The Desires of a Countess (5 page)

“
Ginny says you’re in
shipping.” Harriet tossed a glance toward their hostess, who was
twisting her napkin with a strange expression on her face as she
watched the two of them talk.

“
Yes. I began eight years
ago and bought my first ship about five years ago. That ship has
turned into a fleet. Webber Shipping.”

He couldn’t help but smile. He’d
turned the ghost of his father into an industry. An industry that
had bought his mother some of her respectability back. Some, but
not enough.

“
You must be busy in London,
then.” Ginny glanced at him, but broke the stare just as quickly.
“You must want to go back there.”

He covered his smile. She hadn’t added
soon, but the word hung unspoken in the air. Did she know how
obvious she was? How desperate to get rid of him she sounded? That
fact only challenged him to stay, no matter how much he longed to
get back to
The Keeper
and
the sea.

He locked eyes with her when she dared
to look at him again. “Actually, my lady, I don’t work in London. I
have a few trustworthy men who manage the affairs of the business
from there, but I’m not comfortable in an office with a cravat
choking me.” He smiled as she cast her eyes to the knot that
squeezed his throat at the moment. “I take a more hands-on approach
to my business by captaining my own ship.”

Harriet’s green eyes grew wide.
“Really? That’s fascinating, Mr. Webber. You must have seen so much
of the world!”

“
Yes, most of it. From the
colonies to the Indies to places where the snow doesn’t melt all
year long.” He grinned. Seeing places most other men didn’t even
dream of was one of his favorite things about his life.

“
You must ache to return to
your ship then.” Ginny’s brittle voice brought his attention back
to her. She had knotted her napkin entirely and her knuckles were
white as she clenched a fist.

Why in the world was she so
upset?

“
Actually, I’m pleased to
have some time on land,” he lied. “I’ve missed the countryside and
look forward to renewing my interest in its activities. Like Pall
Mall. Do you play, Mrs. Percy?”

Ginny made a soft sound at the back of
her throat as Harriet nodded. “Ye-yes, I do play.”

“
Are you trying to tell us
that you enjoy Pall Mall?” Ginny repeated. “It doesn’t exactly seem
like your kind of game.”

He arched a teasing eyebrow her way.
“Well, we’ve just met, my lady. Perhaps I’ll surprise you.” He
leaned closer and enjoyed the way her eyes dilated. “In fact, I
guarantee it.”

At the end of the table, Ginny
muttered something unintelligible, which he ignored. Somehow
stymieing her was almost as enjoyable as that brief touch they’d
shared. Almost.

“
At any rate, that game
requires four,” Harriet said. “Who would be the fourth
player?”

“
My man, Adam is quite good
with a mallet,” Simon supplied. Yes, a game with these two women
could be quite interesting. He already knew which one of them he’d
choose as his partner. “Although he acts as my valet on journeys
such as this one, he’s normally my first mate.”

Ginny gave him a quick glance. “So you
really don’t have
any
servants with you?”

“
Is that important?” he
asked.

Somehow her question pricked.
The
ton
put so much emphasis
on things like servants and money and status. If she were implying
his lack of staff made him less of a person, she’d soon learn
differently. No one helped him with his boots when the sea rocked
beneath him, why would he need help when the ground was
solid?

Her eyes narrowed. “No, nothing about
you is important to me. I was simply making polite
conversation.”

“
Ginny!” Harriet’s eyes
widened at the sudden poison in her friend’s tongue.

For a long moment an uncomfortable
silence filled the room. Ginny glared at Simon, Simon glared back
with growing annoyance at her prickly attitude, and Harriet stared
at her friend as if she’d sprouted a second head.

Finally, Simon looked away. He refused
to rise to Ginny’s bait, no matter how much he wanted to. “How old
is your Jack now?”

Ginny stared at him for a moment
longer, then said, “He turned two in January. Right before his
father’s death.”

He couldn’t help but notice just how
empty her voice sounded. It was yet another reminder that he knew
very little about the confusing circumstances of this woman’s
marriage and her mourning.

“
I’d like to meet him. I
hope you’ll allow that,” he said, taking a bite of his food while
he watched for her reaction.

She paled a fraction, and it was plain
that his request upset her. There was a primal protection in her
eyes that would have put a she-wolf to shame. “I’m not
sure-”

He narrowed his gaze. “And why
not?”

She struggled for an answer, but the
look in her eyes didn’t change. He could see she wanted to say she
so much, but couldn’t. Not without revealing whatever it was she
concealed so desperately.

Finally, Harriet supplied the answer
her friend couldn’t give. “Little Jack lost his father such a short
time ago. I think Ginny is nervous about bringing any new
influences into his life, isn’t that right?”

Relief washed over Ginny’s face at her
friend’s explanation. “Yes.”

Simon smiled. The fact that Ginny had
a loyal friend in Harriet was a good sign. If she inspired
protectiveness, then she had to show warmth, even vulnerability.
Even if she never demonstrated those qualities to him, it somehow
relieved him to know she had them. Still, his charge was to take
care of Jack, as well as Jack’s money. He didn’t intend to let
these two women put him off that responsibility.

“
That is an
understandable worry, my lady. But your son will need a male
influence in his life. Thanks to the trusteeship, that privilege
has fallen to me. Of course, I’ll be mindful of his young age and
recent loss, but I
will
meet
him before I leave here.”

Ginny opened her mouth to speak, and
from the flash in her eyes he could tell he was about to get an
argument that would likely blister his ears. But before she could
utter a single syllable, Harriet rose to her feet.

