Page 6 of With Good Grace
‘Baggage!’ Jake muttered, sending her a warning look. ‘My advice to you, my dear, is not to start anything with me unless you mean to see it through.’
Again, Olivia favoured Jake with a wide-eyed look of innocence. ‘Why, my lord, whatever can you mean?’
Green chose that moment to enter the room and serve them with champagne. By the time he withdrew, Jake was in control of himself again and changed the subject.
‘Who was the lady I saw leaving a moment ago?’ he asked.
‘Oh, an unexpected caller, and a not an especially welcome one.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Lady Grantley.’
Jake almost spilled his drink, convinced at first that he must have misheard her. Olivia would never receive her sister-in-law; not after all the trouble she had caused. Jake’s senses were on high alert. Henderson raising the subject of Olivia’s estranged relations on the same day that one of those relations called upon her was surely not a coincidence?
‘What the devil did she want?’ he asked.
‘My help to find Hubert.’ She flashed a wry smile. ‘He has gone missing.’
Chapter Three
‘Your expression implies that I require your protection, Lord Torbay,’ Olivia said with an exasperated sigh. ‘You imagine, I suppose, that Margaret came to cause mischief.’
He lifted an impossibly broad shoulder. ‘Why else would she come? She cannot suppose that you have any knowledge of her husband’s whereabouts.’
Olivia fixed him with a probing look; unsure if she was comforted by his protectiveness or exasperated by it. ‘I thought we had agreed that I am not completely incapable; a female who swoons at the first sign of unpleasantness.’
Jake threw back his head and emitted a bark of laughter. ‘A less likely wilting violet I have yet to encounter.’
‘Well then, do me the courtesy of admitting that I am perfectly capable of looking after my own affairs.’
‘I will gladly make that admission, Olivia, and if my expression misled you then I apologise. For once I was not consciously thinking of protecting you. Instead I was trying to decide what possible reason Lady Grantley could have to call upon you in her hour of need. To the best of my knowledge, you have had no contact with Sir Hubert recently.’
Olivia felt the anger drain out of her as quickly as it had arrived. Nervous anticipation of her reunion with the man she adored, her suspicions that he was having second thoughts about renewing their intimacy even though she had repeatedly assured him that she did not expect him to form a permanent attachment to her, made her jump to illogical conclusions.
‘You are quite right,’ she said. ‘I have not seen either of them since shortly after I was released from that vile prison.’
‘That is what I supposed. Hoped.’ He sent her a devastating smile that liquefied her insides and filled her with aching desire. ‘You have shared little with me about your married years and I have not asked because I know you would prefer to put that period of your life behind you. But I do know that your husband’s brother and his wife did everything within their power to ensure you were convicted.’ Jake waved a hand to prevent her from interrupting him. ‘I always thought they did so in the expectation of claiming your husband’s property.’
‘Dinner is served, madam.’
‘Thank you, Green.’
Olivia put her glass aside and smiled at Jake, in command of her emotions again, after a fashion. ‘Let us not spoil a good meal by talking of such matters now. For some reason that escapes me, my cook approves of you and when she heard you were to dine here this evening she went out of her way to prepare your favourite dishes. You owe it to her to give them your full attention. We will be at leisure to talk about Hubert afterwards and I will tell you everything you need to know about my marriage at that point.’
Jake smiled down at her again in that lazy, persuasive manner of his that never failed to incite her passions. The simple gesture was sufficient to awaken a heady onslaught of anticipation that failed to make allowance for any change of heart about their rather unorthodox relationship that he might have undergone over the past two months. Then again, perhaps she was seeing shadows where none existed. If he no longer desired her, surely he would not smile at her quite so provocatively; nor would he have taken such an early opportunity to dine with her after his return to the capital, would he?
‘By all means let us talk of more pleasant matters,’ he said, proffering his arm. ‘And I promise to show suitable appreciation for your cook’s efforts.’
‘I am sure you will. Your appetite has never been in question.’
‘Quite so.’
He smiled down at her, a wealth of meaning smouldering in his dark eyes as she placed her hand upon his arm and they walked in Green’s stately wake into the small salon. Jake helped her with her chair and then took the one opposite. The ambience was every bit as intimate as Olivia had hoped to create but the visit from Margaret had unsettled her and images of her married life intruded on the moment. It was unfortunate that Jake had seen Margaret leaving. If he had not she might have broken her word and not mentioned Hubert’s disappearance to him. She owed Margaret no loyalty; quite the opposite, in fact.
‘It seems quiet.’ Jake paused as Green poured an inch of wine into his glass. He tasted it, nodded his approval and Green poured for them both. ‘Without Eva and Isaac here,’ he said, finishing his remark.
Olivia’s responding smile felt strained. She wanted to ask him how he could know since he had barely set foot in her house recently. Shewouldhave asked him precisely that, but for the distraction of Margaret’s ill-timed visit. ‘I miss her society almost as much as Tom misses Gracie. I took him to the docks today to watch the boats. He has decided to become a sailor.’
Jake laughed. ‘If he is half as ambitious as his mother he will finish up as a fleet admiral before his thirtieth birthday.’
‘Thank you, Green.’ Olivia moved to one side as her butler removed her soup plate. ‘My only ambition is for a quiet life,’ she said, returning her attention to Jake. ‘It is hardly my fault if I am notorious.’
