RAYNE MADE SURE Amelia was settled and then went looking for Sam. She found him standing near the fireplace in the parlor and linked her arm in his. He leaned down and kissed her temple. “Is Amelia in her room?”
Rayne nodded. “Yep. She’s going to rest for a few hours.”
“Good.”
Rayne stared at Jacob and bit her lip as she thought about Amelia’s strange reaction to him.
“What are you thinking about, Angel?”
She glanced up. “What do you mean?”
Sam’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “I know that look.”
Rayne grinned. “I had hoped to do a bit of matchmaking.”
“Whom do you want to match?” he asked.
Rayne nodded toward Jacob. “Your sister and Jacob.”
He shook his head. “She’s too young for him.”
“She’s eighteen, Sam.”
“Too young.”
Rayne giggled. “She is not. Jacob’s not much older, right? And how cute would their babies be.”
Sam stepped away a few inches, and stared down at her with a mildly horrified expression. “Rayne Elizabeth Powell, my baby sister will not be having babies with Jacob Butler.”
Rayne realized Sam didn’t want to acknowledge his “baby” sister was growing up. She raised an eyebrow. “They could, if you don’t screw it up.”
“You will not interfere,” he further admonished.
Rayne bristled at his fatherly tone. “Why not?”
Sam stared down at her but didn’t elaborate.
“Sam?” Quincy called from the other side of the room. “Settle a bet for us.”
Sam nodded and then glanced at Rayne. “Leave it alone, Rayne. It’s none of your business.”
Sam made his way to the Butler men and Rayne joined Victoria, who squeezed her hand. “What’s up?”
“Huh?” Rayne asked.
“You’re mumbling and scowling at your husband.”
“Oh.” Rayne tried to smooth her expression. “Nothing.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to go somewhere and talk?”
“No… but I wouldn’t mind going somewhere to yell.” Rayne seethed. How could Sam just dismiss her thoughts in this manner? Did this mean he didn’t value her opinion? She thought she knew him better than that.
“Where?”
At the moment, Rayne didn’t want to socialize or play nice… she sighed instead. “Let’s go to my private parlor upstairs.”
“You have a private parlor? Fancy,” Victoria asked, and Rayne smiled despite her irritation.
Victoria let Quinn know where she was going and then followed Rayne upstairs. Rayne was too angry to tell Sam anything, so she led Victoria into the room and closed the door.
Victoria let out a low whistle. “This is beautiful.”
Rayne smiled. “Thanks. It’s growing on me. It’s a little crowded for my taste, but Sam said he’d help me move some things around when I decide what I want to do.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Victoria sat in one of the brocade chairs. “Okay, now spill.”
Rayne paced the small room in frustration before flopping into the chair next to Victoria. Her skirts brushed against the chess set, toppling the queen. “He’s just so damn bossy. He treats me like a child and I’m sick of it!”
Victoria set the queen right. “How does he treat you like a child?”
“He freaked out on me because I wanted to introduce Amelia and Jacob.”
“Why would he freak out?” Victoria asked.
Rayne stood again and faced Victoria. “I have no idea! It’s not like he’s going to share anything with me… I’m apparently not worthy.”
Not like Gwen, anyway.
“I highly doubt it’s that,” Victoria argued.
Rayne rubbed her temples. “I just feel like it’s two steps forward, one step back.”
“What is?”
Rayne crossed her arms. “Our relationship… we argue and bicker more than we should.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
Rayne narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Why are you saying it like that?”
Victoria’s eyes widened. “Like what?”
“Never mind.”
“Like what, Rayne?” Victoria pressed.
Rayne sighed. “Like Sophie.”
“Oh, no… you had a conversation with Sophie? That must have gone well.” Victoria grinned. “What did she say?”
Rayne sat back in the chair, gentler this time. “It doesn’t really matter.”
Victoria studied her fingernails. “Did she say something about a sense of entitlement, or needing to get one’s way, perhaps?”
Rayne groaned. “I hate you both… you know that, right?”
