again as he rose naked from her bed. He found his robe
and wrestled his arms into it, all the while aware of her eyes upon him.
“I can’t seem to find the belt to my robe.” He turned to
find Olivia just rising from the bed and he froze. He hadn’t been able to see
much of her the previous night, what with only the warm glow from the fire to
light the room, but he had touched her, ran his hands and his lips over her
curves and valleys and known she was beautiful, perfect. In the soft yellow
haze of the dawn, he could see that she was even lovelier than he could have
imagined, softer, rounder, more womanly.
She did not shy away from his gaze as he might have
expected. She stood still for one, two slow beats, allowing him to quickly take
in her long firm legs and the swell of her hips, her tiny waist and sumptuous
breasts with their pink tips, her long sinewy arms and swanlike neck. Then she
was in motion, sprinting across the chilly room to grab a nightgown from the
dresser.
“Hurry,” she whispered urgently, her words muffled by the
flannel as she pulled the gown over her head.
“My belt,” he reminded her and watched as her head whipped
around the room in search of the missing item.
“I don’t see it,” she wailed. “I’ll find it later and return
it to you. You must go.”
Jack strode across the room, grasped her flannel-covered
shoulders and pressed one quick, hard kiss upon her startled lips. “Good
morning to you too,” he whispered before he walked from the room.
He’d barely closed the door to his room across the hall when
he heard little feet running down the hall. He cracked the door just enough to
see Charlie toddling unsteadily over to his mother’s door.
“Mama,” the boy called as he pushed the door open.
“Come in here and cuddle with your mother, Bonny Prince
Charlie,” Olivia sang to her son, her voice warm and happy.
Yes, Mr. Jack Bentley thought as he crawled into his own
cold bed, Lady Olivia Palmerton would make an ideal wife and mother.
Chapter Five
Olivia tucked her mittened hand around Jack’s arm as they
trudged through the last of the snow, now a wet slushy mess on the lawn. The
snow was melting at an alarming rate. The roads would surely be passable
tomorrow. And then he would leave, he would ride out of her life as suddenly as
he had ridden into it.
The children walked ahead of them, Justine in the lead, her
hand firmly holding Charlie’s, while Fanny skipped along at her side,
chattering away about the pony Tom Jenkins promised would come in the spring.
“From inside Mirabel’s tummy,” she told Justine
authoritatively. “Did you know that ponies came from a mare’s belly?”
“Of course,” the older girl replied. “I am twelve. There
isn’t anything you know that I didn’t learn years ago.”
“Huh,” Fanny said with a laugh. “I know all sorts of things.
I’m precocious, you know.”
Jack laughed and Olivia looked up at him through her lashes.
“She certainly is,” he said. “You are likely in for trouble
with her.”
“Yes,” Olivia agreed. “I plan to begin searching for a
governess for her when we return to London.”
“A governess?” Jack repeated in surprise. “Surely she has a
few more years before she requires a governess.”
“I’ve already begun saving to send her to school,” Olivia
continued, undaunted by his skepticism. She was quite accustomed to it, having
heard it from every member of her family. “She’ll need more than a governess to
satisfy her thirst for knowledge.”
“Saving?” Jack asked with a frown.
“Palmerton did not leave us as comfortable as he might
have,” she replied, seeing no reason to withhold what she suspected was common
knowledge in Town.
“Surely Hastings helps you?” Simon asked.
“Palmerton named Henry as Charlie’s guardian and he has
assisted me greatly, most especially when I first learned of our shrunken
circumstances. But I have since learned more than I ever
and wrestled his arms into it, all the while aware of her eyes upon him.
“I can’t seem to find the belt to my robe.” He turned to
find Olivia just rising from the bed and he froze. He hadn’t been able to see
much of her the previous night, what with only the warm glow from the fire to
light the room, but he had touched her, ran his hands and his lips over her
curves and valleys and known she was beautiful, perfect. In the soft yellow
haze of the dawn, he could see that she was even lovelier than he could have
imagined, softer, rounder, more womanly.
She did not shy away from his gaze as he might have
expected. She stood still for one, two slow beats, allowing him to quickly take
in her long firm legs and the swell of her hips, her tiny waist and sumptuous
breasts with their pink tips, her long sinewy arms and swanlike neck. Then she
was in motion, sprinting across the chilly room to grab a nightgown from the
dresser.
“Hurry,” she whispered urgently, her words muffled by the
flannel as she pulled the gown over her head.
“My belt,” he reminded her and watched as her head whipped
around the room in search of the missing item.
“I don’t see it,” she wailed. “I’ll find it later and return
it to you. You must go.”
Jack strode across the room, grasped her flannel-covered
shoulders and pressed one quick, hard kiss upon her startled lips. “Good
morning to you too,” he whispered before he walked from the room.
He’d barely closed the door to his room across the hall when
he heard little feet running down the hall. He cracked the door just enough to
see Charlie toddling unsteadily over to his mother’s door.
“Mama,” the boy called as he pushed the door open.
“Come in here and cuddle with your mother, Bonny Prince
Charlie,” Olivia sang to her son, her voice warm and happy.
Yes, Mr. Jack Bentley thought as he crawled into his own
cold bed, Lady Olivia Palmerton would make an ideal wife and mother.
Chapter Five
Olivia tucked her mittened hand around Jack’s arm as they
trudged through the last of the snow, now a wet slushy mess on the lawn. The
snow was melting at an alarming rate. The roads would surely be passable
tomorrow. And then he would leave, he would ride out of her life as suddenly as
he had ridden into it.
The children walked ahead of them, Justine in the lead, her
hand firmly holding Charlie’s, while Fanny skipped along at her side,
chattering away about the pony Tom Jenkins promised would come in the spring.
“From inside Mirabel’s tummy,” she told Justine
authoritatively. “Did you know that ponies came from a mare’s belly?”
“Of course,” the older girl replied. “I am twelve. There
isn’t anything you know that I didn’t learn years ago.”
“Huh,” Fanny said with a laugh. “I know all sorts of things.
I’m precocious, you know.”
Jack laughed and Olivia looked up at him through her lashes.
“She certainly is,” he said. “You are likely in for trouble
with her.”
“Yes,” Olivia agreed. “I plan to begin searching for a
governess for her when we return to London.”
“A governess?” Jack repeated in surprise. “Surely she has a
few more years before she requires a governess.”
“I’ve already begun saving to send her to school,” Olivia
continued, undaunted by his skepticism. She was quite accustomed to it, having
heard it from every member of her family. “She’ll need more than a governess to
satisfy her thirst for knowledge.”
“Saving?” Jack asked with a frown.
“Palmerton did not leave us as comfortable as he might
have,” she replied, seeing no reason to withhold what she suspected was common
knowledge in Town.
“Surely Hastings helps you?” Simon asked.
“Palmerton named Henry as Charlie’s guardian and he has
assisted me greatly, most especially when I first learned of our shrunken
circumstances. But I have since learned more than I ever
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