The girl seemed almost delirious in her happiness, but not the gent. Both recited the words that tied the knot, and the wedding party looked relieved. The burly man seemed disappointed.
I bet he wishes he could have smashed the gent’s face in.
Huntley and the others certainly looked satisfied with the result. Why was this wedding between nobodies so important?
The group walked to a nearby restaurant for the wedding breakfast. Stansbury followed them inside and ordered tea and toast, earning an annoyed look from the waiter for placing a small order during such a busy time of the day. He chose a table where he could keep an eye on the wedding party. Huntley’s group from London didn’t stay long. Stansbury overheard them make their goodbyes to the newlyweds, and then they hurried off to catch the return train.
The best use of my time might be right here in Oxford. I need to investigate further to see if I can make any use of this mystery.
After the group from London departed, Stansbury continued to watch the newly married couple and their remaining guests, hoping that the trip here hadn’t been a waste of time and money. Why would Huntley travel so far for such a mundane wedding?
A middle-aged couple passed him as they left the wedding breakfast, and Stansbury overheard part of their conversation.
“... appears that the situation is quite respectable now. Caruthers was awfully distraught a month ago,” the man said to his wife.
“I’m just thankful the poor girl wasn’t ruined. When I heard that Mr. Attwood disappeared ....” The remainder of the wife’s reply was lost as the couple moved out of earshot.
Stansbury grinned with glee. He had two names and enough information so that he could ferret out the rest.
This might prove to be a productive day after all.
38 - A Bit Impetuous
Catherine stood next to her brother at the platform, trying to avoid looking at Huntley. She’d be going through the same ceremony in two more weeks, and the thought both terrified and excited her.
“If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’d like to stay here in Oxford for the day,” said Mr. Phipps. “I’ve never been much out of London before this, and I’d like to take the evening train back.”
“Certainly.” Charles said, handing the man his ticket. “Return whenever you like. Attwood is no longer your responsibility now that he’s married.”
“Much obliged, sir,” he said, tucking it into his pocket. He whistled a merry tune as he continued down the street.
Catherine watched as he walked away. “Do you think he’ll trade it in for a coach ticket and pocket the money he gets back?”
“He will if he’s smart, and Mr. Phipps is no simpleton.”
For the return trip, they all kept their original compartments. Elizabeth sat quietly reading a book, giving Catherine time to think.
Huntley had seemed preoccupied all day. Whenever she’d glanced his way, he seemed to be lost in thought. She hadn’t seen him at any social events lately, either. Now that they were engaged, his focus had returned to his shipping business.
She frowned, staring moodily out the windows of the train, watching the pastoral landscape rush past, but not really noticing it. Perhaps she should have married Anthony Watters. But no. That would never have worked. The man couldn’t focus on anything for more than a few weeks, and he had never accomplished anything in his life. How could she respect someone with so little ambition?
That brought her up short. Did she really value ambition and hard work? Of course she did. Why else would her goal be to win the fencing tournament?
Catherine glanced up as the compartment door slid open and Lady Wilmot walked in, but then the door banged shut behind her as the train went around a bend. She almost fell into the seat next to Elizabeth as she lost her balance, but she managed to maintain her aplomb. She and Elizabeth chatted amiably for a while, but it became apparent to Catherine that the woman wanted a moment alone with her daughter.
“If you’ll both excuse me, I think I’ll take a short stroll.” Catherine stood and smoothed her skirts. As she exited the compartment, she was forced to grab hold of the door frame as the train swayed, but she quickly righted herself.
She caught Lady Wilmot’s smile of thanks as she slid the compartment door closed.
The corridor was narrow, and there wasn’t much to see. All of the compartment doors were closed, so she headed toward the far end, where there was a door leading to the next car. Perhaps she could look outside and feel the wind as it blew past the train. That would be exhilarating.
With the swaying of the car, it was difficult to walk down the corridor, and when the train gave a jerk, she stumbled against the wall but managed to recover quickly.
