Lilac Temptress (41 page)

“
Well, what with Isadora
keeping almost every house hand busy with all her many demands,
there was no one else available.”

“
I see.” A sense of relief
washed over him as he wondered why he’d even feared the threat of
Thomas in the first place. Sierra was a free woman after all, and
could see who she wanted, he grudgingly reminded himself—and he
certainly didn’t need to hear any more about how Isadora was
monopolizing his servants. “Let’s not speak of her now,” Drake
breathed.

“
Believe me—I have no
further intention of that,” Sierra said agreeably.

Drake softly laughed feeling more at
ease. “I am ravenous. Let’s see, where should I begin?”

“
Shall we wait first on
Kyle and Rosaline to arrive?” Sierra asked.

“
Must we?” Drake’s question
sounded more like a plea. His sharp gaze reflected his hunger, but
not only for the meal—he was unable to easily look away from
her.

“
I suppose not.” Sierra
smiled warmly while noting the passion in Drake’s eyes; perhaps she
truly stood a chance against Isadora after all.

“
I will serve you whatever
you like,” Drake offered her the privilege of being served first,
which was usually reserved for men. His eyes twinkled as he reached
for a porcelain bowl filled with cold roast beef. Then he reached
for a basket of rolls and mint sauce.

“
Drake, I want you to know
that I am very sorry for this.” Sierra reached toward his chin,
carefully touching his bruised jaw. It looked much better since the
swelling had gone down, however the purplish hue was still quite
vivid.

Drake hardly winced at her touch. He
liked the softness of her fingertips and he exhaled, relieved to
have her apology instead of her resentment.

Sierra drew her hand away.

“
Don’t think of it.
Jeanette has seen to me. She mixed an old family remedy that will
heal my chin in no time,” Drake said, handing her the plate he had
prepared for her. And flinching a little, he bit into a veal and
ham pie.

“
I see you have started
without us already!” Rosaline called out. Kyle strode next to her
carrying his sketching pad. They each sat down across from Drake
and Sierra, and started their meals.

“
Now these are really
delicious. Not the usual recipe.” Drake gobbled down his second
plum cake, licking his fingertips.

“
There once was a little
boy who used to sneak sweet cakes from Jeanette’s kitchen, even at
the risk of being chased with a broomstick.” Sierra chuckled
lightly.

“
You baked these? They are
mouth-watering—truly they are.” Drake recalled the sweet cake story
he had overheard Ben tell her while discussing all his days as a
naughty youth. He wondered just how much more she might have
learned of him from Ben.

“
Yes, but only the cakes,”
Sierra responded.

“
You’ve not poisoned me,
have you?” Drake jested, with a lighthearted grin.

“
You know my sister well,”
Kyle roared with laughter, while Sierra sneered at him.

“
Sierra, I am extremely
pleased.” Drake chuckled, knowing that she had baked the dessert
just for him.

Sierra was happy that Drake accepted
her peace offering. She wanted to put the past behind them and
start all over. She didn’t want to be at odds with Drake. Though
their relationship had it’s scrapes, in the end he was still
helping her and Kyle, and she would at least show a little
gratitude.

Having his fill, Drake laid in the
grass on his back gazing up at the passage of the
clouds.

Sierra tried desperately not to dote
on him, but she enjoyed his presence and couldn’t help but think of
the more intimate times they had shared together in Jadesville. Her
only desire was to sit and stare at him for hours. She thought of
his impending marriage to Isadora, and dull resentment began to
simmer within her chest, so she pushed the thoughts of it aside.
This moment with him was all she wanted, free of thoughts from the
reality of her situation.

Kyle sat with his legs crossed
sketching a portrait of Rosaline while she sat with poise,
elegantly still, posing for him. He kept a steady hand without an
easel for support. Rosaline and Kyle’s attentive stares at each
other impressed Sierra, and she wondered briefly if she was missing
out on some secret between the two of them.

“
As much as I regret it, I
must leave you all now.” Drake rather abruptly rose to his
feet.

