The Gypsy Legacy: Marquis Page 10

  “I don’t know what Papa and Aaron thought they were doing, hiring Mr. Milton,” she commented now. “I haven’t been able to find that he did anything at all.”

  “My guess is they were doing nothing at all.”

  Tina was surprised at the criticism in his voice.

  “I’m sure they didn’t think Mr. Milton would do nothing at all.”

  “I would wager neither of them cared.”

  Tina stared at him for a moment, noting the lines around his mouth. His features hardened as he spoke, settling into grim determination.

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” he countered. “I know what my father and brother were capable of.” He began flipping through the last few pages of the ledger, then took up one of the sheets she had written figures on and began comparing the entries. “Neither of them cared for anyone other than themselves. I’m not surprised Milton was able to wile his way into their good graces.”

  Tina couldn’t conceal her shock at his assessment. She might believe that of Aaron, but not her stepfather.

  “How do you know?” she asked far more sharply than she intended.

  He looked up from the ledger. “What?”

  “How can you say that about your father?”

  “Quite easily, actually.”

  “It’s not true!”

  Jay stared at her as if she’d lost her mind.

  “And how would you know?”

  “Because Papa cared about everyone at Thane Park—and Collingswood, too. He would have never kept Milton on if he knew he would be so neglectful.”

  She saw the patronizing amusement lurking in the ebony depths and felt her hackles begin to rise. How dare he think she didn’t know what she was talking about!

  “You heard Felicia say she heard Papa tell him that he was to leave. Why would Papa do so if he didn’t care?”

  Jay shrugged. “Probably because he didn’t like harboring a thief. Even people who don’t care, care when it’s their fortune being wasted—or stolen.”

  Her carefully cultivated calm saved her from saying something she might have regretted later. Tamping down her rising indignation for the moment, she forced herself to pick up one of the sheets, take a deep breath, then launch into an explanation of what she had done in the last two weeks.

  Jay said nothing further on the subject of his father and brother, accepting the change of topic, and allowing her to guide them onto neutral ground.

  It was a productive, yet unsettling, morning. Tina felt as if her nerves were on edge. Even her resentment at his attitude toward his father did not stop her from being aware of him. His mere presence disturbed her. Her thoughts strayed, concentration was non-existent at times, and she had the uneasy feeling she was being tested.

  There was nothing overt in his manner, nothing untoward in his questions, nothing wrong in the information he asked for, or the tenants he asked about, but the thought, once introduced in her head, would not go away.

  Despite her uneasiness, Tina was elated. Her stepfather had taught her and Jon how to manage an estate—Jon, because he said it was something he would eventually need to know, and she because she always tagged along after Jon (at least that was the story he told her mother). He had prepared her well for what she’d tackled in the last two weeks, and she was justifiably proud of what she’d accomplished. Jay seemed surprised, and pleased, at her knowledge, which buoyed her spirits even more.

  She didn’t stop to analyze her feelings too closely. The excitement she felt heightened her awareness of Jay in ways she never considered and the awareness was magnified with every brush of a hand as they studied the figures she had come up with. The note of approval in his voice over her decisions as she explained what was needed, what she accomplished and authorized, and what decisions she left for him to make left her content in a way she had never felt before. Her contentment was underscored by the ease with which they interacted and worked, and the knowledge that for both of them the land, the people, its culture and traditions, were important enough to devote the time and energy to ensuring they stayed intact.

  *

  Jay was flabbergasted. When he had given Tina the authority to begin to put the house and estate to rights, he expected she would take the servants in hand and hire more if needed, perhaps inventory the linens or order the cleaning of some of the unused rooms in the house. He had not expected her to begin a complete accounting of the estate and its needs. He had returned from London expecting to begin the task himself—only to find she had already determined and outlined what needed to be done.

  He watched her now as she explained why the home farm should be planting one of the fields with wheat instead of barley, then justified her recommendation that one of the fields be left to lie fallow. The pale blue dress she wore set off her dark hair and intensified the blue in her eyes. Long, tapered fingers pointed out figures and numbers. She was small and delicate, raising the protective instincts within and he wondered again at Aaron’s stupidity in getting himself killed in a duel.

  The door to the study opened as they were deciding what to do with the last two cottages on Tina’s list.

  Felicia stood on the threshold, eyeing them suspiciously. “Still working?” she asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

  “We are almost finished, I think,” Tina replied without looking up.

  “What have you been doing all morning? You’ve been in here for hours!”

  Tina, who had her back to the door, turned as she spoke, her voice sharper than usual, “Felicia, it takes time to…oh, hello, Liza, Jim.”

  “We have been waiting for you for a while,” Felicia spoke as the brown-haired imp at her side ran to Tina, arms extended.

  Jay watched in fascination as Tina picked up the grubby little girl, who gave her a hug and a wet, noisy kiss on the cheek, then settled comfortably in Tina’s lap. He knew of no lady who would have allowed the little girl near enough to touch her, much less have picked her up to sit in her lap.

  “We have been waiting,” Felicia repeated, “but since it is so close to luncheon, I decided to interrupt before they went home. Liza has been asking for you.”

