Saved By A Siren: Spencers in Love Book One (3 page)

Chapter 3

            Dressed for dinner and determined to keep the
upper hand, Gilles waited at the bottom of the stairs in the foyer. He didn't
have to wait very long before Lady Cambroke appeared.
Her bedchamber was in
the same hall as his
? Once again, his mind veered towards more carnal
thoughts. He tried to shake his wits back into place but found it difficult as
she made her way down the stairs. Dressed in deep blue silk with gold
embroidery that traced her décolletage and wrapped around her slender waist, if
it weren't for her bare feet, she could have fit in at any society event in
London. Her left hand glided along the banister and her right snapped softly.
She moved so easily, so gracefully it was easy to forget she was blind.  

            "You do remarkably well without any
help."

            "Thank you. I've had years to learn the
number of stairs and steps between the various rooms I use. I'd be quite lost
in one of the other wings or if I needed to get to the kitchen."

            "Fascinating." Gilles remarked as he
took her hand to place it on his sleeve. At the contact she jumped. "I'm
sorry. Did I hurt you?" He held his breath, afraid that he had.

            "No!" Lady Cambroke replied
breathlessly as she tentatively placed her hand on his arm. "I wasn't
expecting it, is all."

            Her hand fluttered against the dark grey fabric of
his coat. It was the first time she appeared unsteady since his arrival.

            "How long have you lived here?" Gilles
asked as he steered her towards the dining room.

            "Seventeen years."

            Gilles stopped, holding her hand firmly on his
arm to keep her next to him.

            "How old are you, my lady?"

            "One and twenty. You, my lord?"
Attempting to keep her voice even and to move the conversation in a different
direction.

            "Two and thirty but it doesn't signify. So,
you came to Longwood when you were four? When did you marry DeVere?" His
stomach began to tighten and his head began to pound. He knew he wouldn't like
the answer he was about to receive.

            "Four years ago. Shortly after Martha
died." Lady Cambroke tugged on his arm and they began moving towards the
dining room again. "Did you know Basil?"

            "I thought I did..." Gilles began.
"He used to call upon me in town before I left for France. We'd share a
few drinks at our club or he'd dine with me at Spencer House. I assumed it was
because he had so few relatives in town but in hindsight, it seems he was
keeping an eye on his heirs. He always talked warmly about Martha, I thought it
was a love match. I find it hard to believe he'd quickly take such a young
bride. Especially one that must have been like a daughter to him." At the
thought, he tasted bile in the back of his throat. He guided Lady Cambroke to
her seat and carefully scooted it forward. He took the seat at the head of the
table, just to her right. How could he have been so wrong about Basil DeVere?

            "Basil and Martha were a love match. Her
death nearly destroyed him." She paused as she placed her napkin in her
lap. "Martha was my great aunt and rescued me from what would have been a
terrible life. No one wanted me after my father died. He'd been a poor baronet
and I had no means to provide for myself. My cousin inherited our home and made
it clear that I would only be a burden and couldn't stay."

            Lady Cambroke paused again as Holderson poured
the wine and the first course was set down. Gilles looked down and saw that his
knuckles were white around the silverware he held. "Basil said that there
had been no question when they heard of my situation. They sent for me
immediately. They were never blessed with children and wanted me despite my
blindness. From the moment I arrived, they doted on me and began altering the
house around my needs."

            As Holderson supervised the next course, Gilles
noticed his eyes were damp and his lip trembled slightly. He'd been here when
Lady Cambroke arrived and probably recalled the scared little girl she had
been.

            "I'm glad that you had them and no doubt
you brought them great joy. Which makes it even more disturbing that Basil
would have married you. One only has to look about to see that he loved you as
if you had been his own child."

            "It was Martha's idea." She said
softly.

            Gilles' head snapped up in surprise.
"Martha?"

            She nodded and swallowed as she waited for her
emotions to settle.

