Rising, he strode around the desk and scooped her out of the chair.
“Jay!” Pad and pencil went flying as her arms latched onto his neck and held.
Carrying her over to one of the long couches positioned in front of the fireplace, he lowered the two of them onto it, covering her mouth with his as he did so.
Tina instantly forgot that she was annoyed with him. Her blood began to simmer, and her body turned to warm wax. The top of her gown was quickly opened, Jay’s hand sliding inside seeking the softness of her breast.
“I’m glad you don’t wear a corset,” he had told her only a few days before. “Those things are a menace.”
“If we go to London, I will have to,” she had told him primly. “But they are uncomfortable, so I don’t see any reason to wear them while in the country.”
She was glad she had never cared about being fashionable. There were some things not worth the discomfort.
Jay’s hands seemed to be everywhere. She wondered at times if he had three or four, yet she knew he only had two. She had checked. Her gown was quickly stripped from her as his hands caressed and stroked her intimately. The familiar excitement vibrated through her and she reached for the fastenings on his shirt.
“Oh, God, Tina,” he rasped as her hands slid inside and over the lightly furred skin of his chest.
His mouth moved to her breast, nibbling, teasing, sucking, until she thought she would explode. Nothing could have prepared her for the instant passion that unerringly erupted between them each time Jay took her into his arms. Mira’s descriptions had been tame in comparison.
“Jay,” she whimpered. Her hands tangled in his hair and she arched her back, pressing her body closer.
“In a moment, sweet,” he murmured, then his mouth claimed hers in a deep, drugging kiss that blotted out all but the two of them.
*
Sometime later, Jay roused himself sufficiently to look down at his wife nestled partially beneath him in the cushions of the couch. Soft, sweet, and oh, so giving, he wondered what he could possibly have done to merit such perfection. He had done too many things in his life of which he was not proud. And there were times when marrying Tina counted as one of them. He should have told her of the will. But at times like now, as he watched her lashes lift to reveal tropical pools still glazed with passion, he was convinced he had chosen the right course.
He wasn’t sure he believed in fate or destiny, but the old gypsy who had helped him as a lad of sixteen had. It was she who had warned him he would be restless for many years, but would return to eventual peace and happiness. He had not believed it then—and he wasn’t sure he believed it now. But, the truth was unmistakable. With Tina, he seemed to be at peace—and happy.
Tina stretched sinuously and his body stirred again. Rolling further onto his side, he gathered her into his arms. “Was I crushing you?”
Tina smiled. “Of course not.” Looking over his shoulder, she surveyed the clothing littering the surrounding pieces of furniture. “We had best make sure we find everything this time. I don’t know that Mrs. Harper’s heart would survive finding another article of clothing in here.”
His rumble of laughter had her giggling in response.
“Perhaps,” he chuckled, “if you didn’t wear so many layers, you wouldn’t lose them all.”
Tina gasped in pretended outrage. “Perhaps, my lord,” she returned cheekily, “we should confine these activities to our bedchamber—where the servants might expect such things to happen.”
Jay grunted. “I think not. The servants are paid well enough not to be offended by a little sex. If there are prudes on the staff, they should be confined to the kitchen.”
“Which is probably the only room in the house you don’t consider fair game for such activity,” she quipped.
Jay’s eyebrows rose at her impudent statement. “On the contrary, madame,” he told her with an exaggerated leer, “any room I find you in is fair game.”
Tina had no reply to the outrageous statement, but moments later all was forgotten as Jay took her mouth in a long, tender kiss that left her lungs gasping for air and enveloped her body in a sensual fog.
*
Growing up in Devon with only occasional trips to Exeter, Tina was unprepared for the sprawling metropolis that was London. Gazing out the window of the carriage as they entered the suburbs of the city, she was amazed at the streets, people, buildings, carriages, and general chaos which seemed to inhabit the thoroughfares of the capital. Dusk was beginning to settle as they reached the quieter section of the city where the very wealthy lived.
The door to Thane House opened as the carriage drew to a halt in front. As Jay helped her alight, she looked up at the large, but plain, three-story brick-fronted house. It looked much like the houses on either side of it with its large windows looking out over the square in front. The wrought iron gate leading to the steps was being held open by a footman, and Jay ushered her through. Entering the house, she didn’t have time to look around the vast entryway as the entire staff had been assembled to meet its new mistress.
Jay introduced her to the butler, Keyes, who also happened to be the father of the butlers at Collingswood and Thane Park, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Greaves, who, in turn, introduced her to the rest of the staff. Mrs. Greaves beamed as Tina spoke a few words to each person.
“I know we will only be here for a week this time,” she told Mrs. Greaves as the housekeeper escorted her upstairs, “but I will need to visit a few shops to pick out some samples for some refurbishing that needs doing at the Park and Collingswood. Since this is my first trip to London, I’m hoping you will be of assistance in suggesting shops and businesses.”
“Of course, my lady,” Mrs. Greaves answered, obviously honored to be looked to for such advice. “I still have the swatches and sketches from the last time some changes were made to this house. The late marchioness was very pleased with the tradesmen she did business with then.”
