Coveting Love (Jessica Crawford) (28 page)

Jessica shut the book and shoved it back into the drawer. She couldn’t believe it. She had come upon Adelaide Stewart’s diary, Phillip’s grandmother. What a pity to have had to live like that. She felt as though she were intruding and blushed with embarrassment.

She dressed quickly and hurried down the stairs to the dining hall. Everyone else was already seated as she rushed into the room. Phillip looked up when she entered.

“
Good evening, Jessica. You have kept us waiting. I was getting worried about you. I was just about to send one of the servants to look for you.”

She cast him a look of contempt. “No need to bother. Rest assured I can take care of myself.” Her look told him she didn’t just mean for dinner.

“
I’m comforted to hear that. One can never tell what might happen to a young lady of beauty, such as you, in a strange country.”

“
Whatever do you mean?” she asked suspiciously.

“
I didn’t mean anything. I’m just pointing out that it’s easy to get lost in a strange country where the customs are different, and you don’t know your way around. I would suggest you make sure you have an escort at all times.”

“
I think that’s a good idea,” John quickly agreed. “I think Mr. Stewart is right. This is a strange country and we don’t know much about it.”

“
Well, thank you both for your concern, but I have visited different countries before, and managed just fine. So you see, there is nothing to worry about,” she said taking her place beside John, ignoring the chair that Phillip had pulled out for her beside him.

“
Suit yourself,” he said pushing the chair back in. “But as everyone is my witness, I have warned you. If any harm should come to you, I take no responsibility.”

“
No harm is going to come to me, but rest assured, if I do get lost in the streets of Australia, I will not hold you responsible. Now if you don’t mind, would you please ask the meal to be served? I have a lot of preparation to begin. I would like to have a look at the models you have arranged, first thing in the morning, if that’s all right with you,” she added sarcastically.

“
Aw, does this mean you’ve changed your mind and decided to stay.”

She blushed. “It only means I’ll consider it. I want to see what you have lined up. Then I’ll make my decision.”

Phillip looked to his right. “Hank, can you have the models assembled by the morning?” Hank said nothing, just nodded.

Jessica hadn’t noticed the man before. Apparently, she had been so preoccupied with her sparring that she hadn’t seen him sitting there, or the woman sitting beside him. Phillip chuckled at the expression of embarrassment on her face.

“
Hank is my assistant. This is his wife, Emily.” He indicated her with a nod. “Hank and Emily live here in the house with me. They have their own quarters, near to where John is staying.”

He continued, “I’m sure we can accommodate your request, but I have to ask what the rush is. I thought we might take some time to get to know each other better.”

He motioned for at a team of waiters, and they began setting dishes before them.

She ignored his invitation at intimacy. “Because, the sooner I get started, the sooner I finish, and the sooner I can return home. I have a fiancé waiting for me to return so we can plan our wedding.” She punctuated the last words, trying to reinforce the fact that she was not an available woman.

“
Aw, come now, Jessica. Oh how I do so love that name.” He looked at Hank and Emily. “Don’t you love that name?” They said nothing but nodded in unison. “Be careful, you might offend my hospitality. You wouldn’t want to do that, would you?” She did not miss the storm that grazed his eyes.

“
Try me.”

John, growing weary of their sparring match, broke in, “Okay you two. I think that’s enough. I’m calling for a momentary truce between you. Jessica, I think that while we’re here, you should put aside all the past hurts and anger you have, and treat Mr. Stewart with respect. After all, he has opened his home to us, and offered to be our guide. And as for you, Mr. Stewart; I don’t know about your mother, but my mother would be appalled at the way you treat your guests.”

She glared at Phillip, but spoke to John. “I’m sorry. How unfair of me to drag you into this battle. Mr. Stewart, I apologize. I thank you for your hospitality, and I accept your offer to be our guide.” She smiled at John. “Is that better?”

She didn’t miss the amusement that tugged ever so slightly at the corners of Emily’s mouth, even though she never looked up from her dinner plate.

“
Thank you,” John said, returning her smile.

“
Well, John, as far as mothers go, mine was not around much to instill such honorable values, but I appreciate your thoughts. I acknowledge my bad behavior and will try to be a better host,” Phillip said.

“
If you will all excuse me, I think I’ll turn in,” Jessica announced, pushing back her chair at the conclusion of the meal. “It’s been a long day.”

“
I think that’s a good idea. In fact, I think we should all turn in. I have a rather full day planned for us tomorrow, and we want to be at our best,” Phillip said.

Jessica swung around, prepared to do battle again. Then she saw John standing beside Phillip, frowning. She held back, remembering her promise to him. Instead, she smiled as sweetly as she possibly could.

“
Yes, and I would like to write to my fiancée before I go to bed. I miss him terribly. Perhaps I’ll sleep better knowing he is the last thing on my mind before I fall asleep.”

She smiled with inward pleasure as she saw the darkness spread across his face at the mention of Brandon. She ignored the inner voice that cautioned her about playing games with an experienced viper.

