Call Me Softly

by D. Jackson Leigh

  “I’m sure that was just your imagination. What father wouldn’t love a daughter as smart and beautiful as you?”

  Lillie’s smile was shy. “Thank you for saying so.” She shifted in her seat and stared up at the night sky and its growing blanket of stars. “My parents were deeply in love. I think they mistakenly thought a child would add to that. I felt like Mum resented it when she had to remain home with me while Dad traveled. She wanted to be with him. But Dad wanted a child, and I’m convinced that when they discovered Mum couldn’t bear him one, they adopted me to ease her guilt.”

  “You didn’t feel loved?”

  “Oh, yes, I did. I don’t want to give the impression that I wasn’t. Mum loved shopping with me. And we would go on holidays several times a year, to the seaside or some place farther away. We spent a whole month in Greece once. I learned to ski in the Swiss Alps. We also holidayed in China, India, and Amsterdam. I loved going places with them. We had a wonderful time.”

  “I’ve only read about those places,” Swain murmured.

  “I don’t want to sound like a whiny rich girl, but having money is no substitute for a lot of things.”

  Swain stared into the shimmering pool. “I’d trade my childhood for yours any day.” She didn’t blame Lillie for their different backgrounds, but she couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice. Lillie’s fingers curled around hers, but she didn’t look up.

  “Even with all I had, I still lay in bed at night and wondered about the mum who threw me away,” Lillie said softly. “It didn’t keep me from wondering if I had a sister or brother out there somewhere.”

  Swain looked over at Lillie, holding her gaze. She didn’t want to think about a young Lillie longing for her real family. She entwined her fingers with Lillie’s, stroking with her thumb. She knew that empty ache and how much it hurt.

  “I have a brother and don’t even know where he is. Even though we’re twins, I grew up in the girls’ dorm and he grew up in the boys’. He was always angry about something, and when we left the orphanage, we went our separate ways.”

  “You said your mum died days after you were born, but did you try to find out who your dad is? Or if you have other relatives?”

  “I tracked down an old nurse who amazingly remembered my mother. It was a small hospital with mostly routine deliveries, so a really young mother dying and leaving twins stuck in her mind.”

  “Did she help?”

  Swain stared at the lights refracted by the water in the pool. “Not really. She said my mother told her she’d made up her own name and got mine off a road sign. The hospital was in Swain County, North Carolina. She named my brother after the guy she read about in a newspaper article, but she nicknamed him Trey.”

  She wanted to tell Lillie that the father listed on their birth certificates was James Eric Wetherington II. She’d searched for news articles about him on the Internet and knew he was from Aiken and played polo. It might have been a weird coincidence that Abigail sought her out to be her head trainer, but it was no accident that Swain chose polo as a profession and put herself in Abigail’s path. Even though she knew this man probably wasn’t her father, her heart drew her to the sport and helped fill that part of her that needed to belong somewhere to something.

  Lillie squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  Swain downed the last swallow of her wine and stood. “Well, it’s getting late. I still have to check the trailers.”

  Lillie stood, too, and, trembling, wrapped her in a tight hug.

  “Lillie? What is it?”

  Lillie clung tighter. “Could you do me a favor?”

  “Anything, sweetheart.” The endearment slipped from Swain’s lips before she realized she’d said it. When Lillie relaxed in her arms, she vowed to say it a million more times if it soothed Lillie’s worries.

  “You’ll think I’m being silly.”

  Swain stepped back and gently lifted Lillie’s chin to get her to meet her gaze. “I’d never think you were silly. What do you need? If it’s in my power to do it, I will.”

  “Could you…do you think Beau could stay with me tonight?”

  “That old fleabag?” Her teasing was gentle.

  “In case there is, you know, a mouse or something in the house.”

  “I can stay up here tonight, in one of the guest rooms, if you like.” Although I won’t sleep at all with you that close.

