Nobody’s Darling

by Nobody’s Darling (retail) (epub)

  When the door was opened and they were ushered into the house, Teresa entered with all the grace and poise of a lady. But her thoughts were far from ladylike. They would have shamed any loose woman from the streets. Dark and dangerous thoughts, thoughts of lust and nakedness. Thoughts that warmed and thrilled her beyond her wildest imaginings. Now, as the party was taken along the hallway, she was actually smiling to herself. In her mind’s eye she could see Johnny’s strong body writhing on top of hers, she could almost feel his nakedness against hers, and the thought of his dark brooding eyes burning with passion at her touch was almost more than she could bear. Tonight! There would never be a better time to make her move. With that old fool Thomas out of the way, and Johnny unsuspecting, there was nothing to keep her from him. Oh, the evening could not go quickly enough for her.

  * * *

  The guests were now congregating in the drawing-room. Cicely was at the door, waiting to greet the Arnold family. ‘I’m delighted you could come,’ she said, extending greetings first to the father, then to his children, male first. When it was Teresa’s turn, Cicely found it hard not to stare. She was astonished by the young woman’s dark beauty. ‘This is my very dear friend, Miss Miller… Miss Ruby Miller,’ she said, and drawing Ruby forward, proudly presented her to the Arnold family, just as she had presented her to every guest who had entered the house on this Christmas Evening.

  By this time, Ruby was used to being thrust forward and regarded by curious eyes. Yet she was not prepared for the envy in Teresa Arnold’s, and she was shocked by the intimate smile bestowed on her by Luke. ‘Your friend is very lovely,’ he told Cicely, while holding Ruby’s hand and staring at her with blatant admiration. ‘No doubt we will have time to talk later?’ The question was addressed directly to Ruby.

  ‘No doubt,’ she agreed, her ready smile lighting up her beauty until it dazzled him. But she had taken an instant dislike to this arrogant young man, and they would not have ‘time to talk’. Not if she could help it, they wouldn’t!

  The formalities were over. Guest mingled with guest and the aperitifs were brought round. Soon the announcement was made that dinner would be served, and the guests assembled in pairs, with Jeffrey Banks and his daughter leading the procession to the dining-room. Somehow Ruby found herself linking arms with Luke Arnold. He held her too close, and smiled too often, and when he drew out her chair – before taking up position opposite from where he could watch her every move – he deliberately brushed her bare arm with the palm of his hand. She shivered. Even the touch of him was obnoxious to her. Something else too worried Ruby; she and Cicely had gone through every eventuality for this evening, and because of her own experience at waiting table, Ruby had become suitably familiar with etiquette and proper manners. So she was assured that nothing could possibly go wrong. At first, she had been dreadfully nervous. Every time the master looked her way, she was convinced he was waiting for the slightest opportunity to expel her from the room, perhaps even from the house. But he had kept his distance, Cicely had guided her well, and as a result her confidence had grown.

  Now, though, one intimate smiling glance from Luke Arnold had threatened it all. She wondered whether he might somehow have guessed that, far from being what Cicely would have them believe, she was no more than a paid servant in this house. Riddled with doubt, she asked herself whether in some way he had discovered her secret. Perhaps he’d seen her in that subservient role at some time or another? Although she could never remember seeing him here in this house. If not, then why was he secretly smiling at her like that? It was an unnerving smile, too curious and too wicked altogether. Had she done something to provoke his suspicions? Had she given the game away by some slight mannerism? She began to panic. What was he playing at? Why was he staring at her like that? Why were his eyes on her every time she glanced up? He was a devil!

  ‘Calm yourself, Ruby,’ she muttered. ‘The bugger can’t know anything. He’s just a rake looking for a bed-mate, I shouldn’t wonder.’ She grew angry then, bolder. No, he couldn’t possibly know. There was no way he could have guessed. In which case, why should he be allowed to spoil her big night out? Well, she wouldn’t let him. If he had something to say, then he’d have to come right out and say it, instead of playing cat and mouse with her.

  Her fighting spirit had returned now she began boldly to return his surreptitious smiles. ‘You little sod, Ruby Miller! she chuckled under her breath. ‘You’re nothing but a hussy.’ All the same, she was actually enjoying herself, and Luke Arnold was all the more bewitched by her.

