“What amuses you?”
“You do.”
“How so?”
“You don’t know what to do with yourself, do you?”
He frowned and then laughed. “No, not really. What does one do after a wedding breakfast? By rights we should be on our way to some honeymoon destination.”
“I don’t need a honeymoon. All this,” she waved her arms out wide to encompass the room, “all this is enough for me. I don’t want to be in some strange place surrounded by people in whom I have no interest.” She rose and stood in front of him. “A warm comfortable house, our home, and you in it are all I want. Besides, in two days time we travel to your country property. That shall be our honeymoon.”
“The property is ours, not mine.” He gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly. “Two days ago I went to see my solicitor and made my will. I had your name added to the deeds of all the properties I own. Should anything happen to me everything I have, the businesses, everything, will be yours.”
“Oh, Nathaniel.” Surprised by this show of devotion, she could do nothing but gape at him.
“I wanted to make sure that you would never know poverty again.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head down so she could kiss him. He returned her kisses as eagerly as she gave them. His tongue flicked between her lips, encouraging her to open her mouth and when she did, she was overwhelmed by the intensity of his passion as he deepened the kiss. She gripped his upper arms, her legs suddenly weak. She never thought it could be so wonderful, so primal. Nat grounded his hips against hers and her body arched, wanting more.
Deep in the pit of her being, a hot yearning awoke, sending out unfurling coils of need that made her body sensitive and responsive to the man who held her.
“Is it too early to go upstairs?” he murmured, his breathing now shallow gasps while nibbling the soft skin beneath her ears.
“I don’t think so…” She moaned as he kissed a path down her neck. “Besides…it’s our home and we can do what we want in it.”
He took her hand, and giggling like naughty children, they crept upstairs to their bedroom suite, hoping Mrs Rawlings or the new parlour maid wouldn’t see them.
Nathaniel locked the door behind them and dragged her into his arms. “God, you are magnificent. I cannot believe you are mine. I want to love you, Nicola, love you properly, forever.”
“It is what I want too, my darling.”
He raised his head to give her a devilish grin. “I hope you’re prepared to not sleep tonight, my sweet girl.”
She laughed, feeling carefree and beautiful when he gazed at her. “Do I seem to care about that, husband?” She raked her fingernails down the fine material on his back. “I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for tonight.”
“You and me both, my love, you and me both. But I must go slowly. I want to appreciate every second.” He led her to the stool in front of the dressing mirror and sat her down. Standing behind her, he slowly found the pins holding her hair and removed them. The small flowers followed the pins and then he ran his fingers through her hair, letting it fall freely down her back. “You have such beautiful hair, Nicola. It’s like burnished copper.”
She smiled and leaned against him, watching him in the mirror as his hands travelled down to undo the buttons of her gown. He slipped the satin material down off her shoulders and bent to kiss her exposed skin.
“Nathaniel…” Closing her yes, she gave herself up to the whirling sensations he created within her.
Again his fingers worked, this time on her corset, loosening the stays until the garment came away from her body. He cupped her breast through the linen chemise, kissing her neck and collarbone. “Nicola…”
She stood and stepped around the stool and into his arms. “You are overdressed, husband.” She teased, unravelling his cravat and tossing it aside. After planting a kiss on his lips, she unbuttoned his waistcoat and then his shirt, the whole time watching his eyes and how they darkened with desire when her fingertips touched his skin.
Nathaniel drew her over to the bed and eased her down gently. “Are you afraid?”
“Of you? Never.” She gave him a saucy smile, one she never thought she could produce so easily and then laughed. Rising up onto her elbows, she grinned. “Do you sleep with your trousers on, Mr West?”
He threw his head back and laughed. In a flash he launched himself onto the bed, grabbed her by the waist and spun her under him. The surprise attack made her giggle like a young girl, but then she saw the humour fade from his eyes to be replaced with such love that she wanted to cry at the beauty of it. She touched his cheek, adoring this man with every ounce of her being.
Nathaniel traced the line of her jaw with his finger. “I love you, Nicola.”
“I know.”
“I would die for you.” His expression changed to one of nearly sorrow. “Do you think you can really love me, for all my faults?”
She brought his head down to kiss him with all the love she had inside. “I already do, my darling. You just need to believe in it.”
Chapter Seventeen
Nicola woke up and stretched, frowning as she realised she was alone in the bed. In the last six weeks she’d grown used to having Nathaniel beside her when she opened her eyes in the morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window and from the dressing room she heard the sound of splashing. She thought of the lazy mornings they spent in the country and the hours of idle occupation as they grew to love their property in Camden.
Nathaniel emerged from the dressing room, drying his face on a towel and wearing only his trousers. She admired his broad chest and the light scattering of fair hair there. His arms were brown from the days toiling in the sun as he worked beside the labourers in shaping the property to his liking.
“Good morning, sleepy head.” He grinned, coming over to give her a long leisurely kiss.
“What time is it?”
“After nine.”
She flung back the sheets. “You should have woken me earlier.”
