Kay Springsteen (40 page)

****

Annabella sank deeper into the tub until the lavender-scented water lapped at her chin. Steam rose in little clouds in front of her. She
’
d sent the maid away, preferring peace and privacy for bathing. Not to mention, if Jon dispensed with his visitor, mayhap he would wander into her bedchamber and…

She sighed, closing her eyes and calling his delicious kisses to her memory. They almost made her wish she
’
d gone ahead and danced with him that first afternoon at Rose Cottage.

Of course, if she had, things might not have happened the same way, and she might not be Lady Seabrook.

“
Lady Seabrook,
”
she whispered, testing the sound. A smile slid into place and she flicked her toe, sending droplets of water sailing through the air.

The outer door to the suite slammed, soon followed by the bang of the door to Jon
’
s bedchamber.
Had the caller
delivered bad news
?
Stretching like one of Gran
’
s cats, Annabella wondered who it might have been, and found herself hoping the news didn
’
t mean they
’
d soon have to leave Blackmoor.

She swished a hand through the sweet-smelling water. It was still quite hot, and a replenishing kettle hung near the fire. Juliet had always used lavender for relaxation. Perhaps Jon would
like to relax…

She pushed to her feet and stood still, allowing the water to roll off her before she stepped out and toweled herself dry. Driven by mischievous imps, she slid her arms into a satin dressing gown without a stitch underneath. The cool fabric caressed her skin in soft whispers of movement as she shuffled barefoot across the carpet to the door that connected her room to Jon
’
s.

She stood in front of the door
,
seeking the courage to knock.

Just do it, you chicken brain. You know he wants you. He
’
s made that quite plain.
Of course,
it did seem a bit scandalous to offer herself up like a platter of rabbit… and in the middle of the
afternoon
at that… But it couldn
’
t hurt to offer him the use of the bath. After all, he
’
d been laboring all morning and had
,
himself
,
been caught in the sam
e bone-chilling rain.

It was the polite thing to do, offering him the bath. She raised her hand and rapped sharply, four times. The sound echoed through the room. She strained to hear. Was that rustling she heard? Or had he already left? Should she knock again? Or steal a peek inside and see if he was even in there?

She reached for
the latch
, paused, then jumped when t
he door was suddenly jerked open. Jon stood on the other side. He
’
d thrown on a brocade and velvet dressing gown and drawn it tight. The burgundy fabric darkened his coloring even more. Over his shoulder, she noted a ceramic pitcher and bowl on his dressing table. Obviously, he was already cleaning up.

“
I
’
m sorry to interrupt,
”
she began, hating the warble in her voice.
“
My bath — that is, I
’
ve finished and I thought you might like…
”

The look he settled on her was part heated interest and part murderous intent.
“
Thank you, Annabella, but I
’
ll just finish up in here. It likely won
’
t be long before supper. Gran tends to request an early meal when the weather
i
s bad.
”

At the
edge
of frost in his voice, Annabella gathered her dressing gown closer.
Gracious! He must be cross about something.
S
omething she
’
d done?

“
Oh… very well.
”
She turned away from the door, willing away the sting behind her eyes.

“
Annie…
”
he said softly.
“
Thank you for the offer. I
’
m sorry I
’
m in such a foul mood. The man who stopped by left without waiting… or leaving his name. It
’
s an odd deal, really, and I was trying to figure out who he might be when you knocked.
”

She stopped walking but remained facing away from him, certain he
’
d read far more on her face than she was comfortable with him knowing.

“
It
’
s nothing to do with you, or your offer of… a bath.
”
He sighed
and lowered his voice to a gentle whisper
.
“
You understand that, don
’
t you?
”

“
I suppose.
”
Boldness took over
,
and
she turned
,
m
e
et
ing
his gaze
with a smile
.
“
I was just wondering if it might take tactics like those of Lady Godiva to capture your interest.
”

Jon frowned slightly and angled his head, clearly pondering her reference. Finally, he gave a shake of his head.
“
Make no mistake about it, Annie… you have my interest.
”
He stepped behind the threshold and closed the door with a soft click.

Annabella stared at the
plank
of oak
that separated her from her husband
and da
shed away the tears that rolled over her cheeks.
“
It
’
s not just your
interest
I
’
m after,
”
she whispered, allowing the sadness to course over her.

****

“
Just pull my hair back and secure
it
with a piece of leather at the nape,
”
Annabella instructed
, thinking of the picture in the hallway near the study
.
If those ladies could do it, so could she.

