London Lace, Series Complete Set

by Catou Martine

  Eliza woke from an x-rated reverie. Albert was calling her name.

  “Miss Keating?”

  “Yes, Albert.” She stretched and yawned.

  “We’re about halfway there. I’m going to pull over and fill up with petrol.”

  He turned off the M-4. “Is there anything you need?”

  “I’ll pop out and use the loo if that’s all right.”

  He coughed lightly. “Oh yes. Of course.”

  Had she provided too much information? Perhaps it would have been more polite to say she wanted to get out and stretch her legs. Perhaps Albert was a bit of a prude. Or maybe, Eliza’s association with Todd was beginning to erode her manners?

  They pulled off the motorway and turned into a BP station. Eliza walked over to the convenience store attached to the station. Bells dingled as she entered.

  “Do you need a key for the loo?” she asked the young woman behind the counter. The woman shook her head and pointed at the doors marked WC near the back. Eliza’s tummy rumbled as she passed the coolers and aisles full of snack food.

  After peeing, she freshened up in front of the mirror. She had a few bits of make up in her purse: a cake of rouge, mascara, a black liner. She applied all three lightly, plus a bit of gloss. Her hair needed something, but what? Just then she realized she had left home without a hat. She leaned against the counter for a second. This was the first time in seven years that had happened. She always had something with her, some bit of headdress, a flower pin or a headband. She fished around in her bag. Nothing. Carmen was right; her concentration had slipped.

  She wet her fingers and dragged them through her dark hair, pushing her side locks behind her ears and fluffing up her bangs. She wondered what Albert had packed in the overnight case.

  Leaving the loo, she grabbed a cinnamon bun and an apple to have with her coffee in the car.

  The twenty-something check-out girl, still sporting braces and acne, gave Eliza an appraising look as she placed her items on the counter.

  “Hey, aren’t you the hat girl from last week’s Mirror?”

  “Um…”

  “You are, I know it.” The cashier slapped the counter for emphasis.

  Eliza looked around to see if anyone else was in the store. Thankfully, they were alone.

  “Me and my friends are rooting for you not the other one.” She pointed to The Sun sitting in its rack, the same one Eliza had in the back seat of the car.

  “She’s pretty but those silver spoons get everything handed to them, don’t they? You had to work for it like the rest of us. I hope you get the bloke. I really do. Gives hope to us all.”

  Eliza felt desperate to get out of there. She held her hand out for her change.

  The cashier glanced out the window at the tinted-glassed Mercedes. “Is he out there with ya now?” Her teeth glinted metallically when she smiled.

  “No. Just me,” said Eliza.

  The cashier nodded conspiratorially and handed back some coins. “We’re rootin’ for you,” she said, pointing at Eliza as she backed through the convenience store door.

  “Don’t disappoint us,” called the cashier as the door closed to.

  Albert stood by her door and opened it for her.

  “Ready, Miss Keating?”

  “Not one bit,” she said, dropping into the back seat.

  Albert walked around to the driver’s seat, revved the engine, and soon they were cruising back to the motorway.

  “Are you all right, Miss?” Albert peeked at her in the rearview mirror.

  “Yes, fine. Just a bit … peckish.” She pulled out the apple and bun from her purse and set them next to the roses. Now that they were sailing smoothly along the motorway again, she opened the thermos and poured a lid-cup full of coffee. It was still very hot and smelled divine, strong and creamy. She sighed as she took her first sip.

  “I’m sure Sir Montgomery will have Cook lay out a nice luncheon.”

  “Do you spend much time with him in the country, Albert?”

  “Not much, no. He’s a bit of a recluse when he’s there.”

  Interesting. Albert must know more about Todd than that. She leaned forward so that she might lay her arm over the back of the front seat.

  “He has a cook, though? And housekeepers? With the horses he must have stable hands and trainers. A butler and footman, perhaps?”

  “All of the above, yes, and he treats everyone splendidly.”

  “But his horses the best I’m guessing.”

