The Secrets of Wiscombe Chase by Christine Merrill

Author:Christine Merrill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2015-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

When Lily returned to the hall the following morning, the maids had replaced the broken vase with a fresh one. She pulled a flower from the arrangement, twirled it in her fingers and smiled. The blooms were open wider this morning than they had been when she’d brought them in from the garden. She was like the flowers. It had been winter for so long. But now Gerry was here, it was full summer and she had bloomed.

As he had promised, by the time they retired to the bed, they were far too tired to make love there. They had lain, dozing in each other’s arms. Just before sleep had taken them, he had whispered that this was just the beginning.

They’d woken, still tired to the bone and aching in strange places. She’d rubbed his back. He’d offered to return the favour and slipped his hand between her legs. An hour later and half a house away from him, and she was still laughing.

‘We missed you at supper, Lillian.’

Her smile faltered. She replaced the flower in the vase and turned to face her brother. ‘It was the headache again. I did not feel well enough to come down.’

‘Nor did the captain,’ her brother said with a dry smile. He reached out and touched her cheek. ‘You look well enough this morning. Almost too healthy, one might say.’ By the look in his eyes, he knew exactly what she had been doing, to the last prurient detail.

She stepped back, out of his reach. ‘Is it possible to be too healthy?’

‘Yes. If it causes you to think only of yourself and forget those around you. How is Stewart this morning?’

She could not answer the question. She had not seen him since yesterday. She had not said good-night to him. Nor had she visited with him at breakfast. In the course of a few hours, she had forgotten all about him and neglected her responsibilities as a mother. Her newfound happiness evaporated as fast as it had arrived.

Her brother nodded, reading the answer in her expression. ‘I warned you yesterday that disloyalty on your part might lead to unfortunate revelations.’

‘You do not need to drag him into this,’ she said. ‘I said nothing more to Gerald about your plans.’

‘Nothing more.’ Ronald frowned at her. ‘Which means that you did as much damage as you could before I could speak to you.’

‘You are putting me in an impossible position,’ she said, holding her hands out to him in supplication. ‘He is my husband. I cannot refuse him and I should not deceive him. If you wish to keep secrets from him, then do not include me in your plans.’

Now Ronald smiled again. ‘My thoughts exactly.’ Then he said nothing. The silence was more ominous than his threats had been, for it meant that there was something in the works to settle with Gerry and there was no way to warn him about it.

Ronald made a little shooing gesture. ‘Do not stand there gawping at me, Lillian.

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