The Secret Admirer Romance Collection

by Barratt, Amanda; Beatty, Lorraine; Bull, Molly Noble

  “I’ll be back later this evening to change the dressing. Until then, Mrs. Montgomery has offered to care for you. Gilbert will assist you with…your more personal needs.”

  Mrs. Montgomery. What’d been in that sleeping stuff? Must’ve done some serious damage to his brain. He couldn’t have heard right. Mrs. Lily Montgomery was to be his nurse? His fine lady employer who had never dirtied her hands to do more than pluck flowers?

  “She’s very capable. Nursed her mother for a year. You’ll be in very good hands.”

  Being flat on his back and barely able to talk had its disadvantages. You had to take what you could get. Not that he didn’t trust Lily. But he didn’t much like the idea of her seeing him like this, feeble as an old woman.

  Still, the thought of hours in her company was as attractive as a bowl of caramel apples to a boy denied sweets.

  And he would relish every second of it.

  Chapter 5

  In her years as a socialite, Lily had rarely capitalized on her status as a woman of influence. But as she’d faced Dr. White and announced that she intended to oversee Nathan’s care, she’d capitalized. Shamelessly. As a result, she’d achieved exactly what she wanted.

  All of it had amounted to a rather heady feeling.

  Nathan had slept for several hours after the operation, while she sat at his side, attempting to read a book. She only made it a paragraph or two before she set the volume aside and allowed herself to study him, memorizing every inch of his features. The way his hair curled slightly over his forehead. The tiny scar just below his right eye. How his lips parted slightly with each intake of breath. His slightly thicker lower lip, the narrower upper, the faintest growth of stubble…

  A flaming blush whooshed over her cheeks. Perhaps her perusal was becoming a bit too intense. Best stick to assessing vital signs.

  The gentle ticking of the wall clock and Nathan’s even breathing proved a soothing symphony for her own emotions. Mother’s sickroom had rarely been this calm. There had always been the sounds of tossing, moans, unrest. Lily had been compelled to sit there, hour after long hour. Compelled not by any financial woes preventing them from hiring a nurse, but from something deep within herself. A voice that said she’d never been a worthy daughter, a worthy person. Her mother’s illness had been a chance to prove that voice to the contrary. Yet after long months of seclusion, she’d reneged. Her father hired a reputable caretaker, and Lily had entered her long-postponed debut season.

  Her mother had died three months later, the agony wracking her body put to rest.

  Lily wed Jackson as soon as it was proper, her own agony just beginning.

  Nathan shifted on the bed. His eyes, green as the shrubs lining her avenue, opened.

  “Hey.” A small smile angled his lips upward.

  “Oh. You’re awake.” She pushed a wisp of hair behind her ear. “I trust you slept well.”

  “All right, I guess. I feel a sight better than I did before the operation.”

  “I can imagine. Are you hungry?”

  He gave a nod.

  “Anything particular that you’d fancy eating? I think everyone else just had sandwiches. Everything has been rather topsy-turvy all day. But I can see to it you get whatever you want.”

  He reached up and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Maybe a piece of toast. I don’t feel up for anything adventurous.”

  “What about some broth?”

  “That sounds good, too.”

  “Then I’ll inform one of the kitchen maids.” She stood. “I’ll be right back.” But before she could turn to go, he grabbed her hand, capturing it in a surprisingly strong grip.

  “You didn’t need to go to all this trouble to take care of me. I’m not that special.” The warmth of his hands sent a jolt of electricity clear down to her toes, followed by a rush of longing. For what, she couldn’t be sure.

  She swallowed. “After all the kindness you’ve shown me, how could I not care for you in your hour of need? And you are very special. And very important. To me and to this house.” She quickly disentangled her fingers, relieved when the unfamiliar sensation vanished. “I’ll be right back.”

  Then she left the room, the remembrance of his hands within hers a hot coal in her already tumultuous mind.

