One Snowy Night (3 page)

‘Unfortunately
not,’ said Charles. ‘He is at present abroad. I wrote to him, telling him of
Jebadiah’s death, but the letter must not have reached him. I have received no
reply.’

‘My own
efforts to contact him have met with a similar lack of success. Well, as he
cannot be with us, I suggest we get down to business.’

‘Indeed,’ said
Charles.

‘Good. Then if
you are all quite ready, I will begin.’

Rebecca
settled herself more comfortably then turned with interest to the lawyer.

Mr Wesley
cleared his throat then picked up an important-looking document that was placed
in front of him. He shuffled it between his hands. In precise, dry tones he
began to read.

‘"This is
the last will and testament of Jebadiah Marsden",’ he said. His voice took
on a declaiming quality. ‘"To my only living son, Charles Marsden, I leave
- "
’

At that moment
there was a commotion from out in the hall, and the sound of the unctuous clerk
saying, ‘You can’t go in,’ before the door was flung open, and there, on the
threshold, was . . . the leonine gentleman!

He was looking
even more impressive than Rebecca remembered him. His mane of dark blond hair
was gleaming in a shaft of sunlight. His jaw line, devoid of the stubble that
had adorned it the previous evening, was revealed in all its strength. The
planes of his cheekbones, now that his hair had been brushed back from his
face, were even sharper than she had remembered them, and his lips were full
and firm. His clothes were immaculate. Beneath his many-caped greatcoat Rebecca
glimpsed a blue tailcoat and cream breeches, pulled tight across his powerful thighs,
and beneath them a pair of highly polished black boots.

But what is
he doing here
? thought Rebecca.

Her question
was quickly answered. Charles, starting up, said warmly, ‘Joshua!’

Joshua
? thought Rebecca in
astonishment.

This
was Joshua?

No. It couldn’t
be.

He was the
complete opposite of the picture she had built up in her mind. Where was the
dandy she had imagined? True, his clothes were in the height of fashion, but he
wore them with an air of wildness that spoke of plains and prairies rather than
drawing-rooms. And as for being able to make himself agreeable . . . !

‘Joshua!’
cried Hetty with pleasure. ‘We had given up all hope! How wonderful to see you
again.’

Rebecca felt
distinctly uncomfortable, wondering what he would say when he turned his head
and saw her. If he mentioned the incident, she couldn’t bear to think of Hetty’s
horrified response!

‘And now you
must meet Jebadiah’s granddaughter,’ said Charles jovially. ‘Miss Foster, this
is Mr Kelling.’

Joshua turned
towards her, and a humorous light brightened his copper-coloured eyes.

‘Oh, Charles,
for heaven’s sake!’ Hetty threw up her hands in despair. ‘There will be no
standing on ceremony between Jebadiah’s loved ones.’ She took the introductions
into her own hands. ‘Joshua, this is Rebecca, and Rebecca, this is Joshua.’

Joshua took
her hand, and to her annoyance Rebecca felt herself flush. But she need not
have worried. Although the gleam did not leave his eye, he behaved in exemplary
fashion, bowing politely over her hand. For a moment she thought he was going
to kiss it . . . and gave a sigh of relief when he did not. She had the uneasy
feeling that the feel of his lips on the back of her hand would have been intoxicating,
and she did not want to find herself attracted to this impossible man.

As he
relinquished her hand she felt her pulse begin to steady and was able to reply coolly.
‘Joshua.’ She inclined her head.

Fortunately,
neither Hetty nor Charles had noticed the strained nature of their greeting,
but she still could not be comfortable as she again took her seat. She had no
idea whether Joshua would reveal they had met, or whether he would reveal the
details of their meeting.

‘I will begin
again,’ said Mr Wesley, once Joshua had shrugged himself out of his greatcoat,
and they had all settled. He turned to Joshua. ‘I had just begun to read
Jebadiah Marsden’s will,’ he explained.

