[excerpt] (16 page)

“You’re not funny.”

“He thinks he is and that’s all that matters,” Raven added.

In front of the manor, Serina sat speechless at what most likely would be her new home. She adored the thatched roof, the way it hung over ivory stucco walls, plopped on top of the house like dollops of cream on custard. The leaded glass windows scaled the walls from the floor to the ceiling. The thick glass, double door entrance had
fleur-de-lis
designs forged throughout. Looking through the doors, Serina felt as if she were looking in a carnival mirror; the glass distorted her, made her even smaller and wider. She turned away, repulsed. That was the last image she needed to see. However, Serina discovered the inside of the home was more beautiful than she could have imagined. Thick Persian rugs lay in front of a settee and chairs in the main parlor. She was relieved not to find any animal heads hanging off walls. Trophies, she despised them. It seemed a criminal end to a beautiful life. The main entryway’s walls reminded her of a museum. Not a naked spot on the wall to be found. Paintings of Lucian’s heritage adorned the walls as reminders of those past and present. A portrait of their parents, Lucian, Raven and another young man
identical
to Lucian hung above the alcove of the upper hallway.

“Lucian, is the boy in the pictures your cousin André? He really could be your twin. You three could pass as triplets.” Serina admired the painting.
Someone else as gorgeous as Lucian
. Her eyebrow lifted once again in a non-prim, non-proper fashion.

Lucian added, “Yes, that’s André. It is astonishing how we look so alike, but look at our mothers. Our mothers were also twins, although not identical, but they resembled each other closely.”

Serina cast a glance ’round looking for someone equally as beautiful as his mother. She noticed a waif of a woman wearing a tiara with a thin moustache and light beard appearing quite miserable beside his mother.

Serina pointed to the painting. “Her?” He nodded. “You’re right. They aren’t identical, but Lucian, I don’t want to be the one that breaks it to you, toots, but you and your cousin are identical. You’re twins, trust me. Someone’s snookered the two of you.”

Lucian gave Serina a serious look only for a moment and with a slight annoyance said, “We’re not twins, Serina. We’d have known. Why would—ah, never mind.” Serina’s words struck a raw nerve. The idea that André was his twin and raised as if he wasn’t, well Lucian found it ludicrous.

“Ladies, I’ll take your bags up to your rooms while you look about. Make yourselves at home. ’Tis now yours.”

Serina gave Molly and Raven a quick glance that held more questions than answers looking at the portrait of Lucian and André.

“They’re twins, Molly, which actually makes them triplets,” Serina whispered to her.

Molly nodded. “Indeed they are, Doctor.”

Raven too, oddly brushed off the comments and continued her tour with her new friends. When they reached the front library, Raven noticed a man on a horse riding up the pathway.

“Who could he be?” Raven asked with her nose pressed to the window. “He’s rather handsome. Would you look at those curls?” Her breath fogged the glass. As she wiped it away, the glass made a squeaky noise.

Serina joined her at the window. “He’s the cook from the restaurant last night. Your brother offered him a job as your personal chef.”

“Really?” Raven mumbled, never taking her eyes from the man as she spoke, lost in thought.

“Something was said about none of us being able to cook. I guess the man decided to see if the offer still stood.”

“I’m an absolute disaster in the kitchen. Did you hear of the fire at Oxford a few years back?” Raven raised her hand. “Guilty. Lets go see what he can cook. I’m famished. Come to think of it, I never received me mint cakes last night.” Raven tapped Serina’s nose in passing. “I’ll bet you’re not hungry!”

Serina gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry,” she said, but she didn’t mean it. The dessert was decadent. Serina turned and followed to finish her tour.

From the looks of things, the kitchen was next. Things around this manor seemed to be cooking up faster than she could’ve imagined.

Chapter Seven

After careful consideration, Serina sent a letter of resignation to the hospital, telling them she had to live her life, not lose a little piece of herself each day to the dead. She took over the gardens around the manor, tending the weeds that threatened a coup. Some days she declared a stalemate as to who won the battle, her or the meddlesome plant-life. Her arms were torn open from thorns and welts covered her from bugs who seemed to find her a tasty treat. Lucian never veered far away from her, because apparently he too found her his tasty treat. She swatted either at him or the bugs trying to get her work accomplished.

****

The day before the wedding, Serina found Lucian in their bedroom looking over the lake, deep in thought.

“Lucian, I need to go to town today. Molly, Raven and I have all but finished my gown, but I need a few little things from home. Would you come with us? She slid her hands over his back and down to his buttocks. “I adore the feel of this.” Serina pinched him.

Lucian closed the distance between them and kissed her nose lightly. “I adore the feel of this inside you.” He bumped his growing fondness into her.

Outside their door, Raven raised her voice so they’d hear her. “Sorry to interrupt, you two. Duncan’s ready. Luce, you up for the ride? Molly’s going to bring her kitties back here to stay. Payton said we’ve three hours till supper. He’s prepared something special for us tonight. Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to discuss what it is.”

