The Hawk and the Jewel (Kensington Chronicles 1)

by Lori Wick

  “I’ve also decided to stay here Christmas Day.” Aunt Lucy held up a hand before Sunny could protest. “I know you’re expecting me, but I’ll be more comfortable here. If Milton were still alive, I would make the effort to go to Bracken, but Tildy and I will be very happy right where we are.”

  Sunny could see that she had made up her mind, so she let the matter rest. In fact it would have done little good to try to discuss it. Aunt Lucy and Tildy closeted themselves in Lucy’s bedroom right after breakfast, and Sunny didn’t see them the rest of the morning.

  “Do you know that for the longest time I fancied myself in love with you?**

  Sunny could only stare at Jordan as he quietly bared his heart. He had arrived less than an hour ago to see Sunny’s new home. She had shown him around with the excitement of new ownership, but it didn’t take long to sec that his heart was not really with her. Sunny had wisely waited until tea, when Jordan was relaxed and sitting in her lovely front parlor, before questioning him about what was wrong. His answers flabbergasted her.

  “Have you ever had something or someone right under your nose, and not been able to see it?** Jordan went on, almost to himself. Sunny wondered what he was talking about.

  “I mean, Holly is my best friend’s sister. She’s always been the

  sister I’ve never had.*5Jordan noticed Sunny’s puzzled look then, and smiled a bit sheepishly.

  “I have a confession to make to you, Sunny. I only came over here today because I wanted to go to Willows* End, but I knew I couldn’t take any more of Holly’s indifference toward me.”

  “You’re in love with her then?”

  “Yes, but I no more than recognized it than she got all cold and prickly with me. I don’t know what happened. It doesn’t matter, though,” Jordan went on vehemently. “If it takes years I’m going to win her heart. I’m going to show her I can be far more than a big brother to her.”

  “I don’t think it will take years.” Sunny spoke softly, and even though his heart was filled with Holly, something in Sunny’s voice made Jordan pause.

  “What did you mean by that?**

  Sunny bit her lip and turned her gaze out the window. She would never give Holly’s secret away, and now she deeply regretted her words. Jordan was sure to press her, and they might quarrel. When Sunny remained silent, Jordan began to warm to his subject.

  “She cares for me, doesn’t she, Sunny?” His very being radiated hope over the question. “She cares for me and is hiding behind her indifference, isn’t she?”

  Sunny was stubbornly silent, but Jordan was now quite sure of himself. She couldn’t stop a smile when he nearly jumped to his feet and began to pace the room.

  “Sunny, Sunny, Sunny. Do you realize what this means? I thought it would be years, but now!” Jordan let the sentence hang as he plopped down next to her on the davenport. His arm stretching along the davenport behind her, he leaned very dose, and smiled into her eyes.

  “You’re wonderful, do you know that?** Jordan felt as if he’d been set free.

  “I haven’t said a word, Jordan,” she reminded him.

  “You didn’t need to.”

  Sunny could only shake her head and laugh softly when Jordan dropped a light kiss on her nose. Thinking he was such a dear friend, she smiled up into his eyes and knew that he and Holly were going to be very happy.

  Unfortunately Brandon chose that moment to come in unannounced. To him, the interplay on the sofa was not one that would

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  be shared by good friends, but by a couple who were involved far beyond friendship. In feet, if she was carrying on with Jordan, he wondered how she could be so lax as to not even close the door.

  In the moments before Sunny saw him, Brandon realized that he had never had opportunity to see her around other men. What if she had turned into a flirt and a tease? Brandon’s feelings were so mixed that when Sunny finally saw him, he just stared at her a moment.

  “Well, come in, Brandon,” she repeated twice.

  Brandon did so, but felt his worst fears confirmed when she didn’t appear uncomfortable after being caught in a near embrace.

  “Thank you.” He worked quickly to school his features as he took a seat.

  “I have to be leaving,” Jordan said softly, having noticed the duke’s unease and wanting some time alone to plan his visit to Holly.

  “Don’t run off on my account,” Brandon told him.

  “No, no,” Jordan said with a smile. “I’ve been here awhile.”

