Page 32 of Irresistible
What if he had to kiss her? On the mouth? She’d been betrothed, however briefly, but that didn’t necessarily mean they’d kissed. “Jess, have you been kissed before?”
“Yes. I’ve also done the kissing.” She glanced toward him with a slightly perturbed expression. “Women are not just recipients of men’s desire.”
That made Dougal flinch. “I didn’t mean to imply that. Since you’re no stranger to kissing, perhaps you might even feel comfortable bestowing affection on me if it’s appropriate.”
“I can do that.”
He kept thinking of what she’d said—about women being on the receiving end of something in which they weren’t an equal partner. “I’d like to think of kissing as a meeting of two desires, the manifestation of a sensual, mutual attraction.” Now he was looking at her mouth again, thinking of sharing such a kiss with her.
She stared at him a moment, her eyes taking on a hazy glow. “That’s lovely.” She blinked, adding, “You should repeat that to Chesmore. Perhaps he’d write it into a poem.”
Dougal grinned, grateful for the humor to push aside his swelling feelings of lust toward her. They had no place on this mission. Too bad because pretending to be intimate with her was proving quite easy. Imagining it was even easier.
He stood. “Time to determine if we can trust Mrs. Farr.” He held out his hand and helped Jess to her feet. “I’ll follow covertly as you go in search of her. Once you find her, I’ll make my way to her chamber in the servants’ area on the lower floor. I expect the housekeeper’s suite to be located there.”
“This work is quite fraught with risk,” she said.
“I will admit that luck is often necessary. After you do it for a while, you’ll learn to make it.”
She strode past him on her way to the door. “I can’t wait to learn how to dothat.”
Luck, as it happened, was watching over them, for Jess encountered Mrs. Farr in the sitting room with the pianoforte. She was arranging fresh flowers as Jess entered.
“Those are lovely, Mrs. Farr,” Jess said loudly so that Dougal could hear and know she’d found their quarry. “The gardens here are stunning. How many gardeners are necessary to keep everything up?”
Mrs. Farr looked up from the vase as she finished her arranging. “Just Mr. Timmons. I’ll pass along your compliments.” The housekeeper was close in age to Jess. That made her seem easier to talk to, which consequently calmed Jess’s nerves.
“You must also give my compliments to Polly. She was so helpful last night. I haven’t seen her yet today and wanted to thank her again.”
“She spent the day with one of the other maids and a footman gathering supplies for the party. When she returns, I will pass along your kind words.” Mrs. Farr pivoted away from the table where she’d set the flowers.
“About the party, will it be very large?” Jess asked. “I hope you don’t mind my asking. Sometimes I find crowds intimidating.” She smiled sheepishly.
“No, not large at all. Perhaps ten people. Twelve, now that you’re here. It will be quite manageable.”
“That sounds lovely. I did wonder how many servants are employed here.” Jess moved closer to the housekeeper. “You see, Mr. Smythe and I are quite taken with Prospero’s Retreat and are now thinking we might like our own house on the coast.”
Mrs. Farr’s brow creased. “Prospero’s Retreat?”
Jess realized the woman likely didn’t know about the name change since it had just happened earlier in the day. “It seems the Chesmores have been trying to think of a new name for the house. It’s rather fanciful, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Which is completely fitting for Mr. and Mrs. Chesmore,” the housekeeper said. She glanced away as a bit of color dotted her cheeks. She likely realized she perhaps should not have said that.
“I find the Chesmores to bequitefanciful,” Jess said, hoping to put the woman at ease. “And rather, ah, affectionate.” This wasn’t what she’d planned to say at all, but Jess was learning to take cues from those around her and go where the moment led, if that made any sense at all, and she wasn’t sure it did.
“Yes.” Mrs. Farr looked as if she might say more but didn’t.
Jess didn’t blame her. Still, Jess needed to know if she and Dougal could trust the woman. “Have you worked for them long?”
“No, I was hired shortly after they purchased the house.”
“Is that true of most of the servants here, or did they come with the house? I ask because I wonder if that’s what I should expect as we look for property.”
“I suppose it’s different for every house, but yes, most of the servants here worked for the previous owner, Monsieur Dumont.”
The previous owner had been French! It could mean nothing, or it could be important. Jess could hardly wait to tell Dougal. “Why did Monsieur Dumont sell?”
“What have we here?” Mrs. Chesmore’s birdsong voice carried through the sitting room.
