The Desires of a Countess

by Jenna Petersen

  The young man nodded, and with a glance of regret at the torrent outside, departed for the long ride back up to the house. Once he was out of earshot, Simon turned to Adam with a cocked brow. “I thought this ‘household in mourning’ didn’t have formal suppers where I’d be welcome?”

  Adam shrugged. “Well, I have never claimed to understand the ever-changing minds of women. At least it will give you a chance to tell her what we think about her putting us in this leaky hole!”

  Simon glanced around them once again. The place really was dreadful, and even worse in the rain. He thanked his luck that it was early spring and not winter when they might have frozen to death thanks to Virginia’s ‘hospitality’.

  “No, I don’t think I will tell her.”

  Adam’s eyes grew wide. “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely.” Simon put his hands on his hips as he glanced around the room in a slow circle. “Virginia put us here for a reason. Confronting her will only put her on edge. At the very least, I don’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she’s upset me.” Simon shook his head with a smile. “If we’re asked, neither one of us will act as if there is anything amiss about our quarters. In fact…” He grinned. “I plan to compliment her on their comfort.”

  Adam’s eyes grew wide, but then he broke into a long burst of laughter. “It should be interesting to see how she reacts to that!”

  “Yes. And that’s exactly why I plan to do it.” Simon smirked at his friend before he flipped open his pocket watch. In just a few hours he would be with Virginia again. He was surprised to feel anticipation at the thought. Everything she’d done so far was designed to make him dislike her. Instead, he found himself enjoying the adversarial dance they were engaged in. The question was, would he come out on top?

  And even more, did he want to?

  Chapter Three

  “My lady?”

  Ginny jumped at the sound of her maid’s voice and pivoted toward the door to look at the girl with what she knew were wild eyes. “Yes, Nora?”

  Her maid hesitated and her concern was plain. “The gentleman is downstairs in the Green Room, as you instructed. He was told to help himself to a drink and that you would be down in a few moments. His servant has gone to the kitchen to have his meal.”

  Somehow, Ginny found the strength to nod through her anticipatory fog. “Thank you. That will be all.”

  The girl dipped out a quick curtsey as she slipped from the room and shut the door behind her. Once she was alone, Ginny turned to the full-length mirror again with a short breath. Simon was there. Downstairs in her home. And for all she knew he was furious about the state of the cottage. A furious male was a dangerous male, that she knew from bitter experience. Yet, she’d still goaded him. But only because she had no other choice. Any problems she suffered now would be worth it if he took her not-so-subtle hint and went back to London where he belonged.

  She wrinkled her brow at her reflection. Was she primping? She’d been so focused on her fears that she hadn’t even realized she was checking her hair until she caught herself doing it in the mirror. How could she care about her appearance when she went down to face him? He was the enemy. The worse she looked, the better.

  Unless…

  She paused with her hand halfway to her chignon. Though she’d tried to deny it to herself all day, she’d felt Simon’s eyes on her that afternoon. She knew what the glitter in his gaze meant. He was attracted to her. And if she looked pretty, perhaps it would mitigate some of his anger and save her from whatever punishment he was sure to dole out.

  Unable to avoid the inevitable any longer, Ginny gathered up her skirt and swept into the hall. With every step, her imagination spun images of how angry Simon must have been when he saw the state the cottage was in. Even though it had been part of her plan, she still dreaded facing the consequences. Though she had to admit, smashing holes in the walls of the place where Henry had entertained his whores and widows and even some of her ‘friends’ had been most rewarding.

  It was with a smug smile on her face that she entered the Green Room, but her smile fell when she saw Simon.

  He had a drink in his hand and leaned with the other bracing his weight on the mantel. His eyes, the amazing sea blue eyes that haunted her mind, were focused on some of the trinkets that decorated the fireplace. He tilted his head to one side to examine her favorite vase a bit closer, but he still hadn’t noticed her quiet entrance.