“I thought you could do with an extra hour of sleep.” He threw the towel on a nearby chair. “We were so late coming in from the country last night, you looked exhausted.”
“I was, but I had planned to go up to the Home earlier than this. There’s so much I have to do.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Frances will be waiting for us down at the breakfast table. She hasn’t seen us for weeks and will likely have missed us, so don’t rush off.”
She nodded and gave him a quick kiss. “I won’t, but if I don’t get washed and dressed soon my day will be ruined.” She rubbed her forehead in annoyance at seeing all their luggage piled in the dressing room. A broken carriage axle on their way home yesterday had held them up for hours. When they finally arrived at the house in Double Bay it was close to midnight and Nicola had gone straight to bed after giving Frances a brief hug.
While washing, her new maid, May, knocked on the door. Nathaniel, now fully dressed, gestured for her to come in as he headed for downstairs.
“Good morning, May.” Nicola smiled, liking the girl. She had employed her during their stay at Camden. At seventeen, May was old enough to be sensible and young enough to be trained as Nicola wanted. Although, having never had her own maid before, Nicola found she and May were both learning together as they went along.
“Morning, Madam.”
“I’ll wear the lemon skirt and bodice today.”
“What would you like me to do with your hair?” May’s dimples and sweet manner had earned her the friendship of the entire Camden household immediately, that and also being from a local family. Nicola hoped the girl would settle into the city just as well.
“I’ll only have something simple today as I’m in a hurry. I’ll be wearing my straw boater anyway.”
“As you like, Madam.” May, her expression serious, took up the brush and set to the task.
/> “Did you manage to sleep much last night?” Nicola asked, adding a light spray of perfume to her neck and wrists.
“A little bit, Madam. You know how it is when sleeping in a strange bed at first.”
“Yes. You must write to your family and let them know you’ve arrived safely.”
“I will, Madam.” May scooped Nicola’s hair up, securing it with pins and a silver flowered clasp at the back. “I’ll tell them how lovely this house is too.”
“It is a handsome house.” Nicola smiled as May perched the straw hat on top of her head, tilting it forward a little to show off Nicola’s hair arrangement at the back.
While May worked, Nicola thought of the house in Camden, so different to this one. Their country property was single storey, with a wide encasing verandah. She had spent weeks putting her own touches to it and working in the garden with the outdoor staff. Free from the responsibilities of the Home, she’d found the six weeks in the country, just her and Nathaniel, deeply relaxing and fulfilling. She’d been able to learn more about the man she married, and found her feelings for him intensify. Often they would dress simply and, taking a picnic, walk to the small creek that ran through their land. They’d lay on a blanket in the sunshine and talk and eat, content to be quite at times, or even doze in the shade of a tree. Nicola realised those precious hours had done much to strengthen their relationship, to create the strong foundations of their marriage.
“There, Madam, all done.”
Rising, Nicola gave a last look in the mirror and satisfied she was presentable, headed for the door. “Thank you, May.” She glanced in the direction of the dressing room. “I’m afraid you’ll be busy unpacking today.”
“Leave it with me, Madam, I’ll soon have it all sorted.”
Downstairs, Nicola entered the breakfast room and found Frances and Nathaniel deep in conversation.
On seeing her, Frances jumped up from her chair and hurried to embrace her. “Oh, I’m so happy you are back. I was just telling Nat how much I missed you both.”
They broke apart and sat at the table. Nicola poured herself some coffee and selected a slice of toast from the stand. “How are you? I’m sorry for last night, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open a second longer.”
“Heavens, I understand. Nat was telling me you had a dreadful journey home. Next time take the train.”
“We will, but I wanted to go by carriage so we could stop as we wished and see some of the places we were passing. Also, we had an invitation to stay a night with some new friends, the Forresters. He is the brother to Nathaniel’s solicitor. They live in Campbelltown and I didn’t want to arrive covered in soot. But, yes, next time we’ll definitely go by train. I’ve learned my lesson well.” Nicola grimaced at the memory of waiting by the roadside for a replacement vehicle to come and collect them after their carriage broke an axle. Then as darkness crept over the countryside, rain began to fall, making them thoroughly cold and miserable.
Nathaniel laughed. “I’m not sure how I’ll be able to hold my head up at the club again. Whenever we go into the country from now on, it’ll be by train.”
“Well, you’re home now.” Frances sipped her coffee. “And I hope you’ll not be off on adventure again for a while. This house is far too large for me by myself.”
Nathaniel put down the newspaper he’d been glancing at. “Next time we go to the country you’ll have to come with us.”
“We did invite you to join us.” Nicola raised her eyebrows at her while biting into her toast.
“It was your honeymoon.” Frances rolled her eyes. “You didn’t need me there spoiling your fun. But tell me, did you like the house, and the town?”
“Oh, very much.” Nicola spread jam onto her toast. “We made a few alterations and decorated. I also designed the front garden while Nathaniel had the stables extended.”
“Plus we planted a beech grove.” Nat winked over the top of his paper.
“Yes, and Nathaniel instructed for a lake to be built and willows to be planted on the edge of it.”
