The house was magnificent with the upper balcony spanning the entire length of the house so that each room opened onto it, as was the case with the balcony below. Lynna had expected a home on a much smaller scale. Instead, here was a plantation to rival Magnolia House.
Her scrutiny of the house was halted abruptly when she observed the chiseled features of a man casually leaning against one of the columns on the verandah. He was unspeakably handsome in his fawn cut-away tailcoat over a crisp white linen shirt and form fitting breeches. He stood next to a man in a chair with wheels, with a blanket draped across his lap.
As the carriage drew up to the verandah, on closer examination Lynna found the man in the chair to be a slightly more mature version of Joshua with the same gleaming emerald eyes and soft teasing smile.
“Good evening,” Joshua called, bounding down the steps to greet them. “I’m glad you could come on such short notice. Meet my parents, Jeremiah and Patricia, and my baby sister, Malinda.”
“Oh, Joshua,” his sister groaned. “I am hardly a baby.”
The family trait was strong in Malinda as well. Curly black hair framed an oval face blessed with creamy magnolia skin, while a light powdering of freckles across her nose gave her a charming, childlike appearance.
“Welcome to Sea Grove,” Jeremiah announced after the introductions had been made. “Please, come inside.”
As Joshua moved to push his father’s chair into the house, Lynna took the opportunity to take a closer look at his parents. If not for a few wrinkles and grey hair Jeremiah could have easily been mistaken for Joshua’s brother.
His mother, Patricia, was an elegant lady with snowy white hair braided and pinned atop her head and the same creamy smooth complexion as her daughter. “We are so glad you could join us this evening.” Her smile was welcoming as she took the ladies’ wraps and handed them to the downstairs maid. “Malinda, show our guests to the parlor, please.”
Hooking her arm through Lynna’s, Malinda chatted amicably with her as though they had been confidants all their lives. Theirs was an immediate friendship. Malinda had no desire to become friends with the uppity Suzanne, who was a complete opposite from her. “Lynna, Joshua has told me so much about you over the years. I do hope we can find time to get better acquainted before you return to Georgia.”
“I would be delighted.” Joshua had been conversing with his sister about her? For years? “However, I am afraid you have Suzanne and I confused. She has known your brother for some time, whereas… I only met him a few days ago. I am certain it was her and not me that your brother spoke of.”
“Perhaps it was,” Malinda whispered with a sly wink, infuriating Suzanne, who was straining to eavesdrop and hear every word. Fortunately, she missed the important ones.
Malinda opened the massive double doors with a beautiful fanlight spanning the entire width. Entering the spacious foyer Lynna stopped motionless in her tracks. On both sides of the hallway stood twin staircases with finely carved mahogany banisters and handrails inlaid with brass. What she found most amazing was that the two staircases were joined at the top by a bridge. In the center of the house, the floor to the second story ceiling was open, airy and cool.
“The house is beautiful,” she breathed.
“What?” Malinda questioned. “Oh, the house. Thank you.” It was obvious that she was clearly accustomed to this reaction from first time visitors.
The parlor was no less attractive. The walls were light blue with dark blue trim. Two rosewood sofas upholstered in regal blue faced each other in front of a marble fireplace. On the mantle stood miniature statues carved from ivory, jade, bone and crystal. Displayed prominently over the mantel was a gilt and wood bull’s eye mirror, and hanging on either side of it were a beautifully done oil portraits of Joshua’s mother with her children.
Taking a seat in one of the overstuffed wingchairs, Lynna was once again caught completely off guard by Joshua’s bold behavior when he moved behind her to rest his hand possessively on the back of her chair. She glanced anxiously toward Daniel, but if he took offense he concealed it well. Not so with Suzanne. Her rigid body was planted against the wall as her steely eyes never once lost their focus on Joshua’s hand.
While the men discussed the price of cotton and politics, the ladies chatted about the weather and fashion, Suzanne’s favorite topic, but she chose to remain curiously silent. It would have been a pleasant conversation had Joshua’s hand not rested so near. Lynna was noticeably ill at ease with his close proximity and went as rigid as Suzanne when his hand, hidden from the others, drifted down to finger a golden curl.
She blushed crimson as she leaned forward to brush invisible lint from her skirt. Oh, how she longed to turn and slap his arrogant face, but she didn’t move or dare lean back and be pawed by his roving hand again.
By the same token, Joshua’s hand itched, almost ached, to travel down further to the swells of her creamy, fully rounded bosom displayed so enticingly from his vantage point. Again he had been on the verge of throwing caution to the wind when the part he coveted was unceremoniously snatched from view.
Lynna wondered how this man’s slightest touch could scorch her skin, when Daniel’s most passionate kiss failed to stir a response in her? She could find no answer to this burning question and was more than relieved when the maid announced that dinner was served. As she stood, she turned to present Joshua with a withering glare.
