Sommersgate House (Ghosts and Reincarnation #2)(68)
It was Monique’s turn to stammer, this time not in astonishment but in outrage and Douglas heard Julia’s surprised gasp.
Douglas ignored his mother and Julia and turned back to Trevor. “Did I make myself understood?”
Douglas didn’t wait for his answer and began to walk away, offering his arm to Julia who walked forward woodenly, her face partially in shadows, her breath shallow. She placed her hand in the crook his elbow and he tucked it firmly in his side.
Julia didn’t offer her father a good-bye.
“Sir,” Carter called, “I thought you’d like to know, a somewhat urgent call came about five minutes ago. I explained you’d ring him back.”
Douglas felt his irritation escalate. Now was exactly not the time for this. He needed to talk to Julia, he wished to see if she was all right. He certainly didn’t need to leave her alone with his mother, and then, of course, there were the children to consider
His eyes met Carter’s.
Fucking hell. He would have to have a word with Mrs. Kilpatrick.
His mind moving swiftly through the problems this new turn of events caused, he strode by Carter but said over his shoulder, “I’ll phone him immediately.”
Julia seemed oblivious to the entire exchange.
When they arrived inside the hall, leaving Monique to make her apologies or explanations to Trevor, Douglas closed the heavy door behind them.
When he finally caught sight of Julia’s face in the lights of the hall, he felt his breath catch. Her eyes were shining with gratitude. Gratitude he would have liked very much to have the time to translate into something else.
She licked her lips and came forward, placing her hand on his chest, she leaned close to him.
“Thank you,” she whispered for the second time that day and the strength of feeling underlying her tone was his undoing.
He pulled her roughly in his arms and pressed a hard kiss on her lips, catching her gasp against his mouth. His body immediately responded, beginning to tense, his hands on the soft material of her dress itching for more of her, the smell of her scent (she’d worn the one he preferred that day) surrounding him.
For his own sanity, he let her go just as abruptly as he grabbed hold of her.
She stood swaying gently, her eyes blinking at him and he settled his hands on either side of her jaw and moved in as close as he dared in an effort to retain control.
“I have to go, something important, I don’t know when I’ll be back,” he told her.
She blinked again. “Okay,” she muttered, drawing out the “O” dazedly.
He felt a smile come to his face at the bedazzled look in her eye, inordinately pleased that he could do that with one kiss.
As a reward and against his better judgement, he gave her another one, pulling her forward using gentle pressure on her face. Their bodies didn’t touch, just their lips and their tongues. He spent longer on her, used more care, teasing her, tasting her, feeling his blood stir, his already tense body tightening hungrily.
The moment he heard the sexy little moan he was getting used to, the one that came from the back of her throat that heralded the moment she would give in and move to deepen the kiss, he forced himself to let her go.
And without looking back, he walked away.
Chapter Thirteen
The Incident
Mrs. K put the finishing touches on the grocery list that included the ingredients for a bakewell tart, an apple crumble and a variety of other bits and pieces that she would have made for her own children if she and Roddy had ever decided to have any. Sommersgate House had always been their child, hers the house and her husband’s the grounds. As it turned out, there wouldn’t have been time for anyone else.
She heard her before she saw Julia come in the back split farm door to the kitchen, a way that Tamsin had sometimes used, Douglas never used and Julia nearly always used. She was wearing a pair of slate grey pants, a pale, dusky-blue blouse with feminine tucks down the front and a winter-white tailored blazer. The finishing touch was a pair of navy pumps with a big silver oval affixed to the toe and a heel that was dangerous in two ways, it was way too high and it was way too thin. Miss Julia strode in like she was wearing slippers.
“Hey Mrs. K,” she greeted with a small wave of her slim black briefcase and a bright smile.
“How was work?” Mrs. K asked and Miss Julia threw herself at a bench at the table while Mrs. K flipped the switch on the kettle.
“That place is a mess!” Julia answered with contradictory delight in her tone. “But the staff is great and dedicated and I think we can turn it around. Where’s Ruby-girl?”
“Veronika’s taken her to the petting zoo. Coffee?”
“I’d kill for some coffee,” Julia replied, a grateful smile on her face.
Mrs. K returned her smile. Mrs. K hadn’t smiled so much in a very long time, in fact, never, and she knew exactly why.
Before he left after what Miss Julia cheekily described as “The Thanksgiving Fiasco”, Lord Ashton had given the edict to all the staff that orders were now to be taken from Miss Julia. Miss Julia, he stated firmly, had the running of the house. This not only came from Lord Ashton’s lips, he’d even scrawled a note to confirm his wishes in writing. Upon seeing it, Lady Ashton’s face had turned white as a sheet, her lips thinning to invisibility. She said not a word, left the room and shortly after, left the house to go to Kensington.