Season for Temptation

Chapter 7. In Which No One Falls through Any Floors

The trip to Nicholls followed soon after Lady Irving’s arrival in Kent, although it was not soon enough for Julia. She was, as she told Louisa, simply mad with curiosity to see the place where her sister was going to live.

Well, what other reason could there possibly be for her eagerness, after all?

Every time she mentioned Nicholls, Louisa’s answering smile grew thinner. Probably, Julia realized, she was talking about it too much and making Louisa bored. But it was hard to keep quiet, especially as the set date grew closer.

The trip was planned for a week’s length, and it was ultimately decided that Louisa would be accompanied only by Julia, who was wild to see how good the house looked; Lady Irving, who was just as eager to see what a terrible state the house was in; and Simone, on whose presence Lady Irving’s every comfort was dependent. Lord and Lady Oliver were respectively preoccupied with the livestock and the children. Fortunately, in the opinion of all concerned except for Lady Irving, the parrot also failed to make one of the party, having become indispensable to young Tom, who was fascinated by the bird’s swashbuckling vocabulary.

The day of the journey to Nicholls was sunny and warm for late September. The carriage ride and a brief pause for a luncheon at a respectable-looking inn transpired with only a few complaints by Lady Irving regarding the crowding on the Olivers’ carriage seats, the stiffness of the “benighted” vehicle’s springs, the shockingly bad condition of the roads outside of London, and the fact that Julia was sitting on her skirts and crushing their silk (which today was an eye-testing bright yellow).

As they arrived at Nicholls in late afternoon, each of the four occupants of the carriage had a unique reaction upon seeing the estate.

“The grounds are so pretty,” said Julia.

“Good God, the drive is a positive cesspool,” Lady Irving observed, looking pleased. “Matheson obviously hasn’t done a thing to it.”

“I hope we will be able to get some hot water at once,” Simone commented in a low, lilting voice, looking at her hands with customary fastidiousness.

“The house is. . larger than I expected,” Louisa said, her eyes growing wider as they took in the immense breadth of the viscount’s ancestral home.

“Large is good, my girl,” Lady Irving replied. “More than you know, where men are concerned, large is good.” She cackled at what was apparently, to her, an extremely witty remark, as Julia and Louisa stared at her blankly and Simone looked pointedly out of the window.

James came out of the house to meet them himself, drawing a derogatory sniff from Lady Irving. As he helped the women down from the carriage, her ladyship commented in a lofty tone, “Although I am a countess, my dear boy, you really need not prostrate yourself like a servant for all of us.”

Julia saw Louisa’s gaze fly, chagrined, to James’s face, but the viscount only smiled benignly.

“Lady Irving, I would never deny you any attention that might make you the slightest bit more comfortable. After all, knowing you’re the same age as my mother, I thought you might benefit from some assistance into the house, especially from the steady hand of an attentive friend.”

Julia choked back a laugh, pleased to see her sister relax at James’s easy but barbed rejoinder. Lady Irving, for her part, drew her hand away from James’s arm and marched rapidly ahead of the party into the house without a backward glance. Simone stepped gingerly after her, placing her feet carefully to avoid the largest, muddiest ruts in the drive.

“I know it’s in a bit of a state.” James chatted with Julia and Louisa as he escorted them toward the house, one on each arm. “The workmen bring carts, the carts have big wheels and heavy loads — you see the result. I plan to cover it all over with crushed shell or some such thing. Unfortunately, that particular workman hasn’t come with his cart yet.” He smiled wryly. “It’s all still very much a work in progress, but I’ll do my best to make you comfortable.”

When they stepped inside the house, Julia hardly noticed the high-ceilinged entry hall or the gracefully curved main staircase. She had eyes only for Louisa, who tilted her head back to take in every detail, turning slowly.

Oddly enough, she looked worried.

James must have thought so, too. “Is something wrong?” he asked, his voice hesitant.

“I never imagined it would be like this,” Louisa admitted. “It’s so grand, absolutely huge. James, you must be a very important fellow.”

