“Oh, si, she was pretty, but you're just as pretty, Miss. Are you the new missus?”
Jessica blushed with deep embarrassment. “Now, Teresa, I hardly think that’s the proper question to be asking a young lady the first time you meet her,” she playfully scolded. Seeing the hurt expression on her face, she continued, “I’m not the new mistress, Teresa. Brandon and I are—well, I guess it’s sort of—complicated.”
Teresa bowed her head low. “I’m sorry, Miss. I embarrassed you, and shamed myself.” She turned to leave and then turned back to Jessica. “You love him. I can see it in your eyes, and in the way you smile when you speak about him.”
It was a statement, not a question, and as Teresa turned to leave again, Jessica called to her.
“Wait.” When Teresa turned around, she continued, smiling and pointing toward the picture, trying to make her comfortable. “I want to know more about her. What was her name?”
“Teresa!”
Both women snapped around to look at Brandon, who was standing in the doorway. They were shocked at the harshness of his voice.
“Teresa,” he said again, his tone softening. “I think that will be it for now. As usual, you have overdone yourself; you look tired. Why don’t you run along and rest for a while. I appreciate you keeping Miss Crawford company in my absence. We’ll let you know if we need anything else.”
She hurried from the room, head bowed low. It was apparent Brandon was angry with her. Although, for the life of her, Jessica couldn’t figure out what she had done wrong.
She remained silent as Brandon, holding onto her arm, escorted her up a flight of stairs, guiding her to the room that would be hers.
She smiled at him as he opened the door leading to her room. She peeked around the doorway.
“Well, are you going inside, or are you going to gaze at it from the hallway all night?”
She brushed past him. He grabbed her arm, holding her back. She looked up at him; questioning. He looked down at her; kissed her, and then she entered the room.
It was a lovely room, decorated in soft pinks and burgundies. There was a large antique four-poster bed, a settee along one wall, a chair in the corner with a reading lamp beside it, a small bookcase beside the chair, and an oversized armoire on another wall.
The window was large and overlooked the rose garden. She ran to the window, eager to check it out for herself.
“It’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “What a spectacular view of the lake.”
“I just want you to feel at home,” he said, pleased that she seemed so happy.
“I love it, really I do. Thank you.”
“Nothing is too good for you, my dear. And if you happen to get lonely…” He paused, walking over to another door on the opposite side of the room. “Just open this door and I’ll be waiting.”
She crossed to the door and peered inside. It was apparent from the furnishings that this was Brandon’s room. She turned slowly and smiled coyly at him.
“Don’t you think this will look just a little bit suspicious to everyone when they find out we have adjoining bedrooms?”
“I have given that some thought,” he said, pulling her tightly into the circle of his arms. “Your honor means a great deal to me, and despite the fact that we’ve made hot news among your friends, and it’s quite obvious they think great things are going on—I will make every attempt to protect your name. So in light of this, I will tell no one there is a door adjoining our bedrooms.”
She laughed giddily, playfully hitting him on the arm. He began to run; she chased after him. A knock on the door interrupted them. He stopped, placed his finger against his lips, making her giggle. He bowed gracefully, exited out the adjoining door, as Jessica went to open hers. Seductive delight still showed in her eyes.
“Is there someone in here with you?” Amy asked, as she stepped through the doorway glancing around the room.
Jessica suppressed a giggle. “Whatever gave you that idea?” she asked, mischief dancing in her eyes.
Amy glanced at the closed, adjoining door, shaking her head. “Well, if you happen to see Brandon, please tell him that one of the grooms in the stable wants to see him, immediately. It appears one of the models, I believe it was Belinda, was riding one of the horses, and it stepped in a small rut in the ground. He said to tell him he thinks he will have to put her down.”
“Who, the horse?”
“No, Belinda. Well, of course, the horse. Anyway, tell him the groom is quite upset. If he can get there right away—well, I think that would be best.”
She turned to leave, pointing to the door as she did.
“He thinks he’s saving my honor,” she whispered.
“I see,” she whispered back. “Well then, it’s our secret. Well, if you see him,” she said, raising her voice, “please give him that message.” When she closed the door, Brandon reappeared.
“I trust you heard all that.”
“I did. I’d better go and have a look.” He kissed her longingly before he left. It was a kiss of a promise to come. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
She started to close the door behind him. He turned and pushed it back open.
“I think we fooled her, don’t you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure we did.”
She closed the door firmly behind him and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
While soaking in the sudsy water, she imagined herself as mistress of this magnificent house—what a thrill that would be.
“Are you going to be the new Missus?” Teresa had asked. She wondered what she meant by that. Was that girl in the portrait married to someone in this house at one time? If so, what could have happened to her? She pondered this question for so long her water began to cool. Rising from the tub, she toweled herself dry.
She chose a simple gown of yellow silk to wear to dinner, confident Brandon would approve. She spun her hair above her head, piling the long strands on top. She held them in place with her hand, turned to see her profile, and then let the locks fall down about her shoulders. She would wear it down. Satisfied with her reflection, she turned from the mirror.
