Coco, with her easy, polite ways and obvious good breeding, was a breath of fresh air. “Lovely girl…” were the whispers among the other women, and they made note to invite her to their own homes, with or without Nigel, since they weren’t an item, according to their hostess. Two of the guests said they wanted to introduce her to their sons.
After dinner the ladies withdrew to the drawing room, according to tradition, and the men joined them half an hour later, after port or brandy and cigars. Late into the evening, card tables and parlor games were introduced. There was a great sound system, and some of the guests who were so inclined danced. No one went to bed before three A.M., and it was nearly four when Nigel walked Coco up the stairs and down the hallway to her room. He paused at the door with a smile and raised an eyebrow, asking a silent question.
“If you invite me in now, it will spare you the embarrassment of getting lost and winding up in the dungeon,” he whispered, as he kissed her cheek in a slow and sensual way.
“I think I’ll stay here tonight,” she whispered back.
“And I should go back to my room?” he asked, and she nodded. “Oh, cruel woman…What if I have a nightmare, there won’t be anyone to comfort me.”
“There’s a whiskey bottle in my room, and a bottle of brandy, in a small bar. There’s probably one in your room too. You could try that,” she said demurely and he laughed.
“Ah, Coco, you have no heart.” But he was only teasing her and she knew it. It was much too soon to fall into bed with him, and she had no intention of doing that, especially since she was sure that many women already had. He was very charming and famously handsome, and she suspected that few women resisted him, and most fell prey to his charms. She didn’t want to be one of them. Not too quickly anyway. “See you at breakfast, after a long, lonely night.” He kissed her cheek again, and headed down the hall to his room, as she gently closed the door to hers.
Chapter 5
The rest of the house party at the castle was magical. They had a small, very good live band to dance to on Saturday night. Nigel warned her that most of the weekend parties he went to were not as well done as this one. They had started at the top. Their hosts had a lot of style, and made the weekend fun for everyone.
The men went hunting on Saturday morning, and a few of the women joined them. Coco chose to be one of them, and stood discreetly behind Nigel. She chatted with their hostess, who was a very interesting woman. She was involved in a number of social causes and had a master’s in psychology.
They explored the nearby village that afternoon, danced away the night after dinner, and this time at Coco’s door, Nigel kissed her properly, not just on the cheek, and she enjoyed it thoroughly. She still didn’t let him spend the night with her, much to his dismay. It tantalized him and just made him want her more. By the second day of the weekend, he knew that she was the woman he had been waiting for all his life. He was incredibly nice to her, and they had a wonderful time together.
On Sunday all the guests were present for a big breakfast. Some stayed for lunch, and afterward, Nigel and Coco left after thanking their hosts profusely. The marquess and marchioness said pointedly to Coco that they looked forward to seeing her again, and hoped she would visit them soon. She had left an envelope in her room with a tip for the maid, as her mother had taught her to do. She intended to send flowers to their hosts on Monday.
On the way back, Nigel couldn’t stop talking about how much he had enjoyed the weekend with her. “Their weekends can be quite boring sometimes, even if lavish and well run, because their guests are almost always married and a little older. They were a good group this time, although we were the youngest people there. But you were fantastic. Everyone fell in love with you,” he smiled at her, “and so did I.”
“I had a wonderful time too. I really loved our hosts. They’re such nice people. I liked all the guests.” It had