Page 30 of For a Lady's Fiery Heart
Caroline jumped, giving a surprised squeal as he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Oh, my goodness!” she exclaimed. She nearly fell over, but he caught hold of her and steadied her.
James chuckled. “I am sorry I frightened you,” he said. He helped her stand. “You looked cold.” He led her over to the settee and made her sit down.
“You just surprised me, that is all. I thought you were still asleep.” She wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders, bringing her feet up under her on the settee. James thought she made quite a pretty picture, snuggled up with her hair hanging over her shoulders.
“Why did you not wake me up?” James laughed, bending to stoke the fire. “I could have done this for you without you having to get out of bed.” He glanced over his shoulder at her as he finished arranging the wood.
She shrugged. “You looked so peaceful. I did not want to disturb you.”
James finished stoking the fire, and he went to sit next to her. He was pleasantly surprised when she shifted closer to him. He rested his arm over the top of the settee, and she leaned in closer. “What is the agenda for today?” she asked.
He sighed, thinking over all the things that needed to be done to the house. Thankfully the rain was no longer pounding on the roof. Hopefully, the grounds would be dried out with the sunshine enough for him to look around the estate. However, he was quite content to sit with his wife, taking a leisurely morning to get to know her better.
“Well, we have quite a lot to do to compile a report for my father. I assume it will be quite extensive, so I will understand if you do not want to come along for the whole of the afternoon.”
“No, I would like to be of service. Besides, I can offer a little insight, if you like, since I lived in the house for the first half of my life.” Caroline snuggled even closer, and he chanced to wrap an arm around her shoulder. She tucked into his side, and his heart began to race. It shocked him that she had come willingly to sit beside him. He surmised that she would not have acted this way if she were not so cold.
“Do you think your father will agree to the repairs? What if he feels they are too extensive to bother with?” Caroline asked. There was a tinge of worry in her tone.
“Even if my father did not agree to them, I could front the money myself. I have some investments of my own,” James replied.
“But I do not think he will refuse. He will see it as a good move for the family holdings. To have two houses which are making an income can only benefit the Deveroux family.”
James felt her tense a little.
“And the Humphries, as well, to be sure. We are all family now, Caroline,” he added.
Caroline relaxed once more. He was tempted to spend the whole day with her, just like this. However, a knock sounded on the door, and he went to answer it. One of the maids was standing in the hall, looking chilled to the bone.
“Good morning, my lord,” she chattered. “The cook sent me to see if you would like breakfast in the dining room or brought up here?”
James glanced over his shoulder at Caroline. He turned back around, lowering his voice.
“Please have it brought up. I assume it is quite cold throughout the rest of the house. If the footmen are able, tell them to light fires in the rooms that you will be working in today. I do not want you to be miserable.”
“Very good, my lord. And thank you,” she said. With a quick curtsey, she walked away and disappeared around the corner. James closed the door, rubbing his hands together. The cold had seeped into the house, and it would be several hours before things warmed up again. If not for the wind, it would have been bearable.
However, he could hear the wind howling through the house from the several places where the roof had caved in. That would be his first suggestion to his father in the report. The roof would be the first thing they would fix, and then the rest of the renovations would be well worth their while.
He closed the door and went back to the settee to sit down. Caroline had shifted slightly, and he was sorry that she did not join him on his side of the couch again.
“The maids are going to bring up some breakfast for us. I thought you would want to stay in the warmth rather than go down to the dining room.”
“You know me well,” she said, standing. She went over to the vanity he assumed belonged to her mother and brushed out her long hair. His mouth went dry as he watched her. He bounced his eyes away quickly. Did she even know what she did to him?
James was unsure what to do, so he waited for a moment, his thoughts racing. He was in danger of falling in love with his wife, but he was unsure if she felt the same for him. Caroline seemed to trust him to a certain extent, and he did not think he bored her with his company.
However, was that enough for him to assume she was also starting to develop feelings for him? She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It was too much to hope she might return his feelings someday, was it not?
She finished brushing her hair, retrieved her shawl from the end of her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders in place of the blanket. She returned to the sitting area to plait her long, luscious locks. She sat on the end of the settee, letting her hair hang to the side while she braided. He did his best to keep his mind from wandering to her feminine curves.
“Well, what do you think of my plan to make Pembroke our residence?” he asked.
James was not sure how she would take to living in her old home with him as the master. However, with the character she had shown thus far, he assumed she would not mind. Besides, he would want to run the house with her as his partner.
It would do them both good to work side by side, something he had never had the pleasure of seeing displayed by his parents. He had either been too young to witness it or, more likely. His father had never allowed his mother into the decision-making besides planning the meals and overseeing the female servants.
“I like the idea of it,” she smiled. “I like the idea of raising a family here.”
