But James didn’t pay attention, he lifted his arm and slammed his fist into Emery’s face again and again. The man’s nose was bent at an odd angle, blood trailing from his mouth and pooling to the floor. His eyes closed, his body limp. Horrified, Adelaide gasped. James couldn’t kill a man, at least not in a church! What little soul he had would be destroyed. Adelaide stumbled toward him.
“James! Stop!” She dropped to her knees, resting her hand on his trembling shoulder.
James froze and jerked his head toward her. His gaze was haunted, his breathing harsh. He wasn’t that confident, smirking man she had come to know. The look on his face did something to her, warmed her insides in a bizarre way she’d never experienced.
“I thought…I thought he had killed you.”
Adelaide smiled. Happiness and relief combined, sending tears to her eyes. He cared. “No. I’m quite alive.”
He surged forward, wrapping his steel arms around her and holding her tight. So tight, she could barely breathe. Yet, she didn’t push him away. She didn’t care that she hardly knew this man. She didn’t care that touching him was completely inappropriate. For one moment she snuggled into his hard chest, reveling in the comfort of his scent. She wanted to sink into James. She wanted him to hold her close, and never release her.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered, pressing his lips to hers. She breathed in his scent, felt every inch of his body, felt the very heat of his form. “He’ll never hurt you again.”
And she believed him.
“James, Adelaide,” Bea said softly. “We must go.”
Colin gripped Adelaide’s arm and pulled her away from James. She had to resist the urge to reach for the man. She felt empty, alone without him.
“We must leave before the constables find us.”
Adelaide and James stood staring at each other for one long moment. Even when a door opened and they heard the shout of a priest, horrified by what he saw, still they stood there, unable to move for the emotion that held them captive.
“I…can’t,” James said softly.
She knew, somehow, knew he was going to say that. It didn’t make his words any less hurtful. He was leaving her. Abandoning her. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Merde, she felt like her heart had broken and crumbled to the floor.
“It’s best,” he insisted. “If we split up. His friends will be looking for me and I won’t endanger you any longer. Colin can protect you.”
Perhaps what he said was true. Or, perhaps he was like her father and more interested in chasing after treasure than knowing real love. How would she ever truly know?
She turned away from James. “Let’s go,” she whispered to Colin.
She started forward, toward the large doors. A warm, strong hand gripped her wrist and jerked her around. Firm lips met hers. James kissed her there in the church, in front of her brother, the priest running down the aisle, in front of God. Not just a kiss, a thorough kiss that left her clinging to the man.
When he pulled back, there was a fierce determination upon his face that sent shivers over her skin. “I will find you.”
James let go, but the heat of his touch remained. Before she could respond, he turned and disappeared behind a column, leaving Adelaide to wonder if she would ever see him again.
Chapter 6
“How is your mother, dear?”
Adelaide folded the note and glanced up at Ella. Her half-sister’s blonde hair was combed neatly into place, a smile upon her lips. The perfect English lady. The mauve dress she wore brought out the flush of happiness in Ella’s cheeks, while Adelaide knew she looked pale and forlorn.
She’d liked the friendly woman the moment she’d stepped on English soil and they’d met for the first time. They didn’t exactly look alike, unless one looked into their eyes. All the Finch children had blue eyes… eyes the color of the deepest ocean. Eyes that hinted of something mysterious…something otherworldly. Magic.
Adelaide smiled back, but her face felt brittle, her body heavy. “Well, she’s well.”
Why was it when everyone else seemed happy, she felt so melancholy? Maman was thriving in London; shopping, going to tea with important woman, reveling in her new-found status. Leo, Ella’s husband, was an Earl. Because he was important, if a tad wild looking with his overly long hair, he had been able to introduce her mother to important people. Leo and Ella were so happy it almost hurt to look at them together. Maman was finally happy. Colin and Bea were happy, Colin having made a fortune somewhere in Africa and in the throes of early marriage. Yet, she could barely seem to smile.
Adelaide glanced over her shoulder where Bea and Colin snuggled on the settee and Leo stood near the fireplace. The small group was deep in discussion, laughing and comfortable with each other in only the way a family could. Would she ever feel so comfortable with them?
Ella reached out, resting a delicate hand on Adelaide’s shoulder. “You are well, aren’t you? You like it here?”
Her sister’s obvious concern for her welfare warmed Adelaide. “Of course. Yes.”
She’d been in England for months, getting to know her new relatives. Yet, instead of feeling complete now that she had a family, she felt restless. She hated not knowing her own future. Hated sitting and wondering if she’d ever see James again. Wondering, since he was English, if perhaps he’d visit his family here and she’d happen upon him. And she hated herself for caring.
Ella took her hand, her blue eyes twinkling. “I’m so happy to have a sister. I’ve always wanted one.”
“Me, as well.”
It wasn’t a lie, she was so tired of being alone. But Adelaide feared she may never meet her new family’s expectations. She loved them, truly she did, but for so many years she’d been alone, having to answer to no one. Ignoring society’s rules. She didn’t want to sit in a drawing room all day and do watercolors or gossip. She wanted to be. To feel. To see the world.
