Chapter 6 Alex #2
Alex choked as he inhaled some of the peach brandy up his nose. “Do you just use your imagination for that?”
“Not quite.” Savi hesitated, her mouth opening and closing before she finally decided on an answer.
“People volunteer to be models. Occasionally, it’ll be in a large group, so there would be a room full of artists and one life model in the centre of the room.
You’d end up with a variety of artwork of the same man from multiple different angles. It’s quite fascinating, actually.”
“I’m sure.” Good grief, the angles.
“But for me, I prefer to work one-on-one.”
His eyebrows sailed towards his hairline. “Do you draw both men and women?”
Savi didn’t turn away, inclining her head in a practical nod. “Usually men. They tend to be more confident being naked than women.” Suddenly, her eyes burned with a curious gleam. “I believe it’s my turn for a question.”
“Ask away.”
Her plump lips pursed to the side. “Were you naked when you swam in the lake earlier?”
“Loch,” he corrected, trying not to smile. His wife was turning out to be an unusually blunt young woman; he was surprised by how much she intrigued him.
Especially the thought of her, pencil posed over her sketchbook, inspecting the male form as she drew it in its entirety, the two of them alone in the room. Her eyes travelling down his torso, sketching the lines on his hips—
Fuck. When had he begun to think of the model as him? And why did that appeal to him so much?
“What’s the difference between a lake and a loch?” she asked, ignorant of his thoughts.
“If it’s in Scotland, it’s a loch—bar an exception or two.
They’re typically interchangeable, other than when it’s a fjord or a sea loch.
” He threw back the last sip of his brandy, trying to scorch away the sudden desire to model for her.
“And no, I was not naked. The Dower House was full of my entire extended family, so I decided to wear bathing shorts. For my sake and theirs.”
He got the distinct impression that she was studying him; those dark eyes missed nothing as they raked him over. “Do you often swim in the loch?”
“During summer, yes.”
“And from your phrasing, I gather you don’t always wear bathing shorts?”
Alex bit down on his cheek to stop himself from grinning. “I’ll leave that one up to your imagination, shall I?”
“Well, that’s just cruel,” she muttered into her glass. “I answered all of your questions.”
When was the last time he’d smiled this much? His cheeks were beginning to hurt. “I haven’t asked them all yet.”
Savi finished the last sip of her brandy, clinking the glass onto the cabinet beside her. “More questions about life art?”
“Not quite.” The subject he had in mind was slightly less jovial. “When you came up to the altar and you saw me, were you disappointed?”
She gave a vehement shake of her head. “Not at all. When I agreed to the marriage, I expected the worst: a man twice my age, short-tempered, pockmarked, the lot. After meeting you this morning, I was delighted to discover that you were my intended.”
Had Raj really told her nothing about him? “Then why on earth did you agree to marry me?”
For the first time, a sliver of vulnerability cracked through Savi’s confident demeanour, her dark eyes deepening in sorrow. “I, um…” She looked away for a brief moment, and it was gone. “I heard about your work with the sanatorium. About your noble wish to help people in need.”
His cheeks heated at the praise. “I’m not sure how noble it is. All I do is fund it; your father is the one who runs the place—or at least his company does. The credit should go to him.”
“Do you go there often?”
“Once a quarter to see the finance director, Mr Eaves. The funding needed is quite variable. Patients are charged based on their means, so a wealthy individual would pay the full price, whereas a person of limited means would pay nothing—and everything in between. In some quarters, the Lakenheath estate needs to fund very little; whereas, in others the amount is quite significant.”
“How very equitable. What kind of facilities do you have there?”
Alex didn’t know where to start. “Every time I go, there seems to be something new. The activities director is fantastic, offering a variety of activities including gardening, painting, writing, sewing, theatre, and sports. Originally, we found that some of the poorest patients had very low literacy levels, so we increased the funding level to include tutors and similar resources. The goal with the sanatorium is not just to improve patients’ current mental fitness, but to ensure that they maintain that fitness for the rest of their lives. ”
It was something he was particularly proud of.