Lucian opened the door. “As long as you didn’t have a hand in its preparation I don’t care what it is.” Lucian ruffled her hair as he walked past her.

Raven conceded, “That was uncalled for Luce...but true.”

“I’m going to stay here and dream of your speedy return, ladies, one of you in particular.”

Raven teased, “You must stop dreaming over me, Luce. Your bride will grow jealous and find out how deranged you really are.” Seeing his large hand coming at her again, Raven twisted and sidestepped Lucian’s attempt to swat her.

Lucian glanced at Serina and blew her a kiss. “I’ve got some work to do around the place before the ceremony.” He closed the distance and drew Serina against him, trailing little kisses around her neck. “You and I have unfinished business in here this night, my love. Be safe.”

“I will. And this business between us,” she said a hair away from his lips, “will never be finished.” Serina pulled away from his attempt to kiss her. She turned and headed out the door, with a little wiggle in her step.

Lucian called after her, “Serina, why do you even need a dress? You’ll just be begging me to rip the cumbersome thing off you. I say we do the whole Garden of Eden scenario. Everyone naked.”

Serina stopped dead in her tracks and turned to him, her face a cross between shock and repulsion. She reclaimed the distance between them. “Lucian, think about that for one minute. Do you really want to see Father Butler naked?”

Lucian closed his eyes and shook his head no.

“Or better yet, your sister?”

Once more, his facial expression changed as he toyed with Serina, a mischievous smirk plastered on his lips.

“Lucian St. James! Ewh!” Serina punched his stomach. “You just want to show off your crown jewels and hope no one’s dowry comes close to matching yours.” She grabbed his chin and tugged it down to gaze into boiling-blue eyes. “I wouldn’t mind seeing if ’tis true what they say about identical cousins.” Serina’s smile reeked of roguery.

“Right then. The dress it is, but I—”

“I know, m’lord, ’tis good to want.” Serina stood on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. She spun and walked away.

“You’re walking out? Just like that? That’s wrong. You’re really leaving? Serina?” Lucian waited, his mouth wide open, his hand over his heart, watching her disappear down the hallway. He started to laugh, but stopped. When she didn’t turn around he yelled, “You owe me. I’ll have you over my lap tonight.”

She had no intentions of turning back. Over his lap sounded devilishly good.

****

After leaving All Hallows Church, the carriage rolled to a stop in front of her home, or what was left of it. Someone demolished her house. The front door lay on her lawn with all of her belongings strewn about, picked over by scavengers. Every window shattered. Her player piano sat in a heap, waiting for a spark to end its misery. All her family photos had been reduced to broken memories. Serina gingerly stepped over the broken glass from the picture frames. The photographs of two of her beloved children from the orphanage, Avery and Sydney, were shredded. Anger replaced fear, leaving her as broken as her belongings. She held up the remains of a once ornate perfume bottle, and threw it across the room in heated rage.

Upstairs, she lifted a garment from the rubble. Threads from a skirt disintegrated, and fell to the floor. Her jewelry—gone, the box empty. Her grandmother’s cameo, her only memento of her—now as absent as her grandmother. She picked up one of her favorite winter boots, now without a heel and open toed.

“Bastards!” She dropped it into a waste can. Her books—fragments of some author’s blood, sweat and tears reduced to meaningless dribble. That’s when the tears started. She could deal with almost anything being destroyed, but not her books or her flowers.
Lucian, if you can hear me, someone’s flipped me home upside down.

Raven stuck her head in the bedroom. “Serina?” Her voice held caution. “What can I do?”

“Stay out of me way for a bit.” With sure-footed steps and anger controlling her, she traipsed down the stairs and through the kitchen, headed toward her garden, petrified to see any damage to her beloved roses.

Her roses were the only things untouched. “Molly,” Serina screamed to her, “go check on your home. Check on your kitties.”

“She’s there, Serina. She left a minute ago.” Raven walked to her with her arms wide open. “Come here, Sis.”

Serina glanced at Raven through blurry eyes and flung herself into the woman’s welcome embrace. Raven tightened her grip and hugged her close.

“Is this how you live every day of your life? Fearful that someone wants you dead? That everything you’ve built your life around could be ruined in an instant for no apparent reason? My God, Raven!” Serina backed away and began to pace, talk and gesticulate. “I had a quiet life before this. No one knew me or suspected anything. I was invisible. Safe! I hadn’t used my powers for years. I hadn’t needed to or even wanted to. Everything I touched when I was younger just ended up being an experiment gone awry. I gave up on many things for safety reasons. Mine!” She plopped on the ground amidst the debris that had once been her home through a watershed of tears.

Raven sat next to her and started playing with Serina’s hair, twisting it into a braid and talking, in an effort to release her own nervous energy.