  All evening he could not take his eyes off this vibrant young thing who had caught his imagination. Ruby Miller was everything he admired in a woman. She was incredibly lovely, with her wild brown hair so thick and rich about her heart-shaped face, and eyes that were the deepest blue then black. All the while they teased and twisted his emotions, like nothing he had ever experienced. She was coy, then she was bold; she was smiling, inviting and pleasing him, then she was ignoring him altogether. All evening long he was tormented by her, and the meal seemed never-ending.

  The dinner began with soup, then came the fish and side dishes of succulent meats, then the entrees and the roasts, and on to the savouries and sweets, followed by the dessert of sweetmeats, fruit, nuts and bonbons. Finally the moment came when Cicely caught the ladies’ eyes, signalling that it was time for the men to be left to their port, and the ladies to depart to the drawing-room.

  From the drawing-room, the connecting doors to the ‘great room’ which was reserved for occasions such as this, were opened out to create a wonderful setting for entertainment. In one corner stood a huge Christmas tree, beautifully decorated and sparkling with tinsel stars. The splendid fireplace boasted heaped logs which merrily blazed, sending out a cheery glow over the whole room; the candles in the chandelier flickered and danced and altogether the whole ambience was delightful. At the farthest end the casement doors opened out into the conservatory, and from there the night sky could be seen, black and shifting, with the moon hanging low, and the stars glittering far off. To one side of the casement doors, the string quartet played a medley of gentle tunes. Altogether it was the most wonderful setting for a pleasant event.

  Cicely had arranged the furniture to ensure that there were seats for everyone, providing secluded little corners for those who wished to talk privately, circles for those who felt the need to converse widely, and even an area where those who had the urge to dance could indulge to their heart’s content. ‘Please make yourselves comfortable, ladies,’ she said as they filed into the room. Soon coffee was served and the buzz of conversation rippled through the air. Cicely breathed a sigh of relief, and Ruby stayed close to her. But then came the inevitable questions. Where did you say you live, my dear?’ An old dowager peered at Ruby and everyone held their breath, all eager and waiting for her answer. This attractive young lady had made them all curious, and they were impatient to learn of her background. Teresa in particular watched her intently.

  Ruby took a deep breath and tried to remember what Cicely had told her. ‘Manchester,’ she replied, and Cicely nodded approvingly. ‘My family come from Manchester.’ She had been warned that this inquisition would start the minute the ladies were divided from the men, and though she was well prepared, she didn’t like it. Not at all.

  ‘Ah!’ A second lady leaned forward and addressed Ruby in a loud voice. ‘Then you should know of the Morrimers… a very well established, extremely wealthy family. Came down from nobility, I believe.’

  Ruby swallowed hard. ‘I’ve never personally made acquaintance with them,’ she replied tactfully. Glancing nervously at Cicely, she was reassured by her warm smile. ‘Sorry,’ she said lamely, and the woman grunted, immediately settling back into her seat and muttering under her breath.

  The questions came thick and fast. ‘Where did you attend school?’… ‘What business is your family in?’

  Without actually lying, Ruby answered as best she could, and though h
er answers were deliberately vague, they appeared to satisfy. At last, and much to both Ruby and Cicely’s relief, the doors opened and Jeffrey Banks brought the men into the room. The women were soon on their feet, and little groups began to form. One or two daring couples took to the dance-floor, and it wasn’t long before gentle laughter floated through the buzz of conversation.

  Cicely and Ruby withdrew to the conservatory. It was more peaceful in there, no candles or lamps, and only the stars and moon to light it, together with an incoming shaft of lamplight from the adjoining rom. This had always been Cicely’s favourite place. ‘I’m proud of you,’ she said, hugging Ruby with all her might.

  Ruby sighed aloud. ‘I couldn’t have done it without you, she said, gently breaking away and falling heavily into an ornate wrought iron seat. ‘I was scared to death in there just now. Did you see that awful Teresa Arnold staring at me? I’m sure she saw what a fraud I was.’ Just like her brother, she thought bitterly.

