“Congratulations, Lord Julian.” Alex stuck out his hand, his smile extending from one ear to the other.
“Thank you, Alex,” Julian said as they shook hands.
After a warm hug from her son, Amelia turned away and started for the door. Oh, if Alex only knew the real Julian Westland, he wouldn’t be so cursed happy at the moment. No, indeed.
Several minutes later, much to Amelia’s chagrin, Julian opted to ride in the carriage with her and Alex to Sagemeadow. It was awful. Every bump and sway caused their knees to touch, sending tiny shocks through her body. And his musky male scent—oh, she just couldn’t stand it.
As a trickle of sweat rolled in between her breasts, Amelia could envision Julian’s long slender fingers touching her there before cupping her in his hands and bringing his lips down…
Her eyes flew open and she gasped, shocked by what she had been thinking.
Alex turned from studying something outside the window, brows puckered with worry. “What is it, Mama?”
Shaking her head, she forced a smile. “I must have dozed.” She didn’t dare look in Julian’s direction. “It was nothing but a dream.”
Her son’s shoulders relaxed, his brow cleared. Then he turned to the carriage window and his eyes widened. “Oh, look!” He pointed at something outside.
Grateful for the distraction, Amelia turned her head. “Oh, my,” she whispered as Sagemeadow Hall came into view. It really was a castle, she thought, gazing at the grand circular turret coming into view with ivy sneaking up its evenly cut golden stones.
The carriage had barely stopped when Alex scrambled out. Amelia smiled at her son as she watched him dash up to the mansion. Of a sudden, he halted and rushed back. “I’m sorry, Mama.” Chest heaving, he held out his hand and assisted her down from the carriage. Julian followed, the heat of his body attesting to his nearness. She prayed he wouldn’t detect how he affected her, and decided this unwanted attraction would end. Today. Right now.
The front door opened, drawing her attention, and a man dressed in black emerged. He gave a bow. “Welcome home, my lord.” Then he turned to her and bowed again. “My lady.”
“Jennings,” Julian said. “I trust you received my note?”
The butler inclined his head. “Everything is in order, my lord.”
“Good.” Julian took her arm and led her into the mansion.
The luxurious interior distracted her momentarily. She gazed at the polished marble floor and the gleaming suits of armor with wonder. Spying Alex, she found him glancing around the vestibule, turning his head this way and that with his mouth agape, and smiled. Seeing him so happy was worth any price she paid.
“There is just one thing, my lord,” Jennings indicated as they were about to move farther into the house.
Paying them little attention, Amelia continued to glance around.
“What is—?” Julian halted.
Hearing footsteps clopping on the marble, Amelia turned and noticed a woman dressed to the nines sashaying toward them. Her honey-gold locks had been artfully arranged beneath a sky-blue feathered hat. The woman’s matching gown poured over sinuous curves, revealing a tiny waist and large breasts that looked ready to pop right out of the bodice. And her heavy-lidded eyes were fixed solely on Julian as a cat-like smile spread slowly over her coral painted lips.
Amelia watched the woman halt about six inches from Julian and delve into his eyes with the lewdest look she had ever seen. The smoldering gaze revealed intimacies shared between the two as well as if the strumpet held up a banner with the words ‘Julian’s lover’ sprawled across.
“Hello, darling,” the woman purred throatily.
“Claudia,” Julian said with a smile in his voice, curse his black soul to the devil.
As the two exchanged customary how-do-you-do’s, Amelia stood stiff at Julian’s side, seething. How dare the scoundrel bring his mistress here! In front of Alex, no less!
Finally, Julian turned and introduced her to the woman. “Claudia, meet my wife, Amelia, Lady Amersleigh. Amelia, this is our neighbor, Claudia Templeton, Lady Bridgewater.”
Lady Bridgewater turned and, masking her surprise, scanned Amelia from top to bottom. Then, as though finding Amelia no threat whatever, a large smile bloomed across those painted lips. “Lady Amersleigh.”
