by Jane Charles
Samuel leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest as he stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to be as comfortable with herself as Samuel was with himself.
“Yes,” he admitted. “I’ve wondered how it is possible the daughter of a duke came to pose in such a manner.”
Her face was on fire. “I will tell you, but you must watch for others. I will tell you but no one else.”
His face sobered and he nodded.
Jillian took a deep breath. “I was sixteen when it started and seventeen when the last of them were completed,” she began.
“Last of them?”
Jillian shook her head to dismiss the question, not wanting to get ahead of herself. “My maid, who I thought was my friend, suggested I have a portrait done as a surprise for my father.” Jillian smiled sadly. “She’d been my maid since I was a girl and was only a few years older than I. She was my only playmate and I trusted her. I also thought it a grand idea since I was always trying to find a way to win my father’s approval.” The smile slipped. “She took me to an artist she knew.”
Jillian couldn’t look at Samuel any longer. She didn’t want to see sympathy or disgust or any other reaction he may have to her foolishness.
“At first she remained in the room with us, but as the sittings became more frequent, she would leave us alone. I had no idea how many sittings were necessary for a portrait,” she laughed bitterly. “Nico seduced me with words and made me believe he had fallen in love with me.” She quickly glanced at Samuel. “He did not physically seduce me,” she insisted. “But he might as well have.”
“Do watch your step, Broadridge,” Samuel called out and Jillian quit talking. Even though her brother knew what had occurred, he would not appreciate her telling anyone else and she certainly didn’t want the others in his group to hear either.
Henry stepped into the gazebo. He looked from Jillian to Storm and back. “Why aren’t you with your group?” he demanded.
“Your sister turned her ankle, and Mrs. Chetwey insisted she sit with it raised for half an hour before returning.”
“What would Mrs. Chetwey know of injuries?” Broadridge asked, something Jillian hadn’t even questioned.
“She’s a healer of sorts,” Lord Patrick Delaney said. “She’s often helped the ill and injured near Marisdùn when the doctor is not available. If she says Lady Jillian should rest, then she should.”
Henry frowned further. “Then I shall remain with you.”
“And forfeit?” Jillian asked. “It’s a hurt ankle. Mr. Storm is a gentlemen and has remained far away from be. Besides, anyone could come across us at any time.”
Henry studied them and she could tell he was trying to decide whether to stay or leave. “A word, Mr. Storm?” Henry nodded to a place beyond the gazebo.
CHAPTER 13
Sam followed Broadridge into the woods, further away from the others. He wasn’t sure what to expect.
“What are your intentions toward my sister?” Broadridge demanded.
“Intentions?” Should he tell Broadridge the truth or keep his own confidence?
“I’d have to be blind not to notice that you’ve taken an interest in Jillian.”
If he had, who else had? Was Eldridge aware? If he had an inkling as to Sam’s feelings, he’d lock Jillian far away from him. “If you must know, I am quite taken with your sister and wish to court her.”
Broadridge frowned which didn’t bode well for Sam’s future.
“You know my father will never approve.”
“That fact was made quite clear to my great-uncle Danby.”
Broadridge paced away while Sam remained rooted where he was. “I’m afraid that because you apparently own a certain painting, you might believe my sister to be something she is not.”
“I am well aware she is a lady. Until I met her, I wasn’t sure, but I am now.”
Broadridge nodded. “Do not judge her on actions of when she was six and ten.”
“I’d never judge anyone because of the foolishness of youth, and I hope nobody would judge me on some of the decisions I made in the past.” Not that he’d heard the entire story, but it was clear Jillian had been taken advantage of. He almost felt guilty for owning one of those portraits and having taken great pleasure in looking upon it. Especially since she’d only been sixteen at the time, even though she looked older.
Broadridge stopped pacing and stared at him. “I don’t wish for my sister to be hurt. She’s had to deal with enough from our father. If she develops a tendré for you, which I believe she has, and you reject her in the end, it could very well devastate her.”
“I have no intention of hurting Lady Jillian. I’ve come to care for her.” It was more than caring, but Sam wasn’t exactly comfortable confessing the depth of his feelings to anyone. He wasn’t even sure he trusted them. He’d just met her. It could be no more than an infatuation that had been building for four years.
“Yet, you don’t really know her,” Broadridge pointed out.
Why were they so concerned that he’d find something disagreeable about Jillian? Sam couldn’t imagine she’d done anything so terrible that he’d wish to dismiss her from his life.
“I’d like the opportunity to know her, but we are not given a chance because your father will not allow it.”
Broadridge frowned again. “I will allow the two of you to come to know each other on one condition.”
Was her brother really going to be of assistance? “Which is?”
“If the time comes that you no longer wish to be associated with my sister, please do not do so in a manner that would break her heart. Let her make the decision not to associate with you so that she can save face.”
