“She will be exactly what Felicia needs. Someone who is not shocked easily, but will not hesitate to take her to task if she needs it.”
He agreed.
The rest of the afternoon and into the evening sped by. As the light waned, the locals all wandered away to their homes and soon, everyone else wandered indoors where an early dinner awaited.
“I suggest,” Jay murmured to Tina as they went in to dinner, “that if you do not wish to bring attention to yourself later, you slip away right after dinner.”
Tina looked up into eyes that could have devoured her on the spot. A rush of heat spread through her body, and she nearly melted into a puddle right then and there. Unable to speak, she merely nodded.
All throughout dinner, she felt Jay’s gaze on her, the barely restrained passion almost physical in its intensity. She half expected to find burn marks on her skin from the fire she knew burned just beneath the surface. It was exciting and exhilarating all at once. And she thought dinner would never end.
As the ladies left the dining room, she turned, prepared to excuse herself, but the duchess did it for her. “Now is your chance, my dear. Hurry on upstairs before that husband of yours makes even more of a spectacle of himself.”
There were general chuckles all around as she headed up the stairs, but Felicia had to have the last word. “Don’t forget to turn left rather than right at the top,” she called after her, and Tina wondered if one really could hang for strangling a younger sibling.
The master suite took up the whole of the bottom line of the “E”. Tina approached the massive double doors as she had nearly everything else—pragmatically, but she could not help the frisson of anticipation that streaked through her body as she did.
Milly was waiting for her, and quickly stripped her of her finery and helped her into a nightgown of the finest white silk. The material slipped sensuously over her skin, clinging to every curve. Sitting passively while Milly brushed out her hair was difficult and when she started to braid it into its customary rope, Tina stopped her.
Trying not to blush, she said, “You may as well leave it, his lordship prefers it loose.” Milly’s smile of approval lit up her face and Tina knew the comment would be repeated to the delight of the rest of the staff. Despite her own misgivings and doubts, there was no doubt among the servants, tenants, and villagers that theirs was a love match. If only she could be so certain.
Rising to her feet, she dismissed Milly, knowing the maid was anxious to join the rest of the servants below stairs to continue their celebration. Milly had been disappointed over her refusal to wait in the large bed in the other chamber, however, she put her foot down at seeming too eager for Jay’s arrival.
The suite was a knot of connecting rooms, consisting of two sitting rooms, two dressing rooms, a bathing room, and only one bedchamber containing a massive four poster bed of carved oak. As she wandered the suite, she noted one of the sitting rooms was nearly as large as the bedchamber, leading her to wonder if it had actually been another bedchamber at one time. The whole suite was decorated in white and gold with small touches of blue, except the bedchamber, which contained oak paneling with burgundy drapes and bedcovers. All in all, it was a beautifully and tastefully decorated suite.
Jay entered the bedchamber from his dressing room and was not surprised to find the bed empty. He grinned in realization. Crossing the room, he paused in the doorway to the large sitting room.
It had once been another bedchamber and, until Keyes pointed it out to him yesterday, he had not realized it was no longer one. In answer to his query, he had learned that the previous marchioness, Tina’s mother, had converted it because she never used the bedchamber. He remembered smiling at the thought. His father had obviously fallen hard if he had allowed that to happen. Reminding himself of what he knew of his own parents’ marriage, he wondered if they had ever shared a bed again after his conception.
Tina knelt on a cushioned window seat, leaning slightly out of the open casement, staring up at the night sky. The outline of her derriere, clearly visible through the thin silk gown she wore, had him catching his breath as his lower body stirred. Leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his burgundy brocade covered chest, he watched her for a few moments. Just as he had convinced himself she wouldn’t turn, she did.
Her gaze trapped by his, she scrambled down off the seat and stood before it for a moment. Uncertainty chased across her features as she scanned his face, then she moved toward him. As she neared, he straightened and opened his arms. Without hesitation, she stepped into them, relaxing against him as he closed them around her.
