by Monica Burns
“Yes,” Victoria said reluctantly.
“Then you’ve been as honest and open with Nicholas as you can be. Any speculations you have are just that, speculations,” Anna said with an empathetic expression on her face. “I see no reason why the two of you should not enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company.”
Despite her reservations, Victoria struggled with the happiness her new friend’s words brought her. She was already in deep enough as it was. What would happen to her when she returned to her own time? Especially if her heart became involved. She almost snorted at the thought. If? She was hanging off the edge of that cliff already. She shook her head, and Anna caught her hand.
“You’re precisely what Nicholas needs, Victoria. He’s been miserable since he married Vickie. He needs someone to love him.”
“I can’t—”
“Victoria has it ever occurred to you that you’re here for a reason?”
“A reason?”
“If someone were murdered, their death would obviously require suspects. Individuals who are innocent might be—”
“Nicholas,” Victoria gasped in a low whisper. “You think I’m here to save Nicholas.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences, Victoria, everything happens for a reason. I believe in destiny.” Anna smiled gently. “The things I’ve seen tell me that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. Remember that whenever you think you shouldn’t do something.”
“All right, I’ll remember,” Victoria said with a growing sense of peace. Anna patted her hand.
“Good. Now then, we’ve been gone far too long. Sebastian has business in London, and is already chomping at the bit to leave. He’ll not be pleased with me if we miss our train. Let me write down my recipe for migraines. If you don’t return with a piece of paper in your hand there will be raised eyebrows.”
Anna quickly found paper and pen then proceeded to jot down a list of ingredients. When she’d finished, she handed the recipe to Victoria and urged her back toward the dining room.
A short time later Victoria stood beside Nicholas and watched the last of his friends leave for the train station. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to feel at everyone’s departure, but her contentment took her by surprise. It seemed right to be standing next to Nicholas as the carriages rolled away from the manor.
An awkward silence settled between them, and Victoria glanced up at his profile. A sudden urge to touch his cheek made her fingers tingle. The strength of the impulse alarmed her, and she quickly turned to go back into the house with Nicholas following her.
“I like your friends,” she said as they paused in the foyer.
“They appear quite taken with you as well.” Puzzlement echoed in his quiet observation.
“And you disapprove.” The sarcasm in her voice made him arch his eyebrows.
“On the contrary, I’ve simply never been as easily persuaded as my friends.”
“God, you’re stubborn.” She released a sigh of aggravation.
“You are my wife, Victoria. You’ll not convince me otherwise. But I’m convinced your injury has changed your personality in remarkable ways. In ways that are compelling enough for me to believe you’re not amusing yourself at my expense or that of others.”
“So what tipped the scale in my favor,” she said in a wry tone.
Nicholas’ green eyes darkened as his gaze swept over her body then back to her face. She had no doubt he was remembering what she looked like naked. A small smile tilted his mouth, and his wicked expression made her body react like a piece of metal to a magnet. The spot between her legs suddenly ached for his touch again, while her breathing became shallow and ragged. He stepped into her personal space, and her heart pounded like a runaway freight train in her chest.
“I think you already know what’s influenced my opinion of you. Vickie never responded to my touch the way you do. Nor has she ever put me first in anything she’s said or done.” He reached out and pressed his thumb against her bottom lip, and she forgot to breathe. “It wasn’t a lack of desire that kept you from surrendering to me this morning. You didn’t want my friends to think me a fool. That’s what tipped the scales in your favor, Victoria. You expressed concern for someone other than yourself. It’s a trait Vickie has no concept of.”
“Oh,” she whispered unable to think of any other coherent response. A small smile touched his lips.
“I think that’s the first time since you’ve returned that you’ve had little to say on the topic of choice.”
“It’s rather difficult to respond to such an eloquent apology.”
“Apology?” He frowned in dissension before his lips curved upward again. “Yes, I suppose it was, wasn’t it.”
