Rogues Gallery (57 page)

He wrapped his arms around his beautiful wife from behind, laughing into her neck as she protested for just a moment. It was a scandal to display such open affection, but he cared little of that. Let the
ton
wag their tongues merely because he adored his wife and had no qualms about showing it.

They should be thankful they were not privy to his innermost thoughts just then.

He deposited a quick kiss on her bare shoulder. When Felicia tilted her head towards his, Tony mouthed "thank you", his hands together in a prayerful gesture, and then scooted off to parts unknown.

Hugh twirled Felicia around to face him. "I know he is your cousin, but perhaps you should give him some leeway. You can be quite frightening, you know."

"Truly?" Her eyes sparkled with obvious delight.

"I meant it as more of a caution," Hugh said, squeezing her once more before reluctantly letting her go.

"I cannot help it if I have a ferocious nature. It will come in quite handy some day, I am sure of it."

"You may be right." He grinned. "Though I hope I shall always be your primary opponent."

"You have always been my favorite." Something behind him caught her eye, and her lips turned up into a devilish smile. "Though my brother Julian is due for an upbraiding, since he continues to resist my matchmaking efforts."

"You are merciless, Felicia."

"Thank you, Hugh. You always know exactly what I want to hear."

"I am here to serve your every desire."

The words flustered her, surprising him to no end. It also delighted him. Before he could whisper a shocking suggestion in her ear, their newest guests were standing in front of them.

"Georgie!" Felicia cried, hugging her best friend as if they had not seen each other for decades. Hugh nodded at Simon. Felicia and Georgie finally finished their exuberant greetings, and Georgie's eyes twinkled as she addressed him.

"Marriage most definitely agrees with you, my lord. You appear quite. . . well-rested."

Hugh laughed appreciatively with the rest of them. "Indeed. And I have no idea whether to chastise your husband or my wife for your observation."

She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "I suspect both are equally guilty."

Simon did his best to maintain a bland expression, as did Felicia, but twinkling eyes and twitching lips gave them both away.

"I nearly forgot!" Felicia began to dash off, but Hugh caught her hand, delaying her for a moment.

"Everything is perfect," he told her. "And if it is not, we can have Haselton see to it."

She smiled in a very secretive way. "I have a surprise for you."

"I wonder what I should prepare myself for now."

Felicia did not answer his question, for she had already departed, quick as a flash.

***

F
elicia heard a swift intake of breath, and then the unmistakable sound of hands clapping excitedly. She grinned, her heart melting at Lucinda's visible excitement as she watched the frenzy of activity from her perch by the banister.

"Everything is so pwetty," she said, her voice filled with awe. She turned to gaze at Felicia. "You are the pwettiest of all."

Felicia sank down on the stair, next to Lucinda, and gathered her into her arms. "Not half as pwetty as you," she said, giving the girl a squeeze. Predictably Lucinda squealed, but this time she wrapped her arms around Felicia and gave her a hug. If Felicia were a flighty debutante, she would worry about her dress becoming wrinkled, or Lucinda transmitting jam from her tea onto the delicate fabric.

But she cared nothing for any of those things. She could dash upstairs and don any number of gowns. She only had one daughter, however, and she would treasure these instantaneous demonstrations of her devotion.

She kissed the top of Lucinda's head, inhaling the sweet baby scent of her hair. She had fallen in love with Hugh, instantly, and in just about the same amount of time, she had fallen in love with his daughter.

She could not imagine a life without either of them in it.

"Both of my beautiful ladies in one spot? How fortunate can one man be?"

"Papa!" Lucinda launched herself into her father's arms, certain of his love for her, never questioning whether he wanted her near or not. It was difficult to determine which of them was giggling the loudest just then.

Felicia sighed. She would give a year of her life to have such assurances from her husband.

As if he had read her mind, Hugh reached his free hand towards Felicia, lifting her from her seated position. She stood next to him, smiling at Lucinda. The little girl reached a pudgy arm towards Felicia to pull her in for a hug, and most likely a juicy kiss, judging by her pursed lips. Felicia leaned towards her, and then, to her surprise, felt Hugh's arm snake around her waist.