            "It was for my protection. She was worried
about what would become of me when they were gone. She didn't want me to be
turned out again once a new earl arrived. Basil and I were opposed but she was
determined. He thought that settling an allowance and leaving Harwood Grange to
me would ease her mind but the more ill she became, the more she pushed.
Eventually, the idea took hold of Basil, if I was countess and a widow, I'd be
allowed more independence and have more power. They couldn't prevent me from
being alone but I wouldn't be vulnerable like before."

            Gilles, closed his eyes as the tension left him.
Basil hadn't taken advantage of a young woman in his care. "Then I'm glad
you accepted. I didn't know the gentleman that was supposed to inherit before
me but I wouldn't want your security to be dependent upon his whim."

            "George Whittcomb committed suicide before
Martha passed away. It was you they were unsure of."

            That stung. He thought he'd made a good
impression on his predecessor. "What happened with Whittcomb?"

            Lady Cambroke's face became adorably pink and
Gilles rolled his eyes at his defining a shade of pink as adorable. She cleared
her throat and worried her lower lip. "Well... it seems that he was quite
in love. And. Well... He was quite in love with a... with..."

            Gilles waved his hand in a circular motion,
willing her to just say whatever it was that she was struggling to say. "A
barmaid? A midwife? Another man's wife? A fishwife?" He offered, hoping to
move the story along.

            "A captain." She said a bit too loudly
and clapped her hand over her mouth.

            "I see... And he killed himself because the
relationship had been exposed?"

            Lady Cambroke shook her head, her expression
turned solemn.

            "His captain died in battle. He was so
distraught when he learned of it, he locked himself in his rooms and shot
himself. Because of the nature of his grief and the fact that he had killed
himself, it was all kept as quiet as possible."

            "You know, I'd never wanted it."
Gilles whispered. He wasn't sure why he needed her to know but he leaned
towards her. "I'd learned that I was second in line while I was in school.
From the very beginning I'd assumed it would never come to me and I never
wanted it. I certainly didn't need it. I've never wanted for anything and the
mamas were relentless enough without it."

            "The mamas?" A smile threatened.

            "The matchmakers. The ones with daughters
to marry off. They always looked at me as if I were a piece of ham or a cake,
but lewdly. They mentally undressed me and pictured my bank accounts. This
inheritance only makes my life more complicated."

            For a moment, Lady Cambroke's mouth hung open.
Then, closed. Then, opened again. It closed for almost a minute before she
giggled. She giggled. At him. If the sound hadn't been so charming and the
nature of his complaints so trivial, Gilles might have taken offense.

            "Come now, my lord! Surely you're aware
that there are worse fates than to be handsome, wealthy and burdened by a
title."

            Gilles sighed and raked his hand through his
hair.

            "I do know. But I would like to have
settled into my old complicated life before having the added attention of my
new complicated life."

            "I'm sorry. I imagine it's been a lot to
adjust to after being away for so long." She set down her fork and began
rolling the napkin in her lap between her fingers.

            Gilles found this quite interesting. And
telling. She had a question but was unsure if she should ask it. Was she afraid
of offending him, or afraid of the answer?

            "Lady Cambroke?" He asked gently.

            She took a deep breath, drew herself up and
looked in his direction. Despite her attempt at bravery, Gilles saw her
tremble. He wanted to take her hand in his. Or pull her into his arms and
reassure her. Suddenly, he was slightly afraid. How could he be so effected
after just one day in her presence?

            "Lord Cambroke." She stated. Almost as
if she was reminding herself that he was Cambroke now. "Have you given any
thought to what you would like to do with me?"

            It was Gilles turn to stare with his mouth
opening and closing like a landed fish. Of course he'd thought about what he'd
like to do with Lady Cambroke. He'd thought of little else since they'd met.
Why in God's name was she asking him directly, over dinner?

            "I... I beg your pardon?"

            "Do you wish me to move to Harwood Grange
immediately? Or, if you don't plan to remain in residence here at Longwood,
might I remain until you do?"

