Jessie's Jewels [Submissive Sirens 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (19 page)

And as beautiful as Hartley House was, and damn but it was beautiful, Jessie felt the hole in her heart made by her beloved manor. She’d barely looked at Gabriel’s mansion after the awful, silent ride they’d shared.

True to his word, Gabriel had knocked on her door an hour exactly from the time he’d said. Jessie had been ready. She’d been perched on the edge of her destroyed bed, her suitcase packed and zipped on the floor beside her, and when Gabriel had opened the door she had swept regally by him and down the stairs, leaving him to carry the suitcase after her.

After the car had been packed with their bags, Liam had opened the passenger door for her. Neither man had looked especially surprised when Jessie opened the back door for herself, buckling herself into the back seat without a word. Liam had sighed, Gabriel had grunted, and they’d been off, Liam riding shotgun while Gabriel drove. Jessie had spent the whole ride looking at her hands.

When they’d arrived at Hartley House it was evening, and Gabriel had shown Jessie immediately to a room on the third floor. The perfection of the room was dazzling. Jessie had stopped herself just in time from gasping at the loveliness surrounding her. If she’d had the time and money, she’d have created a room just like this one for herself at the manor. Instead, she’d remained carefully blank, her still-packed suitcase an indication that she wasn’t about to make herself at home. This was temporary, and Jessie wasn’t about to allow Gabriel to forget it.

She’d barely seen Liam. That hole in her heart was positively gaping, and she knew Liam was probably in the kitchen, making use of what was no doubt a restaurant-quality facility. Snidely, Jessie remarked to herself that at least one of them was happy.

More like two of them, she amended. She’d seen very little of Gabriel since he’d come home. He’d been absent for months while he’d stayed at her manor, and she imagined that a household like his required an awful lot of management. He employed a full staff, although she’d yet to see anyone, and the property was immense. Gabriel obviously enjoyed it and was happy to be back home in the lap of luxury. It was a far cry from Jessie’s manor, which appeared positively rustic compared to the splendor surrounding her now.

Jessie was aching to explore the grounds at Hartley House, since Gabriel had mentioned in passing that he’d had the horses brought over. Jessie longed to feel the wind in her hair as Aphrodite galloped beneath her, but she didn’t care to leave her room.

And therein lay Jessie’s dilemma.

That first night, Gabriel had pulled the same stunt as he’d pulled with her so long ago at the manor. He’d informed Jessie that if she wished to eat, she’d eat in the company of himself and Liam. Prepared for it this time, Jessie had smuggled a stash of ready edibles in her suitcase, and she’d loftily declined his invitation.
Invitation! Order, more like.

Sure that his command would be obeyed, Gabriel had lifted an eyebrow and left the room silently. Jessie had gleefully imagined his chagrin as the minutes stretched into hours and she didn’t make an appearance at table. She’d dug into her stash of cookies with gusto, washing them down with soda and toasting her own cleverness. Never mind that her stomach rumbled thinking about Liam’s cooking, and never mind that she missed the camaraderie shared by the three of them during meals. She was proving a point, dammit!

The next morning, Jessie had looked at the box of cookies with more than a little distaste, but a soft knock on her door saved her from making a breakfast of biscuits. Outside her door was a tray of tea and toast, and after Jessie had taken her breakfast back into her room, she did a small jig in victory. She’d finished the tea and toast in record time, and after tucking a small note of thanks onto the tray, popped it right back into the corridor.

Jessie’s initial smugness at having outsmarted Gabriel gradually gave way to a deep-seated sense of loneliness. She’d spent day after day in her room, looking out the window and inventing escape plans. She found herself wondering more often than not what Liam and Gabriel were up to, and she realized after a couple of days that she genuinely missed their company. She was still furious with Gabriel for his high-handedness, but damn if she didn’t long to run her fingers through his long hair, kiss the seriousness from his face, and curl up in his lap with her head on his shoulder.

It was just as tough with Liam. Jessie yearned to hear his easy laugh and feel her breath catch when he smiled, and she missed the way hugging him was like being wrapped in a giant, cookie-scented ray of sunshine.

