Tempted by You

by Tiffany Clare

  “Would you like another refreshment?” her brother asked.

  She shook her head dabbing the tears away under her eyes with a handkerchief. “You go ahead. I’m going to sit through this intermission.” And wait for Teddy to come to her, for surely he would want to see her.

  “I can stay with you if you prefer.” Her brother’s tone indicated he was worried.

  “No, I just need a moment.” She tucked her handkerchief in her hand and gave him a winning smile. “Thank you for offering.”

  Her brother squeezed her shoulder before leaving for refreshments.

  She waited what felt like forever in her seat, not sure what she should do. There were still a lot of people in the room, but it had cleared out by at least half. She stood, not sure where she wanted to go, almost wishing she hadn’t asked her brother to leave her here alone when she hadn’t brought her walking stick to navigate with.

  Before she could take her seat again, a hand gently wrapped around her elbow. “Rosa,” Teddy said, spinning them away from the chairs and walking farther from all the chatter in the room. “I just needed a few minutes with you.”

  “Of course.”

  Neither of them said anything until Teddy shut a door behind them and she could tell they were alone. He pulled her into his arms and just held her. She breathed deeply of his scent, wrapped her arms around his middle, and pressed her ear to his heart. She’d missed him so much and it had been her own fault they hadn’t been together these past few weeks.

  “I wanted to tell you my plans for your sonata, but wasn’t sure you would come today.”

  “I would have said no. But hearing it come to life on the stage made me realize how wrong that decision would have been. Thank you for giving me such a beautiful gift.” Her lip trembled, she was unsure how to express just how much that had meant to her.

  “It was a small token of my affection and respect for you. Your music is meant to be shared and appreciated by everyone, no less and no more than my own compositions.” Teddy released her, and said, “Tell me you liked the concerto.”

  “It was perfect harmony to my ears.” Oddly enough, it was their story she heard, in the sorrowful theme. “The main melody was beautiful and chased the ascending chords like the music was overlapping stories of love and loss.” She laughed; her nervousness had her carried away. “Now you have me speaking in riddles. It was more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.”

  “Tell me more about the scene you envisioned?”

  “I’m not sure. I suppose it could be any sort of story,” she said. “It was serene, but romantic.”

  He brushed a curl from her temple and pressed close enough to her that they touched from hip to thigh. He leaned toward her, his lips near her ear, the soft tendrils of hair escaping her chignon tickling her nape as it brushed back and forth with his every exhalation.

  Could he hear the hitch in her breath?

  “You told me that every piece tells a story. I want you to tell me what you saw when you heard that concerto.”

  “The French horn, when it started, felt like it was the start of a young man’s journey. There was a dissonance in the chords that lent to his confusion for which path he had to take. Maybe it was confusion about what he wanted?” She paused, her head angling to the side, exposing the delicate arch of her neck to him. She wanted him to reach out, run his fingers along the skin there. “No, it wasn’t a man, but a woman, running toward something.”

  It was her, she knew.

  “What if I said she was trying to escape from something?” he asked.

  She shook her head. How could she be escaping when she stood here next to him? “And what of the oboe following the main theme by half a beat?” He slipped his finger into the edge of her right glove and pulled it below her elbow. Her breath caught as he circled his finger over the bone at the side of her wrist.

  “Will he eventually catch her?” she asked.

  “Let’s call the oboe her lover. Always one step behind, never fast enough to catch her because she refuses to be caught. She slips through his grasp no matter how sure he is that he’s finally got her.” His fingers threaded through hers.

  “Maybe she has reason to escape?”

  He kissed her lightly on the mouth. Her lips remained parted, but he didn’t kiss her again.

  “Fear, maybe,” he said. “But she has no reason to run, not from anyone but herself. I imagine she knows it, too.”

  His hand traced a heated path over her exposed arm.

  Throat dry, she swallowed, hoping she’d find the courage to say what she’d been rehearsing since the day after he left and she’d realized just how monumental her mistake was in denying her love for him.

  “I do know it.”

  “Rosa.” He said her name barely above a whisper.

  She raised her hands to his cheeks. “That piece was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in my life.”

  “What we have is more beautiful.”

  “And it scares me, Teddy. I’m sorry for how we parted.”

  “Why did you really come today, Rosa?”

  She shook her head, biting at her lower lip, unsure how to voice her fears and desires.

  “Will you run from me again?”

  “No,” she said firmly. “Ted—”

  His finger pressed to her lips, shushing her. She closed her mouth waiting for him to say what he wished. But he said nothing. His lips replaced his finger over her mouth. She did not hesitate to return the kiss, finding herself pressed against his front as they kissed each other with an urgency that told them how much they had missed each other.

  His hands held tight on either side of her head as their lips parted. They both breathed heavily. Closing her eyes, she took in the nearness of him.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean ...”

