Does The Earl Love Me

by Jasmine Ashford

  His eyes stared into hers. She looked back amazed.

  He deftly swirled them off the dancefloor and into a darker alcove at the edge of the hall.

  “Alicia.”

  His mouth moved softly onto hers. They kissed.

  Alicia, warm in his arms, truly felt that she might faint. The feel of his lips on hers was warm, and soft, the taste of his mouth heavenly. It was unlike anything she had imagined. She pressed against him and made a small moan of delight. Leo wrapped his arms around her, his body close. They stood like that for a few moments, reveling in their closeness.

  “I...” Leo swallowed hard. His hands gripped her shoulder and her waist, and then moved into her hair. “I think we should go,” he said hoarsely.

  “We should?” Alicia looked up at him, wide-eyed.

  “Yes,” Leo said, amazed, “before I do something... inappropriate.” He laughed.

  Alicia swallowed, her whole body consumed in a fire she had never experienced before. Starting in her abdomen, it raced through her body, stealing all sensation except the desire to hold him close. She almost wished she could throw caution and custom to the winds, and do those inappropriate things they spoke of. It was a dangerous, delicious madness, but how could she let go, walk away from him?

  “Alicia?”

  Both of them heard the voice and whipped round.

  “Oh!” Henriette, standing in the doorway, made a small noise of surprise in her throat. “Oh! Forgive me, dear friend. I didn't know.”

  “It is well, Henriette,” Alicia said, stepping away reluctantly. “We were coming back in any case.”

  “Oh. Good.” Henriette still sounded flustered.

  Alicia squeezed Leo's hand once again, and then let go.

  Henriette, flustered, led her to where the group waited at the central table to make a toast.

  “To Lady Alicia von Aichelburg!” her mother said, soft voice lilting on the candlelit air.

  “Lady Alicia!” fifty voices shouted in unison. Alicia, head fizzing with the alcohol and whole body aflame, thought she might die, she was so happy.

  Later, she joined the guests on the wide back terrace, waiting for the fireworks to start. The night air was cool on her skin, despite the closeness of the crowd, and the sky was a tapestry of silk, strewn with a thousand diamonds. She stood with her parents and Henriette, but they were all raptly watching the skyline, waiting for the display to begin.

  She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She did not look round, but she smiled.

  “Hello, my lady.” Leo’s voice fizzed up her body from toes to head, making her feel lightheaded.

  “Hello,” she whispered.

  His arm snaked round her shoulders, and his warm body stood behind her. Holding her close.

  Alicia gasped, shocked and worried. Anyone could see them!

  “They're watching the display,” he whispered in her ear, and kissed her hair.

  Alicia, feeling amazed, turned to watch the skyline.

  It exploded, just then, into showers of gold, pink and green.

  “Happy birthday, Lady von Aichelburg!” someone shouted.

  “Salutations!”

  Alicia swallowed hard, deafened by the roar of the fireworks and the awed shouts of the guests.

  “Happy birthday,” Leo whispered in her ear. Alicia turned slightly, just as his head tilted toward hers. His mouth came down over hers, and he kissed her. There, on the balcony, between the guests, with the sky exploding in fronds of pink and green and gold, he kissed her.

  Alicia closed her eyes, knowing that there were some moments in life that were simply perfect. She did not know she wept, until he gently wiped away her tears.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  A CONFIDANTE

  A CONFIDANTE

  “Well... that was quite an evening!”

  Lady Valeria, a soft smile on her face, leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. She wore a plain blue dress, the material soft and loose and gathered about her form.

  It was the morning following the ball, and the family – Valeria and Ernst, Alicia and Henriette – were having an intimate breakfast in the breakfast-room. Everyone was relaxed, still tired after the long, sleepless night.

  “It was, wasn't it, Sunny?” Ernst said, ruffling his daughter's hair where she sat beside him.

  Alicia swallowed. “Yes, Father,” she replied. Inside, her heart was racing, and her stomach was warm with excitement, as if she had just drunk French brandy. She could not stop thinking about last night. Leo, the dancing, the kiss... It was the most amazing... she had no words.

