by Wolf, Bree
The old woman laughed. “I suppose that’s true.”
Silence lingered for a moment; however, when the dowager did not respond to the question hidden in Phineas’ remark, he finally asked, “Then how come you’re not?”
The dowager glanced at her sleeping granddaughter, then shrugged. “I’m not her mother.”
Phineas felt slightly exasperated, but laughed nonetheless.
Sighing, the old woman stepped toward him, her wrinkled hand patting his arm. “Wicked or not,” she told him smiling, “I know you will not do anything to harm her.”
“I thank you for your trust,” Phineas replied before a frown creased his forehead, “but how can you know that? How can you be certain?”
A rather indulgent smile came to the dowager’s face as she once more patted his arm. “Because you care for her,” she whispered as though not wishing to be overheard. Then she turned and left, closing the door behind her.
Phineas laughed softly, unwilling to admit to anyone—least of all, himself—that the dowager’s words had unsettled him in any way. After all, Louisa was merely an acquaintance. He had known her family for years and the sole reason he had come to her chamber was to...to...
Inhaling a slow breath, Phineas moved his gaze from the far window to the sleeping woman in the bed. Her chest rose and fell…almost evenly. Her hands…had curled into fists at her sides. Had they already been clenched like this when he had entered?
Curious, Phineas rounded the bed and moved closer, his eyes fixed upon Lady Louisa’s face. Indeed, her lips seemed to thin and her nostrils almost flared.
Phineas laughed, then leaned down, moving his face over hers. “Do you want me to kiss you awake?”
Her eyes flew open instantly, and she sucked in a sharp breath as she found him hovering above her.
Phineas grinned. “Works every time,” he teased, reaching for a golden curl and twirling it around his finger. He knew he was a beast for lingering, but he had to admit he loved seeing her on edge.
Her jaw tensed as his right hand sank into the mattress beside her head, bracing himself while the other continued to play with her hair. “How often do you threaten to kiss women awake?” she hissed, glaring at him in that enchanting way of hers.
“Oh, at least two or three times a day,” Phineas replied with a smirk. “I like to keep busy.”
She huffed out an annoyed breath, and he felt the soft puff of air brush over his lips like a caress. Phineas almost kissed her right there and then.
“Will you move?” she snapped as her right hand rose to press against his chest while the muscles in her neck tightened as she prepared to lift her head.
Phineas stayed where he was. “I’d rather not,” he whispered, and his gaze briefly dropped to her lips. “But feel free to sit up.” The thought of her lips closing in on his was a tantalizing one indeed.
“Get up!” Lady Louisa hissed, a slight flush darkening her cheeks.
In the end, it was neither her anger nor her mortification that made Phineas comply, but rather the slight tremble in her voice. It held something vulnerable, and as much as he liked to tease her, he would not hurt her.
Never.
Pushing herself up into a seated position, Lady Louisa looked around the room before her gaze came to linger upon her grandmother’s empty chair. “I cannot believe she left me alone with you.” She glared at him and her arms crossed over her chest.
Phineas sank into the vacated chair. “Your grandmother seems to be an excellent judge of character,” he told her with a grin. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t have left—”
“She’s planning something,” Lady Louisa hissed under her breath, her eyes closing as she shook her head.
Phineas leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his legs. “Planning what?”
As though she had only just taken note of his presence, Lady Louisa’s eyes widened in alarm. For a moment, she stared at him before her lips thinned once more. “What do you want?”
Leaning back once more, Phineas sighed. “I came to tell you the good news.”
“Good news?”
“We are to be family,” he told her with satisfaction. “Tobias finally worked up the nerve to ask for Little Annie’s hand. They’re downstairs in the drawing room, celebrating.”
Utter joy came to Lady Louisa’s face, and for a precious moment, she closed her eyes, exhaling a deep breath.
Phineas watched her. He saw deep emotions etched into her face: joy, warmth, love. A passionate heart beat in her chest, perfectly complementing her iron will and rock-hard determination.
