The Book of Love (Books 1-3): A Regency Romance Collection

by Meara Platt

  It eased her heart, in truth. She and Thad were not meant for each other, but she knew he would find someone lovely to marry once he was ready to settle down.

  She tipped her head up to meet his gaze.

  The look in his eyes was dark and hungry. The nearness of their bodies excited her. He dipped his head ever so slightly, the subtle gesture seeming to compel her lips closer to his. Yes, she simply had to kiss him before he left. As her maid said, the big Scot would know how to do it proper.

  “Loopy…” He spoke her name in a reverent whisper, half groan and half awe. His eyes were fixed on her and his gaze smoldering as he stared back at her. There was a slight downward tilt to the corners of his eyes that gave them a seductive quality, an I-want-to-bed-you look that no woman could resist.

  Did he wish to bed her?

  No, it was too ridiculous to contemplate.

  But he wanted to kiss her…she hoped he wanted to kiss her.

  Their breaths mingled.

  Her eyes fluttered closed.

  But the kiss never came. Thad suddenly drew away. In the next moment, she heard Pip’s excited voice. “Thad! Thad! Teach me those tricks!”

  “Oh, bollocks.” Thad groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “The boy must have been watching from his window.”

  Penelope loved her young cousin even when he was at his most evil. But right now, she wanted to throttle him. Couldn’t he have waited another five minutes before joining them? She turned to Pip with a frown. “No tricks, it’s too dangerous. Thad has been riding for decades. You’ve yet to have a single lesson. I want your promise that you won’t attempt anything foolish. You have to learn the basics first. And you have to build up your muscles. It takes great strength to leap on and off one’s mount while it’s moving. More than you possess right now.”

  She glanced at herself. “More than I will ever have.”

  But Thad…dear heaven. The sense of touch. Oh, she did enjoy touching that hard, warrior body of his.

  Suddenly alarmed by how easily Thad was able to overwhelm her senses, she muttered an excuse to return to the house ahead of him and Pip. Neither seemed to particularly mind, so she left the pair chatting about Thad’s horse and the simple tricks Thad would teach Pip and his new horse so long as Pip did nothing foolish.

  The boy was nodding and vehemently assuring Thad he’d be good as gold.

  Penelope knew better.

  Pip was still a little boy. Everyone knew little boys were curious, adventurous creatures. Pip’s mind was never idle. He was always thinking, usually of harmless things. But there was also a streak of mischief in him. Not wickedly intentioned mischief, just a need to push the boundaries and see how far he could overstep before being hauled back into place.

  Thad obviously had that same streak. Look at me while I jump on and off my horse at full gallop. What, I might break my neck?

  She went straight into the dining room to make certain the breakfast courses were set out on their salvers. To her surprise, her aunt was already seated at the table with Periwinkle, her adorable spaniel, on her lap. “Aunt Lavinia, I’m glad to see you’re looking better. I didn’t expect you up this early.”

  “Good morning, my dear.” She cast Penelope a cheerful smile. “I heard Pip stomping down the stairs and thought I’d come down as well. I saw a little of the show Thad put on for you.” She arched an eyebrow and cast her a wry smile. “He likes you.”

  Penelope snorted.

  “He wouldn’t be so keen on impressing you, otherwise.”

  She sank into the chair beside her aunt. “Do you think so?” The notion did not please her. First of all, she doubted he liked her above all other women. In truth, he probably liked her far less than other women because she constantly vexed him.

  Lavinia patted her hand. “He’s a fine young man.”

  “He’s a big, Scottish oaf. He constantly teases me.”

  Her aunt chuckled. “I find his manner charming. He’s like a big, wonderful pup, wanting to be noticed and not knowing how else to gain your attention.”

  Penelope rolled her eyes. “He could try simply talking to me.”

  “Oh, dear me. No, that isn’t Thad. He isn’t refined or glib. He isn’t one for witty banter. Nor is he the sort to toss casual compliments or flatter a woman unless he feels it to the depths of his soul.”

