If He's Noble (Wherlocke Book 7) (Paranormal Historical Romance)

by Hannah Howell

“The children will get most of it such as the land and house, but we have set aside a large fund for Simeon and Primrose as they were my sister’s children and she and her husband helped us get this place.”

  “Oh, Uncle, you should set that aside for the children as well,” said Primrose.

  “No, it is the exact amount your father lent us and he would not take payment. So we told him what we would do and he accepted that. It sits quietly in a safe funds account and there it will stay.”

  She recognized his do-not-argue tone of voice so let it go but asked Lilybet, “Do you think this was just a lashing out then?”

  “It was but I suspect she knows where every ha’penny of your money is and thought this would gain her two things. Hurt you in a personal way and add more money to the pile she thinks she will soon get her hands on.” Lilybet looked at Simeon. “Do you know if there is anyone else who would be leaving you something she might covet?”

  “Only Cousin Geoffrey. He has land near Willow Hill that used to be my father’s but refused to be gifted with it so he leases. She would not bother with that arrangement, I think, as it produces money enough just as it is. Well, unless she felt she could lease it for more or sell it for a nice sum of money. Hell, I guess I better send a warning to Cousin Geoffrey.”

  “That might be best since the woman is headed that way now.”

  “Then I guess we had better plan to go back to Willow Hill and be ready for her.”

  “We could start out today or leave on the morrow,” said Bened.

  “The morrow will do. It has been nice to just be off the back of a horse for hours on end,” said Simeon. “At least this time we will be following her.”

  Lilybet shook her head and then sipped at her tea. “She will be at Willow Hill before you no matter when you leave here so best to be prepared for that. She has plans. I just do not know what yet.”

  “You seem to be getting a lot of information about her,” said Bened, curious as to what gifts this woman had and how they worked.

  “The evil wretch is stuck in my head. I do not know how or why, but she is there. I wish I could scrub her out for it is wearying to deal with so much anger and evil, especially when it is not your own.”

  “I could not bear it,” said Primrose.

  “That is why I am staying close to you, because I need to be there to make sure she is ended. Harsh though it is to say that, she has earned hanging several times over by now.”

  Everyone nodded their agreement and turned their attention to finishing their meal. Primrose was just heading to her bedchamber when Bened caught her by the arm and led her outside. She had to admit it was a beautiful day. Such sunny days were rare and meant to be enjoyed. She rather hoped it would raise her spirits, which had been low since she had recovered another horrible memory and made such a scene at Elderwood.

  “I am sorry for causing such trouble at your cousin’s,” she said.

  “You have nothing to apologize for,” Bened said firmly, and kissed her on the cheek. “One thing my family understands, in far too many ways, is the cruelty adults can inflict upon children. Modred has his share of bad memories from his childhood and probably has wished that he could forget them from time to time.”

  “You do not have any, do you?”

  “Nay, but I was one of the fortunate ones in that my mother accepted all that my father was and what gifts her sons ended up with.” He smiled. “Bevan’s was the only one she complained about.”

  “Oh, yes, I can see that. A child who can hide so well would be a sore trial to a mother.” She grimaced. “I obviously also know how to hide but not in a particularly good way. Now I worry about what else has been hidden inside my memories.”

  “I just find what Modred said about your own mind protecting you fascinating. It shut it in a box and sealed it.”

  “That is what he thinks and in a strange way it makes some sense. Something I did not have much to do with hid those memories from me. It troubled me when I thought on what I could not recall because I recall so much so easily. Then I even thought it might be when I hit my head after my first horse tossed me down. That suited, was a sensible explanation, so I let it stand even though now I realized the times do not match.”

  “It is a good thing that you did not hurt anything when you hit your head. That sort of wound can cause all manner of troubles.”

  “It did destroy my eyesight, which had been perfect up until then.”

  “It did?”

  “Yes. When I woke up everything was a blur. At first we thought it would ease and return to normal as the wound healed but it did not so the physician decided something had been broken and I have worn glasses ever since.”

  “Did you know we have healers in our family?”

  “Truly? That is wondrous and, I suspect, very convenient.”

  “What I am trying to say is that, perhaps, one of them could do something. If the matter is a natural weakness, they cannot fix it, but you seem to have suffered an injury and many of those they can fix.”

  Hope stirred to life in her chest but she beat it down. “It is a pretty old injury, Bened. I could not have been more than ten or eleven years of age when it happened and am now three and twenty.”

  “And scars may have formed over the injury. I know. That, too, would mean it could not be fixed. But what is the harm in having one of them at least see what they can see?”

  “None, really, save for the pain of disappointment when they cannot do anything. Yet, I lived through that many times before with physician after physician coming to look at me. I can live through it again.”

  “As soon as matters are back to normal, I shall ask around amongst the healers in the family. Each can be just a little different, you see.”

  Primrose had to think about it for a moment and then sternly told herself not to be a coward. If there was even the smallest of chances one of the family healers could fix the problem with her eyes, she would have a whole new life. It would not only be cowardly to refuse such a chance but stupid.