“I was glad to see you took my advice and escaped.”
Tina giggled and looked up at him. “I didn’t have any choice. Her Grace all but ordered me up the stairs.”
Jay scarcely heard her reply, so captivated was he by her animated face and sparkling eyes. He should be a candidate for sainthood for having resisted temptation all day. Either that, or he should be committed. Only now he no longer needed to worry about either. He could yield to the temptation she presented and indulge them both. After all, they had all night.
Lifting her in his arms, he carried her into the bedroom, kicking the door firmly shut behind them. The lamps had burned low, leaving the room in shadows. Yet even in the dim light, he could see her clearly. Putting her down on her feet beside the bed, he slipped the thin straps of the nightgown from her shoulders and watched as it slid into a shimmering puddle at her feet. She did not move. The only sign of her nervousness was the delicate blush that dusted her cheeks.
He lifted a handful of midnight silk and let the strands flow through his fingers. “Beautiful,” he rasped. “So beautiful.” Gathering her back into his arms, he bent his head and took possession of her mouth.
Tina’s mind went blank. A jolt of pure sensation went through her from head to toe and her hands climbed to his shoulders, gripping them tightly, as a soft moan escaped her. The kiss was thorough and passionate, demanding complete surrender in a way that left her breathless with anticipation. One hand moved upward to cup a breast, his thumb moving lightly over the peak and causing her to catch her breath as he raised his head. The nipple hardened under his touch and she unconsciously leaned into him even more, pressing her breast completely into his hand.
The eyes staring down at her glittered in the meager light and Tina felt a surge of possessiveness shoot through her. He was hers. She had fulfilled her promise, and was glad it didn’t feel like a duty. So far it had been nothing but pleasure and she expected the rest of the night would only bring more wonders.
His hand left her breast to brush the fall of her hair back from her face as he placed feathery kisses on her forehead, down the side of her face to her cheek and jaw.
“Soft, sweet, perfection,” he murmured, his head dipping to her shoulder.
Tina gasped as she felt his tongue move across her collarbone, the feeling sensual, yet soothing. She could feel a peculiar tightness building in her midsection and slowly moving downward. Her knees were turning to water—a few more moments of this and they would no longer hold her. As if he read her mind, Jay scooped her up and deposited her in the middle of the bed.
Tina felt bereft for a moment as she watched Jay shrug free of his dressing gown. Lifting her arms in open invitation, she had no idea she had just fulfilled one of his fondest fantasies. She only knew he reacted to her invitation with surprise and delight, joining her hastily and taking her mouth in a kiss that heated her blood to boiling.
Time no longer existed for the two of them. Attuned only one to the other and the responses they elicited from each other, they were submerged in a sensual haze that completely shut out the rest of the world.
Tina barely recognized the tiny whimpers of pleasure that issued from the back of her throat as Jay’s hands and mouth alternately explored and ravished her body. Her restless hands explored the muscled contours of his back, and threaded through his hair, all the while wishing she
was bold enough to touch him as familiarly as he touched her. She could not stop the startled cry that was wrenched from her as Jay touched her more intimately than she had ever touched herself.
She was burning up. Once unleashed, Jay’s passion engulfed her, the flames licking along her skin like a slow spreading blaze that leisurely consumed everything in its path. Yet it gathered momentum, dragging her with it toward an unknown peak, magnifying the pleasurable feelings such that she barely noticed the slight twinge which accompanied his possession of her body. Quickly forgotten amid the new sensations surging through her, she gave herself up, allowing Jay to take her wherever he chose.
*
It was sometime later when Jay remembered the moment she had come apart in his arms. Her cry of release had invaded his soul. He could not say how he knew, just that it had. And it unconsciously worried him. She had touched a part of him he had not known existed—or if he had suspected it existed, had thought long dead. She had given herself completely and unreservedly and he had uncovered a passionate nature beneath the calm exterior. But, it had come at a price. For, unknowingly, she had exposed a well of emotion within him. A well he did not want to acknowledge was there.
