Tender Persuasion

by Sara Wood

  'God, I'm sorry,' he said, passing a shaking hand through his black hair.

  'I should think you ought to be! I could claim assault,' she muttered.

  'I know. I—I don't know what happened. One minute I wanted to throttle you and the next…' He shrugged. 'It was partly your fault, getting me so annoyed. I might not have touched you otherwise. You lied to me. You spun me tales about how awful it was here.'

  It was Jade's turn to be discomfited. 'I think we're quits,' she said slowly.

  'I wish I understood you,' said Dane, perplexed.

  'They all say that,' she sighed.

  'Who?'

  'Oh, everyone,' she said vaguely. Few people other than her parents' crowd had experienced the odd life-style she considered to be normal. She'd despaired of ever finding anyone on her wave-length: it had been obvious that she must be the one to adapt, that she was the one out of step. This she had done, though lately she'd been living her own life in her own way. Perhaps that was why Dane King disturbed her so much: despite the fact that she was wary of him, there had been some kind of rapport between them that was different from anything she'd ever known before. A handsome seducer with a sense of humour was a dangerous combination!

  'I want to see the house.'

  Dane's flat tones gave nothing away. She flicked a quick glance at his inscrutable face and heaved a resigned sigh. She might as well get used to the fact that she'd have to take people over the manor, much as she hated the idea.

  'You'll keep your hands to yourself?'

  'You bet I will,' he said sourly. 'Providing you don't come up with a pack of lies.'

  'I don't need to lie about the house,' she said in a depressed tone, leading him past the little graveyard and Rose Cottage, where she lived. 'It's in a terrible state. You'll see for yourself.'

  Even from the end of the drive, they could both see that she was right. The long grass on either side of the sentinel lime trees was scattered with poppies and blue scabious, creating a wild-looking foreground for the lovely lines of the Georgian manor house. But the paint was peeling and the portico collapsing. Broken window-sills and mouldings gave the house a sad, uncared-for air.

  Dane extracted the details from his inside pocket and stood in the driveway, orientating himself.

  'The fields to the left and right belong to Mrs Kendall, I see, and all the land down to the river.'

  'That's right. The local farmer rents some.' Jade felt distinctly odd, pretending to be dispassionate.

  'It says that some parts of the house are medieval. Which?'

  A little taken aback by his businesslike snap, she bridled and then controlled herself, realising that he was probably already regretting the fact that he'd wasted his time coming down here. One look at the building had told him that it wasn't the wonderful 'snip' described in the brochure, after all. She needn't worry; he wouldn't like the house. He'd be looking for something smart to move into immediately, not a building which would need time, care and loving consideration for years to come.

  'The cellars and the kitchen. And the dovecote.'

  'Show me.'

  Jade peered at the plan and stabbed her finger at the right place.

  'That's been described as a studio, not the kitchens,' he puzzled.

  'It's a big room, too big for a kitchen nowadays. You can see the conical roof from here,' she said, pointing. 'The smoke used to vent through the roof from a central cooking fire. It's been converted into a studio room. The new kitchens—well, Georgian ones—are on the other side of the dining-hall.'

  He nodded and strode on, his black brows drawing closer and closer together as the extent of external disrepair became more evident.

  'Who used the studio?'

  Jade started. 'Um… Mrs Kendall. Sketching, writing, that kind of thing.'

  Thankfully he wasn't interested. Jade didn't want to launch into a discussion on the local history Mrs Kendall was writing! Dane King would probably sneer and think it would be an amateur attempt, and force her into defending the work, or even revealing who she was.

  As they approached the front door, Jade felt increasingly nervous. He was the first person to be shown around, and she wasn't sure she could cope with the experience emotionally. For the past year she had avoided certain rooms, and only forced herself into the house when absolutely necessary. The big iron key grated in the lock and the door swung open to reveal a huge hall with its lovely oak floorboards and sweeping double staircase.

