The Magic of You

  But not completely alone, she had to remind her racing heart. No, there were servants in the house. Henri had just let Warren in, so he was around somewhere. Still, right now, they were alone, and she couldn’t believe Jeremy had deserted her like that.

  Of course, if it were anyone else, Jeremy wouldn’t have done it. But she and Warren had ties of a sort. Her aunt-by-marriage was his sister. Because of that, Jeremy would see nothing wrong in leaving them without a chaperon. But then, Jeremy didn’t know how she felt about Warren.

  His eyes came back to her, unnerving her with their directness. He had the makings of dimples, but you’d never know it—she’d never seen him smile. His nose was straight, the cheekbones lean. His jaw had a stubborn thrust to it. His eyes might be the color of springtime and summer, but in his stern countenance, they appeared cold. His dark gold hair had been an unruly mop of fashionable curls, but now was much too long, though she supposed the extra length helped tame the curls somewhat.

  His body ran along lean lines, much like Uncle Tony’s, though you could not call the man skinny by any means. He was taller than Anthony, his shoulders a bit broader, his arms sinewy. His long legs were braced apart—she’d noted all the Anderson brothers stood like that, as if they were balancing on the deck of a ship. Uncle James still stood like that occasionally, too.

  Warren was dressed casually in a black coat with gray trousers, no waistcoat, and a plain white shirt without a cravat—something else she noted he had in common with his brothers, that none of them wore a cravat. It was not a tailored look he had, but one quite rugged, and quite suitable to an American sea captain, she supposed.

  She needed to say something, but she couldn’t think what, couldn’t think at all with his attention so completely centered on her. The irony was, she’d hoped for just such an opportunity as this. She’d thought of so many things she might say to him, subtle things that would let him know of her tender regard. Not a one came to her now.

  “Breakfast,” she suddenly blurted out. “Would you like some?”

  “At this hour?”

  It had been after five in the morning when he and his brothers had left. She’d heard they were staying at the Albany Hotel over on Piccadilly, which wasn’t far, yet it would still have been closer to six before he finally got to bed. Considering that was just eight hours ago, his derogatory tone was uncalled-for. But, of course, this was Warren, the cynic, the woman-hater, the English-hater, the Malory-hater, and the brother with the worst temper. She’d never get along with him unless she kept that firmly in mind and ignored the occasional insult and chilly manner.

  Amy stood up to leave the table. “I suppose you’ve come to see George?”

  “Hell, has he got his whole family calling her that now?” he asked.

  She ignored the tone this time, though she still said, “I’m sorry. When Uncle James first introduced her as George, she didn’t correct him. It was a while before I found out that wasn’t her name, and by then…” She shrugged to indicate it was a habit now. “But you don’t call her Georgina either, do you?”

  He looked chagrined by that reminder. Or maybe that was how he looked when he was embarrassed. He ought to be embarrassed. “Georgie” was no more feminine than “George” was. But she hadn’t wanted to embarrass him. Drat it, this wasn’t progressing at all well.

  To be prudent, she would avoid the name he objected to, and so she said, “My aunt and uncle are still sleeping. They were up earlier when Jack wanted her first feeding, but they went back to sleep when she did.”

  “Kindly do not call my niece by that deplorable name.”

  This was worse than a surly tone. This was actual anger, and it was quite intimidating, experiencing Warren’s displeasure directly, personally, and in his presence, particularly after her uncle’s remark yesterday about his belt. Her eyes dropped to his belt without her realizing it. It was wide and made of thick leather. She imagined it would hurt like the dickens to feel it…

  “What the devil are you staring at?”

  Her face blossomed with high color. She thought about crawling under the table to hide. She settled instead on the truth.

  “Your belt. Would you really have used it to discourage your sister’s willfulness?”

  His frown got worse. “Your uncle has been carrying tales, I see.”

  Amy took her courage in hand and persisted, asking again, “Would you?”

  “That, little girl, is none of your business,” he said with stony finality.

  She sighed. She never should have mentioned it, but obviously he was going to be disagreeable no matter what she said.

  For now, she opted to change the subject. “You have a thing about names, I see. My uncle Tony does, too—actually, all my uncles do. It started with Cousin Regina’s name. Most of the family calls her Reggie, but Uncle James had to be different and so he calls her Regan. They’re not nearly so difficult about it these days, but it used to drive his brothers crazy whenever James used that name. Amazing that you have that in common with my uncles.”

  Her mischievousness was showing through. And his expression of disgust, to be compared with the Malorys in any way at all, was quite laughable. She didn’t laugh, didn’t even smile. She offered a peace token instead.

  “If it’s any consolation, your sister had a fit this morning when she heard what Uncle James had gone and done. She said she was going to call her baby Jacqueline, Jackie at the very least, and he could rot if he didn’t like it.”

  “He ought to rot—”

  “Be nice. Warren—is it all right if I call you that?”

  “No, it is not,” he replied stiffly, possibly because she’d just had the audacity to scold him, and he didn’t like that one little bit. “You may call me Mr. Anderson, or Captain Anderson.”