Victoria laughed. “Oh, I’m aware. It must be tough to leave a world where one person refuses to kowtow to you, just to arrive in a world where there are several of us, not the least of which is a gorgeous man who loves you beyond reason.”
“I just don’t understand why he needs to constantly correct me.”
“Do you think that’s what he’s really doing, Rayne, or is it possible that you’re hyper-sensitive and projecting?”
Rayne narrowed her eyes. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
“I just wonder if maybe…” She formed the inch symbol with her fingers, “… just a little… you’re being a tad reactionary. Maybe even assuming he’s thinking something that he’s not.” Victoria smiled gently. “You’re expecting him to make a lot of adjustments and changes to accommodate you, but are you doing the same for him?”
“I have never asked him to do anything for me!” Rayne argued.
Before Victoria could respond, there was a knock on the door and the girls looked up to see Sam open it.
“I thought you might be in here,” he said as he walked in. “Hiding again?”
“Maybe,” Rayne grumbled.
“I’ll see you later,” Victoria said. “Think about what I said.”
“Okay,” Rayne said.
Sam sat in the chair Victoria had just vacated. “Who are you hiding from, Angel?”
Rayne frowned. “You, currently.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because you’re being an ass.”
Sam crossed a leg over his knee and smiled. “Why am I being an ass?”
“Because you’re so secretive.”
Sam’s smile faded slowly. “How am I secretive?”
“I don’t get why you have an issue with Jacob Butler. The rest of the family seems to be quite high on your list.” She added in a whisper, “Especially Gwen.”
“Gwen?” Sam dropped his leg to the ground. “What does Gwen have to do with any of this?”
Rayne bit her lip as she picked up the queen from the chess board. “I just feel like you know and care much more about her than you let on.”
He cocked his head in question. “Are you jealous?”
“Do I have reason to be?”
“Rayne!” Sam stared at her in shock.
“What?” Rayne sighed. “You make me feel like I’m an imbecile and like this isn’t a partnership.”
Sam linked his fingers together and settled them on his thigh. “What isn’t a partnership?”
“Our marriage! It feels like a dictatorship right now, with you trying to keep me in the dark.”
Sam took a slow, deep breath. “I’m not trying to keep you in the dark, Rayne. There are just some things I can’t tell you and others that I can only tell you in private. You must understand that.”
“Okay then. Now that we’re alone, fill me in on the Jacob thing.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Sweetheart, I don’t know what that means.”
Rayne rubbed her forehead again in an attempt to ward off a rapidly approaching headache. “I would like you to tell me about Jacob and why he’s the devil when it comes to Amelia.”
“It’s not that he’s the devil, sweetheart. It’s just that he doesn’t suit, and my parents will never allow an affection to form.”
Rayne smacked the arm of the chair. “Why should they have any say in it? And what’s wrong with Jacob Butler? I think he’s adorable.”
Sam studied her for several seconds. “I’m uncertain you’d understand the reasons and even if you did, it would anger you… and quite frankly, I don’t want to argue with you.”
“The only reason there would be an argument is if you agree with your parents and I don’t.” Rayne shrugged. “Who knows? I could agree fully with all of the reasons.”
Sam smiled without humor. “You would not agree with my parents, Angel. Of that, I’m certain.”
“Which means, you do?”
“Not necessarily.” Sam tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. “However, I’m not Amelia’s father, so it’s none of my business.”
Rayne flew out of the chair. “What a load of shit. Are you trying to tell me that you wouldn’t fight for her?”
“It’s not a matter of fighting for her. She’s not in danger.”
“She is so! She’s under the rule of unreasonable, narrow-minded parents.”
“That’s an unfair statement.” Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. “You don’t know the full details of the situation, Rayne.”
“Then tell me!”
Sam dragged his hands down his face. “We have half-a-house full of people with a large party planned tomorrow, could we not argue about this now?”
“Of course. In fact, let’s just discontinue this conversation all together. How wrong of me to think you’d listen to anything I have to say!” Rayne fisted her hands at her side. “I’m not the sweet, appropriate, and beautiful Gwendolyn Butler.”