  She shook her head. “Don’t, please don’t say you didn’t mean to do that. I know you did. I’m glad you did. I’ve missed you, too.”

  “Missed is too bland a word to describe how I felt without you in my life. What made you change your mind?” Teddy asked sincerely.

  “So many things. Things I’ve known but denied for too long now. You were right, I was afraid. I’ll never be accepted amongst the ton, but I cannot let the vapid tongues of others dictate how I live my life.”

  He wrapped his hands around her back, bringing her more snugly along his body as his hand caressed the length of her upper spine.

  Snaking her arms around his neck, she gave him a shy smile. “Will you even have me after all the horrible things I said?”

  “That depends on what you have to say now.”

  “When Michael died ...” She threaded her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. “I never thought it possible to care for another person. It happened so long ago now that I sometimes forget what it was like to love him. I wondered if my grief was made greater by losing the child or being unable to help Michael as we lay in the overturned carriage.”

  “Oh, Rosa. You don’t have to relive your sorrows for me. I want to start fresh, to see what life brings us.”

  “I’m scared of what will happen because it’s not something I ever imagined possible. And I’ve been such a great fool.”

  “You were only trying to protect yourself from further hurt.”

  “Have I really protected myself? You named me a coward, and rightfully so, Teddy.”

  “How can that be when you are standing here with me?” He kissed her forehead, then her lips.

  She pressed her cheek to his chest and listened to the steady cadence of his heart. “Had I not been a coward, I would have come to you before now. And you were right about something.”

  “What was that?”

  “That I feel something more, something worthwhile when I’m with you. I love you. I think I’ve loved you from the moment we met.”

  His breath caught at her pronouncement. She fidgeted with the sleeve of his jacket and waited for his response. None came, but his hol
d around her back stayed strong. She felt tears fill her eyes and tried to keep a smile on her face.

  She’d come this far and shared what was in her heart; there was no reason for her not to say all of what she’d been rehearsing in her head for the past week.

  She raised her head and faced him. “Will you still have me? Will you marry me after all my silly stubbornness and unwillingness to believe in you, in us?”

  She swore she felt her heart in her throat and could barely breathe as she waited for his answer. Tears slipped down her cheek.

  “You little fool.” His thumbs brushed away most of the wetness. “Why are you crying?”

  “Because you haven’t said anything.”

  “I’ll never change my mind about you. Haven’t you figured that out yet? And, yes, I still want to marry you, because I love you, Rosa. I always have and not for one minute could I stop loving you.”

  She laughed and more stupid tears fell down her cheeks. Tears of joy.

  Soft linen was brushed over the wetness of her face. She took it from him long enough to wipe her nose, then threw her arms around his shoulders.

  “What if I make a dreadful wife?”

  “Not possible. Now come, we’ll introduce you so the attendees can see who the brilliant writer of the sonata is. And we’ll announce our engagement before the last symphony is played. I want everyone to know you are the only woman for me and that my music wouldn’t have been possible without you at my side.”

  Two years later

  ROSA PULLED THE ROCKING CHAIR up to the piano, settling herself into the cushioned seat to play a one-handed melody in the lower register. Today had been the first day she could get out of bed by herself. It amazed her that she could be so tired and worn down from having a baby.

  Though the doctor forbade them from ever having a second child for the sake of her health, she was thankful she had given Teddy a son.

  All the pain she felt now and the weakness from the labor was nothing compared to the joy that overfilled her heart when she first held her baby.

  The floor creaked behind her, and she turned her head to the side. “Mary, is that you?”

  “It’s me, sweet,” Teddy said.

  Teddy was bound to be furious with her being down in the music room. There wasn’t enough space for the old Érard her father had given back to her, so they kept her piano in the music room. It just so happened to be her favorite piano in the house to play.

  “I thought you were out at a rehearsal today?”

  “The weather is horrible. Carriage ended up stuck in mud at the end of the laneway, so I walked back and sent a rider with a message to the music hall.”

  Teddy had played music halls all over London after the night he’d played the concerto he’d named after and dedicated to her. A number of her works had also been published with her husband’s help. He was still trying to convince her to take the stage herself, insisting no one could do her pieces justice because according to him, there were no better pianists than her.

  While they’d moved around a lot in the last two years, they had stayed in this particular house in London for two months with the pending birth of their child. During that time, her husband hadn’t once mentioned her playing for the public.

  “Come sit with me.” She held her free hand out to him.

  “Of course.” He slid over a stool to sit on and placed a kiss over her knuckles. “But what are you doing out of bed? The doctor said you needed at least another week to regain your strength.”

  “I felt well enough.” Though she was tired and refused to admit that or he’d put her right back in bed. “I haven’t played in nearly a month. I’ll not while away another day in bed, Teddy. I need fresh air and music. I miss my music dreadfully.” She demonstrated that by playing a soft ballad with her left hand.