  Dane took over. In fact, she didn't really know why she was there. He investigated everything thoroughly: testing for dry rot, jumping on floors, tapping plaster and shining his torch into dark corners. He would bring a torch! The lazy charmer was turning out to have another facet to his character: hard-headed businessman. He was quite a mixture, was Dane King!

  As he poked and probed, muttered criticisms and frowned, Jade found the atmosphere of the house getting to her. Snatches of conversation, images, faces, lurked everywhere. A kind of sick misery dominated her mind as she relived incidents that she would have preferred to lie forgotten. And she grew more and more depressed, especially when he paused in front of the smashed shutters in the dining-room. But he made no comment. Jade remembered vividly when that had been done. But he spent some time frowning at the stains on the damask wallpaper. Her heart was in her mouth, waiting for his questions. He seemed about to speak and she steeled herself against the wash of shame that flooded her body, but he turned and walked into the hall and up the stairs, a thoughtful look on his face as he examined other evidence of careless damage.

  Jade felt as though she had been reprieved. She stood outside the master bedroom, trying to control her emotions.

  'Come on,' called Dane, examining the oak panelling. 'There's no charge to enter.'

  Her eyes fell on the four-poster bed. Like most of the furniture and furnishings, it was being sold with the house. She wanted nothing to remind her of Sebastian. In her mind, she could visualise him, lying on the bed, waiting, his handsome face full of desire. Then the imagery was shattered as Dane sat on the mattress and read the particulars on the house carefully.

  'For goodness' sake, come in,' he said, seeing her still shifting from one foot to the other. 'Tell me about this bed.'

  'W-w-what?'

  'How old it is.' His hands ran admiringly up the bulbous posts, tracing out the carvings.

  'I believe it's 1680,' she replied distantly.

  'Marvellous. To think of countless couples, drawing those curtains and making love…'

  Pain lashed through Jade's body and she gave a small gasp, disguising it with a cough as Dane's eyes flicked in her direction.

  'Lovely room.' He swung his legs up on to the bed and leaned back against the big headboard.

  Jade was furious to see how relaxed and how right he looked there. He had no business to be so comfortable in her home, especially on that bed! Sebastian had bought it for her, to… Oh God! Would she never rid herself of this destructive memory? She whirled around and walked to the window, tense and emotionally distressed.

  'I like the view,' he said softly.

  Because of her tears, she was unable to answer, and it seemed he took her silence for encouragement.

  'Why don't you come over here, Jade, and admire the room from where I am? I'm sure it's the best position from which to appreciate it.'

  'Leave me alone!' she moaned, tipping her head back. 'You've had your fun. You've made a trip to the great outdoors, kissed a country girl and amused yourself criticising the run-down manor. That should be enough experiences to take back to provide entertainment for your chums in your club! Or at your next little drinkies party, or…'

  She couldn't say any more, her throat was too constricted.

  'Why don't you come clean?' he said quietly.

  A brief fear flickered through her. He couldn't know! She started for the doorway with bowed head, letting her hair cover her distressed face.

  'Stay where you are!' he rapped.

&nb
sp; Jade nearly jumped out of her skin at the command. 'You… you bully!' she whispered. The lounging lizard had become a veritable tiger with bared teeth, and she was frightened.

  'Well?' he asked menacingly.

  'I don't know what you're talking about,' she began haughtily,.

  'I've handled enough women in my time to know when they're upset or hiding something,' said Dane quietly.

  She quivered with rage. Handled women, indeed! Male chauvinist. 'Yes, I'm hiding something! I'm trying to hide the fact that I don't like you,' she snapped.

  'Maybe. But it's more than that. You don't want to sell the house, do you?'

  'Of course I don't!' she cried. 'Would you? But I have to, I—' She stopped in mid-sentence. She'd fallen into his trap! Now he knew who she was! 'Oh, you swine,' she said bitterly. 'You tricked me!'

  'It occurred to me that you might not willingly volunteer the information,' he said sardonically, rising and shutting the door firmly and standing in front of it.

  'What… are… you doing?' she breathed, noting the grimness of his face and the determined ice of his blue eyes.

  'Ensuring that you stop evading me,' he growled.