She was surprised when the compartment door right next to her opened with a snap. She looked up to find herself face to face with Huntley.
“Lord Huntley, you startled me,” she scolded. A thrill of excitement shot through her at coming across him so unexpectedly.
He appeared just as surprised to see her. “Call me Daniel,” he said, gently correcting her. His expression was indulgent as he smiled down at her. “I heard a noise and thought that it might be the steward.”
“Not the steward, just me being clumsy.” She gave a short, embarrassed laugh. “This is much like being on the ocean, and I don’t have my sea legs.”
He grinned. “May I escort you somewhere? I’d hate for you to fall from a moving train.”
She rolled her shoulders in a relaxed shrug. “I’m not really going anywhere. I wanted to give Lady Wilmot a private moment with her daughter.”
As she looked up at Daniel, she suddenly became aware of how alone they were. He seemed very close to her in the narrow hallway. She could smell the faint, woodsy scent that she would always associate with him, and it affected her like an intoxicant.
“In that case, would you like to join me in my compartment? I’m on my own with no one to talk to. I’ve become a bit bored with my own company.”
She smiled and glanced down the empty passageway, and then looked into Huntley’s eyes. She really shouldn’t.
But she did.
He stood back and ushered her into the little room. As she moved past him, the train gave an extra jolt, and Catherine felt herself fall backward against him. He wrapped his arm around her from behind to keep her from falling.
“I see what you mean,” he grinned as he looked down over her shoulder and she turned her head to meet his gaze. “You’re all fumble-footed.”
Catherine felt one of his arms leave her waist and he reached behind them to slide the compartment door closed. He then wrapped both arms back around her waist, nuzzling his chin against her neck. “I like it when you fall into my arms,” he murmured as he gently kissed her neck, tickling her skin with his breath. “It reminds me of the night we officially met at Lady Wilmot’s dinner. When you tumbled off the ladder and into my arms.”
A jolt of heat rushed through Catherine as she recalled that evening and that first intoxicating kiss. She melted back against Daniel, savoring the strength of his chest against her back and feel of his arms encircling her waist. He was strong and warm. His wonderful woodsy fragrance with hints of leather and silk and something that was uniquely him enveloped her. He pressed his hand against her, just below her breasts, and she felt the heat of his palm seeping through her stiff corset.
She closed her eyes and allowed the rhythmic beat of the train to synchronize with her own internal cadence. Its pulse filled her with a corresponding tempo that steadily grew stronger. She let out a soft sigh as he continued to nuzzle her neck with gentle kisses. How is it that this felt so normal? So natural?
“I have a surprise for you,” Daniel murmured in her ear. “Would you like to know what it is?”
“A surprise?” Catherine’s voice was breathless.
“It’s my wedding gift to you. May I give it to you now? In fact, with your permission, I’d like to help you put it on.”
Catherine turned in Da
niel’s arms to face him. “Put it on?” Was it jewelry? It must be jewelry. Perhaps it was a necklace. That would certainly be traditional. “Of course you may.”
The grin he shot her was a bit too devilish.
Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, slim, blue velvet box and handed it to Catherine.
It was much heavier than she’d expected.
She carefully lifted the lid and revealed a small silver knife with a green malachite handle inset with a small engraved disk. “A knife!” Her jaw dropped in surprise. Tucked into the box, she also found a brown leather sheath on a small strap.
No one had ever given her something like this before. Well, Papa had given her a fencing mask, but this was different. This was a weapon— one representing an entirely new area of knowledge and expertise, but even more importantly, one representing Daniel’s acceptance of her true nature.
“Can you read what it says?” he asked.
Fumbling slightly in her excitement, Catherine removed the smooth, cool object from the box and held it closer to her eyes. “Petite souris,” she said, then grinned at him with delight. Little mouse. How appropriate. “Daniel. It’s perfect.”
