by Lucy Monroe
She had no hope of doing so when he touched her intimately. Her body’s betrayal of her was too complete. Though Jared did not seem aware of what it signified. He appeared to regard her response to him as purely physical, which only increased her conviction that his desire for her did not go beyond that of a male animal for his mate.
"Are you ready to see your new home?" he asked.
No. She wasn’t ready to leave the intimacy of the carriage. She did not look forward to seeing the house where another woman had held such sway over Jared. Even if that woman had been Calantha’s friend at one time and dear to her heart. She felt guilty for the jealousy she felt toward Mary, but could not rid herself of it. The prospect of living with a constant reminder of Jared’s obvious tender feelings for another woman was a daunting prospect indeed.
"Yes," she said, knowing it was a lie, but unable to bring herself to say differently.
"We don’t have many servants at present."
Calantha gave up. She was not going back to sleep. Opening her eyes, she sat up and then pulled away from Jared.
She tried to scoot off his lap, but his arms tightened around her. "Stay."
"I am quite awake now. You needn’t feel obliged to hold on to me." She kept her voice even and polite.
In the dim glow of the single carriage lamp, she could see Jared’s eyes narrow. "I like holding you."
"It isn’t proper for you to hold me outside the privacy of our bedchamber."
"You knew I wasn’t Town Polished when you married me, Cali. You are my wife. I’m going to touch you outside of our bedchamber and you might as well get used to it, because that is not going to change."
"You say that a lot," she whispered.
"That I’m not going to change? That’s not true. I’m trying my dam— best not to curse around you. You don’t like it, so I try not to do it, but I won’t give up touching you."
She had noticed Jared stopping mid-word on several occasions and wondered at the reason for his improved language. He was doing it for her.
A soft curl of warmth unfurled inside her. "I wasn’t speaking of your changing. I referred to how often you remind me I am your wife. I assure you, I am not likely to forget."
"And I’m not likely to turn into a tame lapdog and touch my wife only in the privacy of our bedchamber."
Realizing she wasn’t going to move without creating a major scene, she resigned herself to staying where she was.
She tried to act as if her bottom was not resting on the hard warmth of Jared’s thighs. "Why don’t we have many servants?"
"Nervous servants irritate me."
When he didn’t add anything to that cryptic statement, she prodded, "And?"
"And I make most servants nervous. To tell the truth, I make a lot of people nervous. The ton did not name me Lord Beast because they find my looks and size charming."
She did not find his looks and size charming either. She found them enticing, irresistible, and exciting. Charming was much too tame a word for the response Jared’s person elicited in her.
"You are an overwhelming man, husband. I think that were you several inches shorter and had a face unmarred by your heroic past, you would still spark a case of nerves in others. You live by your own rules and expect others to abide by them as well. That is not only unique, but unheard of, among the ton. I think it is the forcefulness of your personality that frightens others, rather than your looks."
"You aren’t afraid of me." He sounded very satisfied by that fact.
"No. I am not. As you keep reminding me, I am your wife. Will you mind if I want you to hire more servants?" She assumed Raven Hall was quite large and she did not wish to see only a few overburdened souls responsible for its upkeep.
"Hire as many as you like. You’ll have to find a new housekeeper, too."
He hadn’t been able to bring himself to replace Mary.
Calantha mentally pulled further into herself, not wanting him to see the hurt that knowledge caused her. "You wish me to hire the new servants?"
"You’ll be in charge of them. It makes sense for you to choose them."
"Deveril did not trust my judgment in such matters." She regretted the words as soon as she spoke them. Deveril and his ugly opinions had no place in her new life with Jared.
Jared squeezed her waist. "The man was a fool. Don’t expect me to repeat his mistakes."
"Is it safe to bring in new servants right now?" Could they be sure that their new servants were not in league with the villain trying to hurt Hannah?
"If you hire from the village, there won’t be a problem. I know the people and their families even if most of them will cross the street rather than walk by me." She was sure he exaggerated the villagers’ reactions, but she could understand them being in awe of him. He was an awesome man. "If you want to hire servants out of London, we’ll have to wait."
"I’m sure there are competent people locally." Contrary to what Jared seemed to believe about her, she was not particularly interested in Town Polish. She had been content to rusticate in the country these past four years and would travel to London with Jared when he requested, but he would never hear her ask to go. She was no longer interested in the Season, or its round of social obligations.
She had spent one Season as the incomparable debutante, the Angel. The following two, she had been Deveril’s wife. Her first Season, she had been shy and frightened by the ton and its ways, having never been out of the district in which her papa had been vicar. Her shyness had been taken as mysterious allure and she had attracted Deveril’s interest.
The next two Seasons had been a source of never ending strain in her life. She did not comport herself like a duchess. She spoke too long to one gentleman to be proper. She was a failure, anything but an angel. The list had been endless and each time she failed, an opportunity for Deveril to unleash his temper against her. She had no happy memories of her time in London and would not care if she never saw the huge city again.
