It started out as nothing more than a kiss. He had no intention of taking matters any further, that is, until her small hands clutched at the material of his shirt and prevented him from trying to ease away. Small hands slid higher and drew a groan from him that felt as though it came from his very soul. He couldn’t have stopped her, even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. He felt the reins of control slip out of his grasp when those gentle, encouraging hands slid slowly up the rippling muscles of his chest, along his broad shoulders before coming to a stop in his hair.
How they got into her room he couldn’t quite remember, but she made no sound at all other than to gasp when he lay her down and hovered over her. He broke the kiss and held back long enough to study her but could see nothing in her lambent gaze except a passionate desire that echoed his.
“Be sure, Prudence,” he whispered. He fervently hoped and prayed that she wouldn’t ask him to stop.
Prudence had no idea what he was asking her to be sure about but couldn’t summon the will to consider the matter closely. Her thoughts were cloudy; lost in a haze of wondrous sensation that he created within her. It felt strangely sinful to lie so wantonly with him, on her own bed, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him to stop and leave. She didn’t want to stop. He made her feel cared for; like a person, a woman, rather than a big sister, a helper and housekeeper. He made her feel safe, protected and cherished, and she didn’t want the moment to end.
“I’m sure,” she whispered, and smiled at his answering groan. “I am sure.”
They were the last words either of them spoke for the rest of the afternoon.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Prudence knew that she should feel at least faintly uncomfortable about what had just happened. A small part of her was shocked that she had allowed such intimacy between them, and especially allowed them with someone she hardly knew. But, in the hazy glow of sensual warmth, she lay wantonly in his arms and simply couldn’t find the will to move away from him. His long arms were wrapped securely around her, and one heavily muscled thigh lay in abandon across her hips. She should be scandalised, or at least embarrassed, but wasn’t. It felt right; intimate and protective at the same time.
She had spent the better part of the afternoon engaged in activities with him that left her speechless; unable to form word or thought to describe the sizzling sensations he had teased out of her body. Their progress from the spare room to her bed was still rather vague and hazy, but she couldn’t regret what they had shared. She felt as though she had committed some cardinal sin, but she wouldn’t acknowledge just how reckless she had been for fear of breaking the wonderfully sensual spell he had woven around her.
As the hour ticked by, Stephen started to grow a little concerned at just how quiet she was. Although she lay in his arms, relaxed and content, had he hurt her? Did she regret what had happened? He didn’t regret any part of the afternoon, and was now more convinced than ever that she was the woman for him.
“You are very quiet,” he murmured gently, when he couldn’t stand the silence a moment longer. One finger tipped her chin up until she looked into his eyes. He studied the wonderful depths for a moment, but could see nothing in the clear gaze that blinked lazily back at him. He smiled in silent understanding as he recognised the sensual contentment, and took advantage of her relaxed state to place a tender kiss on her lips.
“I am -” she tried to find the words, failed, and sighed instead.
“Happy? Relaxed? Contented?” He smiled around the words, and knew exactly how she felt because he felt all of those things right now, and a few more besides.
“Bemused?” She replied hesitantly.
Stephen laughed and glared down at her in mock outrage. “Bemused, woman? What? Did you find that funny?” He began to tickle her with a mock growl, relieved when she began to giggle and squirm against him.
“I am just not quite sure what happened,” she replied weakly when he paused and leaned over her to smile down at her.
“Well, I sort of went like this,” he explained gently and slid one large palm down her thigh.
Prudence rolled her eyes but made no move to stop him. It felt strange to share a joke with him while they were both undressed and in bed. This was a playful side of him that she had rarely seen before, mainly because circumstances had never allowed such jocularity before, but she was very glad to see the depth of humour in his eyes. It helped to dispel the faint awkwardness that still lingered in the back of her mind.
“You know what I mean.”
“Don’t regret it, Prudence. Please don’t ever regret it,” he pleaded softly. He didn’t want to hear her raise objection, or doubt, about the tenderness they had shared. He had made sure that there would not be any repercussions from what they had spent the afternoon doing. Not only because it wasn’t the right time, but he wanted to ensure that they didn’t start their family until they were married, and circumstances at Cragdale Manor were considerably more settled.
“I don’t regret it,” she replied shakily when he lifted his head after several long moments of sensual bliss.
“Good, for now –” He paused and frowned at the shutters. They hadn’t stopped to close them and had instead left the afternoon sunlight to bathe them in wonderful warmth. Unfortunately, the open shutters also gave them a view of the driveway, and the carriage that was now moving steadily toward them.
“Are they back already?” She read the answer in the bitter regret in his eyes as he looked down at her. She gasped and began to push and shove at him in order to get him to lift off her so that she could climb out of bed. Unfortunately, once he began to move, she realised that she would then be completely bare to his gaze. Desperate fingers held him still while she frantically tried to grab at the sheets that now lay in a discarded pile at the end of the bed. She gasped and writhed but couldn’t quite reach them. Panic stricken, she began to writhe even more.
“God, Prudence, don’t do that,” Stephen growled.