  Albert laughed and nodded. It made Eliza smile to see him laugh.

  “Are you married, Albert?”

  “Was once, Miss. She died many years back.”

  “Oh, sorry to hear it.”

  “She was a dear, but it’s long ago now. Actually…” His voice dropped a notch or two as he took a conspiratorial tone and glanced at her over his shoulder. His eyes flitted back to the road when he saw her listening avidly. “Now this is confidential, Miss.”

  “Of course.”

  “There’s a beauty in Devon, I’m wooing. The head housekeeper at Evergreen Downs. Name’s Marjorie.”

  Eliza grinned at that news. “That’s wonderful. Your secret’s safe with me.”

  She leaned back in her seat and sipped more coffee. She dipped a chunk of her cinnamon bun into it.

  “Speaking of wooing, Albert. What do you know about Todd and Melissa Selfridge?”

  “He should tell you himself, Miss.”

  “Yes, I will insist on it. But what can you tell me?”

  Albert cleared his throat, paused a few moments, as if deliberating. “His connection with her has less to do with romance and more to do with loyalty.”

  “Loyalty?”

  “I’d rather not speak of it, Miss Keating. I just want to ease your insecurities, if I may be so bold.”

  Eliza was tempted to puff herself up and correct him, but Albert had nailed her. She didn’t like that, but at the same time, they seemed to be on the way to forging a friendship, and now that she had stepped outside of her element, namely London, she probably could use an ally.

  “You can understand why I hesitated to come with you,” she said.

  “Yes. From the outside, and when you factor in the tabloids, but you’re smarter than that, Miss Keating. If you don't mind me saying, when you and Sir Montgomery are together, there are obvious sparks. Like I said, I think he’s changed since he met you. He says so himself.”

  “Is he paying you extra to butter me up?” Eliza smirked.

  Albert smiled a bit sheepishly. “I mean every word, Miss. He’s a good man. He’s rather worried you think he might not be.”

  “I’m not sure what I think anymore, Albert.”

  The countryside rolled by like a moving string of vibrant postcards. It was a far cry from the industrial smokestacks of Sheffield, the abandoned factories and cement lots. Leaving London could be a beautiful experience, she was learning. Perhaps she should try to get out of town more often.

  “What can you tell me about Evergreen Downs?”

  “Ah, it’s a small paradise, Miss. Acres of meadows, fields and forests. Pastures for the cows and horses to graze.”

  “Cows?”

  “There’s a small dairy farm, to make the cream, of course. Sir Montgomery has very little to do with it, but it brings in some income for the household. Then there’s the lily pond, with a creek that leads to a small river. The forest is full of oaks, ashes and hawthorns. Lovely riding trails in there. Of course there are the gardens around the house as well, very well taken care of, especially the roses. Marjorie’s brother Benjamin is the head gardener. But you don’t want to know all this, do you?”

  “It helps, actually. Are there any other surprises I should know about?”

  “Surprises? Why would you say that?”

  She lifted the paper so he could see it in the mirror. “Any other young women I should know about?”

  Albert paused just a little too long this time.


  “Go on, out with it,” said Eliza.

  “It’s for him to tell, Miss. You haven’t known each other long. He wouldn’t mean it as a secret, but it is rather private.”

  She leaned forward. “Todd told me I could tell you to turn around at any point and he’d never bother me again. So either you tell me this ‘secret’, or we’ll head back to London and you won’t get to see Marjorie this week.”

  She surprised herself with her ultimatum. She sounded like one of her uppity clients demanding that Albert do as she say, or else.

  “It’s not a secret, Miss. It’s just not something he spreads around much. And I don’t feel comfortable talking about him behind his back. Surely, you understand?”

  She didn’t understand, but she realized it was wrong to put Albert in such an awkward situation. She may have raised herself up in the world but she was not about to push around someone as sweet, loyal, and discreet as Albert. She had chosen to get in the car; she would face whatever was waiting for her at the end of the ride.