  A quick flash of heat rushed through her at the sight of him. How could he be so handsome? So much bigger than she was, even bigger than Henry had been. Yet, his superior size didn’t frighten her as it should have. Instead of wondering how he would use his height against her, she found herself wondering what it would feel like to have those large, rough hands touch her skin.

  With a gasp, she shook away the scandalous thoughts and straightened her shoulders. Was she weak? Or just a wanton? Perhaps a glutton for punishment was a better analysis. After all, desire only bred pain.

  At her soft sound of distress, Simon turned from the fireplace. His gaze locked with hers. For what seemed like forever, the world slowed to an almost unbearable pace and she was drawn to the intensity of his stare as easily as if he’d reached out and physically pulled her nearer. Worse, the sensations his mere look inspired were anything but unpleasant.

  Using the remainder of her dwindling willpower, Ginny broke their stare and took a step into the room. Icy detachment was the best course of action. She’d learned that over the years.

  With a thin smile, she said, “Good evening, Mr. Webber. I hope you weren’t forced to wait long.”

  His gaze, which had maintained its intensity even when she looked away, softened with his smile. “No, my lady, not this time. May I fix you a drink?”

  A drink was the best idea she’d heard in what seemed like years. Yes, a drink to make her hands stop shaking, to help her stay relaxed as she faced off with this devil who hid behind a handsome exterior.

  “Sherry, please.” As he turned to the bar, she gripped the back of the chair and screwed up what courage she had left. “How is the cottage?” she managed to squeak out.

  His shoulders stiffened and her heart sank. Despite a friendly attitude when she first entered the room, he was angry. She straightened her spine and prepared for the harsh words she knew would come.

  But when he turned, his face was clear of anger. In fact, an amused twinkle brightened his eyes before he cloaked the reaction with a hooded glance. “Our accommodations are fine, thank you.”

  Ginny barely kept her mouth from falling open in shock. The accommodations were fine? There was a foot wide hole in the roof that she had ordered placed there. On a rainy night like this one, the cold and damp would permeate everything and everyone who dared to take shelter behind its damaged walls.

  His smile widened and took on a rakish air that made her stomach flip flop. “And I hope you haven’t put your schedule off by having a formal supper prepared. You’ve gone to so much trouble as it is.”

  He arched one dark brow and there was no doubt in the challenge of his stare. Ginny somehow swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat. She’d all but forgotten her earlier lie about not having formal suppers. It was so hard to keep all the lies straight, especially with a man who seemed to see her soul with his blasted, beautiful eyes.

  “We-well,” she stammered as her fingers dug harder into the back of the chair. “I thought we’d make a special effort for your first night here, Mr. Webber.”

  He smiled and her eyes strayed to the drink he’d prepared for her. Wasn’t he going to give it to her? She needed it now more than ever. She was shaking so hard she was afraid she wouldn’t stay upright for long.

  As if he’d read her mind, he took a long step closer. His stare never left her as he held out the drink. With trembling fingers, she reached out to take the glass, but they slid from the damp crystal and instead brushed across his hand.

  The electricity that shot betwe
en them at the inadvertent touch stunned her. Ginny blinked up at him, and the flash in his eyes made it clear he’d felt the heat, too. And that it confused him as much as did her.

  But she’d just met him! There was no reason for him to inspire any strong emotions beyond wariness and anger. No reason for her to be slowly leaning toward him as she was doing at that moment. Yet she couldn’t seem to control the slow sway of her body any more than she could control the wild cadence of her heart.

  “Ginny?” Harriet’s voice came from the door.

  The sound of her name startled her back to reality. Ginny dropped her hand from Simon’s fingers to take a stumbling step back. The spell between them was broken, but from the look in his eyes it was one neither would soon forget.

  Damn devils and their charms.

  “Harriet.” She turned toward her friend with a wide smile that felt more false than any expression in her life. Behind her, she heard Simon set her drink down on the table with a clink. If only he’d done that in the first place she never would have touched him. She shook away the memory. “I’m so glad you made it through the torrent.”

