The Lady's Guide to Scandal
Page 18
She still had no desire to mix with people who spoke ill of her, but she no longer felt cowed.
He’d shown her that she was strong enough to speak up for what she wanted, that she was worthy of love and passion and the joy of spending her life with someone who valued her.
It just wouldn’t be with him.
Believing that it might be otherwise had been foolish. They hardly knew one another, truly, and he’d made it plain from the start that the last thing he wanted was to be tied down.
His life was elsewhere, and she could never be a part of that.
She knew all this to be true, yet acknowledging it sent a pang through her heart. Her feelings were real, even if his weren’t.
And then a shadow fell across the sand. When Cornelia looked up, the man who stood above her was tall, and his hair was curly.
Reaching over her shoulder, he placed a cockleshell on the mound.
Her chest leapt and her stomach tumbled, and her breath stuck somewhere in between, but she held out her hand and let him pull her to her feet.
Paddling where the waves met the sand, Minnie began to bark and wag her tail furiously.
“Still disturbing the peace with that menace dog of yours, Mrs. Mortmain.” Ethan’s arms came about her and his brow rested against hers.
When she tipped back her head, he grazed his stubbled chin playfully against the end of her nose and pulled her tighter. “Disturbing my peace, anyways. It doesn’t matter what I do; I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Ethan…” She sighed his name rather than spoke it.
“I’ve been a damned fool, but I’m wise enough to know when I’m wrong. I kept telling myself I was fine on my own; that I didn’t need anyone. But being with you is so much better.”
Cornelia couldn’t hear the sea anymore—only Ethan’s voice; and there was no chill breeze—only his breath, warm on her cheek.
“I could return to where I was before. Carry on as before. We both could.” His voice hitched.
“But I don’t want to. Whatever this is, I don’t want it to end. I want to share the adventure with you, Nellie, and no matter what happens, I want you right next to me.”
His eyelashes brushed hers. “Dammit, Nellie, tell me I’m not on a limb here. You feel it too, don’t you? You don’t really want to run away?”
“No matter what, we’re in this together?” Her heart was hammering now.
"No matter what—as long as you’re sure.”
“Does a coyote howl at the moon?” She gulped back some silly tears that wanted to come. Laughter was better.
He caught her face in his hands and answered with lips whose sweetness made her ache.
The seagulls spun above them, and the waves sucked at the pebbles and threw them back upon the beach, and the tide was almost touching their feet before they broke the kiss to look at one another again.
“Do you like hot chocolate?” Cornelia asked. "I’m sure we have some in the cupboard.”
“You’re offering me cocoa?” Burnell’s mouth quirked in the smile she knew so well.
Cornelia clasped his hands, lacing her fingers between his. “Call it part of my bridal dowry.”
Epilogue
Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
September, 1904
Cornelia placed her palm to the stone. Within the portal of the temple, all was still, though the rain fell heavily outside.
Other feet had stood here, long-ago; now, hers. On the wall, she recognized the carving of the great Tree of Life, towering to reach the mountain paradise of Tamoanchan.
Nothing died; there was only the cycle of life.
Standing behind, Ethan wrapped his hands around her middle, resting them lightly on her swollen belly.
“Each of these has a slight variation, building on the last.” She indicated the series of symbols engraved deep in the stone. “And these two are composites.”
She unfolded the piece of paper, cut from the edition of The Strand: a row of dancing men rendered in ink—a secret code unravelled by Sherlock Holmes.
“What if this block represented the tree, and this other the notion of life?”
“You may have something, Nellie.” He brought the fingers of her right hand to trace the marks in the limestone, his own above.
“Is it enough, do you think? To start deciphering the rest of the hieroglyphics?”
“We’ll ask Francisco and José Luis. They’ve been working on the vocabulary far longer. They’ll likely see more connections than us.” He pressed his cheek to Cornelia’s. “As soon as this deluge stops I’ll fetch them in.”
She peered out at the sheeting rain. These jungle showers didn’t tend to last more than an hour. One had to be patient. You couldn’t venture out without becoming soaked.
