The Danice Allen Anthology

by Danice Allen

  “Perhaps when the marriage is loveless, passionless,” Alex suggested. “But Beth’s a taking little thing, and you love her, don’t you?” Why was he holding his breath?

  “Lord, yes, I love her,” Zach admitted with a disarming crooked smile. “Always have. To tell the truth, I think I’d rather make love to her than to Tess tonight. Something new, you know. And as you said, she’s a taking little thing, and full of passion, I’ll wager. But she won’t let me touch her till that blasted golden band’s on her finger. Women, eh?”

  Alex released the breath he’d been holding. “Then why don’t you set the date for the wedding?” he asked, his tone even and expressionless. “No one will fault you for not observing a year’s mourning period for your grandfather. You were engaged before he got ill, and people aren’t such sticklers for propriety ’round here that they’d take offense, are they?”

  “You’d be surprised how stiff-rumped people can be, brother,” Zach returned ruefully. “I’ve got myself quite a reputation for wenching already. And only by doing what comes natural to a man!”

  “But back to Beth …” Alex was about to bring up the date of the nuptials again, to try to urge an earlier wedding. The sooner Beth was married to his brother, perhaps the sooner he could pry her constant image out of his thoughts and dreams. But a movement over by the rock wall that jutted out from the cliffs, just where they’d climbed down from above, drew his attention. Was someone spying on them?

  Without appearing to watch, Alex kept an eye on the rock wall. He continued to converse with his brother but steered the topic away from Beth and women and to another area of mutual interest—horses. Zach didn’t seem to notice or mind in the least.

  There it was again! Though he was several feet away from the wall, he did not doubt that what he saw was a long lock of chestnut hair flying out from behind the rock on the wings of a sea breeze. There was no mistaking whom the lock of hair belonged to. He’d memorized the rich, glossy color long ago. Beth was watching them. Beth was seeing them—him—naked!

  He ought to cover himself, he supposed. Unobtrusively, of course. He didn’t want to embarrass her by revealing that he knew she was hiding there, watching them. But somehow, God help him, he didn’t want to cover himself. He liked the idea that Beth hadn’t run away when she’d caught them without their clothes on, that she was curious enough to stay and look and perhaps enjoy what she saw. It meant she wasn’t missish. Lord, it probably meant she was as passionate as Zach hoped she’d be.

  The thought was too much for Alex. He felt himself quickening, tightening, growing rigid. Determined not to show Beth more than she’d bargained for, or to inadvertently reveal that he was aware, achingly aware, of her nearness, he stood up and dived into the water. After breaking the surface, he discovered Zach staring down at him.

  “Take a sudden notion for another dip, Alex?” inquired his brother, his expression one of genuine puzzlement mixed with amusement. “I was right in the middle of a sentence, I’ll have you know, when you—”

  “Sorry, Zach,” interrupted Alex, darting a glance toward the rock wall. He had stirred Shadow from sleep when he dived into the water, and the dog was looking up the cliff wall, wagging his tail. She was gone. “Just got a little hot lying in the sun like that. Come on in! We’ve time for another swim before tea.”

  If he kept Zach swimming for another thirty minutes, Beth would have plenty of time to get home, or to Pencarrow if she chose, and compose herself before she was compelled to meet them again. It would give Alex time, too. Time he needed badly, he realized, as his body continued to want her.

  “I’m glad we’re staying for tea, Lilibet,” Gabby said as she fidgeted on the settee in the drawing room. “I helped Sadie and Cook make the scones. They’ve bilberries cooked in ’em, just the way Zach likes ’em.”

  Although Gabby had earlier insisted that she had no desire to squish her fingers in bread dough, her floured appearance when Beth returned from the cove had testified to the contrary.

  “I’m sure they’ll be delicious, Gabby,” Beth said, absently patting her sister’s shoulder. She’d been in a sort of daze since her experience at the cove. The attraction she’d felt for Alex over the past month, so easily dismissed and explained away as a natural and harmless admiration for her fiancé’s brother, had blossomed into something frightening. Her resentment of Zach’s devotion to Alex was more complicated than she had at first supposed. It seemed she was just as resentful at being denied Alex’s company as she was at being denied Zach’s. Lord, what did she want, anyway?