Anger churned within Amelia, heating her face. Clearly, the strumpet did not feel the least bit concerned about being left out of Julian’s bed. “Lady Bridgewater.”
“Well, I really must be going,” the woman said, turning to Julian. She took his arm and pulled him toward the door, crushing those plump, fleshy breasts against him. “Walk me out, Julian?” She looked at him as though he were a tasty morsel to be devoured.
Unable to stand another second in their presence, Amelia turned and, not finding Alex anywhere in sight, walked further into the mansion. She glanced around the large hall, seeing that also deserted. “Alex.” She walked past the grand, oak stairway. Her voice echoed, making her feel alone, insignificant. “Alex, where are you?”
“The young master is in the observatory, my lady.”
Amelia staggered to the side, her hand covering her mouth to keep from screaming. “Oh, Jennings, you frightened me.”
He bowed. “My apologies, my lady.”
She shook her head. “Apologies aren’t necessary.” She straightened. “Where did you say my son has gone?”
“Last door on the right, my lady.” He indicated the direction of the room with his hand.
“Thank you,” Amelia said as she hurried away.
The door stood ajar as she approached. Amelia entered the glass-paneled room sprawling with potted palms, ferns, orchids, and lilies, and then she found Alex standing before the largest telescope she had ever seen. The enormous brass cylinder was mounted to some sort of wheeled conveyance that made it possible to transport it right out of the set of French doors to the lovely garden beyond. Peering at the open sky, Amelia knew where she would be finding her son most often.
“Isn’t this the greatest thing you have ever seen?” Alex’s words ran together in his excitement. His eyes traveled up and down the polished brass and he couldn’t keep the enormous smile from his lips.
“It certainly is.”
Alex gazed into the eyepiece for several seconds then turned to her, his eyes momentarily sullen. “I guess I have to wait until it’s dark.”
She suppressed a smile. “I suppose so.”
“There you two are.”
The muscles in her stomach tightened at the sound of Julian’s voice, but she refused to turn. She had no wish to look at him at the moment. The lousy, no-good, rotten…
“Lord Julian.” Alex hurried up to him.
“I see you’ve found the telescope,” Julian said, laughter in his voice.
“Yes, sir.” Alex sounded so delighted, it lessened much of the anger knotting her stomach. How could she be mad at someone who made her son so happy?
With a deep breath, Amelia was ready to put aside her animosity and try and get along with Julian. Perhaps he had no idea Lady Bridgewater would be there waiting for him. Trying to form a smile, Amelia turned just as her son spoke.
“My lord?” Alex squinted up to Julian. “What do you have all over your lips?”
Amelia stumbled to a halt. Seeing the coral paint just before Julian raised his hand to his mouth, she turned back to the telescope. Julian had actually kissed that strumpet! While pondering the idea of Julian having a lover, that the woman was beautiful, and lived close by, Amelia grew even more uneasy. She hadn’t even considered that to be a possibility in this…this bargain she had made. As if chilled, she crossed her arms over her chest.
Of course he would have a lover. Probably dozens of them. She bowed her head. It didn’t take her long to realize what she felt. Hurt. How pathetic. She’d made a vow, for goodness sake. A vow to never love Julian nor allow him to hurt her again.
Yet, the hurt she felt sharply in her middle was real. Re
al enough to make the backs of her eyes stung.
No, no, no! She would not cry! Not over this. Amelia took a deep breath and lifted her head. It took every ounce of strength she could summon to keep the tears away.
Alex’s laughter behind her caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder and watched her son a moment. His radiant smile lit up the whole room. Then she gazed unwillingly to the man beside him with a heartbreakingly identical smile. Something strange pierced her heart, something she wasn’t ready to identify, for it scared her to death. She turned away.
How in God’s name would she ever survive this? How was she going to live the rest of her life in Julian’s house, but never able to reside in his heart?
CHAPTER 12
“My lady?”
Amelia turned from her inspection of the flower garden. After the observatory, Julian had taken her and Alex on a tour of the rest of the house, then the gardens. She chose to remain in the flower garden while Julian took Alex to the river nearby. Time alone helped her think.
