“You got all that from a fourteen-line poem?”
“Technically, it’s a sonnet.”
“There is so much about you that I don’t know. What other strange and fascinating talents are you hiding from me?”
“I can’t reveal everything all at once. I’ll lose my status as ‘mystery man.’”
He handed her a few books. The lesson continued as he further explained the various periods of poetry to Tess. It was so easy for him to talk about something he loved so much. He liked showing her this intelligent side of his personality. Time flew by quickly.
Alice poked her head into the library. “Dinner will be served in the dining room in five minutes.”
“Come on, we’ve worked enough for today,” he announced, closing his book. He swiftly rose and circled behind her. Sebastian pulled out her chair and helped her stand.
They exited the library and walked across the hallway into the formal dining room. There was a long dining table in the center of the room. A large Waterford chandelier dangled directly above the table. The fading light streaming in from the windows created colorful prisms of light on the walls. Two place settings were laid out at the far end of the table. He pulled out a chair for Tess and then sat down next to her.
Alice placed the china plates in front of Tess and Sebastian. Their dinner was a perfectly prepared beef Wellington, tiny new potatoes sautéed in butter and fresh herbs, and grilled asparagus spears. “This smells wonderful. Thank you, Alice,” Sebastian complimented.
“Wine?” Alice inquired. It took some doing, but Nanny had agreed to allow Sebastian one glass of wine with his dinner, which he gratefully accepted.
“Not for me,” Tess told her, placing her hand over the wine glass.
“Can you bring Tess a Diet Coke?”
Alice nodded as she poured the wine. When she finished, she left them and quickly returned with the Diet Coke in a crystal tumbler, the ice cubes clinking in time with her steps.
Tess thanked Alice, then took a bite of the beef Wellington.
“Well, what do you think?” Sebastian asked.
“It’s not McDonald’s.”
“It’s certainly not,” he chuckled. “But do you like it?”
“Yes, it’s delicious.” She looked at his wine glass. “Do you always drink wine with dinner?”
“Yes,” he replied. Sebastian sensed her confusion and tried to explain. “Tess, in England you are legal at the age of sixteen. You can drink, have sex, gamble, and get married. Having a glass of wine with dinner is no big deal.”
“You’ve done all those things?”
“Well, I haven’t been married,” he replied.
“Do you always have dinner like this?”
“No, usually I have dinner with Nanny in her room. Sometimes we eat in the kitchen with Alice and Henry. Are you uncomfortable here?”
“A little,” she admitted. “You don’t have to try to impress me. I’d be perfectly happy eating in the kitchen.”
“Please sit back and try to enjoy a good meal. Is my company that awful?”
“No. I’m not…It’s just…your world is very different from mine,” she tried to explain.
“We’re both fatherless and studying our arses off to get into NYU. I don’t think we’re that different.”
“You know what I mean,” she frowned.
“So we come from different social classes—that doesn’t matter to me.” It wasn’t helping, so he tried changing the subject. “Report cards are issued on Monday.”
“How do you think you’ll do?” she asked, wiping the corner of her mouth with the white linen napkin.
“I have an excellent tutor. I’m feeling very confident.”
He made her laugh aloud, which was something she didn’t do very often.
“I bet you’ll do great,” she agreed. She thought for a long moment and gingerly asked, “The grounds are so beautiful. Do you think I could come back here again to take some photos?”
Sebastian envisioned Tess walking on a tightrope, teetering on the thin wire. The only question was which way she would fall. Even though she was uncomfortable here, she was drawn to Edgewood and drawn to Sebastian, despite the litany of reasons she didn’t want a boyfriend. It must have taken a great deal of courage for Tess to invite herself back. He couldn’t refuse her, too curious to see how this would play out. “When do you want to come back?”
“Tomorrow is Saturday. Would that be okay?”
“Really? No charity work, school work, saving the world?” he teased.
“My schedule is completely open.”
It was nearly 10 a.m. when Tess returned to Edgewood, Nikon in hand. Sebastian greeted her, ushering her into the foyer. She was wearing her usual casual attire: jeans, sneakers, and her St. Alexander’s sweatshirt.
He hated that awful sweatshirt, which hid her curves. Sebastian knew she didn’t have much money to spend on quality clothes. He would have gladly bought Tess proper riding attire, but didn’t know her size. “Good morning. Where do you want to start?”
He watched her eye him up and down. He was dressed in his black riding pants, and brown leather boots that came up to his knees. The white turtleneck was covered with a plaid, wool, fitted blazer with a brown suede lapel. “You look every inch the upper-crust English gentleman today,” she observed.
“Well, I reckon that’s a good thing, since I am English, upper-crust, and sometimes a gentleman,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “I thought we could take out the horses. It will be a great way for you to see the grounds. What do you say?”
Tess hesitated. “I don’t know how to ride a horse, and I don’t think I’m dressed for it,” she lamented, looking down at her casual attire.
