Shannon's Daughter (20 page)

Peg
looked up from solemnly studying her teacup.
 
“Did he really?”
 
Her voice was
hollow, but there was a note of hope in her tone.

“Yes!
 
You’ll see, dear.
 
He’ll be back on his feet in no time.
 
This is just a little setback, that’s all.”

For the
first time, Peg sought his gaze across the table.
 
“Would you go with me to the hospital?
 
I hate going alone.”

“Of
course.
 
Whatever you want.
 
But let’s see what the doctor says first.”

“I’m
going, no matter what he says.
 
I have to
see him.
 
You understand that, don’t
you?”
 

Something
in her eyes reminded him of his constant fear all those years ago that his
father would die without him there, without saying goodbye.
 
“Yes.
 
I understand.”

Chapter Eighteen

At two
in the morning Simon dropped them in front of the brownstone.
 
The trip to the hospital had served to calm
Peg’s fears, but the long wait for a few words with the doctor and the five-minute
visit to her father’s bedside had clearly taken their toll.
 
She was exhausted, more emotionally than physically.
 
She’d clung to him in the car, resting her
head on his shoulder in spite of Simon’s watchful eyes in the rearview
mirror.
 
Now, as they mounted the steps,
she held tightly to his arm.
 

As
expected, Adamson was waiting at the door.
 
Kendall wondered if the man ever wore anything other than a suit and
tie, or ever slept for that matter.
 
Whatever the hour, if Peg was out, Adamson was on hand for her
return.
 

“The
doctor said they’ll do more tests tomorrow, but he doesn’t think it’s anything
too serious.
 
Cardiac dysrhythmia, he
called it.
 
Anyway, Dad is resting.
 
I didn’t want to wake him, but we did get to
check on him for a minute.”

“You
should get some rest, Miss.
 
I’m sure
he’s in good hands.”

“He’s
right.
 
You’re dead on your feet, old
girl.”
 
She continued to hang on his arm,
and he took advantage of that to lead her toward the stairs.
 
“Come on.
 
Let’s go up and let poor Adamson here get to bed.
 
Morning will be here before we know it.”
 
Over her head, he caught the nod of approval
from the butler.
 
Entrusted with getting
her upstairs, he freed his arm and wrapped it firmly around her shoulders.
 
“The doctor said there was no need for you to
rush back in the morning.
 
Your father
will be busy with those tests.
 
You
should try to sleep in.”

Shaking
her head slowly, she protested.
 
“No.
 
I need to be there.
 
He shouldn’t be alone.”
 
Her voice was so low he had to strain to
hear.
 
She appeared to be falling asleep
on her feet, barely managing to mount the stairs.

Down
below, the lights had gone out.
 
“You’ll
see.
 
Things will look better after
you’ve had some rest.”
 
He wondered if it
might be more expeditious to carry her, rather than dragging her along this way.
“Come on, love.
 
Just a few more steps
and you can fall into bed.
 
Poor darling,
it’s been a long night, hasn’t it?”

“Uh-huh.
 
But I don’t want to go to bed.”
 
One gasping sob and she wrapped her arms
around him, burying her face in his jacket.
 
“Oh, Kendall, I was so scared!
 
Can’t
you stay with me for a just a little while?”

He
stood on the landing holding her for several minutes, stroking her hair and considering
the options.
 
Maybe after a bout of
tears, she would see the impracticality of such a request.
 
Where was he supposed to stay with her?
 
Her bedroom was out of the question, his even
more so.
 
There was a little settee on
the landing, but it hardly looked sturdy enough for the two of them.
 
In the meantime, Peg seemed to be melting
against him, so much so that he felt sure she’d sink to the floor if he let her
go.
 
“See here.
 
You have to get to bed, sweetheart.
 
I’ll walk you to your room, how’s that?”

“All
right, but I don’t want to be alone yet.
 
Please, just a few minutes?”
 
She
sniffed pathetically into his shirt and he gave in to his initial urge.
 
Bending to put an arm beneath her knees, he
scooped her up and headed for her door.
 