“Why are you here?” she asked then, all warmth and joy fleeing from her face as she regarded him with suspicion. “Why did you come?”
“To tell you.”
Her frown deepened. “Why?”
Phineas shrugged, unable to put into words the need to see her. “You worked as tirelessly as I to see this happen.” He shrugged yet again, trying his best to keep any sense of disapproval out of his voice. Indeed, he had overstepped earlier, but he had been afraid for her. Never would he forget the moment he had seen her sailing through the air with nothing to cushion her landing. “I thought you should know. I thought…I thought you’d want to know.”
Her green eyes lingered upon his, and for once, they held no disdain or contempt, no disapproval or displeasure. She was simply looking at him as though they had only just met, and her mind was not yet made up about his character. “Thank you,” she whispered then, a hint of incredulity in her voice as though she herself could not believe what had prompted him to seek her out.
As though she could not believe she was thanking him of all people.
Rising to his feet, Phineas strode over. “You’re welcome,” he replied in the same hushed voice, his eyes unable to move from hers.
And then she blinked, and that precious moment slipped away, replaced by one Phineas knew well and had experienced many times. “You may leave now,” Lady Louisa muttered, busying herself with straightening her bedclothes.
Phineas sighed, “How is your ankle?”
She paused, and her eyes met his. “It’s fine. It’s…it’s only a sprain.”
“Was it worth it?”
One corner of her mouth curled into a tentative smile; her eyes, however, lit up like a bonfire. “It was,” she said nodding.
Phineas smiled at her. Then he took a step closer to the bed, enjoying the apprehensive way she was watching him. “No regrets?”
Lady Louisa frowned. “None.” Her gaze narrowed further as he took another step nearer. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” Phineas replied with a distracted shrug, then in a bold move sat down next to her on the bed.
The lady inhaled a sharp breath, her body leaning away from him as her mouth opened in protest.
Phineas, though, cut her off. “Would you do the same for your sisters?” he asked, his gaze now fully-focused on hers, the words leaving his lips nothing more than a distraction.
“Of course,” she replied instinctively, her eyes still wide and searching. “What are you—?”
And then Phineas grasped her hand, pulled it gently into his own...and felt her body turn to ice in utter shock.
Her muscles tensed, and she held herself rigid as though suddenly unable to move. Her dark green eyes stared into his before they briefly dropped to her hand resting in his, his fingers gently wrapped around hers, warming at least that small part of her.
“Good night,” Phineas whispered, hopelessly tempted, but willing himself to rise his feet nonetheless. “I hope you’ll feel better soon.” Now standing, he bowed low over her hand and placed a tender kiss upon her skin. Then he lifted his head, and once more their gazes collided in that powerful way that had him reeling. He felt off balance, uncertain by this odd change in their communication, and so he grinned at her as he had a thousand times, the grin that never failed to enrage her. Why on earth could he not help himself?
Indeed, it did break the
spell.
Lady Louisa came back to life. She jerked her hand from his, the look in her eyes screaming her outrage. “How dare you?” she snarled, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
But not with indignation.
Phineas would bet anything he possessed.
Smirking at her, he stepped away and moved to the door. With his hand on the handle he paused, then looked over his shoulder at her. “If you’re not satisfied, I could give you a real kiss.” His grin broadened. Oh, what he would not give for her to ask him to stay! To ask him to kiss her! “It’d be my pleasure.”
As always, her eyes narrowed, and she glared at him with the familiar fire, her composure reclaimed. “Not mine, I can assure you.”
“Are you certain?” he dared her.
“Deadly so,” she snarled, crossing her arms over her chest and all but glaring him into oblivion.
Phineas shrugged. “Perhaps one day.” He was about to leave when he saw the expression upon her face still, freeze as though even now she knew somehow that he spoke the truth. That one day she would wish for him to kiss her.
He could only hope so.