  “Will you go riding today, Alicia?” Henriette asked, looking up from the rim of a cup of chocolate. The breakfast table between them was decked with Delft china, the pale blue work complementing the white tablecloth and the cream silk walls.

  “I...” Alicia stammered, trying to read the message in her friend's dreamy black eyes. “I think I will stay, Henriette,” she said uncertainly.

  “Good.” Henriette smiled warmly. Evidently that was the right answer. “I shall go with Emma alone, then?” She lifted her shoulder. Alicia smiled.

  “If you would, Henriette,” she replied.

  “I would.”

  They lapsed into silence again.

  “I think I shall spend the day abed,” Valeria said warmly. “I am so tired.”

  “I am, too,” Ernst said, stifling a yawn. He and Valeria looked at each other with such a look of tenderness it made Alicia's heart stop. And now she knew what that felt like! To feel such things, and know them returned. She swallowed.

  “I thought I would go through my wardrobe,” Alicia suggested. “I mean, I have so many new clothes now.”

  “You are industrious, my dear!” Her mother reached across and patted her hand.

  “The energy of the young!” Ernst declared.

  Valeria looked at him, amused. “You are not so very old yourself, dear,” she chided gently.

  “No.” Ernst grinned. “I am not.”

  “But still, I shall spend the day sleeping,” Valeria continued, and stretched, stifling a yawn with a delicate hand.

  “We could both do with that,” Ernst agreed, though his eyes were warm.

  “Quite,” Valeria agreed softly and set down her chocolate carefully on the table. “I think, then, if you young ladies will excuse me?” She stood, gathering her robe about her.

  “Indeed,” Ernst, still in his hose and dinner jacket, stood and took her hand. The older couple left the room, talking quietly.

  Henriette and Alicia were alone together.

  “A lovely event,” Henriette murmured, still drinking her chocolate. She looked at Alicia inquisitively, black eyes not letting go.

  “It was,” Alicia started, then swallowed. “Oh, Henriette...”

  A second later, she was in her friend's arms, tears tracing down her cheeks.

  “There, there...” Henriette murmured, stroking her shoulder.

  “I don't know why I'm crying,” Alicia sniffed.

  “It is the way of love.” Henriette smiled. “All smiles or tears. Nothing in between.”

  Alicia gave her a watery grin. They both smiled.

  “I love him so,” Alicia said through the tears.

  “But your parents will not allow it?”

  “He is a fugitive!” Alicia exclaimed. “And I am betrothed.”

  Henriette was silent a while. “What will you do?” she asked at length.

  “Spend as much time with him as I can?” Alicia asked hopefully. “It is all I can do.”

  “Starting from today, then,” Henriette said firmly. “I will go out with the girls as much as I can. Give you time to see this man. He is here?”

  “Yes.” Alicia nodded, still crying.

  “Who is he, if I may ask?” Henriette questioned. “He dresses like a Frenchman.”

  “He is German.” Alicia sniffed. “He is my cousin, Leo.”

  “Leo?” Henriette gasped. “I remember him.”
/>
  “He has changed.” Alicia smiled.

  “He was so young, then,” Henriette said wistfully.

  “Young, and skinny,” Alicia said. They both giggled.

  “Well, you leave it to me,” Henriette said sternly. “You are in love, and I am French. We love love, do we not? I will see to everything. You must not be afraid.”

  “Oh, Henriette,” Alicia sobbed. “What would I do without you?”

  “I am sure you would think of something.” Henriette grinned. “But now you don't have to. Leave it to me.”

  Alicia, smiling through her tears, hugged her friend fiercely. Her confused and happy heart felt safe at last. Henriette would help her. She could be with Leo. Everything was well.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  IN THE WOODS

  IN THE WOODS

  “Leo?” Alicia whispered at the keyhole of the guest bedroom. The door was locked firmly against intruders. The wind whispered down the corridor behind her, making her shiver. The floor creaked under her weight. All else was silent. Alicia held her breath.