“Nonsense, you’re perfect! Follow me.” They walked out the front door and headed for the stables. Sebastian began his instructions as they walked. “So the thing you need to remember is to let the horse do all the work. Don’t tense up. Don’t pull on the reins too hard. And when heading up an incline, lean forward to shift your weight so it’s easier on the horse.”
“Got it,” she responded with apprehension.
They entered the stable and Sebastian headed toward the brown mare in the first stall. The smell of hay permeated the air. “This is Honey,” he introduced, opening the gate to her stall. Honey swayed her head back and forth and Sebastian held out a treat toward the horse. She gently took it from his open hand and whinnied in thanks, looking back at his hand for seconds. He gently patted the horse on the forehead before placing the bridle in her mouth. The mare was already saddled and ready to go. She focused her eyes on Tess and whinnied again, moving her great bulk toward her.
Tess swallowed hard and walked closer to the horse while slowly putting out her hand. Honey leaned her head to the side to gently touch it.
“See? She likes you already.” He handed Tess a treat to feed Honey and the horse and rider bond was formed. Sebastian knew that Honey would take to Tess. She was a very sweet and loving horse—perfect for the first time rider. He led Honey out of the stable and stopped, standing on her left side. “Give me your right foot,” he instructed, while cupping his hands. “Hold the saddle but don’t pull on it. I’ll hoist you and you’ll want to slip your left foot into the stirrup, swing your right foot over her and put it into the other stirrup.”
Tess put her foot in his hand and he hoisted her until she was able to put her foot into the stirrup. She swung her leg over the horse and sat. Sebastian put the reins in her hands. “Just sit here. Don’t do anything—unless of course you want to go really fast. Then kick her with both heels, hard.”
Sebastian opened another gate and coaxed a shiny black Arabian from its stall. The horse was taller and stronger than Honey. “This is Storm,” Sebastian said as he mounted the horse. They sauntered out of the yard, across the back garden, and began to explore the land.
“This is so amazing,” Tess uttered, relaxing as she realized Honey wasn’t going to race away.
>
“It’s a great way to clear your mind,” Sebastian chimed in almost absentmindedly.
“You do this often, I guess.”
“Yes.”
“You look so natural on that horse, like you’ve been riding all your life.”
“I started riding when I was four years old. I thought it would be very romantic to become a cowboy. They got to save the day and ride off into the sunset with the girl.”
“I’d love to see you in a cowboy hat.”
They rode for a while in silence. Sebastian would occasionally look at Tess to make sure she was okay. The Nikon, attached to a camera strap around her neck, gently bobbed up and down against her stomach. It looked expensive, and he wondered how she could afford it.
“That’s a nice camera. Have you been taking photos for a long time?”
“It’s really just a hobby. This was my dad’s Nikon. He was a train fanatic. Dad knew the timetables, and we would always go to different train stations in the area to watch the trains pass. He would take photos. I have boxes and boxes of old train photos at home. When he died, I starting taking photos with his camera. I just prefer landscapes to trains.”
“You would love Europe. It has the most amazing landscapes and train system. You could board the train in Paris in the morning and be in Vienna for dinner.”
“Maybe someday I’ll get there. I’m hoping to study abroad for a semester in college.”
As they came up over a small hill, in the distance there stood two tall oak trees with an old wooden fence in between them, one of the wood rails split and broken. It made for an interesting photo composition. “How do I stop?” she asked Sebastian.
“Gently pull back on the reins and say ‘Whoa.’ Then release the reins. Don’t keep them taut.”
She did as she was told and Honey came to an easy stop. “Go ride over to those trees. I want to take your picture.”
Sebastian broke into a grin, grabbed the reins, and kicked the horse into action. Storm galloped toward the broken fence between the trees. Sebastian felt the power of the sinewy animal move beneath him. With one quick and graceful motion, Storm jumped over the fence. Sebastian laughed with joy as he turned the horse around and repositioned him in front of the fence. He ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it and posed for the photo. As Tess pressed down on the shutter, Sebastian turned his head and looked out into the distance, an intriguing smile graced his face.
“That was fun,” he announced, rejoining her.
“What were you thinking just then?” she prodded.
“I was thinking how happy I am right now,” he admitted. She would never understand how rare that emotion was for him, so he didn’t try to explain it in any further detail. “Does that camera of yours have a self-timer?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Follow me.” They rode toward the trees together. Sebastian jumped down from his horse and helped Tess down from hers. “Set the timer for me.”
She set the timer then handed the camera to Sebastian.
Taking the camera, he placed it on top of the flat wooden post of the fence. Putting his arm around Tess, he said, “Smile for the camera.” The camera clicked just as Tess turned to look up at Sebastian, who was looking straight ahead, smiling.
After the lunch, Sebastian walked with Tess through the rose garden. As she would stop to photograph various roses, he would chime in with the flower’s name and origin.
“Can I ask you something?” he inquired as they passed the pink Grandiflora rose bush.
“Sure.”
“Why did you want to see my bedroom yesterday?”
“I was curious to see where you chill out—your domain. It should be a reflection of who you are.”
“So what was your impression?”
