“Thank you.” I returned my supplies to my bag and set it next to the dragon doors on a marble table with a golden elephant pedestal. After refreshing myself, I followed Mrs. Lynds through a series of rooms and corridors. Alexander’s domain was as richly appointed as Killdaren Castle, if not more so, and it was dauntingly twice as big. I had the feeling I could wander inside of its treasures my whole life and never have to see a soul.
Except Alexander. How could I ever begin to help repair his relationship with Sean if I never saw him to develop any sort of rapport?
After crossing a long, golden-mirrored ballroom, Mrs. Lynds showed me through French doors that opened to a magnificent terrace. I barely took note of the umbrella-covered table she led me to, or the resplendent meal set upon its linen-covered surface, for off in the distance were a man and a beautiful black horse. Both were familiar.
“Will you be wanting to be served, lass?”
I dragged my gaze to Mrs. Lynds and shook my head. “No. Thank you. I’ll be fine.”
“Very well,” she said. If I hadn’t been looking at her, I would have missed her glance toward the viscount and the slight smile that lit her kind face before she left.
Heat brushed my cheeks. She’d deliberately set me up so that I could see Alexander. A slight smile touched my lips, and my mind drifted back to yesterday’s conversation in the parlor with the women about their feelings in regards to men.
I’d always considered a normal relationship with a man out of the question for me. What man wanted a woman who read his thoughts every time he touched her?
Even I shuddered at the idea of a man reading my every thought. I’d accepted that I would be alone for all of my life. It was the price I was forced to pay for my gift.
Iris neighed loudly, bringing my attention back to Alexander. Though hard to discern the details of his actions, I could tell Iris was unfettered in any way and Alexander worked alone with her in the training ring. Amazingly the mare walked beside him, keeping pace with his every move.
He accomplished the deed by soft touches and quiet words, because every time the mare strayed, he brought his hand up and caressed the horse’s muzzle until she drew closer to him. His manner reminded me of the quiet way he’d spoken to Iris on the ship’s deck. I became so engrossed in watching that I quite forgot about my meal and didn’t remember it until he and Iris left the ring, disappearing behind a cluster of buildings.
Blushing, I hurriedly dished out a serving from several appetizing concoctions, slid a delicately cut sandwich onto my plate, and sugared myself a cup of tea before I set about eating. Four bites into the delicious fare, I glanced back at the riding ring and nearly choked on a chunk of soft, custard-like cheese.
Alexander hadn’t returned to the ring; he was racing toward me on a huge black horse. He was coatless, wearing only a loose white shirt, breeches and boots like before. His dark hair streamed in the wind, and power churned from both man and horse. Power that seemingly grew with every inch of ground they covered.
Chapter Seven
Alexander had hitched the horse to a railing and started up the curving steps before I found the wherewithal to swallow.
“Miss Andrews.” He nodded slightly as he approached.
“My lord,” I replied, congratulating myself on the calmness of my voice. Considering the pace of my pulse, it was a miracle.
“I trust the meal is to your liking?”
“Extremely so. But there’s more here than I could ever eat. I don’t know what Mrs. Lynds was thinking.”
“It would seem she intended for us to share a meal together, as it is my custom to eat at this time in this very spot every day.”
“Oh.” Glancing across the table again, I saw the second place setting for the first time. “I apologize. I had no idea. I mean, she didn’t mention it. I mean, I didn’t notice the plate.” How utterly rude of me! “To be quite honest, my lord, watching you in the ring with Iris mesmerized me so completely that I’ve been oblivious to everything else.”
“Don’t apologize. I would not have kept a lady waiting had I known she was to be expected. I too was very much engrossed with Iris and didn’t notice you were here for some time.”
“Oh.” I bit my lip, and his gaze dropped to watch me.
I swallowed again, fighting the need to ease the sudden tingling of my lips with my tongue. He moved abruptly and joined me at the table.
“Would you care for a glass of wine?” he asked, uncorking a bottle.