“My lady?”
She blinked, coming out of inner thought. “Yes?”
The woman, perhaps five to seven years older than Amelia, wearing a gray dress and white apron, curtsied. “I am Ruth Pennymaker. Ruth, if you please, my lady.” She straightened and clasped her hands together.
Amelia recalled meeting all the servants just before the tour of the mansion began. She smiled, grateful the maid repeated her name. It would take a while before she remembered them all. “Yes, Ruth, what can I do for you?”
“His lordship has asked me to be your lady’s maid, if it pleases you, my lady.”
The woman’s warm, brown eyes and genteel demeanor were more than Amelia could hope for. “Yes, that would please me very much, Ruth.”
The maid’s face lit with pleasure. “Thank you, my lady.” She curtsied. “If you will excuse me, I shall see that your things are unpacked straight away.”
Amelia was not used to being waited on. She shook her head. “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
Ruth’s face fell. “But those are part of my duties, my lady.”
It had been years since she’d had any servants. Amelia wondered if she would get used to it once again. “You’re right, of course. Go ahead and unpack my belongings, then.”
After Ruth had walked away, Amelia turned back to the garden. Watching water cascade down the center of the white marble fountain before her, she couldn’t help but think of Julian. Again. A pain bloomed full in her chest. She fought the sensation until it dulled, and she shook her head in hopelessness. Would she be forever doomed to a life of unhappiness?
A memory surfaced. Amelia staggered to the bench facing the fountain and sat. The happy little girl with chestnut curls grinned as she took a wrapped box with a large red bow. The child opened the package, gasping in delight when she saw the tiny porcelain tea set. Her mama kissed her forehead and handed her another present. Instead of opening it, the child threw herself in her mother’s arms and told her how much she loved her.
Being loved had been the best present of all.
The piercing cry of a hawk above brought Amelia out of her childhood memories. She mopped her tears away with a handkerchief. How hollow she felt of a sudden. Empty. For she realized that never again would she feel such happiness.
Her life stretched out before her like a barren wasteland. Julian would soon be off with his various lovers. Alex would go off to school. She would be alone.
But all of this was for her son, she reminded herself.
Amelia swallowed the last of her tears and squared her shoulders. Her son’s happiness was far more important than her own. She must never forget that.
Oh, but how would she deal with Julian’s infidelity? Knowing every evening she spent alone, he’d be in the arms of some beautiful woman like Lady Bridgewater?
Why did it matter so much to her?
No, she would not answer that.
With a sigh, Amelia focused back on the fountain. The sound of gurgling water soothed her. The tightness within her began to unwind. Filling her lungs with the sweetness of honeysuckle and jasmine, she relaxed.
“Amelia?”
All her hard-won serenity shattered as Julian’s voice sounded behind her. She swiveled her head around, her body tense like a bow string.
He drew his brows at her reaction. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She turned back to the fountain. “I was deep in my thoughts and didn’t hear you approach.”
“Sorry.” His footsteps crunched on the stone path. He sat down beside her, settling in much too close for her comfort. Egypt would be too close for her comfort.
Amelia cleared her throat. “Where’s Alex?” She continued to watch the water sluice down the rounded marble rim. Looking at Julian would be far too dangerous. If she looked at him, she would want to touch him.
“He’s in the kitchen delighting Mrs. Busby with how many strawberry tarts he can eat.” From the corner of her eye, she watched him stretch his long, muscular legs out before him, crossing them at the ankles.
She jerked her eyes back to the fountain.
“I hope he doesn’t ruin his dinner,” Julian said.
“He won’t.” She squinted her eyes to focus on the gray veins in the white marble, trying to be unaffected by Julian’s presence. Just ignore—
“Amelia?”
The way he said her name, soft and sensual, made her swallow. “Hmmm?” She knotted her hands together in her lap, trying to count the number of cracks in the top tier of the fountain.