Despite the ache in his loins, he knew that he couldn’t take matters further with her for a second time. Not only would she be sore from her first encounter with him, but the rest of the family would descend upon them any moment now. Sucking in a breath, he willed his eager body to cool and carefully moved to lie beside her while he dutifully drew the sheet up to cover her nakedness.
He grinned when Prudence immediately snatched the sheet off the bed, got up, and left him completely naked. Rather than get off the bed himself, he tucked his hands behind his head and watched her scurry about.
“Relax, we have time. Rufus will have to unload the carriage and I am sure that everyone will pitch in to help.”
Although his words were calm, Prudence was fuelled with desperation not to let her siblings see how recklessly she had behaved. Although this was Stephen, the man who made her feel things she had never experienced before, both in bed and out of it, she had no intention of allowing her siblings to see just how soundly she had fallen off the path of righteousness. She felt fairly certain she had ‘harlot’ written somewhere on her person and it was clear for everyone to see.
She spun around as she tried to find her clothes, while her fingers clutched tightly at the sheet she had wrapped around her in an attempt to cover her modesty. All the while, she listened for the sound of boots on the stairs. She was about to start to poke around under the bed for her boots when she realised what she had done. The sight of acres of masculine muscle and flesh, stretched on out her bed left her awestruck. She tried to keep her gaze off his masculine nakedness, and failed miserably and couldn’t prevent the tell-tale blush that stained her cheeks. It was slightly galling that she was barely able to form coherent thought while he lay so unashamedly naked, wearing nothing but a mischievous smile.
At the sound of the rattle of the door, Stephen launched himself off the bed. In one smooth motion, he quickly donned his breeches, boots and was tucking his shirt in while he climbed onto the bed and walked across it.
Th
e speed in which he was up, dressed and on his way to the door made her stare at him in shock, and with a little touch of envy. He had just walked across the bed as though he was walking through the garden. Her eyes landed on the slight smattering of chest hair that disappeared beneath the laces as he tied his shirt ends together. She suddenly, desperately, wanted to climb back into the bed and spend the rest of the afternoon with his arms around her. She felt a pang of longing so deep that she suddenly wanted to cry.
Sensing her disquiet, Stephen sighed and drew her into his arms just as Robbie called for her from the hallway downstairs.
“I will go down and keep them busy, and tell them that you are asleep, so not to disturb you,” he suggested quietly. He placed a kiss on her lips and didn’t break away until she sighed and melted against him.
Prudence snuggled against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. It was as though he had read her mind and wanted to hold her as much as she wanted to be held. They stood quietly for several moments and let the seconds tick by while they savoured their last few precious minutes alone together.
“Take your time, and come down when you are ready,” he whispered when Robbie called again. He lingered long enough to place a tender kiss on her lips before he eased quietly out of the room.
Prudence was stunned at the ease in which he had taken over the rather desperate situation and had provided her with a solution that had left her rather stupefied. Although she had wanted him to stay and hold her, she also wanted a few moments to herself to think about what had happened. She winced at the soreness their loving had brought her but couldn’t regret it. She continued to dress, although more slowly this time, before she began to make the bed and tidy the room. The scent of him lingered on the sheets and she wondered how she was going to sleep in the room with him across the hallway from now on. The temptation to go across the short space and into his room at night was going to be difficult to ignore.
A small voice warned her though that he spent most of his nights out and about, keeping watch on the house and doing his work for the government. A small part of her couldn’t help but wonder what kind of work he undertook that required him to be nocturnal. He couldn’t exactly have meetings with people in the middle of the night; shops were shut and most decent people were tucked up in bed. Her mind quickly turned to Levant, and she realised that he was by far the least decent person she had ever met. If Stephen had to be out at night to be able to bring an end to Levant’s behaviour, then she could only be glad of it. If only she didn’t have to worry so much that he would come home safe and sound.
Wait a minute; when had Cragdale become Stephen’s home? She froze as that thought blazed a trail across her mind. She slowly placed the folded cover onto the end of the bed as she contemplated the facts. The cold, hard reality was that despite what they had shared that afternoon, she barely knew him. How did she know that he wasn’t married, or have a family of his own tucked away somewhere?
A wave of shame swept through her at her own recklessness and she felt the warm haze of contentment the afternoon had created suddenly diminish to a mere whisper of a memory. She suddenly felt strangely sick and fought down the worry that threatened to engulf her.
What would she do if he was married? He was a grown man; one who lived life on the fringes of society. He had undoubtedly had lovers before. Did he consider her another lover? Did he intend to stay when he had finished his work with the Star Elite? Confusion swamped the desire that thrummed in her veins and, although she struggled with the doubts and questions that were already beginning to form in her mind, she simply refused to consider that Stephen would be so cold-hearted or duplicitous to engage in an affair with her while he had a wife and child somewhere.
Did she really know enough about him to be able to form an opinion one way or another? If she was honest with herself; no she didn’t.