She looked around the room, wondering to whom it had belonged. Surely, someone with a lively personality, elegant grace, and scintillating charm had occupied it at one time. Everything in the room was delicate in nature. Many of the items were from collections of miniatures.
She stepped into her shoes and went to the adjoining room. She knocked softly on the door. There was no answer. She opened the door slowly and went inside. Brandon had not returned to his room. She decided to go downstairs without him.
Halfway down the hallway, she heard shouting coming from one of the rooms. She paused at the door but could not make out what they were saying. Fearful of being caught eavesdropping, she hurried on her way.
Expecting to find Brandon waiting for her in the dining room, she was disappointed when he was not there. She wondered what had happened to him. Crossing the room, she joined the others for a glass of wine. They all were excited about the photo session planned for the next day and were anxious to begin their work.
They were deep in conversation when Jessica felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Brandon standing behind her, looking angry. It was easy to guess from the look on his face that he was the one she had heard arguing upstairs.
“Brandon, what is it?” she asked. “You look angry.”
She looked past him and saw a familiar face leaving the house. She recognized the man from his portrait hanging upstairs.
“It’s your brother, Jeffrey. He is here, isn’t he? And he has upset you terribly.”
“Yes,” Brandon replied through clenched teeth. “And he refuses to leave.”
“Well, it’s all right. We can work around him.”
“You don’t understand. Jeffrey is trouble. He will make some kind of a game out of this, and cause a major hurricane before breezing out of our lives again. There will be no peace as long as
he is in this house,” he stated firmly.
Before Jessica could comment, they were summoned to dinner. Despite the tension emanating from Brandon, Jessica enjoyed her meal. She felt guilty. The menu consisted of roast duck with wild rice stuffing, sweetened bread, and asparagus in a creamed sauce, the likes of which Jessica had never tasted before. The meal concluded with cherries jubilee for dessert.
Immediately following dinner, they all retired to their rooms, weary from their day of travel. They would begin shooting early the next morning. Jessica lay awake in her bed for quite some time, expecting Brandon to come to her. When it was evident he did not intend to do so, she rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.
The following morning proved to be a beautiful day, just as Brandon had promised. The weather was warm, but not too hot. The air was crisp, clean and fresh. Jessica inhaled, filling her lungs with the scent of sweet jasmine. It was hard to believe that on the other side of the country, winter was in full force, its stormy gales sending people running indoors.
The models all were in a gay mood—but then who wouldn’t be on such a glorious morning. They appeared to be on more of a vacation than a working assignment.
Brandon was an excellent host, sparing nothing in his attempt to make them feel welcome. His smile beamed as he watched the models scurrying from one scene to another. Jessica scolded him with a warning look, but he just laughed and assured her he had eyes only for her. She didn’t really mind too much. It kept the girls candid, although her male models appeared a little put out, if not altogether miffed.
She managed to get some excellent shots of the girls in their swimsuits, and the men’s indifference turned out to be to their advantage when they played hard to get.
It was close to noon when Brandon, having teased that he couldn’t stand to look at another naked thigh, took off to see about the midday meal. They were out on the lake when Jessica noticed someone watching her. Across the lake, she could make out the figure of a man. She thought it was Jeffrey, but from this distance, she couldn’t be sure. The thought of him watching her made her feel uneasy.
She was so deep in concentration, that she didn’t hear footsteps behind her. As Brandon encircled her in his arms, she let out a cry of alarm.
“Hey, what’s wrong? It’s just me. You’re trembling something awful.”
She turned to face him, and then glanced back over her shoulder, only to find that the man had disappeared.
She shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she said, feeling a bit ridiculous. “We just had a little audience over there a minute ago. I was trying to figure out who it was, and I didn’t hear you approach, that’s all.”
She knew she didn’t sound too convincing. In addition, she didn’t like the angry look on his face. She knew he was just as aware as she was that Jeffrey had been the voyeur.
“Hey, did you come down here for something in particular, or just to scare me to death?”
“Yeah, I came to tell you lunch is ready, if you’re interested,” he teased.
“Now those are the words I was hoping to hear. I am starved.”
She signaled to the others that it was time for a lunch break, then took Brandon’s hand as they started the walk back to the house.
The cook had prepared a mouth-watering picnic lunch for them, which they spread out on the front lawn. The warm air and peacefulness of the day helped relieve the uneasiness Jessica had felt earlier. Unfortunately, it also made her sleepy, and she stretched out lazily on the blanket, where she proceeded to drift off to sleep.
Brandon tickled her nose with a blade of grass. She slapped it away. “Wake up, sleepyhead, time to get back to work.”
She moaned in protest, but she got on her feet and followed the rest of the crew back down to the lake. They didn’t see Jeffrey the rest of the day. Brandon had insisted on staying with her, just in case. She felt this unnecessary and thought Brandon was being foolish, but she liked the attention he paid her, so she didn’t complain.
She couldn’t understand why he would feel such alarm over his brother’s presence. Whatever it was between the two brothers, he didn’t want to talk about it. Having already witnessed the stormy side of his character, she wasn’t going to pursue it with him.