***
As they stood in the entry hall to his home thirty minutes later, Jared watched Cali closely, trying to read her reaction to her surroundings. It was not anything like Clairborne Park, but it was much larger than the cottage she had been living in for the past four years. Raven Hall had been built two centuries ago along the lines of a castle fortress. He found the rough stone structure pleasing, but wondered if Cali would be similarly affected. Or would she dislike the old-fashioned, plain furniture, unadorned rooms and sometimes drafty corridors?
Hannah lay sleeping in his arms, not having stirred when he lifted her from the carriage and carried her inside. Although the hour was late, his few servants had gathered in the hall to welcome their new mistress. Cali took time to greet each of them and find out their names, not showing by so much as a droopy eyelid how exhausted she was.
The trip had been difficult for both her and Hannah, but she had not complained once. She’d been patient, even when Hannah had grown fractious before falling asleep that night. Two days in a closed carriage had been one too many for their daughter.
He waited until Cali finished speaking to the servants before handing Hannah to a footman and instructing the maid that had helped him with the child since Mary’s death to take her to bed. Cali insisted on going with them, to tuck their daughter in and he took the time to inform his butler of the need for heightened security.
He and the servant made the rounds of the house, making sure all the doors and windows were shut tight and locked. After giving instructions to his butler to see to extinguishing the lamps, he followed his wife upstairs.
He found her in the nursery, sitting beside Hannah’s bed and watching the little girl sleep. There was no light in the room except for that coming from the hall through the opened door. The maid had already climbed into the other narrow bed in the room. He had no doubt that Cali had insisted she do so, not wanting to keep the servant up any later. His wife’s tender heart toward others never ceased to amaze him.
H
e laid his hand on her shoulder. "Come."
Her head came up and he looked into blue eyes, softened by her love for their daughter. "All right."
She followed him out of the nursery. Unlike in other houses, Hannah’s nursery was on the same floor as the master and mistress’s bedchambers. He thought grimly of the two connecting rooms and the smaller bed in the room adjacent to his own. Now that she was back to playing the detached duchess, would Cali insist on sleeping in it?
She had made that comment about improper touching in the carriage. Would she expect him to come to her, make love to her and then leave like other proper gentlemen among the ton?
He damn well wasn’t going to put up with it. Sleeping with his arms wrapped around her was too pleasurable. He needed to hold her at night and she needed to be held, confound it. Even if she didn’t know it.
He led her into his chamber, his gaze falling on his huge bed with grim satisfaction. The ancient four-poster was both wide enough and long enough for him to sleep comfortably with his wife.
"Do you want my help undressing?" he asked her, knowing full well she was accustomed to seeing to herself at night, but hoping nevertheless.
"I don’t see my portmanteau or trunk." She turned her head to look at him. "I will need my nightgown."
"I prefer it when you sleep without a nightrail."
Instead of getting all starchy, like he expected, she smiled. "I’ve noticed, but I should like to have it at hand in any case."
"Your things have been put in your room." He opened the door that led to the other chamber and waited for her.
She gave him an enigmatic look. "Are we to have separate rooms, then?"
"It is usual." But he didn’t want it.
He hoped she would admit she liked sharing his bed, but if she didn’t, he was prepared to demand she do so.
"Yes." She walked into the other room and he followed her.
He saw that a maid had laid her nightrail on the bed, probably intending to unpack the rest of Cali’s things the next day. Jenny was supposed to arrive with the remainder of Cali’s clothes in another week, or so. Until then, his wife would have to make do with whatever was packed in the single trunk and portmanteau. Knowing Cali, it wasn’t all clothing. There were books and papers she insisted on bringing with them, while allowing her others to travel with Jenny and the rest of her things later.
She untied the ribbons from the stylish hat she had put back on after her nap. She pulled the straw concoction off and dropped it on the bed, along with her pelisse and gloves.
"Lise seems very nice," she said, referring to the maid that slept in Hannah’s room. "Is she Hannah’s nursemaid?"
"She’s been acting as such since Mary’s death. Before that, she helped in the kitchen."
Cali nodded and sat down to remove her short traveling boots. She managed to do so without showing so much as her ankle. "Is she good with Hannah?"
He had to repeat the question in his mind before it made sense to him because she had gotten her boots off and the sight of her pretty, narrow feet in nothing but stockings turned him on as much as if she’d stood their naked in front of him. Cali’s high arches were kissable and more erotic than he would have thought possible.
"Yes," he replied to her question about the maid being good with Hannah, "she’s patient and lively."
"Does she prefer watching Hannah to helping in the kitchen?"
"How the devil should I know?" He couldn’t read the maid’s mind.
Cali began unpinning her hair, its silky, golden strands falling past her shoulders in long waves. "I take it you haven’t asked."
"No." He’d needed someone to help him with Hannah. Lise had seemed the most logical choice.
"I’ll talk to her tomorrow. If she’s agreeable, I will keep her as Hannah’s nursemaid and find another girl to help in the kitchen when I go into the village."