  “Nonsense, Aunt Lavinia.” Penelope rose to pour herself a cup of tea. It was a task usually done by one of the footmen, but she felt restless and needed to do something to end this conversation. “He isn’t sensitive, nor does he have a poetic soul. Oh, don’t frown at me. I’m going to use him as my test frog and that’s all. He’ll return to Caithness soon. Perhaps he’ll be ordered back to France to rejoin his regiment.”

  A little knot formed in the pit of her stomach. France was still a dangerous place. She didn’t want Thad to come to any harm. “Even if he does respond to a few of my tests, it will signify nothing. The effect will wear off. He’ll ride away and soon forget me. I shall remain right here, where I belong.”

  Thad and Pip tramped in before Lavinia had the chance to argue with her. Even Periwinkle was tossing her a doubtful look.

  She returned to her seat.

  Thad settled his large frame in the chair beside hers and tugged on her braid. “Ye look angry enough to eat Periwinkle. What’s the matter, lass?”

  He was the matter.

  “Och, now ye’re tossing me that Harpy look. What have I done?”

  Nothing, of course. He was just being himself, and she couldn’t stop responding to his nearness. Or stop thinking that perhaps Aunt Lavinia was right. No. Thad could not possibly be the man of her dreams. She certainly wasn’t his dream woman.

  She was his sausage patty.

  Apparently, showing off on horseback aroused a man’s appetite. Thad was working on his third helping of eggs when Nathaniel and Poppy joined them a short while later. Pip immediately brightened. “Are we going to see Monarch’s owner this morning?” he asked Nathaniel.

  “Indeed, we are.”

  Pip cheered.

  Periwinkle’s ears perked and his tail began to wag furiously.

  Lavinia laughed. “Even dear Periwinkle is excited for you, Pip.”

  “I’ll join you,” Poppy said, casting Nathaniel a doting look. “I have some errands to run in town. Olivia’s birthday is coming up next week, and Beast asked if we could plan a party for her. He’d like it to be a surprise.”

  Lavinia clapped her hands. “How lovely. Who will you invite?”

  “Our neighbors, of course. Lord and Lady Plimpton. The vicar,” she said, referring to the handsome Adam Carstairs. “Dr. Carmichael. Miss Billings. My sister, Violet, will be joining us this weekend, so she’ll be here for the party. Lord Lothbridge and his daughters. A few of the town officials.”

  Penelope sat back and listened as Poppy and Lavinia began to discuss the details, pleased that Poppy had so easily adapted to the role of Nathaniel’s countess. Despite Poppy’s fears, she was a natural hostess and more than capable of taking on whatever tasks were required of her. She was genuinely kind, and had a calm, soothing manner that put everyone at ease within moments of meeting her.

  “Penelope, what do you think?” Poppy asked, obviously wishing to include her in the planning. “Will you review the guestlist and menu with me and Lavinia?”

  Penelope smiled and shook her head. “I think the two of you are more than capable of handling this party on your own.”

  Poppy began to nibble her lip. “But this is your home, too. You and I are both Olivia’s best friends. Besides, you’ve been Nathaniel’s hostess here for years.”

  Penelope reached over and gave Poppy’s hand a light squeeze. “And now you’ll be filling that role.” She grinned. “I’m sure he likes you a lot better than he likes me. I give him headaches.”

  Poppy laughed. “He adores you.”

  “I happily leave the party planning to you and Lavinia.” She turned to Thad. “Beside
s, I have a big Scot to tame. He thinks The Book of Love is a joke. I am determined to prove him wrong.”

  Thad set his fork down on his plate with a clatter. “That damn book. Lass, here’s a bit of Scottish wisdom for ye. Give–”

  “Spare me your lecture.” She rolled her eyes.

  He ignored her and continued. “Give a man hearty food, plentiful ale, and a warm bed, and he’ll have no reason to stray. Forget the London parties, the fancy balls, and musicales. Forget the fine gowns and jewels, or fashionably-styled hair. Most women look like they’ve grown a beehive on their heads. Fashionable, my arse. It’s all bollocks.”

  Pip laughed. “Thad said arse! Ha, ha, ha! Arse!”