Ella and Bea had lived a full life already at their young age. They were content now. Their dreams were fulfilled and she knew they would only grow more content, happier, with age. For she could see the future and she knew, when she took Ella’s hand, that her sister would have five children. Ella and Leo would live a happy life here, on their estate, surrounded by love and family.
She knew when she took Colin’s hand that he would have his first child soon. She knew that Colin and Bea would build a home only a short distance from here and their children would grow up together. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see where she would fit into this tight knit group. The thought of being the spinster aunt that everyone would feel sorry for sickened her. She was a strong woman. She had lived her own life, made her own decisions.
“My Lady,” a nursemaid entered the room, a bundled golden-haired child in her arms. Ella quickly left Adelaide’s side and scooped up the child, pressing kisses to her round face. From the settee Leo smiled with such love that it actually hurt Adelaide to witness their affection and know she would never have such a marriage. She tore her gaze away and stared out the large floor to ceiling windows. Sun shone brightly on a wildflower garden. She knew her new family cared for her, but she wanted more. Needed more.
Damn James and his promises to return! He’d left her with a hope he never should have.
Feeling the sting of tears, Adelaide surged to her feet. She couldn’t let her family see her cry. They’d think they’d done something wrong and they’d only been so very kind. Before anyone could call out to her, she stepped through the open doors that led onto a flagstone patio. The air was warm, winter giving way to spring. It had been six long months since she’d seen James. Did he even think of her as she thought of him? Did he even remember what she looked like? Or had he already moved onto another woman, another treasure? Her hurried steps took her down the shallow stairs and past a patch of daffodils, their fragrant scent filling the air.
She couldn’t breathe at times, she felt so trapped in this world not of her making. Why couldn’t she be grateful? Why mus
t she always want more? She stumbled down the gravel path and to the large, scraggly Oak at the back of the garden. Taking in a deep breath of clean country air, she sank against the rough trunk. She would be happy here. She was determined. And one day she’d forget James. Perhaps someday she’d even meet another man who made her blood heat the way he had. A man who wouldn’t run at the idea of being committed to her. She closed her eyes and thought of France. She thought of India. She imagined the warm waters of Greece, a place she’d always wanted to travel to and probably never would.
“You don’t look well.”
The deep male voice, startled her, sent her senses spinning. Adelaide opened her eyes. The trees in the distance wavered in and out of focus. She was mad. Surely she was imagining things for she could not have truly heard the voice she so desperately wished to hear all these months.
“Have you missed me so much then?”
Her heart slammed wildly in her chest. Slowly, she turned.
James leaned against the tree, so close, she could touch him if she wished. And she certainly wished to. Dressed in fine English riding clothes of a dark brown jacket and tan trousers, he looked elegant. An English Lord. He had come for her. Shock, excitement and leeriness swirled through her body.
She focused on the rolling hills in the distance, her fingers curling into her light blue muslin gown. Six months, yet it felt as if no time had passed since last seeing him. Her body trembled, her emotions a jumbled mess. “What are you doing here?”
He was quiet for a moment, as if surprised she would ask such a thing. The entire time, she held her breath…waiting. “I came for you, of course.”
Such tempting words. Such silly thoughts. She couldn’t have him. What had she been thinking? She released a harsh laugh. “It took you six months?”
He shifted into a patch of sunlight, his brown hair warming with streaks of amber. “I came as soon as I knew you were no longer in danger.” He looked confused by the sharp tone of her voice.
She held up her hands. “I don’t know what you think we had, but I assure you, it was nothing. Go back to where ever it is you’re from.”
She surged forward, setting one foot in front of the other with determined steps. Her gaze was focused on the clump of red tulips ahead. Truth was, as much as she had dreamt of a life with James, it couldn’t happen. It was for the best, a person like her couldn’t have a relationship, couldn’t have children. People feared her, feared what she would see. Everyone eventually turned on her, the moment she told them bad news. It had been a silly dream to wish he would come for her. So why did every step further away from James, make her feel nauseous and unnatural?
Strong fingers gripped her arm and jerked her to a halt. “I did not imagine anything and neither did you.”
She pulled away, turning to face him. That had been her mistake. The moment she stared into his warm, dark eyes, she was lost. “You don’t know me, so don’t pretend you do.”
She started toward the house, needed the reprieve. She couldn’t be near him. Her entire body was trembling with emotion, her soul begging her to stop and wrap her arms around him.
“Truly? You think I don’t know you?” he said, his footsteps quick as he caught up to her. “Your mother is in London, and adoring the fact that she now has enough money to snub society.”
“You saw her?” She flushed. Blast Colin for indulging Maman. They were not a charity to be handed money!
“I had tea with her. Your mother came from a titled family, but was disowned when she left with your father, a man who was more interested in finding treasure than being a husband.”
Merde, he knew she was a bastard? How much more humiliated must she be?
“And you…you’ve taken care of your mother since your father left. Since you were eight years of age. You’re stubborn, you’re intelligent, you’re adventurous, but you’re nothing like your father.”
She froze. How did he know it was her fear to become the very man who had abandoned her? “How can you be sure?”