“Rayne!”
“No!” Rayne jabbed a finger at him. “You know what, Sam? You can sleep on the couch tonight.”
She moved to leave the room, but his hand snaked around her waist before her hand reached the doorknob. “Rayne, stop,” he said as he pulled her away from the door.
“Stop what? Voicing my opinion?” she snapped as she turned to face him. “I can’t do this anymore!”
“Do what, Angel?”
“Play the subservient wife. I will have my say or I’ll go back.”
She heard his quick intake of breath. She knew she’d hit the mark when his hand dropped to his side, and she crossed her arms in challenge. Sam stared at her for several minutes. The longer he stood there, the more uncomfortable Rayne felt. She settled her hands at her side and tried to stop them from shaking.
He said nothing. He barely moved and Rayne felt his anger, but something else as well. She felt his fear. It was palpable.
“If it is your wish to go back, Rayne, I told you I wouldn’t stop you.” He moved around her, opened the door, and walked out of the room.
The quiet click of the latch catching in the door made Rayne’s heart break. She’d gone too far. She sat in the chair and stared at the fireplace for several minutes. Dropping her face into her hands, she realized she couldn’t even cry. She was angry at her own behavior, the conviction of her actions overtaking her mind. Rayne knew Sam had no interest in Gwen, but she had allowed her insecurities to overtake her common sense.
She took a deep breath, stood, and straightened her shoulders.
She had to find Sam and apologize. She couldn’t stand the thought that she’d hurt him, all because she was having a temper tantrum. Walking into the hall, she approached their bedroom, but was stopped by Sophie as she crested the stairway.
“Hi Rayne,” Sophie said. “Everything okay?”
“It will be when I find my husband.”
“He left a few minutes ago.”
Rayne’s heart raced. “Did he say where he was going?”
“No. The only reason I know he left is because I passed him in the foyer. What’s going on?”
“We had a disagreement.”
Sophie grasped her arm. “A bad one?” she asked gently.
“It’s really no big deal,” Rayne said. “I’m sure he went to walk it off. I’ll be right back.”
Before Sophie could respond, Rayne rushed down the stairs and out the front door. She was confronted by freezing rain and debated returning to the house, but she saw Sam in the distance and knew if she didn’t catch him and apologize, she’d regret it.
“Sam!” She jumped from the porch and rushed to join him.
He didn’t answer, so she called again. No response. The wind was whirling and she knew she’d need to get closer for him to hear her. She started to run, her lungs protesting the freezing air being drawn into them.
“Sam!” she yelled louder, and finally he turned.
* * *
Sam’s heart raced when he turned to see his wife running toward him, soaking wet and without coat, gloves, and hat. “Rayne,” he growled as he moved toward her, removing his heavy coat at the same time.
She threw herself into his arms. “I am so sorry. I should never have threatened to leave you. I was angry and I wanted to hurt you, so I lashed out, which was totally unfair. Shaye has always warned me that if I continued to act the diva, it would get me in trouble.”
Sam wrapped his coat around her as she grasped his shoulders. “Diva?”
“Spoiled brat might be more accurate.” Settling her hands on his chest, she stared up at him. “Will you forgive me?”
He wanted to say “no.” He wanted to stay angry, if for only a little while longer, but as he stared into her beautiful eyes and watched the water stream down her face and her body shake with cold, he couldn’t make her suffer. He would never be able to hurt her, even slightly, for a moment’s vindication.
“Silly girl,” he said with a sigh as he wrapped his arms firmly around her. “Come inside.”
She shook her head. “Not until you say you’ll forgive me.”
“Rayne. You’re freezing and I don’t want you ill again. We’ll discuss this inside.”
Her lip shook as she dragged it between her teeth. “Nope. Not going anywhere until you say you forgive me.”
“Angel, don’t do this,” Sam implored, wrapping his coat tighter around her. “You’ll come inside and Tandy will organize a warm bath.”
Teeth chattering and eyes squinting from the water streaming down her face, Rayne wouldn’t move. “I will go inside and take a bath when you say you’ll forgive me.”
