by Diana Quincy
Perspiration trickled down Isabel’s back as they walked the tree-lined path. The sun shone brightly. It was a particularly warm day. She was beginning to wonder how much farther they had to walk when they came around the box hedgerow and a stone outbuilding built in the Gothic style came into view. The structure was enclosed on three sides, but the front, adorned by arches and thick columns, opened to the outdoors.
Sunny appeared in the archway. “Welcome.”
“Cousin Adam!” Prudie raced toward him with Patience following.
“Hello there,” he said cheerfully to the girls. “It took you long enough. Did you get lost?”
“No, we didn’t,” Patience reassured him with a happy smile.
Prudie held Sunny’s hand as she beamed up at him. “We came as fast as we could, Cousin Adam.”
His gaze went from Prudie to Isabel. “You two look beautiful in your new pink gowns. Just like princesses.”
Prudie beamed at the compliment. Isabel smiled her appreciation that he’d taken the time to notice and compliment them as Prudie had hoped he would.
Patience performed a cartwheel. “What is our surprise?”
“You said you wanted to go swimming, did you not?”
The girls jumped up and down. “Yes!” they cried in unison.
Prudie looked around. “Is there a lake here?”
“There is a cold spring nearby.” He stepped aside with sweeping motion of his well-formed arm, welcoming them to step within. “But we are going swimming in the plunge pool.”
“Plunge pool!” Patience exclaimed.
“Yay!” Prudie cried out as the girls excitedly dashed inside, with Isabel and Sunny following.
Just beyond the outbuilding’s arched entrance lay a rectangular sunken cold bath with beautiful molded stone trim beneath a high stone-tiled roof.
“It’s delightful,” Isabel said.
“I thought you might like it,” he said warmly to her.
The girls were poised at the top of the stone steps that led into the sunken bath. “Can we just walk in?” Patience asked.
“No, you may not.” Sunny pointed to an elegant rounded staircase at the back of the bathhouse. “The dressing room is through there. You’ll find swimming costumes for you to change into.”
Isabel stepped past the duke. “I’ll help them.”
“There’s a bathing costume in there for you as well,” he informed her.
That would hardly be proper. “I don’t think so. I’m not much for swimming.” A lie. She was an excellent swimmer, and it would be rather refreshing to dip into the cold water on such a hot day. She found the white, muslin dresses and matching pantaloons for the girls and helped them change. Dressed and excited, the girls raced down the stairs. Isabel followed them out and was surprised to find Sunny already immersed in the pool in his white linen shirt and trousers. His boots were lined up in a far corner.
He dipped his head under and came up, shaking water from his dark hair, the rivulets glistening on his face and in the tender hollow at the base of his throat. The girls jumped in, one at a time, and paddled around the sizable bath. Both Patience and Prudie were excellent swimmers. Living by the beach in Cornwall, Isabel had made sure of it.
She noted how drawn the girls were to Sunny. They swam around him, jumped on his shoulders, basked in the attention he paid them. He did laugh easily with the children, swinging them around in the water, picking them up and throwing them, to their delighted screams. At length, he left them to their own play and swam over to sit on the stairs. He was submerged from the waist down, but his soaked white linen shirt clung to his upper body, the flesh tone of his skin apparent beneath the wet fabric.
“Come now, Finch, it’s a hot day. Will you not even dip your toes in the water?”
Given the warmth of the day, she was tempted to just jump in, clothes and all. But she settled for removing her half boots and stockings. Sunny took care to look away while she rolled down her stockings. Sitting on the edge near him, she dipped her feet and ankles in the blissfully cold bath, wiggling her toes.
“This is heavenly.”
“Isn’t it? I never thought to bring a woman to the plunge pool just for the sake of enjoying the waters.”
She could only imagine what he did do with women in plunge pools and what kinds of secretions might be in the water. “Do not tell me—” She made a face and was about to remove her feet, when he caught both legs by her ankles.
“You do have a dirty mind, Finch.” As if she wasn’t already hot enough, the sight and feel of Sunny’s large masculine fingers wrapped around her ankles spiked her internal body temperature. “Don’t go anywhere. Relax and enjoy yourself. I’ve never brought a woman here for anything, except for you and the girls.”
“Fine.” She was happy to leave her feet in the cold water. “You may unhand me now.”
He let her go with a smile and leaned back against the steps behind him, balancing his body weight on his elbows. From this angle, he appeared very nicely built. There was no softness at his waist, but rather a cut-hard definition to his abdomen. The musculature in his arms and chest was strong and well-defined, much more so than she would ever have imagined.
“I’ve never brought women here,” he said, “because it did not occur to me that a lady might enjoy it.”
“That’s because you’re a misogynist.”
“What the devil is that?”
“A man who hates women.”
“I do not hate women,” he retorted, clearly affronted.
“Perhaps misogynist is too strong a word,” she allowed, tilting her head up to admire the ornate ceiling. “I wonder if there is a word for a man who doesn’t see women as people.”
