For Reed, luncheon turned out to be uncomfortable more than delicious.
Thea patted Bekah, but she whined and raised a shoulder to shake their chaperone off like a pesky fly, but the woman ignored rejection and continued to fawn, until Bekah went to hide her face against Chastity’s skirts.
Chastity offered Thea an apologetic smile. “Bekah is shy.”
“Or ill-mannered.” Thea’s flash of malice made Chastity haul Bekah on her lap.
Meanwhile, it raised the hair on the back of Reed’s neck. “She is shy,” he said, wondering what ailed them all. Why could they not be grateful for Thea’s help with cooking and cleaning? He could, now, look for the proof he needed, Chastity with him, as planned.
If he believed in such things, he might call Thea a Godsend—and if he believed that, he would be a happy man, but he was not, damn it. He was uneasy. “Thank you, Miss Pomfret,” he said, accepting a plate of roast duck and parsnips, trying to give her a chance. “It smells delicious.” He took a bite. “And it tastes better.”
The woman preened as if he had given her diamonds. “What do you think?” she asked Chastity.
“It’s good,” Chastity said, almost reluctantly. “Very good. Delicious.” She smiled. “Thank you, Thea.”
The children’s appetites spoke of their enjoyment, but Reed could see that they were reluctant to hurt Chastity’s feelings, and he decided that their manners were better than he thought.
“I do love a man with a hearty appetite,” Thea said, watching him. “You eat with the same enthusiasm as Edward.”
Reed looked up in surprise. “Edward?”
Thea colored. “Edward St. Yves, his lordship.”
“You did know the Earl of Barrington, then?”
“I did, yes.” She looked into the distance as if gazing into the eyes of a lover, and Reed rubbed the back of his neck, again.
“Did he have a son?” Chastity asked.
“We grew up together, but I can tell you nothing of his life after his marriage.”
Chastity looked puzzled. “Your family moved away?”
“No, but neither did we move in the same circles. There was talk of children, but it was foolishness, and we at the Vicarage never pass gossip, you understand?”
Thea had just put Chastity in her place, Reed thought, and lost her chance to win his, or the children’s approval in the bargain.
Stunned speechless, Chastity wished her unease in the woman’s presence did not already lean toward a strong dislike. Thea seemed fond of children, but did not know how to relate to them. To be fair, the woman did know her way around a kitchen. So what was there about her that seemed so ... off-balance? She was pleasant and pretty, with smooth alabaster skin, despite her age, in stunning contrast to her ebon hair. She bore the kind of figure often compared to an hourglass. Each of her movements seemed planned, however, to display her body, as if it were her greatest asset. Chastity had never seen the like. Even Thea’s smile seemed perfect, except that it did not reach her eyes.
No matter how Chastity tried, she could not like the woman. “Delicious dinner, Miss Pomfret. Was it not, children?”
“I s’pose,” Matt said, while Bekah shook her head in denial, and Mark shrugged.
“I like Kitty’s cookin’ better,” Luke said.
“They’re trying to make me feel better,” Chastity told Thea, “but they ate your tarts, rather than stashing them.”
Reed chuckled as he ushered the children out to work in the garden. “What time is dinner?” he stopped to ask, but Chastity hauled him out the door before he got an answer.
“Reed, come see my flying machine,” Luke said.
“No time to play; we have chores to do in the garden.”
“Aw Reed, we never have time to play, anymore.”
“You have more time than I ever did. Come along, now. We need to work together.”
“Alright,” Luke said, so disappointed, Chastity felt sorry for him. But Reed was right, they must work together.
“I need help getting the barrow and tools,” Reed said.
“Kitty will help you.” Matt proceeded to the garden, looking better than he had since he’d been sick all over Reed. “We’ll start weeding.”
“Come, my betrothed.” Reed took her arm in his.
Chastity opened her mouth to protest and changed her mind. Though their betrothal was a sham, a game of sorts, it would be fun to be courted, to see what he meant about his inclinations. A shiver of anticipation coursed through her as she remembered him in her room the night before.