  Brandon nodded and couldn’t stop the thought,and what have you and Sunny been doing in that time?He was ashamed of his own thoughts, and was thankful that Sunny, in her move to see Jordan to the door, did not notice.

  How ironic,Brandon’s mind went on while he was still alone, his pride stung to the core. /come to tell Sunny how I feet, and that I want to see more of her, and find younjj Townsend here. I guess I should be thankful I found out before making a fool of myself.

  “Well, now,” Sunny spoke with very real delight when she came back into the room. “May I give you a tour?” Her voice and face turned a bit hesitant, and Brandon remembered the words they’d had over her move to Ravenscroft. At the moment, her vulnerability melted his heart, and he knew he would have to put his feelings aside. He stood with a ready smile.

  “I MUST SAYI’M VERY IMPRESSED,SUNNY.”

  Sunny beamed but didn’t speak. Brandon’s approval meant so much to her. They had come full circle, toured the house and the grounds, and were now back in the parlor.

  “Where is Aunt Lucy today?” Brandon asked as they settled on opposite ends of the davenport and Sunny rang for tea.

  Sunny’s eyes sparkled with merriment, her face so lovely and radiant that Brandon convinced himself that she was completely innocent of his every wicked thought.

  “She’s sequestered in her room writing a book.”

  “You’re not serious,** Brandon said with a smile.

  “Indeed I am. She told me this morning. Actually, I think it’s a great project. I’m rather proud of her for trying.”

  “Well, at least it will keep her busy. Do you miss Willows’ End?** Brandon asked suddenly.

  “Yes. Holly especially. She’s such great fun. Although,” Sunny added dryly, “I won’t miss her having male visitors and my having to hide because I’d rather not see them. She would always tease me when they left and call me a wanton.” Sunny chuckled softly at the memory, but Brandon didn’t share her mirth. Jealousy riding high, he spoke without thought.

  “Holly might not find it so amusing if she’d seen your behavior with Jordan a short time ago. Have you become a wanton, Sunny?**

  The smile slowly died on Sunny’s face. The look on Brandon’s made her feel very cold inside.

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  Where the question had come from, Brandon could not at the moment tell, but it had suddenly popped out. He wanted to pull his own tongue out when he saw the look in Sunny’s eyes. Any amends he might have attempted were cut short by her terse voice.

  “I can see why you would say that, Brandon.” Sunny’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “After all, I flirt with every man I meet. Oh, and then there’s the way I’m always pretending to be faint, or to have a lash in my eye so I can press myself against you and you can look into my eyes. Aside from all of that, I’m sure you’ve noticed the way I stayed in London as long as I could, simply dying to be the belle of every ball.**

  This said, Sunny stood. Trembling with pain and anger, she marched toward the door with head high, and was on the threshold when Brandon’s voice stopped her.

  “Sunny,” he spoke.

  She stopped but did not turn.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She heard the agony in his voice, but still did not turn. “Thank you, Brandon,” she replied after a moment. “I think it would be best if you left now.” Again she hesitated. “I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’m rather glad you’re going to be away at Christmas
.”

  Brandon watched helplessly as she went through the door. He had gone to the threshold and watched her run up the wide staircase. He’d felt terrible for days over their last encounter. This time he wondered if either of them would ever get over it.

  Jordan stepped quietly inside the music room at Willows* End and leaned against the door. He had specifically asked Chelsea not to have him announced.

  Now he stood motionless and studied Holly’s lovely profile as she bent sternly over the keys of the grand piano and played Beethoven’s Sonata No. 14. Jordan felt mesmerized by the sound. Holly’s fingers never missed a key, nor her foot, the beat.

  Jordan was thankful for her concentration, since she didn’t notice him until she had finished the last note. He had mentally prepared himself for her reaction, but it still hurt to see the dismay in her eyes when she spotted him.

  “Jordan,” Holly said rather inanely, as she folded her hands tightly in her lap. She stayed on the piano bench with an effort as he pushed away from the door and approached. Holly watched as Jordan moved to the piano and leaned nonchalantly against it.

