Ivory Innocence (5 page)

"I don't think you need worry about that," Ivory said steadily. "But… Listen, Rob. I like you a lot. I'm very fond of you, in fact. But I've never thought of you as—"

"I know." He thrust his hands into his pockets, watching the ground as he rocked on his heels. "But for me there's more to it. I'd just like you to start thinking of me as—well, as a man. Let's take it from there."

Ivory bit her lip, wanting to smile at his blunt, awkward way of expressing himself. "Oh, Rob," she said softly, and reached up to brush her lips against his cheek. "You're the nicest man I know."

But when she was in bed, warm and comfortable on a feather mattress beneath a sloping ceiling, with fullblown roses splashing the wallpaper and rain beginning to patter on the window, it was not Rob's image that swam through her drowsy mind. It was that of a rangy man with a lean, dark face kept very still, and with danger lurking behind bright forget-me-not eyes.

When she arrived at Hedley Magna on Saturday morning, it was a relief to find that neither Matthew Ken-drake nor his daughter was at the Hall.

"He's taken Janey to the seaside for the day," Mrs. Barnes explained as she conducted Ivory up the stairs. "Janey wanted to go. She's hardly been outside these grounds since they came here last March. Mr. Ken-drake's very careful of her. Oh, this door leads to the master suite. Along here is Janey's room, and this is yours, next to it."

Two trips up and down the stairs accomplished the task of transferring all Ivory's possessions from her car to her room. Wearily, she sank down on the bed, pushing the damp, pale-gold hair from her eyes.

"You do look hot," Mrs. Barnes said with sympathy. "Quite a heat wave we're having. Jim—my husband— is already worrying about the garden drying out. He does the gardening, you know, and any heavy jobs. I'm sure I couldn't cope on my own. But now you're here it will be a help. Young Janey's a dear, but it's been a trial keeping an eye on her as well as doing my job."

"You needn't worry about her any longer," Ivory said.

"If I were you, I'd have a rest," the housekeeper suggested. "I'll bring you a drink and then… Why don't you have a dip in the pool, to cool you down?"

The thought of that shimmering blue water was too great a temptation to resist. "What a marvelous idea! Except—what time are you expecting Mr. Kendrake back? I'd hate him to come home and find me making free with his swimming pool the instant I arrive."

"Oh, I don't suppose he'd mind," the housekeeper said. "But he won't be back for a while yet. About six, he told me. He wanted to give you a chance to get settled in peacefully."

Ivory unpacked hastily, telling herself she would put her things away more tidily later, and found a yellow bikini she had never worn. It was a bit daring for her taste, fastened with thin yellow strings, and when she had it on she looked at her reflection and mused that her grandmother certainly wouldn't have approved. Still, her figure was good, and anyway, no one was going to see her.

Throwing on a terrycloth robe and a pair of flat sandals, she ventured down the back stairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Barnes was nowhere in sight, but a delicious aroma wafted from the oven. Through a half-open door Ivory glimpsed a utility room with gleaming white appliances. She walked across the tiled floor to where a glass lobby connected the main house with the back wing, which contained the flat where the Barneses lived. An outer door opened onto the lawn below the terrace.

At the far end of the pool, a white table and chairs stood beneath a big scarlet umbrella. The whole area was screened by shrubs and trees. Somewhere a tractor droned, reminding Ivory of Rob Garth. She wondered what he would say if he could see her as she slipped off the robe and plunged into the sparkling water.

She came up gasping from the cool shock of the water on her skin and struck out for the opposite side of the pool. Turning her face to the sun, she let herself float and closed her eyes against the brightness, thinking how delicious the water felt after hours spent in the heat of her car.

A shadow falling across her face made her open her eyes. She was near the side of the pool, and against the bright haze of the sunlight, a tall figure loomed darkly. He moved so that his shadow covered her eyes again, and she saw that it was Matthew Kendrake. He stood with a thumb hooked into the belt of his slacks and one eyebrow lifted into a quizzical hook.

"Oh!" Ivory gasped, letting her feet touch the bottom of the pool. She stayed close to the side, hiding her lightly clad body from his sight.

"Oh, indeed," he said lazily. "For a moment I thought you'd drowned yourself."

Ivory crouched in the pool, furiously aware of the indignity of the situation in which she found herself. "You weren't expected yet. Mrs. Barnes said—"

"I come and go as I please in my own house," he interrupted. He strolled languidly to one of the white chairs not far away, and seated himself casually. "As a matter of fact, Miss Andersen, we found the coast overcrowded. Janey was hot and I was irritable, so we came home. But don't let me disturb you." He leaned back in his chair. "I'll just sit here and enjoy the view."

Knowing full well which view he meant, Ivory flushed and wondered how she could extricate herself. Her robe lay on the chair next to her employer, her sandals beneath it. There was nothing for it but to behave as though she were used to being seen half-naked.

