Desire In His Eyes (25 page)

Lucien stepped aside, allowing the tall figure of Captain Harrison Fleming to enter the room.

Juliette dropped her fork on the table with a clatter as her heart slammed into her chest. For a minute she could not breathe at the sight of him. His presence absorbed all her focus in an instant.

Harrison looked impossibly tall and handsome, the masculine lines of his face tanned from the sun and his golden hair gleaming in the candlelight. Wearing only a crisp white shirt and dark, form fitting trousers with black boots, his tall and muscular presence overwhelmed her. He was not dressed appropriately for dinner, which told her that he must have come immediately from the
Sea Minx
. His intense, silver-gray eyes met hers immediately, and her mouth went dry.

What was he doing here?
Had he come to London just to see her? Dared she hope that much? What other reason would bring him back to Devon House so soon, except her?

“Why, Captain Fleming! What a lovely surprise to see you again!” Colette said, her face registering her astonishment at his presence at Devon House, yet she smiled warmly. “Won’t you please have a seat and join us?”

Harrison pulled his eyes from Juliette to answer. “I would be honored to join you. Thank you very much, Lady Waverly,” he said taking the vacant seat on the other side of Yvette across the table from Juliette. He nodded with a smile. “Good evening, everyone.”

“Harrison!” Jeffrey called to him. “You must have set sail shortly after we did. Are you here on business or pleasure?”

Wishing she sat closer to Jeffrey so she could give him a swift kick under the table for that question, Juliette settled for glaring at him instead. He ignored her.

As a footman brought him a place setting, Harrison paused before answering Jeffrey. “I am here on business, as a matter of fact. Urgent, personal business.”

“I see,” Lucien said, resuming his seat at the head of the table. “Is it anything we can assist you with?”

“That remains to be seen, but I shall let you know.”

“Well, I must say it is a pleasure to see you again, Captain Fleming,” Lenora Sinclair began in a gracious manner. “Did you have a smooth crossing?”

He nodded. “Yes, and the
Sea Minx
made it here in record time.”

“So the weather was good?” Lucien asked.

“Yes, it was perfect,” Harrison said. Once again his eyes flicked briefly in Juliette’s direction. “It could not have been better if I had planned it.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of our sister,” Colette said. “She had us all quite worried until we received your telegram.”

“I am pleased I was able to see her safely to her destination.”

“We were quite glad as well.” Colette commented. “Juliette mentioned you have a sister, Captain Fleming.”

Harrison’s eyes brightened. “Yes, she met my sister Melissa. She is a remarkable artist. In fact, I brought some of her paintings with me this time to show you. I almost convinced her to come to England with me on this trip, but she has a fear of ships.”

“It is a shame that your sister has a fear of ships for Juliette has told us wonderful things about the
Sea Minx
,” Lisette remarked amiably.

“Has she now?” Harrison’s silvery eyes met Juliette’s again.

Her pulse raced erratically and she forced herself to look away from him. She wanted to craw under the table and hide. She simply could not grasp that Harrison was really there. In her home. Conversing easily and naturally with her family, acting cool and calm as if Juliette were not seated across from him. As if they had not shared the most extraordinary intimacies together. As if there were not an ocean of feelings between them that they needed to address. As if he did not sense the agonizing anticipation between them. How could he simply sit there and act as if everything were normal? Could no one else sense the unbearable tension that stretched out between them? Could they not see it? She felt Harrison’s physical presence with every fiber of her being. Juliette wanted to scream in frustration.

Paulette eagerly volunteered, “Yes, all she could talk about is how exciting sailing with you was.”

“Perhaps we could visit your ship one afternoon?” Yvette asked.

“That is a wonderful idea. I would be more than happy to show it to you.” Harrison smiled conspiratorially at her younger sister and his voice dropped. “I shall even show you where your sister tried to stow away.”

Juliette’s jaw clenched tightly as the tension seethed within her.

“Juliette also told us all about your farm in the country,” Lisette continued blithely. “She described your house as beautiful and very modern.”

“It is quite modern,” Harrison explained. “I had all the latest plumbing conveniences installed when it was constructed.”

Jeffrey commented, “And he has a very talented cook. The seafood there was absolutely delicious. Wasn’t it, Juliette?”