  “Are you going to ask me to sit down?” Jordan wanted to know, telling himself that he was not going to let Holly put him off this time.

  “All right,” Holly spoke reluctantly, and then bolted from the bench when he moved to sit down next to her. It was now Holly’s turn to stand by the piano, as she watched Jordan make himself comfortable in the middle of the bench.

  Holly told herself that her heart simply couldn’t take seeing him again. She had talked with her mother and felt better, but now she plannedtounburden herself to Miles when he came again, hoping for some advice about his best friend. In the meantime, she knew she wasn’t doing well at all.

  For the moment, Jordan allowed her the distance and spoke with studied ease as his hands lightly touched the keys. His eyes, however, were not on the keyboard; they were considering Holly.

  “How were your Christmas and New Year’s?”

  “Fine,” Holly answered carefully and wondered at the unfamiliar gleam in Jordan’s eye. It was almost as though he were laughing at her, but she must be mistaken.

  “I’m glad to hear it. Tell me, Holly, have you ever wondered at the fact that you and I have never kissed?”

  Wbat?Holly nearly shouted at him, sure that she had misunderstood.

  “Well, it’s a perfectly normal thing to think.” Jordan was as calm as if he’d been discussing the season’s rainfall. “I mean we’ve spent hours together over the years, and it’s not as if we find each other repulsive.” Jordan had shifted to one side of the piano bench and was studying Holly with a roguish eye. Holly moved to put more space between them; in feet, she moved to put the piano between them.

  “I don’t know what’s come over you, Jordan, but I think you had better leave.” Holly hated how breathless she sounded, but she couldn’t seem to help it.

  “No,” he said easily as he came off the bench. “I’m too curioustoleave.”

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  “Curious?” Holly felt a bit inquisitive herself.

  “About what it would be like to kiss you.” Jordan started

  her.

  Holly’s eyes widened, and she moved completely around the piano, talking as she went.I

  “Now you stop this, Jordan Townsend,” she admonished him. 1 “You’re in love with Sunny, and youVe got no business kissing me or anyone else.”

  “In love with Sunny?” Jordan sounded amused, as he calmly stalked her. “Who told you that?”

  “No one told me. I, unlike some people, have eyes in my head.”

  “Ah, yes,” Jordan was now back standing in front of the bench where he’d begun, looking tenderly over the top of the piano at Holly. “I believe it was the night of Sunny’s coming-out ball,” he continued. “You told me I wouldn’t know a good thing if it bit me on the nose. You were right, my love,” Jordan added gently as he sat down once again.

  “Come over here, Holly.” His voice was still as soft, but it was a command. Holly, always obedient, moved toward him dutifully, but ^ then stopped short.

  “I can just as easily come to you,” Jordan went on. “In feet, if I have to climb right over the top of this piano, I will. I’m rather hoping, however, that you’ll want to come over here, as much as I want you to.”

  Holly was uncertain, but she allowed herself to approach him nonetheless. Jordan moved to one side of the bench, and Holly sat next to him. As soon as she came near enough, Jordan turned slightly and reached for her hands.

  “Never has anyone or anything confused me like you have. I didn’t know if I was coming or going,” he admitted. “It wasn’t until you spoke to me at the ball like you did that I realized what I’d been missing.”

  “Sunny-” Holly began.

  “Is a good friend. I care for her deeply, but she’s not the woman I want to marry. Not even when I thought I was in love with Sunny did I feel for her as I do for you.”

  “You’ll change your mind,” Holly began.

  “No, I won’t,” Jordan stopped her gently. “I want to marry the sweetest woman in all of England. I want to marry a black-haired

  woman with skin as soft as rose petals and eyes so dark and lovely I could get lost in them.”

  Tears pooled in Holly’s eyes. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve cared for you?” she asked softly, suddenly sounding very weary.

  Jordan’s answer was to pull on her hands until she was close enough to kiss. Jordan’s lips gently touched her own for just an instant. Holly’s sigh was so heartfelt that Jordan kissed her again, this time, his arms going around her, and with all the love he felt inside.