  There’s no great loss without some small gain, had been one of his mother’s favorite expressions. In this case, there’d been a small loss with great gain. Nathan had lost his appendix and gained hours of uninterrupted time with Lily. At first, he’d been in too much pain to fully appreciate the experience. But four days later, able to walk and tend to his own personal needs, he had to admit every ounce of pain he’d endured was well worth it.

  Though he didn’t actually need a nurse, she continued to stay, spending several hours a day with him. And with Kingsley gone, the demands on her time had decreased considerably.

  They talked. About everything and nothing. Childhood stories. Current events. She made him laugh with her rendition of Mamie Fish’s ill-fated attempts to drive a motorcar. He coaxed her into a fit of giggles sharing the tale of the time when the cook at his first job dropped into a faint during an important dinner party, and Nathan had been marshaled into preparing the soufflé.

  She sat beside him now, after he’d finished the story, a thoughtful expression on her face, one hand toying with the diamond teardrop on her earring.

  “You’ve had quite the exciting life. You’ve met a lot of people, traveled to places you never thought you’d go.” She dropped her hand and met his gaze. “If you’d stayed on the farm in Pennsylvania, you wouldn’t have had all those experiences.”

  “Uh-huh.” He nodded, folding his hands atop the quilt covering his legs. Sunlight flittered through the room’s one window, warming the room and adding a golden hue to her creamy skin. “There’s just one thing…”

  “Yes?” Lily leaned forward.

  He hesitated. Though the boundaries of propriety had continued to slip between them like a little girl’s hair ribbon tilting to one side, the threads separating his class and hers had never truly fallen. They held fast, less constraining perhaps, but still secure and intact. Sharing with her—not as a listening ear for her thoughts and plans, but revealing a piece of himself—one rubbed raw by life’s hard blows and usually kept shoved in the back of his mind, would mean a sight more to him than it would to her. Still, she waited, the look in her eyes confirming her interest.

  “I wanted to become a teacher.”

  Her eyes widened. Not with shock or annoyance but plain, simple interest. “Go on.” She must have realized the words sounded a bit imperious, because she added: “Please, tell me more…Nathan.”

  He needed no second invitation. Just the sound of his name on her lips was enough to make him willing to pledge the world to her. She had such a way of saying it, quiet and breathy and sweet enough to make him want to pull her into a closet, lock the door, and find out for himself if her hair was as soft as it looked, if the top of her head would rest just below his chin, if he would ever tire of inhaling the scent of roses. He already knew the answer to the latter. He never would. The more he held her, the more he’d ache for it.

  “The whole idea of me being a teacher is a big joke though. I don’t even have a high school diploma. When I was fourteen, my father got sick and was unable to work. As the oldest, with four young ones under me, school was no longer possible. I do my best to study, even now. I visit the library on my days off and read every chance I can. But there’s no piece of paper proving I have any greater intelligence than one of those ducks your rich friends are always devouring.”

  “You don’t enjoy being a chauffeur?”

  Was he imagining things, or did a flicker of pain flash across her fathomless eyes, even if for only an instant?

  “I consider it a privilege to work under your employ.” He chose his words carefully. The last thing he wanted to do was give her the impression he didn’t care. When in reality, he cared far more than he’d ev
er admit. “But I guess I’ve always wanted more. Kind of like how you want to open that halfway house for immigrants. Which, by the way, is an amazing plan.”

  An adorable blush took up residence on her cheeks.

  “That’s your dream. And I’ve no doubt you’ll succeed. Teaching is mine. There are so many young people, just like I was, who have the ability to make something more of themselves, become something great, if only to rise above the lot circumstance has dealt them. But it’s sort of like the safe upstairs. To get your hands on the treasure, you first need to find the key. I believe education is that key.” He must’ve gotten some crazy look on his face, because, as he spoke, she regarded him with an expression of rapt interest.

  “Why, that’s brilliant.” She seemed to exhale, rather than verbalize the words. “I can’t remember the last time I heard something so…so inspiring. You have such passion, Nathan. I want to help you in any way I can.”