Snaking
her arms around his neck, she settled her head on his shoulder and sniffed
again.
 
“Thank you.”
 

He was
relieved to find the door ajar and a single lamp burning inside.
 
The covers on the tall four-poster—a girlish,
pink flowered throne complete with ruffled canopy—had been turned back, her
nightclothes carefully laid out in the pillow.
 
Setting her on her feet, he tried to disengage her arms from around his
neck.
 
“Peg, love, I really should go
now.”

Her
answer was another soft sob.
 
“I
know.
 
I’m sorry to be such a baby.”
 
At last, she dropped her arms, only to cover
her face with her hands.
 
“I’ll be
fine.”
 
Shoulders heaving, head bowed,
she backed away.
 

His
heart in his throat, he reached for her.
 
This version of Peg was one he had not anticipated.
 
Her palpable need tore straight through his
caution.
 
“Here now!
 
Please don’t cry like that.”
 
He lifted her chin, looking down into her
eyes, deep blue and swimming with tears.
 
“Listen to me.
 
You’re just
overtired.
 
Sweetheart, please. . .”
 

The
kiss was inevitable, he supposed.
 
He
couldn’t be sure who moved first, but when her trembling, swollen lips touched
his, he was completely lost.
 
Initially
fueling the kiss was her demand for consolation and his desire to console, but
very quickly less complex desires came into play.
 
He gathered her close, tasted her tears and
forgot who he was, who she was and where they were.
 
Nothing registered beyond the sweet, clinging
curve of her body against his, the smooth flesh beneath his hands and the
insistent caress of her fingers in his hair.
 
Without being aware of how, he unbuttoned the lace jacket and swept it
forward to take full advantage of her bared shoulders.
 
Turning slowly together, they staggered
toward the bed until he felt the edge of the mattress behind him and drew her
between his knees.
 
He was vaguely aware
when she kicked off her shoes and slid her arms out of the sleeves, casting the
jacket aside.
 
When she worked his dinner
jacket from his shoulders, he released her long enough to shed it and send it
to the floor.
 
One tug at the bow of his tie
and it followed.
 
Her fingers traveled
deftly along his shirtfront releasing the studs, allowing it to open easily to
her inquisitive hands.

He
broke from the kiss, trailing his mouth along her throat, across her shoulder, back
to the hollow of her collarbone and finally to the soft fullness straining
above her neckline.
 
When she moaned and
threw back her head, he pulled up sharply.
 
“You’re so beautiful, Peg.
 
You
make me want to do things I’ll only have to apologize for tomorrow!”

“No.
 
No apologies.
 
I want you to.
 
Please, Kendall, I
want you to.”
 
Soft, slurred and drowsy,
her voice brought him reeling back to reality.
 
Unwilling to let her go, he pressed her head to his shoulder.
 
“Please, don’t stop,” she sighed into his
neck.

“I have
to stop.
 
You don’t realize what we’re
doing, darling.”

She was
breathing hard, clinging to him until her nails cut into his skin.
 
“But I do.
 
Don’t you understand?
 
I need you.”

“I
understand that you’re exhausted and overwrought, and tomorrow all this will
look very different to you.”
 
He settled
her across his lap.
 
“Peg, listen to
me.
 
We’re both very tired.
 
My desire to comfort you got badly out of
hand, I’m afraid.”

She was
silent for a time, finally relaxing in his arms.
 
“That’s all it was?”

“The
honest answer is no.
 
I meant what I
said.
 
You’re so incredibly
beautiful.
 
You make me forget I’m
supposed to be a gentleman, at least where you’re concerned.”

Her
fingers traced tenderly across his chest.
 
“You’re beautiful, too.”

Aware
that she was in danger of falling asleep, he nudged her face up to his.
 
“You’re a silly, tired little girl, my love.
 
And now I’m going to leave you here to get
some sleep.”
 
He lifted her gently,
turning to lay her on the bed.
 
“Tomorrow, we’ll pretend this never happened.
 
All right?”

She
watched from beneath half-closed lids as he buttoned his shirt and retrieved
his coat from the floor.
 
