Keeper of My Dreams (St. John Series Book 4) (10 page)

“So you just sat there to do what? Watch the show?”

“To see how you handle yourself in a tough situation, my dear,” Robert informed her.

“So you let me dance around like a fool? Then you watched as my fork nearly impaled your wife? Then you watched me attempt to remove the utensil unseen? For what purpose? Your amusement?”

“How did your fork get embedded in your shoe?!” Elizabeth yelled in order to keep the topic on hand in discussion.

“Because when the fork slid down my leg, I gave a kick in an attempt to get it out of my dress. But instead of having the desired purpose, it became implanted in my shoe. So I gave another kick and it went sailing through the air and embedded in your coiffure.”

Elizabeth sucked in her breath with shock. Eli cursed under his breath. Robert laughed again. London looked at them all like they had lost their minds. She flipped her wrist in the air. “I don’t know what the big deal is all about. No one was hurt.”

“Then why were you trying to hide your actions?” Eli heatedly asked.

London bristled and held her chin up high. “Because I was trying to make a good impression upon your family. The last time I was in the presence of your mother I was unconscious. I had never met your father. And since you took credit for my findings, I had to impress him somehow.”

“Your findings?” Robert asked as the humor left his dark eyes.

“Damn,” Eli whispered as London blurted out, “Oops.”

“Eli?” Robert questioned again.

“She helped locate the discrepancies in the ledgers.”

“Helped?!” London shrieked as she whipped around. “I believe I found them. There was almost a month’s worth of receipts piled in that blasted drawer. It took me all afternoon to sort through all that rubbish!”

“You found them? A month’s worth of receipts? Eli, what in the bloody hell have you been doing?” Robert yelled at his oldest son.

“Thank you, London. I appreciate your assistance in my family matters. You have just made things substantially worse for me,” Eli said with sarcasm.

“Eli, don’t go placing the blame on London,” Robert warned. “The ledgers are your responsibility. Why have you been neglecting your duty?”

“I need a drink,” Eli said as he stood.

“Sit down, Son,” Robert ordered.

“I think I should leave now,” London said nervously as she stood.

“No. You stay for this as well,” Robert instructed.

“Why do you want her to stay? She has no part in the family business. She is just a burdensome guest residing here until her memory returns.”

“Burdensome guest!” London shouted as she slammed her hands down on the table.

“Yes.”

“Well, pardon my ‘burdensomeness.’ Considering without it, all those damned receipts would still be shoved in the bottom of that drawer under a bottle of liquor!”

“I never asked for you to interfere in my business!”

“Someone needed to, because you obviously weren’t!”

“Enough!” Robert yelled.

Both Eli and London closed their mouths but their eyes glared at each other.

“I don’t give a damn who found the discrepancies. What I want to know is why you have not been doing your duty, Eli? Are you going to neglect this duty, too, like you do the House of Lords—”

“You can take that blasted House of Lords and burn it for all I care. I don’t want that duty. Give it to Jacob . . . or better yet, my newfound brother.”

“Eli!” Elizabeth scolded.

“What?! Are you not as furious as I am about that announcement?”

“Yes but for different reasons. And your father has made a valid point. You are over the financial aspects of Emerald Shipping, so why have you not been attending to those?”

“Maybe it’s his late night callers,” London mumbled.

“What was that?” Eli asked.

“Don’t take that tone with me. You graciously have allowed me to stay in your home until my memory returns, but I am not your property or wife. So do not attempt to dictate me or my actions. Maybe if you had been dealing with the issue of your wife’s murder, then you would be able to perform your duties now instead of chasing the murderer in your dreams!”

Elizabeth gasped.

“You have crossed the line there, London,” Eli warned in a low growl. “Get out!”

“Gladly!” she yelled. She whipped away from the table and stormed out of the room.

“Eli!” Elizabeth scolded again. “Do something.”

“What?”

“She is in no condition to go out alone. She is a guest in your home and thus you’re responsible for her protection and safety. Just because she tossed the truth in your face does not mean she is undeserving of your protection.”

“Let her go. She can wander off for all I care,” Eli mumbled.

“Robert, please go after London while I deal with your son.”

Robert looked at his wife and knew not to argue. She was about to give his son hell and he did not want to witness her wrath. He was still trying to get back on her good side, so he would not defy her request. He simply nodded and proceeded out the door London had exited. He spotted her as she was walking down the path to the beach. Robert quickly caught up to her.

“London,” he called after her.

She wiped the tears away from her eyes but did not turn to face Lord St. John.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she whispered.

Robert lightly touched her shoulder. “Please don’t let Eli’s outburst upset you. He’s like this all the time and worse when someone brings up Meredith. He didn’t mean what he said.”

“Yes, he did. I am a burden. Because of me, his home is no longer a bachelor’s residence. I insulted his mistress and then he dismissed her.”

