Indigo Excerpt: Esther Meets Jesse
The next day I was eating breakfast when a tall, rather
disheveled dark-haired man barged into the dining room, just like that. There
was something in his eyes that looked desperate and dangerous and made me nervous.
If Daniel hadn’t been there I think I might have run, especially since as soon
as the newcomer caught sight of me he stared in the most peculiar way. But then
Daniel got up and embraced him, and I knew that somehow it must be all right. I
still felt nervous though because as he held Daniel the visitor was still
looking at me over his shoulder.
“Jesse!” Daniel said as he clapped the big man on the
back.
“Daniel!” the man returned with a hug and a smile. They
were obviously keen to see each other.
Surely this wasn’t one of my fiancé’s lovers. He was
handsome enough, that was for sure, but I knew that Daniel was trying to hide
his proclivities, and this was hardly the way to go about that.
“Esther, my betrothed,” Daniel beamed. “Meet my brother,
Dr. Jesse Peacock, fresh from England.” He sniffed and made a face. “Perhaps
not so fresh after all.”
That explained that. Of course. Now I could see the
resemblance, and I could also see that Jesse was extraordinarily good looking,
much more so than Daniel. Both brothers had beautifully sculpted jaws, Roman
noses, and thick, flowing eyebrows, but where Daniel was all gold and light,
Jesse was dark and mysterious, with light olive skin that gave him a distinctly
Spanish appearance. His eyes were as black as Pixy’s skin, while Daniel’s were
a light shade of brown that was more like tortoise shell. Jesse was taller
too—maybe six three or four to Daniel’s six foot one or two. I knew from what
Daniel had told me that Jesse was the youngest of the four Peacock siblings and
was about my age, twenty-seven. That he had made it all the way from England
exactly in time for our wedding was nothing less than astonishing. Obviously he
had left before Daniel and I had even met. Other than that I knew absolutely
nothing about him. For all I knew he was as uncouth as Daniel.
Jesse took my hand and kissed it, but I could see the
surprise in his eyes. “My brother has good taste,” he said diplomatically. He
was still staring at me though, and I was beginning to feel nervous.
EXCERPT:
Mrs. Thorpe
sobered. "My lord, I have no wish to ruin this wonderful day, but you must
not persist in this familiarity. No other relationship is possible. I assure
you I am perfectly adamant, for your sake and for the sake of Gomersall."
She forced a smile. "But I have not had so lighthearted a time since I
cannot remember when! And for that, I do say 'thank you', my very good
friend."
She gave him both
her hands; he took them for only a moment, though it seemed to her he would
have liked to have held them for longer; and then, saying nothing, he returned
to the tilbury and drove back to the Hall.
He was met at the door by Badger, who
approached him with the disdainful look that Lord Newsam was convinced he
reserved exclusively for him.
"My lord,
Lady Newsam and Miss Newsam desire your presence in my lady's parlour with the
utmost celerity," he announced in the pompous tone that always irritated
Lord Newsam.
"All
right," said Lord Newsam briefly, and went upstairs. "Did you want
me, Mama?" he asked mildly as he entered. He observed that Lady Newsam
appeared to be in a state of prostration, lying on the couch while Amelia
offered her occasional sniffs at the vinaigrette and fanned her face.
"Granville!
At last!" his mother exclaimed feebly. "Amelia will tell you what has
occurred!"
The memory of the
pleasurable day he had spent away from Gomersall only exacerbated Lord Newsam's
vexation at being confronted by difficulties the instant he returned.
"Great heavens, not another domestic crisis!" he exclaimed
uncharitably.
"I am so
sorry, Granville, I am afraid it is!" said Amelia regretfully. "It is
"Let him go,
then!" said Lord Newsam shortly.
Lady Newsam gave a
piteous moan. Amelia said, "Nobody has ever suited Mama half so well! He
knows just how to please her!"
"Let Badger
try to persuade him, then!" said her brother.
Amelia shook her
head. "He considers Badger his inferior," she informed him
discouragingly. "Granville, you are the court of last resort! Do, please,
try!" she implored.
Lord Newsam
acceded with an ill grace and ordered the cook to attend him in his office. Not
long afterwards, Philippe entered, a weedy individual with an air of offended
self-consequence.