She nodded slightly and gripped the edge of her chair so tightly she was beginning to lose feeling in her fingertips. How could they expect her to participate in this mundane conversation? Could they not see that her heart was about to burst with excitement?

“Isn’t your house on the shore as well, Captain Fleming?” Lisette questioned.

“Yes, and also near two rivers,” he responded. “Which is why there is an abundance of seafood.”

“The location is quite beautiful and only a short trip from New York City,” Jeffrey added brightly.

Paulette spoke up. “Juliette was just informing us that she plans to return to America, because she liked it so much.”

“Stop it! Just stop it!” Juliette cried out in frustration. She slammed her palms on the table as she stood up.

Amid the surprised gasps, nine pairs of eyes turned wide and stared at her in shock. No one uttered a single word. Juliette glanced around the table. Lucien, Colette and Jeffrey looked slightly amused. Paulette looked suspicious while Yvette, Lenora and Simon appeared confused. Harrison remained expressionless. Juliette did not care what they thought for she could take no more of this charade.

“Would you please excuse us for a moment while I speak with Captain Fleming in private?” she asked through clenched teeth.

Nine pairs of eyes turned to Harrison for his response.

“Well, I am under the distinct impression that Miss Hamilton wishes to speak to me privately, do you not?” Grinning, he too stood up. “Would you please excuse us both?”

“Yes, of course,” Lucien said, watching them carefully.

Without a backward glance, Juliette strode hurriedly from the dining room.

His heart pounding with high expectations, Harrison followed Juliette as she stalked determinedly through the elegant rooms of Devon House and made her way out to the immaculately manicured gardens behind the townhouse. The sun had set and the grounds were illuminated by flickering gaslights. After he conferred privately with Lucien earlier, Harrison was confident that Juliette would welcome his arrival, but with a woman like Juliette one could never be sure of anything. Her outburst in the dining room surprised him for he had never seen her react in quite that manner before.

When she reached a spot in the garden that could not be easily seen from the house, but still had enough semblance of light for them to be able to see, Juliette spun around and faced him. Her chest heaved in breathless anticipation and she gazed at him with her gorgeous blue eyes, her dark hair swept up and arranged prettily around her angelic face. She wore a filmy gown of pale lavender that displayed her cleavage in a most tempting manner. He fought the desire to touch her, to kiss her, to crush her to his chest and never let her go.

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither moving, neither speaking. Time seemed to melt away as they stood in the garden, looking into each other’s eyes.

“Did you come here for me?” she whispered so low that he almost imagined that she said it.

“I would follow you to the ends of the earth, Juliette Hamilton.”

She gasped at his words and closed her eyes, placing her hand over her heart. He reached out a hand to steady her. Instinctively her blue eyes flew open and she took a step back from him.

“If you touch me now, I shall cry.” Her voice trembled.

Puzzled by her reaction, he drew his hand back to his side. He stared at her and simply said, “I need you.”

It was as if his words opened a floodgate for her. “Oh, Harrison, I need you too. More than you can imagine. The moment I set foot on the
Oceanic
I knew I was making a dreadful mistake and I feared I would never see you again. I was a fool to leave you the way I did. I thought about you constantly and wanted only to be with you. Why just this evening at supper, I was discussing plans to travel back to New York to see you.”

Confirming what he heard in the dining room, he said, “So it is true?”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “I wanted to see you again, because…I realized something very important after I left you.”

“What was that?”

She stared up at him, her eyes sparkling in the light. “
You
are my adventure, Harrison.”

“Your adventure?” he questioned.

“All my life I wanted to have adventures; to go places and see things and meet people. But the most adventurous, most thrilling, most wonderful experiences I’ve ever had, have been when I was with you, Harrison.”

Deeply touched he reached his hand out to her again. This time she placed her hand in his, interlocking her fingers with his. He stepped toward her.

“I’m sorry for leaving you the way I did,” she continued. “I think I was more afraid of my own feelings than anything else. I was angry and hurt and it was wrong of me to sneak away in such a manner.”

“Yes, it was,” he concluded. “You left without a word of explanation to me, aside from the fact that while traveling alone you could have been lost or accosted or—”

“I was
fine,
” she interrupted him impatiently.

“You were extremely lucky.”

Juliette rolled her eyes heavenward.