“Pardon?”

“That Marina woman.”

“Bloody hell. Do you mean to tell me that he had been courting the Baroness?”

“Not any longer.”

“Well, good. She was a title-hunting wench. I am glad you stopped that relationship before it went any further. But his home was far from a bachelor’s residence. He built it for Meredith. She never got to see its completion. The house is more like a tomb than a home. It’s cold and lacking life. But you give it life, London. Don’t let Eli’s temper chase you away. You could come stay with Elizabeth and I, but I don’t want you to. Make Eli angry. Make him argue. Give him some fire. Give him life. He stays angry all the time for no reason, but give him a reason.”

She looked at him strangely. “What are you talking about?”

“Meredith has haunted Eli since her death. Make her ghost leave him. He needs to remember her but not constantly mourn her. He has mourned her death for five years. He is a young man and needs to live life.”

“So you are wanting me to stay here to keep him upset?”

“Yes and no. He was pleasant at times this evening and I believe it is because of you. Make him remember what it is to be a man, to live, to laugh. Maybe if you help him get over Meredith’s death, it will help you regain your memory.”

“I’ll see what I can do. But I still don’t want to stay here.”

“I know, but you have to. There is no place else for you to go. My home is still under repair.” He purposely left out the fact that his home was perfectly livable, with numerous bedrooms.

“What about Madison?”

“She has a house full of guests. Plus, I have been visiting frequently trying to make amends to Max for not being there for him when he was born.”

London looked at the Earl and could see the pain in his eyes. The emotional scarring both his oldest sons had experienced worried him. She would stay. It was not like her to turn down a challenge. Her eyes grew wide. She remembered that! She loved challenges!

“Why do you want me to stay here?” she asked as she gazed back towards the house. “You don’t even know me. None of you do. I could be a murderous, title-hunting wench myself.”

Robert laughed. “You do not have that type of feel about you. I want you to stay because you make Eli furious. You defy his wishes, think for yourself, and do not follow the norm. You will be a refreshing breath of air to that dusty, old man’s soul he possesses. You bring fire and spark to him. I don’t know about the relationship you have with my son. I don’t know if you even speak—”

“We speak . . . occasionally, when he isn’t being a boorish brute,” she said as she lowered her lashes.

Robert chuckled. “Please stay.”

She took a deep breath and looked at the tall man before her. “I will stay to assist your family.”

“Thank you, London. You don’t know how much this will mean to Eli’s mother and me. We will make it up to you somehow.”

“You can make it up by defusing the slander of my reputation.”

“No one will dare speak ill of you while you are under my family’s care. Now once you return to England that may be an issue but here on Governor’s Harbour your reputation will stay intact. You can rest assured no one will speak ill of you and no harm will come to you. We St. Johns protect what is ours. Now, please allow me to walk you back to the house. Elizabeth is probably finished raking Eli over the coals.”

“Very well.”

Robert and London walked back to the home in silence. Once at the back entrance Robert excused himself, telling London that he would prefer to walk around the home to get to the front rather than cut through the inside, giving her the reason that should Elizabeth not be finished with her tongue lashing, it would give her an opportunity to do so.

Once Robert rounded the front of the home, he noticed his wife entering their carriage. He quickly joined his wife with a huge smile upon his handsome face. She watched as the large dimple to his left cheek appeared.

“What are you smiling about, dear?”

“Just admiring your beauty.”

Elizabeth tilted her head sideways. “Don’t hand me that lie, Robert. We have been married far too long. I know that is not your reason.”

“It is not a lie. I would not have married you if you were ugly,” he teased.

“Robert.” The warning was evident in her voice.

“Very well. I find your wit and intelligence most agreeable. Conversations with you always keep me guessing. I would have married you even if you were ugly as a barnacle.”

The Countess glared at her teasing husband. “How’s the sofa working out for you? You know I heard that the stable master has a vacant room in the barn.”

His deep laughed vibrated throughout the coach. “Very well. I’m playing matchmaker.”

Elizabeth’s face lit up as she laughed. “You’re horrible at that.”

“True. But I have been visiting Madison’s house quite frequently this past week. During my visits with Max and his family, I have discovered that London is an interesting individual.”

“You’re not on my good side yet, Robert, so you had best be explaining yourself.”

“I think London could break the curse Meredith has placed on Eli. She is beautiful . . . as you noticed tonight.”

“Yes, she is quite lovely now that her burns have healed. But beauty is not everything, my dear.”

“True. But from what I could gather from Madison and Kristina, she is quite resourceful, intelligent, witty, and can handle her own with Eli. She was ready to leave and come live with us until her memory returned, but I talked her out of it.”

“You did what?!”

