Edwina blinked, trying to make sense of this. Was he trying to bow out of the plan for the Kendricks’ house party? But, no, he’d just said that she was altogether too distracting. She. Edwina.
Her stomach lurched. Did he no longer wish to be in her company? With Janelle and Ginny there, mayhap Prescott didn’t feel she was needed at Kendrick manor after all.
In a panic, she blurted, “I don’t necessarily have a pride of authorship, so to speak, about the plan. Well, that’s not entirely true.” Was she blabbering, again? “But I think that I can really contribute to this effort and see my role as very important.”
He halted. “What are you saying, Edwina? It’s your secret the blackmailer is threatening to expose.”
“Oh, yes, yes, of course.” She bit her lip, wondering at that idiotic lapse. “What was I thinking?”
“I’m talking about my”—he pressed his hand to his chest and then toward her—“attraction to you.”
“To…me?”
“Yes. It’s been altogether too distracting, but in a good manner. And it made me realize that I couldn’t have loved Cat, not in that way, if I could find myself drawn to you so quickly. Don’t you see it?”
“Oh.” Edwina’s brow furrowed. “Yes, of course.” Not in the least. But she didn’t want him to stop talking and certainly not to stop talking about this attraction to her.
He opened his hands wide. “I simply needed to get over my hurt pride and recognize that Cat and I weren’t ever meant to be together that way. It’s been quite liberating to realize that I was wrong, and now Cat and I can be friends once more. The way we were always meant to be.”
“That’s wonderful.” But what about that attraction to me?
“Isn’t it?” He exhaled. “I’m really quite relieved.”
“I’m glad.” But what about the attraction?
“And I feel like I’m regaining my footing once more. I’m not quite there yet, but things are improving. My business venture is moving forward, I have a sense of where I’m going…”
“That’s all so…wonderful.” Would he ever get around to talking about his attraction?
He stepped close. “You already said that, Edwina.”
“Oh, did I?”
“Yes, you did.” Lifting her chin with his finger, he traced the back of his hand across her jaw, searing her skin with his touch. “But enough about me, I want to talk about us.”
Her breath hitched. “We can talk more about you if you’d like…”
“Would you like that?”
“Or we could talk about the attraction you mentioned…”
“Ah, yes. The attraction. It’s…distracting, making me exceedingly…prickly.”
Ever since leaving Hyde Park, Prescott had been thinking about it and had come to one conclusion; Edwina’s appeal combined with the fact that he’d been too long without a woman made him thin-skinned. His abstinence hadn’t bothered him until he’d begun spending time with Edwina, so it had to be the combination of the two. Otherwise, why else would he become so angry when it came to talking about matrimony and fatherhood? Why else would he become so irritable when thinking about Edwina’s husband?
“This distraction…” Her voice was a throaty whisper. “Is it a good or a bad thing?”
Prescott could feel the delicious heat of her body as his fingers smoothed the line underneath her lovely jaw, traveling down her sloped throat toward the luscious swell of breasts underneath.
Her body quivered and her mouth opened, as if seeking air.
“I think the distraction is very, very bad,” he murmured, pressing his lips to her temple and inhaling her lily of the valley scent. “And it threatens to get much, much worse.”
He felt her lashes graze his cheek as she closed her eyes. “So what…what do you wish to do about it?” Her clove-scented breath teased his ear.
His own breath was heavy and his heart hammering in that delicious staccato of need. “I’d like to sate it.”
“Oh…?”
“But I worry, Edwina. You’ve never had an affair…”
She leaned back. “No, I’ve never…” Looking up at him, she licked her lips, drawing his gaze. Oh, how he’d like another taste of Edwina’s sweet mouth. “Before that night at the Vaughns’ ball…I’d never even considered myself a likely candidate.”
He wondered at her marriage but wasn’t about to ask. It might break the mood, especially after what Dr. Winner had said about Edwina’s devotion. A twinge of jealousy pinched his chest over what Sir Geoffrey Ross had had. “And now, Edwina…?”