“Willows, a lake?” Frances looked from one to the other. “I’m wondering if this is really my brother, the man who hates to spend money on such frivolous things.”
Nicola looked from Fran to Nathaniel, the warmth leaving her face. “Did I spend too much? You should have said, Nathaniel. I should have known, especially as we decorated this house before our wedding. I can cancel—”
He reached over and took her hand. “Darling, do not listen to my sister. I am quite able to finance the refurbishment of two houses.” He sat back and gave Frances a scowl. “Mind your own business, Frances, please, and stop frightening Nicola with your stories of how bad a person I am. You’ll undo all the good work I’ve done in the last several weeks.”
“I wasn’t. I was merely stating the fact that you hate spending money.”
“Only on things that have no value or concern to me, which in this case doesn’t apply.” He lifted up his newspaper again.
“I’m sorry, Nic.” Frances gave an apologetic smile which split into a grin. “Do tell me more.”
“We received so many invitations and met a great deal of people. As a thank you to the friendship offered to us during our stay we held a wonderful dinner party last week. I was very nervous. I’ve never organised such an occasion before. We had twenty-four couples and five courses.”
“I’m sure you did a wonderful job of it. If you can run a women’s home you can hold a dinner party.”
Nathaniel lowered the newspaper, his expression one of mischief. “Fran, you would have been proud of our Nicola, she was adored by all the men and made friends of their jealous wives. Not an easy task I grant you.”
“This is a side of my sister-in-law I’ve not seen.” Frances’s eyes widened. “With all this excitement I’m surprised you returned home at all.”
“I did enjoy my time there and look forward to staying at the house each year.” She poured more coffee into her cup, thinking about how comfortable she’d been in the country with Nathaniel. “Actually, Nathaniel and I have decided that we’ll spend three or four months each year at the country property. Camden is a growing town and the people are friendly. Autumn seems to be the perfect time to be there as it’s not too hot or too cold.”
Agnes, the parlourmaid, entered the room carrying a small tray which held the morning’s post. She placed it next to Nathaniel and then turned to Nicola. “Excuse me, Madam, would you care for a fresh pot of coffee?”
Nicola gave a questioning look to Nathaniel and Frances, both shook their heads. “No, thank you, Agnes. We have sufficient.”
“Very good, Madam.”
“How have you found the staff, Frances?” Nicola asked after Agnes had left carrying some of the dirty plates from the sideboard.
“They’ve been rather good and cared for my every need.”
“I am pleased. We were here only a short time, a couple of days before we left for the country and I wasn’t able to get a thorough opinion of them. I’m glad you moved in to supervise them.” The clock in the hallway struck the hour. “Have you called in at the Home recently?”
“Two days ago.” Frances dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “They are all missing you tremendously. Miss McIntyre had the women and staff in a frenzy of cleaning in readiness of your homecoming.”
“Ah, but this is Nicola’s home now,” Nathaniel murmured.
“Oh, shush, Nat, you know what I mean. They all think so highly of your wife. You have to share her, you understand.” She turned back to Nicola. “Miss Shaw obtained a position in Parramatta and Miss Clarke also has a situation up in the north country near Armidale.”
“How excellent. I cannot wait to see them and hear their news.” Eager to check that all was in order at the Home, she hurriedly finished her meal.
“Darling,” Nat looked at her fondly, as one would do an impatient child, “The Home will not fall to ruin just because you have some breakfast.”
“I know.
It’s just that I have missed them.”
“Shall I drop you off on my way then?”
“Are you ready to leave now?”
He swallowed the last of his coffee. “Yes, come along then.” He sighed, but his eyes held humour and devotion.
“You might as well drop me off at the soup kitchen as well.” Frances rose from her chair.
“Isn’t the soup kitchen open tomorrow, not today?” Nicola asked, collecting her gloves from the table in the hall.
“Yes, but also today too. The demand has grown so much that we have to open an extra day.”
“Can you afford to, Fran?” Nathaniel asked, pulling on his leather gloves.
“Can we afford not to?” Fran shrugged helplessly.
“I’ll come and help you tomorrow.” Nicola squeezed her hand. They continued chatting out to the carriage and on the way to the Home.
Nicola waved them away from the front steps of the Home and then turned to find the door being opened and most of the women rushing out to greet her.
“How well you look, Mrs West.” Florence McIntyre beamed, the others chorusing the same sentiments.
“I’ve missed everyone.” Nicola ushered them inside, smiling and greeting them individually. “How are you all?”
The women started talking at once until the hall rang with noise.
“Enough!” Florence clapped. “Lord above, you’ll be sending Mrs West deaf within the hour at that rate.” She turned to Nicola. “Would you prefer to have the business side of things done first, Mrs West, and then take tea with us afterwards?”
“Superb idea, Florence.” She thanked the women again for their homecoming and headed for the study.
Once seated behind her desk, she found the account books opened for her inspection. She smiled at Florence, who sat stiffly in the chair on the other side of the desk. “How’s it been?”
Anne Brear Page 20