My gaze drifted from his face to the bottle. Was it the spiced wine? Did it really have aphrodisiac-like properties? I didn’t dare ask. “Yes, please.”
He poured a small serving into a goblet and handed it to me. The liquid was almost clear, with a tart aroma. It was not the spiced wine, and disappointment nipped at me.
“Either you’ve had an exhausting morning or you didn’t sleep very well last night. You’ve shadows beneath your eyes.”
“I have?”
“You do.” He served several dishes onto his plate and took three of the sandwiches. “So which is it?”
“A little of both.”
“What happened last night?”
“The moon must have been full or something. I had a bad dream and woke from that to hear Rebecca screaming. She had a nightmare too.”
“Was your dream related to the incident in town?”
“In a way.”
“Visions of what happened?” he asked.
“Of the carriage accident? Not really. I keep thinking about his poor wife.”
“A terrible tragedy. Did the man say something more to you on the boardwalk?”
“No,” I said quickly. “Why?”
“For him to rush away as frightened as he seemed, I wondered if perhaps you resembled his wife, and he’d thought he’d seen a ghost.”
“I don’t but I wish I did,” I said strongly, remembering the woman’s dark hair. At Alexander’s odd look, I quickly tried to cover and explained. “He deserves to have been frightened. As for the work this morning, I found it refreshing,” I said, changing the subject. “I’ve catalogued and fully described every antiquity in the grand entry hall and feel as if I have accomplished a good amount already. Losing myself in things from the past, seeing them organized and displayed properly so that others can enjoy them is invigorating.”
He quirked a brow. “I’ve never considered artifacts invigorating. They’re a burdensome inheritance to be tolerated.”
“Good heavens! That’s tantamount to a sacrilege. Each and every piece is a part of history, an intimate reflection of someone’s life from the past. Artifacts are a mystery to be discovered, a challenge in some cases, like the pyramids, or a recounting of lives and tragedies like in Pompeii.”
“It’s rather amazing—”
“It’s more than amazing. It’s utterly fascinating what we can learn.”
“I’m sure. But what I was going to say is that it is rather amazing to find a young woman so very passionate about such things. Most ladies would much rather spend their time shopping and attending soirees than dusting pottery and bones.”
“Sorry. I do get carried away with the subject.”
“Quite all right. I’m sure I sound just as enthusiastic when I speak of horses.”
“As well you should. What were you doing with Iris in the ring? I’ve never seen a horse follow a man’s movements so perfectly.”
“It’s a special art of horse training known to my Irish ancestors. Before a man ever rides or trains his horse, he teaches her to respond to his every touch, to his every word.”
“It was…beautiful. It was like seeing man and nature as one,” I said for a lack of a better way to describe the gentle mastery he’d exhibited.
He stopped eating a moment and studied me until my cheeks warmed yet again. I took another sip of the tart wine. Several in fact.
“Thank you,” he finally said. “That has to be the greatest compliment I’ve ever gotten.”
&n
bsp; “You’re welcome,” I replied.
We ate in silence for a while. He filled my wine glass again.
“My brother was in agreement with your working here, then?”
Fueled by my discussion yesterday with the ladies, I leaned back and folded my arms. “I don’t know if Cassie has had the opportunity to tell Sean or not. With his intense astronomy studies, he keeps odd hours, tending to sleep during the day. But why should he have a problem with it? Do not Lord Ashton, Mr. Drayson, Sir Warwick and your father travel frequently between Dragon’s Cove and Killdaren’s Castle?”
His brows lifted. “Of course.”
“Then why should it be any different for me to do so?”
A smile curved his full lips, dimpling his cheeks. “It would seem it shouldn’t. Tell me, are you a feminist?”
“Depends on what you’re referring to. If believing a woman shouldn’t be condemned for doing the same thing as a man, then yes, I would be an advocate for women’s rights.” I waved my hand for emphasis as I spoke.