  ‘Nonsense!’ Cicely sat beside her. ‘You fooled them all. It’s like I said, Ruby… you are as much a lady as any one of them.’ She might have said more, but her duties as hostess called for her to return to the other room. ‘I won’t be long,’ she promised, adding with a little laugh, ‘I have orders from Father to be particularly nice to the Arnold family.’

  ‘Rather you than me,’ Ruby answered, thinking of the son and the way he made her feel nervous. ‘But you go ahead. I’ll be all right.’ After Cicely had gone, Ruby pressed herself tighter into her shadowy corner. Noise and laughter filtered through the great room where everyone appeared to be enjoying the evening to the full. She was much happier where she was, here in this quiet shadowy place. Suddenly she felt dreadfully alone. Above all else, she missed her mam. She missed that homely busy figure flitting about; she missed Dolly’s constant chatter, and she missed the children’s arguing. It was Christmas Eve and this was the very first time she had not spent it at home with her family. Right now the children would be dreaming of tomorrow morning, and what Father Christmas might bring. And she wouldn’t be there to see their faces when they opened the tiny parcels beneath the modest tree in the parlour.

  On top of all that, it was her birthday tomorrow. ‘Oh, Mam, I’m sorry,’ she murmured. And suddenly, she wanted to go home. Being a ‘lady’ wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Oh, she still wanted to be rich, and she wanted to dress in fine clothes. And her burning desire to lift her family to the heights burned just as brightly as before. But she had seen enough here tonight to know that there wasn’t one woman out there who could match up to her own mother. In her heart, Ruby knew she could never be one of them, and wondered why it was that money and power made some people believe that they were a cut above the rest.

  Lost in thoughts of home and family, she didn’t hear the soft footsteps that brought Luke Arnold to the door of the conservatory. ‘All alone are we?’ The low resonant voice reached into the shadows and suddenly the room was dark and forbidding.

  Startled, Ruby glanced up to see the outline of a man silhouetted against the light from the other room. Almost at once she recognised the thick-set figure of Oliver Arnold’s son, and a faint rush of fear rippled through her. He was one of those people who gave the impression that he could see through and into the soul. She stiffened as he came forward. ‘I had no idea there was anyone in here, he lied. ‘Although, of course, I did wonder where you’d got to.’ Easing himself into the seat beside her, he murmured, ‘Besides, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you all evening.’

  ‘Really, Mr Arnold?’ She feigned surprise, although she suspected he was lying and had known all along that she was in here. No doubt he had seen Cicely come out and realised Ruby was alone. ‘I wouldn’t have thought we had anything to talk about, she replied. ‘So if you’ll excuse me?’ she added in that stately voice which had carried her successfully through tonight’s adventure. ‘I was just about to return to the other room.’ His nearness bothered her. He was so close she could smell his clothes – not the rough harsh smell that enveloped her father but a rich tweedy aroma mingling with a faint perfume. It filled her head and made her giddy. And when he leaned forward to place his hand on hers, her throat almost closed and she found it hard to breathe. Strange how in that moment she thought about Johnny, with his honest handsome face and strong dark eyes; she shivered with delight in remembering the way he had kissed her. She wished he was here right now. Johnny would soon have this bloke on the run, she thought. ‘I’d better get back,’ she insisted with a gracious smile. But when she made to rise, he laid the palm of his hand on her shoulder and gently pressed her down again.

  ‘Oh now, please. Don’t walk out on me, Miss Miller. Ruby,’ he pleaded, adding as an afterthought, ‘I hope you don’t mind my calling you Ruby?’ She didn’t answer. ‘You’re not shy, I know that,’ he went on regardless. ‘In fact, during dinner I got the impression that you were interested in me. Was I right?’

  ‘You couldn’t be more wrong,’ she told him sharply.