His relieved smile met her own uncertain one, and then he looked to Julia for her response.

“I think it’s lovely,” Julia reassured him, her heart lifting at his expression of relief. “It actually looks like it’s in quite good repair. Was much done during your absence?”

“To tell you the truth, it wasn’t as bad as I had feared,” James replied, his tone now eager. “We’ve always had a few servants here to keep things from completely falling apart. The problem was, many of the unused rooms were shut up, and when the roof started to leak into some of them, no one noticed for a long time. But once the roof was repaired, the plasterers and woodworkers were able to come and work their magic. We’re still under Holland covers in much of the house, but it’ll come back into use, bit by bit.”

By the end of this speech, Lady Irving was visibly bored by James’s excited recital of repairs.

“Yes, yes, congratulations, dear boy. Your house is sound and that is an excellent thing, no doubt. Now, I’m sure there are other parts of the house you’d like to show us, too? Perhaps some. . romantic places? That you and Louisa could go see while the rest of us have some tea?”

Julia rolled her eyes and tried to catch Louisa’s gaze, but the taller girl was looking at the floor. Her face was expressionless, but her hands twisted together in agitation.

James seemed not to notice. “Lady Irving, I am surprised to say I think that a delightful idea,” he replied, ignoring her huff in response. “In fact, why don’t we all have tea? I’ll have refreshment sent in at once and we can all have a seat in”—he peeped into a room off the entrance hall, and closed the door, shaking his head—“well, not in there. No furniture. Um, perhaps this next one?”

He opened the second door off the hall. “Yes, this one’ll do.” He gave an embarrassed smile to his guests. “Sorry, still sorting things out.”

Lady Irving glanced around the damask-walled parlor. Its heavy, dark furniture created a gloomy atmosphere. “If all your furniture is like this, perhaps that other room would be an improvement. You’ll have to get rid of everything for this parlor even to begin to be habitable.”

“Aunt,” Julia hissed, mortified. “I am sure his lordship is doing his best to be an excellent host.”

James overheard her and shrugged. “I’m afraid I haven’t done that well so far,” he replied. “I’ve made you stand around with no tea, and didn’t even know which room was ready to receive you. But as I’ve told some among you, I admit I have a lot to learn about running an estate in general, and about this house in particular.”

He smiled at Julia, reminding her of their conversation of several weeks before. “Every day, some new part is torn up and put together again differently.”

Then, turning his attention to Louisa, he said, “My dear, just for you, I made sure there were no holes in the floor for your visit.” This finally drew a quick flash of a smile from Louisa.

Julia, watching them, was surprised to feel a twist of envy that shivered through her whole body when James called her sister “my dear.” She wanted those words for herself, so badly she could almost feel them like a caress. Not from James, of course, for he could never be hers.

But perhaps from someone exactly like him.

Her attention was turned a moment later by Simone, who entered the room followed by a housemaid bearing the tea things.

Tea and biscuits — very good ones, Julia was happy to note — distracted them all for the next half hour; then James proposed a tour of the house before dinner.

“No, we would prefer to rest in our rooms,” Lady Irving informed him. “Except for Louisa, of course. She would prefer to see every secluded corner you’ve got in this drafty old pile of stones. Wouldn’t you, my girl?”

Louisa looked embarrassed and opened her mouth to speak, but Julia broke in before she knew what she was saying.

“Actually, Aunt, I would love to see the house, too.” The words slipped out before she could consider her motivation. And it didn’t really matter, anyway, because Louisa looked relieved.

James saw a rather grumpy Lady Irving and her impassive companion settled, then again offered both of his arms to the two sisters as they strolled down a long hall.

“This is very nice,” he observed. “Peaceful at last, isn’t it? I’m very glad to have the two of you here and show you the house. I expect you’ll both be spending a lot of time here in the future. Louisa, especially you,” he teased.

Louisa merely nodded. “What do you have in mind to show us?”

“I’m not sure,” James admitted. “I haven’t figured out the whole layout of the house yet. I hadn’t been here for decades, you know, so I hardly knew the place when I saw it.”