  The trouble was that Alex made her experience the special emotions she wanted to feel when she was with Zach. But she loved Zach. She’d always loved Zach. Could she be so fickle? To her way of thinking, there was only one solution to this muddle. She and Zach had to get married as soon as possible! She was sure that once they were married, all her yearnings for Alex would disappear.

  “Heigh-ho, my love! There you are.”

  Beth’s heart skipped a beat when Zach and Alex entered the room. They looked healthy and glowing, exhilarated by their day spent outdoors. She rose, offered her cheek for Zach to kiss, and met Alex’s gaze over Zach’s shoulder. His eyes were luminescent pools of velvet ink. Fathomless pools a silly girl could drown in, she told herself. He was dressed in a wine-colored jacket and a shiny black waistcoat. She remembered that his shoulders were all his, with no buckram wadding to enhance their breadth. She remembered all of him, every detail, from tip to toe….

  Forcing her eyes and her thoughts back to the matters at hand, Beth confronted Zach and skewered his middle waistcoat button with an accusing finger. Determined not to be a nag, she tempered her severe words with a playful smile. “You had an engagement with me, Zachary Wickham, which you failed to keep! I was here at half past twelve, just as we arranged between us. But where were you, pray tell?”

  “Yes, Zach, where were you?” Gabby echoed from behind Beth. “I knew you were off with Lord Roth again, though Lilibet lied to me quite shamefully and said she was meeting you somewhere.”

  Zach had the grace to blush, saying, “Dash it, Beth. I’m devilish sorry. I forgot all about it. You will forgive me, won’t you?”

  “On one condition,” Beth said, arching a brow.

  “Anything, Lilibet,” he declared, charmed by her playfulness.

  “Marry me at summer’s end, you rogue!”

  Beth kept her gaze fixed on Zachary, smiling determinedly. She dared not look at Alex for fear that she would lose her resolve.

  After an astonished pause, Zach said, “You’re that eager to marry me, are you, love? And I don’t suppose you care a fig about what the tattle-tongues in the surrounding villages and towns will say about having a wedding so soon after Grandfather’s funeral?”

  “Not a fig!” Beth assured him.

  “Not a fig!” repeated Gabby, squeezing herself between them. “We love you, Zach, and we want you to marry us—I mean, marry Beth—right away.”

  Laughing, Zach bent and picked Gabby up to straddle his hip. “Then it shall be done in a trice. With my best man already in residence, the timing couldn’t be better. How long can you stay, Alex? You won’t go away till I’m safely married to this lovely girl—I mean, these lovely girls—will you?” Zach pinched Gabby’s cheek, which brought on a delighted squeal.

  Beth watched Alex closely. He seemed different, or did she just see him differently? The way he looked at her—it was almost as though he knew why she was pushing for an earlier wedding date. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? She felt the warmth creep up her neck.

  “I shall be delighted to extend my stay here till the wedding, brother,” Alex assured him, “but only if it is by summer’s end. I’ve business that will compel me to visit London in September.”

  Zach looked surprised. “You’ve business in town? You never said a peep before.”

  “I never saw the necessity till now,” Alex explained. “I wish I could stay longer,” he added
with mock gravity, “but three on a honeymoon would be deuced inconvenient. I’m delighted to have reclaimed you as a brother, Zach, but I’m quite sure you will agree with me in this case that brotherly love has its limits, too.”

  “Do you mean that I can’t go on the honeymoon, either?” demanded Gabby, obviously highly incensed. “Why must Lilibet have Zach all to herself? ’Tisn’t fair. She has all the fun!”

  “You’ll understand by and by, little one,” soothed Alex, winking at Gabby.

  Gabby did not reply, casting Alex a look designed to wither.

  Alex could hardly keep from laughing out loud when Gabby leveled him with that blistering, scornful stare. She’d never liked him. But considering her childish infatuation with Zach, it was easily understandable that she would resent Alex’s domination of Zach’s time recently. But Gabby’s comical attempt at a setdown was the only thing Alex had felt the urge to laugh about that afternoon.

