Full Bloom (11 page)

M
idway through the gala social event that constituted Gifford Ravenscroft's birthday party, Jacob Stone looked around and discovered he was alone in the crowd. Emily had disappeared.

He swirled the Scotch in the glass he held in one hand. Ice cubes clinked. The small sound was barely audible in the laughter and chatter of the well-dressed guests. Jacob ran a quick, searching glance over the people standing nearby, but he didn't really expect to find Emily in their midst. He was not surprised when he didn't spot her.

He took a slow, meditative swallow of the Scotch and considered his next course of action. It was not hard to guess where he would eventually find Emily. By now she would have been taken aside by one or more Ravenscrofts and quietly asked to account for her choice of escorts to the annual family ball. Jacob decided he had better find her before she found herself cornered. She was a spirited little creature, but she was also very soft and vulnerable. He did not like the idea of her facing the wolf pack that was her family all by herself.

"Looking for someone, Stone?" A man of about fifty-five, portly and resplendent in formal black and white, glanced around as Jacob tried to ease his way through a cluster of businessmen.

"My date," Jacob explained ruefully. "I seem to have misplaced her. I turned my back for a moment and she vanished."

He recognized the man who had spoken to him. The name was Jensen. Jacob envied the man his easy air of elegance. Even though the older man was overweight and out of shape, Jensen looked at home in the tux. Jacob's evening suit was rented, and he was afraid it showed its origins. It wasn't that he couldn't afford to buy a tux, it was simply that he rarely ever needed one and saw no need to invest in clothes he would only wear once a year at the most. Emily hadn't seemed to mind his lack of interest in formal attire.

Ravenscroft International had once done Jensen a favor. Jacob had been the one sent out to dispense the favor in a suitably quiet manner. It had involved a small matter of industrial espionage. Jensen, a prominent Portland businessman, had not wanted to make any waves but he had needed discreet help. Gifford Ravenscroft had been happy to oblige and had supplied Jacob to do the job. Jensen had been suitably grateful to both RI and to Jacob.

"You're with Gifford's daughter, Emily, aren't you? I thought I saw her a few minutes ago," Jensen said helpfully, although his eyes were speculative. "She was with her brother."

"Thanks. I'll find her." Jacob started into the crowd. He was becoming very familiar with the kind of speculation he had seen in Jensen's gaze. That look had been in a lot of eyes tonight, including three sets of dark, brooding Ravenscroft eyes.

It had been apparent from the moment they walked into the paneled front hall of the Ravenscroft home that Emily had not bothered to tell her family in advance about Jacob Stone's new role in her life. At the time Jacob had not been sure if Emily's reticence had been due to nervousness or to her desire to shock her relatives. Whatever the reason, he had been mildly irritated. Several hours had passed, and he was still not sure why she had decided to spring their affair on her family without warning. He intended to pin her down about it after the party.

There had been a kind of gritty pride in the way Emily held her sleek head and in the straight line of her back as he had escorted her through the front door. Jacob had been both amused and proud even through his irritation. He knew what it took to confront a pack of Ravenscrofts. Emily had looked so cool and regal dressed in a long-sleeved, figure-hugging gown of dark turquoise silk. She had appeared totally unintimidated by her family but Jacob had felt the tension in her at the moment her mother had come forward to greet her.

There was no doubt but that everyone had been taken by surprise at the sight of Emily on Jacob's arm.

Jacob had stood quietly by as she had greeted her family, assessing the quick astonishment and the cool appraisal that had flashed in the expressions of Drake, Catherine and Gifford.

Everyone had been polite and welcoming, of course. Gifford and Drake had greeted Jacob cheerfully and had offered their hands. Catherine had given him a small peck on the cheek and a warm smile. The Ravenscrofts might be ruthless on occasion, but they were nothing if not civilized on the surface. Jacob was not really certain how the Ravenscrofts had reacted to the knowledge that he was escorting their heretofore well-protected daughter. The truth was, he didn't really care.