  Teddy brushed his hands through her loose waves before he kissed her temple.

  “For a little while, but then I want you back in bed. Your father is visiting with Daniel in a few days and I don’t want them thinking I don’t take care of you.”

  She smiled, knowing she’d won this argument. “Take the middle register. I don’t want the high notes to bother the baby’s ears.”

  “Isn’t he a bit young to be learning the piano?” Teddy teased.

  She smiled, turned in his direction, and kissed his jaw. “What if he’s to be a musical genius?”

  “I think there is enough musical talent in our family. But I’d like nothing better when he’s older.”

  They played for half an hour, all soft pieces that were of a slower tempo, and only pieces she could play one-handed, since she refused to put their son down.

  When she yawned loudly, Teddy said, “Let me take you back to our room, Rosa. You look like you’ve run a few laps around the estate and the circles under your eyes are darker than they should be.”

  He gave her no choice in the matter. Before she could answer him he was pulling out the rocking chair she’d painstakingly dragged to the piano, lifted her in his arms babe and all, and strode determinedly out of the music room.

  “We’ll move to another room in the house tonight. The one with my old Broadwood so you don’t have far to go when you want to play. How does that sound?”

  “Like a dream.” Placing her head to his chest, she closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of her husband and her newborn baby. How heavenly. Their son lay tucked against her chest, still sound asleep.

  “Why do I have to be so tired?”

  “Because you gave me the most beautiful baby a man could ask for.” He kissed her forehead.

  “I don’t like being confined to our bedchamber.”

  “Then I’ll stay home another week and make sure you have someone with you to go around the grounds and to get around the house properly. Poor Mary’s run off her feet looking after you and the baby.” He was quiet a moment, as though making up his mind about something. “In fact, I’ll not hear another argument on the matter. My mind is already made, I’ll stay home. I can’t lose you, Rosa. It would destroy me.”

  He set her down on her feet when they were back in their chambers.

  “I’m fine. I just prefer to be up and about, or I’ll never heal from the birth. You are needed for rehearsals and I don’t want to keep you from that. I won’t hurt myself. I was careful when I went downstairs earlier.” She’d known Mary would put her right back in bed, and had waited for the right moment to escape her maid’s ever watchful eyes. Not that she would offer up that tidbit of information to her husband.

  “I know, but I’ll always worry.”

  She sighed, knowing she had to cede this argument to him. If she were well enough to go around the house on her own, she wouldn’t be this tired right now. “I promise to stay in bed until I’m fully healed if that makes you happy.”

  “It does. You know what would make me even happier?”

  “What, pray tell, would make you happier,” she said with a great yawn she couldn’t be bothered to cover.

  “A nap.”

  She chuckled at her husband. There was nothing better than them curling up together in the middle of the afternoon. “I think that is a wonderful idea. Will you put Michael in the bassinet?”

  “It would be my pleasure,” he said, lifting their son from her arms and into his.

  She leaned forward and kissed her son’s head. Once Teddy set Michael in the bassinet, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. She was placed on the same side where her baby slept, then Teddy’s arms wrapped around her from behind, and tucked her in close against his front.

  “I love you, Rosa.”

  “And I you, Teddy. Promise me you will take me back to the music room after our nap.”

  “I promise. Now let’s rest since our son sleeps.”

  Rosa pulled his arms tighter around her middle and settled into the pillow. There was nothing better than being wrapped in the warmth of her husband.

  This was exactly how they were always mea
nt to be.

  Thank you for reading Tempted by You! I hope you enjoyed it!

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  Coming Soon: Desire Me Now Trilogy

  Desire Me Now Trilogy

  Avon Impulse

  2015

  I’m so excited for the Desire Me Now trilogy my next dark, sexy historical romance series, that will be released through Avon Impulse. This three-book series is set in the Victorian era. These books are focused around Amelia, an educated young lady running from her past, who accepts a position as a personal secretary to Nick, a powerful businessman with secrets of his own.

  The release schedule for each book is as follows:

  Desire Me Now – May 2015

  Desire Me More – August 2015

  Desire Me Always – November 2015

  If you would like to be kept notified of all the latest news with the DESIRE ME trilogy, please sign up for my newsletter http://tiffanyclare.us4.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=f6ad24630b0efece8e16bfff1&id=38d370ac2b.

  I wrote this book a number of years ago and tucked it away for another time. It was my homage to the art of music, something that was a huge part of my life for many years before I traded my clarinet for a pen. As a young woman The Romantics and Classics were such a huge inspiration that I knew I needed to include their words of love at the head of each chapter. All the Beethoven quotes are from the Immortal Beloved letters he wrote to the mysterious love of his life. Those letters were the biggest inspiration for writing this book.