LITMIR.BIZ

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the tall windows at either end of the hall, he was struck by the sheer magnitude of the wealth that had bought so much luxury. The walls were lined with fine works of art, which had no doubt been painted by great masters. Grecian statues graced velvet-lined recesses, and rested atop small carved tables that must be considered works of art in themselves.

      It was becoming clearer by the moment that he had gotten himself into a position where he would be surrounded by a world that was the epitome of all that he despised. Such possessions set the extremely wealthy apart and made them feel somehow superior to others. How could Victoria, surrounded by all this opulence, be any different? In spite of his first impressions of her as being somehow more genuine and unpretentious, Jed knew that she could not be.

      Again he reminded himself of why he had agreed to stay. Firstly for the purpose of finding his son, and secondly because Victoria Thorn needed his help. It was increasingly clear that her incredible affluence was one of the very things that made the lady the target of greedy suitors.

      Men such as Reginald Cox were not as scarce as they should be. Though Jed had foiled the bastard’s attempts to abduct Victoria, he could not abandon her now.

      His mother had taught him better than that. She had always reminded Jed that it was important to help those who needed it. Margaret McBride had herself often shared what little she had with others even less fortunate than herself.

      Though she had so much, Victoria had said she needed him. He recalled how visibly shaken she had been last night, despite her efforts to hide her fear. No, he could not abandon her.

      Jed could only hope he would keep his own attraction to the lady under control. The memory of the rush of heat he’d felt only minutes ago, when she came to his room and found him without benefit of his trousers, was an intense one. Shifting his shoulders inside his black jacket, Jed shook his head. He was no inexperienced boy, he assured himself with forced confidence. His feelings would be kept at bay.

      His boots made no sound on the plush carpet that ran the length of the corridor, but as he stepped onto the wide double staircase that lead to the foyer below, the sound of his heels clattered against the highly polished wood and echoed above him. This drew his gaze upward, where he saw a ceiling exquisitely painted with cherubs and clouds that were so real they looked as if they would be soft and billowy to the touch.

      At the foot of the stairs, a footman, uniformed in royal blue, bowed and pointed to a door across the marbled floor. “You are to go into the green sitting room, if you please, sir.” The man rushed to open the white-paneled door for him.

      Jed nodded. “Thank you.” He was not used to receiving such deferential treatment from servants, was in fact not used to servants much at all. He preferred to wait on himself. When he was in Bridgeport, where the ship building firm was located, he generally stayed with his partner, Peter Cook, and his family. Peter’s wife, Jane, and his young sister, Leanne, managed the household chores with the help of an authoritative older woman named Mrs. Muldoon. She was not the least bit servile in her manner, running the house with an iron hand.

      With brows raised at the irony of this whole situation, Jed moved past the man and into the chamber beyond. The long room was resplendent with white-paneled walls and plush carpeting. The intricate trim on the walls and ceiling was lavishly bathed in gold. Settees and chairs in various shades of green, ranging from a yellow spring green to deepest hunter, were arranged about the room. Portraits of what Jed was certain were long-dead relatives in wigs and pantalets adorned the walls. The tall windows that ran along the length of the outside wall let in enough light to give the place a warm, cheery feel, despite its grandeur.

      All this Jed took in as he made his way to the opposite end of the chamber, where Victoria sat on a light green sofa. She did not meet his eyes as he came to a standstill a few feet from her. All her attention appeared to be centered on the tea tray which lay on the table before her.

      While her gaze was trained elsewhere, Jed had a moment to study her more closely than he had the previous night. Then he had had an impression of beauty and courage. Today he was hit with the full force of the femininity of the woman he had agreed to protect.

      Her hair was quite dark, nearly black, in fact, and to his surprise seemed to be somewhat unruly. In spite of the tidy bun that had been arranged at the base of her neck, stray wisps had escaped to curl about her forehead and nape. Fringes of thick, dark lashes were outlined against her high cheekbones, which were flushed a healthy peach. Her nose was narrow and finely formed, her jawline clearly but not sharply defined. She wore a gown of some soft gauzy fabric in a delicate butter yellow. The high neckline did nothing to detract from the femininity of her figure, the bodice cut close over her sweetly rounded breasts. Inside him he felt a definite stirring that had nothing to do with wanting to safeguard this woman.

      His lips thinned as he recalled his own certainty that he could put aside his interest in her. God help him, Jed thought grimly, he hoped he didn’t end by having to protect her from himself.

      Victoria did not look at Jedidiah directly as she heard him come to a standstill before her. She could not stop thinking about her own unexpected, and most unwelcome, reaction to seeing him in the altogether.

      Yet neither could she ignore him. Trying with all her will, but with little success, to vanquish the memory of his tall, lean, muscular form from her mind, she picked up a blue patterned china cup. “Would you care for tea, Mr. McBride?” To her annoyance, her fingers quivered slightly, and she could only hope that he was not aware of it.

      “Do you have coffee?” he asked politely.

      She looked up at him. Of course he would want coffee, she told herself. He was an American. “I am very sorry,” she told him hurriedly. “I do not. I will ring for the maid.”

      He stopped her with a raised hand. “No, don’t bother. Tea will be fine.”

      Feeling suddenly awkward and not knowing why, Victoria told herself she must make certain that Mrs. Everard even had the beverage the sea captain preferred. She did want him to be comfortable while he was with them. Hastily she filled a delicate Dresden cup and held it out to him.

      Jedidiah McBride reached out, and for a brief moment their fingers brushed as she relinquished the cup to him. A completely unexpected jolt of heat passed from his hand to hers and up her arm. Without thinking, she jerked back, folding her trembling fingers together in her lap.

      Heavens, whatever was the matter with her? Although he was the first man she had ever seen without benefit of his clothing, the glimpse had been fleeting and inadvertent. It was quite unfortunate that she had been in such a panic to make certain the sea captain told no one, including Clara, of his true identity that she had accompanied the maid to his chamber. It had been that silly goose Clara who opened the door before being granted entry. The whole thing had been quite hapless, and would not be repeated.

      Even as Victoria told herself this, she was again assaulted by the image of the stirring she had glimpsed, in his, well… there…as she looked at him.

      She risked a glance at the man from beneath her dark lashes. He seemed to be stirring his tea with intense concentration, judging by the determined expression on his face. She couldn’t help noticing that the delicate china looked even more so in his strong hands.

      Because of his preoccupation, she was emboldened to look at him more closely. Goodness, but he was more handsome than she had remembered. Last night, there had been only the lanternlight in the carriage, and then candles when they reached Briarwood. She’d also been more shaken by what had happened than she cared for anyone else to know even now.

      Sunlight did nothing to diminish Jedidiah McBride’s attractiveness. If anything, he was even more compelling with the sunlight bringing his sun-streaked dark blond hair to vibrant life. Her gaze dipped lower, to where his lean jaw was lightly stubbled with dark gold hair. It looked coarser in texture than that on his head, and she wondered if it would feel so to the touch. Her curious eyes moved on. The black coat he had donned over his open-necked white shirt was rumpled from his altercation with Reginald, as were his close-fitting black breeches. His high black boots were scuffed and dusty, but the relaxed arrogance of his stance

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