Forever My Princess: The Royal House of Atharia, Book 3

by Gill, Tamara

  He ought to have married already and had all of the house and grounds repaired. Had Miss Smith not entered his life, he would have left for London, no matter what issue arose at home, but with her being here, he'd used the excuse to remain and halt his plans. He should not have. He could not marry her, no matter how much he wished he could court her in earnest.

  "I'm almost there, Miss Smith," he called, just before he came into the center of the maze to find her seated on the edge of the dry pond, a small leaf in her hand that she was rolling between her fingers.

  She stood and came over to him. "I'm so glad you found me. I thought I might be stuck in here all night. I could not find my way out, and I kept getting turned about and ending up back here. I'm quite certain that your maze moves, my lord."

  He chuckled and started back from where he came. "Come, I shall guide you to safety. It is not so very hard, not once you know all the tricks and secret turns."

  She scoffed, but he felt her follow in his footsteps.

  Theo made his way through the maze, the turns familiar, and he was certainly correct, so when he found himself back at the pond only minutes later, a look of amusement on Miss Smith's visage, he could not work out where he had gone wrong.

  He turned in a circle, frowning. "That makes no sense. I know the maze as well as the back of my hand. I do not understand how we ended up back here." They attempted to exit several more times, and by the fifth attempt, Miss Smith's amusement had morphed into despair.

  "We're going to die here, my lord. Trapped in a magical maze that does not allow anyone to leave once you enter its green cell walls."

  He sat on the pond edge, just as Miss Smith had done earlier, and thought over the way out of this madness. "The maze is overgrown, and it must have changed the design so much so that I can no longer remember the way out."

  She raised a skeptical brow. "And where does that leave us? We cannot sleep outside. Not together," she stressed, pinning him to the spot with her dark, earthy orbs.

  Heat crept up his face, and he stood, striding for the maze exit. "Come, we shall not give up until I have saved us both."

  He heard her sigh, but she followed him nonetheless, and so when they returned to the pond for the sixth time, Theo too was sure some trickery was at play.

  Fate perhaps? his mind taunted

  He rubbed a hand over his jaw, regarding Elena, and as much as he wished her arrival here was fate, a savior to his desperate soul, it was not the case. Elena was as poor as he was, and they could not marry. So stuck together in a maze made little difference. Regardless if they were stuck overnight, he could not offer her his hand, even if he wanted to.

  * * *

  Elena made herself comfortable beside the pond and watched as dusk gave way to night. That she was stuck in a maze under a moonlit sky with one of the most handsome gentlemen she had ever met in her life was not ideal, given she was a maid and he was a man.

  He stood at the edge of the maze, hands atop his hips and a fierce frown on his brow. She should not want to laugh, but the sight of his lordship not knowing the way out of his own garden feature was quite entertaining.

  "No matter how much you stare at it, my lord, I do not think it'll change shape or magically open up and allow you to leave."

  He sighed, facing her. "I admit, it has been some time since I'd come in here, but you would think I would know the way around my garden."

  He came and sat beside her, leaning back against the pond just as she was. She supposed that seated as she was now meant her gown would look tattered and dirty when they were rescued.

  "At least it is not complete darkness," his lordship said, staring up at the stars above. "We can see a little."

  Elena studied him, drinking in his profile, his straight nose, and chiseled jaw. He glanced at her and caught her ogling him, and for the life of her, she could not look away. Nor did she want to.

  The night was warm, fragrant of flowers and pine, and heat licked across her skin. The man at her side was a temptation she did not want to refuse, no matter how much she should.

  She ought, of course. Lord Lyon was after a rich wife, a position she could fill, but she did not just want to be someone's means out of financial ruin. She wanted to marry for love, and nothing else would do. Even so, the next words out of her mouth would not be held back.

  "Are you going to kiss me?" she asked him boldly, not certain where her gumption came from to ask such a thing, but the heat that flickered in his blue orbs told her she had read him correctly.

  "Do you want me to?" he asked her, his tone serious, his deep, gravelly voice making her blood sing.

  Her stomach clenched in delicious somersaults, and she nodded, hoping he could see her well enough to see her answer. "Do you not want to?" The words slipped from her, and there was no taking them back. She felt exposed and nervous, but also as if she stood on the edge of a precipice, about to jump into a wondrous new world.

  He reached out and clasped her face in his hands, tipping up her chin and studying her. "I should not want to kiss you as much as I do, but you know that would be a lie. I want to kiss you, have wanted to kiss you from almost the first moment I laid eyes on you."

  She shivered, licking her lips, as his words made her want him all the more. She reached out, clutching his shirt in her hands. "I would be lying if I said I have not thought about kissing you too."

  With a slowness that threatened to make her expire from wanting, he dipped his head. She closed her eyes as his lips settled on the sensitive spot beneath her ear. She gasped, having not expected him to kiss her there first. She let out a breath, having not realized she was holding it.

  This was madness. To kiss him made no sense, but she would not stop him. Oh no, she wanted him with an urgency that burned and ached in her blood, and there was no denying herself now his touch.