  “Just hearing those words is help enough.” He swallowed. “Besides”—he added a grin to his words—“you do help me. You pay my salary. And living in New York gives me access to a lot of things I wouldn’t have had on the farm. I wouldn’t change the life I’ve lived. I just want to, someday, open another chapter.”

  A rap sounded on the door. Mavis, Lily’s maid, stuck her head inside.

  “If you please, ma’am, Mrs. Worthington-Chamblee has arrived and is waiting in the drawing room.”

  Lily smiled at the maid with the same courtesy she showed to all her servants. His chest tightened at the sweetness of it, at the special woman whom he had the privilege of knowing.

  “I’ll be down momentarily.”

  Mavis shut the door.

  Lily stood, sending the scent of roses wafting over him. He found himself wondering, after he was recovered and she no longer sat with him, how long that smell would linger in his room before dissipating forever.

  Her shoulders straightened. “This conversation may be over, but I’m not finished with it. I’m going to help you. I don’t know how yet. But I will. Just you wait and see.”

  Chapter 6

  I want to do something special for you. Is that all right?”

  A ridiculous smile unfurled on her lips as Lily stood in her bedroom. Birthdays had never been much of an occasion during her marriage to Jackson. A diamond bracelet or a pair of opera glasses would be presented to her at breakfast, and there would be the end of it.

  But on this, her twenty-fifth birthday, Nathan wanted to do something special for her. And though it probably violated every rule in the servant-employer code of conduct, she wasn’t about to say no. Since Mr. Kingsley wasn’t in town, there wasn’t a single person who actually cared to celebrate with her. Nathan, apparently, did.

  And for heaven’s sake, was it so wrong to revel in the caring?

  He’d instructed her to meet him outside, as if they were going for a drive. She was to wear attire suitable for outdoors. That was all he’d told her.

  She stepped down the stairs, feeling pretty and girlish in a dress of pale blue and cream lace. A practical straw hat adorned her upswept hair.

  Pretty? Girlish? All she had to do was look in the mirror to see the truth. She wasn’t petite. Nor girlish. Hardly pretty. As Jackson once said, she reminded him of a beer barrel, ugly and round. Even now, the words stung.

  She shoved them aside. She wouldn’t think about that today.

  The motorcar stood outside. A grin tipped one corner of Nathan’s mouth. Despite his recent ordeal, he looked hale and hearty, wearing his usual chauffeur uniform.

  “Ready?” He held the door for her. Not, however, the door to the backseat where she usually sat. But up front. With him.

  She chanced a furtive glance, making certain none of the servants, or anyone else for that matter, was watching. No one was. So she grasped his hand and let him help her in. He closed the door, started the engine, and jumped into his own seat.

  “You look…very nice.” His gaze found hers for a brief instant before he maneuvered the car out of the driveway. Sitting so close to him made her even more aware of his scent…something spicy and masculine. Was he wearing cologne?

  Whatever it was—it smelled altogether tantalizing.

  You do not mean that, Lilian Grace Montgomery. Your chauffeur does NOT smell tantalizing. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

  “Where are we going?” She fiddled with the ribbon securing her bonnet, trying to block out persistent thoughts of that cologne.

  “Secret. Not telling, Birthday Girl.” He winked.

  “Is this the moment when I discover you’re not actually my chauffeur but an abductor in disguise?” She grinned, liking the way he smiled when she teased him. As if he was the brother she never had, she, his impish sister, giving him what for.

  The glint in his eyes mesmerized her.

  Perhaps she didn’t feel quite as sisterly as she ought.

  They continued their drive. As he drove, Nathan whistled. Jaunty tunes she’d never heard, which reeled her in, made her tap her foot, and long to join in.

  But proper ladies didn’t whistle. Because finishing school hadn’t included that in their standard curriculum.

  At last, Nathan stopped the car. He climbed out and assisted her down.

  The seaside stretched before them. Not the one Newport society frequented, proper and well kept. But the real seaside, sparkling cobalt water stretching as far as the eye could see. Pearly white sand that begged one to forsake shoes and stockings, ladylike rules and propriety. The wind rushed over her face, warmed by the sun. The sort of seaside where one could forgo bathing hats and sun parasols. The sort of seaside where one could simply…be.