  “Yes?” Leo whispered back at last.

  “It is well. They have gone. You can come out, now.”

  “Whew,” Leo declared, as he quickly opened the door and gestured her inside. “I never thought I would be able to escape from that room!”

  Alicia laughed, lightly, slipping in to the blue-wallpapered room with its parquet floor. “Well, it has just been my birthday. The house was full of guests until this morning, and...”

  “And I have been hiding in this cramped room, eating things I stole from the refreshments table, or what you brought me, for almost two days!” Leo exclaimed. The energy radiating from him was like that of a trapped falcon – coiled, intense. Needing action.

  “You must be so hungry,” Alicia said, sympathetically. She stroked a hand down his shoulder, and thrilled at the feeling of his hard muscle under her hand. Ever since the ball, she could not stop thinking about him, couldn’t turn off these soaring, wild feelings that coursed through her.

  “Hungry? No! I am starved!” Leo declared, melodramatically, and fell back onto the bed. He laughed. “I am sorry. Forgive my rudeness,” he said, half-sitting up. His golden eyes were gentle, and intense. Alicia, caught in that gaze, swallowed hard. She felt fascinated, almost like the prey of some exotic serpent. And yet it was not a bad feeling, but a wonderful one. And with him half-sitting, on the bed before her... She swallowed.

  “What is it?” Leo asked, a lopsided smile on his face. Judging by the glow in his eyes, he was feeling something, too.

  Alicia swallowed and tried to concentrate. “I...” she stammered, then began again. “I think I have a plan, to alleviate your starving state.”

  “You will feed me ambrosia and honey?” he asked, smiling. “I think, with you, that might be possible.”

  Alicia stared at him. Had he really just said that, suggested she was an otherworldly creature? Leo?

  “I...” She looked at her hands.

  Very gently, he reached across and laid a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, then relaxed into his touch. She could hear his breathing, ragged like her own. After a moment of stroking her hair, he withdrew his touch.

  They both sighed, disappointed. Then he laughed.

  “Well, what is this marvelous plan of yours?” he asked.

  “I thought, we never did get those pies, now did we?”

  “Pies?” Leo grinned. “Well, that is a heavenly miracle indeed!” He sat up and drew her close. He kissed her hair, breathing in its scent of rosemary and sage, and then withdrew sharply.

  She heard him clear his throat.

  “Right, Leo,” he said to himself, looking studiously out of the window as he reached for his velvet jacket. “We need to be sensible here.”

  “We do?”

  “We do,” he said firmly. He kissed her head and gently escorted her to the door. “Now, my lady? If you will wait in the hallway for me, I shall join you as soon as I am decently dressed.”

  Alicia laughed, a peal of tiny bells, and allowed him to escort her to the door.

  Twenty minutes later, dressed in their riding clothes, they were sneaking quietly down the back stairs and out of the servants’ exit into the grounds.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  A BRUSH WITH DANGER

  A BRUSH WITH DANGER

  Leo and Alicia walked briskly down the path, trying to avoid being seen from the windows by sticking close to the tall, clipped hedge. The golden sunlight sparkled on the grass and filtered through the branches of the trees, mostly bare now in autumn, except the soaring conifers.

  “Fresh air!” Leo said, expansive, drawing it into his lungs like a drowned man.

  Alicia laughed.

  “It has not been so many days to be kept inside,” she said, sympathetically. She paused at the edge of the hedges, watching for the groom to leave. When she saw him do so, she beckoned Leo.

  “It has for me!” Leo declared as they crossed the lawn. He put his arm around her and drew her close. “At home in Germany, I spent an hour a day at least out of doors.”

  “Wasn't it cold?” Alicia asked, as they reached the stables and began to tack up their horses. They had to hurry, lest the groom return and see Leo there.

  “In winter, yes,” Leo agreed, his back to her as he lifted the heavy saddle. “I still tried to go out every day, though, and there is sledding and snowshoeing, and—”

  “Snowshoeing?”