  She frowned at both of them, saving her most scathing look for Thad who was a grown man and ought to have known better than to mouth off in front of the impressionable boy. Why did he always have to be so contrary? “If what you say is true, which it isn’t and makes not a shred of sense, then the Season would not be so popular. Lords and ladies would not bring their precious daughters and rakehell sons to London to make advantageous matches. They’d spend no money on fine gowns or entertainments. The modistes and haberdashers would be out of business. The theaters would play to sparse audiences.”

  “Lass, do ye seriously believe ye need to do yerself up fancy to catch a man’s eye?”

  She blushed, recalling her state when Thad had first arrived. Hair wet and tumbling loosely to her waist. No clothes to mention other than a wet chemise that scandalously revealed too much. Oh, she’d caught his notice. The wrong sort.

  He arched a wicked eyebrow and cast her a devil’s smirk to remind her of it.

  But it wasn’t her fault. She’d been caught unaware by his return. “Yes, one must look one’s best when seeking a husband or one will never be noticed amid the crowd.”

  He shook his head and sighed. “Och, lass. Ye don’t belong with those other peahens in the marriage mart.”

  “Then where do I belong?” She frowned in challenge. Her hands were curled into fists, ready to poke him if he uttered a glib remark.

  He shrugged. “I suppose we could study that book to find out.”

  Which is what she’d planned to do all along. But to get Thad to the point of agreeing with her was as pleasant as having a tooth pulled. She gritted her teeth and cast him an insincere smile. “Excellent. I’ll meet you by the pond in an hour.”

  He chuckled. “Are ye sure ye’d like to meet there, lass?”

  She rose, tipping her chin up in that imperious manner she’d perfected as a little girl and improved upon now that she was a grown woman. Well, she was hardly that. But she was old enough to be placed on the market for marriage and that counted for something.

  The ‘Penelope’ look was daunting to everyone. Even her brother ducked when she tossed a fiery glance his way.

  But not Thad.

  No, she was a game to him, and the big oaf seemed to take unreasonable delight in thwarting her at every turn. He’d been magnificent not ten minutes ago while riding Thor. Now, he was back to his goading self.

  He was still chuckling. Was he going to say something about her almost naked swim?

  Yes, he was. She saw it in the wicked glint of his eyes.

  And then, he did. “Shall I dress for the occasion?”

  Pip giggled.

  “What’s so funny about meeting by the pond?” Poppy asked. “And how must one dress when reading a book?”

  Pip opened his mouth.

  Oh, no! Her devil-of-a-cousin was not going to humiliate her.

  She cast Thad a murderous glance for inciting the lad, noticed his chair was tipped back as he sat with his hands casually propped behind his head. Lord, forgive me. She kicked the chair out from under him.

  All thought of the pond was quickly dispelled as Thad crashed to the floor, his arms and legs flailing like a turtle caught helplessly on its back. “Och, Loopy!”

  She stepped over him as he lay sprawled on the floor. “Poppy, make sure you invite the Earl of Wycke and his family to the party.”

  Thad sat up.

  The big oaf looked hurt. Not physically wounded, but his feelings were hurt.

  It was his own fault. He shouldn’t have been jesting about their encounter, even if the reference was so obtuse, no one was likely to understand it. Pip couldn’t have known what transpired after he’d run off with her gown, but the imp would have said something. Which would have led to Nathaniel asking more questions. Which would have led to trouble.

  Thad rubbed his shoulder, then began to rotate it slowly. “Och, ye’re a bloodthirsty lass.”

  “And you’re a gossipy, old hen.” She sighed and knelt beside him. “Are you injured? I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have…accidentally tripped over your chair.”

  The lie merited no response, so he wisely gave none. But she heard groans and choked coughs and laughter from the others around the table who knew she’d brought him down on purpose.

  She ran her hands lightly across Thad’s shoulder to make certain she hadn’t caused him to break a bone. He allowed her to touch him, but he wasn’t happy.

  He had a hot, angry look about him.

  Was he going to do something to get even with her?