"I understand
that you have given notice," said Lord Newsam indifferently.
"Oui! I 'ave
been insult' more zan 'uman can bear!" Philippe averred. "I leave at
ze week end!"
"All
right," said Lord Newsam.
The cook stared at
him, dumfounded. "I am leave'!" he reiterated.
"You need not
wait until the weekend; you may go now," Lord Newsam offered helpfully.
"I shall get the cook in from the Dower House."
"What! A mere
wooman in ze Gomersall kitchen!" exclaimed Philippe in horror. "Zis
cannot be!"
"Well, we
must eat," Lord Newsam pointed out practically. "And I am not
particular about my food, in any case."
"But Madame!
She will wizzer away!"
"Not at all;
she will learn to do without the dainties you provide: that is all." Lord
Newsam remained unmoved.
"Non! You are
torture' your own muzzer! She tell me all ze time 'ow she love my cooking! You
'ave no feeling, milor'!"
"Granted, I
have no sympathy for her delicate palate!" agreed Lord Newsam. "But
it is you who have no feeling, deserting my mother over some silly
nonsense!"
"Silly
nonsense! When Miss Charlotte, she come ask' question – where I get zis? 'ow I
make zat? – I am not good enough? I am good enough for Madame but not good
enough for Mademoiselle?" explained Philippe indignantly. "Is zis 'ow
I am treat'?"
"Has it not
occurred to you that she was not criticising, she was asking to learn? And
asking the greatest expert she knew? And for this you wish to give
notice?" Lord Newsam made a shooing
motion. "Go, then, if you cannot even understand the greatest compliment
of all!"
The cook stood
silent. He was not accustomed to thinking further than the week's menus, and
this complex philosophical point came close to evading him. At length, however,
he grasped the issue. "She wish me to teach 'er?" he asked, his eyes
lighting. "Ze noble Mademoiselle a student of Philippe? Ciel! Why she not
say before? But of course!"
Lord Newsam held
up a finger. "Only one day a week! She has many other duties!" He could visualise the cook demanding
"Ah,
oui!" responded the cook, only a little disappointed. "One day a
week, I teach Mademoiselle to cook comme
des anges!" He departed borne
upon clouds of imagined glory.
EXCERPT:
They were admiring a statute of two
lovers sitting off to one side of the lit path. It depicted what she'd heard
about the count. Two lovers in an erotic embrace. She couldn't pull her eyes
away. Never had she seen anything like it other than in a museum.
She felt his hot breath on her neck as
they stood quietly. His lips lightly feathered kisses along the back of her
neck, sending a desirous urge scorching through her body. She turned slightly
to face him, and when she did, his lips met hers. It was unlike any kiss she'd
ever encountered. It was anything but gentle, but rather the kiss was greedy
and needy.
His tongue parted her lips as he
desperately explored the depths of her mouth. She opened to him, her desire for
him unlike anything she'd felt before. She wrapped her arms around his neck,
feeling his hands pulling her bottom closer to his hardened cock. They were
lost to the outside world, caught up in their private world.
Suddenly he pulled away, breaking the
kiss. "I apologize. I don't know what got into me."
She smiled. "I think you wanted
to kiss me, just as much as I wanted you to kiss me. There's no shame in that,
Kirkcaldy."
"I had no right. You belong to
another," he rasped.
"And we both know the story
behind Carlisle and me. That's another facet to my life. One I wish to put
behind me. I thought you knew that."
"I do," he replied.
"Still, I had no right."
"You had every right. Soon, I
hope the earl will grow tired of trying to search for me and will see divorce
is the only way for us."
He rubbed his finger along her cheek.
"You're a smart, beautiful woman, Lady Caroline. The day will come when
the earl will set you free. Then you'll go back to your life, and I'll return
to mine."
"And we both know what sort of
life I will have. None. My parents have disowned me; I have nowhere else to go.
For now, my life revolves around being a friend and companion to your
mother."
"For which I'm very
grateful."
"Come, let us enjoy the rest of
the evening."
He gave her an odd look. "You're simply
going to pretend what just happened between us didn't happen?"
"What is it going to take to make
you understand, Kirkcaldy?"
"What I want is to forget the
outside world. I want you, Caro. I have since the day I met you."
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