Adoration Read online

  Norma beamed. ‘I hope you told him that we would be delighted to accept.’

  ‘Of course,’ Sissy replied, her eyes twinkling.

  Norma studied the rose-tinted cheeks and the mischievous twinkle in Sissy’s eyes and wondered if Morgan was responsible. While she knew she should worry that Sissy was likely to get hurt, if Morgan had brought about such changes in Sissy, and made her happy, then she was more than pleased for them both.

  The following evening, Sissy looked down at herself and sighed despondently. Thankfully, she was all alone in her bed chamber. Nobody could see her disappointment. She had hoped that the ribbons and adornments she had added to her best and newest dress would have been enough to hide its age but sadly there was simply nothing she could do about the fact that it had already been repaired several times.

  ‘I cannot go,’ she whispered miserably. ‘I simply cannot go.’

  ‘But you must. He will know you are lying if you send your apologies at this late date. We got away with it the last time but we won’t be so fortunate again. We cannot risk offending Morgan and his mother,’ Norma said.

  ‘You make them sound so much better than us,’ Sissy whispered.

  ‘That is because we are, my dear,’ Norma said sadly.

  Sissy wanted to cry. She flopped down on the edge of the bed and knew then that she had been foolish to risk everything for Morgan’s kisses.

  Norma sat on the edge of the bed beside her. ‘It will do us both good to be able to dine with them again, but this has to be a once in a lifetime occasion. It won’t do to expect anything more from them. I don’t doubt Alicia prompted Morgan to ask us to dine because she knows about Mr Lauder selling this house and feels sorry for us. Enjoy it, but don’t feel bad about how you look. If it mattered to Alicia and Morgan they wouldn’t have invited us.’

  ‘But I don’t want to be invited out of sympathy or pity,’ Sissy countered flatly. She struggled not to sound ungrateful and petulant but that was how she felt. She wanted Morgan to want her – the woman. She wanted him to want to spend time with her. ‘It’s all so confusing.’

  ‘Just remember your station,’ Norma warned. ‘We are being invited to dine because of old connections. They don’t expect anything more from us and we shouldn’t expect anything more from them.’

  ‘I don’t,’ Sissy assured her.

  Not now in any case.

  ‘I am sorry, my dear,’ Norma whispered.

  ‘It is not your fault,’ Sissy replied. Sucking in a huge breath, she picked up her shawl and draped it over her shoulders. ‘Let’s get this over with then, shall we?’ She offered her aunt a brave smile which she kept firmly in place as she followed Norma out of the house and into the luxurious carriage waiting for them at the end of the gate.

  ‘The neighbours are in fine form I see,’ Norma grumbled with a wry look at the twitching curtains in the neighbourhood.

  ‘They are so nosy. At least we won’t be watched so avidly when we are living at the other cottage,’ Sissy sighed. She offered a smile and a quiet murmur of thanks to the footman who held a hand out to assist her aboard. He looked truly startled, as if it hadn’t been expected it, but Sissy didn’t notice.

  ‘To think we used to travel like this all the time,’ she murmured, eyeing the luxurious interior of the huge carriage with blatant envy.

  ‘It never does any good to look back all the time, Sissy,’ Norma chided. ‘That is part of our past, not our future. Don’t dwell on it.’

  Sissy settled back and stared moodily out of the window. She tried not to think about anything really. Each time she did allow her thoughts to wander they ended up with Morgan, or what they had shared on their walk yesterday. Contrary to what she knew to be sensible, Sissy found herself eager to see him again.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Thankfully, the journey to Morgan’s house didn’t take too long. Sissy didn’t get the chance to get too nervous.

  ‘Chin up,’ Norma urged as the carriage rumbled to a stop outside of the front door.

  When Sissy looked out of the window she saw the huge front door of Morgan’s house swing open. She expected the butler to appear in the doorway. Instead, Morgan himself descended the stone steps to greet them and it was he who handed her down from the carriage.

  ‘You look delightful,’ he murmured softly.

  ‘Thank you.’ Sissy dipped into a curtsey and struggled to contain the wild surge of delight that flooded through her when their hands touched.