  Perhaps infected by the festivity of setting a wedding date—August twenty-first, Beth’s birthday—Zach impetuously invited Beth to stay to dinner, quite forgetting that he’d planned to go to St. Teath that evening. Then, adjusting his plans, he left for St. Teath as soon after tea as he could politely manage. He assured Beth and Alex that he would return with time to spare for dinner. He said he wouldn’t make such a point of going to town in such haste, but he wanted to buy Beth a small token in celebration of the occasion.

  Alex watched Beth during Zach’s little speech and wondered if she suspected anything. He fervently hoped she hadn’t overheard those parts of their conversation at the cove concerning Zach’s mistress. He did not think so. As soon as he noticed her hiding behind the rock, he’d quickly changed the subject, but it was hard to tell anything about Beth today. Her usual animated manner was now subdued.

  Alex was especially curious to know how the scene Beth had accidentally come upon in the cove had influenced her decision to set the wedding date. Now that he knew that Zach had missed meeting her for a riding engagement, he realized that she’d probably been looking for him, angry and resentful that Zach had quite forgotten her and was with his brother again. Mayhap she thought that if she hastened the wedding, he’d soon be gone and out of their lives for a time. Or mayhap the sight of Zach naked had made her eager to be bedded by him. Jealousy stung like a viper’s bite. Alex much preferred the first explanation.

  Gabby was sent home—quite against her will, of course—driven by one of the servants in Zach’s cabriolet. and word was sent to Mrs. Tavistock that Beth would stay at Pencarrow for dinner and needed a particular dress. Then Beth removed upstairs and remained there till the dinner hour.

  But the dinner hour had come and gone. It was eight o’clock, and still Zach had not returned from St. Teath. Sitting in the drawing room alone with Beth was proving to be a nerve-shattering experience. Alex had dressed carefully, ruining five neckcloths in the process. It did not help, either, that Dudley had noted his agitation and commented that his lordship hadn’t ruined so many neckcloths in one sitting since that first day at Pencarrow.

  Was it vanity that made him so nervous, so anxious to look his best? But then, he’d always striven to dress well. Lately, however, he suspected his own motives. It was ridiculous, too, to be uncomfortable around Beth. They’d spent so much time together in the past month and had sometimes been alone. She, of course, was suffering under the acute embarrassment of having seen him naked earlier. But since she had no idea that he knew she was at the cove that day, there was no reason why he couldn’t act as natural as before. Having talked himself into a semblance of calm, he began their conversation.

  “You know, we ought to go ahead and eat without Zachary. I suspect he ran into an old chum and is chirping merry over his sixth tankard of ale.”

  “Do you think that’s what happened?” Beth looked as though she’d welcome a reasonable explanation for Zach’s continued absence. “I’m a little worried about him,” she admitted.

  Anger toward his brother, a singular feeling, quite new and unexpected, flared up in Alex. “I’m sure he’s all right. I wish you wouldn’t fret about him. In fact, I could almost guarantee you that Zach’s in good hands and has merely lost all sense of time. Then, if he does notice the time, he will think it too late to return for dinner and may even stay the night.”

  Beth looked hopeful. “I do believe you may be right. I feel much easier now. Perhaps we should have our dinner. In truth, I’m dreadfully hungry.”

  Alex was glad he was able to assuage Beth’s worries over his irresponsible brother. It irked him no end to have to lie to the girl. He was quite sure, however, that Zach was in good hands. Tess’s hands, to be exact.

  If the chicken was a little tough from being too long on the spit, Alex did not mind in the least. He sipped liberally of the wine that was served and found himself relaxing. After all, he was sitting across from the most enchanting of women. And since he would have no opportunity for another tête-à-tête with Beth, surely there could be no harm in enjoying himself this once. He did not mean to seduce her; he would merely delight in her conversation and company for as long as the evening allowed.

  She was dressed in pink tonight, a lovely deep rose that set off her ivory complexion to a nicety and made her dark hair, which was swept up off her neck, look even darker. The bodice was low-cut, more daring than the dresses she usually wore, probably because she had thought of tonight as a celebration. Her delicate shoulders were bare and her pale, creamy breasts peeked above the white ruching that edged her neckline, gleaming like pearls in the candlelight. He tried to decide if he thought her nipples were as pink as her dress, then he tried to forget that he’d ever thought about nipples in the first place.

