Read Online Tainted by Temptation by Katy Madison - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Katy Madison
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Eventually he shoved down the sleeves of his soggy bathing suit and pushed his bare arms into the thick robe. Bigsby’s rhythmic dipping of the oars drew them closer to the shoreline.
With luck, the tray he’d ordered would keep Iris and Velvet from the breakfast table. He’d been concerned about Velvet’s potential for morning sickness, but now he just hoped she would stay away until he had his passions in check.
He splashed into the surf and helped drag the boat onto the rocky beach. A wave broke over his feet, soaking his robe’s hem.
Bigsby shook his head, but the grizzled old man didn’t say anything.
“Go on up. I’ll take care of the skiff,” said Lucian. He needed to be alone with his foul mood.
The older man tossed him the rope and then began the slow climb to the top of the cliffs.
Lucian stared out at the ever-changing sea. The calm morning with gentle swells and lapping breakers gave no hint of last night’s storm. On a morning like this, following another storm, he’d found his wife’s body not far from here. The ocean hadn’t taken Lilith’s body. He wished it had. Then he could have pretended she’d just gone away.
After securing the boat, he shed his sodden bathing suit. The heavy saturated wool chafed on land. He wouldn’t bother wearing the damn thing, except Iris often watched from her window. He flopped the wet material over his shoulder and then belted his robe.
He couldn’t delay a return to the house any longer. Evans would have drawn a hot bath for him and would be waiting with clean linen.
The carved-out stone steps of the cliff defied his urge to rush. Some steps were three paces apart, some two, making finding a rhythm impossible. But Lucian knew them well enough to take them at a fast clip.
He cleared the edge of the cliff and halted. A hundred yards away was the house. Behind it, a mere ten yards from the cliffs, Miss Campbell knelt on one knee, the back of her hand pressed against her mouth.
He wanted to ignore her and go inside, but if she was ill, he couldn’t just leave her.
His rubber shoes silent on the scrub grass, he closed the gap. A steady breeze blew in from the ocean, masking the sound of his approach. Her attention was focused on the ground. She plucked chunks of white and pink porcelain from the grass. They clinked in the schoolroom dustbin beside her. What had Iris destroyed now? Wearily, he glanced up to see the rose curtains of Iris’s room directly above Velvet. He supposed he should be grateful he didn’t have to deal with morning sickness.
Velvet stopped and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears leaked out the edges.
His insides twisted. And he’d thought he’d grown impervious to tears.
“Miss Campbell?”
“Oh!” She twisted away and dashed the heel of her hand against her face. This was not a woman who planned to use her tears for effect. She was either hiding her illness or her distress from the household.
“Are you all right?” He closed the last ten feet that separated them.
“I’m fine,” she said too hastily.
A painted blue eye stared up at him from a triangular shard on the ground. He bent and picked it up. “What did Iris do now?”
“She took exception to my proposed discipline for destroying the schoolbooks.” Velvet put a hand on the dustbin and shifted it between them. “But it is of no matter.”
The remains of a doll, her porcelain fingers broken and her head smashed, were inside. So Iris had taken to throwing her dolls out the window.
He added the eye. “You didn’t seem to want to admit to me that she tore up the books.”
“Yes, well that was before Iris assured me you never punish her.” Velvet watched him as if looking for confirmation.
Feeling guilty, he rolled his shoulders. “I’ve never felt comfortable taking a rod to her backside.” He’d barely felt comfortable with the child at all. After Lilith’s death, Iris had stared at him with solemn eyes, left with no one but him. He probably had
With luck, the tray he’d ordered would keep Iris and Velvet from the breakfast table. He’d been concerned about Velvet’s potential for morning sickness, but now he just hoped she would stay away until he had his passions in check.
He splashed into the surf and helped drag the boat onto the rocky beach. A wave broke over his feet, soaking his robe’s hem.
Bigsby shook his head, but the grizzled old man didn’t say anything.
“Go on up. I’ll take care of the skiff,” said Lucian. He needed to be alone with his foul mood.
The older man tossed him the rope and then began the slow climb to the top of the cliffs.
Lucian stared out at the ever-changing sea. The calm morning with gentle swells and lapping breakers gave no hint of last night’s storm. On a morning like this, following another storm, he’d found his wife’s body not far from here. The ocean hadn’t taken Lilith’s body. He wished it had. Then he could have pretended she’d just gone away.
After securing the boat, he shed his sodden bathing suit. The heavy saturated wool chafed on land. He wouldn’t bother wearing the damn thing, except Iris often watched from her window. He flopped the wet material over his shoulder and then belted his robe.
He couldn’t delay a return to the house any longer. Evans would have drawn a hot bath for him and would be waiting with clean linen.
The carved-out stone steps of the cliff defied his urge to rush. Some steps were three paces apart, some two, making finding a rhythm impossible. But Lucian knew them well enough to take them at a fast clip.
He cleared the edge of the cliff and halted. A hundred yards away was the house. Behind it, a mere ten yards from the cliffs, Miss Campbell knelt on one knee, the back of her hand pressed against her mouth.
He wanted to ignore her and go inside, but if she was ill, he couldn’t just leave her.
His rubber shoes silent on the scrub grass, he closed the gap. A steady breeze blew in from the ocean, masking the sound of his approach. Her attention was focused on the ground. She plucked chunks of white and pink porcelain from the grass. They clinked in the schoolroom dustbin beside her. What had Iris destroyed now? Wearily, he glanced up to see the rose curtains of Iris’s room directly above Velvet. He supposed he should be grateful he didn’t have to deal with morning sickness.
Velvet stopped and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears leaked out the edges.
His insides twisted. And he’d thought he’d grown impervious to tears.
“Miss Campbell?”
“Oh!” She twisted away and dashed the heel of her hand against her face. This was not a woman who planned to use her tears for effect. She was either hiding her illness or her distress from the household.
“Are you all right?” He closed the last ten feet that separated them.
“I’m fine,” she said too hastily.
A painted blue eye stared up at him from a triangular shard on the ground. He bent and picked it up. “What did Iris do now?”
“She took exception to my proposed discipline for destroying the schoolbooks.” Velvet put a hand on the dustbin and shifted it between them. “But it is of no matter.”
The remains of a doll, her porcelain fingers broken and her head smashed, were inside. So Iris had taken to throwing her dolls out the window.
He added the eye. “You didn’t seem to want to admit to me that she tore up the books.”
“Yes, well that was before Iris assured me you never punish her.” Velvet watched him as if looking for confirmation.
Feeling guilty, he rolled his shoulders. “I’ve never felt comfortable taking a rod to her backside.” He’d barely felt comfortable with the child at all. After Lilith’s death, Iris had stared at him with solemn eyes, left with no one but him. He probably had
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