  That simple touch, even through her fine evening gloves, created a tension within her that had immediately reminded her of yesterday’s embrace. She knew he was thinking about it too when their eyes met and his lowered instantly to the gentle curve of her lips. There was a knowing look hidden in the depths of his steady gaze that created a shimmering awareness within her that she struggled to hide.

  ‘Ah, you are here,’ Alicia cried, unwittingly breaking the invisible spell between her son and their guest.

  Morgan sighed heavily but was smiling when he turned to hand Norma down. ‘I am delighted that you are able to join us.’

  Alicia waved them toward the house. ‘You must excuse Mariette. She cannot be with us this evening, I am afraid. She has invited a sea of her friends and is entertaining them at the Dowager House. I have no wish to spend my evening listening to their childish gossip and they are too old to have a chaperon, so thought I might join you if that is all right.’

  ‘That would be delightful,’ Norma beamed, falling into step beside Alicia, who tucked her gloved hand into the crook of Norma’s arm and led her into the sitting room.

  Morgan fell into step beside Sissy and held his elbow out.

  Sissy smiled at him and happily took it before she turned to gaze in awe at the opulence of the large hallway before her. ‘It is stunning,’ she whispered breathlessly.

  Morgan barely even glanced at the highly polished oak flooring, the lavish cream and gold décor, or the elaborate furniture that adorned his entrance hall. He was too immersed in gazing at Sissy.

  ‘You look stunning,’ he murmured.

  Sissy smiled but was spared having to answer him by their arrival in the sitting room.

  ‘I thought we would indulge in a glass of Ratafia,’ Alicia offered. She waved a hand at a dapperly dressed footman who immediately stepped forward to offer the guests the contents of a silver tray. Sissy accepted a goblet of Ratafia with a nod of thanks but stared down at it in dismay. She hated the stuff but was too polite to say so.

  ‘You are probably wondering why Morgan was so insistent that you dine with us,’ Alicia began.

  Morgan mentally groaned. He glared at his mother, but she was too excited to break the news to even bother to glance at him. Mentally cursing, Morgan wished he hadn’t told her now. He wanted to be the one to tell Sissy the news, but it was too late. Alicia had beaten him to it.

  ‘We were delighted to accept your wonderful offer to dine here, whatever the reason,’ Norma replied sliding a wary look from Morgan to Alicia and back again.

  Morgan coughed and glared pointedly at his mother when Alicia frowned at him.

  ‘We look forward to your company. Both of you.’ He slid a look at Sissy. ‘However, there was another reason for asking you here this evening. I understand from Alicia that Mr Lauder has decided to sell the house.’

  ‘It’s such a shame,’ Norma replied sadly.

  ‘We have found somewhere else,’ Sissy added.

  Morgan stilled. ‘Oh?’

  Norma and Sissy shared a look.

  ‘You are talking about Farmer Martin’s cottage, aren’t you?’ Morgan demanded. ‘That house hasn’t been lived in for nigh on ten years. I doubt it is even habitable anymore.’

  ‘But it is local, and the rent is affordable,’ Sissy countered.

  Alicia, sensing the sudden tension in the room, settled back in her seat and wisely chose to remain silent.

  ‘Mr Lauder has sold his house,’ Morgan informed them abruptly.

/>   ‘Already?’ Norma cried in dismay. ‘Who to? He hasn’t told us.’

  ‘You can hardly expect a property like that to remain unsold for long, Aunt Norma,’ Sissy said.

  Alicia nodded. ‘The village is one of the most desirable in this region. Why, I understand from the agent that the particulars had barely been drawn up before he had been contacted by someone who offered the asking price for it. Just like that, it is sold.’

  Sissy swallowed and stared solemnly down into her goblet.

  ‘Do you not wish to know who purchased it?’ Alicia asked gently.

  ‘I am sure that they will be very happy there,’ Norma began politely, doing her best not to look upset. ‘Tell me, are they local?’

  ‘Local enough,’ Morgan replied with a smile. ‘I have admired that house for a long time.’

  It took a moment for his words to register on Sissy. When they did, she gasped and looked up at him with wide eyes.

  ‘You don’t have to move. You can stay there as you are for as long as you want,’ he offered, his grin widening.

  ‘You purchased it?’ Norma asked, her eyes wide with hope and delight.