J illian wished she could hear what Henry was staying to Samuel. Their expressions bespoke of a serious conversation, and her stomach knotted. As difficult as it was to tell Samuel what a dreadful person she really was, she needed to tell him, and the sooner the better, before he wasted any more time with her. Hopefully Henry wouldn’t send him on his way and decide to sit with her.
The two men returned to the gazebo and Samuel resumed his seat.
“Do you know where we are off to?” Henry asked the rest of his group.
“I believe it’s the stables,” Lord Brachton suggested.
Jillian just grinned. One group was going to the stables and another to the barn, making her wonder which was correct. Not that it mattered to her. She’d much rather sit with Samuel than run about the estate looking for clues. Even if their conversation would be painful. At least to her.
As the group left, Samuel turned to her.
“What did my brother say to you?” She had to know because it was eating at her.
“I promised not to ruin you.” He grinned.
Her gut told her it was more, but Jillian didn’t press.
“You were telling me about this artist,” Samuel prompted and Jillian sighed.
“Nico Bianchi. I am not even sure that was his real name any longer, but he affected the Italian accent well enough.”
Samuel nodded.
“Eventually, Nico convinced me he wished to have portraits that only he would see and could gaze upon until we could be together. In my naivety, I believed him and allowed more and more of my clothing to disappear.” She had to look away. Humiliation engulfed her. “Then, one day my maid disappeared. I’d turned seventeen two months earlier and was anxious to surprise my father with the portrait before I embarked on my first season.” Her gut tightened as if it was yesterday. “I was to have another sitting, but my maid had run off. As it had been a week since I had seen Nico, I couldn’t wait for my maid to return, so I took a hackney to his studio.”
Jillian glanced at Samuel. His jaw was tight and those green eyes dark and hard.
She swallowed against the lump in her throat. She might as well get to the end of the story and prepare herself for his rejection. “The entire place was empty save for a f
ew rags and brushes. A week later my father received the first portrait with a demand for payment, or Nico would sell the remaining ones to the public.” She looked down. “I had never been so humiliated in my life nor felt more foolish.”
“Or betrayed,” Samuel offered, his tone soft and sympathetic.
It was almost her undoing, but Jillian shut the lid on her emotions. She couldn’t afford to break down now. She’d wait until she was alone in her chambers, liked she’d done so often before. “Father paid for seven more portraits before Nico claimed that there were no more. Everything was done through different messengers, and even though Father had investigators try to locate him, Nico was never found.”
“I take it your maid disappeared as well?”
Jillian nodded. “I learned the lesson that my father had been trying to teach me all my life.”
“What is that?”
“You can never trust anyone.”
CHAPTER 14
Did that mean she didn’t trust him? Sam could understand why Jillian would be less trusting after being taken advantage of so horribly, but one couldn’t judge everyone by the actions of a single person.
“I became a horrible person after that. I shut myself off from others. My father kept me close, mainly because he believed my judgment impaired, but also to assure that I did as he instructed.”
“Such as?”
Her face heated. “I’m sure it is not important. I’ve told you enough and you must think me very foolish. I would understand if you no longer wish to be associated with me.”
She couldn’t even look at him, though Sam well understood her embarrassment. “I can assure you, Jillian, the portraits and how they came about do not make me think any less of you.”
She frowned up at him. “How could they not?”
“Simply because you were innocent and sheltered, and you were not at all prepared for people like Nico.” He wanted desperately to go to her and pull her into his arms, offer what comfort he could, but to do so would have him turning his back on the path, and he didn’t wish to add to her current embarrassment by ruining her in the process.
“Why don’t you tell me about Barbados?” she countered.
“Very well.” He was not finished discussing her because he’d yet to hear anything that made Jillian a horrible person. “It may be the most beautiful place on this earth.”
She smiled at him, interest alit in her blue eyes.
“My home sits on a hill. From my chamber I can look out over the sugarcane fields to the white beaches, which at times have a pink hue. Beyond the sand is the turquoise of the ocean, and when the sea is stormy, I can hear the waves crash and pound. When all of the windows are open, the softest breeze fills the house. One of my favorite pastimes is to sit on the veranda and enjoy coffee in the morning, watching the sunrise and the waves roll in. It’s the most peaceful place on earth.”
“It sounds heavenly.” She sighed.
Perhaps one day he would be able to share the experience with Jillian. “It is.” His eyes met hers, and the draw was so strong that he almost stood and went to her, not giving a damn if anyone came upon them. He wished to taste those inviting lips, to feel her body against his, and run his fingers through her golden curls. Sam was just about to stand when movement caught his eye and Felding emerged from the path.
He and his wife studied the two of them, as did the couple with them, Lord and Lady Bartlette. Following them was his brother, Benjamin and his wife Mary.
“Do watch where you’re walking so you won’t suffer a twisted ankle as Lady Jillian did,” Sam called out.
“Oh dear,” Lady Felding said, coming further. “Is there anything we can do?”
“That is very kind,” Jillian said, looking away. “Mrs. Chetwey said I am to rest before going back.”