  Chapter Five

  Penelope strode to the pond with the determination of a field general on a war campaign. She had The Book of Love tucked under her arm, and now all she needed was her Scottish test frog. After their breakfast incident, she wasn’t certain Thad would join her…ever. In truth, if he had any sense at all, he’d be running as far away from her as he could.

  Any man with half a brain would, her brother had grumbled, admonishing her for purposely knocking Thad off his chair. No one had believed it was an accident, which it wasn’t since she had done it on purpose. But it still hurt her feelings that everyone was so quick to believe the worst in her.

  Was she truly that awful?

  To her surprise, Thad was seated on the fallen log under the large shade tree, staring out across the water while lost in thought. The sun glinted across the pond, causing the blue water to shimmer and sparkle beneath its intense rays.

  Sunlight also filtered through the leaves of the giant oak and shone on Thad’s copper hair. She liked the thick waves of his hair, the broad expanse of his shoulders, and the ripple of muscle beneath the white, lawn fabric of his shirt as he turned to acknowledge her with a wincing smile.

  He arched an eyebrow and moved over, motioning for her to sit beside him. “Where shall we start, Loopy?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  He hadn’t moved that far over, so they were seated closer to each other than was proper, their arms grazing as she shifted the book onto her lap. He’d probably stayed close on purpose, intending to rattle her.

  Did he intend to push her off the log?

  She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of admitting her discomfort. She’d rather walk across a bed of nails than ask him to move over. No, he could sit right there and feel her elbow jabs in his ribs.

  Oh, what was wrong with her? Hadn’t she done enough to him? Thad would never hurt her. So how could she consider hurting him again?

  She had been staring at the book, but now turned to Thad. “I’m so sorry about this morning. I panicked. You tossed off that veiled remark about seeing me…” Her voice trailed off and she felt the fiery heat of a blush on her cheeks. “About me in my wet chemise…” Because she was not going to acknowledge how much he’d seen of her.

  Lord, he’d seen everything.

  She cleared her throat. “Then Pip opened his mouth, about to humiliate me in front of all my family. So I did the first thing that came into my mind.”

  He said nothing, although she’d paused in the hope he might accept her apology. But he wouldn’t even look at her. “Oh, Thad. Please don’t stay angry. How is your shoulder?”

  “Better, lass.” He finally turned to face her. “I’m the one who owes ye the apology. I shouldn’t have teased ye lik
e that.”

  “And I shouldn’t have responded like a crazed Harpy. Then we’re friends again?” She cast him a hopeful smile.

  He nodded. “Always.”

  “Thank you, Thad.”

  He nodded again and motioned to the book on her lap. “Shall we get to it?”

  “Yes.” She let out a rush of air in relief. Losing Thad as a friend would have devastated her. “The book speaks of connections we make with each shared experience.” Her shared experiences with him were hardly the stuff of dreams, but she wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. He deserved better treatment from her. She’d do her best to show her appreciation of him. “But I hardly know the Earl of Wycke. I haven’t gone fishing with him as I have with you. Or waded into the pond looking for tadpoles. Do you remember the summer we collected them and they hopped out of my bucket when I tried to sneak them up to my room? Oh, Father had a fit!”

  He gave a deep, resonant chuckle. “I remember, lass.”

  “You tried to take the blame for it so he wouldn’t punish me.” She shook her head and cast him a mirthful glance. “You shouldn’t have stepped forward to protect me. Father knew you’d never bring those creatures into the house. He would have wagered his earldom it was me, and he would have been right.”

  Thad was still grinning at her, a wonderfully sentimental and affectionate grin. “He sent you up to your room without supper.”

  “You were more overset about it than I was. You smuggled food to me.” She paused a moment to regard him tenderly. “You even gave up one of your precious raisin scones for me.”

  “I was afraid ye’d melt away to nothing. Ye were such a skinny, little thing. But ye had big eyes and an even bigger smile.” Thad nodded. “It was a beautiful smile. I couldn’t bear to see ye punished.”

  “Even if I deserved it?”

  “Och, lass. Ye were mischievous but never wicked. Besides, I was at fault for suggesting we go looking for tadpoles in the first place.”

  “Oh, but we had such fun. How am I to build this sort of bond with Lord Wycke after only one Season?”