by Magan Vernon
But she just kept her head down as Sully and Hitchcock led the way to my car, opening the door so I slid in after Natalie.
She stared at me again with that deer-in-headlights look. “You aren’t going in your own car this time?”
I blew out a breath through my nose that took my heart with it. “Figured if people were already going to talk about us, why not continue to piss them off by riding in the same car?”
She blinked hard. “Isn’t that the exact opposite thing you should be doing? What about your parents? All of those reporters?”
Lifting my hand, I rested it on her cheek. She stilled for a moment as I ran my fingers down her jawline. Then her eyes slowly closed and opened again as she melted into my touch.
“Let me worry about them, okay? Sometimes I can be more than a pretentious, brooding bugger.”
She sighed but didn’t move away from me. “You think kissing me then trying that romantic move of brushing your thumb against my cheek is going to make me forget about all this?”
Damn that smart mouth of hers. The one that I wanted to kiss all over again. Really kiss this time.
But before I could even contemplate that exact move, or a witty response, she’d moved out of my grasp. Then she shook her head so a few loose curls fell around her face.
My hands itched to push those curls behind her ears then take her. Forget the world around us and get lost in those lips.
Luckily one of us had their damn head on straight.
“You can just tell everyone you meant for it to be a friendly forehead kiss to a friend. I think I read that in a romance novel once.”
I shifted my weight, crossing my arms over my chest as I leaned in to her words. “Really? Didn’t take you for a romance book reader. Figured you would always be carrying around a history book.”
She smiled and I couldn’t help my heart bloody stammering in my chest at that smile. “Yes. A lot of historical romance in the world. Great for research and entertainment. Your Great Aunt Sarah even has a few good ones in her library.”
I huffed. “Aunt Sarah would never.”
“Really? How many times have you browsed the high shelf of the library?”
“Is that why you’re always on the ladder? Looking for some bodice rippers?”
I held back a smile, licking my lips instead. Damn was it good to see the spark back in her eyes.
“Bodice rippers is a term that the New York Times coined in the 1980s to poke fun at women and their love of historical romance with a plot around seducing the heroine. It’s an ill-fitting term if you’ve read a historical romance in the past twenty years and seen that these heroines are no longer just damsels in distress.”
“Read a lot of them to know the change in the market?”
For the first time all day, a smile pricked at the corner of my lips.
She grinned in return, bobbing her head. “Of course I have. I even did a paper in my freshman English class on how historical romances have changed in the last twenty years. I think the paper’s title was ‘Bodice Rippers to Badass Women.’ I also think my professor gave me a B because she said I used too many swear words.”
“Natalie Reeder, you are one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met,” I said honestly.
“This is coming from a man who fences and plays polo.”
I frowned, my chest deflating. “None of that points to interesting.”
She nodded solemnly. “True, I guess it’s more of the way you do that. You keep your presence as a member of the nobility and the history and integrity of your family’s manor. Most people would have probably just let it go into disrepair or to the historical society then built some modern monstrosity nearby.”
I clapped then pointed at her chest.
She blinked hard, tilting her head as if I was going to poke her. But, no, this was so much more. This girl really got it, and every time she talked like this, it was as if everything lit up inside of me.
“That. That’s exactly why I hired you. Because you also care about the integrity of the manor. And when I heard Hallie trying to talk down to you, I had to do something to stop her.”
She sat forward, licking her lips. “You know I can take care of myself, right? You don’t need to be my knight in shining armor.”
I shook my head, my pulse now beating in my ears. “Of course not. I’m a lord. Not a knight.”
The driver bellowed through the intercom, interrupting us, “Lord Gavin, I believe the Bilingsley motorcade is at the estate.”
For a fraction of a second my heart stopped.
Bollocks.
What the hell were they doing here?
The driver pulled into the circular drive beside a sleek black Rolls, the Bilingsley car of choice.
How the hell did they even get here so fast?
Now a pounding rang in my ears, tension building right in the center of my forehead.
“This is going to be interesting,” Natalie muttered.
Her eyes were focused directly in front of us, through the windshield where Hallie and William were climbing out of the back of the Rolls.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I barely looked at the device before answering.
“What are the Bilingsleys doing here?” I barked at my brother.
“Ah, so you saw the motorcade pass ours, too? Don’t worry, we’re right behind you.”
“Did you invite them?”
I willed myself not to glance at Natalie for her reaction and give me another reason to grit my teeth.
“Probably Mum’s invitation.”
“Bloody Hell,” I muttered.
Hallie was already sauntering toward our car.
She technically couldn’t see through the darkened windows, but that didn’t mean her murky stare didn’t pierce me.
“Please tell me that you and Cecily are staying for a buffer and not running off to find a night club,” I begged, letting out a long-held-in breath as their car pulled in behind ours.
He laughed. “I wouldn’t miss this show for the world.”