“I was certain you’d love it, ma petite souris. Now, my little mouse will have a sharp bite.”
“I do, I do love it.”
“Its handle’s made of malachite, the same as the letter opener on the Duke of Norfolk’s desk.” He gave her a wry look.
The letter opener he’d held to Stansbury’s throat. “How fitting.” She tested the edge with her finger, finding it sharper than she’d expected.
“Can I help you put it on?”
Something in his smile drew her attention. Why was he so intent on this particular question? “But it will hardly go with my dress,” she pointed out. “And the strap is much too short to fit around my waist.”
Daniel laughed. “That’s not where you wear it,” he said, his grin deepening as a wicked glint appeared in his eyes. “It belongs— somewhat lower.”
Catherine’s jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide as she realized that the strap was the perfect size to fit around her thigh. “Lord Huntley. That’s hardly appropriate.”
He looked crestfallen.
But slowly, a sly smile grew on her face until she was grinning back at him with a similar wicked glint in her eye. He’d earned her trust. He’d proven to her time and again that he valued her.
Perhaps it was time to let him see that having a wife who was a bit impetuous would have its advantages.
39 - Malachite
A jolt of excitement hit Daniel when he noted that particular gleam in Catherine’s eye. He was learning to appreciate that look. As a gentleman, he should release her from her promise, but now that she’d agreed to let him help, he couldn’t deny himself. He’d never believed it would come to this. He’d been teasing her.
But she’d turned it back on him.
“Place your foot on the edge of the seat,” he said as he pulled the butter-soft leather sheath from the box. “I chose the softest strap I could find. I didn’t want it to chafe you.”
Catherine blushed and glanced away as she placed her right boot on the edge of the seat.
He moved up behind her and grabbed the soft folds of her dress, sliding her full skirts up her leg. He was standing a little to the right of her, and his thighs pressed slightly against her hips as he leaned forward.
The loose pantalets Catherine wore fell just below her knees, and he edged the white cotton fabric up, revealing Catherine’s soft, creamy white thigh.
Daniel froze for a moment and then slid his hand across her thigh, marveling at it. She wasn’t as soft as most women. Regular horseback riding and fencing had toned her body over the years, and her long, smooth thighs reflected her many hours of exercise.
It took all of Daniel’s self-control to keep him from stroking her leg.
Forcing himself back to his task, he took a steadying breath and slipped the soft leather strap around Catherine’s leg. He buckled the knife holder firmly in place with the small silver buckle. There was a rectangle of lamb’s wool directly under the buckle to keep the metal from irritating her skin. He gently slid his finger under the strap to reassure himself that he hadn’t over-tightened it. Satisfied, he slipped the knife into the sheath. He wrapped his left hand around her waist from behind, flattening it against her belly, and held her firmly against his chest while he allowed his right hand to linger against the soft flesh of her inner thigh.
“Is it comfortable?” he murmured in her ear, barely trusting his voice. His right hand could feel the heat of her thigh against his palm, and he hated the thought of breaking that small, intimate contact with her.
When she didn’t answer, Daniel glanced over her shoulder at her face. Her eyes were closed, but her blissful expression and rapid breathing told him that she was as aroused by his hand against her thigh as he was.
For a moment, he simply held her, becoming attuned to every infinitesimal change taking place in her body. Her back was pressed against his chest, and with his hand across her ribs, he could feel her breathing accelerate as her heart rate quickened.
As he recognized her growing desire, his own increased. When she pressed her hips back against his groin, he was unable to hold back the low moan that escaped his lips. Did she know what she was doing to him?
The chuga-chuga-chuga sound of the train was hypnotizing. He closed his eyes as he let the rhythmic sensation of its movement fill him, and the fingertips of his right hand began to tease the inside of her thigh.