  A shiver of sexual fear ran through her and he laughed mirthlessly. 'Don't tempt me,' he said huskily, his voice suddenly loaded with sensuality.

  Jade recoiled at his arrogance. 'Tempt you? How dare you! Your conceit is beyond belief! Move away from that door!'

  'Not until you tell me what you hoped to gain by pretending to be the local school secretary, and getting everyone else in on the charade!'

  'I am the secretary!' she said vehemently. 'I just didn't want anyone to know I…'

  'You are Mrs Kendall?' he asked angrily.

  'Yes.'

  Regret tinged his face. 'You don't wear a ring,' he said tightly.

  Jade bit her lip and slowly put the gold band back on her finger.

  'You little fool!' he raged.

  'I don't see why,' she lied, thinking however, how stupid she'd been.

  'Don't you?' he muttered. 'If nothing else, didn't you realise that I would have been more considerate of your feelings while going round the house? It obviously upsets you to be here. I take it you are living in that cottage you mentioned: there are no personal things around.'

  'Yes, I live in Rose Cottage next door,' she mumbled miserably.

  'I suggest you get an agent to take over the house tours for you. Then you won't be plagued with painful memories of your late husband,' he said curtly.

  'I—' Jade rocked on her feet.

  'God!' He moved forwards to her, then stopped, regarding her helplessly. She struggled for composure and then turned and threw herself on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

  'Mrs Kendall, Jade…'

  'Go away!' she yelled through her tears, petrified that he'd try to comfort her. She was so muddled and confused that she couldn't stand sympathy right now. She was too vulnerable, and might tell this total stranger everything about herself. In despair she buried her face in the pillow, and to her utter relief he obeyed her. She heard the door shut and then a silence.

  The tears fell unchecked as if they'd been stored up behind a dam. Jade hadn't cried for years, not even after her parents had died when she was twenty-three. They'd been enjoying one of their frequent holidays when an overloaded ferry sank in a Chinese harbour, killing everyone on board—her parents included. Numb with shock, and unable to deal with the muddled finances, Jade had turned to her current boyfriend, Sebastian. He'd handled everything. Still numb, she found herself married to him.

  'Oh, Sebastian!' she moaned aloud.

  She wept even more copiously, full of self-pity that she was having to sell Saxonbury and was forced to show devious men like Dane King around it. By the time she had cried herself out and rolled over on to her back, it was almost dusk.

  The bed suddenly depressed and she screamed with fright, wrenching her neck around to see that it was Dane.

  'What are you doing here? When did you come back?' she asked belligerently, sitting up and trying to conceal the effects of her crying bout.

  'I didn't leave. I was in the house all the time.'

  She looked at him in horror. 'All the time?'

  'Yes. I thought you oughtn't to be left alone,' he said quietly. 'I felt you needed someone. I explored the rest of the house and came back. You were crying so much you didn't even hear. Poor Jade. All this is hitting you very badly, isn't it?'

  His hand stretched out and pushed her heavy, damp hair away from her face, then he reached to the side-table and she saw to her astonishment that he had found a bowl and filled it with ice-cold water. He dipped his pale gold handkerchief into this and gently bathed her face.

  Jade relaxed, welcoming the cool relief. An occasional sob broke from her trembling lips, and Dane gripped her hand in sympathy.

  'Better?' he asked in concern.

  She nodded, feeling limp.

  'You must have loved your husband very much,' he murmured. 'I envy you. It's something to cherish. You're lucky to have had such a relationship.'

  Jade couldn't speak. Her big melting eyes focused on Dane's broad shoulder, and suddenly she flung her arms around his neck and held on tightly.

  'It's OK,' he soothed, his hand stroking her back. 'I understand now. You've been upset because I ignorantly waded into a situation that I misread, and I apologise. But you did set it up, you know. You're as much to blame, and you must be straight with people in future or you'll be hurt again.'

  'I know,' she muttered, wishing she didn't find him so damnably attractive. She must be in a highly emotional state! Her mouth longed to move forwards one little inch and taste his smooth golden neck. She discovered that her hands were playing with his hair and willed them to be still.