He could not possibly fall in love with her. He was incapable of the emotion. He felt possessive, protective, proud, and a host of other emotions toward her, but love? He would not give her that kind of power over him. Yet, at the moment, with her warm body softly draped over his, her breath delicately ruffling the hairs on his chest as she slept, he wondered if it truly mattered.
Of course, it would fit nicely into his plans if she fell in love with him. At least then, he could be certain of her forgiveness when she learned of the will. Jon had not been pleased to learn he had not told her, but had been persuaded to let him tell her in his own time. Yet, now that she was his wife, did she need to know at all?
Chapter Twelve
Could anything be more glorious than being kissed awake each morning? Or being stroked, caressed, and loved thoroughly before breakfast? How about opening your eyes only to find a dark, adoring gaze above yours?
Such were Tina’s thoughts as she finally emerged from the master suite near teatime the next afternoon. Jay had warned her he was only letting her go because he knew Jon and Felicia were leaving with the Westovers the next day. After that, he told her smugly, delighting in the blush that rose in her cheeks, the servants might not see them for days on end.
She would learn later he had nearly exhausted himself in the days before the wedding, riding the estate and surveying the surrounding villages to determine what needed to be fixed or repaired. Likewise, Felicia had taken the household in hand while planning the wedding to ensure Tina would not need to give much thought to it for a while. It would, therefore, allow them days of uninterrupted time together before they left to inspect the mines in the wilds of Northumbria.
Hearing music coming from the direction of the drawing room, Tina entered to find Felicia entertaining the duchess and countess. They both welcomed her warmly. The men did not join them for tea, so they chatted about young ladies’ academies, fashion, households, and other topics. Felicia was excited to be leaving with the duchess but the duchess insisted it was entirely her pleasure, having missed her own girls once they all married. It was an enjoyable afternoon that passed all too quickly.
*
It was quite a different story for the men. Ensconced in the library, they pooled their collective information on Roderick Milton and came away with more questions than they had answers.
“No duel?” Jay asked Teddy. “Are you sure?”
“I tracked down a few of Aaron’s old crowd. Grantham insists he would have known, but he says he knew of no one who might have challenged Aaron to a duel.” Teddy’s tone was grim. “And he says he’s sure he was one of the last to see Aaron before he and Milton left London. Says Aaron said he was headed home to get leg-shackled. According to him, Aaron boasted the next time they saw him, he’d have the prettiest little thing on his arm.”
“So, now what?” Jon asked. “If there was no duel, then how did Aaron die?”
“You said you were home on a holiday when Milton brought Aaron home. Did you see Aaron’s body at all?” Jay inquired of Jon.
“No, not that I recall. But Mother told me he’d been shot through the heart.”
“Hmmm.” Weston steepled his fingers under his chin. “It just may be possible we are looking for a murderer—not just an embezzler.”
“But why would Milton kill Aaron—if that is indeed what you are thinking?” his father questioned. “What would he gain?”
“Perhaps he wanted to stop Aaron from marrying,” was the reply from Jon. “But why? He couldn’t have possibly thought Tina would marry him instead.”
“And this was years before my father’s death; the will did not exist yet. So, the question is—what would Roderick Milton gain by Aaron not marrying Tina?”
“That may, indeed, be the pivotal question in all of this. But, until we track him down, I’m not sure we will find the answers.” Jon’s statement had them all nodding in agreement.
“Did Grantham know anything else about Milton?” Jay asked Teddy after a short silence.
“Not much. He said Aaron met him at some gaming hell. Apparently, Milton won a packet off Aaron one night and by the next evening they were fast friends. Said he thought he was from somewhere up north. Spoke once of a couple of older brothers. Never heard him mention any place in particular, though.”