“You are the most vexing woman!”
Rayne grasped the front of his shirt. “Noted.”
“I forgive you, Angel. Now, let’s go inside.”
She nodded and let him lead her to the porch where Sophie and Tandy were waiting.
“A hot bath is bein’ prepared for you, missus,” Tandy said.
“Thank you,” Rayne said quietly.
Without comment, Sam guided her up the stairs and to their bedroom. The tub was set up in the large dressing room and Sam frantically peeled her clothes from her body. “Sweetheart, you’re frozen to the bone.”
She groaned through chattering teeth and blue lips. “I know.”
As Sam unlaced her corset, Rayne pulled the rest of her clothing off and had to hold herself back from running to the dressing room and jumping into the tub, but the staff was still filling it.
“What were you thinking?” Sam admonished. “Running outside in this weather.”
“I wasn’t. I just didn’t want you to leave me.”
He raised an eyebrow at her as he pulled his wet shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. “I will never leave you.”
Rayne grimaced. “I’m sorry… not for arguing, but for threatening to leave… I want to make that clear.”
“I’d like to make it clear that I am not angry about you arguing with me.” Sam smiled. “And you have nothing to fear from Gwendolyn Butler.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have even brought it up. It’s old insecurities rearing their ugly heads.”
Once the last of the housemaids left the dressing room, Rayne rushed for the tub, slipping into the water with a contented sigh.
Sam knelt beside the bath and ran his finger down her chest, slipping his hand under the water. “You have nothing to be insecure about.”
Rayne sighed and bit her lip, trying to stop a moan. She failed. “You are so, so good at that.”
Sam kissed her, moving his hand farther down her body. Rayne stayed his hand with a groan.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I want to talk before we have make-up sex.”
Sam sank back on his heels. “All right, Angel. Just as long as we talk quickly.”
Rayne reached over and laid a wet palm on his chest. The gentle touch caused a physical reaction and Sam narrowed his eyes at her.
Rayne sank farther under the water and turned her head to face him. “Will you please tell me what’s wrong with Jacob?”
Sam sighed. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Jacob Butler, sweetheart, but my parents will never accept him for Amelia.”
Rayne groaned. “What does that even mean?”
“You’re really not going to let this go, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
Sam ran his hands through his hair. “Jacob Butler’s father is my father’s sworn enemy.”
“What?” Rayne sat up quickly, sloshing water over the side of the tub. “Why?”
Sam dropped a towel on the floor and mopped up the water. “He married Wilhelmina.”
“Mrs. Butler?”
Sam nodded. “Yes. My father was courting her when Vincent swept her off her feet and married her. My father has never forgiven him… or her.”
Rayne gasped. “Oh, my… I would have never guessed. A love triangle, right here in the nineteenth century.”
Sam stoked the fire and added another log. “So you see, he would never allow Amelia to marry a Butler.”
Rayne shifted in the tub so she could see him through the doorway of the dressing room. “How did you get around it?”
Sam frowned. “Get around what?”
“Courting Gwendolyn… if she was forbidden.”
Sam turned to face her and crossed his arms. “My parents knew nothing of our courtship, if you could call it that. It wasn’t long enough to be classified as anything but a brief friendship.”
Rayne pursed her lips. “Nice save.”
Sam smiled. “Now, no more talk of Amelia and Jacob.”
Rayne sat up. “But how romantic would it be, Sam? A real life Romeo and Juliet.”
Sam snorted. “Do you not remember what happened to Romeo and Juliet?”
Rayne giggled. “Okay, fine, but that wouldn’t happen to Jacob and Amelia. We wouldn’t let it.”
“I think you may be rushing things, Angel.” Sam made his way back to the tub. “They don’t even know each other.”
Rayne waved a hand dismissively. “You didn’t see the look he gave her.”
Sam narrowed his eyes. “I thought they didn’t meet.”
Rayne grinned. “Doesn’t mean he didn’t see her.”
Sam groaned. “Rayne, don’t encourage her. Please. It will only turn to heartache.”