“What are you going on about? I love women.”
“Do you? Tell me, what is it that you love about women?” When he gave her a naughty look, she added, “Without being disgusting.”
He laughed softly. “Very well. I love their softness, their curves, the way they laugh, the smoothness of their skin. Every woman has something to offer, tall or petite, slim or heavily rounded—fat, some would say—I’ve had them all and each one is beautiful in a fashion.”
“Exactly my point.”
He frowned. “How exactly does that prove your point? I think the heat is getting to your brain. I just told you that I love all women.”
“You don’t love them as beings,” she challenged, enjoying sparring with him. “You don’t care for women as people you can relate to or have a conversation with. You love them as physical playthings.”
“I enjoy the warmth and closeness a man can only find with a woman.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Call it what you will.”
She considered his words as she kept an eye on the girls splashing and swimming. Sunny’s parents had been cold and distant, and he had no siblings. Had he ever loved anyone and been loved in return? Perhaps he confused the physical intimacy he enjoyed with women with the much more profound emotional intimacy, like what she’d shared with Ben.
“I’m having a conversation with you,” he said abruptly.
“And so you are.” She moved her feet around in the water, creating a little splash.
“You just said that I don’t think of women as people to converse with, and that is incorrect because I find that I enjoy speaking with you, very much. Even, apparently, when you are insulting me.”
She laughed a little. The thought that he enjoyed speaking with her pleased her more than it should. Sunny suddenly dipped beneath the water and swam low underwater in the girls’ direction. When he unexpectedly popped up next to them, they cried out with a mix of fright and delight.
Patience jumped onto Sunny’s back, and he playfully tried to swing her off. “What’s a monkey doing in my plunge pool?” he said to Prudie, who swam into his arms and held on ti
ghtly, screaming with laughter, as he jerked from side to side, trying to dislodge the child clinging to his back.
But Patience just held on all the tighter. “This is so fun! Can we come back again on our birthday?”
Sunny peered back over his shoulder at her. “When is your birthday?”
“In three weeks, on the ninth,” Isabel informed him.
“Yes, I don’t see why we cannot return, as long as the weather is tolerable.” Sunny jerked suddenly, dislodging an unsuspecting Patience, who fell back with a scream and a splash.
Isabel noted that he kept a close eye on the child, making certain she came safely up for air, before exclaiming, “I am so happy to have that monkey off my back.”
“But you still have a monkey on your back!” Patience cried out as she scrambled onto his back again. Sunny played with the children for a little bit longer before swimming back to rejoin Isabel, but before he could reach her, the butler appeared and announced that their picnic had been prepared and it was time to eat.
* * *
—
Reclining on the picnic blanket, Sunny popped a strawberry into his mouth. “I never took you for a coward, Finch.”
“And why, pray tell, am I a coward?” She spoke quietly so as not to awaken the girls, who’d fallen asleep as soon as they’d finished eating. The deep intimate tone of her voice made Sunny think of the bedchamber or, in the case of Finch, of the schoolroom, and warmth and flesh and soft sighs.
He kept his words light. “You’re obviously overheated. Your cheeks are redder than these strawberries and you’re perspiring.”
“Is there a point to your very ungentlemanly observation?” She scooted over to cover the children’s sleeping forms with dry towels. “A true gentleman would never make disparaging comments about a woman’s appearance.”
He grinned. “We both know I am no gentleman.”
One side of her mouth quirked upward. “True,” she agreed a little too easily. The extra color on her cheeks emphasized the otherwise pale smooth beauty of her complexion. He’d never really noticed before what lovely skin she had.
“What I mean to say is that you are hot, the spring water in the plunge pool is cold, and yet you refuse to avail yourself of it.” He chewed on his strawberry. “Have you always been so proper?”
She gave him a look. “You’ve had occasion to discover, intimately, that I do not always follow propriety.”
If only she knew how much he longed to tempt her into another indiscretion. And another, and another one after that. He forced himself to smother images of Finch moving against him, passionate and fully engaged, giving herself totally over to the act, giving pleasure while taking her own.
“Where’s the harm in swimming?” he asked. “I have a perfectly appropriate, modest swimming garment ready for you.”
“Men and women do not swim together, as you well know.”
“There is no one here but us and the children. And, with her inquisitive nature, once she awakens, Patience will be more effective than any chaperone would be.”
“Why are you so anxious to see me swim?”
“Because this surprise was for you as well as the girls. I had hoped you would enjoy it as well,” he replied in all honesty. He’d been disappointed when she’d refused to go into the pool.
“Well, it is rather hot.” She blew a loose curl out of her overheated face. Some of those wild curls of hers had escaped their confines. He longed to reach over and free them all, to see them in their natural, untamed state. “And there is no one here to observe us.”
He winked at her. “That’s the spirit.”
“What kind of swimming costume is it? I trust it’s not something one of your doxies would wear.”