But he did care about how Emily dealt with the situation, and he decided it was not a good idea to leave her alone with her family for very long. As he edged through the crowd, Jacob glanced at his watch. Emily had only been gone a few minutes. With any luck, not too much harm would have been done by the time he located her. She would probably welcome rescue by now.

Jacob smiled faintly at the thought.

The door to Gifford Ravenscroft's study closed silently behind Emily. It seemed to her there was something very ominous about that silence. It reminded her too much of the way the Ravenscrofts exercised their considerable power—quietly and with a great deal of finality. Drake, who had steered her into the room, dropped her arm and went to the teakwood bar at the far end of the study.

Emily steadied herself for the confrontation she knew was upon her. She had been mentally preparing for it since the morning Jacob had told her he intended to escort her to her father's party.

"Good heavens, Drake, we're alone. Where are Mom and Dad? I expected to have to face the entire assembled fleet, not just you." Her smile was bright and challenging as she made a pretense of strolling casually toward the window.

Her brother didn't glance up as he splashed whiskey into a glass. "I thought I'd talk to you first, Emily. I want to find out exactly what's going on between you and Jacob. You must have realized you gave Mom and Dad a real shock tonight when you sailed through the door on Stone's arm."

"What about you, Drake? Don't tell me you weren't a little surprised yourself."

Drake appeared to consider that as he recapped the whiskey bottle. "Initially, but not now that I've had a chance to think about it. I should have guessed what was in the wind the night Stone insisted on driving you back to Seattle. Hell, I should have seen it coming when I first contacted him and asked him to find out everything he could about Morrell. It was obvious he was taking on the job for personal reasons, not just as a favor to RI."

"Is that right?" Emily asked dryly.

Drake shrugged one elegantly clad shoulder. "The trouble with Stone is that you can't often tell what he's thinking. He does things in his own way and in his own time and he does them for his own motives. I should have suspected that this time around the motivation was you. Even two years ago there was something about the way he used to look at you. But I didn't worry about it then. He was in the middle of a divorce and he was angry and bitter and heading abroad. I think he sensed that if he tried to get involved with you at that point in his life he would have savaged you. And you were too vulnerable yourself at that stage."

"I'm amazed you noticed anything at all about how I was feeling two years ago, Drake. I got the impression that all any of my family cared about was getting Brad Carlton out of my life, regardless of how I felt about the matter."

"Carlton was a weak, conniving worm. Getting him out of your life was priority number one. It had to be done before you were hurt any more than you already had been."

"You mean it had to be done before he had a chance to get his hands on a piece of Ravenscroft International," Emily corrected calmly.

Her brother gave her an odd glance. "You think the company is all the rest of us care about, don't you?"

"Oh, I think you're somewhat fond of me," Emily said with a trace of humor. "You're also overprotective, chauvinistic, paternalistic and irritating. I think, given half a chance, you and Mom and Dad would take over my life completely."

"We only want what's best for you, Em. You were always the baby in the family. And when you did grow up you didn't turn out to be quite what Mom and Dad had expected." It was Drake's turn to look amused. "They don't understand you."

"And you do?"

"Not completely. I'll admit you're different in some ways from the rest of us. But I think I've got a better understanding of you than Mom and Dad ever will. That doesn't mean they don't love you."

Emily sighed. "I know. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't put up with them at all, you know."

"Stone has made himself your lover, hasn't he?"

Emily blinked rapidly at the unexpected question. Then her mouth tilted wryly. Drake was using a familiar Ravenscroft interrogation technique. "That's a Ravenscroft for you. Distract the victim with pleasant chatter about family affection and then, when her defenses are down, zing her with the real question." She moved aside the window drape and gazed out into the lighted garden. "My relationship with Jacob is a personal matter. I see no need to discuss it."

"No games, Em. Just tell me the truth. I might be able to help you."

Emily glanced suspiciously over her shoulder. "Help me? How?"

Drake lounged on his father's heavy wood desk and gave his sister an affectionate glance. "You know what I'm talking about. I can handle Mom and Dad a lot better than you can. I understand them. Especially Dad."

"Because you're a lot like him?"

Drake shrugged. "Maybe. That's not the point. The point is that Mom and Dad aren't exactly thrilled with the idea of you sleeping with Jacob Stone."

