“Lilly?” he urged again and was rewarded with the flutter of lashes.
It seemed to take a great deal of effort to peel open her eyes. When she did, her pale eyes were unfocused. Evan pushed aside the wet curls that clung to her face and rubbed her cheek. The cold, clammy feel of her skin sent bile into his throat.
“Evan?” she said weakly and he saw her gaze snap onto his face.
“I’m here. Come, we must get you home. Wrap your arms around my neck.”
She did so with great effort, and Evan stood. She might not weigh much but with her wet habit and his quaking arms, lifting her was harder than he anticipated and he groaned. Her small fingers clutched his neck and she shook from head to toe as he began the walk back.
Evan kept his pace as fast as possible. She needed warmth and rest. “You should never have gone out in the rain,” he scolded, but the severity of the words were lost with his panting breaths.
“Little rain… never hurt anyone…” she murmured.
“Nonsense. It could hurt you. You may still succumb to illness, and what am I to do if you get ill?” He bit his tongue to prevent any more foolish words.
The truth was, he feared desperately she might still fall ill and leave him. Then what would he do? Already, he had grown used to her company. How strange such a vexing woman offered an odd sort of comfort to his daily routine. Working on his business affairs didn’t seem nearly so tiresome when he knew he would see Lilly at breakfast or the evening meal. Nothing was onerous when there was a warm, willing, beautiful woman with which to climb into bed. And not just any woman. Lilly Claremont.
Damnation. He shook away the thoughts and glanced at her. She kept her gaze on him, a small furrow in her brow. “What were you thinking?” he snapped in an attempt to distract himself from the pounding tension working its way through his body.
“I didn’t mean to fall.” Her voice was light and wispy and guilt knifed through him. “I never get ill,” she added and winced. “My head hurts.”
Evan scowled. That damned idiotic Henry had never mentioned that. “Did you hit it?”
“I don’t know. I think so. I cannot…” Intense shivers overcame her, forcing Evan to clutch her tightly.
“Shhh, we shall worry about that when we return. Though you must stay awake, do you understand?”
She nodded and remained silent for the rest of the journey. The house sat tantalizingly in the distance once they had walked over the slight hill in front of it. Evan’s arms and legs shook with exertion but the bundle in his arms forced him forward. Nothing would prevent him from getting her home and warm.
He nearly collapsed at the door way of the house. Mrs. Hargreaves came over, fussing and he gruffly commanded her to get out of the way and prepare some warm tea. She huffed but retreated to the kitchen only to be replaced by Henry. It took all Evan’s willpower not to raise a fist to the man as he questioned his cousin’s state of health.
“She will survive, no thanks to you—if she does not fall ill.”
Henry blustered but Evan ignored him, shoving past and carrying Lilly up the stairs on juddering legs. He made light work of taking her to his bed, the proximity of his end goal infusing him with energy. He laid her on the bed and peeled off her soaking clothes. She didn’t even have the energy to protest and lay inert as he cursed and fumbled with her corset.
Naked and pale, she tried to curl up, but Evan moved her around like a doll until he had her buried under the covers. He swiftly removed his shirt and wet trousers before slipping in beside her and drawing her into his hold. Her icy skin made him shudder and his teeth grind. The exertion of carrying her had made his skin warm and the contrast between them made it feel as though he were holding an ice block, but he had to be grateful for his own body warmth. There was nothing like skin to skin contact to warm a person.
Using vigorous movements, he rubbed up and down her back and then her arms, all the while keeping her pressed against him. She mumbled incoherently, her eyelids at half-mast. Evan drew back long enough to debate her. He saw no sign of the head injury but she might have hit the back of her head. He coaxed her to briefly turn so he could view the back of her head but there was no blood. When he pressed his fingers to her skull, she released a yelp and he found a lump. Had her cousin really thought it wise to leave her there? Why did the silly chit send the man away? And what sort of a man abandoned a helpless woman? Evan clamped Lilly to him once more.
When her skin had warmed beneath him and her shaking ceased, he pried himself away and dressed before ringing for tea. Mrs. Hargreaves must have been waiting practically outside the door, as she entered swiftly with a tray of tea and laid it on the side table.
She paused to eye Lilly, buried under his blankets with only her ghostly face and damp curls peeking out. “Poor dear.”
Evan might have been amused at his housekeeper’s oddly soft tone, but he was too taken with the sight of her in his bed—even if ill. This was where she belonged. He would have to keep her here, he decided, ill or not. No more sleeping apart. He only had a year with the woman and he would damn well make the most of it.
“Can you send John to the village for the doctor please, Mrs. Hargreaves?”
“Mr. Claremont mentioned something about the doctor but was not clear at all.” Her eyes widened. “Is she harmed?”
“A hit to the head, I believe. I don’t think it serious as she was quite vocal earlier, but it seems to have muddled her thoughts somewhat.”
“Of course, my lord. Can I get you anything else? Some extra blankets perhaps?”
“Yes, that sounds like an idea. Let me know when the doctor arrives.” Mrs. Hargreaves shut the door, and he propped his hands on his hips and studied the fragile woman in his large bed. Dwarfed by the carved wood and rich red bedding, she looked oddly perfect.
