She didn’t understand at all, but her heart leapt in her breast at the prospect of spending the whole day with the man. Before she could agree or disagree Jake had ushered her into his car and slid in beside her. He made a call on the car-phone to someone called Lorraine, who seemed less than pleased at his extended visit, Lexi thought, then he turned to her.
‘Now, I am your willing tourist until late this evening, or, if you prefer, tomorrow morning.’ And, flicking her a blatantly sensual smile, he asked, ‘Which way to Castle Howard? I’ve heard it’s worth seeing.’
The faint spicy tang of his aftershave teased her nostrils, and for some reason his sexy grin appeared to heighten her awareness of him in a way no other man had ever managed to do before. She was not a complete innocent; she had a good social life at college and she had had her fair share of dates, but Jake Taylor was something else again, and she found the emotion he aroused in her enthralling.
Twenty minutes later they were driving up the impressive drive through the entrance gates and into the large field-like car park of Castle Howard.
‘Good, it’s near your place,’ she heard Jake murmur as he helped her out of the car, his eyes darting all around, taking everything in.
Jake flung a casual arm around her shoulders. ‘I think this might just be the clincher,’ he opined and, paying the admission fee, urged Lexi through to the courtyard while she was still trying to fathom out what he meant.
For the next few hours she walked around in a dream. Jake strode around the elegant house, his hand never leaving her shoulder as he talked non-stop to her, pointing out the things that really grabbed his interest, from the magnificent domed roof in the grand hall, unique in all of England, to the quaint child’s high chair. Castle Howard was magnificent: the furnishings, the restoration, works of art—everything about the place was exquisite. A superb example of eighteenth-century architecture, it was built by the Third Earl of Carlisle, and to the present day was still owned by the same family of Howards. Lexi had visited many times before, but today the awesome grandeur of the place was overwhelmed by her intense awareness of her companion.
To Lexi’s surprise Jake seemed almost as impressed by the wide variety of tourists—Americans and Japanese rubbed shoulders with continentals—as he was with the house itself, and finally, when they walked back outside into the summer sunshine and strolled around the extensive grounds, Jake had no compunction in striking up conversations with dozens of people, while Lexi looked around at the wonderful landscape, long lawns, magnificent lakes, summer house, and, high on one hill, the family mausoleum. It wasn’t hard to see, she thought, why it had achieved worldwide recognition as the location for the television serial Brideshead Revisited. Perched on the Howardian Hills, it had to be one of the best stately homes in England.
‘Penny for your thoughts.’
She looked up and smiled into Jake’s darkly handsome face. ‘They aren’t worth much, but I am hungry,’ she stated. ‘Walking gives me an appetite.’
‘You give me an appetite,’ Jake growled huskily and, before she realised his intention, he had turned her into his arms, and brushed his hard mouth gently across her full lips. It was like being touched by lightning; a shiver trembled the length of her spine and her full lips parted helplessly beneath his. The breath hissed out of him. ‘God!’ he exclaimed, as he broke the kiss.
He held her away from him, studying her flushed, bemused face. ‘I’ve been aching to do that from the minute I set eyes on you. You have a very unsettling effect on me, little girl. But this is not the place.’ Knowing full well how he affected her, he grinned reassuringly down into her wide violet eyes, and, curving her arm under his, led her back to the car.
She wasn’t used to a handsome sophisticated man like Jake flirting with her and, during the journey to the city of York where Jake had insisted they visit next, she couldn’t think of a word to say. But somehow the atmosphere between them was a companionable one, and by the time they arrived in York and found the car park Lexi had recovered some of her poise.
It seemed quite natural to walk hand in hand around the mighty cathedral, and then follow the narrow streets around the Shambles. Finally, they ended up in a small French restaurant with the original name of Number 19 Grape Lane, and, over a lovely meal of pan-fried salmon on a bed of pasta in a red wine sauce—Jake’s choice—he enthusiastically explained his plan for Forest Manor. He wanted to buy it and turn it into a hotel, and shrewdly he asked her if she would take it off the market for a week or two while he had a feasibility study carried out.