“I’m not
sorry.
 
And don’t you be, please.
 
I’m glad it happened.”
 
With a sigh, she closed her eyes.
 

He bent
to press a kiss on her forehead, spreading the sheet over her and tucking it
lightly around her shoulders.
 
“Good
night, princess.
 
Sweet dreams.”

He
didn’t sleep until almost dawn and then his dreams were a disturbing collage of
images—Peg in his arms, the taste and scent of her overlaid with the odor of
hospitals and fear.
 
Never
in his life had he been so close to losing control.
 
The knowledge that in another minute he would
have undressed her, would have made love to her there beneath the ruffled
canopy of her childhood bed, left him queasy with self-loathing.
 
That Peg would have let
him,
that
she had responded with such breathtaking willingness, was cause for
further concern.
 
While he still wasn’t
convinced she understood the consequences, it was clear she had few qualms
about losing her virginity in a moment of unconsidered passion.
 

He was
in trouble, in real danger, here.
 
Losing
his heart was one thing.
 
Perhaps, he
acknowledged, that had happened years ago.
 
But allowing himself to act on his feelings for Peg without hope of a
relationship beyond these few days could condemn him to a lifetime of
regret.
 
On the surface, Peg might appear
to be the more vulnerable, but he suspected the truth was just the
opposite.
 
Thus far, with one painful exception,
he had managed to contain his natural proclivity for falling in love,
substituting consensual sex and engaging companionship for anything remotely
genuine.
 

Ironically,
a girl who could never be his had broken through to win his possibly undying
love without even trying.
 
When he looked
at Peg, he saw everything he desired in a woman, wit, intellect and a passion
for living, embodied in exceptional beauty and possessing an overwhelming sensuality.
 
Sadly, he also saw Michael Shannon’s only
daughter.
 
Peg was not a woman to be
taken lightly, but rather one to be taken for better or worse, to be honored
and cherished for a lifetime.
 
Not
something he was at liberty to offer.

Chapter Nineteen

He
found Peg in the study.
 
Seated at her
father’s desk, she was on the telephone, apparently with the hospital.
 
From the doorway, while he waited for her to
ring off, he tried to determine her mood.
 
She certainly looked rested, prim and fresh in a crisp shirtwaist dress
in a becoming shade of golden beige.
 
She
seemed calm, even poised, asking questions and listening with a faint smile on
her lips.
 

“Thank
you.
 
I think I will.
 
Please tell him I’ll see him at two.”
 
Replacing the receiver, she finally looked his
way.
 
“Good morning.”
 
With nothing to read in her greeting, he
crossed cautiously to the desk.
 
He
wouldn’t blame her if she were angry after last night’s misstep, yet the
thought made his gut clench unpleasantly.

“Good
morning.
 
How’s your father?”

“Doing
very well according to the nurse.”
 
She glanced toward the phone.
 
“The tests show nothing new and if he has
another good night, he may be released tomorrow.
 
Visiting hours start at two, and he’s resting
now, so I’ll wait until then.”
 
Looking
up, her eyes glinted with mischief.
 
“Did
you rest well?”

“Well
enough.
 
I had a lot on my mind,
frankly.”
 
He returned the glint, feeling
his apprehension evaporate.
 
When Peg
stood and rounded the desk, he waited, still uncertain what to expect.

“I
slept like a log.
 
And I had the most
remarkable dreams.”
 
Sliding her hands up
his chest, she raised her face until their eyes were mere inches apart.
 
“Thank you for last night, for everything.”
 
Her lips brushed across his, a butterfly touch
that set his heart thumping.
 
“Don’t you
want some breakfast?
 
I ate hours ago,
but there are still croissants and coffee in the kitchen.
 
Mrs. Leary’s gone to meet with the caterer
about Friday night’s dinner.”

“Is
that still on?”
 
He allowed his hands to
rest on her waist, resisting the urge to return the kiss.

“Unless
something else happens, yes, even if Dad isn’t up to joining us.
 
It won’t be the first dinner party I’ve
hostessed on my own, you know.
 
