She gave a shiver. “Yes, I know.”
“The fire is lit.”
“I see that.”
The chair squeaked when he shifted again. Harriet looked over her shoulder again at him. His mouth was open as though he was about to say something.
“You aren’t supposed to be here,” she said before he could get any words out.
“Yes I am,” he replied. “Who says I’m not allowed?”
“The housekeeper, Mrs Barnes isn’t it?”
“Oh, not to worry about her, she is just trying to protect me from you.”
“Protect you? From me? Why on earth would she want to do that?”
Philip got up from the chair and crossed the room to stand behind her, his hands placed lightly on her hips. Shockwaves of desire coursed through her body and she struggled to not lean back against him for support. He wouldn’t allow her resistance and pulled her gently back to his chest.
“It’s girls like you who are after my money,” he whispered in her ear. “I have quite a lot of it, you know.” He thrust his hips forward slightly and a gasp jumped from her lips at the shock of feeling exactly what he had a lot of against her bottom. “Money,” he said. “Lots and lots of money.” He continued to rock back and forth against her, emphasising each word with a thrust.
Harriet’s body reacted to the onslaught of emotion slamming into her from all directions. She turned in his arms and looked him in the eye. “Is that why you think I’m here?” Crushing grief pierced her heart. How could he think that of her? Is that what she was to him, some girl after his money?
Philip stepped back but didn’t take his hands off her hips. “I love you.”
“What?” She wasn’t expecting that. The shock of his words weakened her knees until she had to lean on the chair he had vacated.
“I said, I love you. I can’t stay away from you. Ever since that night in the park I’ve wanted to keep you close. That night at the ball? The plan was that I was supposed to find you a husband, someone who could protect you. I couldn’t do it. Instead I dragged you into the bushes and tried having my way with you there. I couldn’t stand watching anyone else’s eyes on you, let alone their hands. When you danced with…I couldn’t take it. Something snapped inside. I couldn’t stop myself from taking you away.” Philip let her go and went to the other side of the bathtub. The steam had stopped rising from it ages ago and it sat there looking just as much out of place as Philip did amongst the flowers and pink carpet of the room.
“This trip,” he continued, “wasn’t only because my house has been invaded. I was desperate to get you out of town, alone, just the two of us. Who do you think convinced my sister to stay behind? She should be here, if nothing else as your companion and our chaperone. She only agreed to stay behind when I told her what I intend to do.”
Harriet waited for Philip to continue, but he just stood there looking at her, slightly out of breath. “What is it you intend to do, Philip?” Her voice was breathless as well, and when he started walking around the tub towards her, she couldn’t help but take a few steps towards him as well.
Philip reached into his waistcoat pocket and was about to pull something out when the door burst open. A maid bustled into the room, oblivious Philip was even there. She had her head down and her arms full of clothes. She didn’t see him until she hit him full on in the chest. Towels and ladies’ undergarments went flying everywhere! Harriet watched in horror as the clothes sailed through the air in slow motion. Slowly they descended and landed in the bathtub. The maid screamed loud enough that she could be heard from London and continued to do so, despite Harriet’s best attempts to quieten her down. It was at this moment, more than any other, that Harriet regretted their decision to leave Rebecca with Cressandra in London. She would have given anything to have her here instead.
Harriet heard Mrs Barnes huffing up the stairs and knew in moments that Philip would be spotted in her room. A man alone with her, in her room! Without much thought she grabbed Philip by his sleeve and shoved him behind the long thick curtain in her bedroom and returned to the distraught maid just before Mrs Barnes made her appearance.
“What in heaven’s name is going on up here, may I ask, Penelope?” The housekeeper’s booming voice did what all of Harriet’s attempts did not. The maid, Penelope, shut her lips with a snap, the tears stopping instantly.