The two of them pulled Felicia close, so they were all three embracing. Felicia felt her eyes start to tear up, and she sniffed, not wanting to spoil the moment so that Hugh would break away, searching for a handkerchief.

She blinked, several times, and she could see Hugh's smile soften to one of concern.

"I know better than to try to stop a sneeze," she lied, "because now my eyes are watering like they are going to liquefy entirely."

Lucinda giggled. "You are funny. I love you."

Felicia did not even hesitate. "And I love you immensely." She smoothed Lucinda's hair back and kissed her on the forehead.

Hugh's voice was husky when he said, "Come, Lucinda, we need to find Nurse so she can get you to bed."

Felicia knew he was being a responsible parent. She knew she would be considered popular with the child, and incredibly unpopular with her father, but she could not resist saying, "I promised Lucinda a peek inside the ballroom."

"Yes," Lucinda said, with a great deal of enthusiasm.

"Of course," Hugh said. "I should have thought of it myself."

Felicia looked up at him, expecting a frown, along with a "We shall discuss this later" expression. Instead, his eyes were twinkling with merriment. And she realized he had given her the opportunity to suggest the joyful diversion.

She gasped. Her mouth remained open for several seconds while she thought of what to say. He placed his finger under her chin and tilted it up, closing her mouth. Then he deposited the briefest of kisses on her lips.

"You're welcome," he said.

Felicia sighed.

"Do that again," Lucinda said, pushing on both of their heads.

"Come, minx," Hugh said, "before I change my mind about letting you stay up a little longer."

She wriggled out of his arms, believing she had bested him when he set her feet on the carpeted stairs. Before she could take a tumble, he grabbed one hand, and Felicia grabbed the other.

Felicia gazed at her husband, loving him even more for how much he loved his daughter, and how much he cared for his wife and her sensibilities.

She leaned towards him and gave him a quick kiss. "You're welcome too," she said, and then started down the stairs.

***

T
he musicians were warming up when the three of them entered the ballroom. The candles in the chandeliers cast the room in a warm glow, and the floor reflected the light, creating a fairyland ambience.

Lucinda sucked in her breath, and then covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes widened as she turned to look at everything, taking it all in.

Felicia knelt down next to her and whispered something in her ear. Hugh loved how his daughter held Felicia's shoulder, so easily, completely without guile. Then her eyes widened and she laughed.

In the next instant, Lucinda raced to him, plowing into his legs. He picked her up, always happy to have her in his arms.

"You are getting stronger each day, love. Tomorrow you might be able to send me sprawling on the floor."

Lucinda seemed to barely hear him. She twisted around to find Felicia, who nodded, as if in reassurance.

"Papa," Lucinda said as Felicia left. "I want to ask you something."

"Anything," he said without hesitation. "Tell me what is on your mind."

His eyes flicked towards Felicia, admiring the view of her walking towards the musicians. He felt a moment's envy when she smiled up at the conductor, knowing from the man's spellbound gaze just what it felt like to be the focus of her beautiful visage.

He was a lucky man. Anyone who had Felicia was the luckiest man on the face of the earth. He nearly lost his ability to breathe when she turned at that moment, smiling at him. She was the embodiment of beauty, and love, and everything he had ever wanted in life.

Before he could examine that further, the musicians struck up a waltz tune. He thought at first they were warming up, but then the conductor glanced his way, smiling.

Hugh clucked his tongue at his daughter. "You and Felicia have been conspiring, haven't you?"

She nodded, confirming his suspicions. "I want you to dance with me. That is what I wanted to ask you."

"I will be delighted to dance with you, poppet."

He twirled her around in his arms, treasuring her breathless smiles, her delighted face the only thing he could see as the rest of the ballroom blurred behind her. He took several turns around the room and then stopped, not wanting to disorient her. She continued to giggle, overflowing with happiness, making her joy spill right into his heart.