Too perfect, indeed, for the thought of her leaving began to eat at him. How was he ever to part with such woman?
***
When Lilly woke, it was dark. She peered through the darkness and it took several moments for her eyes to adjust. She grimaced as her head pounded and almost jolted upright, until the pain forced her to remain still, when she realized she was in Evan’s bedroom. One strong arm sat across her bare waist and she rolled, just able to make out his silhouette in the darkened room. His gentle breaths rasped into the night, and Lilly longed to be able to see him sleeping.
If only her head and body did not ache so much, she would have climbed out of the bed and drawn back the heavy curtains to see his relaxed face and mussed hair. In sleep, Evan was perfection. His scowls vanished and his hard words were silenced.
He mumbled when she brushed a hand through his hair and down one bare shoulder. His smooth skin, so warm and firm, set a flutter of need low in her belly. If only she did not ache like the devil or else she might have woken him by straddling him and taking him deep inside like he had taught her.
“Lilly?” he said, voice gritty from sleep.
“Yes.”
“How do you feel?”
“My head hurts,” she admitted.
Both his arms came around her and drew her into the crook of his arm. She let a hand linger on his chest and relished the steady rise and fall of it and the thud of his heart.
“Are you ailing?” He nuzzled into her hair, and her breath hitched at the tender gesture.
“No, aside from an aching head and body, I don’t feel ill. I told you,” she whispered, “I do not get ill.” She braced herself for a scolding or to be told she was foolish but none came.
“An aching head and body? No, not ill at all,” he teased. A warm palm settled on her cheek and held her to him. “The doctor came earlier but you were not very responsive. You struck your head but he says you have done no permanent damage, just that you need rest.”
Lilly yawned and burrowed into his side. She couldn’t fathom his sudden tenderness, but she liked it and was determined to enjoy it while it lasted. “Rest…” she yawned again, “I can d
o.”
He cleared his throat. “You should sleep in my bed for the next few days, until we are sure you are well, at least. Maybe… maybe longer.”
To think she had ever thought this man capable of harming anyone. She smiled. Evan might be gruff and downright rude at times, but he was not evil and he was so frank, such underhanded dealings were beneath him. He wanted her in his bed… for good hopefully. Her smile dropped. For the year anyway.
“I should like that.”
“You would?”
“Yes.”
Oh, how she loved to hear the uncertainty in his voice. This strong, powerful man revealing his vulnerabilities to her, sent warmth spiraling down to her stomach. If only he would not close up on her all of the time.
“The doctor said you were to rest. Do you remember anything now?”
“All I remember is the horse being skittish. I don’t know why. She was fine before. Perhaps it was the weather.”
“Perhaps,” he said, but he did not sound as though he agreed.
“You think it was something else.”
“I don’t trust your cousin.”
“He is not a horse whisperer, Evan. What could he have possibly done?”
“Maybe nothing,” he admitted, “but he is a damn fool. He should never have left you even if you were insistent you were fine.”
“I said that?”
“Apparently so.”
Lilly shook her head. “No, Henry is not capable of doing anything underhanded.”
“Considering he was prepared to throw you out of your house, you are quick to come to his defense.”
“Come now, Evan, he is one of the few members of my family who will even acknowledge me. Why should he try to harm me? What good could come of it? I already agreed to move out of the house. I didn’t wish to see my father’s hard work thrown to the wind any more than he did.”
“Thus leaving you homeless in the process,” he grumbled.
“Just because you are predisposed to hating everyone, do not expect me to feel the same.”
“I do not hate everyone,” he protested.
“You hated me.”
“No. You hated me.”
Lilly softened into him. She hadn’t been pleasant to him, that much was true, but she could hardly confess she thought him capable of murder to justify her behavior. “You were very arrogant,” she said instead.
“If I am so arrogant, perhaps you would be better off sleeping alone.” His tone had gone cold and he stiffened.
She bit the side of her tongue to prevent any more flippant words. The man might act tough but had she not learned he was more vulnerable than she had suspected? Instead of giving into the urge to fling off the covers and storm out of the room, she slid a hand around his waist and pressed her lips to his chest. Immediately, his manhood prodded her and she felt his muscles ripple with a shudder.
“I don’t think sleeping alone is a good idea at all,” she said in a seductive tone, “do you?”
A rumble rose from his chest and he grasped her rear, pulled her tight against him. “You should be resting.”
Laving a tongue over one flat nipple, she traced the lines of his torso with a finger. Evan dropped his head back, giving into her and making her smile against his chest. Perhaps they would not have to spend the rest of their days arguing after all. All she had to do was remember to seduce him very regularly.
Chapter Nineteen
“Let us pray he does not return,” Evan said with a huff as Lilly waved Henry off.
She waited until the carriage had driven down the road and out through the gates. “Come now, he is not that bad.”
He curled an arm around her shoulders and led her into the drawing room. Lilly couldn’t help but lean into the solid warmth of his torso.
“He is a buffoon,” he declared. “Leaving you when you were injured.”
“I likely did tell him I was well, you know. It may have passed your notice but I can be somewhat stubborn.” She let her lips curl.