“Oh thank you, Mrs Barnes,” Harriet said, quickly filling the silence before the maid was able to tell her version of events. “I seem to have startled this poor girl here and I couldn’t get her to calm down. She was so upset about getting all my things wet when we collided, she was quite uncontrollable, isn’t that right, Penelope?”
The maid looked at her with round, large eyes, confusion written all over her face.
“Is that what happened, Penelope? Did you collide with Miss Harriet and spill the clothes in the bath water?” Suspicion was thick in the housekeeper’s voice.
Penelope looked quickly at Harriet before nodding her head. “Yes, ma’am, that’s what happened.” She didn’t sound convincing but unless Mrs Barnes wanted to call both of them a liar, there was nothing she could do…except of course berate Penelope for spilling the clothes.
“You foolish girl! Clean this mess up straight away. And you,” Mrs Barnes turned to Harriet, “you had better stay out of her way. If I catch you anywhere besides your room, I will be having words with Master when he arrives.”
Harriet stepped in close to the housekeeper to make sure she was heard. “Mrs Barnes,” Harriet said in a low dangerous tone, “you forget that I am a guest here and as such, am allowed out of my room if I so chose. You as well as ‘Master’ know that. Besides, Lord Bingham is not here and I imagine won’t be here until long after Lord Eaglestone and I have gone so therefore your threat is redundant.” She stepped back and then said loud enough so Philip could hear, “I believe I will go for a walk.”
Chapter 33
Philip met her down by the small creek on the edge of the grounds. There was a pond Philip knew about, hiding in some trees a short distance away, so they headed towards it. They walked together but did not touch until they were well out of view of the house and a ways into the woods.
Philip clasped her hand in his and she enjoyed the pleasant sensation that ran up her arm at his touch. The sunlight shone through the branches of the trees, casting shadows over the ground. The pond came into view and in a few moments they were sitting at the edge removing their shoes.
Harriet was the first to touch her toes into the cool water. After the walk in the heat of the day, the cool water was refreshing across her skin. She raised her dress higher and ventured in further still, aware that a Lady never reveals her ankles, let alone half her leg. Philip watched her from the bank still with one of his shoes on.
“Are you going to join me, Philip?”
He cleared his throat, “You are going to get your dress all wet.” His voice came out rough and full of passion.
“Well then, I had better remove it, hadn’t I?” Harriet returned to the shore and slowly reached behind her and untied the ribbon that held her dress together. She slowly let it slip from her shoulders and slide down her body until it lay in a pool at her feet. “Now it won’t get wet,” she said and ran into the water and dived under.
Philip wasn’t far behind. Where it had taken him minutes to take off one shoe, it took him mere seconds to discard the rest of his clothing. His naked body glistened through the clear pond, his buttocks catching the light of the sun as he swam towards her.
Harriet waited for him in the middle of the pond, her toes just touching the silt underneath. The water lapped at her chin and neck in the faint waves Philip created as he swam closer. He stopped just short of touching her and stood up. The water reached his shoulders even with his feet planted firmly on the bottom of the pond.
Harriet pushed off on her toes and bounced to him, and her scantily-clad breasts brushed up against his chest. Where he swam naked, she had rem
ained in her shift…she wasn’t that brave. His arms wrapped around her automatically and brought her closer. The warmth of his skin was welcoming in the cool water. She tilted her face up to look at him and smiled.
“This wasn’t how I envisioned spending my afternoon, especially since I have already bathed today.”
He grinned back at her and kissed her nose. “Me neither. But I’m glad neither of our plans worked out the way we had hoped. This is much more fun than reading one of Bingham’s many books.”
“Quite.” She stood on his feet and raised herself as far as she could out of the water and pressed a kiss to his lips. She could feel the smile he was wearing, against her mouth.
He deepened the kiss and lifted her higher until her legs dangled in the water, out of reach of the bottom of the pond completely. The combination of the cool water and hot skin colliding around her was exquisite. She wrapped her legs around Philip’s waist as he started walking towards the shore, his erection pulsing just below her entrance. They had not yet reached the shore but she couldn’t handle the erotic sensations of the water and the heat and the smooth skin rubbing her most private place any longer. She lowered herself so that his slickened penis slid smoothly home.