Besides,
this one is for you.
 
As long as you’re
here, that’s all that matters.”
 
Another
tentative kiss and her eyes locked his.
 
“You’re uncomfortable, aren’t you?”

He
flinched.
 
“I owe you an apology,
Peg.
 
I should never have allowed things
to go so far.”

“Did
they go that far?
 
I thought they stopped
somewhere just short of perfect.”
 
Dropping her head on his chest, she
sighed.
 
“I’m not a child anymore,
Kendall.
 
I’m quite capable of saying no
if I don’t want something.”

“Are
you?”
 

She
pushed away, frowning up at him.
 
“Yes.
 
Nothing you did made me
uncomfortable.
 
I don’t see why it should
you.
 
Last night, I felt like you were
taking care of me, that’s all.”

He
couldn’t hold back a grin.
 
“From now on,
I’m determined not to take quite that sort of care of you.
 
But I’m relieved you’re not angry.
 
If you wanted to slap my face, I was prepared
to take my punishment like a man.”

“Oh,
no.
 
But I am going to insist you eat
something.
 
I have a lot to do today, and
I expect you to be with me every minute.”
 
Taking his hand, she towed him toward the door.
 
“Come on.
 
Food first.
 
Before we go to the hospital, I have some errands to run.
 
Then tonight, I thought we might take in a
movie.
 
I’ve been dying to see
Ivanhoe.
 
That’s assuming Dad’s doing all
right, of course.”
 

“Hold
up a minute.
 
There is something I need
to say.”
 
Pulling her around to face him
again, he forced her to meet his gaze.
 
“I meant what I said last night.
 
You’re very beautiful, and I was swept away by more than the need to
care for you, as you call it.
 
I promise,
it will not happen again, but you have to promise me something, too.”

“What?”

“Don’t
tempt me.
 
I’ve never been able to say no
to you.”

She
stared up at him, eyes suddenly blazing with an indefinable fire.
 
“Good.
 
I don’t like being told no.
 
And I
can’t promise not to do something I’m not aware of doing.
 
You’ll just have to decide whether or not to
give in to temptation, won’t you?”
 

He took
a deep breath, thinking that a stronger man would turn her over his knee about
now.
 
“You really are outrageous, aren’t
you?”

“So you
said once before.
 
If you remember, I
took it as a compliment then, and I still do.
 
You wouldn’t like me nearly as much if I was just some ordinary girl,
would you?”
 
She slid her arms around his
neck, tilting her head back to hold his gaze.
 
“And you really do like me, I can tell.”

Sighing
“Brat!” as he clasped her face between his hands, he dropped a kiss on the tip
of her nose.
 
When in response she
clutched at his shirt and raised herself on tiptoe, seizing his mouth with a
muffled giggle, he groaned his submission.
 
If Adamson walked in now, it should be clear to even his critical eye
that in this instance, Kendall was the one in need of protection.

The day
was filled with coming and going from various offices, two stops at the
hospital and finally a visit to Bergdorf’s where Peg swept through the
appropriate departments selecting her ensemble for Friday’s dinner party.
 
“See, I told you I wear mostly off-the-rack,”
she declared proudly as the sales clerk packed her dress in a garment bag.
 

“Right.
 
I might point out, Miss Thrifty, that off-the-rack for you exceeds the
annual wardrobe allowance for the majority of girls your age, and that’s just
for one evening.
 
But I admit, what you
chose is worth every penny.
 
You’ll be
the focus of every man’s attention tomorrow night.”
 

She
shot him a teasing little smile.
 
“Even yours?”

He
weighed the wisdom of honesty against the danger of revealing his vulnerability.
 
The dress, which she had modeled barefoot for
his approval, was a deep blue affair embroidered with ivory flowers and topped
by a chiffon scarf that wrapped her bare shoulders and draped down one side of
the front.
 
Beyond the fine fabrics or
workmanship, the dress had displayed her figure to stunning effect before
flaring softly at the hemline.
 