Joshua nodded.
‘Charles wrote and told me of Jebadiah’s death.’ His face became more serious,
and Rebecca realized that for all his untamed appearance he was capable of
strong attachments, for it was obvious he had loved her grandfather deeply. ‘I
would have been here sooner but the letter was delayed and my own journey home
was hampered by a bad crossing and then all this snow.’

‘Quite.’ Mr
Wesley picked up the will once more. ‘"This is the last will and testament
of Jebadiah Marsden",’ he began again. ‘"To my only living son,
Charles Marsden, I leave the bulk of my estate."‘

Charles, who
had been perched on the edge of the sofa, let out a sigh of relief, and Hetty
smiled happily.

Rebecca, too,
was pleased. She was beginning to feel a little more comfortable. Joshua had
settled himself at the other side of the room, and she was able to think
clearly again.

Mr Wesley went
on to give details of Charles’s inheritance: a number of
London
properties, a variety of
stocks and bonds, as well as assorted bank balances and a collection of lesser
items. Then he continued. ‘There are also a number of smaller legacies, as I
expect you anticipated.’ He cleared his throat again and went on.

‘"To Miss
Louisa Stanhope, I leave the sum of five thousand pounds." ‘

Louisa was
Rebecca’s middle-aged cousin. The two of them lived together in
Cheshire
but Louisa had been
prevented from travelling to
London
by her rheumatism.

Five thousand
pounds was a generous sum. It would enable Cousin Louisa to indulge in a number
of the luxuries she presently deprived herself of. Perhaps she could even visit
Bath
or
Harrogate
to take the waters.

Rebecca turned
her attention back to Mr Wesley.

‘"To my godson,
Joshua Kelling",’ he went on, ‘"I leave my signet ring —"‘

Rebecca nodded
thoughtfully. It seemed fitting, as well as practical, that Joshua should
inherit her grandfather’s ring, which was embossed with the letter
"J".

‘" -
together with a half share in Marsden mill".’

Rebecca
glanced at Joshua. As she took in the ruthless line of his jaw she set her chin.
This was an unforeseen complication: not that Joshua was to inherit half of the
mill, as her grandfather had always told her that that would happen, but that
Joshua was a strong and powerful man, instead of the malleable dandy she had
hoped he would be.

The question
now was, although she had known that Joshua was to inherit half of the mill,
had he known that she was to inherit the other half?

She felt her spirit
rise up inside her. She would soon find out.

‘"To my
beloved granddaughter, Rebecca,"‘ went on Mr Wesley, ‘I leave my fob
watch, in memory of the pleasure she gave me when she was learning to tell the
time . . . and a half share in Marsden mill." ‘

She saw Hetty
and Charles turn towards her in surprise, but it was Joshua’s face that most
interested her. As her eyes were drawn to his she saw his brows shoot up in
surprise, before a ruthless smile curved his lip. He turned towards her and she
shivered as she felt the full force of his personality being brought to bear on
her. His eyes looked deep into her own, and she saw them gleam, predatory, in
the winter sunlight. But if he was challenging her, then so be it, she thought.
He would not find her wanting.

At the sight
of her straightening her spine, an appreciative quirk touched the corner of his
mouth, then he turned his attention back to Mr Wesley.

There were a
few further legacies and bequests, then Mr Wesley folded the document and put
it down on the table.

‘That
concludes the reading of the will. Are there any questions?’

He looked from
one to the other of them.

None were
forthcoming.

Charles stood
up. ‘Thank you, Wesley,’ he said. ‘It was good of you to take the time to see
us. But now I believe we must keep you no longer. If I could trouble you to
have your clerk hail us a hansom? It was too cold for our carriage to wait.’

‘At once.’ Mr
Wesley summoned his clerk, and sent the oily youth to perform the task.

‘You’ll return
with us, I hope, and join us for dinner, Joshua?’ asked Hetty, turning with a
smile towards him. ‘It has been such a long time since we have seen you. We are
longing for you to tell us all about your trip.’