Reed was still smiling when he knelt in the rich moist earth some time later. He should not tease Chastity over their betrothal, but she deserved it. He had forgiven her rather easily for trying to make him believe she was a nun, after all.
He reached for a handful of beans at the same time she did, and when their fingers met, he’d swear they set off a spark that surprised them both.
He liked working beside her, and was amused by the children’s ploys to throw them together. If Chastity knew how he encouraged the imps, she would skin him like a chicken for the pot. He grinned.
“Pull that small plant, Luke, to allow the larger one beside it to flourish. There you go. Be careful not to take the strong with the weak. Sometimes they’re so close, the roots tangle.”
Mark looked up, but said nothing. That boy would not reveal any of his needs, not even for a gardening lesson, but there was no doubt in Reed’s mind that Mark listened to his instructions and followed them to the letter. Mark must learn to trust—though he would never admit it—that he and Chastity had his family’s best interests in mind.
Luke returned with the barrow, now empty of weeds, and set it down. “Wow! What’s that?” He leaned down and placed his hand under Reed’s chin to direct his gaze.
“Wow is right.” Reed stood, unconsciously seeking Luke’s hand. “It’s a hot air balloon. Amazing the way it hangs as if suspended, like one of DaVinci’s drawings, come to life.”
A miniature man leaning over the basket waved. “Ho, the ground,” he called as the amazing contraption floated past, heading in the direction of an abandoned pasture.
“Ho, the balloon!” Reed yelled, cupping his hands about his mouth. “Bring her down!”
The man waved in answer. “Clear the way.”
“Oh my,” Chastity said, catching Reed’s attention. If her eyes got any wider or brighter, he would be too captivated to function.
Reed expelled a breath of appreciation. A man could get lost in such a wondrous expression. “I have a mind to soar today,” he said, not taking his gaze from hers. “Let’s go.”
Chastity blushed and Luke shouted, “Yes!” and ran toward the descending airship, his brothers right behind.
Reed sought Bekah with his gaze and found her beside the garden, where she sat watching him. The single braid he had put in her hair that morning—she never let Chastity braid it—touched the grass behind her. Her eyes were as wide as Chastity’s, as she gazed at the marvel of design floating above them.
Reed dashed over and lifted her like a sack of grain, his arm about her middle, her head and feet dangling. Then he ran and caught Chastity’s hand, pulling her behind them.
An odd sound, like a snicker, caught Reed’s attention, until it became what could only be termed a full-scale giggle, and he saw that it was not Chastity, though her smile was wide and her breathing quick.
Reed stopped so fast, Chastity ran into him, and was knocked to the ground, escalating the giggle, but by the time Reed got Chastity on her feet, the laughter had stopped. “Did you hear that?”
Chastity raised her chin. “What?”
Chastity had said damnation when she hit the ground, but that was not was he meant. Reed grinned. “Not that. I thought you were laugh—” And then it hit him. He winked at Chastity and ran a circle around her, jiggling his tiny passenger for all she was worth.
The snicker commenced again and grew into a giggle, the likes of which expanded his hear
t to such a degree that it ached, and rose to form a lump in his throat.
Chastity’s eyes filled.
Reed stopped running and the lovely sound slowed to hiccupping snickers, which escaped at intervals. He hooked his arm with Chastity’s and they ran in circles together, until they were, all three, laughing so hard, they could hardly breathe.
Reed stopped to toss Bekah in the air, and her laughter trebled. Then the mite closed her arms around his neck and he was hugging her, her tiny face soft against his cheek, her giggles magnified in his ear. And Reed thought that he could regard the joy on Chastity’s face, and listen to the giggle on Bekah’s lips, for the rest of his days and never tire.
He was shocked, however, when Chastity’s laughter turned, for no reason, to tears, which explained why and how someone could weep with joy.
Reed pulled Chastity close and kissed her brow, then he held Bekah so they could both see her face, but when she saw Chastity’s tears, her smile faded. So Reed dangled and jiggled her again, took Chastity’s hand, and they ran toward the boys, waiting up ahead.