“It’s a little stuffy for my taste, but I do like the teddy bear.”
“You think I’m stuffy?”
“Your furnishings are stuffy. You are not stuffy.”
“Then what am I?” He was curious to know what she really thought of him. For his part, Sebastian was finding Tess far too interesting and it unnerved him. Could she be feeling the same?
“You’re aloof and eccentric, more intelligent than you like to let on, and …”
“And what?”
“Sweet.”
“Sweet? No ones ever called me sweet.”
“Well, you are. The way you interact the Nanny Jones—the way you dote on her, it’s sweet.”
They sat on the wrought iron bench next to the greenhouse. “Would you date someone who was sweet and intelligent?” Sebastian asked looking into her eyes.
“Maybe, if I had the time.” Her cheeks turned pink, just like the roses in the garden.
“If it were important to you, you would make the time.”
“Right now my priority is being valedictorian and getting into NYU. I won’t make time for dating,” she swiftly dashed his hopes. “I find it hard to believe you would ask me on a date when I threatened to knee you if you tired to seduce me.”
“I didn’t try to seduce you,” he protested. “And I didn’t ask you on a date.”
“It was implied. You were testing the waters to see how I’d react.”
She was right—he was testing her, and Sebastian had never met a girl who resisted his charms so thoroughly. It was maddening. Her rejection made him want her all the more.
Monday morning, Sebastian was waiting for Tess at her locker, eager to share the good news with her: the report card he’d received said he was on the honor roll.
Tess rounded the corner with the biggest smile on her face. The next thing he knew, she was in his arms hugging him. “I am so proud of you!” she exclaimed.
“But I didn’t show you my marks yet! How did you know?”
“I saw your name on the honor roll board outside the principal’s office.”
They stood there for a long moment. He liked having her in his arms. Her body was warm and soft. He was about to say something to her when a teacher walked by and tapped Sebastian on the shoulder. “Get to class you two,” she demanded, pulling them apart.
Tess blushed and stepped back a foot. “We better get going.”
She began making her way down the hall. Sebastian took a few larger steps and came up to her side as they walked toward their English class. “So where did you rank?” she asked, pushing through the bustling crowd of students. With their report cards, the students received a ranking number to show their standing in the class. Tess was always ranked number one.
“Ten,” he beamed with pride.
“Nice.”
“We need to celebrate. Let me take you to dinner tonight.”
“I can’t—I have a school paper meeting.” She sounded disappointed. Maybe he could change her mind.
They took their seats just as the bell rang. The teacher instructed them to open their books to page fifty-seven. Sebastian was aware that Tess was still watching him, so he turned to her and pouted. It was childish, but totally effective.
“Oh come on, Sebastian,” she whispered.
“Friday night, then? You don’t have yearbook or school paper on Friday night,” Sebastian reminded Tess.
“I’m not going on a date with you,” she reiterated.
“It’s not a date. It’s a dinner celebration for me, which I happen to be inviting you to.”
“You’re not going to leave me alone until I say yes, are you?”
“Don’t make me beg, Tess. I’ll get down on my knees right now. That will get the gossip mill turning.”
“No you will not!” she hissed under her breath.
“Say yes. I’ll even let you pick the place—except McDonald’s.”
“Yes. Now will you shut up before we get in trouble?”
He nodded, breaking into a grin before turning back to his book.
They sat in a booth at Marzella’s Pizza Shop sharing a large cheese pie and Diet Cokes. He enjoyed being with her, sitting and eating and not talking about scho
ol.
“Tell me more about Nanny Jones,” Tess requested.
“She’s the woman who raised me. She loves me unconditionally, which I suspect is not an easy thing to do.”
“Do you ever see your brother and sisters?”
“Not often—Max and Victoria are ten years older than I am. We didn’t grow up together, since they were already at boarding school when I was born. They work in the family business. Sigourney is only three years older. We get along quite well. She is the lucky one—doesn’t have to work at Irons Electronics. She’s allowed to follow her passion by studying music at Juilliard.”
Tess raised her eyebrow, impressed. “It’s not easy to get in there. That is quite an accomplishment. If you get into NYU, you’ll be able to visit her more often.”
“Yes, I suppose.” He had really never given it much thought. She was only a few hours drive away, but he spent so much time studying, he hadn’t had any time to visit Sigourney since the summer. Maybe that was a good thing, considering how his last visit had ended in yet another random hookup. He picked up another slice and took a bite.
“So is that your future? Are you going to work at Irons Electronics?” she asked, sipping the last of her Diet Coke.
“Lily says it is.”
“But you don’t want to work there, do you?”
“No,” he replied curtly. He wasn’t angry with Tess. He was angry with his situation.
“So what do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. Isn’t that why you go to university—to find out what it is you want to do with your life? Everyone can’t be as focused and driven as you, Tess.” It came out a little too tersely. He wasn’t meaning to offend Tess. Luckily, Tess was learning to differentiate between his moods and his feelings about his family, and ignored the tone of his voice.
Life's What You Make It: Love's Great Adventure Book 1 Page 11