Chapter Seven
“Wehavealetterfrom Scotland?” Jess excitedly asked as soon as she heard the thud of the front door closing behind her rescuer.
Vin slowly nodded. “Our youngest sister has taken leave of her senses.”
“She’s likely the most sensible of all of us. What makes you say that?”
“She’s getting married. And she sounds smitten.”
Jess wrinkled her brow in confusion. “Who is she marrying?”
“The ogre.”
“The ogre? You don’t mean the Scot who almost packed her right back onto the train?”
“The very one. Now that she’s come to know him better, she no longer thinks he’s the beast in the story.”
Jess sighed. Though she didn’t begrudge her sister’s newfound happiness, she would sorely miss her calming presence and ready assistance. Cece had a way of soothing away the wounds Jess inflicted on others with her sharp tongue. Jess wasn’tintentionally terse, she just grew exasperated by social niceties and the reluctance of others to come out and say what they wanted and what they meant. She was more patient with her sisters, because they’d taught her to temper her impatience, and she knew what to expect from them. She hoped Gertrude was available to help her with the chorale preparations and smooth ruffled feathers.
“Are you convinced she’s happy?” Jess couldn’t fathom her sister forming such a strong attachment to a man she barely knew.
Vin’s gaze became introspective. “I am. We all knew she was at a crossroads in her life. We tried to cajole her out of those black rags for almost ten years, to let go of whatever was holding her back from enjoying life again. She found her next chapter in the wilds of Scotland, and despite the fact we don’t understand her decision, we have to respect it. As long as he respects her.”
Jess wrinkled her nose. “It sounds like he has a physicality to him.” Jess had never found large, rough men attractive. Until Cadoc Morgan. As she’d confessed to Cece, even though he wasn’t much taller than she was, his body was that of a man who carried women across thresholds and held demons at bay. And she was trying to put him out of her mind. Men like that had a raw sensuality that was overwhelming and distracted her from her work. She preferred to avoid entanglements with them because she sensed she wouldn’t be able to control those entanglements.
“A delicious one,” Vin agreed with a gleam in her eye. “I’d like to have been there when she saw what he was hiding beneath his kilt.”
“You’re incorrigible,” Jess scolded through her smile.
“I may be incorrigible, but I am also determined to protect my sisters from the folly of unwise choices. Which brings us tothe next order of business - I’ve procured the items necessary to instruct you on contraception.”
“According to the queue in line at Mr. Bennett’s, a winter storm is barreling toward us. Your procurement could not have come at a more opportune time.”
Vin gave her a smug smile. “Not only do we have the opportunity, ‘tis better to have this discussion sooner rather than later. The way he looks at you is unmistakable, and you’re terribly prickly around him. Which means you’re aroused by him as well - even if it’s against your better judgment.”
Jess cleared her throat and tried to appear nonchalant. “I know he’s attracted to me. He’s said as much. But I’m as interchangeable as the next woman. The man could charm the fangs from a cobra. He’s handsome, and bedsport is likely something he excels at. If this seduction is something I agree to, why shouldn’t my deflowering be enjoyable?”
Her sister raised a hand, her face alight with laughter. “I wasn’t shaming you, sister. I’m here to ensure your dalliance, if there is to be one, is without consequences. I’ll fetch us some tea.”
As her sister walked away, Jess pondered the way it had felt to be swept into Cadoc Morgan’s arms. Like she was weightless. His chest had been like a steel drum beneath her head, and the steady beat of his heart had been soothing. The arms that had encircled her had been hard too. Lean with muscle.
She thought back to his lewd proposition. When she closed her eyes she could see the swing of his shirt when he answered the door, and the way his bared forearm had looked stretched above his head.
The promise of all that banked strength wrapped so effortlessly around her, and the gentle way he’d lain her down upon this very bed made her stomach flutter.
A clatter at the top of the stairs, and Vin’s muttered, “Blast!” snapped her from her musings. It was dangerous to become entranced by Cadoc Morgan.
The rattling teacups preceded her sister into the room. “I dropped one of the spoons at the top of the stairs,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind sharing one.”
So that’s what the noise had been. Jess bit her lip so she wouldn’t smile. Vin could mix vials, powders and potions with uncanny precision, but she was the clumsiest of her sisters when she wasn’t behind an apothecary’s counter.
Jess stirred a drop of honey into her tea and waited for her sister to speak.
“I think you should insist he wear a condom. I’ve procured some for you, but if the rumors are true about his sexual regimen, he probably already has one at his disposal.”
“If it comes to that, will I be expected to put it on?”
Vin’s grin was vivacious. “That might be titillating, but I think it depends on what his proclivities are.”