The wicked amusement in his green eyes caused her cheeks to grow hot with embarrassment, and a tremor rocked her body as she tried to avert her gaze, but failed. The man aroused feelings inside her that frightened her. He was a lethal assault on her faculties, and his mere presence guaranteed a complete seduction of her senses. Worse, the man only had to utter a few words, and he easily manipulated her emotions. There were no half measures with him. It would be far too easy to fall in love with the Earl of Guildford, and that was a very bad idea.
“I think I’ll take a walk in the gardens,” she choked out as she remembered her promise to join Edmund after breakfast. Anxious to escape she turned away only to have electricity spike through her as he caught her arm.
“I have a few items of business to attend to, but I’ll join you when I’m done.”
At the moment, the last thing she wanted was to spend more time in his company. The dynamics had shifted between them, and she was all too aware that she was only one kiss away from spending the night in his arms. Not that she objected to the idea. In fact, her body was more than willing. But she didn’t belong here. She didn’t want to return to her time period only to find herself in love with a dead man. With a small gulp, she nodded her understanding. Amusement danced in his eyes as he slowly released her. Clueless as to how to reach the garden, she hesitated. A soft chuckle rumbled out of him.
“You can reach the gardens through the library,” he said as he pointed to the room off to his left. “Should I have Molly fetch you a coat? It’s unusually warm today, but—”
“No, I’ll be fine,” she said before she bolted off in the direction he’d indicated.
His soft laughter followed her to a set of French doors leading into the gardens. By the time she was out in the sunshine, her heart rate has slowed significantly.
The air had none of the chill it had when she’d first arrived here in the past, and the patches of snow had completely melted under the warmth of the sun. She had a small inkling as to why Nicholas had wanted Brentwood Park. It was beautiful.
In the distance, she saw a long building that she was certain were stables. While on her left, a cobblestone path broke away from the brick walkway in the direction of a gazebo almost completely hidden from view by tall hedges. In the distance, she heard Edmund’s voice, and she followed the sound. As she drew closer she smiled at Edmund’s excited chatter.
“I wish she’d hurry up, Roberts. I want to show her my apple tree.”
Victoria did not hear the manservant’s soft-spoken response. The stone pathway she was on bore to the right, and she walked through an archway of hedges to a lovely columned portico. Halfway down the long, open air walkway, Edmund paced back and forth, while Roberts sat quietly on a nearby bench.
“Good morning,” she called out.
“Victoria, you came.” Edmund ran toward her and wrapped her in a bear hug.
“Well, I would have been here sooner, but I forgot to ask where we were going to meet.” Laughing at his enthusiastic greeting, she smiled at Roberts as he rose to his feet.
“Forgive me, my lady. I should have sent word to you.” Roberts apologized with a wince.
“Oh, it’s not your fault, Roberts. I should have asked where to meet you,” she said with a s
mile.
“Would you like me to stay with you and Master Edmund?”
“No, I think we’ll be fine.” Victoria shook her head and looked up at Edmund who was fidgeting at her side. “Is that all right with you, Edmund?”
“Yep, I want to show you my apple tree.”
“All right.” Victoria gave Roberts an amused look, and the man grinned.
“If you’ll excuse me, my lady. Now that you’re here with Master Edmund, I will see to my normal duties.”
“Of course, thank you so much Roberts.”
“Come on, Victoria, I want to show you my apple tree.” Edmund, not waiting to see Roberts leave, grabbed her hand as he pulled her away from Nicholas’ valet.
With a parting smile in the valet’s direction, she allowed Edmund to drag her along the columned walkway out into a lovely garden. Beyond that was a small orchard. Edmund led her to a sturdy tree at the front of a group of trees, which still had a few reddish apples dangling from its limbs. All the other trees had been harvested, which meant Edmund’s tree had received special care.
“Isn’t it a beautiful tree, Victoria?” he said as he hugged the tree trunk.