He paused in his walking. “Shall we just start opening doors? Or is there something you’d like me to try to find for you?”

“An orangery,” Julia replied promptly.

“The library,” Louisa answered a second later.

The viscount laughed. “There’s no orangery here, Julia. If there ever was, it’s dwindled away long ago.”

Her request had been the impulse of a moment; she just wanted something to say to capture James’s attention. And now that she had, she wanted to keep it, though she knew that was probably impolite.

“That’s too bad,” she began to blather. “I think oranges are really pretty. And good to eat, of course. I mean, that’s why most people grow them. But I think they must make a beautiful sight as well, seeing the trees in their pots and all the bright fruits on them.”

Louisa was looking at her as if Julia had an arm growing out of her forehead. “Where have you ever even seen an orangery?”

“I haven’t,” Julia confessed. “I’ve just read about them. But I’ve wanted to see one for a long time.” Which was true, if you defined “long” as “at least a minute and a half.”

“I’m very sorry not to be able to gratify the wish of a lifetime,” James said with a friendly smile. Turning to Louisa, he added, “But your request I can satisfy, my dear. Nicholls does have a library, and I even know where it is. Shall we?”

There it was, that envious twinge again. Julia made a vow to leave the couple some time to themselves in the library. After all, if such a simple phrase as “my dear” could have such a strong effect on her, what must it do to Louisa?

In the library, James was gratified to see Louisa’s face glow with appreciation. She looked around at the ornately carved shelves, the comfortably carpeted floor, stylish chairs and sturdy sofa grouped about the large room.

“Why, James,” she said, a rare and beautiful smile lighting her countenance, “this room is lovely. Just lovely. Surely it wasn’t like this before you began work on the house?”

Earning such a delighted smile from Louisa was a rare gift, and James valued it as such.

“It was not,” he replied, pride welling up within him. “I started the renovations with this room as a surprise for you. I am so glad you like it.”

She smiled at him again, but her expression was already absent as her eyes began to rove over the shelves. “It’s wonderful. I love it. Thank you for your kindness.”

An uncertain expression stole across her face, and she looked over at Julia. The fair-haired girl was sitting at the opposite end of the room, paging through a collection of maps with a look of great interest. James followed her gaze, and the familiar frisson of awareness shot through him. He might have conquered that initial attraction to her — well, mostly — but damnation, it was good to be around her again.

But Louisa — back to Louisa. “I never knew Julia cared for maps,” she was musing. “Perhaps she’s giving us some time to speak privately.”

“If that’s so, I’m grateful to her,” the viscount said, ushering his fiancée to the room’s most comfortable chair and then seating himself near her. “I hoped we would have time to talk.”

She shot him that wary look again. He sighed and considered how best to explain himself.

“Louisa, I know talk of our marriage makes you uncomfortable. Please be assured, I don’t intend to pressure you to set a wedding date or in any way take part in the next London season more than you wish to.”

It was frustrating to have to be so delicate. Louisa had snapped up his offer so quickly, he’d been sure she would be willing to become his bride at once. Instead, months were passing, and he was no closer to the altar than he had been at the end of the season. For all he knew, the thin company that remained in London over the winter was still amusing itself by nattering at the expense of his sister’s good name.

But apparently what he’d said was good enough, because Louisa’s wary look at once dissolved into relief. James continued cautiously, “I just. . thought it would be nice for us to have a chance to talk to one another. About life — our life. What we want to do after we are married.”

Her pale cheeks colored at once and she bit her lip. James mentally berated himself for his word choice. The last thing his skittish bride-to-be needed to hear was anything that sounded like a reference to marital activities.

“I mean,” he corrected smoothly, “where we will spend our time, how you’d like to see the house fitted out. . things of that nature. I remember how you wanted the seashell-shaped bathtub, though I haven’t commissioned it yet,” he teased, attempting to lighten her mood.