“
Ginny, looking at the
weather, I think it would be best if I departed before dessert.
Will you escort me to the door?” She gave her friend a hard look,
one that drew Ginny’s eyes away from him. The two women locked
gazes and Ginny nodded slowly.

“
Yes, very well.”

Simon rose to his feet to bow to
Harriet. “It was a great pleasure meeting you, Mrs.
Percy.”

“
Yes.” Harriet smiled
genuinely at him. “I understand a great deal more than I did before
we met. I hope to face you on the playing field soon, Mr.
Webber.”

“
Yes, I look forward to
that, as well. Good evening.”

Ginny tossed him a withering glance as
she swept from the room. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Simon smiled. That statement sounded
like a threat.

“
I look forward to it, my
lady.”

As he watched her disappear down the
hall, he realized just how true his words were. Despite his
confusion, he was waiting with bated breath for the moment she
returned to the room.

***

“Be careful, Ginny. If you want to make him go away
without a fight, you mustn’t antagonize the man so!” Harriet
whispered as they approached the foyer.

Ginny paused to glare at her friend as
those unnamed emotions bubbled up in her again. “And what about
you? Did you have to keep taking his arm, looking at him like you
found him attractive?”

Harriet’s mouth fell open in shock.
“What?”

“
You were flirting with
him,” she said in a harsh whisper.

“
I did no such thing!”
Now her friend’s low voice was full of outrage. “I was simply being
friendly to try and make up for your shocking lack of manners.
Don’t forget, my friend, it wasn’t I who was touching his hand with
my bare skin and leaning into him like I craved his touch. That
was
you
when I came into the
Green room tonight.”

“
I-I-” Hot blood rushed to
Ginny’s cheeks at the reminder of her earlier weakness.

Harriet’s eyes grew wide as if she’d
happened upon some delicious discovery. “You’re
jealous!”

The heat in Ginny’s cheeks doubled.
“No, I’m not. I can’t stand Simon Webber.”

Her friend shook her head slowly. “I
think not. He frightens you, but I can tell by the way you watch
him that there’s more to it than you want anyone, especially him,
to know.”

When Ginny stared at her in stony
silence, Harriet shrugged one shoulder. “You can face your own
emotions or deny them. But try your best not to make him an enemy.
That isn’t the way to get rid of this man, of all men. If you
challenge him, he’ll meet the challenge, not back off as you want
him to.”

The hardness in Ginny’s glare slipped
away at the rationality of her friend’s advice. Despite her earlier
jealousy, and in the recesses of her heart she could admit it was
jealousy, she knew without a doubt that Harriet’s motives were only
to protect her.

She gave a slow nod. “I’ll do my best
to be friendly. But it’s very hard when he’s making pronouncements
about what he will do and not do with my son.”

“
Under the circumstances, I
didn’t think his request was all that outrageous, but Jack isn’t my
baby.” Harriet’s face clouded with sudden sadness. “Perhaps I’d
feel differently if…”

Ginny frowned as her own troubles fell
away. Harriet hadn’t been able to conceive a child with her late
husband. In her own selfishness, Ginny had almost forgotten all
that pain. She gave her friend a tight hug and a kiss on the
cheek.

“
I’ll be good as an
angel,” she promised as they broke their embrace. “And
you
be happy. You’ve saved me from
myself once again. This is a habit that I appreciate more than
you’ll ever know.”

Harriet’s bright smile as she slipped
out the door was Ginny’s reward. She watched the carriage take her
friend away in the sprinkling rain, then turned back to face the
dining room with trepidation fluttering in her chest. Now she would
be alone with Simon. Just like she had been earlier when she’d been
possessed by the strange, powerful urge to feel his
touch.

She shook away the thought and
straightened her shoulders. She
would
maintain control. Control was all she had
left.

Simon glanced up as Ginny returned
to the room. The tight smile that tugged her lips did nothing to
hide the distress in her eyes. Though he hadn’t been able to
understand everything she and Harriet had said to each other in the
foyer, he’d gathered that they were in disagreement over something.
Well, not over
something
. Over him.

He didn’t know whether to be amused or
guilty.

“
Mrs. Percy is off home?” he
asked as he rose from his chair.

Ginny paused with a sidelong glance
for him, then returned to her seat. “Ye-yes. The
weather.”

“
Hmmm.” He cocked his head
to catch her eye without success. “You seem
disappointed.”

Finally, her gaze came up to meet his.
Panic filled her eyes, and he almost felt sorry for her. Obviously
it was hard for her to keep track of and explain all her lies. He
only wished he understood why she felt compelled to tell
them.

“
I’ll miss her company. No
hostess likes to see a guest leave early,” she said
softly.

“
Is being alone with me so
very terrible?”

Her reaction was exactly what he’d
hoped for. She blushed a deep pink and picked up her balled napkin
to begin twisting it slowly again. He realized, and not for the
first time, that he liked her flush, for it meant the loss of the
icy exterior that she controlled so very well.

He didn’t force her answer, but
instead held out an arm to her. Her eyes followed his movement and
sent as much heat through him as her earlier touch had.

“
Will we have a drink, or do
you want me to leave, as well?”

Her eyes widened and her inner
struggle was apparent by the tortured look on her face. And he
hated it. Flustering her was one thing, truly upsetting her was
another entirely. He hated that she viewed him as her enemy. He
wanted to know why, but he couldn’t ask her outright. If their
first encounter that morning were any indication, she would only
twist his questions until they were both so frustrated he’d
be
forced
to
leave.

Something he wasn’t ready to do just
yet.

Finally, she slipped quietly from her
seat and swallowed hard. “Of course we’ll have drinks. I wouldn’t
be a proper hostess if I didn’t offer you after-supper
refreshment.”