            Gilles grabbed the chair's arms to keep from
sliding out of his seat. He was both relieved and disappointed that she hadn't
been aware of the direction of his thoughts. He shook his head to try and
regain his mental balance.

            "If I'm honest, I'm not sure what I plan to
do. I know that I don't want you to leave Longwood. This is your home."

            "My lord, this is your home. You're the
earl now. I'm your guest." Lady Cambroke's voice shook and he felt his gut
clench at her distress.

            This time Gilles did reach for her hand. She
jumped again but didn't pull away. It struck him that she wasn't used to being
touched. It must have been a lonely existence for her at Longwood, even with
Martha and Basil alive.

            "This is your home, my lady. It may come to
be mine too but it will always be yours as well. I will never ask you to
leave."

            Lady Cambroke's eyes glittered with tears and
the muscles in her throat strained. For several moments all she could do was
nod and squeeze Gilles' hand in response.

            "Do you think you could do something for me
in return?" He asked as his finger brushed along her chin, catching the
lone tear that had rolled down her cheek. She held her face towards his in
expectation.

            "Would you stop my lording me and just call
me Gilles? It feels ridiculously formal given how much we've learned of each
other today. And it appears that we share a home."

            Lady Cambroke laughed and shook her head.

            "I can't. That's far too intimate. Though
you should call me Lady Elise." Her hand shot up and wiped away another
tear. "How do your friends refer to you?"

            Gilles tempered his disappointment. It was a
step in the right direction.

            "I'm called Spencer."

            "Then that is what I shall call you."

            "For now."

            Lady Elise had no time to question that as the
final plates had been removed and he stood. Gilles quickly came behind her and
helped her from her chair.

            "Won't you take port, Spencer?"

            Gilles liked hearing the more familiar name from
her lips. He smiled as he guided her from the dining room. He nodded towards
Holderson.

            "I don't enjoy port. But I'd like to join
you in your sitting room for tea. And perhaps brandy?" The question had
been directed at the butler.

            "Very good, my lord." The older man
beamed as he bowed and then hurried off to fulfill his new master's wishes.
Clearly, he'd heard Gilles' declaration and was pleased. And no doubt in a
hurry to share the good news. As they made their way through the ballroom and
it's odd selection of sculptures, Gilles reflected upon the wisdom of keeping
Elise (he could no longer be so formal in his thoughts. Not when they were
already quite intimate in his imagination) at Longwood. Aside from the pleasure
of her company and knowing that he wasn't acting the villain and displacing her
from her home, he was quite pleased with the staff and wouldn't have enjoyed
replacing the entire household if they had left en masse.

            Once in her domain, Elise drifted away from
Gilles to her piano and he returned to the seat to the left of hers. She began
to play and with the first few notes, he was spellbound. It was clear that the
piano was an extension of her and served as a conduit for her thoughts and
feelings. She played a delicate yet joyful piece as she waited for the tea tray
to arrive. He knew Holderson was approaching when she rose and floated away
from the piano, her fingers snapping softly as she made her way to her chair.

            Once the tea and brandy had been served, Elise
kept Gilles talking about his childhood and family. She seemed more relaxed to
have put their discussion about her past, her unusual marriage and the
unfortunate fate of DeVere's previous heir behind them. Though he had more
questions, Gilles was happy to humor her and keep the mood light. As the hour
drew late, he found that he'd smiled more in the course of the evening than he
had since he'd returned to England. He felt more relaxed than he had in years.
Not since before he took up his career with the War Office had he felt such
calm.

            Gilles pondered the evening as he climbed the
stairs, making his way to his bedchamber, and concluded that it was the
combined effects of the woman next to him and Longwood itself. They'd both
agreed that the day had been long and had set off together. He tried not to
respond to the familiarity and intimacy implied in their retiring at the same
time and in very similar directions. Gilles began to feel oddly nervous when
Elise continued along side him past three bedrooms, further into the wing
containing his chambers. His muscles tensed and his breeches became tighter
when he stopped at his door and she slowed.