  Then he was lifting her away and she was saved from making any foolish moves.

  'I'll walk you home and we'll talk there,' he said briskly.

  'Talk?'

  'About my offer.'

  'But…'

  'Let's get you home, shall we?' he suggested. 'This bedroom is no place to stay, for either of us.'

  With a shock, Jade realised from the desire in his eyes and the curve of his mouth that he still wanted to kiss her, despite the matter-of-fact tone. Stunned, her eyes searched his and after a moment he averted his gaze and strode quickly to the door, holding it open.

  Jade slowly got up and stumbled. In a flash, his arm was around her waist and he was helping her to walk along the landing and down the stairs, his face very grim.

  She was grateful for his support and totally unnerved by her uncharacteristic fragility. His hip was warm against hers and she had to steel herself not to push into him. What on earth was the matter with her? How had this skilful, experienced Don Juan managed to wheedle his way under her defences? Her mind seemed to be the consistency of treacle; nothing made sense any more. She oughtn't to be clutching this man and wishing he was kissing her instead. She should have told him, sharply that she wouldn't sell Saxonbury to him, and sent him packing.

  Yet he had taken command of the situation and, although he didn't know it, had temporarily taken command of her senses. She groaned inwardly. It must be something to do with delayed shock. She needed a man to lean on and he was available. Jade despised herself for being so feeble. All her life she'd been fiercely independent, apart from that very understandable helplessness when her parents had died. Now history was repeating itself, but this time the man wasn't single and she hadn't know him for six months as she had known Sebastian.

  'Which way?'

  'Left.' They had reached the end of the drive and turned towards her cottage. 'I can manage now,' she muttered.

  'Nonsense. I'll make you a cup of tea and then we'll sort things out. You really are in quite a state inside, Jade.'

  'I was all right till you kissed me,' she said waspishly.

  He frowned. 'Yes. I can't tell you how sorry I am about that. I'd give anything not to have touched you,' he said in a l
ow-pitched voice.

  'You do have a conscience, then,' she muttered.

  'You're at a dangerous stage,' he growled.

  She was, she thought wistfully. Her year of marriage with Sebastian had made her terribly susceptible to men like Dane King. She took in a deep, controlling breath and walked on.

  It was a balmy spring evening. Flocks of starlings swept the darkening sky as they returned to roost in the lime trees. Jade's prize cockerel crowed in the still air and was answered by the thin scream of a vixen, somewhere in the woods. The scent of lilac and May blossom was overpoweringly sweet, and Jade knew she could never leave Saxonbury village. She would come to terms with her new life in the little cottage and bury herself in her work. This would be the year that she finished her most challenging book yet.

  In the fading light, Jade noticed that one of the red roses clambering up her cottage wall had opened that afternoon; soon the rest would follow and the flinty stone would be bright with scarlet splashes.

  'Aptly named cottage,' remarked Dane, following her eyes. 'Are you going to let me come in and make sure you're settled?'

  'You sound like a bossy nurse,' sighed Jade, motioning him inside nevertheless.

  'I'm making tea, not tucking you into bed,' he said, then his brows drew together in an angry line and he made much of taking off his jacket and draping it over the back of her favourite armchair. 'Kitchen?'

  She showed him into the big, airy room with its bleached wood table and chairs and old oak dresser sporting what remained of the family china.

  'You go and sit down,' he said. 'You'll be under my feet.'

  'I have to feed my dog, Polly,' she said, wondering why her retriever hadn't barked as she usually did. Jade prepared the dog food and then stood in the back doorway, calling, growing more and more worried that Polly didn't come.

  'Trouble?' Dane looked down at her anxious face.

  'Maybe. Sometimes she leaves the garden and wanders the manor land, but never goes anywhere else.'

  'I'll go and look.'

  'It's almost dark—you'll fall over things…'

  'Then I'll have to get up, won't I?'

  She frowned. 'Why are you being so nice?'

  'It's my role in life to help females in trouble.'