Chuckling to himself, Joshua ignored her display of temper and went to push his father’s chair into the dining room.
Coming to the conclusion that the fates were definitely aligned against her, Lynna found herself seated next to the insolent rogue. But why blame the fates? After all, this was Joshua’s home and she should have known he would have a hand in the seating arrangements.
The dining room was the same shade of light blue trimmed in dark blue. A table and twelve chairs carved from dark, rich cherry held the center of the room, set with blue and white china and blue crystal, surrounding a centerpiece of ruby red roses.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying the sumptuous meal and lively banter. But, with Joshua so near, Lynna’s appetite once again deserted her.
While the others were involved in witty repartee among themselves, Joshua bent to whisper near her ear. “Is there something amiss with your food, my sweet? Or could there perchance be something about me that ruins your appetite?”
She only arched a delicate brow at him.
“I fear if you and I were together for any great length of time you would simply waste away,” he purred as his gaze fell to her sensuous mouth. “And what a terrible loss that would be.”
Lynna could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. In barely more than a whisper, she grated, “Sir, you should learn to conduct yourself in a more gentlemanly fashion. You don’t know me well enough to make such brash remarks.”
“Lynna, my pet, there is little about you that I don’t know, intimately.” He grinned wickedly, passing her a napkin covered basket of steaming buttermilk biscuits. “Bread?”
With a sharp intake of breath and a definite tilt of her pert nose she took a biscuit and buttered a chunk, then put it on her plate, unsure if her queasy stomach could handle food at the moment. Taking a sip from her wine glass, she almost choked when Joshua’s thigh brushed intimately against hers.
“Here, allow me.” Innocently he patted her back. A pat that was more like a caress. “Did your wine go down the wrong way?”
She longed to slap the smirk from his smug face. How dare he make such brazen advances toward her, treat her like nothing more than a common trollop? Would this night ever end? She bestowed upon him an icy glare that would have put any other man in his place, but not so Joshua. He had the audacity to grin and wink slyly at her blazing face.
The entire length of her body trembled with rage as she turned to him and whispered, “I will not sit still for your manhandling a second longer. If you so much as consider touching me again you will feel the blade of my bu
tter knife beneath your skin.”
It was a harmless threat and she knew it, but she hoped it would be enough to scare him. She held the butter knife in her hand for added conviction, but it fell from her hand with a clatter as he threw back his head and laughed uproariously before continuing, undaunted, with his meal.
Beside her, Malinda giggled. “Pay him no mind, Lynna. He has forever been a tease, especially when a woman intrigues him.”
At that moment, Suzanne, who was again listening to their conversation, hated Lynna enough to scratch her eyes out, with great pleasure. Joshua had never once teased her.
With the meal finally at an end, they took their coffee and brandy into the parlor. Suzanne could not suffer through watching Joshua lust after Lynna for another second. With exaggerated weakness, she mewled, “Father, I have developed a simply monstrous headache and I must ask that we return home early.”
Silas expressed his immediate concern for his daughter’s welfare, speaking to Patricia. “It has been a most enjoyable evening and we regret having to leave early, but under the circumstances I pray you will understand.”
“Of course, we do,” Patricia assured him. Then, turning to Suzanne, she added, “I hope you feel better soon, darling.”
“Thank you,” she simpered. “I’m sure that I will feel much better tomorrow.” Or whenever Lynna decides to return home.
“If you are ever in Georgia, stop by Magnolia House for a visit,” Silas was saying to Jeremiah and Patricia. “You are always welcome.”
“That’s very kind of you and we just might take you up on your offer,” Jeremiah replied. “However our son does the majority of traveling in the family.”
Turning to Joshua, Silas repeated the invitation. “You are more than welcome to visit, anytime.”
“Thank you, sir. I feel certain that I can find time for a visit soon.” As his smiling eyes strayed toward Lynna, Joshua, and everyone else in the room, felt certain that the visit would be in the not too distant future.
Outside in the dark night, Joshua assisted the ladies into their carriage. With his hands on Lynna’s waist, he couldn’t resist the impulse to allow his hands to linger.
In truth, Lynna’s body turned to a mass of quivering flesh and her heart threatened to fly out of her chest, but he must never know how much his touch affected her.
“What was that?” Mary questioned as a loud slapping sound rang out in the still night air.
“Damn mosquitoes,” Joshua chuckled, rubbing his stinging jaw. To be so petite, the little lady packed a wallop. “They are out for blood tonight.” It was too dark to see, but Joshua could imagine Lynna’s enchanting face beaming triumphantly in the still night. And he was absolutely correct. She leaned back in her seat feeling entirely vindicated.
Upon their return to Cedar Hill, they were met with a messenger from Magnolia House. Jopree, the overseer, had taken ill and they must return at once. Their bags were packed that night so as to be ready to set out on their journey home at first light.
Chapter 19