“People usually look at each other when carrying on a conversation.”
“Do they?” Twenty-nine, thirty…
“Yes.”
Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty—his hand covered hers, sending a jolt of shock through her body. She jumped and turned, fusing her gaze with amused, dove-gray eyes, framed with thick, black lashes.
A wicked smile spread across his lips. “That’s better.”
No it was not. Especially since he smelled so good, looked more handsome than the devil, and sat much closer than he ought.
“Don’t look so scared,” he said, scooting even closer, “I’m not going to bite.” His eyes twinkled mischievously, his grin broadening. “Yet.”
His gaze dropped down to her mouth and she knew he was going to kiss her. “No,” she whispered when he started to lean forward.
“Yes,” he whispered back, pulling her into his arms.
The heat of his body melted her defenses. She would be lost. In just two more seconds. “No, don’t, Julian.” Her voice came out a ragged, desperate plea.
He halted just as his lips started to graze hers. “What is it, Pixie?”
The feathery caress of his breath sent shivers down her spine and a longing so deep, it speared her very soul. “Please, don’t do this.” Her words were hardly audible, pushed through a constricted throat.
His brows snapped together. “You don’t want me to kiss you?”
She swallowed. “No.”
The confusion on his face deepened. “Why not?”
God, she could hardly think straight like this. Finding the strength somewhere deep down, she pulled away and stood. He hesitated for an instant, but allowed her to rise. She started to pace, piecing together her thoughts. “This marriage is in name only…” she halted when a shadow fell over her. Hesitantly, she looked up, confirming her fears. Julian stood over her, glowering, all right.
A muscle ticked in his jaw while he crossed his arms. “That was not something we agreed upon, madam.”
Amelia resisted the urge to spin around and run away. “W-We are agreeing upon it now.”
“No, we are not.”
She backed up a step. “You would force me, then?”
He started to say something, halted, then shook his head. His hands fell to his sides and he looked away. His jaw tightened and a muscle ticked in his cheek. Amelia shuffled back another step, readying to gather her skirts and r
un.
With a gusty sigh, he faced her again. His anger had diminished, though she grew even more worried than before. Determination now burned bright in those stormy eyes. “I’ll not have to force you, madam.” A slow, wicked grin came to his lips. “Because soon enough, you’ll beg me for it.”
Amelia watched him stride past her, shoulders set, mind made up. She groped for the bench, feeling a bit light-headed.
Dear God in heaven, what had she done now?
Julian slammed the door to his study, the bang echoing through the room, and marched directly to the liquor cart. Good, the whiskey decanter was nearly full. He grabbed it up along with a glass and stormed to his desk. He plopped down on the leather chair.
“If she wants a challenge,” he poured the pungent liquid into the glass, “then a challenge she shall have.” He gulped down the drink and poured another.
His third brought a warm numbness, the feeling most welcome. With a sigh, he propped his feet up on the desk and sipped the next drink slowly. That blasted little pixie. Gazing up at him with that innocent stare had filled him with more lust than all of the lewdest looks he’d ever received. Combined. Something about her pureness, her vulnerability drove him to distraction. He snorted and shook his head. It made him want to see her wreathing in release beneath him.
Julian leaned back farther in his chair, recalling his parting words to her in the garden. Something caught his eye and he turned to the fireplace. A smile broke free. He lifted his glass and saluted the crossed rapiers. “En garde, my darling wife.” He chuckled before bringing the drink to his lips and downing the contents.
CHAPTER 13
“What’s the matter? Couldn’t sleep?”
Amelia cut the yawn short and lowered her hand. Laughing dove-gray eyes greeted her above the newspaper he’d been reading. Cursed man. She hadn’t slept a wink and the fault had been entirely Julian’s. The whole night, she watched the door that separated their rooms, waiting for him to come ravish her. She would have been able to rest a little if the door had held some sort of lock. It didn’t. Just a simple turn of the knob and he would have been in her room.
Lord Sinister (Secrets & Scandals Book 3) Page 11
