“Yes, that sounds perfect.” Judith smiled.
Arm in arm, they climbed the stairs to the bedroom—a knowing smile crossed his face, for he knew what pleasures were to come in the not so distant future.
NOT ALONE
RAVENHURST * VICTORIAN ENGLAND
THE early morning sun spilled slowly through the windows, chasing shadows from the room. He sat silently in the corner where the light did not reach, watching her every move. Each step she took in the bright morning light gave him another glimpse of her naked body through the prim little gown she was wearing. Her long hair tumbled down her back, barely touching the top of her heart-shaped derriere. She stopped in the middle of the room, slowly turning, giving him another peek of her full round breasts as the palest shade of pink, cresting the tips came into view. He had no idea she was such a delectable treat. Pity he did not know this from the start else he may not have been so opposed to the marriage in the first place.
‡
The bright sun vanquished almost all the gloom from the room. I padded barefoot across the room to do some investigating before I left. The lovely, floral carpet absorbed my every step in the softness of the pile. A huge mirror was against the wall on the far end of the room, its frame ornately carved with vines and flowers. Three large, gold, skeleton keys clung to the tops of the vines themselves. Reaching up, I placed my hand on one and caught my reflection in the mirror. The bright sun slid across my borrowed sleeping gown turning the billows of white fabric transparent in its light. My hair stuck out all over my head—one long curl jutted out to the right while another formed a knotty ball on the top. Dark circles loomed under my eyes. “Good grief, what the heck happened to my hair?” Damn champagne.
I pulled the gown outward. The bottom was full and ruffled and… Yep—completely see through…Weird.
Question to self: “Where did you get this gown?
Better question to self: “Who in the heck put you in this gown?” I groaned from that embarrassing thought and turned away from the mirror. Halfway across the room, I froze in mid-step. I had a bad feeling that I was not alone. Slowly I turned … in the corner, where the sunlight could not reach, there was a chair, and in that chair was a man… his face hidden in the shadows. My heart thumped erratically.
The man in the chair slowly stood and began to emerge from the shadows. He stepped into the light…
“Ah… um!” Embarrassed, I crossed my legs and arms over my chest to cover my body in the transparent gown. By the look on his face, I knew it didn’t really work. I could tell because he smiled and it wasn’t a normal smile… at least not on his face. It was a heart stopping one. I knew this because my heart stopped in that moment.
“Would you like this?” He lifted a light wool plaid blanket off the back of the chair.
“Yes,” I squeaked and my cheeks heated.
The carpet muted the sound of Sebastian’s brightly polished hessians as he closed the distance between them. He lifted the blanket, shook it out, and placed it across her shoulders. Her messy hair tumbled forward, covering most of her face as she stared at the floor. Her hand clutched the blanket tightly to the front of her body.
“Forgive my intrusion,” he said simply. “I found myself particularly concerned with your well-being after our collision in the hall earlier and wanted to ascertain you were not harmed.”
His voice was rich and dark, just like my favorite chocolate and not surprisingly, I found it had a similar effect. I moistened my lips and forced my gaze up to his.
Big mistake.
His stormy gray eyes bore down into mine. I wanted to say something, anything, but I could find no words. Well that wasn’t completely true… hot… wow… oh my. They all would have worked but I wouldn’t say any of those out loud, ever.
“Are you all right?” he asked after a few moments of silence.