There had been no threat from any quarter since Jessie had come to Hartley House, and it had been driving her crazy wondering what was going on. For all she knew, her manor could have been burnt to the ground and she wouldn’t have a damn clue. She was dying to leave her room, but didn’t want Gabriel to take the gesture as a victory. In a very private part of her heart, she also wanted to see Hartley House. She knew Gabriel loved it, and she was curious to see the rest of it.

That’s it. Enough of this solitude.
Jessie glared defiantly at her reflection in the great mirror across the room from her. She wanted to see the mansion, and tonight seemed as good a time as any. The decision made, Jessie rose and put a black robe on over her skimpy pajamas. It was likely everyone had gone to bed, and now would be a perfect time for her to go exploring.

Jessie unlocked her door, turning the handle slowly and opening the door without a sound. She tiptoed out into the corridor, pulling the door closed behind her. Looking left and right, she decided on a whim to turn left. She had no idea where she was or where she was going, and she thought wryly that she should have brought breadcrumbs to scatter behind her so she could find her way back to her room when she was done exploring.

Gradually, Jessie became used to the setup of the mansion. It seemed that all the rooms along the long corridors had closed doors, and Jessie wasn’t brave enough to open them, not being sure what she’d find and conscious that they might be bedrooms with occupants. The real fun, Jessie realized, was to be had in all the corner rooms. Each time Jessie came to a sharp turn in a corridor, there was inevitably an open door with wonders inside.

Feeling like Bluebeard’s wife, Jessie explored libraries and galleries, sunrooms and sitting rooms. All of them were beautiful. Jessie could see Gabriel’s taste everywhere she went, and she couldn’t help but feel that the mansion needed a feminine softness to temper the decidedly masculine feel.

Jessie had to hold her hands over her mouth as she prowled through a room full of portraits, struck with the giggles as she found portraits of Gabriel and his brother, James, from the time they were children to the present day. Clearly someone, perhaps one of their parents, had been a fan of traditional English portraiture and had commissioned portraits of the boys wearing stiff suits, complete with horses and dogs in the background.

Jessie’s favorite one of Gabriel was, without question, a portrait of him when she guessed he was in his mid-teens. He stood, unsmiling and rigid, wearing a ridiculous riding suit that looked like it had been all the rage in the eighteen hundreds. He held a riding crop in his hands, and Jessie thought, although it could have been her imagination, that there was the barest ghost of a wicked smile in his eyes. Jessie wondered for the first time what Gabriel’s childhood had been like, and how long he’d known he was a Dom.

Jessie had lingered in the portrait gallery for a quarter of an hour when regretfully she’d turned away and left the room. She’d love to come back during the daylight hours when everything would be easier to see.

She made her way down a flight of stairs, entering into a giant conservatory at the bottom. Jessie’s eyes grew round as she took in the sheer number of plants the conservatory housed. Spying a long table full of orchids, Jessie was drawn closer to the exotic blooms. She was leaning forward, examining one of the gorgeous specimens, when she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Do you care for flowers then, miss?”

With a startled yelp, Jessie spun around, clutching at the table behind her for support. Her legs felt like Jell-O. She looked around for the source of the voice and finally spied a plump figure holding a watering can.

“What on earth are you doing watering flowers in the middle of the night?” Jessie’s knuckles were positively white, she’d had such a shock. “You scared me half to death!”

The plump woman chuckled. “I’m very sorry, miss. Some of the plants do better with night watering.” The woman leaned forward, tipping the spout of the watering can toward a row of diaphanous-looking, leafy plants.

Struck by something in the woman’s voice, Jessie peered more closely at her. She could swear she’d heard that voice before. Jessie cleared her throat. “Umm, I know this sounds strange...but have we met before?”

The woman set the watering can down and turned back to Jessie. “It’s been some time, miss, but I used to work for your family.”

Jessie did a double take. She remembered that voice! “Mrs. Mills! Is that you?”

The plump woman was shy, and she wrung her hands a little. “I certainly hope so, Miss Jessamy, because if not I’m in big trouble.”