“Are you comfortable?” she asked then looked at Sam. “Shall one of us remain?”
“It’s unnecessary,” Jillian murmured not looking at Lady Felding.
It was as though she were uncomfortable around the Feldings. Then he remembered the day in Felding’s library, when Jillian had asked him if they hated her so very much. Why would anyone hate her?
“We are hardly alone with scavengers coming upon us every few moments. My brother thought it safe that the two of us remain,” Jillian insisted.
“As long as I stay right here.” Sam laughed and then pointed to the piece of parchment anchored in place by a rock. “You’ll find your next clue right there.”
They gathered around the clue and read, all except Ben and Mary who looked from Sam to Jillian and back again, before Ben introduced Mary to Jillian. No doubt his brother would have questions for him later.
“It is either the stables or the barn,” Bartlette said.
“We’ll go to the one that is closest.” Felding placed the clue back under the rock for the next group then bid them goodbye.
“Why do you believe Felding and his wife hate you? You said as much when you called on him the day after Bentley’s ball.”
Jillian’s face heated and knew she’d need to answer this very carefully. And, she’d rather she told Samuel than for him to hear the rumors. It was hardly a secret she’d set her cap for Felding, only to be embarrassed when he chose a missionary’s daughter without consequence over the daughter of a duke. “My father decided that I was to marry Felding, and I thought I’d managed to bring him up to scratch when he invited my brother and me to a house party. All too soon I realized it was his now wife that Felding was interested in and not me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“He was Father’s choice and I can assure you, I was not in love with Felding.” Jillian waived away his concern. “However, I was afraid of what Father would do if I didn’t secure a proposal from Felding.” She couldn’t look at Sam and turned away. “When Felding finally told me that we would not suit, I didn’t handle it well. In fact, I panicked. I could not go home and tell Father I had failed.”
“What did you do?” Samuel asked quietly.
Jillian looked up and met his green eyes. “In sharing with you what I did to make Felding, his family, and the Valentines hate me so, I’d be betraying a trust, which I will not do.”
“Is it so bad?”
“I behaved abominably in order to pressure Felding into marriage. My father ordered me to land him, and I did my best to do so, hurting others in the process.” Tears stung her eyes. Jillian hated herself and the person she’d become. She didn’t want Samuel to look at her like so many others, but she wouldn’t sacrifice her principles by telling secrets that were not hers to tell.
Samuel stood and slowly walked to her and took a seat at her side.
A tear slipped down her cheek, and he swiped it away with the pad of his thumb. “I find myself coming to care for you? Quite possibly falling in love with you?”
It was as if a vice clamped down on her heart, and the pain was instant. Jillian almost wished she’d never experienced the tenderness Samuel was showing her now because then she’d know all too well what she’d be missing for the rest of her life. She blinked up at him. “You don’t understand. I am not loveable, and you’ll realize that in time.”
“I don’t believe you.” With that, he leaned close, their lips nearly touching, breaths mingling, and her pulse picked up before he lowered his lips to hers. So gentle and soft as his thumb caressed her cheek, making her heart ache all the more for what would never be hers.
He pulled back and looked down at her. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
“I’m glad you did.” Her face heated, and as much as she enjoyed his kiss and knowing he didn’t hate her, that didn’t mean he would feel the same when she was done.
Jillian pulled away. “You need to understand. I did not stop in my threats out of the goodness of my heart,” she admitted before looking away. “I fully intended to use blackmail to get my way.”
Samuel studied her with wariness.
“To stop me, his sister revealed t
he painting she’d purchased, which I assume is similar to the one you own. If I didn’t relent, she would sell it or place it in a gallery.”
His hand still caressed his cheek. “How long ago was this?”
“Two and a half years.”
“Felding, nor his wife, seem to hold any ill-will against you.”
Jillian practically snorted. “That’s because Felding, his wife, and their families are far better people than I can ever hope to be.”
CHAPTER 15
“That isn’t true.”
Sam and Jillian jerked apart at the voice to find Roxburg and his wife standing not far from the Gazebo. Where the blazes had they come from? They weren’t even on the path.
“Your Graces.” Jillian moved as if she was going to stand.
“You will rest your ankle,” Sam ordered. “Roxburg and I go back too far to stand on ceremony, nor would he wish you to further your injury so that you might curtsey.”
“What happened?” the new duchess asked.
“I tripped over a root and twisted my ankle,” Jillian answered.
His oldest friend led his wife into the gazebo and they both sat. Sam returned to the place he had previously occupied. If anyone else had come across him and Jillian, she’d be quite ruined, which wouldn’t be so terrible. But, he didn’t wish for her reputation to suffer.
“How long have you been standing there?” Jillian asked slowly.
Her Grace bit her bottom lip and winced.
“Long enough to hear what you said about Felding and witness a kiss.” Roxburg answered a bit stiffly.
Jillian winced and looked away.
“Where is the rest of your group?” Samuel asked.
