Sommersgate House (Ghosts and Reincarnation #2)(132)

What he found upon opening the door was of great surprise as well as a little alarming.

Julia, wearing nothing but a rather fetching pale pink bra and panties that was liberally dosed with delicate black lace was being fondled by a tall, rail-thin, impeccably (if dramatically) attired and immensely effeminate man who, for reasons unknown, had yards of ivory silk wrapped around his own body.

“Douglas!” Julia cried.

“Julia,” Douglas responded, his face setting dangerously, his arms crossing on his chest and his stance settling belligerently.

The other man stepped back and brought a fluttering, open palmed hand to his chest.

“Oh my,” he drawled upon looking at Douglas.

“This,” Julia motioned to the man and then grabbed her cashmere robe and shrugged it on, “is Gregory.”

Douglas didn’t move, didn’t utter a noise, he simply glared.

“Oh my,” Gregory repeated, his eyes never leaving Douglas.

“Gregory will be designing my wedding gown,” Julia explained, hastily tying the belt of her robe.

Douglas, again, had no response.

Except he quirked a brow.

Julia went on. “He designed the dress I wore to the ball.”

This caused a slight softening of Douglas’s features.

Very slight.

“And,” Julia continued meaningfully, “I’m hoping to introduce him to Tony at the wedding.”

Douglas digested this information then nodded and, with unmistakable intent, strode toward his soon-to-be wife.

“Gregory, as delightful as it is to meet you,” Douglas’s voice was even and determined, his arm sliding around Julia, hauling her resisting body to his side, “I do think it might be time for you to have a break from your worthy endeavours and seek some refreshment.”

“Douglas!” Julia screeched, her voice high with mortification.

Gregory looked from Julia to Douglas, quickly read Douglas’s meaning and asked affably, “How much time do you need?”

“Fifteen minutes,” Julia quickly responded.

“Two hours,” Douglas said at the same time.

“Two hours it is.” Gregory, a romantic at heart, quickly exited, thinking maybe he should return in three.

So he did.

* * * * *

Julia was so happy, she could barely contain herself.

Life had most definitely taken a dramatic turn.

She still worried about the future (she couldn’t help herself). She also had moments of sorrow that she was not sharing these joyous times with Gavin and Tamsin. Further, she would, approximately six times a day (she started counting), have to stop herself from telling Douglas her feelings and would sometimes nearly let slip that she knew about his childhood (it was appallingly easy to drown in moments of tenderness when she was with him, which was often, very often).

Despite all that, Charlie’s prediction that even without any avowal of undying love from Douglas, life with him was better than any life she knew before.

And Julia savoured it sweetness.

He was possibly the most attentive, the most voracious, the most generous lover she’d ever had, in bed and out of it.

Indeed, if he were actually to love her, she might expire from the rapture of it because it could scarcely get better than this.

Although, in the deepest regions of her heart (where she had firmly and stubbornly buried it), she wished for that vow of love more than anything in the world.

She was humming to herself as she was getting ready for Valentine’s dinner. Douglas was taking her somewhere in Bath and they would be gone the entire evening, not to return until the morning, and she knew (happily) what that meant.

Ronnie, who also had a new boyfriend of her own, was home at her bedsit getting ready for her date. Carter was off for the evening. The Kilpatricks had taken the children out for a curry and would be watching them for the night.

Julia had the house to herself.

She had wrapped Douglas’s present, no cologne or tie this time, but a pair of gold cufflinks of Gavin’s which had also been their grandfather’s.

She had Patricia’s approval of this gift, indeed, as with everything that had to do with Douglas, she had Patricia’s approval, especially after Julia (in a moment of weakness and in deepest confidence) explained the Kilpatrick’s story of his childhood.

Julia had the cufflinks cleaned and put in a handmade box of cherrywood that was lined with black velvet. They had been (except for his wedding ring) Gavin’s proudest possession and Julia truly hoped that Will didn’t mind that Douglas owned them until such time as nature took its course (in, hopefully, about sixty years) and they came to Will.

She had spent an age getting ready, bathed, lotioned, powdered and made up. She donned her frock, made specifically for the night by Gregory. It was an absolute vision, a swathe of scarlet red satin, strapless and form-fitting, cut at the knees. In the back hem, frothing forth from a deep slit, sprung a dramatic poof of black tulle. She wore it with black, high-heeled sandals with peek-a-boo toes and a daring ankle strap.

It looked like something Marilyn Monroe would wear and Julia loved it.

She was affixing her diamond studs to her ears, her diamond watch to her wrist and had moved from humming to singing Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You.

She couldn’t wait to give Douglas his present. If she couldn’t tell him she loved him, she was going to do everything she could to show him.