  ‘I did indeed,’ Morgan replied. ‘Although it is not on estate land as my other tenanted houses are it isn’t a problem. Everything can stay as it is. Nobody has to move.’

  Sissy stared at him. ‘But why? Why would you purchase it?’

  A heavy silence settled over everyone.

  Morgan allowed it for a few moments. He had discussed with Ralph, only this afternoon as a matter of fact, the reasons he could put forward that sounded credible. He could hardly stand so boldly in front of everyone and announce that he had purchased the house because of his love for Sissy. When he did eventually declare his love for her he wanted it to be to her and her alone. He didn’t relish an audience being able to hang on to every word, mostly because he wasn’t at all sure if she would be pleased or horrified. He hoped after yesterday that it would be the former but would feel a little easier if they managed to spend a little more time together first.

  Because Sissy had fallen painfully silent, Morgan focused his attention on a clearly delighted Norma. ‘I take it you are amenable to staying in the property and being my first tenants there? Everything will remain as it is, although I insist on redecorating the place and making sure the repairs are up to date.’

  ‘We would be delighted, wouldn’t we, Sissy?’ Norma cried.

  ‘Of course,’ Sissy replied with a vague smile. She knew she should be grateful, and indeed was, but she couldn’t ignore the nagging doubt that began to form in the back of her mind as to why Morgan would spend so much money on a house she knew he had very little interest in.

  ‘Then you will stay there?’

  Sissy nodded and offered him a bolder smile. ‘I am sure Norma will be relieved. It has been a worry. While we could have moved to the farmer’s house, life there would have been considerably harder for us.’

  ‘But,’ Morgan prompted when he sensed her hesitation.

  Sissy sighed, but seeing as Morgan had prompted her confidence, she could see no reason to deny him. ‘But I hope you truly wanted the house and didn’t purchase it because of our situation. While your benevolence and kindness is very much appreciated, it is a lot of money to spend and, well, we can never repay you, apart from the rent of course.’

  ‘But I don’t expect anything,’ Morgan countered. ‘If I wasn’t happy with the arrangement I would never have purchased the property.’

  ‘Then we are very pleased to be able to accept, thank you,’ Sissy said.

  Morgan frowned because she sounded so terribly formal. He didn’t want that from Sissy. He didn’t want her to feel as if she should be beholden to him, or grateful for anything.

  ‘Norma, I have had some wonderful roses planted in the rose garden. Would you care to take a stroll with me to see them? Dinner isn’t quite ready yet. Boris will ring when it is,’ Alicia offered.

  Sissy slid her untouched Ratafia onto the table beside her. She remained frozen in place when she turned to find Morgan standing beside her, far too close than he ought to be. Leaning around her, he slid his goblet of brandy onto the table beside hers and suddenly smiled at her.

  ‘You cannot abide the stuff, can you?’ he murmured for her ears alone. His gaze slid tellingly toward the Ratafia.

  Sissy pursed her lips and shook her head, but infinitesimally so only he could see.

  ‘Thought not,’ he teased. Holding his elbow out he nodded toward the French doors. ‘Care to join them?’

  Sissy gratefully took his arm. Any doubt she had about what they were doing was removed by Alicia’s ready smile, which she threw at them before she sailed out of the house with Norma in tow.

  ‘I hope you are not mad at me,’ Morgan began once they were outside. ‘About the house, that is. I confess, I spoke to the agent just as soon as mother told me that Mr Lauder had chosen to sell the house. The agent told me that the only other property to rent was Martin’s old farmhouse. I went to view it myself. I wouldn’t put my horse in there.’

  Sissy huffed a laugh when the mental image of Morgan trying to wrestle his horse through the front door sprang to mind. He smiled. The sound of her tinkling laughter made him want to hear more.

  ‘Do you want to explore the garden?’ he offered. ‘I have a rather intriguing puzzle beside the lake if you feel up to a challenge. If you are lucky you might be able to solve it before dinner. If not, Boris will have to come out and fetch us.’

  Sissy looked at him. ‘Puzzle?’

  Morgan waved at his mother at the same time that he grabbed Sissy’s hand. ‘We are going to the maze.’