“Yes,” she said quietly. His passionate love for the tree made her see it through his eyes. “It’s very beautiful.”
“Do you want to try one of the apples? There aren’t many left. Nicholas said we had to pick a lot of them to keep them from getting rotten.”
“I’d love to try one.” Victoria laughed.
Edmund grinned at her then proceeded to inspect the tree’s lower branches. After several moments of debating his selection, he reached up and snapped off an apple. With a small bow, he handed it to her. She bit into the fruit, and a trickle of juice escaped the side of her mouth, which she quickly wiped away with her finger. Tart and crisp, the apple tasted like the Jonathans she often bought back home.
“Umm.” She sighed with pleasure. “Your apple tree isn’t just beautiful, Edmund. Its apples are delicious too.”
“Come on, there’s lots more to see too.” He clapped his hands in delight.
For the next two hours, Edmund took great pleasure in showing her everything in the gardens. They walked through paths laced with autumn flowers and the subtle remains of summer flowers. One of her favorite spots was the hedge maze. When Edmund completed his duties as tour guide, he sat down on a bench in the Italian gardens. Joining him on the wooden seat, she lifted her face to the warm sunshine.
“Thank you Edmund,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed our morning together.”
“Nicholas said you’re going to have lunch with us today.”
“Lunch?” Victoria stared at him in surprise. Surely Edmund was confused.
“Uh huh.”
She winced at his reply. Nicholas had made it quite clear last night that she wasn’t to have anything to do with his brother. She understood why. If Edmund were her brother, she wouldn’t want the countess anywhere near him either. Not only would Nicholas be angry that she was with Edmund, he’d be furious she’d thwarted his orders.
She needed to get Edmund back into the house before Nicholas realized she was with his brother or there would be hell to pay. At that moment, Edmund leapt to his feet and waved with excitement. She turned her head to see Nicholas walking toward them. Victoria cringed as she realized Judgment Day was at hand.
Chapter 16
The first thing Nicholas noticed as he walked toward Edmund and Victoria was his brother’s carefree manner. It had been months since he’d seen his brother in such high spirits. Vickie’s cruelty had done a great deal of harm, but even from a distance, he could tell his brother was happy. It was obvious the two of them enjoyed each other’s company. Victoria looked relaxed and content, the sun highlighting the burnished tones of her auburn hair. She had released her shoulder length tresses from its knot, and her hair hung in charming disarray about her unblemished features.
Despite his efforts to bury himself in business matters for the past two hours, his thoughts had relentlessly returned to Victoria. She continued to surprise him. Last night, after Roberts had seen Edmund back to his room, the valet had shared his opinion of Victoria. The interaction the older man had seen between his wife and Edmund had amazed the valet.
Even more astonishing had been the fact that Victoria hadn’t been the slightest bit uncomfortable at Roberts’ appearance. That alone would have exposed Victoria as a fraud, but she’d even introduced herself to his valet. But the most surprising thing of all had been Roberts’ quiet, yet enthusiastic, support of Victoria spending time with Edmund. He trusted his valet, and it was why he’d agreed to let Roberts leave his brother in Victoria’s care. It was also the reason he’d decided to arrange a picnic for the three of them.
Now, as he watched her interaction with Edmund, he wondered how he’d ever thought she was play acting. He had no idea what had happened to his wife in the three weeks she’d been gone, but he couldn’t argue he liked the change in her. He could only hope nothing changed. He had no wish for things to revert back to the way they were.
He liked his newly changed wife very much. In particular, he enjoyed the way she responded to his touch. There was fire beneath Victoria’s surface that he had every intention of exploring. When he’d heard her say yes to him earlier this morning, it had taken an enormous amount of effort not to turn around. If he’d acted on impulse, he would have carried her to her bed and buried himself inside her.