She returned to the writing desk and picked up the inkblot and pen. She was surprised that there was ink in it, and then frowned as she realized Phillip must have filled it for her.

Why did it bother her when he made gestures to be nice? Because it was so out of character for him, she didn’t expect it. It made her feel open and vulnerable.

Out of habit, she picked up her notepad to make a few notes, but realized she didn’t have any notes to make. He was totally in control of this project. She had no idea what she was doing, or what was in store for her and John. She scolded herself for not having been more careful, and for allowing herself to be put in this situation. She would give it to Clair when she got back.

She opened the desk drawer and took out a piece of stationary, intending to write to Brandon. However, every time she started the letter, she couldn’t think of a way to tell him she was staying in Phillip Stewart’s house. He would be outraged, considering all he had gone through to protect her from him. Each time she started the letter she crumbled the paper, finally admitting defeat. She would try again tomorrow.

She crossed the room and crawled into bed, where she lay for nearly an hour, trying desperately to fall asleep. Her mind kept wandering to that drawer, the one that held the diary in it. She scolded herself again for thinking of reading it. It was personal; she had no right to pry, but isn’t that the reason people write in diaries, to share their thoughts and lives with other people. She couldn’t shake the idea from her mind.

Throwing back the covers, she crossed the room and sat at the desk. She ran her fingers over the top and around the corners, savoring the splendid touch of the cool wood. She knew from the diary’s contents that Adelaide thought Randall Stewart hadn’t loved her, but it seemed a lot of love went into the selection of this desk. It was a magnificent desk, delicately carved, made of the finest wood, femininely sized to fit even the most petite of women.

She opened the drawer containing the diary and reached in to touch it. It would be a shame for all those thoughts to go unread, tucked away in this desk forever. She wondered if she should tell Phillip about it. “After I read it,” she said aloud, lifting the book from the place she had left it, where it had lain for probably many years. She skimmed through it until something caught her eye.

Jessica sat back in thoughtful sorrow. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes. What a sad way to feel on Christmas day. She recalled her own happy memories of the many magnificent Christmases she and her mother had shared. She would run down the stairs to peek at what Santa had left her. She hadn’t even let on when she figured out it was her mother who left all the beautiful trinkets in her stocking. After presents were opened, they would fix breakfast together. Then they would be off to church, and then down to the homeless shelter to serve Christmas dinner. Afterward, they would either dine at a friend’s house or host a dinner themselves.

She looked down at the diary. She was interested, too interested to stop. So she read on to the next entry.

The diary entries touched Jessica’s heart. She tried hard to understand what it must have been like to lie with a man that you didn’t love, or have a child with him for that matter.

She turned off the light and slept. She dreamt that she was Adelaide, and Phillip was his grandfather. She woke with a start and realized it was only a dream. She lay back against the pillows and thought about Phillip. She imagined he was probably much like his grandfather.

She had seen a gentle side of him since her arrival here. A considerate side of a ruthless man. It unnerved her. She must be careful not to let her emotions run away with her, or cloud her judgment. She had a soft spot for wounded animals, and Phillip Stewart could be any kind of man he thought would bring him what he wanted.

**********

CHAPTER 12

“
Phillip, Australia’s lovely!” Jessie exclaimed as they walked through the streets of Sydney. “Although, it’s a bit warmer than I had anticipated,” she added, removing her sweater.

“
It will start cooling off next month. That’s when our winter will start to set in. Then you will need that sweater.”

“
I won’t be here in a month, so I’ll just enjoy the warm weather for the time I am here, but this truly is magnificent. I never dreamed Australia was so beautiful. I’m confused. Why would you want to live in New York, when you were born in such a beautiful country.”

“
You know the old saying, ‘the grass is always greener on the other side'. I used to visit the States with my father when I was a small boy. I loved New York from the moment I saw it. It was so full of life, and dollar signs,” he added, grinning. “Anyway, I went there on a business trip when I was in my early twenties. My father had sent me. It was my first solo negotiation. I met my wife on that trip, and I was immediately taken with her. She had everything I was looking for in a woman. She was beautiful, charming, sophisticated, and filthy rich. It was attraction at first sight.”

“
Attraction? Don’t you mean love-at-first-sight?”

He shook his head. “No, I mean attraction. Neither one of us have ever really loved each other. That wouldn’t suit our goals in life. Love is what makes people vulnerable. Her father wanted her to marry, thought it would settle her down some, and I, being from Australia, was a perfect challenge for him. He thought I would be green in the business world, and he would be able to mold me to his liking, but he was wrong. You see my father was a wimp of a man, but I had grown up under the influence of my grandfather. I lived with my grandparents most of my childhood. My parents loved to travel. Because of their fondness for travel, my mother couldn’t—or shall I say, wouldn’t—straddle herself down with a child, so she left me with my grandparents. That’s where I learned to love my grandmother so much.”