“I believe she can help heal Eli just as much as he can help her. She does not fall over herself to impress him . . . like every other woman on this island does. She is not afraid to argue with him.” Robert began laughing. “She even called him a prostitute.”

“Why did she call him that?”

“I don’t know, love. I didn’t ask. But you saw him tonight. She brought life back into him. He wasn’t in his normal ill humor.”

Elizabeth looked at her husband and shook her head. “I can’t believe that I am going to agree with you on this. But I believe you are correct. However, she cannot stay there without a chaperone.”

“Natasha is there,” Robert informed his wife. At her snort, he continued, “What is wrong with Natasha?”

“That woman is mad. Anyone who wears poultry around their neck needs to be locked away.”

“That point is mute. Now, back to the topic at hand. No one will question London’s reputation here. Besides, she doesn’t need a chaperone. Yes, sir. She can keep Eli at bay with her wit, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll let ‘that mad woman’ put a curse on him.”

Chapter Twelve

After Eli’s thorough browbeating from his mother and her departure, he stormed out of the dining room and straight to his chambers. The last person he wanted to deal with right now was London. It infuriated him that his mother was taking her side. His entire family was losing their damn minds!

Eli stripped out of his navy shirt and tossed it onto the high back chair by the window. He turned towards the window and placed his forearm on the frame. As he looked out towards the ocean, his mind raced. Why was he allowing London to get under his skin so? Why was he allowing her to make him lose his temper? She was just a woman after all. And women could easily be intimidated and manipulated.

Lightning flickered across the night sky. A faint rumble of thunder vibrated through the air. The storm was far out to sea and the worst would not reach the island. But the storm raging inside of Eli was far worse than any storm at sea. It infuriated him that his life had changed so abruptly in a little over a week. He had a new brother, a new niece and a new houseguest . . . all of which he did not want. His life had been perfect the way it was. Granted it would have been better if Meredith was with him, but that was something he could not rectify.

He heard the door across from him shut, but he kept his gaze on the storm, watching its fury, watching it rage as it created havoc traveling towards Nassau. Eli turned away from the window and sat down in the high back chair. As he leaned back, a shiver ran down his spine from the coolness of the burgundy leather as it touched his flesh. Taking a ragged breath, he rubbed the side of his face. His mind turned to Meredith. He tried to remember her, remember her scent, but for some reason he could not. Instead his senses were invaded by another’s scent, another’s touch . . . London’s. His brow drew together in a frown. Why would she have entered his mind? She was the last person he wanted to think about or see at the moment. Because of her, his mother had raked him over the coals and back . . . twice.

His thoughts were interrupted by a faint knock on his door. He pulled on his shirt but did not lace it. He walked over to the door and jerked it opened, expecting to see Natasha. He was taken aback by the sight before him. London stood there smiling timidly, a worried look on her face. As he studied her, he realized just how truly beautiful she was. Her burns had subsided, leaving a lovely glow to her oval face and a sprinkling of freckles across her upturned nose. Her eyes were deep set and the most stunning shade of blue Eli had ever seen. The blueness only accentuated her long dark lashes. Her full pink lips were slightly parted as she took a nervous breath. Her long dark brown hair danced from the breeze coming through his open window.

“I hate to bother you,” she began as she licked her lips nervously, “but I am in need of your assistance.”

The brow over Eli’s right eye rose up slightly. “With what?”

London swallowed nervously and worried on her lower lip. “Well, you see, Natasha has already retired and . . . well . . . you see—”

“Get on with it,” Eli snapped.

“Well, you’re still a Grumpy Gus,” London shot back, using one of Madison’s made up terms, as she sassily raised her chin. “But if you must know, I cannot get out of my dress.”

“Excuse me?”

“You see,” she said as she turned around. “I require assistance with the buttons. My arms are too short to reach them.” She demonstrated as she attempted to reach the buttons on the dress but to no avail. She turned back to him. “So you see, if you do not help me I would have to sleep in this dress. It is a lovely gown, but I don’t think it would be overly comfortable to sleep in. But if you do not want to help me, please point me in the direction of Natasha’s quarters and I will go ask her. Or Gladys,” she said referring to the young servant who assisted her in dressing this evening.

Eli shook his head. “That would not be a wise decision. Once Natasha has retired, it is best not to disturb her. And I have no idea where Gladys is at this hour.”

“Oh. Well, then, can you assist me?”

Eli took an annoyed sigh and nodded his head. “Turn around.”

She did as he requested. As she turned, she pulled her long brown hair over her right shoulder towards the front. Eli took a quick breath and began unbuttoning the gown. With each button he released, his fingertips would lightly touch her back, causing an intense longing sensation deep inside him, a feeling that he had not experienced in almost five years. He noticed her back rise up and down with each of her quick breaths.