“Now, I want to…experiment some more.”
The pinch in his chest dissolved. A small smile teased his lips at the corners. “So I tempt you, Edwina?”
“In ways…in ways I’ve never imagined I’d be…”
A small bubble of delight surged inside of him, but he tempered it. This was her first dalliance ever; perhaps the novelty of it enhanced her keen desire.
“I’ve never felt the kind of…temptation that you inspire,” she continued breathlessly. “Not…ever.”
That swell of delight burst full bloom and Prescott gloried in it. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Could this night get any better?
Still, Prescott resolved to make this as good as he could for Edwina, knowing that she was not a woman of easy virtue.
Gently coiling his fingers into the curls at the base of her neck, he tilted her head back. Her creamy skin shimmered luminous in the darkness. With her petal-soft skin and delicious lips she was any man’s dream. But tonight she was his, only his. “I don’t want you to have any regrets, Edwina.”
“How can I have any regrets when we haven’t done anything yet?”
“Cheeky. I like that.” His lips were still quirked when they claimed hers, so pure, so soft, so Edwina.
Gently he urged her lips apart and he savored the honeyed sweetness that was so particularly Edwina. Her tongue explored with an artlessly passionate hunger that had his body thrumming to be inside of her.
She pressed closer to him, a small movement, yet his manhood responded by straining against his breeches. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her body melting against him like hot wax to a candle.
This was everything he’d felt in the alcove, and more.
His hands traversed the plane of her shoulders, dipping into the shallow arc of her back and lower to reach for the lush flesh that he’d been dreaming about for days. Kneading the soft derriere, he pulled her closer, letting her feel his desire.
Shifting against him, she groaned. Desire spiked through him and his shaft pitched with need. She felt so good, so amazingly right, he knew he had to have her. And soon.
He pulled away, a little more roughly than he intended. “Not here.” His voice was a rasp.
“Hmmm…?” She swayed slightly on her feet and he held her close. Her head fell backwards, exposing a tempting arch of creamy flesh and suddenly his lips were tasting the salty skin, sucking, licking and exploring that willowy curve of neck.
As if of its own volition, his hand curved around her waist and under the soft sarcenet mantle she wore up to the bountiful swell of her breasts, gently kneading the soft flesh beneath. Through the thin muslin he felt her nipple pebble and press deeper into his hand.
She moaned, a low rumble that shook him to his boot tips.
Exploring her honeyed neck, he groaned. “I want you, Edwina.”
Her hand traced his shoulder, down to his elbow, his forearm and then to the hand that covered her breast. Then, as if realizing, she quickly pulled away.
He grabbed her hand. “Don’t be afraid, Edwina.”
“I’m not afraid, Prescott. It’s just…well, I just realized, we’re in a public park…”
Prescott blinked, then chuckled, then, throwing his head back, he roared with laughter.
“Don’t mock me!” she chided, making him howl even louder.
He caught her hand and kissed her palm. “I’m not mockin
g you. You’re just so bloody practical. I love it. You’re right. We need to find some place private.” And soon. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been this aroused.
“Where can we go?” There was an urgency to her words that he gloried in and longed to satisfy.
“I can’t have you at Andersen Hall…”
She bit that swollen lip. “And I have to consider the ladies at the society and my servants…”
No, of course she wouldn’t want them to know…
“Oh, I have an idea.” She moved to pull away from him, but he locked his arms.
Leaning up on her toes, she pressed a moist kiss to his lips. “I’m not going very far.”
Reluctantly, he released her.
Reaching into the reticule hanging from her wrist, she pulled something out attached to a ribbon and pressed a piece of metal into his hand. “Take this key. It’s to the rear door of my house. It’s not used by anyone past nine, as almost all of my servants are in bed for the night.”
As she dragged him down the stairs to exit the park, he couldn’t keep the hunger from his voice. “It must already be past seven…”
“I know.” Her teeth flashed bright in the moonlight. She giggled, then laughed out loud, a deliciously musical sound that echoed off the trees.