“Serina, you don’t give yourself enough credit. Lucian and I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for you. You can’t live your life invisible or trapped in that morgue. What you’ve been given is a true miracle. Can you honestly tell me you were happy before you met Lucian? Trust me, I know what you’re feeling. You feel you’ve been violated and you have, but when I tell you there are much worse evils out in the world to deal with, you must believe me. You still have your health, the love of my brother and myself, Molly, and Duncan. We will watch over you. We are your family now. The house, your clothing ’tis the least of your worries. ’Tis naught but material things, all can be replaced, but my brother cannot replace you. I know you read my mind and know what happened to me a few years ago. I lost so much with that incident. But I had my brother, André, and Duncan. And now, with you in our lives, I have hope again. I feel the love he shares with you and for the first time, I actually want to try to have a relationship with a man. Please don’t give up on him or us.” Raven took Serina’s hand and gave a gentle squeeze. “We need to go see if Molly’s all right. Do you want to walk with me or stay and have another cry?” Raven made her best pouty face trying to get Serina to attempt a smile, and it almost worked.

Serina thought Raven was just the most beautiful woman she’d ever encountered. “Raven, before you go and I start crying again, you need to know something that is rather important to your future. It slipped my mind until just a moment ago. The night in the carriage…” Serina scooted closer to Raven and gingerly placed her hands on Raven’s stomach. Serina found her mouth bone-dry and yet mist leaked from her pores. How that worked she’d never know. She knew Raven would want a child, but would this come as a complete shock? Most likely. “After I gave you a blood transfusion, I fixed your womb. The doctor that performed your surgery after your attack saved your life, but left you unable to give life back. I reversed that. You should be able to have children when you’re ready.”

The words filtered in, in slow motion one at a time.
You-can-have-children!
Raven didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, whether to believe Serina or not. For four years she’d lived with the knowledge that she would never have her own family, and now this woman was telling her she could hope again after so many years of grieving. Raven toppled Serina and rolled her onto the ground hugging and kissing her, hysterical.

Lucian approached them, and watched his two women rolling around in the grass covered in rose petals.

“What the hell did I miss?”

No response came.

“Uhm…” Lucian cleared his throat. “
HELLOOO
!
” Lucian raised his voice a bit more with still no answer. “It’s a bloody good thing I’m not a bad guy.” That got the two of them to look up.

“Lucian, I’m going to be a mother.” Raven jumped up and hugged him.

“What? Who’s the father? Ray, when? How? No, don’t answer that last one. Is it Payton? I’ll kill him with his own set of carving knives! What’s the little bastard been cooking up?” He had more questions than he could spit out of his mouth. This was the last thing he expected to hear. First he gets an urgent message from his beloved bride-to-be, then he finds them in hysterics laughing and crying over ruins and then Ray blurts out she’s to be a mother. Lucian dropped to the ground next to Serina, holding his head in his hands.

“Lucian, I didn’t mean this instant, you imbecile, I meant in the future. Serina fixed me. How? I don’t know. I just know I’m the happiest woman alive.” Raven bent over and kissed Serina on the cheek again. “I’m going to check on Molly and Duncan. Take care of her, brother.”

“Please explain what’s taken place here today.” Lucian looked at Serina, his face filled with questions.

“You and I are getting married in the morning. I went and saw Father Butler, and he’ll be there with bells on. Someone kindly gave me a housewarming present, although I must say it’s not my cup of tea.” She held up a shattered teacup by the handle showing him. Without thinking, she tossed the broken china against the back of her home and watched it disappear. Serina bent over and kissed Lucian. Just his presence made her feel safe once more. “How did you get here so soon?”

“You called, I came. Some things I can do with the speed of lightning,” he said as he ran his fingers tenderly down her arm. “Other things, my wild rose, I take meticulous time and accuracy in doing, ensuring complete and utter satisfaction.” He displayed a toothy grin then kissed his way down her arm to her hand. “What really happened, m’lady? Are you well?”

“I am as long as I’ve you by my side. I will, however, need some new clothes unless you really want me naked all the time. Lucian, take me home, now.”

Lucian stood and extended his hand. Once up, he embraced her with all his strength, afraid to let go. “I’m so sorry about your home. I’m sorry I didn’t come with you. We’ll get the place redone. New furniture, whatever you need or want.”

“I need only you.”

He kissed the top of her head and then grabbed her hand and began walking to Molly’s. Trying to lighten her mood he added, “Oh, about being naked…”

Lucian never got to finish his sentence. She elbowed his side and kept walking as if he said nothing. He, on the other hand, doubled over, the wind knocked out of him. “Ouch!”

****

Serina finally got what she’d asked for only a month or so late...the trip to the constable. There, they spent quality time trying to convince everyone listening that they were not runaways from the insane asylum. Serina resented the constable’s snide, cavalier attitude. She witnessed Lucian’s temper for the first time, actually using his stature within the royals to get the lazy man off his wide derriere and do what he was paid to do, investigate and find the villains behind the break-in. Lucian could be intimidating if he wanted to. She found that watching him in control made him even more desirable. When they returned home, she intended to show him just how desirable.