  “No. You’ve got work still to do and you said you have to be up at daybreak.” Lillie hesitated. “Oh, you probably plan to take Beau with you.”

  “No, not to the tournament.” It was a lie Beau would have to forgive. “Actually, you’d be doing me a favor. If he stays up here with you, I won’t have to see those sad eyes when we leave without him in the morning. You’ll stay with Lillie, won’t you, Beau?”

  His tail thumped against the stone flooring of the terrace.

  Lillie smiled and moved back into Swain’s embrace. “Thank you for today. For being my guide. For being my hero and nabbing my cat burglar. When Mr. Whitney told me I might have to stay here several months, I despaired. I had no idea you would make this time such an amazing adventure.”

  Swain folded her arms around Lillie, their bodies fitting perfectly. She closed her eyes and savored the feel of Lillie’s head resting against her shoulder.

  She felt Lillie’s hand on her cheek and looked down to meet her gaze. The longing, the affection, the question she saw in Lillie’s eyes stilled Swain’s heart. Lillie’s lips parted slightly and the hand that had been on her cheek moved to press lightly against the back of neck, guiding her down until their mouths nearly touched, their breaths nearly one.

  It was a gift and Swain took it. First gently. Then firmly. So sweet. She laved her tongue around Lillie’s, pressed her hips to Lillie’s, and nestled her wildly beating heart against Lillie’s breasts. Startled by the wanting that rose up inside and threatened to swallow her, Swain withdrew. But not before she stole one last brush of her lips against Lillie’s.

  She opened her eyes again to Lillie’s beautiful smile.

  “Good night, Swain.” Lillie’s voice was low and silky.

  “Don’t forget to set the alarm,” Swain murmured.

  She watched Lillie gather the wineglasses and beckon to Beau, who dutifully followed. She stood a few moments longer in the dark, watching through the windows as Lillie locked the door and set the alarm.

  Swain licked her lips, searching for a trace, a taste of Lillie still on them.

  What are you afraid of, Swain? She sighed. Of losing my heart to her.

  When the time came for Lillie to go back to England, it would be very hard to say good-bye.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mary Chandler was a short, sturdy woman with a kind face. Lillie had felt instantly drawn to her cheerful personality when she helped Mrs. Riley handle the guests after Abigail’s funeral. So she was disappointed when Mary showed up for her first day of work and explained why she couldn’t take the job.

  “I’m so sorry, Ms. Wetherington. I applied for the position because my husband was laid off from the plant last year. He hadn’t been able to find a job all this time and his unemployment was about to run out. It was a godsend when you called, even though the position’s temporary.” Mary seemed sincerely disappointed. “Then, yesterday, the plant called Frank to come back to work. He went this morning.” Mary looked around the kitchen. “I hate leaving you in the lurch. I actually was looking forward to this. I love to cook. But the plant pays way more than a cook’s salary.”

  Lillie frowned. She’d already had a restless night. Her dreams were clips of her day with Swain—enjoying a picnic lunch, riding in the carriage, swiping food off each other’s plate at dinner, sharing a bottle of wine, and, finally, a kiss. The kiss. She had awakened aroused and aching with the need to see, to hear, to be around Swain. But Swain had left hours before for the polo field and her absence left Lillie feeling strangely off-kilter.

  She and Beau had wan
dered down to the barn, both lonesome for Swain. When they returned to the house, they stared together out the windows at the empty polo field. When they simultaneously heaved a huge sigh, Lillie burst out laughing.

  “We’re pathetic, aren’t we?” Beau’s tail thumped his agreement.

  So they welcomed the distraction of Mary’s arrival. Lillie was just beginning to wrap her mind around this new disappointment when the phone rang and she excused herself to answer it.

  “Is this Lillie?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Hey, this is Catherine. Catherine Strom. I was calling to thank you for sharing my resume with Kate. The job is perfect and we really hit it off. I start next week.”

  “That’s wonderful. I’m so glad it worked out. Your skills demanded a greater audience than just me.”

