Microsoft Word - Jenny dreamed (20 page)

"What would Dev think of all this?" Jenny wondered aloud, breaking the silence of her room with her thoughts. If he knew about her tendency to guess at the future, would he think she was strange? She didn't think so; Dev had grown up with the Blackfoot. They believed in a controlling, supernatural force of nature. With that background, he would more than likely consider her gift of second sight as perfectly natural.

Dear Lord, how she missed him! If only he were here .. if only she hadn't been so rash as to suggest an annulment ... so many ifs; but there was no sense in regretting her actions, she couldn't change them now for all the wishing in the world.

Did he like living at his country estate? Didn't he miss the wild, open beauty of Montana?

She'd had only one cryptic letter since he'd arrived at Canterbury Hill, and it revealed little of his feelings. He'd signed the legal documents that gave him control of the inheritance and was surprised to find himself a rich man, he wrote in a bold scrawl that had nearly defied deciphering. His cousin Cathy had done her best to make him welcome, despite the shock his sudden re-appearance must have dealt her.

The letter had mentioned nothing of any annulment proceedings, and he closed with the hope that Luke was working out well and that their weather had not been too severe. He could have asked if she'd missed him ... if he cared at all, Jenny thought dismally. What a predicament she'd gotten herself into-she'd fallen in love with a man whose only purpose in marrying her had been to spare her parents the heartache of a grandchild born out of wedlock!

A nagging little imp of suspicion prodded at her mind, making Jenny wonder just how cousin Cathy had made Dev feel at home. The girl was near to Dev in age and had probably developed into a beauty from the pretty child he recalled. Despite the fact that she had a husband, mightn't Cathy be attracted to Dev? Wouldn't any woman in her right mind find him handsome? What did it matter that they were first cousins--close relatives had fallen in love before.

Jenny yawned just as the clock on the mantel struck twelve. Where had the time gone? She was usually asleep by ten o'clock. Well, at any rate, it would do her no earthly good to stay awake longer, fussing over something she couldn't change.

Jenny was dreaming by the time the clock chimed the hour of one. Her face was peaceful in the firelight's reflection as her unconscious mind strained to catch the first, faint notes of music, then the soft, misty glow of light grew clearer until she was dazzled by the refracted luminescence of the crystal chandeliers that hung above the elegant ballroom. She felt a gentle breeze caress her cheek and turned to watch as couples whirled by, dancing to the strains of a Viennese waltz. Her gaze swept over the crowded floor, searching for one particular face, one tall, lean-figured gentleman among the many well-dressed couples. It was not difficult to spot him ....

Dev was dancing, sweeping his partner effortlessly around the ballroom even though his thoughts were far removed from the pretty, young woman who was his current partner. This party Cathy'd planned to introduce him to the "cream" of Whyren County's society was obviously a success. He was, too, or so a thoroughly pleased Cathy had assured him during their last dance.

There were some fifty people in attendance, and mote than just a few had come to satisfy their curiosity about the new master of Canterbury Hill. Cathy was more than pleased; her extravagant reception for Dev was a triumph! Occasionally, in her guise as the concerned hostess, she'd circulated amongst her guests to eavesdrop on their reactions.

Dev had been accepted, and, considering the exclusive company attending, it was a triumph of major. proportions. The banquet tables, spread with a variety of meats and salads, had drawn compliments. The special dessert table boasted an enviable display of pies, tarts, petit fours, and as piece de resistance, an exquisitely decorated, five-layer iced lemon cake that towered three feet above the snowy damask lace covering the table.

Bentley, thank God, had abstained for the day. Cathy had kept a close watch on his liquor this evening, and she was happy that he was only moderately tipsy now, off in a corner somewhere trying to persuade several of the younger men to join a game of high stakes in one

of the drawing rooms. The musicians hired for the evening were playing nicely, but Cathy had noted an occasional sour note during the course of their set. With a bit of bravado when she paid their fee, she might be able to skim twenty or so dollars off the top. Her allowance for the affair had been generous, but every bit she saved could be tucked away and spent on something she wanted, with no one the wiser. "You're looking extremely self-satisfied, madam!" Cathy turned to find Charles Vandermeer at her side. They'd been lovers almost four years ago; now he was merely an old friend--one of the' few she could confide in without worrying about his judging her. "Your cousin seems to have all the ladies battling for his attention. Would I be correct in assuming that he is already yours?" Cathy's smile was noncommittal as she followed Dev's tall figure around the floor. He was dancing with Anne de Lorimere for the. third time this evening; that was one time too many, Cathy thought irritably before she replied to Charles's rather blunt inquiry, "I'm not one to kiss and tell, Charley. You, of all people, should remember that!" With one feathered brow arched in appraisal, Cathy surveyed his appearance. Even though his black hair was silvering, her former lover had never looked more fit or dashing.

