Samantha didn’t know if she could wait that long to be alone with Yale.
The women adjourned to the receiving room, where pots of tea and coffee were set up for their enjoyment.
“Come sit next to me,” Marion’s mother, Lady Orcutt, ordered. She wore her hair powdered and piled on top of her head. She was Marion’s only living relation. “I want to hear the rest of this story about you and that young rake Carderock.”
“I don’t think he’s a rake,” Samantha said, defending her husband. She had at one time, but her opinion had completely changed.
Lady Orcutt laughed. “Don’t you know, girl, rakes make the best husbands.” She leaned close to Samantha’s ear. “Wayland is fine enough for a duke, but he’s so reliable. I wonder how Marion has lived with him this long without growing bored.”
“Mother,” Marion warned, as she handed Samantha a cup of tea.
Samantha smiled. Marion had warned her that her mother was “as pointed as a brass tack.”
However, at that moment Bates, bearing a note on a silver salver, approached them.
He offered it to Samantha. She looked in confusion at Marion as she broke the seal. The note read, The two orphans need your attention immediately in a bold handwriting.
There was no signature.
“What is it, Samantha?” Marion asked.
“A note saying Terrance and Alice need me.” She looked to Lady Orcutt and Marion. “You will excuse me, won’t you, Your Grace?”
“Of course,” Marion said. “I hope she hasn’t taken a turn for the worse.”
“What is this about orphans?” Twyla asked, but Samantha had already risen and was moving toward the door.
Behind her, she heard Marion sigh audibly and launch into a tale of Yale’s orphans.
She had just climbed the stairs to the first floor and was preparing to climb another flight when she heard someone whisper her name.
She turned. Two strong arms reached out from the shadows. Before she could think, Yale’s lips came down on hers.
Samantha gasped in surprised and then relaxed into the kiss. Her arms went up around his neck.
This was where she’d longed to be.
He lifted her up into his arms and started carrying her down the hall to their room. His lips did not leave hers.
She was the one who broke off the kiss.
“The children—?”
“The children are fine. I used them as an excuse to get you up here. I couldn’t wait any longer—especially through an Italian singer!”
Samantha tilted her head back and laughed. One of her kid slippers slid off her heel. It hung on her toe for just a second and then dropped to the carpet. “My shoe.”
“Leave it,” he said, and shoved open his bedroom door with his shoulder.
The room was dark except for the fire in the hearth.
Yale walked over to the bed and stood Samantha on it. The cotton mattress was cushy under her feet. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m going to undress you,” he said, pulling her shawl through her arms and tossing it aside. “And then I’m going to make sweet, mindless love to you.” He began pulling at the lacing at the back of her dress.
Samantha captured his hands and brought them forward. “And then?”
His dark eyes met hers. “And then what?”
She kneeled, holding his hands in front of her. “Are you still going to leave me?”
Yale shook his head. “Sam, I must return to Ceylon, but I will come back to you. I will always come back to you. My business is very well developed. Perhaps I can spend a few months there and the rest of the time with you. But I can’t make promises. It’s not an easy trip.”
“Something could happen to you.” Now she had a fresh worry.
Yale shushed her. “Or a hundred different accidents could befall me in London. There are no guarantees in life, my beloved. I’ve become a man of the sea. I built my business with my own sweat and by my own wits. It is like a child to me. But please know there is one constant.”
“And what is that?”
“My love for you.”
Samantha reached up and placed her cheek against his. She could feel the scrape of his whiskers, the warmth of his body. He smelled as warm and inviting as those spices his ships carried. Her fingers rested against his neck and she felt the beat of his pulse.
“Sam, I know it is a lot to ask of you. You didn’t even want to leave Sproule. I will understand if you cannot accept me the way I am.”
In answer, she kissed him.
She would take each day as it came, and when they were parted, she would pray and wait until they could be together again.
“I love you,” he said.
“I will never tire of hearing those words.”
He laughed, his teeth flashing white in the shadowy light. “Then I will say them often.”
His finger moved, hooking inside her bodice, pulling it down below one nipple. He brushed the light corset she wore over her breasts. The nipple puckered and he placed his lips over it.