  “Well, thanks. If I can ever do anything for you, please let me know. I enjoyed meeting you.”

  “My pleasure as well.” Lillie paused. “So you begin work next week?”

  “Monday. I told Kate I could start right away, but she’d already arranged for some help tonight and tomorrow. I guess I’ll have to find something to do with myself. My boyfriend is a fireman and he’s on duty all weekend.”

  “How would you like to go to the polo tournament with me tomorrow? I don’t know that many people around here, and it would be nice to have someone else along while Swain’s busy with the ponies.”

  “I’d love to. What do you wear to a polo match?”

  “Swain says most people don’t really dress up until Sunday, so I’m wearing jeans.”

  “Jeans sound great. What time?”

  “About eight thirty? The first match is at ten. We can take one of Grandmum’s cars, but do you mind coming over here and driving? I still tend to stay on the wrong side of the road.”

  Catherine laughed. “That could be a problem. I don’t mind at all.”

  “Excellent. I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.”

  “Wonderful.” Catherine cleared her throat. “Lillie, I don’t know very many people here either. Thanks for inviting me.”

  “We’ll have fun.”

  She ended the call, buoyed by her success at helping Catherine secure a job and finding good company for the polo tournament. Now, back to Mary and the problem at hand.

  Lillie didn’t want to add to Mary’s obvious distress, but she wasn’t ready to go back to her folder of applicants. “I do have other good prospects, Mary, so you needn’t worry. Still—” She was unsure how Mary would receive her question. “It’s really none of my business, but I’m curious. Does your husband not want you to work?”

  Mary chuckled, her hazel eyes twinkling. “Oh, Lord, honey. I can do anything I want where Frank’s concerned. I’ve had that man wrapped around my little finger since the day we met. It’s not him keeping me from working. It’s Dani. We had her sort of late in life. The other kids are grown or off at college. But she’s only twelve. We both want someone at home when she gets out of school and a real family supper served well before her bedtime, just like our other children grew up with.”

  Lillie nodded. “Can we talk about this?” She sat at the kitchen table and indicated for Mary to join her.

  “I don’t want to pressure you into something you don’t want to do, but I’d like to offer a compromise. I won’t have any hard feelings if you turn me down.”

  “I’m open to ideas,” Mary said carefully.

  “What would you say to letting Dani come here after school? The housekeeper’s suite is right through that door…a home away from home. She could watch the telly or do her homework there or here in the kitchen.”

  As her plan began to take shape, Lillie talked faster, excitedly accenting her words with her hands. “When you shop and cook for me, you could cook for five. Swain usually joins me for dinner so she can fill me in on things concerning the farm. You could dish out two plates for us and take the rest home to feed your family.” She finished with a flourish and waited expectantly.

  “Oh, I couldn’t do that. You’re already offering a very good salary. I couldn’t ask you to feed three more mouths, too.” Despite her words, Mary looked hopeful. “Perhaps you could lower the salary a bit to make up for the extra food.”

  “Again, you can say no. But I’d like to suggest a different method of repayment.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I want to learn to shop and cook, and to do laundry, too. My family’s housekeeper didn’t like children underfoot, so I could never learn some things I want to be able to do for myself. If I’m not busy elsewhere, you’ll have to tolerate me asking questions and expecting to help. And, you must call me Lillie, not Ms. Wetherington.”

  Mary patted Lillie’s hand, her smile sympathetic. “You poor child. It’s hardly a fair trade, because I’d be more than happy for the company. Your grandmother and I did a lot of volunteer work together. If you’re anything like Abigail, your company will be a pleasure, not a burden. I still think you should reduce the salary.”

  Lillie turned her hand over and squeezed Mary’s in a tight clasp. “I’m sorry. My offer stands. Will you accept it?”