Marie gaped.
“
You mean leave it hanging down, my lady?
”

Suppressing
a giggle
, Annabella nodded
.
“
Yes, leave it down and just secured, please.
”

“
Certainly, my lady.
”

As the maid brushed her hair and pulled it back, Annabella examined herself in the mirror. Not the most flattering dress, to be sure. A simple gre
en frock with a high waist and V
-neck trimmed in red
and overlaid with blue.
Red triangles lined the bottom hem with the same blue edging. The puffed upper sleeves gathered at the shoulders and had the same triangle pattern while the lower sleeves fit snuggly and stopped just above the wrist. The official uniform for the
Mercian Bowmen Archery Society
.

The maid collected the round black hat with the short brim from the vanity.
“
Shall I secure this with pins, my lady?
”

A white ostrich plume rising from the wide green band waved a greeting as Marie carefully settled it on Annabella
’
s head
.
I
’
ve certainly worn more fashionable head coverings.

Though none had made her more proud to wear. Well, in thinking about it, maybe one did. Her thoughts drifted to the veil Jon had fashioned from his cravat for their wedding. She touched the center of her chest, seeking his signet ring, secured in place with a dark blue satin ribbon around her neck.

They
’
d had so many false starts and sudden, heart-wrenching stops. And after the kiss near the servants
’
entrance, he
’
d returned to his habit of keeping a cautious distance. Would he ever come to truly see her as his wife?

She peered in the mirror, mentally tracing the lines of the shapeless gown.
Likely not while I
’
m wearing this…

“
M
’
lady?
”

Right. The pins.
With a start, Annabella realized she
’
d been los
t in
her thoughts
.
“
Oh, no that won
’
t be necessary
, Marie. Thank you.
”

A few moments later she descended the stairs to meet her husband and the dowager. The Earl of Seabrook was breathtaking in his crisp white shirt and breeches. His waistcoat was the same green as her dress
,
with a wide red lapel trimmed in blue. He wore white stockings with black half
-
boots and the same
sort of
black hat, though his ostrich plume was tucked into a black silk band.

The dowager wore a beautiful white silk dress with a
very untraditional
tailcoat that matched Seabrook
’
s
, although with a more feminine cut
. Her hat matched his as well, only it was adorned with a red feather.

Annabella brushed a hand over her skirt.
“
I appear to be very underdressed. You both look as
though
you
’
re going to a grand ball.
”

As she reached the last step,
Seabrook took her hand and kissed
her knuckles
.
“
I fear the gentlemen will miss their marks, because they won
’
t be able to take their eyes off you. And the ladies will be so envious, they, too, will shoot poorly. Leaving you to bring home the silver arrow.
”

She tilted her head.
“
Silver arrow?
”

Gran pulled on white gloves.
“
For the females, the archery contestant with the most direct hits and the one with the highest amount of points each win a silver arrow.
”
She shrugged and
added, more as an afterthought,
“
The men compete for gold arrows.
”

Annabella
’
s stomach tightened into a ball of nerves. It sounded very cutthroat and a bit daunting. She
’
d wanted to
see
the contest, not participate in it. She was nowher
e near ready to compete whe
n
the stakes were so high.

Jon offered her his arm.
“
Shall we?
”

P
art of her wanted to turn and flee. Her heart pounded so hard
, surely
it rattle
d
her ribs. The
notion
of not only attending such a grand affair but being involved in such
a
manner suddenly terrified her. She wasn
’
t ready.

Haven
’
t you done enough hiding in the past weeks? In the last few years? Time to hold your head up and start living.
A chill rolled through her veins, bringing with it a sense of absolute calm.

Annabella smiled and took Jon
’
s arm.
“
Very well, but you have no one to blame but yourself if I embarrass you today.
”

Gran let out an unladylike snort.
“
If Lady Wilmington performs as she did at our final contest last year, then you have no reason to worry abo
ut embarrassing yourself
or
us. Everyone will be more interested in whether Lady Wilmington
’
s bosom will spill out the top of her dress when she takes aim. More
’
s the pity, the men will be disappointed if it doesn
’
t.
”

“
Grandmother!
”
Jon shot a glower at the dowager.

Annabella rolled her lips inward to keep from laughing but her eyes burned with the effort.

