And that soft sound unwound him. Made him hard, too. Harder. The tip of his cock flirted with the sumptuous curve of her arse, and his body tingled, tightened.
A whistle, a little like a bird’s and a little too human. “Rem!” called a voice from the shore above the rustle of leaves and branches.
“Horace?” Remmy hissed. He clutched Tessa to him, turning so his back was to the shore and she was hidden from any prying eyes.
“Yes. You’d better get out of there and up to the house.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Keeping watch, mate. Wouldn’t do to have you caught, now would it. You can thank me later.” A bush appeared to betalking, leaves shaking with every word. “Freddy says there’s company up at the house who wants to see Tessa.”
Tessa stiffened, her limbs strangling him.
He smoothed a hand down her spine. “Don’t worry.” He lifted a hand for the bush and waved. “Thank you.”
He waited for the rustle of leaves indicating Horace had left. Then he untangled their limbs and pushed Tessa through the water. “You get out first.”
She floated backward. “Why not you? Are you hesitant for me to see you naked? Is your submergedarchitecturenot so pristine?” Said as if her legs had not been wrapped securely enough around him to say very well what he felt like beneath the water. “Perhaps beneath you look like Lord Brawly. All hair and three moles on the right—ahem—globe.”
“Three? That seems rather extravagant.”
“He cannot control the number of moles on his backside, Remmy.”
He shooed her toward the shore, glad their easy back-and-forth saved her from too much worry. Very few people would come to Crossvale specifically to visit Tessa, and he usually did not like how those people made her feel.
Chapter Fourteen
Tessa’s gown clung to her limbs uncomfortably and awkwardly. No shift, no stays, limbs damp from the lake and wobbly from a kiss. She’d stripped herself down to the bone and he’d joined her, stroking his heat and strength across the lake to hold her tight and kiss her like she was his tomorrow. He’d called himself her suitor, said he wanted her.
The old Remmy—she trusted him implicitly. This new one—he was a one-man play. Was this another act in a string of performances?
Tessa entered the house through the back and took a half hour to dress, untangle, and dry her hair as well as she could. By the time she was presentable, there was a knock on her door. She flung it open to find a maid mid curtsy.
“Miss, your parents are asking for you downstairs.”
“Yes, I’m on my way!” She took the stairs slowly, smoothing the wrinkles in her blue, striped day gown and steadying her breath. She found everyone gathered in a small sitting room on the first floor. Remmy sat at the pianoforte, playing the tune he’d been whistling in the garden the day before. He saw her as soon as she entered and gave her a wink that almost sent her to her knees.
“Tessa!” Lady Chattaway hooked their arms together. “Ihave just had the privilege of meeting your parents. Delightful individuals.”
This was a nightmare. The room was occupied not only by her very proper parents, but also by the most scandalous people she knew—her employer, Lord Brawly, and the June Rake. Much of Remmy’s immediate family filled out the numbers—his parents, Timothy, Kit, Nora and Daphne, and their children. A decidedly odd gathering Tessa would never have put together on her own. A disaster waiting to happen.
But she let Lady Chattaway tug her into the fray, lean close, and whisper, “I know you’re not keen on Tilbury, but your parents adore him. While they are about, give him a chance to impress you.”
Tessa nodded then smiled brightly because they were joining a group seated in a small circle. On one side was Lady Crossvale and Daphne, on the other Tessa’s mother and Verity.
“Oh, there you are, Tessa dear,” Lady Crossvale said, extending a hand toward an empty chair.
Tessa’s mother peered at her from over the top of a teacup, eyes cloudy, hesitant. What did that mean? Forgiveness?
“I was just telling your mother”—Lady Crossvale motioned for a maid to pour Tessa tea—“that I am glad we can meet as friends”
“I am grateful you found such a suitable position for my daughter,” her mother said. “It is clear that Lady Chattaway has had a beneficial influence on her.”
Tessa made a startled bark of a sound before hiding it behind her hand. “Apologies. Hiccups.”
Verity giggled.
Their mother’s glance was so sharp, she might have cut Verity’s head clean off.