“It sounds lovely,” Savi breathed. Though her eyes remained on him, her focus wavered. “I’d love to visit.”
“The next time I go down to Essex, you’re very welcome to join me. I’d be glad to give you a tour.”
Her nod was immediate, the little piece of jewellery she wore on her forehead tinkling slightly. “I’ll take you up on that.”
“For now, though.” Alex got to his feet, releasing his wedding day fatigue in a long, weary breath. “I think it’s time to go to bed.”
Savi’s eyes flashed wide in apparent surprise, tinged with something resembling trepidation. “Very well.”
“We’re right beneath the bedroom corridor,” he informed her, pulling open a door concealed behind an overflowing bookcase.
The main entrance hall positively dwarfed the cosy foyer behind it, but even here a vast bouquet of pearly-white flowers had been placed on the circular marble table in the centre of the room.
Contrasting with the rigid stone steps in the entrance hall, the singular set of stairs here was carpeted in a lush sweep of emerald carpet flecked with gold.
“It’s just the one set of stairs to climb.
May I ask you another question?” When she nodded, he continued.
“What is the jewellery you’re wearing on your forehead? ”
“Oh.” Savi touched the little peacock. “This? It’s called a tikli.
Traditionally, it’s part of something called the soloh shringar, the sixteen adornments, that a bride wears on her wedding day.
All sixteen items have different meanings, of course, but not everyone strictly adheres to tradition.
Some brides wear everything, some pick and choose.
The tikli is what I chose.” She released a soft huff of laughter.
“My mother bought this one for me in a shop called Hugger it was intended to bridge the gap between Savi moving in and her choosing to decorate the room how she wished.
“I lost my mother almost four years ago,” Alex revealed. “Obviously, I didn’t know your mother, but I do know the grief incurred by their loss. Please don’t think you have to bear it alone.”
Her eyes glittered with tears, but she turned away before they fell—and, out of respect, he dropped his gaze. She fanned at her eyes, forcing out a frustrated exhale. “Of all days, today was the day I needed her the most.”
“What was her name?” he asked, noting a bottle of champagne and two glasses had been set out for them on one of the mismatched bedside tables.
Savi finally turned back towards him, and he felt it was safe to look at her again. Tears had clumped her eyelashes together, but other than that, there was no outward sign of her grief. A wistful expression came over her face. “Sarala. What was your mum’s name?”
“Maria.” Alex crossed the distance between him and the champagne, carefully uncorking it before pouring a glass for himself and Savi. He handed hers over, raising his own. “To Sarala and Maria.”
Savi’s bottom lip trembled with emotion, but she wrestled it away, throwing her shoulders back and standing a little straighter. “Sarala and Maria.”
For several long moments, Alex was filled with memories of his mother. What would she say about his sudden marriage? Would she be ashamed of him for marrying for money?
He hoped not.
Expelling his doubts, he walked over to a long tassel hanging from the ceiling, dropping over one of the bedside tables.
“If you need anything this evening, you can pull this. A servant will come up to assist you. Feel free to take books from the library downstairs.” He pointed to the door on the other side of the bed.
“Your dressing room is through here, and your trunk will be in there. And this door here,” Alex indicated the door on the other side of the room, “leads to your en-suite. There’s a lock on both the bathroom door and the one into your room itself. ”
“I didn’t realise I would have a whole suite of apartments.”
Alex tipped his head back to finish the rest of his champagne.
“They’re very much a blank slate. The housekeeper—Mrs MacLean—will be around tomorrow to discuss how you’d like the room decorated.
” Her eyes flared with surprise. “For tonight, though, my apartments are just across the hallway if you need anything urgently.”
Her lips parted as though in shock, but she recovered quickly, managing to give him a serene nod. “In that case, it was very nice meeting you today, Alex.”
Something devilish inside him decided to give her a wink. “It was very nice meeting you as well, Lady Lakenheath.”