He caught my hand in his. The unexpected contact sent a trail of fire right to my center, disrupting everything inside me. Angling my hand toward the sunlight, he examined my ring. “A unique piece of jewelry,” he said. “Any significance to the symbol of the serpent?”
“I’m not sure. My father gave it to me before they left for Greece as a thank you for the work I’ve done for them over the years. Supposedly, it dates back to Alexander the Great’s time, belonging to a woman known only as Aphrodite. I call it Aphrodite’s ring.”
Without relinquishing his hold on my hand, he lifted his gaze to mine. Intensely green with golden flecks sparkling from their centers and framed by thick dark lashes, his eyes were mesmerizing, with a soul-baring directness that left me feeling…naked. He slid his finger across my palm before he released my hand.
I had to breathe, but couldn’t seem to remember how.
“The golden goddess of love, beauty and…extraordinary rapture of a certain nature,” he said. “Your father chose well.”
I don’t think anything conveyed by Alexander’s deep-toned, heady words were what my father even remotely considered when purchasing the ring for me. And I didn’t dare ask what “certain nature” the rapture pertained to. Oh, my!
“You, uh, leave me speechless, my lord.” And breathless. I could barely breathe. My hand tingled and my heart raced.
He smiled, flashing dimples that rode just above the shadow of his jaw. “Your ring tempts me to discover if there is truth behind the legend. I imagine with a name like Aphrodite a woman would have to possess an ethereal spirit and be at least as beautiful as you.” His gaze dropped from my eyes to my mouth, then went lower.
Desperation finally drove me to gulp in air, and my dress stretched to a near seam-bursting point. It required no mind-reading abilities to see exactly what the focus of his gaze was. My breasts grew heavier and suddenly ached, demanding to be soothed in some way.
Perhaps all wine was an aphrodisiac, for I was truly flushed with a fever that only he could quench. “Well, I wish you luck in locating Aphrodite. Since she was born from the foam of the sea, perhaps you’ll encounter her the next time you venture the seas as Captain Black. But if I’m going to rearrange your grand entry hall, I need to get back to work. You don’t mind, do you?”
His brow furrowed and his gaze shot up. “What do you mean by rearrange?”
“Well, as I said yesterday and mentioned today, you do not do the beauty and wonder of artifacts any justice when they are not displayed properly. I see it as part of my job to assure your things are shown in the best way possible.”
He scooted his chair back. “Why don’t I accompany you, and you can show me what you are talking about. I’ll have a groomsman see to the horse and take my customary ride later.”
Bringing the devil with me while I was desperately trying to flee from temptation wasn’t what I had in mind, but then I really couldn’t deny an owner anything.
Anything in regards to their property, I amended, as he escorted me back to the entry hall. The grand room and its immense size immediately paled and shrank in his presence.
“What would be your first suggestion?” he asked.
My thinking abilities did the same thing as the room. They shrank. It seemed like an entire minute passed as I stood blinking at the room, my mind completely blank.
“We need to go out the door and then walk back in. It is the best way to determine where your eyes focus when you first enter a room. You want your best, most impressive asset displayed there.”
“Indeed,” he said, his voice sounding strange. “I can see the merit of that philosophy. What if you have more than one outstanding…asset?”
“Then you have a choice to make as to what you wish to have seen first,” I replied, refusing to look his way. I made a beeline for the dragon doors. The tone of his voice rumbled deep, matching the sensuality of his earlier words at lunch. I could still hear them tingling inside me. The golden goddess of love, beauty and…extraordinary rapture of a certain nature.
Before I could open the doors, he leaned from behind me and placed his hand on the door handle. His warm breath caressed my ear, and his enticing scent teased my senses.
“There are a number of things I would love to see first. To have them displayed to their utmost magnificence, so I’ll let you decide for me, Miss Andrews.”
Not a single artifact came to mind as his words caressed their way through me. I kept thinking of the hunger in his eyes. If he’d hesitated at all upon opening the dragon door, I would have fallen back against him. I burned…everywhere.