Gran stopped with her foot on the carriage step and peered over her shoulder.
“
Oh, pish. I
’
m quite certain that isn
’
t the most vulgar thing you
’
ve heard
…
or said yourself, Jonathan. Quit behaving as if I
’
ve laid down a wager on the matter in the book at White
’
s.
”
The dowager climbed into to the coach.
“
Well, come along then. We have a long ride ahead of us.
”

Jon shook his head.
“
Do you see why you have no reason to fear embarrassing yourself or us today? Gran is maintaining her usual sense of decorum.
”

“
I daresay she does make it seem fun to shock people.
”
Annabella angled a look in his direction and smiled. Apparently, her husband still feared for her innocent sense of decency. Yet he was well aware she and Gran had kept close company in past weeks. Surely he didn
’
t believe the dowager had held her tongue in all that time.

“
Heaven help me, don
’
t tell me I shall have to keep my eye on
both
of you today.
”
He
grinned then winked at her.
“
Although I find I can
’
t take my eyes off you, so it wouldn
’
t be much of a chore.
”

Heat flooded her face. The fear from a moment before was replaced by a discomfort of a different nature. She resisted the urge to squirm while he
studied her as if she had on nothing but her undergarments.
And how many times have you envisioned him with his chest bare and soaking wet? How the sensation of the cold water combined with his warm skin made your whole body tingle?

He brushed a wayward strand of hair away from her face. The gentle touch of his fingers on her skin sent her senses reeling. She found the
experience
both exciting and scary… and a bit confusing. No
, no
t so much confusing as… foreign. Unfamiliar. And becoming more and more intriguing.

“
It will not do well for the Captain of the Target to arrive late,
”
Gran snapped.

Startled, Annabella jumped away from Jon, unable to meet his gaze any longer, and hurried toward the carriage. She was almost certain he let out a curse as he followed behind her.

Annabella settled in the seat across from the dowager, offering her a weak smile. Was that amusement dancing in Gran
’
s eyes?

Jon sat beside her.
“
Let
’
s be off, then. Mustn
’
t keep Lord Anthony waiting.
”

The carriage rolled down the lane, its gentle sway already helping to ease her
anxiety
.

“
Beg pardon, but what is a Captain of the Target?
”

“
That
’
s the official title of the contest judge. Gran will be sharing the duty with Lord Fergus Rupert, the eighth Earl of Anthony. A high honor, indeed. She
’
s the only female to ever serve in that capacity.
”

“
And I
’
d do better without that lackwit,
”
the dowager grumbled
, tugging on one of her coat sleeves
.

Jon sliced the air with his hand.
“
M
ust you speak every thought that comes to mind
, Grandmother?
It
’
s quite acceptable to keep such things to yourself.
”

Annabella peered out the window to hide the smile playing on her lips. How often had her mother — and Juliet, f
or that matter — said almost that
exact thing to her?

“
You
’
d be surprised at how much I
do
refra
in from saying aloud.
”

Unable to contain it any longer, Annabella chuckled.

Jon let out a sigh.
“
Annabella, I beg you, don
’
t encourage her.
”

“
Nonsense. Don
’
t you listen to him, Frenchie. Men have been suppressing women for centuries. And do you ask me, instead of ordering the citizens of Coventry to stay indoors and shut their windows, Lady Godiva should have encouraged them to witness her ride! She could have doubled her husband
’
s income while lowering taxes on his tenants.
”

Annabella
’
s eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with both hands, unable to control the laughter bubbling out.

Jon shook his head.
“
Honestly, Gran. That is far from polite conversation. And please tell me you did
not
regale
Annabella
with
that story.
”

The carriage fell quiet. Jon glanced between her and his grandmother, his eyes bulging and jaw dropping as realization dawned. Annabella locked eyes with the dowager. Etiquette dictated that she should be horrified by the conversation… by what was being inferred. Instead, she and the dowager burst into gales of laughter.

Still chuckling, Gran brushed at her skirt.
“
You
’
ve socialized with Wyndham for too long, Jonathan. You
’
ve completely lost your sense of humor.
”
She leveled a raised-eyebrow stare on Annabella.
“
My dear, how did you keep from letting the duke wear you down?
”

Annabella sat up straight, shocked, her amusement from moments earlier replaced by alarm. The dowager knew her stepbrother.
Of course she does… I should have realized.
Did the dowager know Markwythe had given her and
her mother the cut? Apparently not, or she wouldn
’
t have welcomed Annabella with such open arms. Would the dowager treat her differently when she found out?