Sierra stood up quickly, clutching his
arm before he could take a single step. “Leaving so soon, Drake?”
Sierra’s voice conveyed her disappointment. “I had hoped that you
could stay with us longer.”

“
Believe me when I say that
I wish I could spend all day out here with you.” Drake stared at
Sierra before righting himself, “All of you that is.”

Rosaline didn’t say a word or move a
muscle, still holding perfect posture for Kyle, who was so
engrossed in his art that he didn’t even look up.

“
Drake...” Sierra voiced
wholeheartedly as she released his arm reluctantly.

“
I have to leave. I beg for
your pardon.” Drake’s voice was unwavering, though his eyes showed
how she felt about his leaving, reluctant.

Sierra remained standing, watching
Drake stride away before returning her attention toward Kyle and
Rosaline. Utterly absorbed in the portrait being created, they
seemed to take no pity on her over her loss of Drake. She didn’t
want to be miserable around them, so she decided to stroll through
the gardens—after all it was a lovely day, why waste it on thoughts
of Drake’s rejection. Kyle and Rosaline hardly even noticed when
she slipped away into the maze of greenery.

* * *

“
All finished.” Kyle said,
handing the drawing to Rosaline for her inspection.

Rosaline gazed at the
portrait of herself, amazed at how he’d captured not only her
physical likeness but also her essence, which seemed to radiate
brighter than the sun. The girl in the sketch was
beautiful
—having
emotional eyes, emanating warmth and compassion with an air of
rebelliousness, indicating her need to be free of the constraints
her position in life placed upon her.

Rosaline knew she wasn’t worthy of
Kyle’s compliment. She knew she hadn’t always treated him so well.
“Is this how you see me?” she raised her head hesitantly. Her
bewildered face met his gaze.

Kyle turned his head away from her,
embarrassed. In depicting her through his eyes, he’d subconsciously
revealed his true feelings for her.

“
Kyle—” Rosaline searched
his features. Her soft of her fingertips brushed his chin,
delicately turning his gaze back at her.

“
You had so many suitors at
the ball and yet you risked your reputation to dance with me. Why?”
he asked.

Rosaline considered not answering, but
she never hid her own truth. She knew that she was perhaps spoiled
rotten, pompous and meddlesome, but she also believed in following
her heart.

“
Because, I couldn’t stand
the idea of you dancing with any other girl. Because, I couldn’t
stop thinking of you after you had returned from your day out with
my brother. Because, I’ve enjoyed our riding together, and the
truth is, I think I like you very much. And I don’t want to be just
another one of them,” she added anxiously.

“
Another one of who?” Kyle
asked, his eyebrow lifted.

She trembled as she continued.
“Another proper lady who plays by the rules of Society, marries the
man her mother chooses for her, and becomes her dull husband’s
showpiece while he takes a mistress to warm the coldness of his
marital bed because he married for position and not love!” she
blurted.

Kyle’s face paled. He didn’t know how
to respond. An awkward silence enveloped them. He told himself to
relax, and slightly grinned at her thinking that she must be as
nervous as he was.

“
You’re not at all who I
first thought you were,” he said watching her intently, grasping
that she must have just confessed one of her biggest fears. “You
are not as unfeeling or icy as you appear.”

A frown lined her lips.

“
Don’t pout, I didn’t mean
it that way,” he added, gently brushing the baby soft skin of her
cheek.

“
Then how did you mean it?”
Rosaline doubtfully asked—her feelings hurt.

“
I’ve seen a gentle side of
you when you’re caring for your steed. I’ve witnessed your kindness
to my sister—helping her to fit in. That’s the truth of you, not
the uppity princess that you sometimes pretend to be.”

Rosaline blushed at his assessment
before she summoned up the courage to ask him, “Will you kiss me?
I’ve never been kissed by a gentleman before.”