  Nathan busied himself with carrying items and setting them on the sand. He proceeded to spread out a blanket, and she rushed to assist him. The quilt tangled in the wind like a child’s kite, and laughter bubbled from her lips as they worked to secure it to the ground.

  He set the picnic basket on top, dusted off his hands.

  “Now I’ve got just one question for you. Do you know how to swim?”

  Lily gasped. “What? Here? Now?” For a society lady to swim required a concealing bathing costume, along with a specially made cart that drove one several feet out into the water, stopped, and allowed one to bathe shielded by a protective awning.

  He nodded, his hair teased by the wind. It had grown longer during his recovery, the golden-brown strands curling slightly over his forehead.

  “No. We’re going to swim in the Mediterranean a year from now. Of course, now.”

  “I…I don’t know.”

  He closed the distance between them, coming toward her and taking both her hands in his. “Adventure is like salt, Lily. Without it, both porridge and life are tasteless. Bland. Though I won’t go as far as to say fun makes the world go round, it does help it spin a bit more merrily.”

  He did have a point. During her years as a stifled socialite, her life had been bland. Now that her fetters to Jackson had been severed, she didn’t want to go on like that anymore.

  “I’m not sure, Nathan…I don’t have my bathing costume. And even if I did, I can’t…get into it without help from Mavis.”

  He reddened first then chuckled. “All right. I have another plan though.” He disappeared behind a clump of trees, returning a couple of minutes later, dragging what looked like a miniature raft attached to a length of rope.

  “You okay with a little ride?” Amusement glinted in his eyes. As if he were enjoying, truly relishing, every moment spent with her. As if thinking up this day gave him as much pleasure as doing something for his own benefit.

  So she tossed propriety to the wind and nodded, matching his smile. “I suppose so.”

  “Come here.” He held out his hand and led her toward the water’s edge. “Pardon me.” He bent and unlaced his shoes, rolled up his pant legs. Most young ladies of her acquaintance would have looked discreetly away. At first, Lily averted her eyes.

  But then she caught a
glimpse of his tanned, muscular legs.

  Gracious me, he’s…

  Handsome? Well built? Not afraid of hard work? All of those things and more.

  He shucked his chauffeur’s jacket and vest, until he was down to a simple shirt and trousers. Then he waded into the water, the raft following along. He dropped the rope, gave her a teasing grin, and scooped her into his arms as if she weighed no more than a feather pillow.

  She shrieked as he lowered her atop the raft, a spray of water splattering her skirt.

  “You all right?” He steadied the raft with one hand, the other holding on to the rope. Showing the same care as when he drove the car over bumpy terrain, as if to reassure her that her safety mattered.

  She nodded, settling herself more comfortably on her seat of logs.

  He pulled on the rope, wading deeper into the water. Waves splashed the sides of the raft, the craft bobbing along. Water misted onto her face and clothes, but at this moment, she could not have cared less. The sun shone high and bright overhead, the sparkle of the water like a thousand rapidly shifting panes of glass.

  “Having fun?” Nathan glanced at her. He’d gotten himself soaked through, his shirt plastered to his chest. He didn’t seem a bit winded though, surprisingly, considering all that exertion.

  “Completely.”

  He continued to tow her around, never straying too far from the shore. She gazed up at the sky, closed her eyes—

  The raft tipped. Dangerously. Lily scrambled for balance, slipped.

  Water closed around her in a sudden rush of cold. The skirt of her dress weighed her down. She fought for air. Her feet sought solid ground and found it against the sandy bottom.

  Nathan grabbed her around the waist as if to steady her. She coughed and sputtered.

  “I’m so sorry.” His eyes, so perfectly green, radiated absolute distress. “I did not mean for that to happen. Not at all.”

  She must’ve startled him by bursting into giggles, for his gaze turned from distress to astonishment.