Jessie crowed her delight, throwing herself at the woman and wrapping her in a tight embrace. The woman was obviously startled, but chuckled and put her arms around Jessie in return. Margaret Mills had been housekeeper to Jessie’s family until Jessie’s brother had fired her when Jessie had been fifteen. She’d made more than the other servants, and Jessie’s brother had needed her salary to pay for drugs. Jessie had been devastated when the kindly housekeeper had been let go, and she’d cried for days. The woman had been more of a mother to her than her own mother had been, and Jessie remembered crawling up onto Maggie’s ample lap when she needed to cry.

Maggie sniffled, and Jessie felt her own eyes burn with unshed tears. They stood like that, clutching one another, until Jessie drew back and held the servant at arm’s length.

“Maggie, what are you doing here? At Hartley House?” Jessie could feel Maggie smile, even in the semidarkness.

“His Grace hired me the day I was let go from your family’s service.” Maggie puffed up with pride. “I’m housekeeper here now, and have been since I left you.” Maggie reached out a beautiful, wrinkled hand and stroked Jessie’s cheek. “His Grace always told me how you were doing. I’ve missed you a great deal, Miss Jessamy.”

Jessie didn’t know what to think. “Gabriel hired you? The day my ass of a brother saw fit to cut you off?”

Maggie’s tone grew disapproving. “Now, miss, your brother may not have been the best of men, but—”

“Enough, Maggie. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck...my brother was an unmitigated ass.”

“As you wish, miss.” Maggie’s voice shook with her effort not to laugh.

“But...Gabriel hired you?”

“Yes, Miss Jessamy. And for the next several years, it was like a big reunion!”

Jessie was confused. “A reunion? Whatever do you mean?”

Maggie reached out and took Jessie’s hands in her own. “Every time a servant was let go from your estate, Gabriel hired them into his. Man, woman, inside or outside staff, it didn’t matter. That man made homes for all of us here. And now that Liam’s here, too, and so are you, the reunion is complete.” Maggie beamed at Jessie, who stood with her mouth gaping open.

“He...hired everyone?”

“Yes, miss.” Maggie squeezed Jessie’s hands. “Now do come down for breakfast in the morning. We’ve all been dying to see you, but His Grace said to give you your space, that you’d visit with us when you were ready.” Maggie’s eyes dropped a little and lost some of their sparkle. “We thought maybe you didn’t want to see us. That we were part of a life you didn’t want to live anymore.”

Jessie’s attention snapped to Maggie’s face, and she cupped the beloved plump cheeks in her hands. “You were the best part of that life. The only part that made it bearable. Of course I’ll be down for breakfast, and you can tell everyone you see between now and then that I’m delighted to have found you all!”

Maggie mumbled happily to herself and gathered her watering can into her arms, reaching out to squeeze Jessie’s hand one more time. “Good night, Miss Jessamy.”

Jessamy bid Maggie a warm good night, walking with her to the doorway. Just before Maggie was out of sight down a corridor, she stilled for a moment, cocking her head to one side. She turned back to Jessie and called out to her.

“Miss Jessamy, should you be looking for His Grace, I believe you’ll find him in the music room. Just follow the sound.” And with that, Maggie vanished down the dim corridor.

Jessie was reeling. Gabriel had hired her whole household staff. Every one of them, every single one of those beloved people had been living next door for years, and Gabriel had never told her. She’d agonized about what had become of them, crying that they’d been scattered all over England and that she’d never see them again, and here they all were right under her nose. And the damned duke hadn’t breathed a damned word.
Damn
.

Jessie abandoned her dark thoughts, aware of the tinkling sound of a piano reaching her through the dim mansion. She recalled what Maggie had said about Gabriel being in the music room, and she trained her ears on the sound of the piano, working to trace it back to its source. If Gabriel was there, she had a bone to pick with him.

Jessie ghosted through the dark halls of Hartley House, her feet barely making a sound as she followed the sound of the piano. She eventually made her way to another corner of the mansion before pausing outside a doorway from which soft yellow light poured into the corridor. The music was definitely coming from that room, and Jessie steeled herself for the battle she knew she was about to have with Gabriel. With any luck he’d be so tired of fighting with her he’d let her go home. Jessie drew herself up to her full height, a feat that didn’t impress even her, and raised her chin an inch. She swept into the music room, prepared to give His Grace hell, and stopped dead in her tracks.