With her back still toward him, Daniel slid his left hand up, across her breasts, feeling the fullness of them in his hand. He wished he could bare them, but didn’t dare undress her here in the train car. The corset she wore under her day dress pressed her breasts upward, and he could feel where the stiff corset ended and her soft bosom swelled above. He was surprised when his fingertips brushed against her erect nipple, pressing against the thin fabric of her dress. Gently, he teased the small, firm bud, flicking at it with the rough edge of his thumb, and she let out a small gasp, allowing her head to fall back against his shoulder.
His lips quickly found the delicate spot below her ear she inadvertently exposed to him. He savored the taste of her skin, continuing his gentle assault on her neck and breast while his right hand slid up the inside of her thigh, searching for the opening in her split pantalets. He deftly slipped his hand inside, moving unerringly toward the soft mound of curls hiding within. Catherine let out a soft, surprised sound as his fingers gently cupped the mound. She briefly pulled away from his hand, inadvertently pressing harder against his groin.
“What are you doing?” she murmured, her head popping upright and her eyes opening wide for a moment before they slid closed again.
“Something I think you’ll enjoy,” Daniel murmured against her neck, nuzzling at the skin beneath her ear. She relaxed as his gentle touch sought both to soothe her need and arouse it to greater heights. Her head fell back against his shoulder.
As his fingers touched her inner folds, he discovered the slickness he had been certain he’d find.
Her entire body stiffened. “Oh my!” she said, sounding more surprised than anything else.
He turned her sideways with his free arm and pressed his lips against hers, drawing her focus to the kiss. She responded tentatively at first, and then with a sudden burst of passion.
With his left arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling, he used that same hand to hold her skirts up while his right hand continued to stroke within her. He pulled his slick finger from inside her and gently began to rub the small nub above the opening while he simultaneously nibbled on her lower lip, sucking it into his mouth. Catherine’s supporting leg began to tremble, and she let out a deep moan.
Daniel pulled her closer, supporting her weight so she wouldn’t fall to the floor. He trailed kisses across her lips as he tried to hush her moans. “Shhhh. Softly, my love,” he whisp
ered as he continued to assault her senses. His mouth traced its way to her ear, where he began to nibble on the pink lobe.
She seemed lost in the sensations suffusing her body, and he thought she might not even be aware of her surroundings any longer. He could tell that a tension was building up within her, and she panted with frustration.
A sudden tremor shook her body, followed quickly by another, and Daniel captured her mouth with his, swallowing the sound of her moans of release.
Lord, but she was passionate! He had suspected she would respond this way to him, but the knowledge left him elated. With his arms wrapped tightly around her, he held her close, her spent body resting limply against him. She let out a deep sigh of satisfaction and nuzzled her cheek against his chest.
He pushed her skirts back down, allowing them to fall back to the floor. Would he ever be able to look at them again without imagining what lay beneath?
She recovered her footing and stepped away, returning to herself. A pang of regret hit him as the moment they’d shared slipped away. That brief time after passion receded was precious, and he would have preferred to savor it.
He gazed at her intently, but Catherine looked away. She stepped back, broadening both the physical and emotional distance between them and what they’d shared. She turned and stood with her back to him, one hand resting on the latch of the door.
“I—I—I don’t know what to say,” she said, her words barely audible. “I’m so ashamed. Nothing like that has ever....”
The words hit him like a physical blow. He hadn’t meant for her to feel this way. He’d simply been overwhelmed by her. Overwhelmed to the point where he hadn’t been able to think straight. Overwhelmed by the sheer temptation of her. “If it was shameful for you, then it was shameful for me as well, and I refuse to accept that. We’ll be married soon. There should be no shame between us.”
He reached out and took her hand in his, turning her around to face him. She didn’t want to meet his gaze, so he touched her under the chin. After a moment, she glanced up at him. “Please don’t regret what we shared. I’m happy I was able to give you pleasure.” He smiled, hoping to tease an answering smile from her.
Lady Catherine's Secret: A Secrets and Seduction book Page 24