Chapter Seven
A Kiss that was to Hold no Meaning
Barrington House, England, Spring 1802
A few months later
Louisa watched as Anne and Tobias whispered to one another, their eyes aglow and the smiles upon their faces utterly bewitching. Anne’s hand would every so often find its way to her new husband’s face, gently tucking a stray curl of his dark hair behind his ear, the tips of her fingers brushing against his skin. Tobias’ eyes would find hers then, his breath almost stuttering to a halt at the feel of her touch. Longing rested in his dark brown eyes as they lingered upon hers, and he moved closer, whispering words into her ear that made Anne blush and giggle.
Louisa sighed as her eyes swept the terrace of Barrington House.
Early bloomers bestowed first colors upon the green gardens while the terrace had been filled with greenhouse flowers in honor of this happy occasion. Wedding guests mingled in the drawing room as well as outside in the early warmth of spring. The sun shone gently, and the soft trilling of birds could be heard in-between conversations here and there.
“You look glum,” Jules commented as she came to stand beside Louisa. “Are you all right?”
Again, Louisa sighed, meeting her eldest sister’s moss-green eyes. Her dark hair had been pulled into a simple chignon and she wore an equally simple gown with no adornments. Indeed, it seemed as though Jules had no intention of catching a gentleman’s eye. Ever. “I’m perfectly fine,” Louisa told her with a half-hearted smile. “Perhaps a bit…envious.”
An understanding smile touched Jules’ soft features. “They remind me of Mother and Father,” Jules replied in a whisper, and two sets of eyes moved to the other end of the terrace where their parents stood side by side, gazing out into the gardens, their hands linked, their heads turned to one another. “I pray that they shall always be as happy.”
Louisa nodded.
“Your time will come,” Jules counseled, gently squeezing Louisa’s hand. “Are you impatient?”
Was she? Louisa wondered. Or had she simply given up hope?
Indeed, she had danced and flirted for more than one Season, trying to find her other half, a man who would set her blood on fire, but who was also—she glanced at Anne and Tobias—her best friend, someone she trusted without hesitation. Did such a man exist for her? Could he ever, considering the secret she kept? The secret she had never shared with another soul?
Looking at her sister, Louisa smiled. “Are you?” she asked instead of answering Jules’ question. After all, her eldest sister was already considered on the shelf by most of society. If she waited any longer…
Her sister swallowed, her gaze dropping for the briefest of moments. “Not everyone is cut out for marriage. I do delight in tending to my family. Perhaps that is my path. Perhaps I need to be open to—”
“You need to get out from under Grandma Edie’s thumb,” Louisa laughed, shaking her head. “The woman monopolizes your time. Perhaps—”
“She needs me,” Jules protested, glancing at their grandmother soundly snoring in an armchair by the pianoforte in the drawing room.
“There are others who could tend to her,” Louisa suggested, noting the tense expression upon Jules’ face.
Her sister shook her head. “It’s not the same as family. I could never leave her.”
“I’m not saying you should, and besides, we are her family, too,” Louisa countered. “Nevertheless, I fail to see why you need to remain glued to her side at every ball, why you cannot even dance one dance, why you’ve never even shared words with a gentleman without her sending you off on another errand the next second.” Her brows rose challengingly. “If you like, I’ll speak to her. You’re the eldest and certainly the most maternal of us, but you’re not alone. We all can see to Grandmother. We are all her family.”
Jules smiled at her warmly. “You have a kind heart, Lou, and I thank you for your consideration. But there is no need. I know how to tend to her best of all, and I do not mind.” She squeezed Louisa’s hand. “Truly.” Still, a hint of sadness lingered in her eyes, and Louisa wondered if her sister genuinely believed what she said.
A shadow fell over them from the side and a deep voice asked, “Have you seen our dear newly-weds?”
Turning to their elder brother, the sisters stilled. “What do you mean?” asked Louisa before her gaze moved to the spot where…Anne and Tobias had been only moments earlier but were no more.
Troy’s brows rose as she looked back at him. “So, it is not my eyesight that is at fault here, is it?” he asked with a sigh, his pale blue gaze sweeping the terrace and the grounds beyond. “Where could they be?”