  ‘I don’t believe you.’ He was deeply aroused. All evening she had raised a need in him, and now that he had her here, just the two of them in this darkened room, he wasn’t about to let her go that easily. He was also pleasantly amused, believing in his arrogance that she was merely toying with him. But there was no harm in playing her game. It entertained him, and the reward would be worth it, he was sure. Ruby had attracted him like no other woman he could remember. In fact she was nothing like the young ladies he had met through these dreary social events. Yet he couldn’t put his finger on it. Certainly she was more gutsy and, unlike the cotton-headed butterflies he had previously encountered, she seemed an intelligent little thing. Put her alongside Jeffrey Banks’s daughter, and the comparison was startling; where Cicely was delicate and fair, without fire and substance, Ruby Miller was real and alive. You could almost touch the unique aura that surrounded her. All the same, she was less genteel than Cicely, not quite ‘polished’, and yet Ruby had a certain style, a particular substance that lifted her above the crowd.

  There was something odd though. Something that had kept him guessing. She was out of place here! And yet she was not. It was puzzling. Oh, but all that aside, her dark beauty fascinated him, stirred his loins and made him careless. He wanted her, here and now. Even with all those people in the next room, he desperately wanted her. ‘Why is it that we’ve never met before?’ he persisted softly. ‘I’ve been to more than a few social gatherings, but I can’t recall ever seeing you.’ The frown in his forehead deepened. ‘I know I would have remembered someone like you.’

  ‘Ruby sensed his doubt and was on her guard. ‘I expect we don’t move in the same circles,’ she said casually.

  He was leaning towards her, his eyes searching her face. Seeming not to have heard her answer, he went on, ‘You really are refreshingly different… innocent, I suppose,’ he remarked. He was flushed with brandy and the smell wafted towards her. There was something about him that was frightening, and yet he was devastatingly charming. He looked at her a moment longer, and wondered how old she was. Her skin was pure as cream and there was a delightful honesty about her that appealed to him. She seemed almost like a child. Yet she was no child. In her daring ocean blue eyes he saw only a woman, a beautiful, desirable woman. ‘Miller?’ he studied the name. ‘Miller?… No, I can’t say I’ve heard that name.’ His curiosity was heightening by the minute. But then he sensed her intention of leaving, and he couldn’t let that happen. ‘You’re the loveliest creature I’ve ever seen,’ he murmured, sliding his arm round her shoulders and pushing his face close to hers. ‘What say we take a carriage somewhere… just you and me?’

  ‘We’ll do no such thing!’ Ruby told him, staring into his face and prising his hand from her shoulder. Bloody cheek! she thought indignantly. He must think I’m easy game. There was no doubt he was handsome. And there was no doubt he had supped too much brandy because his face was warm and pink and he was leaning too heavily on her.


  ‘You and me could have a wonderful time,’ he insisted. When he saw that his words were only making her struggle all the more, he thrust one hand into his jacket pocket, searching for his wallet. He laughed softly. ‘I see,’ he said knowingly. ‘Your favours come dearly, do they? Well, if it’s money you’re after, I’ll dress you from top to toe in it.’ When she pulled away, he was further aroused. ‘You little wild-cat!’ he growled. Suddenly, his hands were all over her. One minute he was fondling her breasts and the next tugging at her skirt, sliding his hand up to her thigh and groaning, ‘Come on, don’t tease. You can see the way it is with me.’

  In the heat of the moment, and incensed by his treatment of her Ruby forgot herself. ‘Get your hands off me, you drunken bugger!’ she snapped, lashing out at him. ‘I don’t want you and I don’t want your money neither.’ In her anger she had lost the fine edge to her voice and he stared at her in astonishment. Her heart sank as she realised that she’d given the game away.

  Suddenly he was laughing out loud, rocking back in his seat. Incensed, she scrambled out of her seat then she lifted her hand and slapped it hard against his mouth. ‘I may only be a lady’s maid, she said in a trembling voice, ‘but I won’t be handled like no woman off the streets!’ With a snort and an angry twist of her trim shoulders, she marched away. ‘Men like you want dunking in a tub of cold water!’ she called after her.

  Luke was stunned and enraged. Never in the whole of his experience had he been smacked across the mouth by a member of the opposite sex. It was a new and humiliating experience, and hell would freeze over before it ever happened again! ‘Little bitch,’ he snarled, delicately patting his painful jaw. He dabbed at his mouth with his fingertips then held them up. He was shocked to see that his mouth was actually bleeding. ‘Cheap little vixen,’ he hissed, taking out his handkerchief and mopping at the offending spot.