“Finch, you shock me.” He put a hand to his chest. “It’s rather risqué for a lady to mention doxies. You’re not even supposed to know they exist.”
“As if I could reside in your household and not know.”
“True, but how unladylike of you to make mention of it.” He came to his feet. “Come on then.” He wanted to hurry before she changed her mind.
She hesitated. “But the children…”
“Will be perfectly fine. We’ll only be a few yards away, and they’re bound to join us in the pool as soon as they awaken.” He was thrilled when she acquiesced and followed him.
“I’ll just be a moment,” she said, making her way up the curved steps to the changing room. While he waited for her, Sunny reentered the plunge pool and floated on his back.
She quickly reappeared, venturing down the steps that led to the changing room a bit self-consciously in a long flannel shift that covered practically everything worth seeing on a woman’s body. But he did have a delightful view of her ankles and delicate feet. He’d tried not to stare earlier when she’d bared them and had pretended not to watch when she’d wiggled her toes and arched those perfectly formed feet.
He came to stand in the water. “There you see. That thing keeps you as covered up as those hideous gowns you insist on wearing.”
“All of these compliments are going to turn my head.” She stepped down onto the first step, and he pretended not to sneak a peek at her lovely feet. “Why is this shift so heavy?”
“The modiste tells me sewing weights into the hem is required for modesty. They keep the shift from floating up and revealing things that I’d very much like to see.”
She ignored his flirtation and took the steps until she was almost fully submerged. She laid her head back to wet her hair, the sunny curls spreading out in the water around her head like a glorious golden halo. Sunny was grateful the water was so damned cold. Otherwise, there’d be no keeping his prick in check. He moved back against the far edge of the plunge pool, allowing her space to enjoy the water, and watched as she paddled the twelve-foot length of the bath and back again.
“I thought you said you don’t know how to swim.”
She turned over to float on her back with her eyes closed. The soaked flannel hugged her pert breasts and their pointed tips. He couldn’t help but notice those fine nipples. He regretted not tasting one when he’d had the chance.
“I never said that,” she said lazily as she floated.
“Never said what?” He was too busy trying not to stare at her breasts to properly follow the conversation.
She opened her blue eyes, and he promptly blinked and looked away, hoping she hadn’t caught him ogling her. “I never said I couldn’t swim. I said I’m not much for swimming. There’s a difference.”
“Not much for swimming? You do rather seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“I am.” She sighed and turned over, swimming toward the steps in fluid, confident strokes. “This is bliss.”
He smiled, feeling very pleased with himself and swam over to join her. “As long as we are being honest, and considering that we are now friends and that friends tell each other things…”
“Why do I get the feeling that there’s a question you’d like to ask?” She sat on a middle step, so that she was still mostly submerged. “Do you think you might get to it before supper?”
It was a question that had plagued him since the ball. “When we…erm”—he made an awkward motion with his hand—“I was wondering. I noticed that our joining was not the first time for you.”
To his surprise, she threw back her head and laughed out loud, a belly laugh like the one he’d heard when she’d danced with abandon in the music room. “And it surprised you that someone as plain and long in the tooth as your dowdy governess is not a dried-up old maid in every way?”
He felt his cheeks heat. “I’m an idiot, which we’ve already established. Clearly, I find you very desirable, and I understand now that a lady such as yourself likely has many opportunities.”
She smiled at that, apparently enjoying his contrite answer and
appeal to her vanity. “I was married, albeit not for long. My husband died eight months after we wed.”
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “Where is his family? It is their duty to care for you. You should never have been forced to go into service as a governess.”
“They did not care for me.” She set off, swimming across the short expanse of the pool. “They left me with nothing.”
He watched her graceful movements in the water. “That is beyond the pale. It was their duty to look after you, whether they cared for you or not.”
“They thought me amoral.”
“You?” he sputtered. “Surely you jest.”
“Ben and I anticipated our wedding night.” When she reached the opposite end of the pool, she stood and turned to face him. “We were discovered. It caused a small scandal within the family, although no one besides our closest relations was aware of our indiscretion. Once Ben died, his family decided that someone of my low morals should be cast aside.” She spread her arms out along the edge of the plunge pool, supporting her weight as she kicked her legs out in front of her. “Have I shocked you?”
“Absolutely.” He tried not to look at her legs as she moved them under the water, her shift floating upward to reveal shapely calves. “But in the best possible way. I cannot help but think more highly of you now.”
She sobered. “It was only with Ben, you understand. I’ve never been with another man.” She paused. “Except now, with you, of course. I wouldn’t want you to think I am not suitable to be the children’s governess.”
“You were intimate with the man you intended to wed. There is no shame in that.” He hastened to reassure her that her position within his household was safe. “Any woman who’s only been with her husband is practically a virgin in my eyes anyway.”
“Perhaps that’s why I feel comfortable sharing that with you.”
“I’m pleased that you felt you could. Besides, I’ve done much worse.”
Her beautiful eyes clouded. “And well I know it.”