When Eli’s fingers brushed against her back, London sucked in her breath. Her skin prickled with excitement as his fingertips touched her flesh. With each touch, she could feel the heat emerging from his body. The lightness of his touch caused a strange sensation to course through her loins, a deep throbbing that she had never experienced before. It was disturbing yet invigorating. Her breath quickened. She bit her lip in order to stifle the moan that his touch created. She placed her hands on her chest to keep the gown from falling to the floor and could feel her heart pounding. Eli unbuttoned one more button and she turned to face him.

She looked timidly up to him. As she gazed upon him, she could not help but notice how handsome he was. He was tall, standing well over six feet. His square jaw was clenched and had a dark shadowy appearance of whiskers. His eyes were sinfully black, and when she looked into them, she could swear he was looking into her soul, that he knew her every thought, every feeling, every desire. She licked her lips nervously again. She felt his hand as he gently stroked her cheek, and before she knew what was happening, she felt his lips on hers. She yielded to his kiss. It was as if she wasn’t in control of her body, as though he were controlling her like a puppet. She bent to his will and returned his kiss. The kiss was hypnotic. It consumed them both. The passion of the encounter increased and she could feel his tongue upon her lips, begging for entrance. She obediently complied opening her mouth to him. Her hands wrapped around his neck. He pulled her in closer as the kiss deepened.

Never had Eli been affected by a woman like this. It was as though his body was in control of his mind. He could think of nothing else but continuing this passionate encounter. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her in closer. He pressed her mouth harder against his and his hand found her breast. As he gently cupped it in his hand, she moaned into his mouth. Her small noise brought Eli back to reality. He pulled back and looked down at London. Her eyes were still closed and her lips were slightly parted and swollen, as she breathed heavily.

She looked up at him and he could see that her eyes had darkened with passion. He had no doubt in his mind that he could have continued and taken her right in the doorway. He could see reality as it crept back into her mind. Her left hand went back to her dress to hold it in place and her right hand connected with his cheek.

“I take it you did not enjoy this encounter?”

She said nothing. She was unable to. Her heart was still pounding and her body was still reeling with too many unknown sensations for her to find words to reply to his comment. She turned and hobbled quickly into her room, slamming the door. For good measure she opened the door and slammed it again, before locking it.

Eli stepped back into his room and quietly closed the door. He walked to his bed and lay down, trying to will his body to calm down. His throbbing member kept the thoughts of the encounter in his mind. He could tell she had not had many kisses but had a stirring passion buried deep inside her. Her scent invaded him again . . . lilac.

Eli placed his forearm over his eyes as he took several deep breaths. As he calmed down, he realized that he was going to have to encourage London to leave. She was too much of a temptation to be in the next room. Her beauty caused him to lose control, which had never happened before. He normally could control his body, never lost control, never had his desires peak until he wanted them to. But London made his body behave in ways not expected. As he calmed down, he slowly drifted off to sleep. This would be the first night of sleep that he ever had where Meredith did not haunt his dreams in some fashion . . . good or bad.

* * * *

London pressed her back to the door after she slammed it for the second time. Her heart still hammered in her chest. Never had she been kissed like that. She drew her brow together as she thought. She remembered being kissed but she did not remember it causing sensations like this to surge through her body. She would have let him continue. She would have let him have his way with her right in the middle of the hallway! The thought caused her to suck in her breath. She limped over to the bed and allowed the blue dress to fall to the floor. Placing the dress over the back of the chair, she took off her shift and donned a clean one.

Turning, she walked to the window. As she gazed across the courtyard, she watched the palm trees dance in the breeze and mindlessly rubbed her upper arms. The wind increased and a flicker of lightning caused the trees to light up. A shudder ran down her spine. She hated storms. The thunder frightened her when she was a child. She would run to her parents’ room and hide under the covers. She slowly stood straight as memories flooded her. Her mouth dropped open. Her mother had dark brown hair and her name was Madelyn. Madelyn what?

The rain began gently tapping on the clay roof of the home. The methodical tapping caused a trance-like state to come over London. She could see a factory with billowing smoke. And books . . . no, ledgers covered in numbers and receipts. There was another man. He was tall with dark brown hair and a kind smile. She could remember this man pulling her hair and tickling her. Her mind was then flooded with memories of sadness and people dressed all in black. There was an image of another man with red hair. Then more sadness. A loud crack of thunder broke the trance. She walked aimlessly back to her bed and sat down, disappointed that the storm had broken the spell, causing her to lose whatever hope she had of remembering who she was tonight.

She slid her body under the silk sheets and snuggled down. All would be well. Her memory was slowly coming back to her. At this rate she would remember who she was by the end of the month. More and more images flashed though her mind every day. A smile crossed her face. Yes, she would remember who she was and be reunited with her family before Eli caused her to lose her virtue to him and possibly her heart.