He turned until he could see Felicia, standing next to the conductor. She was beaming, as filled with joy as he was. He thought his heart only had room for one, but he had been wrong. Felicia had made space there too, and he realized how empty he had been—

"Papa, my tummy does not feel so good."

Her stomach erupted, leaving its mark on the front of his waistcoat.

***

F
elicia tucked Lucinda into her bed, stroking her hair and watching as she fought to stay awake. "You will feel better once you have gone to sleep," she said, even knowing the willful child was too much like her to follow the advice, good as it was.

Lucinda nodded, obviously exhausted. Her eyelids drooped, but she instantly opened them. "I wanted to make sure you were still here."

Felicia leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Lucinda's cheek. "I promised I would stay until you fell asleep."

"Where is Papa?"

"He shall return in a moment. It takes a while to undress and re-dress." She smiled before whispering, "I think it takes men longer than it does women nowadays."

"I did not mean to get sick." Lucinda's lower lip trembled. "I love Papa. I do not want him to be mad at me."

"Oh, he is not mad! No one could be mad because your stomach suffered an upset."

Felicia could see the tears welling in the little girl's eyes, and knew there were sobs likely to follow. Desperate measures were called for. She stood up from the chair next to the bed and climbed under the covers. She tucked the little girl under her arm, holding her and rocking her slightly.

"There. Does that feel better?"

"Yes," Lucinda answered, her voice soft.

Felicia knew better than anyone how hard it was to deal with the discomforts of life without a mother's comforting embrace. She was glad she could provide Lucinda with that, to add to the love that Hugh showered on her each day.

She continued to rock her, humming a lullaby, a soothing tune designed to lull her into sleep despite her valiant efforts at resisting. A sudden twitch let Felicia know the little girl could fight sleep off no longer. She pressed another kiss on Lucinda's ear.

"I love you so much. I promise I will always take good care of you. As well as your Papa, even though he resists me so."

A rustling noise startled her, and she glanced toward the door. Her face heated when she saw Hugh standing there, elegant in his newly-changed evening attire. Had he heard her bold words? She halfway hoped he had heard her confession. She feared he would always view her as Flighty Felicia, never giving her the opportunity to prove she had changed her ways.

His expression softened as he continued to gaze upon the two of them. His lips finally lifted into a slow smile, and Felicia's heart thundered at the sight. It was as if he had at last realized they were indeed a family, as if they had been the parents of this child from the very beginning.

He headed towards her, his pace slow yet deliberate. She felt the fluttering in her stomach, the same as when she had first realized she was in love with him, that sense of something momentous about to occur.

She kept her eyes on him, watching him advance, and then she removed her arm from underneath Lucinda. Fortunately the girl was so exhausted she did not wake. Instead she turned over and sighed, knowing somehow all was well in her world, especially with her parents.

When Hugh reached the side of the bed, he held his hand out. Felicia clasped it. His skin was so warm, and smooth, making her imagine what the rest of his skin would feel like when she could finally touch him completely.

"As much as I would prefer to stay here," Hugh whispered, "we do have guests downstairs."

He helped her rise from the bed, holding her close once she was on her feet. His lips hovered over hers, as if asking permission, even though her downcast eyes and parted mouth should have told him how much she needed his kiss just then. His breath brushed against her mouth, his chest lifting with each inhalation, pressing against the front of her thin silk dress.

"You seem determined to make me forget we have guests downstairs," she murmured.

She felt his mouth turn up into that beautiful smile she adored. She gripped his arms, to keep from falling to the floor in a heap. Her knees did not seem to have the strength to hold her upright when he smiled at her like that.

Instead of kissing her, he spun her around so that her back was flush against his front, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He dotted tender kisses along the side of her neck, sending shivers through her entire body.

"Hugh," she whispered, not sure if she was pleading for more, or asking him to halt. He seemed to know the answer, however, for he continued pressing his heated lips against her overheated skin.