  Harriet eyed her with a questioning gaze that slowly shifted to Simon. At her perusal, she let out a gasp of “Oh my,” under her breath. Ginny tossed a look over her shoulder and had to agree. The man was sinfully handsome.

  “The torrent has eased,” Harriet said, shaking off whatever surprise she felt and giving both occupants of the room a bright smile. “But I’m glad to have a skilled driver. The roads can be treacherous on a night such as this.”

  Ginny linked arms with her friend. Her own shakiness began to fade with Harriet’s strength.

  “Then it’s good you live so close by. May I present Mr. Simon Webber? He’s the man Henry named as trustee to Jack’s entailed inheritance. He’s only here for a short while.”

  She finally looked up and saw that though Simon bowed slightly in Harriet’s direction, his gaze was still fixed firmly on her face. It was disconcerting enough that she lost all thread of thought.

  “And I’m Harriet Percy,” Harriet finished for her after a few awkward moments had passed. She gave Ginny a hard glace out of the corner of her eye. “My late husband was a Squire in the shire.”

  Simon turned from Ginny to smile kindly at Harriet. “Mrs. Percy, it’s an honor to make your acquaintance. I’m so sorry about the loss of your husband. It’s good that you and Lady Westdale can support each other through your grief.”

  With a shrug, Harriet released Ginny and held out her hand. As Simon placed a kiss on the top of her glove, she said, “Ginny is the best friend I’ve ever known. I’ve heard very much about you.”

  “Really?” Simon sent an intrigued smile in Ginny’s direction. She hardly noticed it, for she was entirely focused on his hand. The one that still gripped Harriet’s even though Simon had done his duty and greeted her.

  “Let go,” she muttered under her breath. How she hated the little twinge of emotion in her chest. Almost as much as she hated the surge of triumph when he followed her silent order and released her friend’s hand.

  Ginny smoothed her skirt and wished she could straighten her emotions so easily. These distractions weren’t helping her cause at all. “Shall we adjourn to the dining room? I believe Ingram is eyeing us from the door with that gleam in his eye that tells me the cook is ready for us.”

  “Very well.” Simon smiled at the two women, obviously waiting for Ginny to decide which one’s arm he should take.

  While propriety dictated that he escort her as lady of the house, somehow she doubted her reaction to his touch would be any different than it had been earlier. The thought of feeling that shock of awareness again was terrifying. But as her eyes drifted to her pretty friend, Ginny felt the stab of something akin to jealousy. Cursing herself, she swept past Simon and into the hall, leaving little doubt that he should take Harriet’s arm. But she didn’t have to watch.

  ***

  Simon made a show out of stabbing his grouse and slowly cutting a slice from the breast. It could have been an aardvark on his plate for all he cared. The only thing he seemed capable of concentrating on was the alluring young woman who sat a few chairs down from his own.

  Virginia.

  No, Ginny. Her friend, Mrs. Percy had called her that, and it fit her. It put him to mind of the girl she must have once been before she’d become colder. But why had that happened? And why did she continue to hide herself beneath that cloak of ice? In the Green room he felt the heat she kept hidden. He wanted that heat. And he still did.

  He stole another glance her way and swallowed hard as she took a slow sip of wine. She darted her tongue out to catch an errant drip that clung to the curve of her lip. It was as if every move she made was designed to bewitch him. To make him throb for her as he throbbed now. But he could and would fight those urges. His desire only confused an already complicated situation.

  “Mr. Webber, perhaps you could tell us a bit more about yourself.”

  Simon shook off his increasingly erotic thoughts to give Harriet Percy a quick smile. The woman seemed kind enough, though he’d be a fool not to realize her friendliness only extended as long as he was considerate to Ginny. He had a feeling the other woman would lash out if he dared to harm a hair on her friend’s head.

  Even the questions she’d posed throughout the meal weren’t really designed to get to know him on a personal level. They were meant to determine what kind of man he was. But he had nothing to hide.