He stopped in waist-deep water. “I was planning on getting to shore first,” he grunted, and gave a little thrust of his hips.
Her world shattered around her and she gasped out loud with release. The one tiny movement had sent her over the edge.
“Hang on, my darling, I’ll get us to the beach.” Philip strode faster to the shore, but with each hurried step his penis glided in and out, causing Harriet’s body to build to a peek even before he lay her down on a bed of leaves. He moved over her, his eyes never leaving her face. His motions were tender and slow and although she was desperate to relive the fulfilment of her orgasm, she was overwhelmed by the emotion she could see shining in his eyes. This time they reached bliss together, the woods swallowing their simultaneous cries as their worlds came apart and then formed together as one.
They lay in each other’s arms and dozed in the late afternoon shadows. She was boneless and more relaxed than she had ever allowed herself to be. She cracked her eyes open when Philip rolled onto his side, propped his body up on his elbow and looked down at her.
“I tried to do this in your room, before the maid and Mrs Barnes arrived on the scene.” He got up and went to where he had left his clothing in a heap on the ground. She could see the dirt on them from here; his valet would not be pleased. He dug around in his clothes and pulled something out of his waistcoat pocket, the same pocket he was digging in when they were interrupted by the maid.
When he came back to her, he didn’t rejoin her on their makeshift bed, but instead kneeled down on one knee. She sat up and reached for her dress and held it against her chest. She felt naked with him looking at her so intently. She was of course actually naked, but it was as though he could see right inside her soul, his eyes stripped everything away.
“You still can’t remember who you are. I don’t know who you are, but I know who I want you to become.” He cleared his throat nervously. “Will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife and taking my name?” His hand shook as he held out the most beautiful ring Harriet had ever seen. Diamonds set in gold shone in the lowering rays of the sun, sending prisms of colour through the trees and across his naked chest. The band of gold sparkled and called for her, as though it already belonged on her finger.
A tear escaped down her cheek. “Yes,” she whispered. All the doubts that clouded her mind the last few days vanished into thin air. At once, she was able to breathe deeply again, and yet she couldn’t seem to fill her lungs. She stared at the ring Philip was holding, joy coursing through her whole body. This feeling, this moment of intense bliss, was better than any orgasm could ever be.
Philip slipped the ring onto her hand, kissing each finger in turn. “I love you, Harriet soon-to-be Lady Eaglestone. You have made me the happiest of men.” His face split into a grin once he slid the ring home. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, passionately, so thoroughly she was sure he would never stop. She hoped he never would.
***
It was dusk when they emerged from the woods and headed back to the house. The moon was obscured by clouds as it rose into the sky. They walked hand in hand. Harriet was no longer worried who saw them.
“Will it rain tonight do you think, Philip?” Harriet looked up at the ominous clouds gathering.
“It is England. Probably,” he replied dryly.
The rain started soon after they made it back into the house. Mrs Barnes had dinner set out in the morning room for them, at Philip’s request. The formal dining room seemed too extravagant with only the two of them.
Harriet enjoyed every single morsel on her plate. The chicken was especially nice. The meat was tender and pulled apart with her fork. Small potatoes were roasted to perfection and the fresh greens from the cook’s garden were some of the best she had ever tasted. Harriet was famished. If there wasn’t a footman standing near the wall, waiting to be of assistance, she would have licked her plate.
When the desert arrived, she moaned.
“You all right, my dear?” Philip asked.
She only managed a distracted nod as she dug into her trifle. The creamy texture glided off her spoon and down her throat, the sharpness of the sherry biting her tongue. She never remembered a meal tasting this good.