  “Sorry, Albert. Nevermind.”

  The motorway ended just south of Exeter and Albert took scenic byways leading south and west.

  “We’ll arrive in about 20 minutes, Miss Keating.”

  Eliza roused from her latest nap and gazed out at the beauty around her. Green slopes and pastures, sheep, cows and horses, forests and copses punctuating the rolling green downs of the most beautiful countryside she had ever seen. She rolled down the window and took a deep breath.

  “I smell the sea,” she said.

  “It’s perhaps thirty minutes to the coast in one direction and just over an hour in the other.”

  Eliza took another breath of fresh air and then pulled her sketchbook from her purse. The colors of the country inspired her. She jotted down ideas for spring hats. Something different perhaps? A little more risqué yet inspired by nature?...

  The car turned off the main route and meandered up a one-lane road before turning onto a gravel driveway leading up to an ornate wrought iron gate. Eliza could only see more driveway up ahead. Trees lined both sides, their spring green leaves only just beginning to unfurl.

  An older man emerged from a little hut near the gate. When he saw Albert he waved and smiled. A moment later, the gate slowly swung open.

  Eliza’s heart began to race. She put her sketchbook away, touched up her lips, and sat quietly, breathing deeply, willing herself not to break into a nervous sweat.

  She’d had hours to think of what she might say to Todd but now her mind was blank. That was an effect he had on her, of course. She should have known her resolve would weaken the closer she got to him. But resolve for what? To break it off, whatever it was? To demand the truth, which he might withhold or fabricate, and how would she know what was true anyway? Or was she resolved to play his game on her terms? Terms similar to what she’d laid out for herself in the beginning: to enjoy the ride. Wherever it might lead. She felt stronger with this last resolution. It didn’t hinge on the past or the future. It didn’t hinge on defining what it was. And it didn’t hinge on knowing or not knowing any particular truth. It hinged on the present. She would trust her gut while she was here, and her other body parts. Her mind could sort out the details later.

  “Albert, will you promise to drive me home any time of the day or night if I ask you to?”

  “I can do that,” he nodded.

  The winding, heavily treed driveway finally opened up to reveal the manor house, which was washed with a pale ochre stain and detailed with pale limestone bricks. The upper front rooms, evenly extending to the east and west on either side of the entry portico, all had Juliet balconies adorning their long mullioned windows. The house was larger than she imagined, with gardens extending in both directions until it reached a meadow on one side and a forest on the other.

  Albert looped around a circular lawn containing a knot garden. He pulled up in front of the portico.

  Eliza frowned. Todd wasn’t waiting on the front steps to greet her. His lack of manners might be the breaking point after all.

  Albert removed an overnight bag from the boot. She’d nearly forgotten about it. Which wasn’t surprising since she hadn’t packed it.

  “Why isn’t he here to meet me?”

  “He does like to sleep in when he’s in the country.”

  “It’s after lunchtime.”

  Albert shrugged. “He might be with the horses? Go on in. Morgan the Butler will take care of you.”

  Albert got back in the car and drove off toward the meadow side of the house where a road led around back, presumably to the carport and stables and other outbuildings.

  Eliza sighed and rang the big doorknocker.

  A man in a bow tie and tails opened the door.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Keating. Sir Todd is expecting you.”

  “Could have fooled me,” Eliza muttered. “You must be Morgan.”

  “I am.” He picked up the overnight bag.

  “If Sir Todd is expecting me why isn’t he here?”

  “He’s waiting for you in the dining room. We kept lunch late for your arrival. If you will just follow me.”

  Eliza followed him through a wide elegant foyer with a massive staircase opposite the front door. Morgan opened one side of a double oak paneled door on the right. The first thing Eliza saw was a very long dining table set with silver candle sticks, but it didn’t seem to be laid out for lunch. Then again, she wasn’t able to see the entire length of it until she stepped into the room.

  Once through the door, she saw that the far end was set for two. Todd sat at the far end reading a paper. He was still in his dressing gown.