  “If you find one who thinks it worth a look, I believe I can do it.”

  “Just think of it as a trial but one with no big consequences if it fails. An experiment, if you will, one in which our healers can test the reach of their gifts. Nothing will have changed or grown worse.”

  “True and that is just how I will think of it.” She looked around and realized they were walking to the edge of the hill, to the side that would give a beautiful view of Modred’s castle. “This is not one of those walks like we took in the woods, is it, because I see no shelter here.”

  “Nay. Sad to say there is none. I just wished to get out and walk before we face hours in the saddle starting on the morrow. And look at the family seat from this point. It is a fine place.”

  “It is very grand and yet, once inside, it just feels like any home. Well, any home of someone with money for some of the finer things.”

  “That is Dob’s doing. She looked at what Modred’s parents had created and decided it would not do. So exact, so much about showing off one’s power and wealth, and so pristine. Modred needed a nest, she said, someplace where he could relax and not worry. The way his parents had done it, you dared not even curtsey as protocol demanded without fear of breaking something more valuable than you could ever afford to replace. He was still very young when she walked in to take care of him. Dob’s opinion was that consequence would not save his mind and made the castle far more suitable for a boy than some king.”

  “She said they healed each other.”

  “They did. We all only have one worry about him now and that is that Dob is not a young woman. We need Modred to find himself someone to care for who loves him for him despite the gift that makes so many uneasy, and to find her and win her before Dob’s time comes.”

  “That certainly sounds like a good thing to pray for.”

  “Your uncle needs some trees,” he muttered as he looked around at the barren hill, sheep grazing in every dire
ction.

  Primrose laughed. “Yes, a little copse of them here and there, ones offering people taking in the view from here a little shade and shelter, the kind you can slip into for a bit of privacy, and which everyone knows why people would go there and what you are doing if you stay within the shelter of them for very long.”

  “Unfortunately, that would be the truth of it. I suspect even the villagers would see them being made and say to themselves, ‘Why is George putting in so many trysting spots?’”

  “I should probably go and check on Smudge, make certain he is ready for a long journey.”

  He followed her as she headed for the stables. The horses were content in their stalls but Bened looked Mercury over anyway. He appeared to have taken no harm from the long ride to Uncle George’s and Bened was confident the animal would not suffer for the ride back to Willow Hill, either. It was why he had chosen the animal. Even when Mercury had been a colt he had seen the promise of stamina and strength. The speed the animal had revealed had been a beautiful added blessing.

  He crossed his arms on the wall of Mercury’s stall and looked over it to watch as Primrose brushed down her horse. She was very good to any animals under her care and he respected that. In truth there was a great deal about Primrose that he respected.

  As soon as she started to leave the stables he fell into step beside her. He could see Simeon standing on the steps in front of the house with Lilybet obviously giving him her opinion on something. The look on his face told Bened that the man was hearing something he did not like if only because his clever mind told him it was reasonable and he should agree.

  Bened leaned over to whisper in Primrose’s ear. “Be sure to leave your bedchamber doors unlocked tonight.”

  “You cannot come creeping into my room at night.”

  “I can actually and I intend to.”

  “If you get caught . . .”

  “Nay, I will not be caught.”

  She watched him stride away and thought he was a little too confident in himself. The only ones who thought it acceptable that he was her lover were her and him. That left six other adults, all sleeping on the same floor, who could catch him and suffer shock, outrage, or—she glanced at Simeon—anger. Shaking her head, she decided to go find her uncle George and talk to him about gardening.

  Primrose settled into bed with a book on gardening her uncle had given her to read. She glanced at her bedchamber door and sighed. She had left it unlocked but if Bened was actually going to be cautious, she doubted she would see him. That gave her such a sense of disappointment she cursed and went back to her reading.

  Just as she was about to doze off over a particularly dry treatise on the good and bad of planting flowering vines, a soft sound caught her attention. She looked at the door and saw the latch slowly lifting. Then, so abruptly it startled her into nearly dropping her book, the door opened, Bened slid inside, and then he silently closed and latched the door. He turned and grinned at her like a naughty boy. It was a look that should have been ridiculous on a man of his size but she found it charming.

  “Are you certain you were not seen?” she asked quietly as he walked toward the bed shedding his clothing with each step.

  “Very certain.” He yanked off his boots and underdrawers and stood there proudly naked. “Gardening? I would have thought you did not need to read such a book.”

  “There are always new things to learn, although this is clearly written for beginners. Yet, despite that, I have found several interesting tips to make use of. Odd for my uncle to have spent coin on it as he is no beginner, either.” She glanced at the proud proof of his intentions jutting out from his body and then rolled her eyes. “You have no modesty at all, do you?”

  “Not a drop,” he said cheerfully as he climbed into bed beside her, turned on his side, and studied her nightdress. “You, however, may have too much.”

  Before she could protest that assessment, Bened was removing her nightdress. Primrose had barely a minute to be embarrassed by her nudity and then he pulled her into his arms. The moment their flesh touched, she no longer cared about having no clothes on, did in truth revel in the lack of them.