He continued. “While we are on the subject of apologies, it seems I owe you one as well. My little plan with Jeffrey, although we never had the chance to actually carry it out, was reprehensible. I am sorry and I am ashamed that I even considered it. You were right to be angry with me.”

“I know I was,” she said indignantly. “I cannot believe the two of you thought something like that would work when—”

“All right now,” he said with a laugh. “I admitted it was foolish and apologized. Let it go.”

“Very well,” she murmured, giving his hand a light squeeze.

They stared into each other’s eyes again for some time. His heart pounded so loudly, Harrison was sure Juliette could hear it from where she was standing. Flooded with feelings for her, he took a deep breath. He whispered, “I love you, Juliette.”

Her eyes widened slightly before she said, “I love you, too.”

She loved him too
. Knowing all she knew about him, about his childhood, about his mother and father, and about his sister, Juliette still loved him. This beautiful, intelligent, brave, spirited woman loved him. Unable to speak, he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her slim waist and holding her against his chest. The heady scent of jasmine washed over him. He lowered his head to hers and kissed her, deeply, thoroughly. She clung to him, kissing him ravenously in return.

The weeks without her melted away as he breathed in the familiar fragrance of her hair, felt the softness of her breasts pressed against him, caressed the silky skin of her arms, and tasted the sweetness of her mouth and tongue. Juliette loved him and he loved her. Nothing else in the world mattered.

She whispered, “I was so afraid that I would never see you again.”

“I couldn’t let that happen to us, which is why I came to London to get you.”

“When I saw you walk in the room tonight I thought you were a dream.”

Again he kissed her, the inherent passion between them rising instantly. For days he had dreamed of holding her this way again. It was where she belonged.

With great reluctance Harrison slowly released her. He had to before he did something reckless with her right there in the Sinclairs’ stately garden. Besides, there was still another matter he needed to resolve with her.

“There is something else I wish to apologize for,” he said softly.

“What could that be?” she asked, brushing her lips close to his cheek.

“I apologize for not doing this properly the first time.”

Her brows drew together in puzzlement as she looked up at him.

His voiced choked a little. “Will you marry me, Juliette?”

Suddenly she stiffened in his arms and attempted to break free from his embrace.

“What is it now?” he asked, releasing her as if scalded.

“I don’t know…” She became rather flustered and reached for his hand, but he pulled away. “It’s just that…”

“It’s just that what?” he demanded, growing impatient with her. Honestly, how many times could a gentleman’s offer of marriage be refused before he got the message? “It’s just that you don’t want to marry me?”

She grabbed his hand quickly. “No, it’s just that…It’s just that the very idea of marriage scares me.” Her voice faltered.

“What do you mean?” He held her hand tightly in his, feeling the smoothness of her skin. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to it. “You are not afraid of anything.”

“Yes, I am,” she confessed in a very serious tone. “I am afraid that you will control my life and make my decisions for me.”

Harrison said, “I would expect us to make decisions about our life together.”

“You are too used to being a captain and giving orders.”

“I can promise to try not to order you about.” For Juliette he would try anything.

She eyed him with suspicion. “I’m still afraid.”

“Of what?” he asked.

“I am afraid that I won’t be the kind of wife that you expect me to be, and I will disappoint you and we will both end up regretting it.”

Harrison looked deeply into her eyes. “And just what kind of wife do you think I expect you to be?”

“A respectable, traditional wife. I think you want one who will obey you and would not argue with you about anything, and one who can properly manage your house. You want a wife who waits for you at home while you sail around the world.”

Her tender confession touched him and he suddenly understood. “What kind of wife do you think you would be, Juliette?”

“One who would most likely not obey you, nor even always listen to you. One who would argue with you and probably infuriate you.” She continued in a hesitant voice, “But I would also be one who would be honest and loyal. One who would want to travel with you and sail away with you. One who would love you and make you laugh, and hopefully make you proud.”

Harrison’s heart flipped over in his chest. He leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly, the taste of her leaving him wanting more. He then whispered in her ear, “That sounds like the only wife I could ever want, Juliette.”

She gazed up at him in wonder. “Are you quite positive about that?”

He could not imagine sharing his life with anyone else but Juliette. She was the only woman for him. “You are perfect for me just as you are.”

“Harrison,” she whispered as she rose on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her soft lips to his.