"Is there a reason you look so debonaire tonight, darling?" she teased, smiling coyly. "Or dare I believe that I'm responsible for that roguish gleam in your eyes?"

Vandermeer, who knew Cathy as well as anyone, even as well as Bentley, was taken aback by the underlying, seductive invitation in her manner. She was sparkling this evening-no doubt due to this new alliance with her handsome relative. "Of course you are," he allowed with a gallant half-bow. "I always primp on your behalf, little good that it does me anymore!

Actually, Margaret is indisposed again and will be for some time to come." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "She's big as a cow again with another brat- this makes the sixth ... or is it seventh?"

Cathy laughed at his deliberate vagueness, "You make it sound as if you'd had nothing to do with her breeding, dear! For the sake of your own vanity, you should at least keep an accurate count."

Charles grinned sheepishly. "Well, I can tell you it's deucedly annoying to put up with it all.

Here you're occupied with a new beau and I have to fend for myself. I must confide, I'm getting too old for much of a chase." For a moment his cool gray eyes swept the assembly of guests, reviewing the available females, before his gaze returned to her. "Feeling particularly loyal tonight, sweetheart, or could you find it in your heart to take pity on an old friend in need?"

Cathy tapped her fan against his arm, playfully chiding him for the bold request. "You, sir, are a rake for even making such a suggestion! It's only my deep regard for our friendship that requires me to remain patient with you." She used her fan to gesture to the room in general.

"Look what an array of beauty is yours to choose from. Surely there's one bit of feminine fluff to suit your fancy among all those present?"

Charles leaned close to her ear, whispering, "But not with your charms, Cathy, nor with your talent for making a man feel like a man!" He gently applied pressure to her arm and added,

"Come away, dear-for auld lang syne; we won't be gone long enough for your new love to miss us!"

That was true enough. At Cathy's prompting, Dev had reluctantly agreed to give equal time to each of the ladies invited, and he seemed faithfully to be fulfilling his promise. Too faithfully, Cathy thought with a twinge of jealousy. It would do him good to see her attended by another man and keep his interest in her from flagging-not that it had shown any signs of abating so far. The short absence would hardly draw notice from her guests, and already the danger of discovery inherent in such an escapade was luring her to accept the proposal.

"Have I told you that cousin Devlan and I are having our portraits painted for the family gallery, Charles?" Cathy commented in a voicie loud enough to reach the gossipy clique of older ladies sitting out the dancing in nearby seats. For a moment Charles appeared puzzled by the abrupt change of subject, but then the light of realization dawned in his eyes.

"No, you hadn't, m'dear. How very interesting … what artist have you retained?"

"Why, Reisewold, of course! What other artist's work would be good enough to hang beside Stuart's portrait of great-grandfather Nicholls?" Cathy hooked her arm in his and headed for the hall doors. "They're only partially finished, but I think you'll like the effect he's achieved.

The stands are in the gallery. I don't think Jacob would mind if I took just one person in to see his masterpieces. Really, Charles, the man's skill with shading is un ..." Cathy's voice trailed off as the couple neared the exit, and several of the ladies who'd been listening to the charade exchanged significantly knowing glances before sniffing the air in disdain.

Once in the safety of the hall, Cathy giggled and clutched at Charles's arm. "I don't think we fooled those old biddies, but they've never liked me, anyway. This will give them something to talk of for weeks!"

"That was a truly innovative excuse, though. Even they would have to credit you that!"

Charles complimented, leading the way down the hall.

Cathy nodded to a passing couple while maintaining a proper distance from her escort.