“Perhaps this was all a bit too overwhelming to them,” Jules suggested with a worried frown. “Perhaps all they need is a moment of rest.”
Louisa suppressed a chuckle at her eldest sister’s innocent words. She glanced at her brother and saw the same restraint upon his face as he cleared his throat, trying not to laugh. “We should find them,” he stated evenly. “Some of the guests are beginning to wonder where they are.”
Louisa nodded. “I’ll go. I know this place better than you do.”
Indeed, in the weeks leading up to Anne’s wedding, Louisa and Leonora—along with their mother and grandmother, of course—had spent a lot of time here together, planning the festive celebration. It was a beautiful house, elegant and tastefully furnished, with a sweeping staircase and a vast library. Anne favored it while Louisa had always steered well clear of it. Tall windows and vaulted ceilings created a warm atmosphere for the sun seemed to make the inside of the stately manor glow whenever it set upon the hill to the west.
Anne loved her new home, and Louisa had to admit that she, too, had come to like it. Or would have if it weren’t for the annoying miscreant lingering within. Although Phineas Hawke had never been known to spend much time at his country estate, he now seemed rarely absent, always nearby, always finding her in the most unexpected of moments, teasing her, annoying her in ways that made Louisa wonder what he was about. Why that sudden interest in her? Was he determined to torment her? To get her to admit loud and clear what he already knew or at least suspected?
Pushing Phineas Hawke from her mind, Louisa rushed inside, her feet carrying her down familiar corridors. She opened doors here and there, peeking inside, before hurrying onward.
“Ah! There you are!” she exclaimed as she stumbled into yet another room in the west wing and spotted the newlyweds in each other’s arms, barely aware of her entrance.
Tobias’ jaw tightened as he turned to look at her, his hands reluctantly releasing his new wife before he took a step back. Anne looked equally displeased with Louisa’s sudden appearance. “What are you doing here?” she demanded as her hands flew over her gown, trying to smooth the wrinkles her husband’s wandering hands had left behind.
Louisa chuckled, “Looking for you. After all, it is your wedding day, and you cannot simply disappear without it being noted.”
Anne sighed and cast her new husband a meaningful look. Relenting, Tobias nodded. “Very well. We’ll return to share in the festivities.” He offered Anne his arm.
Stepping closer, Louisa tucked a loose curl back behind Anne’s ear. “I think that is advisable,” she said grinning, a warm feeling suddenly swelling in her chest. “I do love to see you two so happy.” Her gaze moved from Anne to Tobias. “You must admit you’re quite fortunate to have me as your family. After all, without my assistance, I doubt we’d be here today celebrating your union.”
Tobias laughed, “Are you fishing for a compliment, dear cousin?”
A deep smile came to her face for Louisa had come to care for and admire Tobias greatly. He was a decent and caring young man, and he doted upon Anne as she deserved. “A thank-you will do, dearest Tobias.”
A half-grin upon his face, her new cousin gave her a formal bow. “I’m offering you my deepest gratitude for your wisdom in urging us to recognize the bond between us.” He smiled at his wife, who hung on his arm with a dream-like expression upon her face. “Your determination and selfless sacrifice shall never be forgotten.”
Although endearing, Louisa could not help but feel reminded of Tobias’ miscreant brother. “I must say that is a very unbecoming quality,” she told him with a slight crinkling of her nose. “You sound just like your awful brother.”
At her words, Anne’s eyes widened a little before a bit of a mischievous smile touched upon her lips. “That reminds me,” she said, meeting Louisa’s gaze. “You have yet to fulfill your end of our bargain.”
A cold shiver danced down Louisa’s back as her thoughts were drawn back to the unfortunate moment at Lord Archibald’s house party when she had thoughtlessly offered to kiss the miscreant brother if only Anne would give Tobias a chance. Louisa had been desperate, afraid Anne would throw away her chance at happiness for fear of losing her childhood friend.