  "You're so beautiful," he whispered against her ear. She swallowed, unable to comprehend that he had said such a wonderful thing. "Now that I've tasted you, I do not think I will ever be sated."

  Elena slid her hands over his shoulders, feeling the corded muscles that flexed and moved as he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting him closer.

  His hair was soft and slid through her fingers like silk. She held on to him, wanting him with a madness she had not expected nor ever experienced before.

  He kissed across her jaw, his hand holding her chin. Their eyes met, held, and time stood still. This was it. This was when she would have her first kiss.

  In a moonlit garden with nothing but the stars as their witness. Their time here could not be more perfect. Excitement thrummed through her, and she bit her lip, waiting, hoping he would not delay any longer.

  "I want you to kiss me," she said, pulling him closer, having enough of waiting. She had waited all her life for such a night, such a man to see her. Not just her name and wealth, her title and connections, her family, but her. Lord Lyon did not want the princess who sat beside him, but the woman she was.

  No rank, no wealth, a lady he desired as much as she wanted him. It made the need for him all the more consuming.

  "My lord?" a male voice called nearby, close enough that Elena knew they were in the maze somewhere.

  "Damn it." His lordship cringed and pulled away, standing and moving away from her. "In here, Thomas," he called, just as the stable hand came into view, a small lantern in his hand.

  "Ah, my lord, I thought that it might have been the maze that gained the upper hand on you both. If you wish to return to the house, I have marked a way out."

  Elena stood and smoothed down her rumpled gown, taking the opportunity to turn from the men so she could gain her wits. After her near-kiss with Theo, her cheeks burned, and she had little doubt she would look flushed and needy.

  "Very good, yes, lead the way, Thomas," his lordship said, turning and holding out his hand for Elena. She stepped before him, glad to have him at her back to give her time to compose her emotions. Thomas thankfully had n
o issues leading them out of their green prison.

  A sweet jail, however, that would forever hold a special place in her heart.

  Would Theo try to kiss her again at some other time and place while he was here?

  She took a determined breath, stealing a glance over her shoulder, and found his heated, unwavering gaze on her person. She shivered, pushing down the need that rose within her. He would try again, she understood. It was only a matter of when.

  Chapter 14

  The following morning Theo sat at the breakfast table, downing his third cup of coffee after his restless night. The woman sitting beside him all that his mind had conjured the moment he retired, an endless reel of memories of kissing her sweet, soft neck, of whispering against her ear, eliciting a shiver of awareness that had rocked his soul. She had smelled divine, and he would forever think of her whenever lavender floated in the air.

  How could he ever keep her at a distance and stop himself from falling under her spell a second time? Of ignoring all his wants and desires and putting them second to his responsibilities.

  He had gone to his mother once they had been rescued from the maze and explained what had occurred. He was pleased when she was not upset or cross with Miss Smith. He would have thought his mother would have been a little put out that her companion had disappeared most of the afternoon and evening, but she was not. If anything, she had looked charmed, and if she were suspicious, overly delighted at their predicament.

  He frowned down at his half-eaten bacon and boiled egg, wondering at his mother's response. Was the dowager up to tricks he was not aware of? And if so, what did she hope to accomplish by pushing Miss Smith and himself together?

  "The day is so lovely, not too hot, I think," his mama stated, sipping her tea and pulling him from his thoughts. "While I am not well enough yet to show Miss Smith myself, would you be a dear son and escort her to the local village? I know she wished to see it."

  Theo met Elena's startled gaze, and he knew his mama had not mentioned the idea to her this morning. Did his mother think to send them off without a chaperone? It certainly sounded that way. Even so, he would like nothing more than to spend more time with her without the prying eyes of everyone under the estate's roof.

  "We will have to walk, but it is not so far to be taxing. Are you up for it, Miss Smith?" he asked her. When she did not answer, he continued, "Unless you do not wish to, of course. The choice is yours." However, he hoped that she desired to go on the outing. A rejuvenating walk to the village would do them both good.

  She placed her cup of tea on the table, nodding. "Of course, I would like that, thank you. When did you wish to leave, my lord?"

  "After breakfast would suit best," Theo stated, not that it mattered what time they left, but the sooner he had her all to himself, the better. He ought not, but nor could he help himself. There was no denying him her company.

  They finished their meal, and Miss Smith went upstairs to change into sturdier shoes and to grab her bonnet. His mama was nowhere to be found, having disappeared after quitting the breakfast room.

  He stood in the foyer, pacing before the doors and front windows, his mind consumed with nothing but Elena. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He also could not help but think where he ought to be right at this moment.

  In London, courting women of extreme fortune and nothing else. Certainly not his mother's impoverished companion.

  As if his thoughts conjured her, Miss Smith started down the staircase, and he knew why he was not in London in that instant. As much as he required a wealthy bride, he did not want anyone else other than the woman who sauntered toward him. She was utterly beautiful in her light-pink morning gown and matching heavy pelisse. Her bonnet accentuated her high cheekbones and pretty eyes, and the breath in his lungs seized.

  He would lose his estate, what small income they had left off the lands The Crown had not stolen from him yet, but he would have his title and Miss Smith as his bride. It would be enough.