He paused beside her, his eyes kind, gentle in a way she’d never seen on him. “Because you’ve stayed with your mother for how long? You’re staying here, with your new siblings, even though you don’t want to. Even though you despise being trapped.”
“And how do you know we’d be happy together?” she whispered.
He took her hand and pulled her close, so close her breasts crushed to his chest. She could feel his heart beat so strong and sure. “Concentrate on me, on my touch.”
She frowned feeling the warnings of fear. “What do you mean?”
“I know what you are capable of. I know what your brother is capable of and I’m pretty sure your sister has the same amazing abilities. Concentrate. Read my future.”
Panic swelled inside her, blinding. Adelaide tried to pull away, the urge to bolt overwhelming. “No!” She didn’t want to admit her powers to him and she sure as hell didn’t want to see his future when that future might be one of darkness and death.
“I won’t release you until you do.” His jaw was set stubbornly. “I know, Adelaide, what a wonderful life we will have together. I don’t need to see the future. But you do.”
Her entire body trembled, so much rested on her visions. “And what if it isn’t wonderful?”
He smiled, his face softening. “It will be. Trust me, trust in life.”
He wouldn’t give in. She could see that in the determined glint in his gaze. She released a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes. For a moment, she merely saw darkness, merely felt the cool breeze. Then the pictures started, swooshing, bursting through her mind so fast she could barely catch them.
She and James at a beach of white sand and pure blue water, cuddled on a blanket. His hands moving up her thighs as his mouth found hers. Heated warmth swept through her body, an aching need pulsing in the pit of her belly.
“I love you,” James whispered as his fingers moved to the junction of her thighs and slipped between her damn folds. Adelaide gasped, arching her back and taking him deeper.
“Please James,” she begged, her nails biting into his bare back. He shifted and she felt the tip of his erection slipping into her tight sheath.
Much to her dismay, the scene disappeared. Only to have another take its place.
She and James laughing as they rode an elephant. She and James on a train chugging through white capped mountains. Adventures. Life.
She and James smiling down at a baby with dark hair. Adelaide’s heart swelled.
Their baby.
She and James and a little girl laughing as Ella, Leo, Colin and Bea strolled beside them in the gardens. Children…children playing in the gardens, siblings and cousins. Family. Life.
Adelaide jerked her hands away, her breathing harsh, her heart racing. She’d never known her future before, but she could see it through him, through James. Her future husband. Her future life.
“What did you see?” He cupped the sides of her face. But he wasn’t truly curious because he knew. He’d believed all along they would be together.
She smiled through her tears, turning her head to press a kiss to his palm. “Life. Love. Happiness.”
“Adelaide?” Colin’s voice sounded hesitant, unsure.
Hearing her name, she stepped back, putting proper distance between them, when she wanted to do nothing more than throw her arms around James’ neck.
Colin appeared, strolling through the garden. Seeing James, he froze. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I said I’d return for her.”
Colin frowned. “I didn’t expect you to mean it.”
That determined glint was back in James’ gaze. He latched onto Adelaide’s hand, pulling her close. “We’re going to Gretna Green.”
Adelaide stiffened. She might be French, but even she knew why English people went to Gretna Green… to get married.
“Adelaide,” Colin started toward them, his steps hurried. “You don’t have to do this.”
&
nbsp; He was right, she didn’t have to. For the first time in her life, she actually felt like she had a choice in the direction her life would head. “I want to, Colin. I love him.” She looked up at James. His eyes had taken on that soft look that made her insides melt. “You understand me, don’t you?”
“More than you know.”
“Tell me you love me.”
He cupped the side of her face, his other arm wrapping around her waist and drawing her close. “I fell in love with you the moment I stole that bloody statue and you stole my heart.”
“Hell,” Colin cursed, pacing beside them. “You’re both serious, aren’t you?”
Adelaide nodded, so sure, it hurt.
“I had to have sisters,” he muttered.
Shocking Adelaide, Colin reached out and drew her forward into a quick, no-nonsense embrace. “Best go then, before Bea and Ella find out, or you’ll be having a wedding in Westminster with five-hundred guests.”
Adelaide smiled, tears shimmering in her eyes. Hope welled within. Hope and love and acceptance.
“Remember, you’ve always got a home here,” Colin said softly.
Adelaide nodded. “I know.” And for the first time, this place really did feel like home. She stepped close to Colin. “Tell Beatrice that it will be a boy.”
Confusion clouded his gaze, then just as quickly he went pale, understanding dawning.
“We will return.” Grinning, Adelaide stepped back. “I promise. I know.”
As the soft wind whispered promises of summer’s return, James took her hand and pulled her through the garden. She didn’t know where she was going, but for the first time in her life, she didn’t care.
The End
Enjoy Wild Passion? Read Wild Heart and Wild Desire, books one and two in the Wild Series!
About Lori Brighton
Lori has a degree in Anthropology and worked as a museum curator. Deciding the people in her imagination were slightly more exciting than the dead things in a museum basement, she set out to become an author. She sold her first book, Wild Heart, to a New York Publisher and has since started self-publishing.
Wild Passion Page 5