After several moments of quiet contemplation, she realised that he had been true to her word. The noise from downstairs had fallen to a considerably quieter level and nobody had knocked on her door to tell her how they had gotten on, like they usually would have done when they returned from town. Stephen had clearly told them that she was asleep and should remain undisturbed. She had no idea what happened next, but suddenly felt as though she didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about it. She wasn’t sure if she could handle the answers if she looked for them. Whatever she found out about Stephen, she couldn’t regret what they had shared. She could only hope that her sisters wouldn’t pick up on the change in her relationship with their house guest.
Her hopes were well and truly shattered when, much to everyone’s shocked surprise, Stephen became openly affectionate toward Prudence as soon as she appeared downstairs. Whenever she happened to pass him, he winked at her, asked her if she was alright or generally took the opportunity to touch her. A palm in the small of her back, a swift peck on the cheek, it all went a long way toward confirming to everyone that their relationship had indeed changed. However, all of his small gestures of affection were eclipsed when he slid his arms around her waist to hold her while she was stirring the stew for dinner. She froze and turned to look at him, her eyes full of questions. He merely smiled at her and openly dropped a kiss on her lips in front of Eloisa, who sighed and had a dreamy expression on her face, and Georgiana, who gasped and dropped the cutlery. Even Prudence briefly forgot what she had been doing and had merely stared at him while her cheeks blushed prettily, and her mind frantically raced for an excuse to offer the others.
Stephen, however, was having none of her hesitation, and made no attempt to explain, excuse or offer an opinion on what was happening to any of them, even Prudence. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought, he wanted Prudence to understand that their relationship had changed. Theirs wasn’t an afternoon of love making before they went their separate ways; theirs was an afternoon of love making to formalise their burgeoning relationship that would continue to thrive long after his work with the Star Elite was done.
Although he could sense the questions on everyone’s minds, nobody voiced them and instead continued to study his changed behaviour with something akin to bemusement. It was Robbie that eventually broke the shocked silence after dinner while everyone was still seated at the table.
“It is like sitting at the table with mama and papa,” he said as his gaze swung from Prudence, who sat at one end of the table, to Stephen who sat at the other.
She merely lifted her brows and studied him for a moment. She couldn’t exactly chastise the boy for his opinion on the seating arrangements. He hadn’t been rude, merely stating fact. It was only then that she realised that she sat where Agatha used to sit, and Stephen sat at the head of the table where their father used to sit.
“I am not like your papa, Robbie. We are poles apart,” Stephen replied carefully as he took a sip of his quite excellent, and newly purchased, rum. “I don’t ever walk out on those I care about. No man ever would.” He kept his gaze firmly locked on Prudence as he spoke and he made sure that his intent was clearly written on his face for them all to see.
She was lost for words. The silent promise in his eyes left her slightly flummoxed to know what to say. How was she supposed to respond to that? She could hardly ask him what his intentions were. A part of her wanted to laugh it off, but in her heart of hearts she desperately needed to know what was likely to happen when his work for the Star Elite was done.
“I know but it is like you are the head of the house,” Robbie replied with a frown. “Prudence usually sits there but she is now sitting in mama’s seat.”
“I am the head of the house now, in all but name at any rate,” Stephen replied firmly. His tone brooked no argument even though nobody had made any. He was aware of the fine shimmer of tension that hovered over the table and caught the cautious looks that passed between the sisters.
“Ladies, I have every intention of ensuring that Levant’s threat to this family is stopped once and for all. You will reside a
t Cragdale until you marry and move on to live with your husbands. Until then, you should feel at liberty to live here free of stresses and strains, and without threat from the scourge of society like Levant. I have reinforcements coming from the Star Elite and -” He paused when Robbie gasped and opened his mouth to speak. “What?”
“The Star Elite?”
“We are a group of men; ex-soldiers mainly, who have fought in the war and, for various reasons, have been enlisted to work in a special unit in the War Office. We have been tasked to protect England’s shores from French spies, English traitors and the like. My work has brought me to Marchwell.”
“Is Levant erm?” Georgiana whispered weakly in a voice that was as horrified as the look in her eye.
“I don’t know, to be honest with you. This is strictly between us. Under no circumstances must you discuss this with anyone outside of this house.” He waited until everyone nodded their confirmation that the secret was safe. “I have two men coming to support me because we need to investigate what Levant is up to. It is imperative that, for the time being, none of you venture away from this house. Don’t go with Levant, and don’t answer the door to him or any of his men.” Stephen’s hard gaze landed on Robbie. “Stay away from Dinnington, because it looks like Humphrey Brown is the person responsible for Mr Simpson’s murder.”
A mixture of gasps and exclamations of horror swept around the table but Stephen paid them no attention. His gaze was locked firmly on Robbie’s as he silently willed the boy to accept his authority. By being so brutal with the truth, he not only hoped that the ladies complied with his request, but that Robbie would agree to stay away from Will.
“Where is Humphrey now?” Prudence asked. She had watched the exchange between Stephen and Robbie, and was glad that Stephen had taken it upon himself to take Robbie under his wing. Prudence and her sisters had told their brother off on many occasions for going to Dinnington Hall, but the boy simply hadn’t listened. With a man like Stephen seated at the head of the table, his strength of character, and the force of his personality, would be more than enough to ensure that the boy did as he was told, when he was told.
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