  Tina looked down at the little girl, who was staring through wide gray eyes at Jay. “What have you and Jim been doing all morning?” she asked her.

  “Play,” was the tot’s retort, but she never took her eyes off Jay.

  “And what did you play?”

  “Horsies.”

  Felicia came further into the room, accompanied by a boy of about six. Small and sturdy, he had the same brown hair and gray eyes as Liza. He, too, watched Jay with curious eyes.

  “Jim,” Felicia said to him, “make your bow to his lordship.”

  Dutifully, the little boy made a small bow, then straightened as Jay stood and walked to his side. Dropping down to eye level with the little boy, Jay said to him, “It’s very nice to meet you, Jim.”

  Before Jim could answer, Liza scooted off Tina’s lap and came and stood by her brother. “Me, too?” she demanded.

  “And, you, too,” Jay agreed, casting a smile which encompassed both children. Liza smiled back, but Jim did not respond.

  “Very good,” Felicia told them, “now come along or your mama will be leaving without you.”

  The two children skirted around Jay to give Tina quick hugs, then departed in Felicia’s wake. Jay straightened, but did not return to his seat behind the desk. “I suppose this might be a good time to stop,” he commented.

  Tina stood with a smile. “Felicia doesn’t know the meaning of subtle,” she responded. “Cook’s daughter, Daisy, always brings the littlest ones with her when she comes to help in the mornings. Felicia and I have been entertaining them since Liza was an infant. Before you arrived, she would drop them at the dower house before arriving here. Felicia has been doing most of the entertaining these last two weeks.”

  “Then I must apologize for keeping you from them.”

  Tina sh
rugged. “There is no need. There were things that needed doing.” She turned to look up at him.

  In the space of a heartbeat, Jay was back on a tropical island. He could feel the warmth of the sun, hear the water tumbling over the cliff into the clear pool below, smell the scents of the jungle around him, and feel the softness of the breeze on his face. Her eyes took him to another world. A world of sunwashed, white sand beaches, eternally blue skies, lush tropical jungles, rippling brooks, and clear still pools. Pools so clear, yet so deep that the blues and greens reflected on the surface darkened to black in the center. The perfect pool for cliff diving, where a man could drown in the center if he wasn’t careful.

  For a few breathless moments, Jay was one of those cliff divers, drowning in the depths of a bottomless pool. He forgot to breathe, the blood pounded in his ears, his muscles tightened, and from somewhere he heard a single drumbeat. The pool shifted, moved, then suddenly he was back in the study, and Tina was turning away. He had to stop himself from reaching for her and pulling her back.

  “There is the luncheon gong,” she said briskly. “We’d better go, or Felicia will start without us.” She was at the door before he moved.

  “Oh, yes. I’m sorry, I was thinking of…er…something else.”

  She smiled, but did not respond as he strode toward her. They left the study and made their way to the dining room in silence.

  *

  What just happened? Tina wasn’t sure, but something had. That moment in the study when Jay looked down at her had shaken her. For a moment his eyes had become distant, yet focused on hers, and she was able to see herself clearly reflected in the polished ebony of his. A rush of warmth sped through her body, nearly causing her to lose her balance. Yet, she had been unable to tear her eyes away from the mesmerizing effect of his gaze. Her breath caught and she had nearly acted upon a sudden, impulsive need to touch him—to run her hands over the hard muscled planes of his chest, and up over his shoulders to thread her fingers through the chestnut silk covering his head. What was wrong with her? She barely knew him!

  The luncheon gong had startled her from her thoughts, yet, the craving still remained and she curled her hands into fists to prevent herself from making a rash move as they walked down the hall.

  After lunch Felicia suggested that the three of them ride over the estate to reintroduce Jay to the tenants. Jay readily agreed and Tina fell in with the plans. She knew that Felicia was feeling left out as she and Jay attempted to piece together the mess left in the wake of Roderick Milton. She also understood that Felicia was trying to protect her as well.

  Tina was aware that the incidents with the Barnes and the Staples, coupled with all the rumors, had made many of the tenants wary of her. With that history, she and Felicia never knew how the cottagers would react to her presence. Felicia had befriended some of those who refused help from her sister, so Tina felt comfortable that they’d kept track of most of the families. Even with their concerted effort, however, there were still a few families Tina knew little about, and some she had lost track of completely.

  The afternoon was bittersweet. She had not ridden in a very long time, keeping to the dower house in an effort not to cause anyone else harm and to stay out of Mr. Milton’s path. She instinctively knew that she, more than Felicia, had been the specific target of his mischief-making.

  She and Felicia regaled Jay with stories of their childhood. She told him of the times his father and taken her and Jon on jaunts about the estate. Of the stories he told them, of the people they met.

  She still sensed Jay’s earlier cynicism concerning his father, his disbelief that his father had been anything other than an unfeeling monster. And she, unconsciously, tried harder to change his mind by relating incidents which demonstrated his father’s gentler side.

  *

  “And then there was the time Papa took Jon fishing. I was supposed to be upstairs napping, but I slipped away from Nurse and followed. He didn’t realize I was there until Jon made him stop and wait for me.” Tina smiled sadly. “He should have sent me back,” she admitted, “but he didn’t. He just put me on his shoulders and took me along. By the time we returned, Mama was furious.”