  “Tell me about your family, Beth,” he said suddenly, as the servants removed the dishes for the last course and set a decanter of port in front of him.

  Beth looked surprised, then pleased. And it pleased him to see her shed her shyness for the first time that evening as she began to speak. “Well, you’ve met Gabby and Mama and can see how thoroughly alike they are. I’ve often thought either of them would do quite well on the stage, but alas, we are too genteel for that.”

  “What about your father? Zach said he died not too long ago.”

  Beth’s eyes glistened. Alex was ready to kick himself when her eyes cleared and her face kindled with emotion. She smiled reminiscently. “Dear Papa. I loved him so! But then, perhaps I’m being a little vain to say such a thing, since everyone assures me that I’m just like him in every way but sex. He loved life. He lived with a passion and was never satisfied with the ordinary. He was always reaching for”—Beth puckered her lips in concentration, looking for the right word—“more,” she said at last, shrugging her shoulders.

  Alex pulled his gaze away from her lips, which looked so inviting. “Zach said he was a philanthropist. He butted heads with Grandfather over conditions in the tin mines owned by the Wickhams, I hear.”

  Beth’s face reflected displeasure. “Indeed, the conditions were worse than you can possibly imagine.” Her expression softened. “But Papa convinced Mr. Wickham at last. Your grandfather wasn’t a bad man,” she hastened to add, “just very stubborn and not easily convinced of anything.”

  “So I gather,” Alex said grimly. “Not unlike my own father.” Then, eager to avoid that unhappy topic, he said, “I understand there are a lot of abandoned tin mines in the area that are really rather dangerous. Zach means to board them up so livestock won’t wander into them and get lost or caught in a collapse. He says there’s quite a lot to do about the estate because our grandfather was a little … close with money.”

  “Yes, there is. Zach said he’d see to setting things to order right after your grandfather’s funeral, but he’s been so …” Beth stopped, embarrassed.

  “Preoccupied with entertaining his brother,” Alex finished ruefully.

  “But that’s perfectly understandable,” Beth quickly assured him. “You deserve time together. I
’m so happy you’ve been reconciled. Zach was always so miserable about your estrangement.”

  Alex couldn’t help himself. Her hand was lying on the table between them. He covered it with his own. It was small and delicate, warm and soft. “It’s been difficult for you, though. Sometimes I imagine you wished me at Jericho. Zach hasn’t meant to neglect you….”

  Then he remembered where Zach was at that very moment and he could say no more. Keenly conscious of the strong desire to lift her palm to his lips and follow that chaste salute with a much more intimate exploration of her lips and the satin warmth of her mouth, he released her hand.

  When he looked up, he saw she was trembling. Her lips were slightly parted, and her eyes were misted and dark, like a late summer’s gloaming. God, if she weren’t his brother’s betrothed, he’d have hoped—nay, believed—that what he saw reflected there was desire. Desire for him.

  “Please, Alex … Don’t …”

  Chapter Four

  Still he slept. His head was nestled against a plump goose-down pillow, his face turned toward Tess. She sighed and lifted a hand to trace an adoring finger along the square, sun-kissed line of Zach’s naked shoulder. He said he’d been swimming in the cove that day, and when they’d made love, Tess had felt the residual heat in his skin and breathed the fresh brine scent of the sea in his hair.

  He’d pushed down the bedclothes so that they draped the narrow span of his waist; one long leg had escaped the coverlets and was thrown over Tess’s hip. His leg had grown heavy in the past hour, but she relished the weight of it, just as she relished every moment she spent with him. His arms were tucked close to his body, his hands aligned together in an almost prayerful attitude. In sleep his face had the peaceful innocence of a choirboy’s.

  Tess smiled. He had not behaved like a choirboy hours earlier when he’d thrust open the door of her small cottage and descended upon her with a wide grin and glistening gilded eyes. Her smile widened. And she had not responded like a nun.