I tried to talk but my voice was stuck somewhere between oh my and holy crap. “Yeah… ah… I think.” I swayed on my feet. He reached forward and steadied me. He smelled wonderful… fresh. Like the wind, with a hint of leather, sandalwood, and something headier, a pungent scent that burned my nose a bit. A sudden wave of déjà vu hit me. I placed my hand on his chest… his muscles flexed under my hand as he held me in place. I slowly lifted my eyes from his chest to his chin… his mouth…
Sebastian gathered the blanket in one hand, returning her unwavering gaze. It was strange. The look she was giving him and it confused him. He remembered all too clearly the look of hatred in Marguerite’s eyes the last time she saw him. Now, suddenly, she was looking at him hungrily, like Annabelle had, scratch that, maybe not quite like Annabelle but something similar. Like she wanted to be touched by him or at the very least kissed by him. He would not mind doing either actually but something gave him pause. This was not the Marguerite he remembered. Something did not add up and he did not like it one bit. She stared at him like a love-struck girl. Had she changed so much? Was she no longer an innocent? Even so, why would she look at him with longing? He could not fathom the answers to any of his questions. The longer his gaze held hers, the more her deep blue eyes drew him in. Suddenly he could care less what she was doing—he wanted to taste her…
Lifting his hand, he gingerly placed his finger under her chin and slowly lowered his face to hers… his lips hovering just above …
A knock sounded at the door, breaking the spell.
Sebastian dropped his hand and stepped away from the girl. “Enter,” he called out.
The door creaked open and a young maid scampered into the room carrying a covered tray. “I have the food my lord.” She bobbed her head as she rushed into the room and placed the tray on a small table near the fire. Grabbing hold of the table, she turned it and then positioned the chairs on either side.
Sebastian curiously watched Marguerite. He noticed the dark blush of color that crept up her lovely neck and spread across her cheeks, and the way her eyes darted about the room, looking at anything but him—was that embarrassment he saw… apprehension? He was not sure which, but he began to feel like an unprecedented cad. A true gentleman would not make untoward advances toward a young woman, especially one who had been unconscious. Of course, he did have a singular excuse—he was not a true gentleman.
“Excuse me, my lord,” the maid said and dropped into a curtsy.
“Yes Tabby.”
“Is there anything else, my lord?” she asked in a small voice and straightened once again.
Horrified, I pulled the blanket closer around my body as he continued to speak to the maid… his tone authoritative, his clothing unusual, his face… perfection. Where did he come from? I didn’t remember him from the party last night. Even though it was obvious, he was there since he was still dressed in period attire and so was the maid, correction maids, since she was different from the one I saw earlier, which was just weird. I wracked my brain but I didn’t remember the maids wearing ugly gray gowns at the party. Not that I really cared what the maids wore.
Lifting his hand, he ran it through sinfully dark hair. The long glossy strands fell effortlessly back into place. My eyes traveled back to his lips. I couldn’t help but wonder if he would have actually kissed me and if he did would I have kissed him back? My little voice laughed at me. Please, no question about it—yep, I totally would have kissed him and I was a little sad the moment was now gone.
“Yes, Tabby there is. Please draw our guest a bath,” he answered smoothly, glancing back in her direction.
My ears zeroed in on the last part of the conversation. Is that why he pulled away? Oh no, did I smell? Please don’t stink… please don’t stink. I inhaled deeply trying to see if I stunk. I couldn’t smell anything but that didn’t mean I didn’t stink. I had a sudden urge to make a break for it and run into the bath. But I didn’t. I suffered through the embarrassment and stayed right where I was and stared stupidly at the carpet.
Sebastian took a step forward but stopped himself. “Please sit down and eat something,”
he said, lifting his arm towards the chair.
“Oh-kay. ” I rushed over and sat down quickly. There were ten yellow flowers in a cluster on the carpet under his shiny black boots. The aroma of delicious food wafted towards me and my empty stomach growled. Right then, I hated my stomach.
Sebastian cleared his throat, twice. He was attempting to get her to look up from the floor at him but it was not working. At this rate he would be here all day. “After you have finished your repast and bathe of course, I would like for you to meet me down in the library.”
I gripped the arms of the chair. Oh no, did he just stress the word bathe more than necessary. I felt sick. “Certainly,” I answered him, still staring at the carpet. I was afraid to look up. Afraid of what I might see in his eyes—that I did stink.
“My lord, the bath is drawn.”
“Thank you Tabby. Please come back shortly to help your lady dress.”
“Of course, my lord, I will be back directly,” the maid answered quickly and hurried from the room.