  “Why?” Jay couldn’t help himself. Very few of their anecdotes sounded like the father he left behind. In fact, he had to remind himself more than once that they were talking about his father. The same man who could not be bothered to listen to his youngest son explain a situation. The same man who insisted boys had to be tough and shouldn’t be molly-coddled. The same man who had driven his youngest son away from home because he refused to see any deficiencies in his oldest son.

  She grinned up at him. “First, because she thought he should have sent me back with the footman he sent to let her know where I was. And, second, because Papa and I were soaking wet. I fell into the river and Papa had to fish me out. Papa said I was fine and she wasn’t to worry. Of course I wasn’t,” she laughed. “I caught a chill and had to stay in bed for a fortnight. I would have been miserable but Papa came to check on me every day and read me stories.”

  Felicia giggled and he turned to look at her. “Mama told me Papa even smuggled you out of the house one morning so you could go visit your pony.”

  Tina’s laughter filled the small glade they were passing through, the melodious sound falling softly on his ears. “He did, but it was supposed to be a secret.”

  Jay tried to reason away the differences in his father. Tina and Jon had only been his stepchildren. Tina was a girl—and, therefore, not to be held to the same rigid standards set for his boys. Jon was not his heir, so could be given some latitude. Felicia was not only the youngest, but also a girl to be indulged and spoiled. Unfortunately, none of them rang true. Perhaps he had softened as he had aged.

  He had trouble believing that as well. The man he once knew had grown harder with age. He, too, remembered a father who had taken his boys fishing when they were seven and nine. But, he also remembered a father who, when his sons went off to school at ten, seemed to forget their existence. In fact, once Aaron had been sent off to school, he seemed to have forgotten there was one still left at home.

  And once Aaron began to torment his younger brother, causing Jay to retaliate, his father had only proven to him how inconsequential he considered the second son to be.

  They visited and talked to a number of tenants before they reached Daisy’s cottage on the outskirts of the village. It was late afternoon, although the sun was still high overhead, and hot. As they approached the cottage, Felicia cantered ahead and dismounted before Tina and Jay reached the gate. Jay, noticing her actions, turned to Tina as Felicia hurried up to the front door.

  “Is she planning to warn them?”

  “In a way. Daisy’s family is quite large. This is one of the cottages I thought should be expanded to better accommodate all of them.”

  “I see.” Jay dismounted and helped her off her mare, careful to not let his hands linger. While the afternoon had been informative, it tried his control severely. Lifting Tina on and off the mare’s back with each stop had become more difficult. She was so small and light that very little physical effort was required. So…why was he short of breath each time he did so? And why did his hands itch to remain on her waist after she was solidly on the ground?

  “Tina!” The childish voice interrupted his thoughts and he stepped away just as Liza launched herself into Tina’s arms. Tina hugged the little girl for a moment before turning to Jay.

  “You remember Liza, my lord?”

  He responded with a smile. “Of course.”

  “Mama has the twins,” Liza told her. “Come see.” Taking Tina by the hand, she pulled her toward the cottage.

  Tina laughed. “Very well.”

  He had to duck under the low overhang of thatch to enter, but once inside could easily stand upright. Despite the windows, it was dim inside and most of the corners were in shadow. The smell of wood smoke and cooking stew reached him.

  Felicia wa
s sitting on a low bench holding an infant, a boy of about six standing beside her. They both looked up as Tina and Jay entered. For a moment, Jay thought he saw Aaron in the sandy-haired, gray-eyed little boy, but dismissed it as a product of his imagination conjured up on the heels of the conversation the three of them had shared. Recalling some of the scrapes from his and Aaron’s childhood must have left him feeling maudlin.

  A woman was standing before the fireplace, stirring a pot. She, too, looked up as they entered, a smile lighting her rounded face under a white cap. He recognized her as the Cook’s assistant and daughter, Daisy. “Good afternoon, my lord. What brings ye to me cottage this fine afternoon?”

  “The ladies do,” he replied gallantly. “I have been informed it needs some work, so I thought I might look around a bit to determine what needs to be done.”

  Contemplating the clean and neat interior, Jay could see more room was needed. There were four small pallets stacked neatly in a corner. A curtain partitioned off part of the room, open now to reveal a large bed with another infant lying in the middle of it. Off to another side of the room was a large table, its scarred surface testifying to its years of use. Another bench, similar to the one Felicia sat on, stood near the fireplace and two chairs sat against the wall beside the table. A large chest sat off to the side of the fireplace, crockery dishes neatly stacked on top.

  “Would ye like somethin’ to drink?” Daisy asked.

  “I would love a drink of water from the well,” Tina answered, turning to Jay. “Daisy’s well is famous. It has the best tasting water for miles around. I think it’s her secret for making the best cider in the district.”

  Jay wondered if it was something he’d known before, but couldn’t recall.

  Daisy blushed at the compliment. “Why thank you, my lady. Davey, fetch a pitcher of water for her ladyship.”