  “I’d have to be an idiot to turn that down, and my mama didn’t raise any idiots.” Mary smiled and stood to retrieve her purse from the kitchen counter. She dug out a book-sized organizer and a pen. “Now show me the rest of the house and let’s go over anything I can help you with besides shopping and cooking. Then we’ll have a look at that pantry and head to the grocery.”

  *

  “Really, Mr. Whitney, are all these papers necessary? I thought she’d only have to sign proper tax statements and the like.” This would take longer than Lillie anticipated, and she was eager to start her promised cooking lesson.

  They had settled around the kitchen table where Bonner opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers concerning Mary’s employment.

  “These documents simply protect you against a lawsuit for any injury due to the employee’s failure to follow proper procedures.” He shuffled the papers and presented another for her review. “This form protects your privacy. Household employees may be privy to conversations and actions you wouldn’t want repeated or described outside your family,” Bonner explained patiently. “They are the standard papers Abigail used for all her employees.”

  “I can understand the privacy statement, but the other sounds like an excuse for some rich employer to squirm out of paying for an employee’s work-related injury. I can’t believe my grandmum went along with this.”

  Bonner smiled, but handed Mary a pen to sign the papers. “This is the same argument I had with Abigail. An employee could deliberately harm themselves and you’d end up paying millions for it. I’m afraid your insurance company requires it, Lillie.”

  “It’s okay, dear, Mrs. Riley warned me ahead of time. She said it’s usual for this position and warned me not to take it personal.”

  “Well, I take it personal.”

  The phone began to ring and Mary immediately picked it up.

  “Wetherington residence, Mary speaking.” She smiled. “Well, hello. Mr. Whitney is here and we’re getting all the paperwork out of the way, but we’ve already been having a wonderful time. Would you like to speak to the lady of the house? Hold on.”

  Mary pushed the Hold button. “Ms. Butler would like to speak with you.”

  Lillie couldn’t stop her own smile as she gestured toward the front of the house. “I’ll take it in the study so you can finish all this paper signing.”

  She walked quickly, anticipating the voice of the person she’d missed all morning. She wasn’t disappointed.

  “Swain?”

  “Hey, you.”

  Lillie’s heart jumped. She cradled the phone between her shoulder and ear, settling her hip on the edge of the desk. “Hello.”

  “I was just calling to report that we won handily this morning.”

  “That’s wonderful! You scored a lot of goals, no doubt.”

 
Swain chuckled. “The team did score a lot. We beat them by four goals.”

  “That’s very good, I take it?”

  “Very good. We played a great team. I knew we could win, but I didn’t expect to do it by so much.”

  “How many did you personally score?”

  “Enough. Every goal’s a team effort.”

  “Stop being modest. How many?

  “Eight of our ten goals. But Javier’s defense at the other end was exceptional. The Rum Runners haven’t been held to six goals all year. I knew he’d shape up to be a great player.”

  “Will you be home in time for dinner?”

  “We’re watching the match that’s playing now, but it’s nearly over. We should be headed back within the hour. How are things going with Mary?”

  “She’s absolutely delightful. We’ve already been grocery shopping and, as soon as she finishes with Mr. Whitney, we’re planning to make beef stew for dinner.”

  “I certainly don’t want to miss that.”

  “No, I wouldn’t think so.” She enjoyed Swain’s chuckle that filtered through the phone. “I’ve got some news myself.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Catherine called. She wanted to thank me for recommending her to Kate. She starts there Monday.”

  “That’s great.”

  “I invited her to the polo matches tomorrow and Sunday. If I have a friend along, you won’t have to babysit me the entire time.”

  “Lillie, spending time with you isn’t a burden, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy having someone to sit with while we’re on the field. Did she accept your invitation?”

  “Yes, she was quite eager.”

  “Is she dragging her boyfriend along?”

  Did Swain still have feelings for Catherine? “You don’t like him?”

  “No, it’s not that. He doesn’t know Catherine and I were ever anything but friends. I figure that’s up to her to tell him if and when she wants.”