I hung up, pocketing my phone before the driver came around to open my door.
Swallowing hard, I stood a little straighter as I got out of the car. Letting the Bilingsleys think they weren’t affecting me in the least.
Then turned to hold my hand out to Natalie.
She stared at the ground but took my hand as I helped her to her feet.
I wanted to keep my palm in hers. To let the calm that washed over me when I touched her stay forever. Especially when Hallie and William were giving us a death stare.
But as soon as Hugh and Cecily got out of the car behind us, Natalie stood fully upright and let go of my hand as if it were on fire.
My own palm chilled without hers. As if our fingers were always supposed to be intertwined.
That maybe this wasn’t just a passing thing.
Bugger, I needed to figure this out.
Just not now.
“Hallie, William, what brings you two to Webley? I thought you were staying at one of your manors?” Hugh asked with his big grin that always lightened the mood. Even if it was only for a moment.
William and Hugh shook hands before Hugh turned to Hallie. She put her hand out like she was a dignitary, that he should kiss her rings and bow at her feet.
Hugh was a gentleman, though, and did kiss her hand. The damn bird smiled like a Cheshire cat.
“Wanted to see what this little worker bee has done with the manor, since Gavin speaks so fondly of her,” William snarled.
He clasped my shoulder and I tried not to wince and wiggle out of his slimy grasp.
I gritted my teeth and released them slowly. Staring down the man who was a few inches shorter than me but tried to carry himself as if he were the damn prince.
“And to hav
e some of that roast your chef makes. I haven’t had anything like it since that summer we spent here during Uni. Remember the one where we met those American tourists who wanted the special tour of the gym?”
William smiled and winked, his eyes locking right on Natalie. Or more like leering openly.
I clenched my fists at my side, trying to count my breaths so I didn’t do something I’d regret.
Then the warm rush as Natalie’s fingers grazed my arm. “Why don’t I show y’all some of the larger pieces I’ve cleared out of the grand hall? They’ll be going to the historical society before the Iris Festival. I’d hate for you to miss them, since you came all the way here to reminisce and get some history lessons.”
William glared for a second before that self-satisfied smirk was back on his face. “I love that southern American dialect. Come, Natalie, tell me more with that adorable twang.”
“Right this way, y’all,” she said, thickening her accent as she darted around our group, heading for the front entrance.
I couldn’t tell if she was just being cheeky or trying to save me. But whatever it was, I was grateful to have her leading us through the castle. She talked about each piece as if she were in a museum. Like she’d picked out each bench or clock herself and could recite their history by heart.
There was always something fascinating to me about the way Natalie’s eyes lit up and she spoke so enthusiastically about every piece.
While I didn’t expect Hallie and William to be salivating at her feet, I didn’t expect the downright rudeness, either.
“Is this all you’ve been doing? Cataloging some pieces that are worth a few thousand pounds? Where’s the good stuff? Didn’t Great Aunt Sarah have anything of actual value?” William asked, adding a haughty laugh at the end of his statement.
“I assure you, these pieces are worth more in historical value and monetary value than anything I’ve encountered in all my years of curating,” Natalie said matter-of-factly, brushing off his words.
He didn’t need to know that most of her work was from flea markets, and I wasn’t going to tell the bugger either.
He laughed again, slinking an arm around her waist so his hand landed way too close to her rear.
She stiffened, looking up at him with her eyes wide.
He grinned and my blood boiled as I tried not to clench my fists at my side.
“Then you and I should find us something down in that cellar. Won’t be the first time I’ve shared some time with Gavin and an American girl. Though I believe last time we were both tangled with a few of them at a beach in Greece. Or was it Barcelona?”
“That’s enough, William,” I barked, stepping forward.
The air buzzed between us with a thick tension.
We glared at each other for a moment before Natalie stepped between us. “Well, looks like y’all have seen everything you want to see then. Should I go and tell Meredith that you’re ready for dinner?”
William looked down at her, blinking slowly. “We don’t have to wait for Meredith to eat.”
His hand went back to her waist.
In a snap my vision clouded and I clenched my jaw tightly.
But just as quickly as he moved, his face changed to a look of anguish, his eyes widening as he let out a curse, his entire body shaking before he jumped and shook his fingers. “Bloody hell, your cleaner just twisted my knuckles.”
“Are you okay? Do I need to call the doctor?” Hallie cooed, looking at me with a satisfied smirk.
“I think the tour is over. I thought there was a big, creepy bug crawling on me. Guess it was just your fingers, William. Terribly sorry about that. Maybe next time you’ll learn to keep them to yourself,” Natalie said in the sweetest tone with a smile on her face. But there was something else in her eyes.
That spark.
The damn one that had me smiling in return and the pounding back in my chest.
Then I turned toward Hallie and William. “Right, I’m guessing you two won’t be staying for dinner. But I’m sure you’ll have a lovely ride back to your manor or to London. Wherever you’re headed.”