Kyle removed his fingertips from her
cheek. He wanted to comply with her request—to sweep her off her
feet and kiss her the way he had imagined during the ball. But he
was too terrified of the consequences. “Rosaline, I may give the
impression of being all cleaned up on the outside, but I am no
gentleman,” he said.

Rosaline frowned again, mistaking his
words as a rejection of any romantic notions she might
hold.

“
Rosaline—” Kyle breathed,
“If this is going to happen between us, then there is something
that I must tell you about myself.” He swallowed hard. “Where I
came from, I didn’t do anything much but chase after the prettiest
girls in town, with no regard for myself or them. I was
irresponsible, and Sierra always had to keep me out of trouble. I
have nothing I can offer you.”

“
I disagree Kyle,” Rosaline
spoke softly, but determinedly. She had no interest in his previous
affairs; even proper young men among Society were known to do wild
and foolish things in their youth before marriage.

She boldly leaned into him, because
she knew that he wouldn’t do it, and touched the nape of his neck.
She pulled his head toward her and pressed her lips gently to
his.

Kyle couldn’t help but kiss her back
with all his heart; surrendering to the moment, but knowing it
could go no further. All too soon he reluctantly drew his lips away
from hers.

“
My first kiss...” Rosaline
spoke into his ear.

“
Your brother’s going to
kill me,” he whispered.

“
How will he ever find
out?” she asked. “I certainly will not tell him.”

She heard the soft chuckle of Kyle’s
laughter and she giggled with him.

* * *

Many hours passed as Drake sat in his
study behind his desk, reviewing copies of his father’s ledgers.
Intermittently, he thought of the picnic with Sierra, and how she
had smiled at him, laughed with him, and spoke to him about things
that mattered or things that didn’t matter. He tried not to think
of her, but to little avail as echoes of her voice, her smell, and
her very form, lingered in his mind.

Already he had been making plans for
her and Kyle to resettle after the wedding. He’d arranged residency
for them at his modern townhouse in Lafayette. It was an extremely
difficult decision for him to make, especially since all his being
told him not to send them away. He tilted his head up, sighing at
the ceiling before being disrupted.

“
What is the meaning
of this day trip tomorrow that Rosaline speaks of?” Isadora marched
abruptly into the room. “I don’t care much for the company Rosaline
keeps, but why must you join her and her
little
companions? We have wedding
decisions to make and preparations are to be finalized
soon.”

“
It is only for a day,
Isadora, an afternoon. And before we’re off we will have plenty of
time for Charleston Brennan to have his way with us.” Drake gave
her a sharp look, indicative of his less than thrilled
attitude.

“
I see that Rosaline has
told you about Mr. Brennan before I could manage to,” she grumbled
as she advanced toward Drake. “This interview is important for us.
Having a favorable mention in his column could really create a
positive outcome for us, and our future business. It’s free
publicity Drake.”

“
You don’t have to convince
me, Isadora. I agree with you. But I wish you had consulted me
first. Charleston will be candid in whatever he scribbles about
us,” Drake expressed his concern.

“
Yes, I know this, which is
why we must appear to him as if we are in love.” Isadora leaned
over, placing her palms flat down on the desk. Her half-covered
bosoms heaved.

Drake’s eyes broadened at the lovely
vision standing before him, clad in teal velvet. He remembered that
once upon a time he could not have ever withstood her temptation.
“Pretend to be in love, you say?” Drake huffed at the
thought.

“
Don’t sound so
disapproving, Drake. I will not have Charleston telling the world
whatever he wishes. We should behave as a perfect couple would in
his company,” she insisted.

“
Isadora—I have no
intentions of pretending anything.”

Isadora stared him sternly in the eyes
and voiced, “Drake, was it not I who warmed your bed, and
shouldered your burdens in your darkest hour? You may not like many
of my ways, but I am the one who understands you best. I share your
ambitions, your drive for success, and your other insatiable
appetites.” Isadora bit her lower lip, hinting at his prowess in
the bedroom, while placing her fingertips against his cheek.
“Please don’t disappoint me,” Isadora spoke her last words, turned,
and exited the room.