was standing in the doorway. “Violet, why are you crying?” He rushed in and pulled his eldest daughter into his arms. “Are you hurt? Is there something I can do?”
“I love you, Papa, Mama.” Violet held out her hand to her mother, who joined them in the hug.
They remained there for a long moment, once more the same three people who had found each other so many years ago. Then Ned said, “I wish I knew what was going on.”
“Sometimes it is better when you don’t, dear,” said his wife as she squeezed both of them just a bit tighter.
CHAPTER TWELVE
In the days which followed, Violet tried to pay little regard to Wes. That, of course, was easier said than done. She had thought her family home was fairly large. Then why was he everywhere she turned? And why did he have to be so good with her brothers and sisters? It was much easier to stop thinking of a man as a potential husband when he didn’t have Wes’s good looks and warmth and eyes which had really truly seen you. And not just the bits of her body Violet had let him caress. He had seen the true her throughout the years. He knew what she wanted in life, what she feared. He loved her family as much as she did and they loved him in return.
It certainly didn’t help that her brothers and sisters adored him and wanted to play with both of them whenever possible. The very worst was when they were cornered by five-year-old Fiona.
“I’m Cora’s mama,” she said, indicating the doll her Uncle Liam and Aunt Rosalind had brought back for her from their most recent trip to Paris. “Violet, you can be Matthew’s mama,” she said, indicating their brother who was not yet a year old and was smiling at everyone. “And Wes, you can be his papa.”
Violet’s eyes widened, even as she was struck by the thought of having a child with Wes. “I do not think that is a good idea,” she said, just as Wes proclaimed it “Brilliant.” It certainly didn’t help that Matthew was crawling to Wes, who scooped him up. Matthew giggled in response, then lay his head against Wes’s shoulder. The sweetness of it made Violet want to cry. It was time for Violet to admit the man was irresistible.
Which was most annoying.
“Would you like to hold my baby, Violet?” Fiona asked her.
“Yes, love, thank you.” Violet grabbed the doll as if it were the only thing keeping her from going into Wes’s arms. “You are a very good mama, Fiona,” said Violet. “I am certain Cora loves you very much.”
Fiona smoothed her doll’s hair. “I like having her next to me when I sleep,” she said softly. “I like knowing I have someone with me.”
Violet hugged her sister. “You are not alone, love. I am just down the hall, as are Mama and Papa. You can come sleep in my bed anytime you want to.”
“Really?” Her sweet sister looked up at her.
“Of course. When I was your age, I had no brothers and sisters and sometimes I was very lonely. I remember what it was like to lie in bed in this big house and think about how small I felt. That is why you can always come find me. I love you and will always be there for you.”
Fiona hugged Violet and she was reminded once again that no matter what was going on – or not going on with Wes – she would always be loved by her family.
* * *
Wes had spent a rather frustrating few days. He had missed Violet every day he was away and had dreamed of seeing her again. But most of his dreams had featured being alone with Violet in a
meadow in summer, at an inn on the continent or in their marriage bed wherever they chose to live. However, she had avoided being alone with him so he had been unable to have the conversation he wished to have with her. He’d had to content himself with seeing her in the midst of her family. That should not have posed a hardship since he liked them very much, but he needed to get her alone. Not just to kiss her again – though that was rather high on his list of goals – but to plan their future.
As he watched her with her sister, he could see what a fine mother she would be. It made him want her – need her – all the more. “Fiona?” he asked the girl he was just beginning to know.
“Yes, Wes?”
“I need to speak to Violet outside in the garden for a moment. Would you mind if I took her away for just a bit? Perhaps you can put Cora down for a nap while I give Matthew to one of the servants.”
“Fiona,” said Violet quickly. “I do not believe Cora is tired. She does not need a nap.”
Wes put his hand on Cora’s forehead. “Oh dear. She feels warm. She might be getting sick. I am certain Fiona could nurse her back to health.”
Fiona brightened. “Like Mama does?”
“Exactly,” said Wes, even as Violet tried to interrupt. “If you take Cora back to your bedchamber now, Violet and I will check on you both later. Mr. Rigg, could you please take Matthew?” He handed the boy to the passing butler, who paused just long enough to ensure Violet was not unhappy with the arrangement. Sensing all was well, he left.
“But…” protested Violet.
“I cannot talk to you now, Violet,” said Fiona. “Cora needs me. But you can kiss her to make her feel better.”
Perhaps realizing her delaying tactic wouldn’t work, Violet sighed, then cradled Cora in her arms before giving her a kiss. Then she reached over and kissed Fiona, as well. “You are an excellent mama,” she told the young girl, who beamed at the compliment then ran to her room, leaving Violet alone with Wes.
“I cannot believe you would tell Fiona her doll was sick just to get me alone.”
Never and Always (Emerson Book 6) Page 7