He could have knocked it down for all Lexi cared; for the first time in her life she was in love. Hopelessly, helplessly in love. Her gaze lingered on his striking features as he set out his ideas for the conversion; he looked years younger as, with a sheepish grin, he ended with, ‘Sorry, I can get quite boring when I start discussing business.’
‘No, you’re fascinating,’ she said softly, and the deepening gleam in his dark eyes set her heart ablaze. Jake was everything she had ever dreamed of in a man, and best of all he appeared to feel the same way, if the goodnight kiss he pressed on her lips when they parted at her door was anything to go by, and his promise to return the next day.
The only slight hiccup in her headlong flight into love was her solicitor. On Monday morning she called Mr Travis and told him what had happened and that she did not want anyone else viewing the house for a while. Mr Travis was not convinced it was the right thing to do, and insisted he had friends in the city and a few discreet enquiries were called for. Taylor Holdings was not a company he was familiar with, nor did he know much about Jake Taylor; the sensible course was to check out Jake’s financial position—after all there were a lot of time-wasters in the housing market. Lexi reluctantly bowed to his superior judgement, while not for one moment doubting Jake.
How could she, when they had spent a wonderful Sunday together and she was expecting him back again on Monday?
At the sound of the car drawing up Lexi dashed out of the front door to welcome Jake. Her step faltered when she saw he was not alone. A stunning brunette was hanging on to his arm. He introduced her as Lorraine, his PA and right-hand man, but Lexi saw the possessive gleam in the other woman’s eyes, and her heart plummeted in her breast. But she need not have worried...
Jake, accurately reading her mind, shrugged off Lorraine’s hand and, stepping forward, pulled Lexi into his arms and kissed her thoroughly, then whispered, a hint of laughter in his deep voice, ‘Strictly an employee, little one; you’re the only woman for me, understand?’ And she did...
Lexi turned a beaming smile on the other woman, and quite happily fell in with Jake’s suggestion that she show Lorraine around while he made a couple of phone calls; he would catch them up in a few minutes.
Leading Lorraine from one room to the next, Lexi, her jealous fear dispelled, chattered on quite freely, virtually giving Lorraine her life history, and learning in return that the other woman had known Jake from school and had worked for him almost six years. By the time they were viewing the bedrooms, Lexi was feeling quite at ease with the other woman.
‘This is a lovely house, and I can see why Jake is interested. But I’m surprised you want to sell it.’ Lorraine offered a question in her tone.
‘I don’t, not really.’ Lexi grinned back at her. ‘But unless I marry a millionaire real quick I have no choice,’ she joked, but she did not see the contemptuous glint in Lorraine’s eyes as she led her back out into the hall and down the grand staircase.
‘You never considered working, but then your sort never do, born with a silver spoon in your mouth.’
Lexi’s head swung around in surprise at the sneering resentment in Lorraine’s voice, but before she could answer Jake was with them. The conversation became general, and sh
e put the unsettling comment from her mind.
She was reminded of it abruptly a week later. The next weekend Jake asked her to marry him and Lexi ecstatically accepted. Only to have Lorraine telephone her on the Monday as soon as she heard the news.
‘You think you’re clever Miss Laughton. “Marry a millionaire real quick,” you said. But I’ve heard of your solicitor Mr Travis’s enquiries, and when I tell Jake everything he will be far from pleased. No one has ever questioned Jake Taylor’s financial viability; the last thing he needs is his merchant bank asking questions because some gold-digging little hick from the sticks is looking for a wealthy husband. I wouldn’t count on marrying him if I were you.’
Lexi did not know what she said in reply—she was too shocked at the other woman’s allegations. But she could not deny she had jokingly made the comment about marrying a millionaire. Later, when Lexi repeated the conversation to Jake and explained about her teasing comment, he dismissed her fear, saying that he understood Lorraine! She had a chip on her shoulder due to her upbringing along with a suspicious nature, but there was no way she would ever convince him that Lexi was anything other than a beautiful, pure young woman who had agreed to be his wife. After reinforcing his opinion with a long, sweet kiss he added that Lorraine was a great PA—loyal to a fault, but a bit over-protective where his business interests were concerned. As for Mr Travis checking his credit rating, it was no more than any efficient lawyer would do for his client, and she was not to worry; nothing could prevent their marriage.