After dinner, Philip walked her to her room. As soon as they were out of sight of the servants, he had held her hand. Warmth climbed her arm and spread through her whole body. She was happy and at this moment in time, she didn’t care who she was or where she had come from, all she needed was the man beside her. With him next to her, she felt she could tackle the world.
“Thank you for the wonderful afternoon,” she said once they reached her door. It was hopelessly inadequate for what she was feeling on the inside, but she wasn’t sure how to show him the joy inside her heart. A smile had been etched on her face since their return to the house, so maybe he did have some indication of what she was feeling.
He smiled in return and leaned in close for a kiss, crowding her against the wall. Her hands snaked around his neck. “Stay tonight?” she whispered in his ear.
He growled in the back of his throat and pushed her door open.
Mrs Barnes would not approve of the new sleeping arrangements.
***
“I’m going for a ride, after breakfast, would you care to join me?” Philip asked as he pulled his trousers on the next morning.
Harriet was not yet prepared to get out of bed and said so. “Besides, I think I’m a little too sore to do any riding today.” She smiled at him and he raised his eyebrows in return.
“I did ask if you wanted me to stop,” he said with a smile.
“And I said no. I remember. I don’t regret a minute of it. Where are you going?” Harriet propped more pillows behind her head, so she could watch him dress in comfort, her heart still catching at the beauty of him.
“I thought I would ride around the estate. Japer mentioned he wouldn’t mind me having a look around while I was here, just to make sure everything is in order. He has a very good man of affairs thought, so I’m not sure why he’s worried. It’ll be nice getting out in the fresh air after spending months in London. Are you sure you won’t change your mind? I could use your company.”
She was tempted when he sent her that look of longing, but she needed a day of rest after the last few days. “Sorry, Philip. I have plans for the day. And they include sleeping in and reading a good book. Lord Bingham’s library is impressive, I’m sure I can find something that suits my fancy in there.”
“As you wish, my dear.” Philip dropped a long slow kiss to her lips before he straightened and walked towards the door. “Pleasant dreams.”
Chapter 34
Harriet lay awake in her bed, listening to the rain pounding against the house. The wind had risen to a gale an
hour after Philip left this morning. She hadn’t had any luck finding a book although the library was well stocked. She had spent her day wondering if Philip was all right. When darkness fell, her worry grew and she spent the hours pacing in front of the windows, waiting for any sign of him.
Grayson had sent footmen out looking for him, but so far none of them had returned. She could tell the old man was also worried about his ward, even if he spent his energies trying to comfort her fears. She finally went to her room in hopes of allowing the elderly man some time to rest.
Lightning lit the sky in great flashes and the thunder that followed shook her bed. She couldn’t stand it any longer. She flipped the covers off and padded across the floor to the window, the plush carpet warm beneath her feet. She looked down towards the woods where the pond hid. Amazing it was only yesterday they had been enjoying the cool waters there. Now she wasn’t sure how she could stand to wait for news from Philip. She asked herself for the hundredth time, why didn’t she go with him?
Lightning flashed again and from the corner of her eye she saw something, or someone, moving around the house. Her heart skipped, could it be him? Who else would be outside on a night like this?
She quickly threw on a wrap and rushed downstairs, being careful not to wake the servants. The last thing she wanted was to wake up Grayson after his long day.
Once she reached the ground floor she didn’t know what to do. It was too dark after the lightning flash to make out the figure again and she wasn’t sure where it had been heading. However, if it was a servant, they could get in the house through the kitchen. Her stomach gave a growl at the thought of food. She hadn’t wanted anything to eat after the storm came up. She had been too worried about Philip, but her body was protesting now.
Hushed voices moving towards her down the hall stopped her in her tracks. Her heart leapt and ice ran through her veins. She recognised the sound of their voices. It wasn’t Philip and it wasn’t Grayson or Mrs Barnes or any of the other servants. It was the men who had broken into Philip’s home. It was the men who tried to kill her.
Damsel in Distress? Page 13