Joshua smiled
down at Hetty. To her surprise, Rebecca saw that it was a warm smile, untinged
with mockery or wickedness as it was when he smiled at her. It warmed his eyes,
making them glow tawny.

‘I’d like to,
but unfortunately I have one or two urgent matters to attend to.’

Rebecca
breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Then you will
at least join us for tea?’ Hetty pressed him.

Rebecca held
her breath.

By accident,
he caught sight of her and a provoking smile curved his mouth. ‘Thank you. I’d
be delighted.’

Rebecca fumed.
He had done it on purpose, she was sure of it. It seemed he meant to make her
uncomfortable for the rest of the afternoon!

‘Good,’ said
Hetty delightedly.

Whilst they
waited for a hansom, Charles and Hetty fell into an animated conversation about
their good fortune. Not wishing to intrude upon them, Rebecca withdrew to the
far side of the room.

To her
discomfiture, Joshua followed her. ‘I take it you have no objection to me
joining you for tea?’ he said, with a quirk at the corner of his mouth.

Rebecca fought
down the urge to rise to his bait, and replied coolly, ‘Of course not. What
possible objection could I have?’

He shrugged
his broad shoulders. ‘We didn’t part on the best of terms, and I wouldn’t want
to make you uncomfortable. If you are worried that I will mention the incident,
you may rest easy. It reflects well on neither of us.’

‘Nothing you
could do would be important enough to make me uncomfortable,’ returned Rebecca
aloofly.

‘No?’ His eyes
were mocking.

‘No,’ she said
with spirit.

‘I am glad to
hear it.’

The atmosphere
grew suddenly thick, and she was uncomfortably aware of a tingling sensation
running down her spine. He was a formidable man, and she was beginning to see
why her grandfather had said he was such a strong player in business matters.
It was not because he had a head for figures - although he was undoubtedly
intelligent - but because he had a ruthless streak that would serve him well in
the cut and thrust of commerce. It was in his eyes, a ruthlessness that was
akin to a jungle cat regarding its prey; because despite his civilised veneer
there was definitely something predatory about Joshua Kelling.

And he was to
be her partner in the mill.

She felt a
brief moment of panic, before her spirit rose to the challenge. Here was a man
against whom she could test her mettle, and that was something she did not meet
with every day.

‘Wondering how
strong I am, Rebecca?’ he asked, as if reading her mind.

‘I — ‘ she
said, startled. ‘How did you know what I was thinking?’ she asked accusingly.

He laughed. ‘Jebadiah
used to wonder the same thing. We had many battles. Most of which I won. But
not all.’ He looked at her critically. ‘You are very like him. When we met in
The
Queen’s Head
I wondered who you reminded me of, and now I know. When you
lift your chin - yes, like that!’ he said, as she unconsciously lifted it,
sensing a challenge, ‘then you are just like Jebadiah. Not physically, of
course,’ he said with a wicked smile. ‘But there is something about your
manner, as if you are saying,
Do your worst, it won’t be enough, no man will
ever get the better of me
.’ His smile broadened into sardonic laughter. ‘With
his blood in your veins it’s no wonder you were capable of standing up to me.
What is a wonder is that
you
didn’t turn
me
out of the room!’

Again, that
humour in his eyes. In other circumstances she would have found it appealing,
but Joshua was a strong adversary and she knew she must give him no quarter. So
instead of laughing, she said with deceptive mildness, ‘You find it amusing
that I was forced to spend the night in the attic with my maid?’

He shrugged.

‘No. I don’t.
If I’d known who you were I’d have let you have the room. But as matters stood —’

‘As matters
stood?’ she asked with a lift of her eyebrows.

Wishing a
moment later that she hadn’t. Because his face lit up with another smile. He
was clearly recalling that, as matters stood, he had asked her to share his
bed!