  “I want to be married right away,” Jordan told her when he could speak. “In fact I want to talk with your father today. Any objections?”

  Holly’s answer was to kiss him again. Jordan smiled when she broke the kiss. “That’s what I love, Holly, a woman who knows a good thing when she sees it.”

  “Sunny,” Aunt Lucy called. “Have you seen my little jewel box? The one I keep by my bed?”

  “Why, Aunt Lucy,” Sunny replied. “I wouldn’t touch your things.”

  “Oh, I know, my dear, but I know I put it there, and now it’s missing.”

  “I’m sure it will turn up,” Sunny said rather indulgently. This wasn’t the first thing Aunt Lucy had misplaced, and as Sunny had said, everything always turned up. The elderly woman went back to her papers then, and Sunny was given a few moments of quiet thought.

  Since moving to Ravenscroft, she had misplaced a few things herself, and they too, always turned up. But it wasn’t like her to do that, and for a moment Sunny wondered at her staff. She hated to doubt them-it felt very disloyal-but she couldn’t seem to help herself. Some of them had come with Aunt Lucy and had been with her for years, but one maid, Tina, had been recently hired. She had worked for Heather, and when she had found out that Aunt Lucy was moving to the country, had asked to be replaced at the Jamiesons’.

  And then of course there was Wilson. Sunny was still not comfortable with him. She had even talked with Rand, who had admitted that he had asked Wilson to keep an eye on her. At the time it

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  seemed to explain the feeling that someone was listening outside the door and the sense of being watched, but then recently something else had happened.

  Wilson had come up missing one morning when Sunny needed him. When she questioned the staff, no one knew where he had gone. He had shown up in just a few hours and had a very valid explanation for leaving, but Sunny had been disturbed. She told him if it happened again, he’d be dismissed. He was quite apologetic, but Sunny was not comforted.

  And then there was Phipps. He worked in the stables, and Sunny was always a bit alarmed over how willing he was to ride with her. He was not a young man, nor did he make improper advances hi any way, but his protection of her seemed a bit excessive.

  Sunny let out a soft sigh. Maybe she wasn’t cut o
ut to be the mistress of her own home. Chelsea and Heather had made it look so easy. Since Aunt Lucy was still quiet, she began to pray.

  Lord, if there is something unsafe here at Ravenscroft, please show me. Help me to be discerning. If You want me to go back to Willows’ End, Vttgo. I love my home here, but something just isn’t quite right.

  “Excuse me, my lady,” Wilson interrupted from the door. “Lady Holly is here to see you.”

  “Thank you, Wilson,” she said softly and made an instantaneous decision. Holly’s wedding, scheduled for April 20, 1849, was just ten days away. After all the celebrations calmed down, she would speak to Rand.

  “Hello,” Holly called as she entered and nearly danced across the sunlit salon. Sunny rose to hug her and then turned her to face Aunt Lucy.

  “Aunt Lucy,” she said with a gleam in her eye. “Don’t you think that Holly looks a bit ill these days? I mean, she has no color in her face at all, and her eyes have such a listless look about them.”

  Aunt Lucy, who never caught a joke the first time, studied Holly’s radiant countenance with a serious expression.

  “Well,” Aunt Lucy spoke hesitantly. “She does look rather flushed.” She stopped at Sunny’s low chuckle.

  “Oh, you dear girls,” she beamed at them. “I never know when you’re making a joke.”

  The younger girls laughed then and took the davenport. They sat with heads dose together and talked about the wedding to come. Aunt Lucy listened with half an ear and didn’t interrupt. She remem—

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  bered well how it felt to be young, and the way she felt at her own coming out.

  **I must put that in my book,” she said decisively as she stood. “Tildy,” she called as she exited the room, not bothering to bid the girls goodbye.

  “How do you like living with Aunt Lucy?” Holly wanted to know when the older woman had left.

  “I really like it. If I need to think, and she’s rattling on, I just tell her. Some days she’s quite clearheaded and others she’s not. Strangely enough, she seems to be aware of what a chatterbox she can be and isn’t the least offended if I ask her to stop. The only cloud-” Sunny hesitated.