  “Oh, please, don’t get up,” said Eliza as Morgan shut the door behind her.

  Todd snapped the paper shut. In a fleeting glimpse she noticed he had been reading The Sun. She had left her copy on the backseat of the car.

  “Good. You’re here.” He stood up and tightened the knot of his dressing gown.

  “Albert mentioned you liked to sleep in but you’re not even dressed by lunchtime? Are you a hedonist at heart?”

  “Absolutely. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

  He offered up one of those disarming smiles, but Eliza refused to be tamed so quickly. She hung her purse on the back of one of the chairs and stared him down.

  “There are a lot of things I haven’t figured out yet, Todd, but I’m here because I mean to.” She crossed her arms and look directly, intensely, into his beautiful blue eyes.

  He met her intense look with a darkly sensual gaze of his own.

  Eliza looked away to catch her breath. That look had a powerful effect on her; her arms refused to hold their crossed position anymore, and her legs, and the delicate territory in between them, went all soft and warm.

  “You don’t know how glad I am to see you,” he said as he strode over to her.

  “Todd, you have to explain a few things if we’re going to — “

  “—Shhhhhh…” He reached into the pocket of his dressing gown and held out a patch of dark silk. When she looked quizzically at his offering, he laid the fabric across the back of the chair over the strap of her purse. A pair of his silk boxers. Oh crikey…

  “I’ve been up since 5 AM,” he said. “Riding, feeding, brushing the horses, tending to the foal. And my mare Jez…” His voice trailed off sadly. And then he recomposed himself and smiled mischievously.

  “This,” he said, gesturing to his dressing gown, “Is for your benefit. I thought you might appreciate catching me au naturel, as I once caught you.”

  He adjusted the dressing gown again as he moved back toward the end of the table. The bulge beneath the thin cloth was unmistakable.

  Eliza swallowed, closed her eyes for an extended blink, and tried to decide which direction she wanted to take this encounter. Where had she been trying to get to before? ...

  “Thinking again, are you?” said Todd taking a bite of scone. “Too much I’d say. I thought you might be hungry afte
r your ride.”

  He gestured to the table laid with cold meats, cheeses, a rustic loaf of bread and sliced vegetables. “Actually, I hoped it would have been for me. The food was just a back up. But go ahead, dig in.”

  Eliza was hungry for him. She just didn’t want him to know it yet. She reached for a slice of cucumber. Todd dropped back into his chair and sat in such a way that Eliza could see the skin of his thighs reaching up to his… But she couldn’t tell if that was a shadow or skin…

  He chuckled. Her eyes moved up to his face. His smiled unhinged her. She leaned her hip against the table.

  “You don’t play fair do you?”

  “You think this is all a game?” he said lightly, playfully.

  “Isn’t it?” Her question was more serious.

  “You pretending not to come here was a game.” He reached for her hand. It slipped into his so easily. Her skin tingled from his touch.

  He pulled her towards him, pulled her right onto his lap. His muscular thighs supported her while something long, hard, and warm beneath the cloth of his robe pulsed against her hip. He ran his fingers through her hair, along her neck and cheekbone, along the pouting flesh of her lower lip. He didn’t reach for her breasts or the warm spot dampening between her legs. Yet. Why had she worn jeans? She should have known better. A simple pull of his robe’s tie and he could be inside of her in two seconds. She moaned at the thought. His fingers were tracing the nape of her neck and they stopped for an instant.

  “Eliza, I’m sorry. For making you angry or frightened.”

  “Frightened? Why in the world would I be scared of you?”

  “Not of me. Of losing us.”

  Had he just used the word ‘us’? They’d barely had a proper date. Other men took close to three months to allow the word to come up, and Eliza had to be the one to use it first. She and Todd had no agreement. The idea that he could be engaged to that girl in the paper had pissed her off, hurt her terribly, but the fact of it hadn’t been out of the realm of possibility because there was no such thing as ‘us’ between Eliza and Todd.