lover.
He looked at her appreciatively. ‘Very nice,’ he murmured, his eyes approving as he took in her bronze-coloured silk taffeta dress with thin shoulder straps, and a neckline that left her upper chest entirely bare. Two large imitation roses covered her breasts and the bodice of the dress was fitted at the waist before flaring out into a full skirt.
‘Those roses wouldn’t be large enough for Tania, but they look great on you!’ he said with a laugh. ‘Let me take you down. We have drinks in the library before dinner.’
‘What about Tania?’ asked Annabel.
Crispian chuckled. ‘Tania’s late as usual! She’s only just getting dressed. At the moment her look is definitely what you might call sexily tousled.’
His blue eyes stared into Annabel’s and she had a sudden image of the pair of them entwined on a bed, their fine-boned limbs writhing in ecstasy. When Crispian put a hand on her bare arm she jumped with surprise.
‘Daydreaming?’ he enquired as they walked down the stairs.
‘I’m afraid so. It’s a fault of mine.’
‘About the house, or its occupants?’
Annabel glanced at him from beneath lowered lids. ‘The house, of course. Why would I daydream about the occupants?’
‘Why indeed? Pure conceit on my part; I was hoping you might be daydreaming about me.’
The library was rather a shock to Annabel. It was small, cluttered and in total chaos. Books were stacked untidily on the shelves and a small stepladder had been left resting against them. The once-splendid carpet was again threadbare, and holes in the sofa and chairs had been disguised by the simple tactic of throwing lion skins, complete with their heads, over them.
In the midst of this mess Lady Corbett-Wynne looked totally out of place. She was wearing a pale-blue crepe and silk organza evening dress which had a wide shawl collar, tightly fitting long sleeves with large, turned-back cuffs, and a tight waistband that emphasised her slim figure. The skirt hung in long folds to the floor and her only jewellery was an emerald necklace, and what looked to Annabel like a chain of emeralds and diamonds that she’d fastened to the waist of the dress. This hung half-way down her skirt, rather like an old-fashioned chatelaine’s key chain. Her fair hair was drawn back off her face and fastened with a diamond clip.
‘There should be rushes on the floor,’ Crispian whispered in Annabel’s ear. ‘Don’t you think she looks like one of those historical ladies of the manor?’
‘I think she looks beautiful,’ Annabel whispered truthfully, wondering what on earth this withdrawn, aristocratic looking woman could possibly have in common with her large, florid-faced husband standing next to her, who apparently enjoyed the attentions of his girl grooms.
‘Where’s Tania?’ Lady Corbett-Wynne asked sharply.
‘No idea,’ replied Crispian. ‘I thought I ought to bring Annabel down, since no one had thought to tell her where we met up.’
‘Very good of you, my boy,’ said his father, glancing uneasily at his wife. He then walked towards Annabel, his hand outstretched. ‘Don’t think we’ve met yet. Lord Corbett-Wynne, the man whose home you’re planning to tear apart.’
‘I hope you don’t really believe that,’ replied Annabel. ‘Your wife wants me to help her redecorate some of the rooms, but I’d never do anything to spoil the atmosphere of the Hall.’
‘Then you can leave this room alone,’ he said shortly. ‘This is my favourite place. Somewhere a man can come and think.’
‘I didn’t know you did much of that, Pa!’ laughed Crispian. ‘Annabel, what can I get you?’
‘Sherry, please.’
He crossed the room to the drinks cabinet, which looked like an old-fashioned gramophone box but opened up to reveal numerous bottles. ‘Any particular sherry?’
‘Amontillado if you’ve got it.’
‘Drink is one thing we’re very well-stocked with, isn’t that right, Step-mama?’
Lady Corbett-Wynne
He looked at her appreciatively. ‘Very nice,’ he murmured, his eyes approving as he took in her bronze-coloured silk taffeta dress with thin shoulder straps, and a neckline that left her upper chest entirely bare. Two large imitation roses covered her breasts and the bodice of the dress was fitted at the waist before flaring out into a full skirt.
‘Those roses wouldn’t be large enough for Tania, but they look great on you!’ he said with a laugh. ‘Let me take you down. We have drinks in the library before dinner.’
‘What about Tania?’ asked Annabel.
Crispian chuckled. ‘Tania’s late as usual! She’s only just getting dressed. At the moment her look is definitely what you might call sexily tousled.’
His blue eyes stared into Annabel’s and she had a sudden image of the pair of them entwined on a bed, their fine-boned limbs writhing in ecstasy. When Crispian put a hand on her bare arm she jumped with surprise.
‘Daydreaming?’ he enquired as they walked down the stairs.
‘I’m afraid so. It’s a fault of mine.’
‘About the house, or its occupants?’
Annabel glanced at him from beneath lowered lids. ‘The house, of course. Why would I daydream about the occupants?’
‘Why indeed? Pure conceit on my part; I was hoping you might be daydreaming about me.’
The library was rather a shock to Annabel. It was small, cluttered and in total chaos. Books were stacked untidily on the shelves and a small stepladder had been left resting against them. The once-splendid carpet was again threadbare, and holes in the sofa and chairs had been disguised by the simple tactic of throwing lion skins, complete with their heads, over them.
In the midst of this mess Lady Corbett-Wynne looked totally out of place. She was wearing a pale-blue crepe and silk organza evening dress which had a wide shawl collar, tightly fitting long sleeves with large, turned-back cuffs, and a tight waistband that emphasised her slim figure. The skirt hung in long folds to the floor and her only jewellery was an emerald necklace, and what looked to Annabel like a chain of emeralds and diamonds that she’d fastened to the waist of the dress. This hung half-way down her skirt, rather like an old-fashioned chatelaine’s key chain. Her fair hair was drawn back off her face and fastened with a diamond clip.
‘There should be rushes on the floor,’ Crispian whispered in Annabel’s ear. ‘Don’t you think she looks like one of those historical ladies of the manor?’
‘I think she looks beautiful,’ Annabel whispered truthfully, wondering what on earth this withdrawn, aristocratic looking woman could possibly have in common with her large, florid-faced husband standing next to her, who apparently enjoyed the attentions of his girl grooms.
‘Where’s Tania?’ Lady Corbett-Wynne asked sharply.
‘No idea,’ replied Crispian. ‘I thought I ought to bring Annabel down, since no one had thought to tell her where we met up.’
‘Very good of you, my boy,’ said his father, glancing uneasily at his wife. He then walked towards Annabel, his hand outstretched. ‘Don’t think we’ve met yet. Lord Corbett-Wynne, the man whose home you’re planning to tear apart.’
‘I hope you don’t really believe that,’ replied Annabel. ‘Your wife wants me to help her redecorate some of the rooms, but I’d never do anything to spoil the atmosphere of the Hall.’
‘Then you can leave this room alone,’ he said shortly. ‘This is my favourite place. Somewhere a man can come and think.’
‘I didn’t know you did much of that, Pa!’ laughed Crispian. ‘Annabel, what can I get you?’
‘Sherry, please.’
He crossed the room to the drinks cabinet, which looked like an old-fashioned gramophone box but opened up to reveal numerous bottles. ‘Any particular sherry?’
‘Amontillado if you’ve got it.’
‘Drink is one thing we’re very well-stocked with, isn’t that right, Step-mama?’
Lady Corbett-Wynne
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