“Maybe your dad’s over the whole thing? I mean, he married your mom and they’re happy, right?” Sam frowned and Rayne gasped. “They’re not happy?”
“They’re miserable.” Sam pulled a chair to the tub and sat heavily into it. “He still loves Wilhelmina.”
“What? No way! How do you know that?”
Sam wagged a finger at Rayne. “You’re really pressing for all my family secrets, aren’t you?”
Rayne giggled. “Most definitely! I love scandals… now, spill.”
Sam sighed. “About a year ago, I came home for a visit… prompted by a disturbing letter from Amelia. Our parents were arguing and apparently, Mama had broken her wedding china. I arrived to nothing out of the ordinary… other than, of course, new china. Amelia was inconsolable, certain that Mama was going to kill our father.”
“Seriously?”
Sam shook his head. “Amelia can be prone to the dramatic, so I did my best to calm her down and promised I’d stay a few days to observe our parents.”
Rayne bit her lip. “I’m assuming Amelia wasn’t entirely off the mark?”
“No.” Sam leaned forward in his chair with a grimace. “I was preparing to return to D.C. when I passed by my father’s office. His door was open, and I heard arguing coming from inside. My mother was accusing him of still holding an affection for Wilhelmina and claiming that she’d lived under the woman’s shadow for entirely too long. My father reacted badly, telling her she was half the woman Wilhelmina was, and he’d never loved anyone but her.”
Rayne covered her mouth with her hands and groaned. “He didn’t.”
Sam nodded. “There was a loud crash and then my mother ran from the room. She was so upset; she didn’t even notice I was standing in the hallway. I knocked on my father’s door and went inside to see him picking up shards of glass. The worst part of it was that after that day, my father seemed to have had the world lifted from his shoulders, but my mother started to become bitter… more so than she was before.”
“Could you imagine, Sam? She’s spent over twenty years with a man who never loved her, and she is reminded of that fact every day.” Empathy filled Rayne. “Your poor mother! I’m sorry, Sam, but your dad’s a major jerk to do that to her.”
“I don’t disagree.” Sam sighed.
“I wonder what Mrs. Butler would think. Do you think she has any idea?”
Sam stood and retrieved a towel. “I can’t imagine how she would. I always wondered how it was that I never came across any of the Butler brothers before I met Chris several years ago, but I realize now it’s because Amelia and I were purposely kept away from them. I’m not certain if that was my father’s doing, or Mother’s.”
Rayne stepped out of the tub and wrapped the towel around her. “It might have been both.”
Sam nodded. “You could be right.”
Rayne laid her head on Sam’s chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You may never fall in love with anyone else, and if you do, you must divorce me. Don’t make me suffer.”
Sam raised her chin with his finger. “Rayne Elizabeth Powell, I will never love any woman but you.”
“What if I get super fat and have saggy skin? What if I suddenly turn into a troll?”
Sam choked as he tried not to laugh. “Angel, I don’t care if you suddenly turn into a troll, I will always see you as you are…” He tapped her chest, “… inside. You’ll always be the most beautiful woman in the world. That will never change.”
Rayne kissed his chest. “I love you.”
Sam moved one of the chairs close to the fire. “Come and get warm.”
Rayne pulled a chemise on and then sat down with a sigh. “We should really get downstairs, don’t you think?”
Sam picked up his wet shirt and set it on the back of a chair. “Dinner won’t be served for another thirty minutes, we have time.”
Rayne nodded. “I’m sorry I got you all wet.”
He smiled. “I was the one who went for a walk in a downpour.”
“Yeah, but only because I made you mad.”
Sam made his way to the chair and leaned down to kiss her quickly. “That’s over, sweetheart, and I’m dry now.”
She reached up and laid a hand on his chest. “And too sexy for your own good.”
Sam grinned. “If you continue with that line of conversation, we’ll miss dinner.”
“The thought has possibilities.” Rayne rose to her feet. “But I know Emma should be arriving soon, so we should probably play host.”
The couple dressed in dry clothes and made their way back downstairs to their guests.