Sebastian stood beside her for a moment more—nothing. She did not move an inch, which he thought was a bit strange. He leaned down slightly trying to see her face. “Very well then, I shall leave you to your meal.”
I jerked slightly. He was close… too close. My eyes flew up to his, another big mistake. He had a strange look on his face, and his smile looked strained. Granted I didn’t really know him well enough to tell if his smile was real or not—but it didn’t look good. He looked irritated, which couldn’t be right—what did I do? Without another word, he turned and left. The door made a soft clicking noise as he pulled it tightly closed behind him.
In relief, I fell back against the cushion of the chair and removed the cover on the food. I was starving. Not surprisingly, I ate everything on the plate, even though I had no idea what half of it was.
When the maid knocked and reentered the room, I was practically licking the plate clean.
“My lady, is there anything else you need?” The maid gave me a strange look.
I sat the plate back on the table as the maid’s eyes followed my every move. The girl could not be more than fourteen or fifteen years old. Her hair was in the same style as the previous maid (the one that said my face was a mess) but this girl had light blonde hair, styled much the same way with one exception—this girl’s hair looked clean. Her clear blue eyes wrinkled around the corners as she gave me a tentative smile.
“Actually… Tabby?”
“Yes, milady?” she answered pleasantly.
“Could you help me find something other than this to wear?” I lifted up the hem of the frilly gown.
“No worries milady. All of your belongings are just where you left them. I will have a nice gown laid out for you by the time you are finished with your bath. Do you need me to help you bathe this evening?”
“Oh God no.”
The girl gave me another strange look.
“I will be fine on my own, thank you.” Help with my bath? Seriously? What was with these people?
“If you do not mind, then, I will carry the tray down and return shortly to help you dress, if that is your wish.”
“Sure, great, I mean… ah, that will be fine.” I tried my best to sound refined and sophisticated, but if the look on the girls face was any indication on how I was doing so far, I was failing miserably.
The maid quickly grabbed the tray up off the table and took off across the room. She paused at the door. “I will return shortly.”
“Thank you.” Once the girl was gone, I leaned back into the chair again and rubbed my hands over the slick damask material and smiled. I could certainly get used to this kind of service. This must be what it felt like to be a royal. With a full stomach, I stood and walked over into the bath. The tiles were cold on my bare feet and slightly wet from the hot steam in the room from the bathwater. There was a claw-footed tub, positioned to the side. Lifting up the frilly gown, I pulled it over my head, dropped it on the floor, and then climbed in the tub.
‡
Fifteen minutes later, I climbed from the bath even though I would have liked to stay in it longer but I didn’t want to keep the mysterious man waiting. I had no idea if anyone else was left from the party but I guessed I would find out soon enough. The little dinky linen towel the maid had set beside the tub was barely enough to dry my body off properly. There was however, a robe draped across a lone wooden chair that sat in the corner of the room. The rich, blue fabric felt heavy, like brocade and had a dark corded edge. Lifting the robe, I put it on. It was gorgeous, no doubt about that, but it was also fashioned in the Victorian style. What was with these people?
Tabby was true to her word, she had clothing laid out on the bottom of the bed and not just any clothing either. There was an incredible, light celadon-colored evening dress with a satin bodice with a full pleated skirt and delicate crocheted buttons down the front. Reaching out, I fingered the material. It felt divine. Ned would freak if he saw these. I ran my hand over the slick material. Beside the gown were undergarments, stockings and another pair of toe crushers that matched the darker edging on the gown. Just looking at them made me wiggle my sore toes in the carpet.
Belatedly, I remembered my “borrowed” necklace. It wasn’t on my neck, obviously. Briefly scanning the room, I noticed my gown wasn’t anywhere in sight either. Ned would kill me if something happened to his gown.
At the end of the spacious room, there was a large wardrobe. I walked over to it. It was made of heavy wood, like the bed with carvings of animals on the front, and reminded me of the wardrobe in the movie, Narnia. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had a secret door to another world in the back too. As soon as the fanciful thought entered my mind, a gentle breeze blew against me and the hair on the nape of my neck stood on end. Instinctively, I pulled my hand back from the handle….