The fresh air from outside hit my face as the door swung open and came as a welcome relief. I bolted like a rabbit fleeing from the fire of a dragon, but a bit too late. My nerves were so crispy it seemed they would shatter at any moment.
He must have sensed my nervousness, because for the next two hours he kept his distance, and his voice didn’t deepen to the point that it stole my breath. Or it could be that he had to call the butler and two footmen to help make the adjustments to the room, which left us very little privacy.
In the middle of the grand entry hall, I placed a collection of statues. The center one was an elegantly draped, tall woman with one breast exposed. Surrounding her I situated four dancing nymphs that were half her size. Each held their own Maypole. The way the woman’s arms were curved, she needed to have a something nestled in them, but I’d worry about that later. The entry hall could change depending on what other treasures I unearthed, but this would do for now.
“There,” I said, as the viscount and I walked through the front doors again. “You’re immediately swept away into a world of beauty and a celebration of life.” I smiled in satisfaction. For the display was in complete contrast to the dying dragons on the entry doors gave. Perhaps this Trojan Horse Plan would bear fruit after all.
“Very well done,” he said.
“It only needs one thing to be perfect,” I mumbled, almost to myself.
“Which would be?”
“The woman needs to have something in her arms, something colorful like a spray of flowers or—”
“What about glass grapes?”
“Glass grapes?”
“Follow me. I’ll show you.” He led me down a corridor in a different direction from the ballroom. The room was filled with cabinets displaying all manner of glasswork.
“Good lord! Look at all this.”
“That’s most likely why I spend most of my time outdoors, in the stables, on a horse, or on a ship. So I don’t have to look at all of this.” He moved to a cabinet across the room where a cluster of purple glass grapes was set amid emerald glass leaves strung together by delicate silver chains.
Unable to stop myself, I ran my fingertips over the cool, smooth surface, marveling in the craftsmanship. As I moving closer, I accidentally brushed against Alexander.
“It is perfection,” I whispered. “You can almost taste the fruit.”
“I agree, Miss Andrews.”
The urgency in his voice made me turn abruptly his way. He stood so close to me that my breasts brushed his chest. His hands settled on my hips, pulling me flush against his chest. “Forgive me,” he whispered as he leaned down, bringing his mouth to mine but not touching my lips yet, “but I must taste the fruit.”
I blessedly couldn’t read a hint of what was in his mind. But I had no question what was in mine. Rather than speaking, I parted my lips and pressed my mouth to his. He groaned, wrapping his arms around me, crushing me against the hard length of his body.
His lips moved against mine, then his tongue caressed my bottom lip. I gasped at the tingling sensation, and his tongue delved further into my mouth, tangling hotly with mine. For a brief second I was shocked, but then the passion in him set me on fire, and my entire being ached for more of his consuming heat.
I slid my hands up the hard planes of his chest, leaning into him more as I threaded my fingers into the black silk of his hair. I followed the lead of his tongue, moving with him and against him, feeling the magic and the power of desire sweep over me. The pressure and heat of his hands moved down my back then up my sides to settle against the swell of my breasts.
Groaning, I arched my back, searching to soothe the pulsing ache inside me. He broke off the kiss, breathing heavy. But I wanted more, needed more.
“Please,” I said, leaning into him, looking deeply into his drugging gaze.
His features seemed harsh, fiercely intense with his passion. His voice was rough, strangely unsteady, and vulnerable. “Please do or please don’t touch you as I so desperately need to do? Have so desperately needed to do for too long.”
“Please do,” I said.
He cupped my breasts, lifting their fullness as his thumbs brushed roughly over the aching tips through the silk of my dress. I cried out, my hips shifting against him as pleasure rippled over my whole being.
“God help us both.” Stepping toward me, he slipped one arm behind my back, bending me so that he could bring his mouth to my breast. Through the silk, he suckled me. I writhed against the intense pleasure, latching onto his shoulders as my head fell back in surrender to the sensations driving me beyond reason.
Darkest Dreams Page 8