“Until then, what shall we do, Mrs. Burnell?” Ethan brushed her neck with his lips, kissing downwards, teasing with the tip of his tongue.
Cornelia dropped her head back upon his chest and closed her eyes.
She was dappled with the pattern of hidden mysteries and memories of things she’d never seen.
The jungle lay lovely on her skin, and the rain washed clean old wounds, and love nestled inside her with a pulse ever stronger.
Amidst that half-light, she was learning the meaning of what mattered, and the promise of all that was to come bloomed softly over her heart.
I hope very much that you enjoyed Ethan and Cornelia’s story.
* * *
If you'd like to find out more about the secret of the crypt at Studborne Abbey, you’ll find Rosamund’s story in ‘The Lady’s Guide to Deception and Desire’.
About Emmanuelle de Maupassant
Emmanuelle lives with her husband (maker of tea and fruit cake) and her snuffle snoof, Archie, her favourite hairy pudding connoisseur of squeaky toys and bacon treats.
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Discover more in 'The Lady's Guide' series: historical romance brimming with adventure, mystery and intrigue.
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Already available for sale
The Lady's Guide to Scandal
The Lady’s Guide to a Highlander's Heart
The Lady's Guide to Mistletoe and Mayhem
The Lady’s Guide to Escaping Cannibals
The Lady’s Guide to Deception and Desire
* * *
Releasing in 2022
The Lady’s Guide to Havoc in a Harem
The Lady’s Guide to Tempting a Transylvanian Count
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Each can be read as a 'stand alone' and in any order.
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If you enjoyed Ethan and Cornelia’s adventure, you’ll love
‘The Lady’s Guide to Mistletoe and Mayhem’
Download for FREE
An ancient castle. A family curse.
Let the mayhem begin!
Texas rancher Rye Dalreagh is being thrown in at the deep-end as the long-lost heir to Castle Dunrannoch, with five potential brides to choose from and a whole lot to learn about being a 'proper gentleman'.
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Ursula needs to hide from her dastardly guardian and his oafish marriage plans, until her inheritance unlocks on her twenty-fifth birthday.
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A chance meeting on a train has Ursula taking on the identity of an elderly etiquette teacher, and heading to the castle to whip her 'young charge' into shape.
Horse-riding, cow-lassoing, Stetson-wearing Rye is a whole lot more than she's bargained for.
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nbsp; Rye is expected to choose a bride but, with a murderer on the loose, and an ancient Scottish curse to navigate, will he ever make it down the aisle?
The Lady’s Guide to a Highlander's Heart
A clan with a dark secret.
A bride in disguise.
Upon the night a knife is plunged into her father's heart, headstrong Flora Dalreagh flees the forbidding Highlander to whom she has been hastily wed.
Entering his domain in the guise of a dairymaid, Flora never expects passion to burn as fiercely as her desire for revenge, but she soon discovers her secret is only one of many in the castle.
The Lady’s Guide to Escaping Cannibals
A mysterious island. A missing brother. Only three days until the volcano erupts.
Under the protection of darkly handsome Captain Jorge de Silva, Lady Bathsheba Asquith lands on the mysterious island of Vanuaka with only three days to find her missing brother.
The trials of the jungle strip away any pretense of propriety and passion flares, but de Silva is not all he seems, and Bathsheba is in more danger than she can imagine.
Vanuaka’s volcano is awakening—and only a human sacrifice can appease its fire.
The Lady’s Guide to Deception and Desire
Love is the one thing she can't fake.
Disowned by her oil tycoon father, debutante Rosamund Burnell is in a fix.
With limited funds, and a long way from Texas, the answer seems obvious.
Pretend she's still a wealthy catch, to ensnare an eligible English bachelor.
Meeting the Duke of Studborne, it seems her prayers have been answered.
But the duke's motives for courting her are not what they seem, and Rosamund is suddenly caught in a trap.
Are the mysterious disappearances at Studborne Abbey mere coincidence?
Or does something wicked lurk within the ancient monastic walls?