A light rap sounded at the door.
“Come in.” I backed away from the wardrobe.
The door creaked loudly and Tabby peered around the corner with a cheerful expression on her face.
“Tabby, thank goodness it’s you.”
Tabby walked around the door, and smoothed her hands down the front of her apron. “You look like you had a fright,” she said.
“This place makes some strange noises doesn’t it?” I said, trying to make small talk.
“I would think you would be used to it by now,” Tabby said offhandedly and hurried across the room to the dressing table. She picked up a hairbrush. “Now milady just come over to the dressing table, and get comfortable. I will be fixing your lovely hair in no time.”
I walked over and sat in the little chair in front of the gilded dressing table. An uneasy feeling gathered in the pit of my stomach and I didn’t think it was merely from drinking too much the evening before. No, I wouldn’t be that lucky.
DENIAL
RAVENHURST * VICTORIAN ENGLAND
A SHORT while later, I stood in front of the gilded mirror, admiring my reflection. Tabby pulled my hair loosely back and intertwined a matching ribbon through it. Even to my critical eyes, I had to admit I looked even better than I did at the ball the previous evening.
“His lordship is certainly going to like the looks of you, milady,” Tabby said, eyeing me appreciatively.
“Do you really think so?” I nervously ran my hands down the length of the gown.
“Oh yes, only a blind man could not see how beautiful you are.”
I blushed from the maid’s praise and looked back in the mirror.
“Now milady, you must be off so as to not keep his lordship waiting for you.”
I still had a knot twisted in my belly but tried to ignore it. With one last look in the mirror, and after another encouraging smile from Tabby, I left the room.
Once in the hall however, I thought about turning around and heading right back into the bedroom. The darkly paneled walls of the hallway made it feel creepy, and the small flickering sconces on the walls did not do much to push the glo
om away either. The skirts on my gown made the softest swishing noise against the runner carpet as I passed several closed doors, which were set back into the wall. I noticed the alcoves were big enough for a person to easily hide within the shadows. That thought made me pick up my pace.
“How big is this place?” By the time I made it to the top of the staircase, I was slightly winded. I looked over the railing down into the foyer. It was a perfect bird’s eye view. It was not what I remembered from the previous evening. Perhaps I did not see the foyer as clearly as I thought. It was crowded. Who knew? Maybe I was at another part of the house entirely.
A shiver of dread swept over me and I told myself I didn’t care, but something felt off, as if I was in the same place, but it wasn’t the same. It didn’t make sense and it didn’t help get rid of the uneasy feeling I had either. Taking a bracing breath, I lifted the hem of my gown and gripped the banister with my other hand.
Walking carefully down the stairs, my hand slid easily on the polished wood. Once at the bottom of the stairs I lifted my eyes and froze… a large ugly gargoyle leered at me—now that thing I remembered from the night before. I stuck my tongue out at it and shivered when it seemed to sneer back in my direction. Hugging the railing, I stepped around the side and tried to keep as far away from the ugly gargoyle as possible.
Walking briskly, my heels made a soft clicking sound on the marbled floor and echoed throughout the hall as I made my way over to a huge set of doors to my right that were cracked open. Light flickered from underneath, causing shadows to move back and forth. “This better be the library.”
One would have thought the lord of the estate would have given me an escort, at least. And where were the rest of the servants? Another distinct chill passed over me as I peeked in the doors, like a spy. I immediately spotted the man from earlier. His broad back was facing me. Again, I noticed he was dressed in period clothing. This time he wore a smartly tailored black coat and trousers. Regardless of my growing trepidation, I couldn’t help feeling a small tingle of excitement at the prospect of speaking to him again. Gathering my nerve, I took a deep breath and pushed against the edge of the door. The door slid quickly inside the pocket in the wall and banged loudly.
A Knight Such as This: Enhanced with Interactive Content: (Time Travel Romance) Book 1 & 2 (Ravenhurst Series) Page 6