Ignoring his sardonic gaze, she stood up and climbed from the pool, pausing to shake back her wet hair. A trickle of water down her back made a shiver run through her, bringing her out in goose pimples, and she was suddenly aware of how closely the bikini stuck to her skin, concealing very little. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to walk slowly to where her robe lay, keeping as far as was possible from the man whose interested gaze covered every inch of her. She threw the robe on and knotted the belt tightly, making him squint up at her face.

"You're not shy, are you?" he asked with amusement. "You shouldn't be."

Ivory turned away. "Thank you," she said stiffly.

"Oh, don't go! I've asked Mrs. Barnes to make a jug of something cool and bring it out to me after she's seen to Janey. Won't you join me? You might dry more easily if you took that robe off again. There's nothing to fear from me. I've seen women in far less than a bikini."

"I'm sure you have, Mr. Kendrake," Ivory murmured, not looking at him. "But I burn easily. I've had enough sun for one day. If you'll excuse me, I'll go to my room."

"As you please," he replied indifferently.

Ivory escaped, via the kitchen and the back stairs, where she encountered Mrs. Barnes, who told her Janey was having a rest.

"Poor lamb, she's tired out. But I've washed her face and hands to cool her. Will you keep an eye on her now?"

"That's what I'm here for," Ivory replied.

In a room whose curtains were drawn against the light, Janey lay flat on her back on the bed, dressed only in a pair of panties. Her face was flushed from the heat and she looked exhausted, making Ivory wonder what had possessed Matthew Kendrake to drag his daughter to the coast on such a day. To her dismay, Janey greeted her with an outthrust underlip and a frown.

"Had too much excitement, have you?" Ivory asked, crossing the soft carpet to the bed.

"I was all right until Daddy started shouting at me," Janey said. "It wasn't my fault I spilled orange all down my dress."

"Oh, dear." Ivory sat down on the bed, stroking the child's sweat-damp curls. "Is that what happened?"

"He said I was a clumsy brat. Only he was angry before that, too. He didn't have to go on the roundabout with me. I'm big enough to ride by myself. But he said it made him feel dizzy, and he got mad at me."

How like the man! Ivory thought. "Never mind, love. I expect he was hot, too. You have a rest while I take a shower and get dressed."

"All right. Ivory, will you take me to the seaside one day? It would be better if you were there."

"We'll find lots of places to go," Ivory promised.

Standing under the cool shower, she scrubbed herself hard, as if to remove the feel of Matthew Kendrake's glance. She wasn't a prude, but he had made her feel naked. It was just further proof that he was no gentleman.

Janey slept for an hour, then Mrs. Barnes called her for tea. Ivory supervised the child in washing and dressing, then accompanied her down to the kitchen, where the table was laid for three and Mr. Barnes sat waiting. He acknowledged Ivory's presence with a nod.

Ivory looked in puzzlement at the table. "Aren't you joining us, Mrs. Barnes?"

"Pardon?" the housekeeper said in surprise. "Oh, yes, I shall eat now. That's the usual arrangement. Janey goes to bed at seven and Mr. Kendrake dines at eight. You'll be eating with him, of course."

"With him?" Ivory repeated with a sinking feeling.

"That's what he said. But you can have a snack now, if you like."

"Oh, no. No, thank you. I'm not really hungry." She had only snatched a hurried lunch at a service station, but the thought of food was suddenly nauseating. So she had to dine with the master, did she? What devil had put that idea into his head?

"You might as well leave Janey with us for now," Mrs. Barnes said. "She's used to having her tea with us, aren't you, love? I'll send her up at seven and you can see her to bed while I get on with the dinner. Will that be all right?"

"Yes, fine," Ivory said, and returned to her room.

To be thrown into Matthew's company was not what she had expected or wanted. She had hoped to find out what she needed to know by searching through old documents and asking questions around the village, without her employer being aware of what she was doing. She had already decided there was no hurry about pursuing her quest: first she wanted to get to know Janey, but in the end she was determined to face Matthew Kendrake with the truth about his uncle's chicanery.

However, if first she had to spend her evenings alone with him, that would complicate everything. She was already aware that he found her attractive, and if she was honest she had to admit that something about his lean, muscular frame and enigmatic blue eyes made her pulse quicken in a disturbing way.

When Janey appeared, Ivory gave her a bath and put her to bed, asking if she would like to hear a story.

"No, thank you," Janey said politely. "Mrs. Barnes usually tells Daddy when I'm in bed, then he comes to say good night. We'd better do it, or he'll only get mad again."

"Then I'll fetch him at once."

She found him in the blue and gold sitting room, hidden behind a newspaper. When he heard the door open, he glanced over the top of the paper, then set it aside.

"Janey's waiting for you to say good night," Ivory told him. "I gather that's the usual routine."

He got to his feet, stretching his tall frame as if his muscles ached before tucking his shirt more firmly into his belt. "Has Mrs. Barnes told you that you'll be dining with me in the evenings?"

"Yes, she has, but—" Seeing his eyes narrow, she lifted her chin and went on firmly. "I didn't expect to be treated as a guest. I'm an employee. I'd be happy to eat with Janey in the kitchen."