“Wonderful,” Tina replied enthusiastically. “I’m sure those will give us someplace to start.”
The housekeeper opened an ornately carved door and stood back to allow Tina to enter. “This is your ladyship’s room,” she said, following her in. “There is a sitting room through there,” she pointed to her left, “and his lordship’s chamber is through that door,” she pointed to her right.
Tina looked around. The room was large, bright, and airy, decorated in white and blue. At the moment, the large four poster bed was covered with a rainbow of fabrics, as Milly was already present, in the process of unpacking.
Mrs. Greaves left after informing her his lordship had requested dinner be served at eight.
“The house is beautiful,” she told Jay over dinner. “Especially the entry hall. The staircase is quite magnificent.”
Indeed, she had been awed by it as she descended to the drawing room before dinner. The entryway rose two stories high, a large gold and crystal chandelier hanging in the center. But, by far, the centerpiece of the hall was the staircase. Gleaming white marble, with highly polished mahogany banisters, it rose to a landing halfway to the second story, then split into three separate sections, each leading to the three separate wings of the house. It would be the perfect staircase to stage a grand entrance upon.
“For that you must thank some distant ancestor,” he replied. “But, for your suite, I understand you must thank your mother.”
“Mama had exceptional taste. At least Papa, I mean, your father, always said so.”
Jay chuckled at her slip. “You need not worry about how you refer to my father. I understand that, for you, he was the only father you really knew and, therefore, you felt close to him.”
“And you did not, my lord?”
Jay shook his head. “No, I did not. But, you saw a side to him I still have trouble believing existed.”
“Why is that?”
Jay thought for a moment, wondering whether he would destroy her memories if he answered her truth
fully. Then he wondered why it mattered if he did. After all, marrying her had been the means to an end. Having accomplished that, did he care whether she believed in fairy tales?
“Because the father that I knew was an embittered old man. He never laughed, unless it was at someone else’s expense. He was a philandering husband and an unyielding father who felt showing affection to his sons would make them soft.” His voice had become hard and his eyes grew cold. “In short, he was the exact opposite of what you and Jon have told me he was.”
Tina’s astonishment at the depth of hurt and anger in his response was obvious. “Perhaps he changed after you left,” she said encouragingly. “People do, you know.”
Jay did not answer. He knew people changed. After all, he had. He had walked away from Collingswood an angry boy, not caring whether anyone would wonder what had happened to him. He had only wanted to get away. He had deliberately stayed away, even after he had learned of Aaron’s death, not wanting it to be true, but perversely wanting to make his father suffer and wonder about the fate of the family holdings. It had never occurred to him—and no one he met in his travels from England had ever mentioned it—his father might have remarried. He wondered briefly if his father would have bothered trying to locate him after Aaron’s death if Felicia had been male.
“Mama always said love changes people for the better,” Tina continued cheerfully. “Perhaps that is what happened. I know he and Mama loved each other deeply.”
Her words brought him back. “What about your father?”
Tina blinked at the seeming change of subject. “What about him?”
“Did your mother care for him?”
“Yes,” she sighed. “She loved him very much. But,” she continued, “as she told me once, it was different.”
“How so?”
“She said people see things differently at different stages of their lives. She told me once that had she met your father during her season, she would have considered him too old and not given him a second thought. At eighteen, she said, someone with already half-grown children would not have seemed exciting enough.”
“But at what, six and twenty, a man twice her age was acceptable?” There was patent disbelief in his tone. It had crossed his mind more than once that his father’s second wife might have been little more than an adventuress. Yet, from all accounts it did not seem to be true.
“She was seven and twenty,” Tina responded, “and I suppose from another’s point of view, it might have appeared as if she married merely to provide security for herself and her children.”
That wasn’t all it looked like, he thought. It also occurred to him that his father might have married her just to get her into his bed. After all, if his stepsister truly was the mirror image of her mother, his father might have been willing to tie the knot again to possess her—especially if she wasn’t amenable to an affair.
“But Papa’s gentleness won her over.”
Jay had to suppress his snort of disbelief over the last statement. Gentle? His father? Not bloody likely! More than likely it was a facade designed to get her into his bed, and if he had to take a trip to the altar to do it, so be it. After all, he hadn’t been faithful in his first marriage, what difference did it make whether he married her or not?
*
Jay was off the next morning to the offices of his shipping company. Spending the morning checking bills of lading, checking on the status of shipments and signing purchase orders, he was surprised to find the time fairly flew by. Knowing it would take the better part of the rest of the week to finish catching up, he left, promising the manager he would return the next morning.
Tina also spent a profitable morning getting acquainted with the house and staff. Mrs. Greaves, she discovered, was a fount of information and, having lived all of her life in London, knew the city intimately. And so it was that by luncheon, Tina had a list of those shops her mother had previously employed in refurbishing some of the rooms, and had looked over her mother’s notes.
