His Wicked Kiss (46 page)

Her heart thumped against her ribs as their coach passed through the tall, wrought-iron gates and glided to a halt in the private courtyard. She cast Jack a questioning glance, barely noticing how it had become second nature for her to look to him for reassurance. Instead, however, she was startled by the grim look on his face.

Long-buried anger and brooding intensity hardened the rugged lines of his jaw and brow as he stared at the mansion, and thinned his unsmiling lips into a narrow seam. His turquoise eyes were cold, and the sight of him like this jarred
Eden
’s memory back to that day in the lower gun deck when he had told her all about his painful past.

Suddenly, she felt a flash of contrition, jarred out of her grudge.

He needs me now
, she thought, and she knew then it was time to set her hurt feelings aside.

Eden
understood better than anyone how difficult this night was going to be for him. Whatever troubles lay between the two of them, surely they could set all that aside for tonight and at least put up a united front.

He was already stepping out of the carriage; the groom had opened the door and banged down the metal step for them. Jack turned around again to steady her as she alighted.
Eden
drew her light silk wrap around her shoulders and accepted his offered hand.

She gave him a nod and they proceeded to the front door—side by side, not touching. They crossed under the grand portico, and as they waited for one brief moment for the door to be opened to them,
Eden
reached down and took Jack’s hand.

The touch surprised him, judging by his quick, probing glance. She held his gaze, signaling her loyalty in silence.

I’m here, darling.

He said nothing, but the tension in his face eased slightly, and she caught the flicker of emotion in his eyes. Her slight smile offered reassurance: His grateful nod in answer was barely perceptible, but he lifted his chin and squared his shoulders, and then he was ready, just as the butler opened the door.

“Good Lord—old Walshie!” Jack exclaimed, lifting his eyebrows. “I’d forgotten all about you!”

“Why, t
hank
you, sir,” the stately butler intoned as he opened the door wider, admitting them with a smooth bow into the white marble magnificence of the ducal residence.

Eden
gazed in awe at the sweeping, curved staircase that floated up to the main floor without visible support. A towering crystal chandelier hung overhead, as big as a waterfall.

“I trust that you are well?” Jack asked, looking genuinely pleased to see the longtime family butler.

“Persevering, sir. How kind of you to ask.”

“I tell you, man, you haven’t aged in twenty years. Uncanny.” Jack gave the stately servant a roguish clap on the shoulder. “Perhaps a bit more gray in the side-whiskers, is all.”

“Indubitably, my lord. Madam, may I take your wrap?”

“T
hank
you,”
Eden
responded, giving the dignified fellow a smile as Jack lifted the swathe of silk off her shoulders and handed it to the man, making a quick introduction between her and Mr. Walsh.

“Well, where are they, then?”

Before Mr. Walsh could answer his question, a high-pitched shriek pierced their ears.

“Jack!”

A slim figure came darting out of the room to their right in a blur of yellow satin and a flurry of bouncy gold curls.

“Jacinda?” He turned just in time as she came barreling over and leaped on him.

“Oh, my dear, dear long-lost brother!” she cried, joyfully kissing his cheeks and his brow. “Is it really you? I can’t believe you’re here at last!”

Jack was laughing as he hugged his exuberant sister. He swung her around in a circle and then set her down, holding her at arm’s length. “Let me have a look at you now, girl!” Jacinda had big, brown eyes and rosy cheeks, and was every bit the creature of sparkle and vivacity that
Eden
might have expected after reading her letters.

“My baby sister,” he murmured in amazement, shaking his head as he studied her, clearly marveling over the woman she had become. “Now the grand Marchioness of
Truro
and Saint Austell!”

“Oh, stop,” she retorted.

“God’s teeth, you were as big as a minute the last time I saw you,” he said softly.

“I know.” With a rueful smile, Jacinda brushed her tears away and then turned to
Eden
with a warm and heartfelt smile. “You must be
Eden
! Hullo!” Lady Jacinda took both of her hands, beaming at her. “I can’t believe Jack’s married! But I see he has excellent judgment. Welcome, my dear, new sister.”
Eden
blushed as Jacinda hugged her, then she pulled Jack over to them and hung on his arm. “Come with me, both of you,” the young marchioness ordered with a sniffle.
Eden
took Jack’s other arm as Jacinda steered them toward the grand curved staircase. “Everyone’s in the music room now. You have us all in a whirl! Oh, I can’t wait for you to meet all the children, Jack, and Billy, and Beau—and Eden, everyone’s dying to make your acquaintance! The lady who brought our Jack back to us! When Robert told me you were back in Town, I wanted to rush over and see you at once, but he thought it might be better to give you two a little time alone, and you know Rob, he’s always right, it’s really quite impossible to argue with him ”

Her eager prattle continued, and
Eden
remained attentive, but she could tell Jack was a bit overwhelmed. He was staring all around him as though waves of pained memories were washing through him with everything he saw.

At the top of the curved staircase, Jacinda led them down a broad, formal corridor graced by alabaster statues atop chest-high pedestals. The ruckus of childish voices that echoed to them from an open doorway ahead seemed quite at odds with the pristine formality of the marble hallway.

When they arrived at the music room,
Eden
beheld a slew of small children tumbling about every which way amid the most impressive collection of adults she had ever laid eyes on.

Jacinda undertook the introductions, but
Eden
was so nervous that it was all a bit of a blur. Each of his brothers was more handsome than the next, except, of course, for the twins, who were perfectly identical, with their jet-black hair and gray eyes. Damien was every bit as impressive in his bearing as she could have expected of a bonafide war-hero, while Lucien, his twin, was more laid back, mild-mannered—but with the studied idleness of a man shrewdly noticing everything.