His mind
had perversely gone straight to a moment when he might relieve her of the
dress, including the reverent laying aside of the garment before enjoying the
glories beneath.
 
With a slightly ragged
sigh, he replied, “Most of all mine.”
 

“That’s
all I’m interested in.
 
Now let’s go
home.
 
I want to take a bath before
dinner.”
 

Carrying
her parcels, he fell in step beside her, aware that as was the case everywhere
she went, people seemed to recognize her.
 
Everyone from the elevator attendant, the sales clerks behind the
counters and the doorman nodded and smiled.
 
Not one of them failed to give him a thorough appraisal as well.
 
As he returned their nods he had the oddly
satisfying sense that at least some of them thought him to be Peg’s ‘young man’.

“Don’t
you ever go anywhere without causing a stir?”

“What
do you mean?”
 
She paused on the curb to
signal to Simon, who was parked down the block.
 

“I mean
do you ever just wander into someplace unnoticed?
 
I bet you can’t even go to the public library
without being recognized.”

“Probably
not.
 
I’ve never tried it alone.
 
But I’ll have you know when I was in school,
I could go with the other girls all over the place and no one made a fuss.
 
It’s only since my silly debut that things have
gotten this bad.
 
Too many pictures in
the papers, I guess.
 
I just try to
politely ignore it.”

He
passed the parcels to Simon and followed her into the car.
 
“I can’t imagine having to smile and bow all
the time like that.
 
Why, I bet Princess
Margaret gets through Harrod’s with less bother.”

She
turned to him with a quizzical frown.
 
“Why do you insist on comparing me to a princess?
 
I’m not at all aristocratic.
 
You’re the one who could pass for at least a
baronet or maybe the second son of an earl.
 
Where did you learn such elegant manners, anyway?
 
Not from your mother, I’ll bet.”

“Now
see here, don’t go insulting my mother.
 
But you’re right.
 
I spent a lot
of time with my paternal grandparents and my grandfather
is
the fourth son of a baron, not the same as a baronet, by the way.
 
Not a thing I tell everyone, you know.
 
My grandfather was a hard working barrister
with, of course, no hope of a title.
 
But
both he and my grandmother are sticklers for tradition.
 
Is there anything wrong with my manners,
other than being a bit old school by American standards?”
 

Without
a word, and with no regard for Simon, she leaned over to kiss his cheek.
 
“Nothing at all.
 
I love your manners.
 
And I love it when you take me so
seriously.
 
I was just teasing about the
second son of an earl, but I’m very impressed with your connections.
 
I think I’ll tell everyone you’re the
grandson of a peer the next time I get the chance.
 
That should make Connie go green with envy.”

“And I
shall go back to London boasting of how I followed a real American heiress all
over Manhattan.
 
I’m sure that will have
the lads at the club going green, as you say.”

“The
club?
 
You mean like White’s or Boodles?”

“Good
heavens no.
 
I stop in at a little gymnasium periodically,
you know sweaty men in shorts hefting barbells and playing racket ball.
 
Work off a little steam and try to keep
reasonably fit.
 
When I tell them I’ve
become a kept man, at least for a few days, I’m sure they’ll be very
impressed.”

He was
pleased to see her settle back with a relaxed smile on her face.
 
She’d been tense all day in her role as
liaison for her father.
 
While he’d
admired her skill at handling nurses and secretaries, not to mention Michael,
he sensed the pressure she placed herself under.
 
Peg, he now knew, never did anything
half-way.
 
She threw every ounce of
energy and focus into whatever she took on.
 
She had also been disappointed when the doctor insisted Michael stay
another night in hospital, just as a precaution.
 
Kendall was concerned there might be a repeat
of last night’s tears if she kept herself so tightly wound.
 

“Oh, by
the way,” she was saying, “Connie and Prue will be meeting us at the
movie.
 
I mentioned we were planning to
go when I called to give her an update on Dad.
 
I couldn’t very well tell her she wasn’t welcome to join us when she
more or less invited herself.
 
I hope you
don’t mind.”

“Not
at all.
 
Three lovely young
ladies.
. .why would I object?”