“What about Aaron’s other friends?” This question came from the duke. “Grantham, as I recall, ran with a pretty wild crowd at one time.” He turned to his oldest son, “Weren’t Martindale and Jamison part of his crowd?”
“Hmmm, now that you mention it, yes. And there was a regimental officer who often tagged along with them. I met them once at a mill. What was his name? He and Milton had known each other before they came to London. It was a name close to Milton’s. Millen? No. Molden? No. Milden. Yes, that was it, Milden! I remember even though everyone else called him Milton, this friend called him “Rod”. Said it was an old nickname.”
“Rod would be a short version of Roderick,” Jay agreed. “Perhaps the assumption his name was fictitious is where we are failing.”
“Milden?” Jon queried. “You’re sure?”
Weston nodded. “Why?”
“I don’t know. The name is very familiar, though. As if I should know it for some reason.”
“We can have the detective see what he can dig up. Perhaps he can find this officer. You don’t happen to remember which regiment he might have been part of?” Jay’s voice carried a hint of hope. At least they had something more to go on.
“No, not at the moment. But, I will think on it. Perhaps it will come to me.”
*
Watching the coaches rolling down the drive, Tina felt as if a chapter of her life was closing. This would be the first time in her life without Felicia. Jon had been in and out since he started school many years ago, but since Felicia was born sixteen years ago, she had always been there. Now she was gone, too. For a moment Tina felt empty, then Jay slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his hard, muscled body.
“It won’t be the same without her,” she whispered, resting her head against him. “We have never been separated.”
“Think of it as an adventure,” he suggested. “I would wager she is.”
She turned then, looking up at perfectly molded lips that last night had taken her to previously undreamed of heights. She would miss Felicia, true. But she also looked forward to being alone with Jay. There were so many things she had yet to learn about him—and he about her.
The next fortnight was as idyllic as they come for Tina. She and Jay spent hours riding and walking the countryside, having picnics, fishing in the river, talking, reading, and, of course, in each other’s arms.
While Jay ordered and began overseeing some badly needed repairs, she inventoried and took
stock of the house. There were parts of the house needing refurbishing and she wrote copious notes and made sketches of possibilities. In addition, she tried to remember what needed doing at the Park as well. Consulting with Jay turned out to be a waste of time once he determined the extent of the changes she wanted to make.
“But, this will cost quite a bit, my lord,” she told him. “At least let me know which ones I should pursue in some sort of prioritized fashion.”
Jay looked up from the ledgers on his desk to his wife of less than a fortnight and wondered how he had managed before without her. She was a fount of information on general estate management, a talented musician, well-read, an engaging conversationalist, and a master pupil in bed. Every time he looked at her, his temperature rose, yet he was learning she could be tenacious when working on a project. The small changes she wanted to make to Collingswood and Thane Park had become such a project.
Her rose silk gown reminded him of the scent she wore, which somehow reminded him of how she had looked this morning shivering deliciously in his arms, which, in turn, caused his blood to heat.
“Tina,” he said now, exasperation in every word, “unless you plan to tear down and rebuild both houses completely, I do not think these small changes will bankrupt us.”
“Not all of these changes are small,” she defended. “I would like to do some major remodeling at the Park and completely refurbish the dower house as well.”
That got his attention. “Refurbish the dower house? Why?”
“Because it is nearly, to quote you, my lord, ‘falling down around us’,” she returned smugly.
“I agree it needs work—but not right now. If you must do it eventually, put it at the end of your list.”
Tina cocked her head to one side and appeared to consider this for a moment. “Very well, my lord,” she agreed and made a notation on the list she held.
Jay found a smile tugging at his lips as he watched her. She had been trying to provoke him, he now realized. They had been sitting in the library for most of the afternoon, each working on their own separate projects. She wanted his input, but he had been a grudging participant. Looking down at the ledgers he was trying to decipher concerning the family’s mine holdings, he decided they could wait another day.
The Gypsy Legacy: Marquis Page 19