  “It's such fun!” Leo enthused as they led their horses to the mounting block together. “When we have snow here, I shall show you how.”

  He paused, and Alicia looked at him, wondering why. They were at the mounting block, and she was about to step up.

  “Allow me?” Leo asked, arms crossed to make a step for her to mount.

  “Oh...” Alicia swallowed. It was a servant's position, and something in her blanched to see him occupy it, and for her.

  He knelt before her, arms braced, and she stepped lightly onto them and swung her leg to the stirrup. The other followed and she was mounted, sitting sideways in the special Spanish saddle.

  “You hardly weigh anything,” he said, grinning up at her.

  “I do!” Alicia declared proudly. “I am all of seven stone and twelve pounds.”

  Leo chuckled, delighted by her childlike grin. “That's supposed to be a lot?”

  “It is.” Alicia smiled. “My mother says I am a big girl,” she said primly.

  “Not in body.” Leo grinned at her, mounted already and waiting beside her. “But in spirit, yes.”

  Alicia stared at him. Had he really just said that? Her heart raced.

  “Leo...”

  He leaned forward, then, and their lips met. Alicia closed her eyes. The sensations stirring through her body were almost unbearable. She leaned against him, arms wrapped around his neck. She wanted to hold him close. So close...

  “Come on, then,” Leo said, hoarse. “We should go.”

  Alicia looked at him, distressed and amazed at once, as he guided his horse ahead, onto the pathway from the back of the stable. Then they were beside one another again, trotting through the yard gate and out onto the estate at large.

  They talked as they rode, and the conversation was lively and quick, often punctuated with laughter. Alicia had an infectious laugh, and soon even the impatient, quick-tempered Leo was laughing along with her.

  They reached the tavern – the Two Trees Inn – and Leo swung her down from the saddle, kissing her lightly as he did so. She gasped. They walked in very quietly.

  “Some pies, please,” Leo said quickly, surprising the innkeeper's wife, who stood beside the fire, waiting to welcome them.

  “What sort, young sir?” she asked, flustered.

  “Anything!” Leo declared loftily. “What have you?”

  “Well, milord, we have game, and fish, and eel...”

  “One of each!” Leo declared. “I have been starved for two days and will never stop
eating.”

  Alicia laughed at his clowning, feeling an urge to kiss him.

  They took a seat by the fire, on tall, carved stools. He ordered a stoup of ale for each of them, and Alicia held her breath and drank some.

  “I like it!” she declared, and wiped her mouth with her hand.

  Leo laughed, delighted. “Very good, my lady! We shall make a sailor of you yet.”

  Alicia laughed, sure she had never been so happy.

  The pies arrived, steaming and full of gravy, with thick, home-made pastry. Alicia, amazed at her own hunger, tucked in.

  “These are delicious!” she declared.

  The innkeeper's wife blushed scarlet and curtseyed, and Leo smiled, proud of his beautiful companion.

  They devoured their pies, talking all the while, and then finished the stone jugs of ale, laughing uproariously.

  “That,” Alicia declared, eyes shining as she slid from the stool to leave, “was the best meal in my whole life!”

  “Really?” Thinking of the extravagant birthday dinner they had enjoyed only two days before, Leo smiled at her.

  “Really,” Alicia said firmly.

  “Thank you. For a wonderful ride, and a wonderful day,” Alicia said, simply, as they exited the inn.

  “Thank you, my Lady,” Leo said, very solemn.

  “Oh, Leo!” Alicia laughed. She stepped toward him. Without thinking about it, blood still warm from the ale and firelight, she reached up and kissed him.

  His mouth on hers was very gentle, the barest touch. Then his lips parted. His tongue probed her mouth gently. She sighed and, lips parted, fell against him.

  They stood in each other’s arms for a very long time.

  “Oh, Leo,” she whispered, muffled, against his coat.

  “Alicia...” Leo breathed into her curls. “I...” He paused. “We should go.”

  Alicia looked up at him seriously. “I know.”

  They moved reluctantly, walking toward the horses.