OLIVIA
Chapter Fifteen
The early morning sun filtered
through the pale ivory sheers on the windows and across the bed where Olivia
and Cal lay. She awoke to the feeling of Cal’s arm lying heavily on her hip and
the sound of his deep breathing next to her ear. She smiled and stretched as
contentment curled warmly through her. At her movement, Cal groaned and pulled
her closer against him.
She slowly turned so that she was
facing him and could look at him in his sleep. Like this, he was so serene and
almost boyish in his features. She reached out to lightly touch his face and
then brushed a dark lock of hair from his forehead.
As Olivia lay there looking at
her husband, she couldn’t help but wonder what this morning would bring. Things
had been so tense between them, and this was the first time he had touched her
intimately since the birth of the twins. She had almost given up hope that they
would ever reconnect, but last night proved that there was still something there.
She was determined to take it, hold onto it, and make the most of whatever she
was given. She had to make Cal see how happy they could be together, how
wonderful their life could be.
At that moment, she heard the
distant sound of one of the babies crying. She slid quietly from the bed, threw
her gown on, and made her way to the nursery. Just as she walked through the
door, Mrs. Ryan was coming from her adjoining room. The two women stopped, and
Mrs. Ryan gave Olivia a nod.
"Good morning, Mrs. Hockley."
"Good morning," she
replied in turn as she continued into the room. It was Catherine who was the
culprit, and by the time Olivia reached the crib, her crying had reached a
fever pitch. She reached down, picked up her daughter, and snuggled her little
body against her own.
"Shh." She began to
comfort the wiggling baby. "There, there, Mommy’s here."
"She’s probably both wet and
hungry," Mrs. Ryan informed her smugly as she clasped her hands in front
of her ample figure. "She’s always the first to wake up."
Olivia threw the woman a cool
look before heading over to the table where they changed their soiled clothes.
She had just laid Catherine down when she felt the other woman come up behind
her.
"There’s no need to do that,
Mrs. Hockley. I’ll have her changed and fed before you know it, and then I’ll
bring her to you when she’s more content."
Olivia tensed and slowly turned
to her. "I’m quite capable of changing my daughter’s soiled linens, Mrs.
Ryan. I am her mother, after all."
"Of course, ma’am,
but..." The woman gave Olivia a look of mild scorn as she spoke. "If
you don’t mind me saying so, ma’am, the other families I have worked for
understood what my position in the household was. They have never minded giving
up the…more unpleasant duties of taking care of children, if you will."
Olivia turned back to Catherine,
who was gearing up for another tantrum. "I appreciate your candor, Mrs.
Ryan," she said coldly over her shoulder. "But I can manage."
"Very well, Mrs.
Hockley," she answered stiffly. "I’m only following Mr. Hockley’s
orders. I’m sure he will not be pleased with this turn of events."
Just as Olivia was going to
answer her, Nathaniel let out a wail from his crib. It was hard to tell who was
the more unhappy at that moment, he or Catherine. She finally managed to get a
clean diaper on her squirming daughter, and when she finally picked her up and
turned, Mrs. Ryan was still standing there. She gave Olivia a haughty smile
that set her teeth on edge.
"Mrs. Ryan," she said,
taking on a superior tone. "Would you please see to Nathaniel while I see
to Catherine, or would that be asking too much of you?"
"Not at all, Mrs.
Hockley," she answered with a thin smile. "I was just waiting for
your instructions."
"Then do what I
instructed," Olivia snapped before she could catch herself. "And take
care of my son."
"Yes, ma’am." She
nodded awkwardly and walked over to the crib.
Once the twins were taken care
of, Olivia headed back to the suite. She was tired of Mrs. Ryan’s attitude, and
she was going to take care of her immediately. She was going to see that that
woman was gone by the end of the day and that the next nanny that was hired
would be of her choosing.
When she entered the room, Cal
was still asleep. She got back into bed and lay down close to him. He stirred,
mumbled, and then let out a low rumble of laughter. He snuggled into her hair
and kissed the side of her neck. Olivia smiled, forgetting Mrs. Ryan and her
anger and turned to him, wrapping her arms around him.
"Good morning,
darling," she whispered.
"Morning," he whispered
sleepily and rolled over onto his back. He tugged on her arm, pulling her up so
that she was looking down at him, her hair draped across his shoulder. "I
was afraid last night was a dream."
"It wasn’t a dream."
She shook her head. "It was real…very real," she told him as she
cupped his face.
He grinned and lifted her hand
up, kissing her palm. "You look beautiful this morning."
"So do you." She
laughed huskily and bent her head to kiss him softly. It was wonderful being
with her husband this way, the way it should be, the way she wanted it to be.
When she pulled back, he was staring at her with a slight look of puzzlement.
"What’s wrong?" she asked.
"That’s the first time
you’ve ever kissed me," he answered.
She shook her head in denial.
"No, it isn’t. I’ve kissed you many times."
He smiled and wrapped a finger
around a lock of her hair. "What I mean is that’s the first time you’ve
ever kissed me without my kissing you first."
Olivia realized what he said was the
truth. She had never done what she just did. She had never felt at liberty to
do so. She was amazed how easily it had happened, as well. In fact, it felt
like the most natural thing in the world.
"Olivia," he said as he
slid his hand behind her neck. "What happened last night…what we shared
was…incredible."
"It was more than
incredible," she refuted him softly, and smiled.
He pulled her down to him until
their lips were nearly touching. His smoldering dark eyes bore into hers.
"Perhaps, if we try, we can see how much more incredible it can be."
Already Olivia could sense the
tension mounting within her body. Any logical thought left her when their lips
finally met. Just as the night before, they came together in a swirl of passion
that threatened to consume them. For a small moment in time, it was only she
and Cal and their need for each other. When she could take no more, she cried
out his name in her release.
"I love you!" she cried
huskily. "I love you, my darling."
If he answered, she was unaware
of it. She held onto him and she knew from that moment on, she would never be
the same. They held each other until he finally had to leave her for the day,
but Olivia knew that this was the beginning of a new life for them. She smiled
happily for the rest of the day and took great pleasure in sending Mrs. Ryan on
her way. She was secure in her position as the lady of the manor now, and she
was determined to make a good life for her husband and children. She was Mrs.
Caledon Whitmore Hockley, and it was about time she started acting like it.