  “What would you like to know, Mrs. Percy?” he asked, leaning forward with a half-smile for her. She returned the expression and he knew without a doubt that they understood each other perfectly.

  “Ginny says you’re in shipping.” Harriet tossed a glance toward their hostess, who was twisting her napkin with a strange expression on her face as she watched the two of them talk.

  “Yes. I began eight years ago and bought my first ship about five years ago. That ship has turned into a fleet. Webber Shipping.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. He’d turned the ghost of his father into an industry. An industry that had bought his mother some of her respectability back. Some, but not enough.

  “You must be busy in London, then.” Ginny glanced at him, but broke the stare just as quickly. “You must want to go back there.”

  He covered his smile. She hadn’t added soon, but the word hung unspoken in the air. Did she know how obvious she was? How desperate to get rid of him she sounded? That fact only challenged him to stay, no matter how much he longed to get back to The Keeper and the sea.

  He locked eyes with her when she dared to look at him again. “Actually, my lady, I don’t work in London. I have a few trustworthy men who manage the affairs of the business from there, but I’m not comfortable in an office with a cravat choking me.” He smiled as she cast her eyes to the knot that squeezed his throat at the moment. “I take a more hands-on approach to my business by captaining my own ship.”

  Harriet’s green eyes grew wide. “Really? That’s fascinating, Mr. Webber. You must have seen so much of the world!”

  “Yes, most of it. From the colonies to the Indies to places where the snow doesn’t melt all year long.” He grinned. Seeing places most other men didn’t even dream of was one of his favorite things about his life.

  “You must ache to return to your ship then.” Ginny’s brittle voice brought his attention back to her. She had knotted her napkin entirely and her knuckles were white as she clenched a fist.

  Why in the world was she so upset?

  “Actually, I’m pleased to have some time on land,” he lied. “I’ve missed the countryside and look forward to renewing my interest in its activities. Like Pall Mall. Do you play, Mrs. Percy?”

  Ginny made a soft sound at the back of her throat as Harriet nodded. “Ye-yes, I do play.”

  “Are you trying to tell us that you enjoy Pall Mall?” Ginny repeated. “It doesn’t exactly seem like your kind of game.”

  He ar
ched a teasing eyebrow her way. “Well, we’ve just met, my lady. Perhaps I’ll surprise you.” He leaned closer and enjoyed the way her eyes dilated. “In fact, I guarantee it.”

  At the end of the table, Ginny muttered something unintelligible, which he ignored. Somehow stymieing her was almost as enjoyable as that brief touch they’d shared. Almost.

  “At any rate, that game requires four,” Harriet said. “Who would be the fourth player?”

  “My man, Adam is quite good with a mallet,” Simon supplied. Yes, a game with these two women could be quite interesting. He already knew which one of them he’d choose as his partner. “Although he acts as my valet on journeys such as this one, he’s normally my first mate.”

  Ginny gave him a quick glance. “So you really don’t have any servants with you?”

  “Is that important?” he asked.

  Somehow her question pricked. The ton put so much emphasis on things like servants and money and status. If she were implying his lack of staff made him less of a person, she’d soon learn differently. No one helped him with his boots when the sea rocked beneath him, why would he need help when the ground was solid?

  Her eyes narrowed. “No, nothing about you is important to me. I was simply making polite conversation.”

  “Ginny!” Harriet’s eyes widened at the sudden poison in her friend’s tongue.

  For a long moment an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Ginny glared at Simon, Simon glared back with growing annoyance at her prickly attitude, and Harriet stared at her friend as if she’d sprouted a second head.

  Finally, Simon looked away. He refused to rise to Ginny’s bait, no matter how much he wanted to. “How old is your Jack now?”

  Ginny stared at him for a moment longer, then said, “He turned two in January. Right before his father’s death.”

  He couldn’t help but notice just how empty her voice sounded. It was yet another reminder that he knew very little about the confusing circumstances of this woman’s marriage and her mourning.

  “I’d like to meet him. I hope you’ll allow that,” he said, taking a bite of his food while he watched for her reaction.