  “No, I don’t think so. That’s too formal, and we aren’t going to be formal, you and I. So I’ll have to think of something else to call you, if ‘Warren’ won’t do.”

  She gave him a gaminelike smile as she finished, and walked past him, well aware that she’d just shocked him into silence. The wretched man thought he could put “formal” to their relationship—not that they had one yet, but they would. She’d simply have to show him otherwise.

  She stopped a few steps up the stairs and turned to see that he’d moved back to the doorway so he could still see her. She was annoyed enough to say, “You can go up to see Jack in the nursery if you’d like. Otherwise you can entertain yourself until George wakes up.”

  She didn’t wait for his answer, so she was nearly to the top of the stairs before she heard his grudging reply. “I’d like to see the baby.”

  “Then come along and I’ll take you to her.”

  She waited for him to reach her. When he did, she started to turn, but his hand on her arm stopped her and drew a soft gasp from her. He didn’t hear it. He’d already started to ask, “What are you doing here, anyway?”

  “I’m staying over to help your sister until the doctor says she’s recovered enough to get back to her duties.”

  “Why you?”

  “I happen to like your sister. She and I have become good friends. Now aren’t you ashamed of yourself for the deplorable way you’ve treated me?”

  “No,” he said, but there was a softening around his mouth, and his eyes seemed a few degrees warmer, though he added, “And you’re damned lippy for a girl your age.”

  “Good God, don’t smile!” she said in feigned alarm. “Your dimples might show.”

  He laughed then. It seemed to surprise him, because he cut it off abruptly and even flushed. Amy turned away so she wouldn’t embarrass him further and led the way into a dimly lit room.

  The adorable newcomer to the family was fast asleep. She’d been laid down on her stomach, her face was to the side, and a little fist was close to her mouth. The few tufts of hair she had were a light blond. It would be interesting to know whether her eyes were going to end up brown or green, but for the time being they were ba
by blue.

  Warren came quietly to stand beside Amy and gaze down at the baby. This having him all to herself—Jack wasn’t paying attention—was getting to her. Considering the size of their respective families and that Warren wasn’t going to be in England for very long, she was aware that this would likely be the only time she would ever be this alone with him. That sure knowledge added a kind of desperation to her feelings that she wasn’t sure how to handle.

  When she glanced to the side and saw again that tender look he reserved for so few people, she asked him, “You like children?”

  “I love them,” he said without looking at her, and probably without intending to, because he added, “They don’t disappoint you or break your heart—until they grow up.”

  She didn’t know if he was referring to his sister or to the woman he had once loved, or to both, so she said nothing and just enjoyed standing there with him. He and Drew looked so much alike, despite the eight years’ difference in their ages, but their personalities were exact opposites. One of Amy’s goals was to chip away at the cold shell encasing Warren’s heart, to see if there wasn’t a bit of Drew’s winsome charm buried inside. In doing so, she hoped to find the tender man, too, the one who cared so deeply for his only sister, and was even now falling in love with Georgina’s child.

  But she knew things about him, knew he’d been hurt. He’d had his heart trampled on. It had turned him cold, and cynical, and distrustful. How she was going to fix all that, she didn’t know, but she was going to make him want to give love another chance.

  Suddenly she heard herself say in the softest whisper, “I want you. Warren Anderson.”

  She’d definitely got his attention, and before she literally died of embarrassment—Amy was bold, but not usually this bold—she amended, “Let me clarify that. First I want to marry you; then I’d like whatever comes after.”

  He said nothing at first. She’d really shocked him this time. But then his cynicism came back in full force.

  “Too bad,” he said. “The first idea was interesting, the second not at all. I have no desire to marry, ever.”

  “I know.” She sighed. Directness certainly wasn’t working today. “But I hope to change your mind.”

  “Do you indeed? And how do you intend to do that, little girl?”

  “By getting you to stop seeing me as a little girl. I’m not, you know. I’m old enough to marry and start a family of my own.”

  “And how old is that?”

  “Eighteen.” It was only a little white lie, since her birthday was less than two weeks away.

  “My, such a veritable old age,” he said with scathing derision. “But when you are older, you’ll learn that ladies who are so bold don’t get treated like ladies for very long. Or is that what you were hoping for? You’re not my type at all, but I’ve been at sea for a month, so I’m not too particular right now. Take me to your bed.”

  He was trying to shock her back. Fortunately, she knew that, so she wasn’t offended, shocked, or even intimidated by the subject. And as long as they were on the subject…

  “I will, just as soon as we’re engaged.”

  “The proverbial tease.” He snorted, implying he should have known, then sneered, “They teach you girls early in this country, don’t they?”

  “That wasn’t teasing,” Amy answered softly. “That was a promise.”

  “Then let’s have a sample of what you’re promising.”

  His hand slipped around her neck to draw her forward. He didn’t hold her in any other way. He didn’t have to. She wanted his kiss a hell of a lot more than he wanted to teach her a lesson—and she was sure that was what he was attempting to do—so her arms circled around his neck to hold on tight. And when their mouths met and melded, it was exactly what she had expected, a kiss meant to scandalize her, deeply erotic and highly sensual.