"What makes them think I am?"

"They're not fools, Em," Drake said impatiently. "We all saw the look in his eyes when he walked through the door with you. Possessive as hell. The man was staking a claim and daring us to challenge it."

"Here you all were wasting precious time worrying about my relationship with Morrell while the real threat moved in undetected. An extremely rare case of a bunch of Ravenscrofts caught off guard. How do you feel about the whole thing, big brother?"

"I won't say I'm thrilled about it." Drake took a sip of his whiskey. "You're my kid sister. You've been my kid sister since the day you were born and you'll still be my kid sister thirty years from now. I'm probably not ever going to like the idea of any man having an affair with you. Part of me wants to protect you from the wicked ways of my own species. Dad and Mom, of course, being parents, feel even more strongly about it. But I'm willing to admit that we've interfered in your life too many times in the past. Maybe it's time you got to make your own decisions."

Emily turned completely around to face him. She folded her arms, aware that she was so keyed up that she was almost trembling. She took three slow breaths to calm herself. "Translated, I gather that means you think that if I'm determined to have an affair it might as well be with someone you think you can control. Someone such as Jacob."

Drake's eyes narrowed. "I didn't say that. And it's not what I meant. I like Jacob. You know that."

"But you don't think he's good enough to be my lover?"

Drake met her eyes. "I think," he said slowly, "that Stone is dangerous. He lives up to his name, Emily. You've never really seen the hard, tough side of him. I have. Believe me, if you think we Ravenscrofts are ruthless at times, you should see Jacob Stone when he goes after something he wants."

"You're trying to scare me off, aren't you, Drake?"

"I'm not trying to frighten you, I'm trying to give you a few facts."

Before Emily could respond to that remark, the study door opened again to
admit Catherine and Gifford Ravenscroft. They walked into the room with serious, intent expressions, their eyes going instantly to their daughter.

"Ah," said Emily, "Reinforcements have arrived. You're not alone any longer, Drake. Mom and Dad are here to explain to me in great detail why I should get Jacob out of my life."

"You don't have to act as if we represent the Inquisition. We all like Jacob," Gifford said coolly as he closed the door behind himself and his wife. "I'd trust him with my life."

"But not with your daughter?" Emily asked.

Catherine sat down in one of the wing chairs, the skirts of her peach-colored silk dress swirling gracefully. "Now, dear, you must know how startled we all were to find out you're, uh, dating Jacob. Why didn't you say something on the phone the other morning? It was Jacob who was with you, wasn't it?"

"I didn't feel like talking about my private affairs the other morning and I don't feel like it now. My love life is no one's business." Emily eyed the members of her family, gathering her nerve. What she was about to do was going to require all her courage and fortitude.

"Emily, there's no need to be rude to your mother. You've given us all a shock this evening and I think you know it." Gifford shoved one hand into his pocket and walked over to the teak bar to pour himself a drink. "We had no idea you and Jacob were interested in each other."

"If we had," Catherine murmured regretfully, "we would have handled things differently a couple of weeks ago when we asked him for help in dealing with Morrell. Jacob's not the right man for you, Emily. I don't even understand why you're interested in him."

Feeling besieged, Emily held her ground by the window. The forces of Ravenscroft disapproval were gathering around her. Soon she would be in the center of a whirlwind. She had to keep her head as her family marshaled its assault.

"I'm the one who's surprised," she said mockingly. "I thought you all liked and trusted Jacob. I assumed you'd all be delighted that I'd finally started dating someone you approved of."

Catherine sighed. "Don't be deliberately dense, Emily, dear. We are very fond of Jacob and, as your father says, we trust him. We've trusted him with Ravenscroft secrets for years. That's not the point."

"What is the point?" Emily challenged softly.

Catherine waved her hand in a graceful, vague gesture. "Well, dear, to tell you the truth, although Jacob has always been quite useful and loyal to RI, he's not quite what we had in mind for you. His background is, well, murky, to say the least. He's led a rather rough-and-ready life, you know. Quite a different background than your own. Then, too, there was that nasty business at the time of his divorce…"