Maddy,” he said finally, his voice not much more than a growl. “And you’re too young to get burned.”
She stood very still. The muscles in his arm were bunched beneath her fingers, and the hazel eyes that looked down into her wide brown ones were very dangerous. She had the sudden, fanciful feeling that if she didn’t move fast she’d be caught.
Yet he seemed to mesmerize her, so that she was unable to move, unable to speak a word, could only stand there looking up at him, her lips parted breathlessly. And willed his head to dip closer to hers, for that mouth to capture hers.
“Madelyn!” Helen’s perfectly modulated tones cut through the moment like a razor, and Maddy jumped, guilt and nervousness washing over her.
If she expected to see Jake equally confounded she was in for a surprise. His hand caught hers as she tried to jerkaway, holding her tightly in a grip unseen by her eagle-eyed mother. “I was just telling Maddy you were looking for her,” he said calmly, his long fingers soothing the back of her hand with a warning gesture.
“Do you spend a lot of time in my daughter’s bedroom, Jake?” Helen demanded with that icy drawl she’d perfected years ago. “I hadn’t realized Maddy’s adolescent passion was reciprocated.” Helen allowed her cool brown eyes to trail over Maddy’s tall, willowy body. “You have improved, dearest. Even beyond what I imagined possible. I suppose we’ll have to keep a close watch on you.”
Maddy had flushed a miserable, unbecoming pink, and she opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again. Once more her cavalier came to her rescue, and she fell in love with him all over again.
“I was just telling Maddy how pretty she was,” Jake said.
“I’m sure you were,” Helen Currier Lambert said. “And were you telling her good-bye?”
“Good-bye?” Maddy echoed, horrified.
“Jake is leaving us, darling. Aren’t you, Jake?” There was a steely look in her mother’s eyes, one that Jake met with simple, utter hatred.
“That hasn’t been decided yet, Mrs. Lambert.” His voice was deathly cold.
Helen’s smile was a deathgrin on her beautifully boned face. “Well, you’ll leave us alone right now, won’t you, Jake? It’s time for a little mother-daughter discussion.”
Maddy threw him a beseeching look, but there was nothing more he could do. Ignoring the woman at the door, he reached out and caught Maddy’s hand again. “You look beautiful, Maddy,” he said in a gentle voice. “Eric Thompson is very lucky.”
She hadn’t realized he’d even known about Eric. Before she could say anything more he’d gone, his overwhelming presence draining the frilly bedroom of energy, making it pale and sad.
Helen shut the door behind him, advancing on her daughter with a cold, determined expression on her elegant face. “There’s trouble,” she said abruptly. “I decided you’d better be warned.”
“What sort of trouble?” Sudden panic filled her.
“With the campaign, of course. I can’t go into it now. If we’re lucky, if your father decides to take his head out of the clouds and face reality for once in his life, then we may muddle through. We’ll know by the end of tonight.”
“The campaign!” Maddy said in sudden relief, visions of her brother, long incommunicado on his cross-country trip, filling her head. “I thought it was something important.”
Helen Currier Lambert reached out and slapped her daughter across the face, hard. The sound of it echoed through the bedroom, shocking both women, and through Maddy’s blur of pain and astonishment she thought she saw her mother’s hand shaking.
If Helen Currier Lambert ever showed weakness or regret it was only temporary. By the time Maddy had recovered from the blow Helen was once more in control. “It’s time you learned a few home truths, Madelyn. About life in the big city, about politics, and about men. People don’t become President without making a few deals, greasing a
She stood very still. The muscles in his arm were bunched beneath her fingers, and the hazel eyes that looked down into her wide brown ones were very dangerous. She had the sudden, fanciful feeling that if she didn’t move fast she’d be caught.
Yet he seemed to mesmerize her, so that she was unable to move, unable to speak a word, could only stand there looking up at him, her lips parted breathlessly. And willed his head to dip closer to hers, for that mouth to capture hers.
“Madelyn!” Helen’s perfectly modulated tones cut through the moment like a razor, and Maddy jumped, guilt and nervousness washing over her.
If she expected to see Jake equally confounded she was in for a surprise. His hand caught hers as she tried to jerkaway, holding her tightly in a grip unseen by her eagle-eyed mother. “I was just telling Maddy you were looking for her,” he said calmly, his long fingers soothing the back of her hand with a warning gesture.
“Do you spend a lot of time in my daughter’s bedroom, Jake?” Helen demanded with that icy drawl she’d perfected years ago. “I hadn’t realized Maddy’s adolescent passion was reciprocated.” Helen allowed her cool brown eyes to trail over Maddy’s tall, willowy body. “You have improved, dearest. Even beyond what I imagined possible. I suppose we’ll have to keep a close watch on you.”
Maddy had flushed a miserable, unbecoming pink, and she opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again. Once more her cavalier came to her rescue, and she fell in love with him all over again.
“I was just telling Maddy how pretty she was,” Jake said.
“I’m sure you were,” Helen Currier Lambert said. “And were you telling her good-bye?”
“Good-bye?” Maddy echoed, horrified.
“Jake is leaving us, darling. Aren’t you, Jake?” There was a steely look in her mother’s eyes, one that Jake met with simple, utter hatred.
“That hasn’t been decided yet, Mrs. Lambert.” His voice was deathly cold.
Helen’s smile was a deathgrin on her beautifully boned face. “Well, you’ll leave us alone right now, won’t you, Jake? It’s time for a little mother-daughter discussion.”
Maddy threw him a beseeching look, but there was nothing more he could do. Ignoring the woman at the door, he reached out and caught Maddy’s hand again. “You look beautiful, Maddy,” he said in a gentle voice. “Eric Thompson is very lucky.”
She hadn’t realized he’d even known about Eric. Before she could say anything more he’d gone, his overwhelming presence draining the frilly bedroom of energy, making it pale and sad.
Helen shut the door behind him, advancing on her daughter with a cold, determined expression on her elegant face. “There’s trouble,” she said abruptly. “I decided you’d better be warned.”
“What sort of trouble?” Sudden panic filled her.
“With the campaign, of course. I can’t go into it now. If we’re lucky, if your father decides to take his head out of the clouds and face reality for once in his life, then we may muddle through. We’ll know by the end of tonight.”
“The campaign!” Maddy said in sudden relief, visions of her brother, long incommunicado on his cross-country trip, filling her head. “I thought it was something important.”
Helen Currier Lambert reached out and slapped her daughter across the face, hard. The sound of it echoed through the bedroom, shocking both women, and through Maddy’s blur of pain and astonishment she thought she saw her mother’s hand shaking.
If Helen Currier Lambert ever showed weakness or regret it was only temporary. By the time Maddy had recovered from the blow Helen was once more in control. “It’s time you learned a few home truths, Madelyn. About life in the big city, about politics, and about men. People don’t become President without making a few deals, greasing a
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