Halfway down the hall, she paused to pick up a tri-branched candelabrum to light the gallery. "I didn't completely make up the tale," she commented when they were alone near the gallery door. "We are having our portraits done, but they're set up in the East drawing room. Jacob claims the light's better there. He says it 'endows my heavenly countenance with an earthly radiance!' Can you believe –he said that, Charley?"

"At the moment, m'dear," Charles replied closing the hall door behind them and blowing out the candles, one by one, "I would believe anything-even if you were to say you loved me!"

Down the length of the foil-papered hallway, at the entrance to the ballroom, Dev leaned casually against the wall, watching. When the dim glow of the candelabra Cathy had carried into the gallery no longer showed beneath the door, he shook his head in wonder and grinned at her brazen confidence. After only a moment's pause, he turned and headed for the refreshment table and the glass of champagne he'd promised Anne de Lorimere. It struck him as oddly ironic that while the servant hired at his expense was pouring from a stock of the finest French champagne, the cousin who'd professed undying love for him, who'd arranged this costly, lavish affair in his honor, was lying stark naked on the gallery floor being skewered by a silver-haired dandy old enough to have fathered them both!

Accepting the two glasses of amber wine, Dev carefully wound through the crowd to the spot where he'd left Anne. She smiled at his return, and though she voiced a mild rebuke for the length of time he'd been away, there was no chastisement in the warm, dark eyes that flirted with his. As he engaged in animated discussion with the dark-haried beauty, Dev was considering how to handle his knowledge of Cathy's assignation.

Certainly she was a hot-blooded witch. There was ample proof of that in the long trail of scratches her nails had left on his back. Cathy was almost too much woman for anyone man.

Since his arrival, they'd 'managed to meet almost every night, and each meeting included several exhausting orgasms, so it didn't detract from his confidence in his virility to admit she was taxing as a love partner. What did bother him was the manner in which she'd gone about the indiscretion. With a houseful of guests, Cathy had trotted off like a whore with her latest customer in tow.

For one brief moment of madness, Dev considered assembling a small group of the guests for a tour of the finer appointments of the century-and-a-half-old mansion, beginning, of course, with the famous Nicholls's portrait gallery. A grin surfaced on his face as he imagined the shocked oohs and ahhs when the light first illuminated the tangled limbs of Cathy and her lover-of-the-moment. With a great deal of reluctance, he abandoned the idea. It might serve her right; but he hadn't quite had his fill of Cathy's particular brand of lust, and this might end it prematurely. No, he thought with another smile, when their affair ended, the time of revelation would be of his choosing, on his terms. He could afford to wait. After all, it wasn't as if he felt anything for this hot-blooded, cold-hearted cousin of his. He just hadn't had his money's worth yet.

"That smile does not bode well for whoever has displeased you, Mr. Cantrell," Anne commented, then added more softly, "Tell me I have not offended you in some way!"

"You, Miss de Lorimere?" Dev leaned forward, his eyes an intense shade of gold as he stared deep into her darker gaze. "You're teasing me now, aren't you, ma'am? How could' a lovely little slip of a girl like you offend anyone?"

Anne de Lorimere was entirely satisfied with the explanation for his mysterious, almost vengeful smile. After a moment she demurely lowered her gaze and fluttered her fan.

Twelve

Only one table lamp was lit in the master's suite, casting its flickering glow along the contours of the two naked bodies sprawled across the huge, fourposter bed. Dev lay on his back, Cathy next to him on her belly, and both were just beginning to recover from the languor that had followed a tempestuous session of lovemaking.

Cathy half-rose, resting her weight on her elbows as she studied the strong sculpted face of her lover at rest. The legacy Dev had inherited extended beyond material wealth. All of his features were bold but so finely drawn that there could be no doubt he was descended of a noble breed, elevated above the ordinary by independence and strength of will.

A contented sigh escaped her. She had actually fallen in love with this attractive and virile young animal at her side! In the beginning she'd coldly concentrated on neutralizing the threat that he posed to her welfare, but then she had surrendered to the only man who had ever satisfied her nearly insatiable appetite for sex. Dev was everything she admired in a man, .strong, aggressive, and as self-possessed as she was herself. Seven weeks, she thought in amazement, could it have been only seven weeks since he'd arrived, since that first, stormy encounter in the gallery? The time had flown by, further evidence to Cathy that she truly was in love.