It was late afternoon when they finally finished their work. Jessica dismissed them all and told them to find their own recreation. Several members of the group decided to go boating on the lake.
Jessica and Brandon took the opportunity to take a quiet walk along the shoreline. They had walked a short distance when they came upon a shack that was slowly deteriorating.
“This was quite some building in its time,” Brandon said. He had a reminiscent stare in his eyes. Jessica allowed him his moment. Finally, he sighed and continued, “My father built this for my brothers and me to play in when we were little. We used to play cowboys and Indians in it.”
She laughed. “Oh, how original.”
He shrugged. “We were kids. What else do kids do? We would pretend it was a jail. Jeffrey was always the bad guy and would capture Matthew and tie him up. I would play the sheriff and come to the rescue.” He stared, in continued reminiscent silence, at the crumbling building. “Isn’t it funny how his role has seemed to stay with him?” he added with sarcasm.
She put a hand gently on his arm. “Speak of the devil.” She nodded past him.
Brandon turned to find Jeffrey chasing one of Jessica’s models into the lake. They were laughing like two children as he grabbed her and pulled her to him. There was no way to miss the storm that raged deeply in Brandon’s eyes.
“Don’t worry about Maria. She’s a big girl. She knows how to take care of herself. She works in a hard world. She’s used to men like Jeffrey, and she knows the score. She won’t let herself get hurt.”
She noticed that Jeffrey kept glancing toward them.
“He knows about us,” Brandon said uneasily, a look of raw hatred and anguish evident in his features, “and I guarantee he will try to make trouble for us. Everything I’ve ever loved, he has destroyed.”
She was the one who took Brandon into her arms this time, and she who kissed him lovingly on the lips. She was the one giving comfort this time. She liked the feeling.
“I have no intention of allowing your brother to cause trouble for us,” she reassured him. “We are here for a reason. When we have finished this job, we’ll leave here and go on with our lives. Chances are I’ll never see Jeffrey again.”
He stared deeply into her eyes. “You don’t understand, do you? Just promise me you’ll stay clear of him.”
She shook her head in despair, breaking free from him. “This is silly, Brandon. He is your brother, a brother whom I have never even met. What in God’s name could he possibly do to me?”
He had her by the shoulders, shaking her. “Just promise me!” He was shouting now, and Jessica was frightened.
“Okay, okay. I promise. Please let go of me. You’re hurting me.”
Suddenly realizing how tightly he was holding her, he released his grasp.
“I promise. I will not go near Jeffrey. I have no need, or desire to go near him. You have warned me, and I trust you. I’ll stay away from him.”
He pulled her gently to him and wiped the tears from her cheeks. He took her hand in his and silently they walked the distance back to the house, avoiding Jeffrey’s glances as they passed.
Dinner was being served as they joined the group in the dining room.
Jessica was much too tired to eat, and she had developed a terrible headache. She picked at her food for a while and then quietly excused herself, explaining she was tired and wanted to go to bed early.
Later, as she lay awake, unable to fall asleep, she felt Brandon slip into bed beside her.
“Are you all right?” he whispered in her ear.
She nodded and turned into his arms. He placed delicate kisses around her eyes and mouth. He rocked her gently as she cried herself to sleep, wiping the tears from the corners of
her eyes as they formed.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She’s like a kitten in my arms, he thought, as he stroked her soft hair. He would crush Jeffrey if he dared lay a finger on her. How could he make her understand the magnitude of his fear of Jeffrey, without revealing his greatest pain? He wanted desperately to have her love, and her trust, but the wounds were too deep to allow him to speak of his tragedy, even to her.
The morning brought another day of sunshine. Jessica woke to the sound of birds singing outside her window. She turned to where Brandon had lain the night before. The indentation his head had left on the pillow was still deep, proof that he had not been gone long.
She rubbed the stiffness from her neck. She had fallen asleep in his arms and apparently had slept there most of the night.
She climbed out of bed and crossed to the window. She could already see some of the models enjoying some free time before the photo session began. She smiled, finding peace in the realization that even if Phillip Stewart somehow managed to sabotage this project, at least they were all having a good time.
Glancing at the lake, she saw Jeffrey rowing away from the bank. Perhaps this meant he would be away for the day. She hoped so. She didn’t want a repeat of yesterday. She didn’t like this feeling of unease that Brandon was instilling in her.
All her life she had wished for a brother, or a sister with whom she could share things. It pained her to see these two brothers at odds with each other.
Just as she was turning from the window, she heard a light tapping on the door. She called for her visitor to enter, and was pleased to see it was Brandon she had summoned into the room. He crossed to her and drew her into his arms, smiling down at her.
“I’m glad to see you’ve finally decided to join the living. I was just coming to see to the unpleasant task of waking you. It appears everyone, with the exception of the photographer, is ready to begin work.”
She glanced quickly at the clock on the bedside table. “Good God, Brandon! Why on earth did you let me sleep so long?” she exclaimed.
He laughed at her, and then chuckled guiltily. “I’m afraid I didn’t even wake up until just a little while ago. I went down to prepare you some tea, then I was coming right back up to wake you.”
Coveting Love (Jessica Crawford) Page 15