  But she had a surprise in store for Warren. Kissing was something she was quite familiar with, since, unbeknownst to her family, she’d had considerable practice at it these past few years. She hadn’t been totally excluded from parties and entertainments; she’d just gone as a child right up until her come-out, whenever other children were included. It was considered a learning experience, after all, a chance for the older children to see firsthand how they were expected to comport themselves when they were adults. And there were always other girls and boys her age, and occasionally a boy she might take a fancy to and end up with in a secluded corner, or out in the garden in an even more secluded spot. One particular boy, a year younger than Amy, had been more experienced than all the others combined. But then, he’d been taught by an older woman who’d tried to seduce him, or so he had bragged.

  But he’d certainly prepared her for what Warren had in mind, though not for what he made her feel. In that there was simply no comparison. She already knew she desired Warren, that he was the man, the only one, she wanted to make love to. But being able to press her body intimately to his, to taste his kiss—well, she got a bit carried away. She couldn’t help it. She’d dreamed of this, wanted it so badly, wanted him to want her, and now that it seemed he might…

  When his tongue thrust into her mouth, hers was there to meet it, to caress back, to thrust beyond for some exploring of her own. With a moan she pressed even closer, then thought she’d die of pleasure when his arms came around her to bring their bodies even tighter together. She’d felt first his surprise, then his acceptance of what she was giving, then finally, though not all that soon, his realization of what he was doing, which abruptly ended it.

  “Jesus,” he said, and pushed her away from him until he held her at arm’s length.

  His breathing was rasping as hard as hers was, and there was nothing cold about his eyes now. They were hot, she hoped with desire, but she couldn’t be sure, because his expression said he wasn’t exactly pleased with her, or with himself for that matter, and his displeasure was coming quickly to the fore.

  “Where’d you learn to kiss like that?” Warren asked her harshly.

  “I’ve been practicing.”

  “What else have you been practicing?”

  There was enough insinuation in his tone to make her get a bit indignant. “Not what you’re thinking,” she retorted. “I’m good at boxing ears if a fellow tries something other than kissing.”

  “I wouldn’t recommend you try that with me,” he warned, though less severely, now that some of his composure was returning.

  “I don’t think I would,” she said, remembering that wide belt of his.

  “Not that I mean to do anything else with you,” he quickly added, in case she got that impression. “In fact, I’m warning you now to keep your distance from me.”

  “Why?”

  He didn’t mistake her disappointment, which had him snapping, “Blast it, you’re still a child!”

  Her eyes narrowed then. He’d at last made her angry, enough to ask him pointedly, “Are you in the habit of kissing children like you just did me?”

  The color that rose clear to his hairline was visible even in the dimly lighted nursery. Amy didn’t stick around to gloat over it. She turned and, with splendid dignity, walked out of the room.

  Chapter 9

  “That girl, Amy,” Warren said offhandedly. “I understand you befriended her.”

  Georgina didn’t notice the slight flush that came with Warren’s remark. She had Jacqueline in her lap, and so understandably didn’t give her brother more than an occasional brief glance.

  “It was more like the other way around, actually,” Georgina replied. “I’m the outsider here, remember? But why do you ask?”

  “I was surprised to find her here again.”

  “Didn’t she mention she’s staying with me until the doctor and James decide it’s all right for me to get back to my normal routine?”

  “How do you feel, by the way?”

  She laughed. “How the bloody hell do you think I feel? Like I just had a baby.”

  “Blast it, Georgi
e, you don’t have to sound like them just because you have to live with them.”

  “For God’s sake, Warren, am I going to have to watch every word I say around you? Can’t you just be pleased that I’m happy, that I’ve had a beautiful, healthy daughter, that I am fortunate enough to love my husband? So many women aren’t that fortunate, you know. They marry to please their families, but it’s not their families who end up miserable.”

  He got her point well enough, he just couldn’t see how a man like James Malory could make her happy. He couldn’t tolerate the man himself, or his bizarre sense of humor. Nor could he figure out what Georgina saw in him. Malory wasn’t good enough for her, not by any means. But as long as he made her happy, and there was no doubting that by the look of her, Warren would hold his peace. However, the first little sign of dissension between them, and Warren would be delighted to fan it to split them up so he could take his sister back to America, where she belonged.

  “I’m sorry,” Warren said, because he hadn’t meant to upset her. And since it seemed like a safe enough subject that she was willing to talk about, he mentioned Amy again. “Isn’t that girl a bit too young to be taking over your responsibilities?”

  She gave him an incredulous look this time. “You must be joking. Have you forgotten already that I was only twelve years old when I took over the management of our own household?”

  He had, but insisted, “You were a mature twelve.”

  She snorted, because he was being typically stubborn. “And Amy is a very mature seventeen, which—”

  “Seventeen?”

  “Well, it’s nothing to get alarmed about,” she replied, frowning at his strange reaction. “She’ll be eighteen in a week or so. She’s just had her come-out, as a matter of fact, which was a splendid success.” Then she laughed. “You should have seen how huffy James got, because he hadn’t noticed that she’d grown up until that very night.”