“Listen up boys,” Reed said when they got there. “Have you ever heard this sound?” He shook Bekah like a sack of grain, upsetting her brothers on the instant.
Mark took an aggressive step forward, until he heard the giggle.
Luke lay himself down on the grass beneath Bekah’s face to watch. “She looks stupid upside down,” he said. “But that’s our Bekah, all right, makin’ all that noise.” He rose grinning. “Mark, Bekah’s laughing. Our Bekah.”
“Thank you, sir,” Matt said to Reed.
Mark ruffled Bekah’s hair and gave Reed a nod, and Reed realized that Bekah was not the only Jessop who could speak without words.
What a day.
The balloon navigator’s name was Giles Laporte, from Canada, and he loved his rotund air ship.
“Our father went to Canada,” Mark said.
“Did not,” Matt said.
“Did too. I heard Mum say so.”
Reed held Matt and Mark apart, stopping a fight before it began. “We will discuss our manners before others, later.”
“Did you fly your balloon over the ocean?” Luke asked.
“No, young man, I did not. I packed it up and brought it on a voyage so rough, it made me worry that I’d end up beneath the sea rather than above the clouds.”
Though Chastity was struck at the reminder of her husband’s passing, Reed saw that her sadness passed with the children’s questions.
Giles explained to Matt that you couldn’t see much from above the clouds, except cloud-tops, like mounded goose-feathers, said he, and the children laughed, except Bekah who would only do so if shaken.
Reed didn’t care. He would shake on demand anytime.
“One cannot breathe well up there,” Giles said. “I rose above the clouds, but once, close enough to know I’d not go that far again, merci beaucoup.”
Giles agreed to let Reed take each child up for a short ride, but he was superstitious and could not be talked into letting the family go up together. “Tempting fate,” he said. “One at a time, s’il vous plait, with Monsieur Reed, while I hold the drop line like a tether.”
Matt asked a dozen questions, and being the man of his family insisted upon going first to make certain it was safe, after which, he gave permission for his brothers and sister to accompany Reed in turn.
Mark all-out smiled during his ride, and Reed felt as if the day had been a gift.
Luke never stopped talking as Reed took him up—about flying machines, of course—though Luke’s talking non-stop was nothing new.
When Reed took Rebekah up, she held his neck so tight, he thought he would choke. At first, he was afraid he would have a difficult time maneuvering, but he need not have worried. Bekah’s grip was strong enough for both of them.
And then it was Chastity’s turn. Reed wanted to take her higher and further. As the balloon rose, the boys’ cheers grew dim. The brisk wind slapped Chastity’s braid—fiery from the sun—against her cheeks and his, making them both grin, excitement sparkling in her amethyst eyes.
When a strong gust tilted the basket, she screeched and reached for him, and Reed slid his arms around her, pulling the soft length of her full against him. “The children are getting smaller and smaller,” she said looking down, holding tight. He slid his hand down her spine till he cupped her bottom and molded her closer. She gazed into his eyes. “I feel as if we’re the only two people in the world.”
“I would venture to guess we’re the only two in the heavens.”
She smiled and he kissed her, softly at first, but with a pressure to parallel their ascent, except, for Reed, desire soared much more swiftly. The day for them had been one of laughter, discovery, and wonder. Reed could think of no woman he would rather share them with. Could another, anywhere, have made him yearn for things he never wanted?
If solitude and peace equaled happiness, as he always thought, then he should be happier if he were up here alone, which was wrong. His old notions now seemed as insubstantial as the clouds close enough to touch.
Life before Chastity had been dull, though, truth to tell, he had never remained celibate so long. He kissed her pink nose, held her in his arms, while from heaven, they watched the world drift silently by.
To keep the perfect moment from coming to a quick end, Reed fired the engine. As the gas heated, the balloon rose swiftly. “Hold on my sweet seductress while I fly away with you.”
At first, Chastity seemed enchanted by the prospect, then doubt dimmed the spark in her eyes, and paled her smile’s brilliance, and Reed mourned both.