  “Mmmm. I have missed this,” Bened murmured before kissing her with a fierce passion that quickly heated her blood.

  “We have not shared a bed that often.”

  “I know,” he said as he caressed her breasts and nibbled at the side of her neck. “And that is a pure shame.”

  Primrose quickly lost all ability to think clearly. Bened had obviously told the truth when he said he had missed what they shared for his greed, for her was clear to feel in every kiss and stroke of his hand. He turned her onto her stomach and just as she was about to ask what he was doing, he was sliding into her. She gasped, the way he could fill her feeling much more enhanced in this position. When her release came, she smothered her cries by burying her face in the pillow and soon he was doing the same.

  Collapsing beneath him, Primrose had the thought that there must be a lot of ways to join two willing bodies but bit her tongue against asking. She was sure it was something no proper lady should show any curiosity about. The way he spread kisses over her spine sparked a little interest in her sated body and she almost laughed. It was obviously not just Bened who was feeling greedy.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Rising passion burned the last dregs of sleep from Primrose’s mind. Big, lightly calloused hands stroked her breasts while long fingers teased the tips that ached for his kiss. Then she woke enough to realize Bened was kissing her and just where. For only a heartbeat, shock pushed aside the haze of desire his lovemaking had stirred and she put her hands on his head intending to push him away, to put an end to such a shocking act. Then he stroked her with his tongue and desire rushed back to rule her again. Instead of pushing him away, she buried her fingers in his thick hair and held him close.

  Tighter and tighter her need wound itself until her pleasure grew close to painful. Primrose tugged on his hair. To her relief, he responded to the silent demand and began kissing his way back up her body. Finally, he was kissing her on the mouth and she wrapped her arms around him, then her legs around his waist as he began to ease their bodies together.

  He began to move, thrusting in and out of her with a slow rhythm as if he had all the time in the world to savor the way it felt to be joined with her. Primrose growled softly, reached down and grabbed his buttocks. Bened yelped, but kept his voice as subdued as she had, when her nails dug into his taut flesh and then he laughed. He began to move faster and with more force, bringing her passion to its peak and ending the aching need that had possessed her. She held on tightly, letting the pleasure flood her while he grew even fiercer in his movements until he found his own pleasure.

  It was several minutes before Bened could move. Despite the blinding strength of his release he was pleased to see that he had retained enough of his wits to collapse just to the side of her, keeping the bulk of his weight off her slender body. It would be very rude to crush one’s lover, he thought, and smiled faintly before kissing her and then rising to get a wet cloth to bathe them with.

  Primrose watched him. He had a body she enjoyed gazing at as he moved; seeing all that sleek muscle beneath that taut skin was a pure delight. When he started back toward the bed she noted that he was a goodly sized man in every way. It amazed her that they fit together so well but, in her studies about illnesses and the workings of the body in order to help her decide what medicines to mix, she had learned that the body was a rather amazing thing.

  Still a little embarrassed by the ritual after their lovemaking, she closed her eyes as he cleaned her off. Listening to him move, she was ready when he climbed back into bed and she curled up in his arms even as he reached for her.

  “There is nothing as good as sharing a loving in the morning,” Bened said, enjoying how relaxed and replete he felt.

  “In the morning, Bened? Is that normal?”

  “I believe it is,” he replied in
a very solemn voice, then ruined it by chuckling.

  Then Primrose realized the full implications of what he had just said. It was morning. People would be rising soon. They could be caught. Clutching the covers to cover her chest, she sat up and saw the sunlight that streamed into the room through a small space between the curtains.

  “Oh no! We were not supposed to go to sleep!”

  “You exhausted me,” he said as he reached for her, and then frowned when she scrambled out of his reach.

  Primrose leapt out of bed and tugged on her nightdress then scowled at Bened who still sprawled in the bed, arms crossed beneath his head as he watched her. “You have to go now!” she said, and hurried around to his side of the bed, picked up his scattered clothing, and tossed it on top of him.

  “I hope you do not expect me to climb out a window or something,” he said as he got out of bed and began to dress.

  “Just do not let Simeon see you.”

  “Rose, do you really think he does not know what is going on between us?”

  “Knowing it and being brazenly confronted by it are not the same things.”

  Bened thought that over as he finished dressing and then nodded. “Nay, you are right, they are not. I can slip out and creep down the hall to my room.”

  “Without anyone seeing you? You are not exactly small, Bened.”

  “Pleased you noticed.” He gave an exaggerated wince when she slapped his arm. “No one but us is awake.”

  “No? Are you certain about that?”

  “Very certain.” He took her into his arms and kissed her. “I am glad you found your brother, safe and unharmed, but I do wish he would go away now.”

  Primrose had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as she pushed him toward the door. She admired how quiet and cautious he was as he left, and then waited for some sound to tell her he had been seen. The tension caused by a fear of discovery and an uncomfortable confrontation with Simeon began to fade as minutes ticked by and there was no sound, not even of him going back into his own bedchamber. She crawled back to bed, pulled the pillow he had rested his head on into her arms, and fell asleep surrounded by the tempting scent of him.