"Fine." Unable to stand the strain of waiting to find out where she wanted to sleep, he said, "You can keep your things in here, but you will sleep in my bed."
Her head, which had been averted while she worked on braiding her hair, came around to face him. Her eyes were unreadable. "Will I?"
"Yes." He glared at her, prepared to argue all night over that particular dictate, if necessary.
"All right." She stood up. "Would you like to help me with the tapes on my gown?"
He couldn’t believe she had given in so easily, but he wasn’t such a fool that he would question his good fortune. He reached her in a few giant strides. Reaching down, he took hold of her arms and pulled her toward him.
"I’ll help you with more than the tapes," he promised.
Although her face was set in serious lines, her eyes sparkled with mischief and warm passion. "And I’ll help you with your breeches."
***
Three days later, while Jared was occupied with estate business that had come up in his long absence, Calantha called for the carriage and a footman to take her to the village. Now that she had explored her new home, gotten to know the current staff and assessed additional needs, she could begin hiring new servants. The house was much too big to be maintained by the small staff her husband currently employed and she would need help preparing the conservatory for the arrival of her plants.
It was more like an atrium than conservatory, being located on the top floor of the castle-like house between the East and West towers. It had once been a roof walk, but an earlier occupant of Raven Hall had had the area enclosed in glass sometime in the previous century. She had been surprised to discover that Jared did not make use of it and the long narrow room had become something of a storage area.
However, his interest in gardening appeared limited to roses and only those of the hardier outdoor varieties. He investigated new farming techniques for use in his own fields and those of his tenants, but he did not experiment with plant development in a nursery setting. Therefore, the glassed-in room had been neglected. As had much of the house.
The sparse staff had all they could do, keeping the used living areas presentable. That would change now. Calantha was intent on making Jared’s entire house his home. She made a mental list of all the people she would need to hire as she waited in the cavernous hall for the carriage to be brought round. She’d already spoken to Lise and discovered the girl liked being a nursemaid. Watching her with Hannah, Cali had seen that Jared was right. The maid was very good with the little girl.
That meant Calantha needed a kitchen maid, an upstairs maid, another parlor maid, two more footmen, a chamber maid and a housekeeper. She would call on the vicar’s wife and ask for recommendations and while she was in the village, she would pay her respects at Mary’s grave. She wanted to say her goodbyes.
***
Mrs. Freely, the vicar’s wife, smiled with warm approval at Calantha. "I’m so pleased the viscount has married. The good book says that it wasn’t good for man to be alone, so God made woman. It will take a very special woman to help the viscount out of his solitude. He lives alone there at Raven Hall, with barely a servant to speak of and I don’t think he even realizes how isolated he is."
Calantha was not surprised by the other woman’s insight. A vicar’s wife was expected to know the people in her husband’s congregation. Her own mother had been aware of far more than her father could fathom about what transpired amidst the peopled he’d been called to serve.
Calantha pulled out several sheets of foolscap from her reticule and a pencil. "That is one of the reason’s I’ve come to call today."
Mrs. Freely looked curiously at the blank paper. "Oh?"
"I need to hire several more servants. The scant staff we now employ simply will not do."
And Jared had given her permission to rectify the situation. He had not even reserved the right for final approval, but she had every intention of getting his opinion before making her decisions about who to employ. He knew the people and their backgrounds much better than she did.
Mrs. Freely nodded her mobcap
ped head, her rounded face expressing serious consideration of Calantha’s words. "I’ve wondered more than once how they get on at Raven Hall, now that Mary is gone. A gentleman can’t do much without a housekeeper when he doesn’t have a wife to see that things get done."
"Do you have any recommendations for a woman to fill the post?" Calantha asked.
"There’s always the old housekeeper. She went to work for a local squire when Lord Ravenswood hired Mary to take her place. She’d be pleased to return to a viscount’s household, I’m sure."
Calantha remembered Jared saying the woman had refused to let Mary work for her as a maid because the girl was pregnant and unmarried. "I think not. I should like someone who will fit into our household more easily than she could."
She didn’t know if Jared’s vicar and his wife knew that he had adopted Hannah, but the time had come to make sure they did. "Ravenswood and I are raising Hannah as our own. I could not hire a woman who had refused to work with her mother. I much prefer a housekeeper who will naturally show my daughter every respect due her."
The other woman’s eyes widened. "I did not realize he planned to make the arrangement official."
Calantha smiled a polite, social smile. No doubt the locals believed that Jared was Hannah’s real father. "I assure you, the arrangement is quite official. Can you think of a woman who would make a suitable housekeeper for Raven Hall?"
Mrs. Freely could, along with possible maids, footmen and additional help for the stables if necessary. Fifteen minutes later, Calantha had a list of no less than twelve people to interview.
She stood, fully aware that the prescribed twenty minutes for a call had passed. "Thank you so much for your help in this matter."
Mrs. Freely stood as well, her short, rounded body bobbing in a half-curtsy. "Not at all. If I can be of service to you in any other way, please let me know."
Calantha returned the curtsy. "Thank you. You are too kind."