Sprinting alongside her, Prescott laughed, too, a guffaw from deep in his belly that felt so good that he laughed again. He felt lighthearted, expectant and intoxicated by Edwina’s charm. Chasing after her, he thanked the heavens for the gift of Edwina Ross.
Chapter 22
Edwina was so nervous her movements were jerky and her heart pounded in her chest as she replaced the less expensive tallow candles in her bedroom with wax ones.
She couldn’t quite believe she’d been so brazen tonight. Kissing Prescott was one thing, but actually discussing having an affair? Then inviting him over, knowing perfectly well what she was proposing! She felt as if her body and her mind had been taken over by some foreign being, one with a daring bravado that Edwina utterly lacked.
After lighting the wicks, she tossed another log into the grate and turned. Her chamber was an utter mess.
Her wardrobe and drawers stood open with the garments inside askew. The beautiful embroidered coverlet on the bed was layered with discarded dresses, petticoats and stays. Even her silk damask bed hangings were twisted like ribbons snaking the mahogany bedposts.
Her writing desk sat open with assorted sheets of paper, quills, ink blotters and bottles strewn about from her fruitless attempts at making a list to ready for Prescott’s visit tonight. Three or four of the efforts lay crumpled around the legs of the standing mirror nearby. She tried not to think about the fact that the gilded mirror was a gift from her father.
What time was it anyway? Oh, dear. The water in her basin was likely cold by now.
Hurriedly she walked over to the washstand, undressed and bathed her body with the now cool lily-of-the-valley-scented water.
The chilly air from the partially open window raised bumps on her skin, and quickly she put aside her wash towel and pulled a silk chemise from the pile on the bed. Donning it, she turned to examine her reflection in the tall mirror.
The ivory garment hung straight to the knees, like an oblong pillowcase with her sickly-pale arms jutting out, resembling sticks.
Biting her lip, Edwina fingered the chemise’s only ornamentation, the muslin frill edging on the square neck threaded with a silken drawstring.
“Can there by anything less enticing?” she groaned, almost ready to give up.
But Edwina Ross never gave up. Besides, Prescott was attracted to her, he’d said so himself.
Sighing, she stared at her reflection. “Now what? I’m putting on the clothing simply to have it taken off.” Hopefully. “So what does one wear to a proper seduction?”
The chills on her bottom gave her the first clue.
Reaching for her pink knitted silk drawers, she stepped into the tubular legs gathered in a band below the knee and bordered with pretty ivory Brussels lace. Twisting around, she struggled to tie the laced waistband in the back.
She’d been so excited and nervous about her rendezvous with Prescott that she’d sent Penny, her maid, off to her sister’s for the night, and had directed the rest of the servants to quit the upstairs. Edwina hadn’t wanted any witnesses to her brazen affair. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed, well, not completely, but it was more like she didn’t want anyone or anything to stop her or make her feel uncomfortable about her choices.
Penny had raced off to see her new nephew without a backward glance, leaving Edwina, unwittingly, to make garment decisions based upon what she could manage herself. That excluded most of the new wardrobe Fanny had helped her to procure and made for some interesting challenges when it came to her stays.
Staring over at the petticoats and stays lying on the bed, frustration welled inside of her. She wasn’t very good at thinking strategically about seduction. She was quite terrible at it, in fact.
And then there was the matter of arranging her hair.
Her excitement slowly dissolved, to be replaced by an anxiety so acute it splintered her skin and made her belly twist in knots.
Oh, what a dreadful corner she’d painted herself into! Why had she given Prescott her key?
“Oh my Lord, what have I done?” Slowly she sank onto the bed in a puddle of woe.
She’d invited a deliciously dazzling man to visit her in her apartments for a dalliance, yet knew not one whit about how to go about it! And Prescott was used to worldly ladies who knew exactly what to do, how to act and certainly what to wear to a seduction!