Her sweet kiss almost undid him. “So is it yes?”

“I suppose so,” she answered slowly.

“You suppose so?” he echoed in disbelief. “I’ve asked you so many times now that I deserve a definite yes at this point.”

“You have only
asked
me once,” she argued. “The other times you
told
me that you had to marry me because it was your responsibility. Consequently, I did not think you truly
wanted
to marry me. So, I actually have not refused your offer at all. I only disobeyed your orders. Does that surprise you?”

“Not at all,” he admitted. He laughed and pressed her closer to him. Life with Juliette would be exactly the way she described it. She would infuriate him and delight him. She would love him and gamely follow him wherever he sailed. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Where would we live if we were to be married?” she asked him. “Here or in America?”

“Anywhere you want.” The answer came so easily he surprised himself with his response. He honestly did not care where he lived, as long as Juliette was in his arms each and every night.

“Could we sail around the world together?”

He reached out to brush a stray tendril of hair from her face. Traveling with Juliette had already proven to be an experience like none other. Showing her the world would be a dream come true. “Of course. China. India. Africa. Fiji.”

“What about children?” she questioned, her eyes narrowing.

His heart almost stopped at the prospect of having children with Juliette. What beautiful, spirited offspring they would have. “If we are fortunate enough to be blessed with children, we shall bring them with us.”

“What about Melissa and my sisters? When would we be able see them?”

“We can visit them or they can visit us as often as you like. They can even travel around the world with us, if that is what you wish.”

She finally paused in her questioning and gave him an assessing glance. “You are making this very difficult for me to say no.”

“Then say yes.”

The silent pause lengthened as he waited anxiously for her response.

“Yes.” She smiled at him, a smile that lit her beautiful face from within. Her eyes never left his. “Yes, Harrison Fleming, I will marry you.”

Overwhelmed with happiness at her words, he leaned down and kissed her soft lips, sinking into the warmth of her. He held her in the circle of his arms, this amazing woman he loved more than he ever could have imagined.

This woman who would be his wife.

A young female voice called from the house. “Are you two ever coming back inside? We are holding dessert for you, and it is ice cream so you had better hurry!”

Harrison and Juliette looked at each other helplessly, both wishing they could be alone for a while longer.

“That would be Yvette,” she murmured with regret in her tone.

“I suppose we should go back in and face your family,” he suggested.

Juliette nodded. He took her hand in his and led her through the garden and into Devon House.

Yvette waited for them just inside the doorway, eyeing them curiously. “I was supposed to find out if you wanted to have dessert with us.”

“Thank you, Yvette,” Harrison said with an amused grin. He was sure the young girl was sent as a not so subtle hint to let the two of them know that they had been outside alone for long enough. “We would love to have dessert.”

They followed her back to the dining room, where everyone was still seated at the table chatting amiably. Surprised to see that Juliette was blushing, he squeezed her hand in silent encouragement. His love for her flooded him with happiness. They remained standing near the table as Harrison declared, “We have an announcement to make.”

A dramatic hush fell over the dining room and all eyes focused expectantly on them.

Harrison could not help but smile as he said, “I have asked Juliette to be my wife and she has agreed.”

The room came alive with a chorus of excited shouts and cries.

“That’s wonderful news!” Colette exclaimed, jumping up from her chair.

Suddenly Juliette was surrounded by Yvette, Paulette, Lisette, and Colette, who excitedly hugged her. A bit of pandemonium ensued for a moment or two while they hugged him as well. It occurred to Harrison that he had just gained four more sisters, and oddly enough that thought pleased him. He now had an even larger family.

Lucien’s parents offered their good wishes, as Lucien shook his hand.

“Congratulations, my friend,” Lucien offered affably. “Welcome to the family.”

“I knew she would eventually come around and see the wisdom in marrying you,” Jeffrey said to him in a low tone, after shaking his hand as well. “You are a lucky man, Harrison Fleming.”

“Don’t I know it!” Harrison winked.

Then Jeffrey said to the room in general, “What we need now is to celebrate with some champagne! I think even Yvette should be allowed to have some!”

As footmen hurried to fill crystal flutes with champagne, congratulatory toasts were made in their honor. Harrison took Juliette’s hand in his once again, happier than he had ever been in his life.