  Alicia smiled and shook her head. ‘Good luck. If you are not back by dawn we will send a search party in after you.’ She turned to Norma. ‘Morgan has had a frightfully tricky maze put into the grounds. It is awfully big and takes an age to get to the centre, but I am sure they will manage to find their way around. Would you care to join them?’

  Norma looked in horror at the tall private hedges neatly lining the far edge for the pristine lawn. ‘No, thank you. I don’t think I am that adventurous.’

  Alicia slid a sly look at Morgan and Sissy’s retreating backs before distracting Norma’s worried gaze by pointing out a particularly fragrant tea rose beside them.

  ‘I have never been in a maze before,’ Sissy gasped as Morgan dragged her relentlessly toward a small gap in the privet.

  Morgan grinned at her. ‘As soon as you get inside, look for the tall trees and remember which side they were on. They will guide you back out. That was a tip the gardener who put it in told me. He goes in and out of here all the time and always seems to know where he is going.’

  ‘But you don’t,’ Sissy teased with a delighted smile.

  ‘You sound surprised,’ Morgan murmured with a squint.

  ‘I am just pleased that you are as fallible as the rest of us,’ Sissy countered.

  ‘I am just like you,’ Morgan retorted, planting himself firmly in her path.

  Sissy’s mirth died. At first she didn’t speak but when Morgan threw her a questioning look, she sighed. ‘But you aren’t, are you?’

  ‘I eat, breathe, and sleep just like you. Yes, I own this house, but I inherited it from my father. Your situation is different purely because of the laws in this damned country, and that is the only reason. It isn’t because you are lacking in any way, or socially my inferior. We both know that if your father had been alive you would still be living at the manor house and frequenting the same social circles as I do.’

  ‘I couldn’t go back to that,’ Sissy replied, following him into the somewhat gloomy maze.

  It wasn’t oppressive. It was just concerning because everywhere looked the same. The second she stepped away from the gap in the privet that was the entrance she got lost. She had no choice but to depend on Morgan and look to his guidance to get back out again.

  ‘Why? Do you think people will judge you because you are
not as wealthy?’

  ‘That is usually the way the social circuit works,’ Sissy said. ‘We both know it. People won’t ever forget our situation, even if it did improve somehow.’

  ‘People gossip about all sorts. I am gossiped about, despite my wealth. Why should I let that stop me from doing what I want?’ Morgan asked softly.

  ‘Because you have choices. I don’t. Things are different for women, you know that,’ Sissy countered. ‘I don’t have the same opportunities as you.’

  ‘But you could get married. I have that opportunity as well. See? We have the same opportunity,’ Morgan argued.

  ‘I do indeed see,’ she sighed, as she slowly turned in a circle. ‘I see that we are well and truly lost.’

  Morgan blinked at her and then took a wary look around. He grinned and shrugged. ‘Well, we haven’t gone too far. Which way do you think we came in?’

  Sissy looked around them and shrugged before piercing him with a suspicious squint. ‘Do you remember?’

  Morgan grinned. ‘I do.’

  ‘Then please, lead the way.’

  Morgan didn’t budge. ‘On one condition.’

  Sissy folded her arms and tipped her head to glare at him. ‘Why do I get the feeling that I have been tricked?’

  Morgan grinned wolfishly. ‘Because you are a very astute judge of character.’

  ‘I have already agreed that we are happy to stay in the house, if you are happy to keep renting it to us,’ Sissy said.

  Her stomach fluttered nervously. Despite her earlier conversation with Norma there was little she could do to stop Morgan stepping toward her. Sissy knew it was foolish to indulge in any more clandestine kisses but when he stepped closer, and she had to tip her head up to look at him, she knew she was lost.

  ‘One kiss should just about persuade me to guide you out of here,’ he murmured fighting his smile.

  ‘I have been conned,’ she whispered, but without heat.

  Morgan slowly nodded. Rather than keep his distance until she allowed him closer, he gathered her into his arms. His gaze remained locked on hers. He studied the darkened depths of her lambent gaze and knew that she felt the growing awareness shimmering between them too. It was reassuring to note that he wasn’t alone with the feelings that were pummelling him. It was evident in her soft sight, her ready acquiescence when he slid his arms around her, and in the way she met his kiss when he lowered his head toward hers.