Rick gave Colin a long-suffering look and Colin wondered how Rick would look on his third day with Sibyl.
Colin watched as Sibyl positioned Meg’s wheelchair between the car and the door and then he surged forward and clipped, “Hold on…” when she reached in to take on the older woman’s considerable weight.
With astounding agility, she grabbed onto a belt at the woman’s waist, hauled her up, pivoted with her and then, with control, softly settled her into the car. She did it all as if Meg weighed no more than a feather.
Colin halted and stared incredulously as Mags said beside him, “She’s done this before, you know.”
Colin found himself thinking the wonders of Sibyl never ceased.
And also hoping they never would.
After she’d said her good-byes and closed the door she turned to Rick, “Do I need to go with you?”
“No!” Rick snapped and stomped to the driver’s side.
Mags and Phoebe went into the house while Sibyl waved the car out of sight. She turned to him, grabbed his arm in both of her hands and leaned into him, her head pressed to his shoulder. They walked together that way into the house and Colin wished he could enjoy her casual affection rather than worrying that a tranquilliser gun, or worse, was trained on one of them.
The minute he closed and locked the door and turned to go into the Great Hall, she slid her arms around his neck, pressed her soft body against his and gave him a quick, sweet kiss.
When her lips moved away, she smiled up at him and he felt his gut clench when he saw her face was awash with an extraordinary light and he realised that she was happy.
Blindingly, beautifully, glamorously, unbelievably happy.
Moved by this in a profound way that was nearly raw, his hand went to the side of her neck and he positioned his thumb under her chin to keep her radiant face tilted to his.
“You’re in a rare mood tonight,” he commented lightly in an effort to hide how her happiness affected him.
If it was possible, her smile brightened.
“She’s going to be all right, Colin. You saw her! She’s nearly back to the same old Meg.” Her arms tightened with delight around his neck.
He could do nothing but smile back.
In the middle of the night, with Sibyl’s naked body pressed heavily against his side as she slept, his own sleep eluded him.
His thoughts were about finding a way to make Sibyl that happy always. He wanted her constantly radiating happiness, peace, warmth and affection and never again worried.
Never.
And what Colin wanted, Colin found a way to get. The problem was, he was beginning to be impatient.
On Wednesday, Colin learned that Tamara Adams had disappeared and no one had seen her for weeks. She had not taken Colin’s breaking things with her very well and had said as much to family and friends, rather vociferously, according to Fitzwilliam’s phoned-in report. Then she told people she was going on holiday but didn’t return. Everyone, reportedly, was concerned.
Colin obviously wasn’t concerned, he just wanted her found and soon.
He arrived at Lacybourne early on Wednesday, thinking to work at home and immediately went in search of Sibyl. He found her in the buttery which had been, the day before, turned into her makeshift “laboratory”.
She was standing in front of the window, her back to him, one of the grey, misty days that had been the incessant weather of late providing weak light for her work. She was wearing her torn jeans and a fitted, white t-shirt and her hair pulled up in a messy ponytail at the top back of her head.
Without a word, he silently walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist. She jumped in surprise but when his lips touched her neck, she relaxed against him.
“Hi,” she whispered and he felt a thrill down his spine at her utterance of that single word.
He lifted his mouth from her neck and caught sight of her hands encased in gloves that went up to her elbows, immersed in a huge bowl of glistening, white goo.
“What is that?” he asked.
She laughed softly before saying, “That is an experiment. A new face mask. As I don’t do animal testing and Mallory would likely eat it anyway, Mags and Phoebe are going to test it for me.”
He was powerless against her warm voice and soft laugh and he allowed his hands to slide under her t-shirt and criss-cross on the skin of her midriff. He felt her muscles tense there but the rest of her body relaxed further into him.
“Would you be a test subject?” she teased for she knew the answer to that would be a resounding no.
His mouth descended to her neck again.
“No,” Colin gave her the answer she knew she’d get and he said it against her skin then parried her teasing by drifting his hand up her midriff to cover her breast. His thumb found her nipple and dragged against it, feeling it immediately harden.
“Colin,” she admonished softly without really meaning it, “I’m working.”
His arm at her middle tightened and his fingers moved to trace the lace at the top of her bra just as his mouth slid up her neck to behind her ear.
“Carry on,” he murmured and his fingers closed around the lace and pulled it sharply down under her breast.
Sibyl gasped.
“Colin!” This was half-admonishment, half-whimper.
He smiled against her ear and then touched his tongue there. She smelled of flowers and musk and he felt his groin tighten. He found her nipple with his thumb and forefinger and tugged at it sharply in a rough, gentle demand.
Her head fell back on his shoulder and she shuddered, her body’s movement absorbed by his.
“That’s nice,” she breathed and all admonishment was gone from her tone.
To reward her, he did it again and her response was so intense, his arm had to tighten around her waist to catch her as her legs buckled beneath her.
He nipped her ear with his teeth. “You’re not working,” he informed her helpfully.
She didn’t respond, she simply trembled and he knew she was ready for him.
As he had her exactly where wanted her, he pulled the lace back over her breast and slid his hand down and out from under the t-shirt. He removed his mouth from the sensitive area of her ear and kissed her neck chastely.
“I’ll let you get on with it.”
“Colin!” she cried and whirled, white goo flying everywhere.
He grinned at her.
“Don’t give me one of those devilish grins, get back here!” she demanded.
He walked away and heard her growl with frustration.
As he understood when he started it, he knew he’d pay for that episode later that night and he was very much looking forward to it.
Later, while he could smell one of Mags’s vegetarian feasts cooking in the kitchen, he snagged Mallory’s lead and commandeered the recalcitrant dog to take a walk. He and Mallory were passing the library when he heard feminine voices.
He glanced in while walking by and heard his mother exclaim, “Mine’s tingling.”
He stopped and stared at the three women sitting side by side on the couch, all of their faces covered in white goo, their legs stretched out before them, their heads resting on the back of the couch.
“Is it a good tingle or a bad tingle?” Sibyl asked with concern.
“Oh, a good tingle, dear.”
“Mine’s not tingling but it smells good enough to eat,” Mags put in.
“Don’t eat it, Mother,” Sibyl warned.
“I wasn’t going to eat it. I was just saying it smells good enough to eat.”
Colin decided to escape before the oncoming escalation and he walked the dog.
All the days that followed were more of the same.
Mandy was taking reporters’ phone calls by the dozens and they’d even found the number to Lacybourne and were ringing there wanting pictures and interviews of the reincarnated lovers.