In addition to her own suite, her mother had redecorated the dining room and a small private parlor at the back of the house for herself. She had left sketches and suggestions for redoing the large drawing room and the ballroom. After inspecting both rooms, Tina decided to carry out her mother’s plans.
Over luncheon, Tina chatted excitedly about her morning and afternoon plans. She had instructed Mrs. Greaves to send round to some of the shops to request the proprietors send over some fabric swatches and samples, so she might begin to discuss her plans. Some had agreed to do so, but others had requested appointments to personally show their wares.
Jay didn’t understand the strange disappointment that came over him at learning her afternoon was scheduled. He had thought she would spend the day settling in before getting down to business. But he was learning Tina rarely spent time being inactive.
Still oddly disappointed, he set off after lunch to see if Mr. Pymm had uncovered anything yet. After spending a fruitless hour at the detective’s office while a clerk checked on Mr. Pymm’s whereabouts, he was discouraged to learn Mr. Pymm was still “up north” somewhere, having been asked to check out some new possibilities by Lord Wynton. Leaving a message for the detective to contact him if he returned within the week, he set out for his club.
Because most of the nobility vacated the city during the summer, White’s was virtually deserted. He thought Jon might have returned to town, but a trip by Kent House revealed the knocker still off the door. Settling in a comfortable chair, he spent a quiet afternoon perusing the Times, and catching up with the few patrons who happened by.
Not wishing to repeat the inactivity of the day before, the next morning before leaving for the docks, Jay left a message for Tina informing her that after luncheon he would take her out to see some of the sights of the city. He told himself he shouldn’t be surprised she had a list of places she wanted to see, including the Tower of London, a number of museums, and the Crystal Palace, site of the Exhibition of 1851, but he had been, nevertheless.
All in all, it was a productive, if unsettling, week. Had anyone asked him before they arrived in the city, Jay would have predicted Tina would have stayed at home and waited for him to escort her whenever she wanted to go somewhere. Instead, his seemingly shy and somewhat retiring wife suddenly blossomed. With her maid in tow and Mrs. Greaves as a guide, Tina spent hours shopping. Looking over fabric, wall coverings, upholstery, mouldings, furniture makers’ sketches and designs, Tina seemed tireless in her pursuit of the perfect materials with which to accomplish the refurbishing she wanted to do. By the time they left at the end of the week, she had commissioned a number of items to be made, and the large drawing room and ballroom to be redone by their return.
Jay was astounded. What happened to the young woman who had gone into shock in Parkton? What happened to the cautious woman who worried over Milton’s retaliation after Felicia gloried in driving him away? What happened to the seemingly biddable woman he thought he married? More than once, he found himself rethinking his reading of his wife. And worrying more and more what she would do if she found out about the will.
*
Tina fell in love with Kenwyck Manor on sight. Situated on a small promontory overlooking the sea, the small brick dwelling boasted only twenty rooms in all. Mr. Green and his wife, the caretakers, were pleased to see them, having expected them for the last few days.
“Tis glad we are you made it, my lady,” Mrs. Green said as she showed Tina to her suite. “We was hopin’ you was merely delayed. But you never know.”
Tina was touched by the concern. They had left London two days later than scheduled because of some plan changes, then had taken their time sailing up the coast. The duke had put his yacht at their disposal and Jay pointed out not only was it a much quicker trip by sea than by road, but during the summer, it was a very pleasant voyage. Tina had been fascinated by the sea and spent hours standing at the railing watching the coast roll by.
Disembar
king at Newcastle, Jay hired a coach to take them to Kenwyck Manor. Tina was enchanted on sight.
Now, settling in, she smiled at Mrs. Green and assured her they had, indeed, only been delayed.
They spent three nearly perfect weeks by the sea. Part of the time was taken up with traveling into Newcastle, then further inland to inspect the mining properties near Hexham. All was in order and Jay spent a couple of days conferring with his foremen over improvements.
Tina found the countryside around Newcastle beautiful. From the heather covered moors around the mines to the rolling countryside around the city, thence to the sandy beaches of the coast, Tina found something new and interesting everywhere she turned.
“I hope we spend more time here,” she told Jay one afternoon as they walked along the sandy beach below the manor. “It is so beautiful and peaceful.”
Jay chuckled as he watched her gaze out to sea. The gulls flying overhead screeched at each other, occasionally landing on the shore to pluck something out of the sand. She had removed her shoes and stockings, lifting her peach skirts just enough not to get wet as she allowed the water to wash over her toes. With her hair tumbling down her back past her waist, she looked like a young girl frolicking in the waves.
“You might not think so were you to be here when a winter storm blows in.”
“Surely, they can’t be that bad. Mrs. Green informs me Kenwyck Manor has stood for well over a hundred years. If it has withstood winter storms for that long, I would feel safe enough.”
“You are not afraid of storms?”
“No. In fact, I find them fascinating. Mama used to have to remind me not to stand too close to the windows when we had storms back at the Park,” she told him. “Felicia never liked them, though, but she would sit with me sometimes even though she was afraid. She never wanted anyone to know she was.”
The Gypsy Legacy: Marquis Page 20