Evan turned her around to face him. With the morning sun streaming through the windows, the lines around his eyes were brought out and she noted a few grey hairs amongst the stubble on his chin. She had never seen him with facial hair but she had to admit the thought of it against her skin made her body tingle. Her accident and her cousin’s visit had taken its toll on Evan, yet he remained the most handsome man she had ever seen. When his brown gaze locked onto hers and his brow furrowed in that appealing way, all the air left her lungs.
“You are, without a doubt, the most stubborn woman I have ever met. That said, I am grateful to be alone with my stubborn little vixen. It’s been a torturous few nights.”
Lilly was tempted to protest but she couldn’t help but agree. Out of respect for their guest they had refrained from much night time activity but it made her entire body tense with need. Even the lightest touch from the marquess sent warmth to her core.
“Well, we are alone again,” she said, rather than give away the ache building inside. While Evan had grown more open, it would not do to place herself too vulnerably. After all, he could very well tire of her and decide to abandon her in Oxfordshire while he searched for someone else to fulfil his pleasures. Pain—sharp and jagged—stabbed her heart and she shook away the thoughts.
He smoothed his palms down the back of her gown and brought them around to rest on her hips. Aligned with his body, she allowed herself to explore the generous width of his shoulders with her hands before curling around his neck. She tilted her head to eye him and her breath caught at the softness there.
“I am to return to London shortly though I intend only to be gone a few days. We must make the most of our time.”
“What business do you have in London?”
The softness vanished. “Lilly, have I not warned you about prying into a man’s affairs?”
“I do not see it as prying. If something is bothering you, why should you not share it with me?”
His hands dropped from her hips. “Nothing is bothering me.” He took a breath and appeared to gather himself, returning his hands to her waist. “Nothing is bothering me,” he repeated more softly. “But I tire of talking business and trivial matters. Most of my life is about business. With you, I should like it to be about pleasure.”
The way he uttered pleasure, so dark and delicious, made her shudder, but she still longed to understand why he shut her out. Now she was sure it was nothing to do with her father, there was little reason for him to be so tight lipped. Perhaps she was expecting too much of him. Just because her mother and father shared everything, didn’t mean others did.
“One day, Evan,” she told him, “you shall be grateful for a patient ear. I should like to be the one you confide in, even if you think them trivial matters.”
He pondered her, his lips curving up on one side. He didn’t respond so she had no clue as to whether he agreed. Instead he dipped his head and laid a kiss to her lips so sweet that she thought her heart might shatter. Instead of the pent up desire, she expected, he took the time to savor her, parting her lips gently with his own.
“Oh, my apologies, my lord.”
Evan lifted his head and set her back to view the maid. Lilly’s cheeks flamed as the young girl cast her gaze down. It was bad enough the staff knew her purpose here but she didn’t want them catching them in the act—even if it was a mere kiss.
A mere kiss that made her knees tremble and her stomach flip, admittedly.
“A letter arrived for you a moment ago, my lord,” the maid held out the missive. “By special messenger. It’s from Mr. Higgins.”
“Thank you, Anne.”
The maid dipped and retreated while Lilly sat by the fire and lifted the book she had abandoned the previous night from the side table. She feigned interest in it but Evan kept her attention. Tension sizzled through the air with the arrival of that letter. What could it be? He tore it open and she watched his expression change as he read it. His brow started off dipped i
n concentration then furrowed deeper. His skin grew red and she saw his fist curl.
“Damn!” He barked the word, and she jumped in her seat.
She gulped, heart racing. What on earth did the letter say? Evan started to pace as he continued to read—or perhaps re-read—the missive. She watched him go back and forth in front of the window several times before he paused, screwed up the paper and flung it into the unlit fire.
“Evan?” Her voice sounded no more than a squeak. Something terrible must have happened to make him so angry. What could it be?
He snapped his head toward her, his dark eyes bottomless and enraged. She shrank into her seat, feeling the silk cushions press into her back. Not from fear for herself but for him. Her heart squeezed and she longed to jump and offer comfort, but she had never seen him like this and was at a loss as to what to do.
“Is something wrong?” she tried again.
His jaw ticked. “Get out, Lilly,” he said quietly.
“Pardon?”
“Leave the room. Now.”
Lilly clutched her book to her chest and glanced at the door. Should she really leave him when he was so distressed? Should she not offer him some sort of comfort?
“God damn it, Lilly, leave!” He took a step toward her and for the briefest second, she feared he was going to manhandle her. Instead, he swiped a vase from the mantelpiece. It flew against the wall and shattered into many tiny blue and white pieces.
Biting back a squeal, she eyed the shattered vase and flicked her gaze up toward Evan. His nostrils flared, his hands flexed. Book still pinned against her chest, she slid out of the chair and hastened back, her gaze lingering on the fearsome man in front of her.
Once she was out of the room, she scurried upstairs, jumping when she heard the door slam. Lilly pressed shaky fingers to her lips and made for her room. Since her accident, she only went in there to dress and fetch her belongings but now she suspected she would be sleeping there again. Exactly what had that letter said to make him so enraged? She would have to find out if she was ever to help him—no matter how much he denied he needed her help.
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