She shook her head. “We’ve gone too far. The children have stopped laughing. They’re afraid to lose us.”
“They will lose me,” he said, reminding himself as well as her.
“They will never lose me,” she countered, the nature of the kiss she initiated revealing her warring emotions. “We have to go back,” she whispered against his lips some time later.
“The proverbial return to earth.” Reed pulled a bit away, but did not let go. “Not until I prove that heaven is better.” He initiated a second kiss, so potent, he hated to come up for air.
“You’re right,” Chastity said, breathless some minutes later. “Heaven is better, but earth is where we belong, for now.” She removed her arms from around his neck and stepped back.
‘Twas for the best, Reed thought. The seductress was destroying barriers better left in place. If he let her, she would make him forget his need for peace in a twinkling, and he could not make that mistake again.
Lord, what would his future be like without her? He touched her cheek. “Farewell.”
Her eyes dimmed. She shifted her gaze downward, toward earth, and only smiled again when they heard the children’s cheers and could see their excitement.
When Giles bid them farewell, Reed expected long faces, but the festive mood pervaded, one he was loathe to dispel. As they made their way back, he stopped walking. “I proclaim this a Sunnyledge holiday, to be celebrated yearly on this date.”
“What holiday?” Chastity asked.
“Why, it’s ... Everybody’s Birthday Day.” His date of birth, of them all, was the only one known, and that was suspect. “I believe a picnic observance is in order. I shall fetch blankets. Chastity, I’m sure Thea can prepare something delicious for a lazy picnic.” He prodded her with a two-handed nudge against her bottom, to the children’s delight. “Go quickly, I say. Our festivities cannot begin without our Lady fair.”
“Or that delicious food?” Chastity said, coyly turning to him, one brow raised.
“We shall meet by yon lake. Rebekah, go and help Chastity. Boys, come with me.”
“We’ll wait by the water,” Luke said.
Chastity and Reed both laughed. “You mean in the water.” Reed ruffled Luke’s hair. “Not bloody likely. Oh, sorry, Chastity.” He turned back to the boys. “You’ll go in when we’re watching you, and not a min
ute before.”
Later, with Thea’s picnic a fond memory, the boys begged for a swim and Reed allowed them a dip, after making certain the water was reasonably shallow.
Rebekah slept, thumb in her mouth, and Reed pulled the corner of the blanket over her. Chastity too looked sleepy, so he leaned against the tree under which they spread the blanket and pulled her against him. “Close your eyes,” he whispered in her ear. I’ll watch the boys while you sleep.”
Wind whistled through the oat grass, bees’ hummed their busy song, and children’s laughter floated on the breeze, as awareness filled Chastity. Reed caressed the underside of a breast, sending spirals of life to the most absurd places. How odd to awaken to a contentment akin to the bliss of sleep, though infinitely more stimulating.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that Rebekah slept still, though in a position as changed as that of the sun in the sky, while the boys still frolicked in the water. Chastity turned in Reed’s arms to face him. “The boys are playing differently, less like they’re stealing something, and more like happy children. Thank you for that. For today.”
“I guess I lost my childhood when I learned that I did not belong to the people I thought were my parents, and I never had one since. I did not realize I was taking theirs away by making them work all the time. You’ve taught me to see life in a different way, Chastity, though I’m not certain I should let you know you have such power.”
If he knew his power over her, Chastity thought, he would know how small was hers in comparison. “Is that why you’re determined to take your place in society?”
“Society, be damned. I need to know who I am. What kind of parents did I have? Why was I not good enough to keep?”
“Did it ever occur to you that perhaps your parents had no choice? Or that they did what was best for you?”
“Certainly, anyone in their right mind could see that the Gilbrides would make wonderful parents to a child to whom they begrudged every scrap of food and inch of space.” He shook his head.
Chastity took his hand and ran her thumb over his fingers. “When I was thirteen, and sad that my mother gave me away, Sister Bertha said that sometimes our greatest sacrifice can be disguised as our greatest failure.”
Unmistakable Rogue Page 17