William scowled. “This isn’t the last you’ll hear from us, Gavin. I don’t care who your family is or that this little American tart might have you wrapped around her finger. You can’t treat us like this. You know who we are.”
“Enough,” I spat, putting my hand up. “Leave. Now.”
“Or what, you’ll send your girlfriend after me again? The bitch needs to know her place.”
This time it wasn’t Natalie who came forward.
My fist collided with William’s cheek in a resounding crunch that echoed through the room.
He ponied back, his eyes wild as he held onto his face. “You just bloody punched me.”
“Yeah, and I’ll do it again if you don’t stop insulting my friend. Leave. Now.”
My knuckles stung from the punch, but adrenaline coursed through my veins. Too hyped up to care about the pain. I’d hit the bastard again if he said anything else about her.
William looked between Natalie and me, then at his sister before he grumbled, “Come on, Hallie, let’s go.”
When they had headed out of the room, I finally let out a breath. I cradled my hand that now had a burn searing down to my knuckles.
“Need me to call for an ice pack?” Hugh asked, seeming to appear out of nowhere.
I looked down at Natalie, her eyes meeting mine. The adrenaline and electricity that was coursing through me had turned into a thundering roar when she smiled. “Yeah. Maybe one for each of us.”
Chapter Thirteen
Natalie
We sat at the dining room table with a large plate of roast and potatoes in front of each of us, a melting ice pack still on my hand.
Gavin at the head of the table and Hugh and Cecily across from me. None of us said a word, but there was a thickness radiating in the air around us.
So maybe it wasn’t the best thing that I assaulted a rich guest of Webley, but the guy had it coming.
The crude jokes and insinuations that he and Gavin had done some very dirty things with American girls, was one very annoying thing. Then he had to go and keep trying to put his hands on me. I figured if those fingers were going somewhere they shouldn’t belong, then there was no reason I couldn’t bend them back.
There was also something else in his statement that irked me.
The way he had to go and talk about him and Gavin hooking up with American girls in the cellar in front of me, looking at Gavin with a smug grin.
Was I supposed to be turned on by this?
Or jealous?
Gavin’s kiss had to be for show.
Even though the peck still had my lips tingling from that gorgeous mouth on mine.
Well, I thought it was for show, but the way he stood up for me?
Maybe that meant something more could happen.
Maybe…
“How many times has Mother tried to call you?” Hugh asked casually, his words slicing through the thick silence surrounding us.
Gavin shrugged in return as if it wasn’t a big deal.
Though William and Hallie weren’t royalty or nobility, since no one addressed them with titled names, they had to be a pretty big deal with the motorcade and all the pomp and circumstance.
“She tried a few times. But I silenced my phone a long time ago.”
Cecily rolled her eyes after taking a big gulp from her wineglass. “Great, so that’s why she’s blowing up our phones.”
“Sorry,” Gavin replied with no emotion.
“No, you’re not. I think you just enjoy pissing off Mother,” Cecily said in her posh accent, almost making me forget anything was wrong. She had a way of making everything sound like it was proper. The cream of the crop.
“Are you all right?”
/> Gavin’s warm hand on my shoulder had me sitting up straighter. My breath was trapped in my lungs, and I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t do anything but concentrate on his fingers and where they were a few hours ago at the polo match. Before that jerk, William, put his grubby hands on me.
I somehow managed to nod, but when I looked up to meet his stunning blue eyes, everything else floated away. Like it was just us in the room.
Dang it, why did he have to look at me with concern? Why did he still have that slight tick in his jaw with his brows slightly furrowed? Why, oh why, was my boss and the nobleman so damn sexy?
Cecily cleared her throat and Gavin tore his gaze from mine, so I slowly turned and did the same, trying to pay attention to my food.
“You know, I haven’t met those new dogs yet. You should introduce me to your new fur balls,” Cecily said with her eyebrows raised.
What was that about?
“We can head down to the barn after dinner.” Gavin answered.
“You’ll join us too, Natalie? Or do you have work to do?” Her eyes pierced me, and suddenly I wanted to crawl into myself and hide.
“Um, it’s the weekend, so no, I’m not technically working.”
“Grand, then you can join us. Maybe even share some more history of what you’ve seen inside of these castle walls,” Cecily said, holding up her hands.
The words may have been sweet, but there was a slight edge to her voice that I didn’t miss.
What happened to the friendly girl from the polo match?
Or maybe now that we weren’t in front of an audience, she was going to give me the noble reprimand.
Either way, I kept my shoulders straight, trying not to let any of the family see my sweaty palms. I’d changed into jeans before dinner, so now I could at least hide them in my pockets, praying no one noticed.
“Where should we start?”
…
Summer nights in North Carolina were usually still pretty warm, so, I didn’t expect a slight chill rustling through the air in the English countryside.