Deep in her heart, she knew that the clothing wasn’t so important, but she was suffering a dreadful case of nerves. But for whatever rational thought, the fear welling up inside of her was as real as the tears dripping down her cheeks. Dropping her head into her hands, she sobbed.
“There you are!” a deep voice called.
Horrified to be found in such a state, with her chamber a veritable disaster, Edwina panicked. Jumping up, she grabbed the nearest bed hanging, whipped the damask across her body and pressed her face into the cloth.
“What’s the matter, Edwina?” His footsteps on the carpet stopped only a few feet away. “Tell me what ails you!”
His sweet concern twisted something deep in her heart, making her feel all the more miserable. She shook her head, unable to speak from her crying. Unable, even, to pull her face from the fabric and look him in the eye.
Stepping near, Prescott wrapped his brawny arm around her shaking shoulders and hugged her. The scent of musk teased.
It felt so very nice to be held as if she were cherished.
“I understand, Edwina. Don’t worry, we don’t have to do anything. I’m a scoundrel for even trying.”
Peeking out from the drapery, she inhaled a shaky breath. “Don’t…Don’t say that.”
“It’s the truth. I’m an unfeeling blackguard not to have considered how hard this would be for you.”
Understanding and strikingly handsome? They must have broken the mold after Prescott Devane was born.
Coming out from the damask a bit more, she sniffed. “Well, I just don’t…” A small hiccup escaped from her mouth. “Don’t know how to do this.”
“Do what?”
How could she explain that not only was she ill prepared, poorly dressed and as attractive as a haystack, but her nose was probably as red as a drunkard’s from crying? Misery overwhelmed her and her face crumpled, so she quickly dropped her head into her draped hands once more.
“Shhh,” he soothed, trying to draw her into the circle of his arms, but the bed hanging hampered him.
Winding her out and into his arms, he tugged the fabric free. He pulled her close and she buried her face into his broad shoulder. Her nose was pressed deep into the soft twill of his worsted wool coat. Shuddering, she sighed, wallowing in his heat and that delightful male musk he wore.
“I
understand, Edwina.” His hand caressed her hair. “Don’t fret. We’re not going to do anything.”
Disappointment overlapped her misery. He didn’t desire her any longer. And who could blame him? She was a blubbering mess. If she was in his shoes, she wouldn’t want her either.
She couldn’t quite believe that she’d been so brazen, had boldly invited him over and given him her key and it had all come to naught. Another sob escaped.
“Why don’t we sit here for a bit, until you’ve calmed down, and then I’ll go home.”
Go home? He was leaving her to her misery? An ache of sorrow twisted inside her heart, and a fresh set of tears welled in her eyes.
But being a creature unused to weeping, Edwina found that the new tears did not come. It was almost as if the well had run dry. Her stock of tears for the year had been exhausted, and now it was time to start behaving like the rational lady she usually was.
Exhaling a shaky breath, she swallowed and pulled herself together. Her natural fortitude began to re-emerge and logical thinking came to the fore once more. She realized that she had two choices: She could either throw herself at Prescott in an attempt to rekindle his passion or try to gather the frayed tatters of her dignity. Since she doubted that any discerning man would want a red-nosed, hay-haired, blubbering woman, she opted for dignity.
Slowly drawing away from him, she turned around so he couldn’t see her blotchy face and walked over to the open window. Staring out, she wondered, How is it possible to save my dignity after such a pathetic display?
Then she spied her reflection in the window. She was only wearing a chemise and drawers! And the neck of her chemise was hanging open making her look like a doxy!
Could this night get any worse?
Dropping her head into her hands, she suppressed a groan.
Well, there was naught to be done for it. He’d had the full view. Moreover, after seeing it all, he certainly wasn’t pouncing on her in heated passion.
But then again, she could hardly blame him. In fact, none of this was his fault in the least.
Sari Robins - [Andersen Hall Orphanage] Page 18