“Well,” Louisa reflected, “I’m willing to leave the choice of how the house will be furnished to you. The library’s to my liking, and I may not be in many of the other rooms, so they really should fall according to your taste.”

Disappointment seeped through James. He was trying his hardest to please her, and she was parrying his every attempt to strike at her heart, or even at her conscience. How could he provoke her into showing some enthusiasm?

“But. . you’ll be receiving guests. Your friends, your family,” he prompted her. “And you’ll have your own bedchamber — if you’ll excuse my mentioning it,” he added. “That should certainly be made the way you like it.”

“Isn’t it more important that you should like it?” Louisa replied, her smile an ironic twist.

James felt as if he were walking on a beach with quicksand somewhere nearby. Any misstep could land him in trouble, but he had no idea what such a misstep might be. He felt suddenly tense and frustrated.

“I want you to have things as you like them once we are married,” James repeated carefully. “But if you honestly have no preference, then I’ll do my best to guess, as I did in the library.”

Louisa sighed, and looked up at him with eyes much older and more tired than her nineteen years. “James, I’m sorry. I do truly appreciate what you’ve done to make the library beautiful, and what you’re doing to make a home for me. I’m just not used to thinking along the lines of how a viscountess would need to live. I shall try to do better.”

Her beautiful, sudden smile burst over her face again. “I just heard those words come out of my mouth. Me, a viscountess? Oh, it’s so ridiculous! I can hardly believe it. James, what were you thinking, asking me to marry you?”

He smiled back, relieved. At last, at last, he had broken through her shell of worry. “I was thinking, as soon as I saw you for the first time, glaring at me, that you would be an excellent hostess for the dinner parties I planned to throw every night for at least eightyfive people.”

“Oh, stop,” she said, laughing.

“And I could tell,” he pressed, eager to take advantage of her change of mood, “that you would love to have sixteen houses in town, each bigger than the last, and a whole army of servants to command at each one.”

She shook her head, giggling. “How well you know me. I’m astounded; you’ve penetrated to my very deepest desires.”

“Ah. . yes,” James said, clearing his throat and trying not to think of that type of desire. He darted a look at Julia, of course just to see if she had been listening, but she seemed as absorbed in her maps as ever.

“Well, we’ll leave the subject for now,” he suggested, returning to seriousness. “But if you have any ideas about what would make you comfortable, you have only to say the word. In the meantime, I’ll just focus on getting the place habitable. At least, what your aunt would consider habitable,” he finished wryly.

“Not possible.” Louisa shook her head. “If that’s your standard, I’m afraid you might as well pull this beautiful old place down and rebuild it in the middle of Grosvenor Square. She doesn’t care for much of anything outside of London.”

“That could be asking a bit much. In Grosvenor Square? The rent would be scandalous,” he bantered back.

Louisa smiled, and rose, her action matched at once by the viscount. “Thank you again, James. You’re very patient with me. I. . I’ll try to do what you want me to. I do appreciate all your kindness.”

She walked over to speak with Julia, who bounced up out of her seat at once and tossed aside the book of maps with a bit more force than would be expected for someone who was really enjoying their perusal.

James, left behind, again sank into his seat. Louisa had seemed happy at the end of their conversation, but it still rang hollow somehow. He blankly watched the two sisters talking, seeing Julia draw more smiles out of Louisa in two minutes than he had been able to get from her in the past two hours.

A peal of laughter from the other side of the room broke into his thoughts, and he snapped from his reverie to see Louisa and Julia both giggling helplessly, Julia pointing at a plate in what he very much feared was an old human anatomy book.

Just then she looked up and caught his gaze on her. She turned red and instantly slammed the book shut, stowing it behind her back like a child caught in the kitchen with a handful of biscuits. Louisa laughed even harder at this, herself turning to look at James and shaking her head helplessly.

“Julia found something rather interesting on your shelves,” she explained.

Yes, he thought bitterly; he could make his fiancée happy, as long as he didn’t talk about anything serious. As long as her sister was around her to cheer and distract her.

He smiled at Louisa, but inside, he felt leaden.