Robert had the same dark eyes as his sister, and, of course, golden-haired Alec stood out because he looked like an earthbound god and never seemed to stop cracking wry jokes.

Jacinda’s Billy seemed a far more serious fellow than his boyish nickname had led
Eden
to expect. The others called him Rackford. Someone finally explained this had been his courtesy title before he had inherited the marquisate, and it had stuck. He had sandy blond hair and some fierce quality in his greenish eyes that reminded Eden of Jack.

The two hard men took each other’s measure in a glance, as though identifying in each other some underlying savage quality that they shared in common—kindred spirits.

Beaming as her husband and her long-lost brother shook hands, Jacinda continued bouncing her beautiful son, Beau, on her hip. She told
Eden
the names of all the little boys, but it would be a while before she could remember who was who. There were seven of them in total, all of them under the age of eight.

Lizzie, who had been mentioned in the letters, turned out to be a sort of second sister to the family, as
Eden
soon learned. Except for Cousin Amelia, she did not think she had ever met a gentler or more pleasant person. Orphaned as a child and made a ward to the duke, Lizzie had functioned as lady’s companion to Jacinda, and had grown up with them all. She was married now to the handsome Devlin, Lord Strathmore. He, in turn, immediately started asking
Eden
about her father’s work, a neutral subject she was happy to discuss. Perhaps Lord Strathmore had an interest in scientific pursuits, but
Eden
suspected he was simply being kind and offering conversation to put the newcomer at ease.

Meanwhile, Jack greeted his brothers, in turn, and briefly met their ladies. There was some degree of awkwardness, which was, no doubt, to be expected; but whatever trace of stony defensiveness that Jack had clung to from the moment they had walked in, it was dissolved by his two-year-old niece, Lucien’s daughter, Pippa.

She was the only girl-child the clan had yet produced, but despite her diminutive size, she achieved in a trice what no one else in the room could have done, not even
Eden
: The wee thing melted Jack completely.

Tottering over to him in a frilly little dress with a big ribbon on her head, Pippa stretched up both of her hands to him, her silvery eyes like her father’s, serious and searching, needing no words to order the big man to pick her up.

Jack’s tough look softened as he bent down obligingly and picked the tot up in his arms. She sat, queenlike, in the crook of his elbow and leaned against his chest, studying her new uncle at close range.

Jack returned her curious gaze, lifting one eyebrow.

Everyone watched while Pippa stared at him for a long moment. Then she began petting his cheek. “Puppy.”

Taken off guard, Jack laughed. The child laughed, too, pleased with herself, while Lucien shook his head and let out a rather besotted sigh.

“She calls everyone a puppy.”

“No, only the people she likes,” Alice, the child’s mother, corrected.

“Do you like your uncle Jack?” Lucien asked his little girl.

In reply, Pippa gave Jack a sloppy kiss on his cheek. A soft chorus of fond
ahs
arose from the ladies, but Pippa suddenly lost interest, flinging herself back in her father’s direction.

“Where’s my girl?” Lucien greeted her, holding out his arms.

Jack returned his little niece to her father and turned away with his hand on his heart and a slain look.

Alice
chuckled, beaming with pride, but just then Mr. Walsh reappeared in the doorway and bowed to the duchess.

“Your Grace: Dinner is served.”

“Ah,” Bel responded, turning to them with an elegant gesture toward the door. “Shall we?”

Leaving their brood in the care of an army of nannies, nurses, governesses, and uniformed maids, they all went down to dine.

The opulent evening that unfolded exceeded all of
Eden
’s golden fantasies back in the jungle, daydreaming over old copies of
La Belle Assemblée
.

From the mahogany table draped in snowy linen damask to the sterling cutlery and fine bone china with gilded edges, the formal three-course meal began with a delicate white soup, stewed cheese, and little warm exquisite shrimp loaves.

If only her stomach weren’t so full of butterflies! It was hard to enjoy the gourmet meal in such a nervous state, but Jack was seated directly across from her, and gazing at him helped her to relax. The candlelight burnished the tips of his dark, wavy hair, forming a ruddy halo. He must have felt her stare, for he glanced over and met her gaze. At once, he offered her the trace of an intimate smile. She lifted her glass of white Rhine wine to him in a subtle toast meant to tell him he was doing well.

The footmen cleared the first course away in short order, and then the main course arrived, platter after platter, until the entire table was covered with food: Fresh-caught swordfish steaks ringed by buttered sea scallops. Steaming roast beef and marrow pudding. A golden-browned turkey with mushroom gravy. Chine of lamb. Rabbit fricassee. Jellies and syllabubs and stewed pippins. Eel pie, marinated smelts, and duck with orange sauce.

A twinge of nausea confounded
Eden
, but she ignored it, keeping her attention fixed on the task of protecting Jack from his siblings’ friendly intrusions. When they asked him questions that she knew he didn’t want to answer, she supplied a few diplomatic words before he could let slip a sarcastic reply.

She remained vigilant, changing the subject whenever he floundered, asking a question, seeking advice, or making a humorous remark now and then to shield him from any sense of attack that would put him on the defensive.

He caught her eye with a fleeting look of surprise, but his subtle nod expressed gratitude for her smooth show of charm.

Eden
hadn’t known she’d had it in her.

She knew she was doing a good job of helping Jack feel at ease. Because of this, he was able to relate to his family in a more relaxed and cordial way, as though there had been nothing to dread all along.

When he talked about his company or his ships, this was his strong suit, and
Eden
was gratified to find all of them openly admiring his achievements. They were all such affable people that, at length, she was quite mystified as to why he had not wanted to be a part of this family for all these years.