  Too many people rely on you, Lyon. You cannot be so selfish as to satisfy your own physical needs or those of your heart against your people.

  It pained him to know what he ought to do versus what he wanted, but he had no choice. He had to marry well and discard the pull to his heart and mind that Miss Smith rallied within him.

  Her lips quirked into a knowing smile as if she knew all his wayward, wicked thoughts, and he wished they were alone, lost in the maze where he could kiss her.

  The timing of his stable hand had been unfortunate last evening, and he had dreamed of taking her lips, of having her in his arms just the way he wanted. Their walk into the village would not enable them to have any privacy, but he was a patient man and could wait. Hopefully, the opportunity arose before he left for London.

  You cannot dally with her and then leave her behind, you rogue.

  He sighed, bowing as she came to stand before him. "Are you ready, Miss Smith?" he asked her, fighting to remain formal and aloof.

  She nodded and moved past him without a word. A footman opened the door, and they started down the stairs and up the long, gravel drive toward the village. "I must admit I'm quite looking forward to our outing, my lord. On my way to the estate the first day, I broke my journey at the inn and left early the following morning. It did not give me much opportunity to see much of the town."

  Without thinking, he picked up her hand and placed it upon his arm. His need to touch her, to soothe his mind that she was real and his, for now, overriding the rules of respectability. She did not say anything about his behavior, but a douse of pleasure coursed through him when her fingers flexed on the coat, gripping him.

  "The town is small, and I fear it may disappoint you. There is a small modiste whose husband is the village cobbler. There is the inn, of course, and a pastry shop. There is a park that houses a small fountain and a grassy area for children to play. But apart from those features, it is mostly housing for the local townsfolk. I do believe several of my tenant farmers have homes in the township too, preferring to live there than on the estate."

  An issue he hoped to repair once he had the funds. They had to move out because he did not have the means to repair the roofs on their cottages.

  "It sounds lovely. Should we visit the pastry shop and eat our lunch in the park? A spontaneous picnic sounds just the thing."

  The excitement in her voice meant he could not deny her request. "I do not believe I have ever heard anyone be more enthusiastic for a picnic, Miss Smith."

  She chuckled, smiling at the road before them. "I suppose I am. I have had very few, you see. But the one I had with the dowager marchioness several days ago was relaxing and enjoyable. I would welcome another.”

  "Your desire will come true then, Miss Smith. We shall picnic in the park and watch the world pass us by."

  She glanced up at him quickly. "Please remember to call me, Elena, my lord. Miss Smith sounds so formal and cold. You have saved my life, and after last evening in the maze, well," she sighed contentedly. "I do not think formality is necessary. Do you not agree?"

  Theo cleared his throat, having not expected her to bring up the subject of their near-kiss or speak so matter-of-fact about it. His body was still reeling from having her in his arms. He wanted her there again. Did she feel the same, or did gentlemen often throw themselves at her feet, and she was used to such things?

  His stomach churned at the thought, disliking the idea she was often accosted by rakehell lords looking for easy skirts to lift. As a companion, such women were often used and discarded when their allure faded by men of his ilk.

  "I should not have tried to kiss you last night, Elena," he admitted. He did not want her to think of him as such a man. He would court her, marry her should she agree, had he had the funds to do so. How he loathed King George and his greed that made such women as Elena no longer a possibility.

  She waved his concerns away, staring ahead, a wistful smile upon her lips. "You were not the only one there, my lord. It was
not entirely your fault if my memory serves me correctly."

  "Theo, please," he asked her, wanting his title to be dispensed with too, at least when they were alone.

  She grinned. "Very well, Theo," she said, warmth rushing through his veins at the sound of his name on her lips. "But as I was replying, you were not the only one there. I would have kissed you back, and gladly so."

  Theo almost choked on his tongue. Never had a woman ever spoken so honestly and forthright before to him. But then again, never had he tried to kiss an unmarried maid. Certainly not one like Elena was turning out to be. So very different from anyone he had ever met before.

  "Truly?" he asked her. "I do not want you to think that I'm some rogue who tries to kiss all of my mother's maids and companions, for I do not."

  "I would not have allowed you to kiss me had I thought you that type of man," she stated, her tone brooking no argument.

  They continued, coming to a crest of a small hill. The modest village came into view, little puffs of smoke snaking their way into the air from the few lit fires in the cottages.

  "A kiss is harmless enough, Theo." She stopped, turning him to look at her. "I know you cannot marry me, and I do not want you to think that I shall allow you to sleep with me without the safeguard of marriage, but a kiss… Well, I may allow that to occur if we were to find ourselves alone together once again."

  "Like now?" he asked her, stepping close.

  She tipped up her face, watching him. Hell, she was pretty. Her dark locks brought out the color of her eyes. Her lashes were as long as any he'd ever seen. The thought of her kissing anyone other than himself was unfathomable.

  "There is no harm in a kiss or two. We're both consenting adults, and I enjoy your company as I hope you enjoy mine. If we do happen to be alone, more alone than this," she said, looking about the dirt road they stood. "I would not refuse you."