It would’ve been a dangerous thing to do without a French letter to prevent impregnating her. Despite the danger, he knew it would be impossible to stay away from her bed. An image of her emerging from her bath filled his head and shot a lightning bolt of desire through his blood. Water glistening on her skin, she’d been softly rounded with full, lush breasts. She had the body of Botticelli’s Venus. Just the thought of her pulled his muscles tight with a need he’d never experienced with any woman before, not even Vickie. Edmund’s shout of greeting jerked him out of his thoughts as he drew near his brother and wife.
Edmund ran to meet him, and Nicholas grinned as his brother hugged him. Over his brother’s shoulder, Nicholas studied the look on his wife’s face. She quickly hid her trepidation behind a bright smile, but he could read the agitation in Victoria’s brilliant sapphire gaze. Her deliberate disregard for his authority troubled her after all. He bit back a smile as he knew he would not be able to resist teasing her.
“Nicholas. I showed Victoria all over the gardens,” Edmund said with excitement. “She even ate one of the apples off my tree. You really liked the apple didn’t you, Victoria?”
“I think it must have been one of the best apples I’ve ever eaten,” she said with a smile, but Nicholas could tell she was worried about his reaction to her flouting his orders. He smiled at his brother.
“Edmund, the gig should be ready by now, why don’t you run ahead to make sure our lunch is packed and ready to go.”
Edmund nodded and loped off toward the stables. Nicholas watched his brother’s lanky figure disappear through the hedges that separated the garden from the stable yard. Beside him, he could feel the tension flowing through Victoria’s body. Head bent, he clasped his hands behind his back and studied the ground for a moment. When he returned his gaze to her face, mischief crashed through him at the worried look on her lovely features. Clearing his throat, he tried to school his features into what he hoped was a severe look.
“Well, madam wife, what do you have to say for yourself?” He gave her credit for not giving ground as she faced him.
“If you’re expecting an apology, dream on.”
The defiant toss of her head sent her hair flying, and he suddenly wanted to let her silk tresses slide over his hands as he nibbled at her luscious mouth. He immediately suppressed his reaction to her then arched his eyebrows.
“You deliberately disobeyed me, Victoria.”
“Well, since I’m not your wife, I don’t have to obey you.” Her irreverent response aroused a devil in him.<
br />
“Does that mean you’re now retracting your earlier agreement?”
“What agreement?” She nervously bit down on her lower lip, and he immediately wanted to taste her mouth again.
“Your acceptance of my offer.” Nicholas deliberately kept his voice low as he bent his head toward her. A delicate blush crested over her cheeks.
“I don’t—”
“You said yes, Victoria. You said you’d welcome me into your bed.” He traced a line from the base of her throat down to the green silk of her bodice. She shuddered at his touch. Nicholas leaned into her, his mouth nipping at her earlobe.
“I’m not sure what pleases me the most, the fact that you said yes or how much I’m going to enjoy having you cream my cock like you did my fingers.”
“Oh, God,” she whispered as she drew in a sharp breath.
“Afraid?” he murmured.
“Not one bit.” Although her breathing was still ragged, she shook her head vehemently and glared up at him.
“Impudent minx.” He laughed, enjoying her startled expression. “It appears I was wrong about you and my brother. Edmund clearly enjoys your company.”
“He’s quite sweet,” she said cheerfully, her apprehension gone.
“Well, if I know my brother, he’ll be waiting impatiently for us at the stables. Shall we?”
He offered his arm to her and covered her hand where it rested in the crook of his arm. The pleasure it gave him to have her at his side was something he found himself savoring. He couldn’t ever remember feeling like this with Vickie. He tilted his head slightly and breathed in the sweet aroma of Victoria’s hair. The now familiar scent of lemon and honey filled his nostrils. When he glanced downward, he caught her looking up at him with curiosity. He smiled as a rose flush invaded her cheeks at having been caught staring. How often had he seen Vickie blush? He couldn’t recall a single instance.
“So tell me, what wonders did Edmund show you in the gardens?”