How wonderful it felt to have him touch her again! She buried her fingers in his hair and held him close. He moved to her other breast and she leaned so far back she lost her balance and they fell on the bed together, his leg over hers, his arm under her head.
They both laughed. “We’re clumsy,” she said.
“We just need practice,” he answered, nibbling the hollow of her collarbone while his fingers finished unlacing her dress.
“Yes, practice,” she agreed dreamily, and began untying his neckcloth.
He paused and rose just long enough to remove the wine velvet jacket and toss it off the side of the bed.
Samantha ran her hands up and down his sides. “You are so handsome. When I saw you in the doorway this evening, my heart almost stopped.”
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
“No, I’m not,” she quickly denied. “I’m rather plain.”
“Oh, Sam, nothing could be further from the truth. I love your eyes and the way they flash when they are angry. When you are concerned or upset, they are like small mirrors into your soul.” He kissed each lid reverently.
It tickled and she couldn’t help a little giggle.
“And your eyebrows!” he said.
“My eyebrows?”
“Yes.” He ran the pad of his thumb first over one brow and then the other. “They are so straight. When you are angry, they come together in a little V. When you are happy, they almost dance.”
“Dance?” She laughed in earnest now. “I thought you were telling me my good points.”
“I am. I love your eyebrows.” He placed a kiss on each one, before rubbing his cheek against hers. Her skin burned from his whisker stubble.
“I like your cheeks, too. Your skin is smoother than the petals of a rose, and your nose…” He paused.
“What about my nose?” she dared him.
“It goes very well with your eyebrows.”
“You cad,” she said, smiling. “My nose is half the size of yours.”
“But mine is distinctive,” he said proudly. “My father, my brother, and even young Charlie have my nose. You know what they say about men with strong noses.”
She shook her head.
Taking her hand, he lowered it to his breeches. She could feel his desire for her. “They are stronger in other ways, too,” he said, his voice turning husky at her touch.
Samantha ran her hand down and up the length of him. During their estrangement, she’d dreamed of touching him this way. She knew how to pleasure him.
The time for being playful was past. They began to undress each other in earnest and were soon naked. Their clothes had been thrown every which way on the floor around the bed.
Yale’s hand ran up her thigh and she sighed with pleasure as he found his way to her core.
“You’ve got beautiful breasts,” he whispered, tracing the curve of her nipple with his tongue.
S
amantha whimpered from the feel of it.
He growled, “I can’t wait any longer, Sam.” Without warning, he rolled on his back, picked her up, and sat her on top of him.
Samantha gasped as he slid into her. She pressed her knees against either side of his body, taking in all of him.
“This feels good,” he whispered.
“Yes.” The pins had long fallen out of her hair. The gold ribbon held a portion of it in place, but the rest flowed down her back.
“Ride me, Sam. Make me come inside you.”
He leaned her forward so that her palms rested on his chest. Slowly she began moving.
His hands rested on her hips. They watched each other, their gazes locked. She loved having him this deep inside her. She loved being in control.
They moved in harmony, each knowing what the other liked. They had learned that already and now sought to please.
Their pace quickened.
Yale’s head went back, his eyes closing as he raised his hips, the better to thrust into her. His powerful arms held her close. His skin glowed in the firelight.
Samantha didn’t know if she could stand much more. She felt as if she rode him beyond anyplace she had ever been before. It felt so good it almost hurt.
And then she reached it: the pinnacle. He was deep inside her. She pressed her knees against him, her hands on his shoulders, holding onto him. Pleasure, joy, rapture ran though her, over and over again.
He shouted her name. She felt his seed release within her and then, pulling her down, he kissed her over and over and over again.
Later, they lay naked in each other’s arms, the silk bedcover over them for warmth. Samantha reached up and ran her finger down the length of his nose. “I think it is a very noble nose,” she said, breaking the silence.
He grinned, knowing she wasn’t talking about noses. “It has its purpose.”
“It is a noble purpose.”
He fitted her to him. “I would not wish it on daughters. I would want them to have a loving nose like their mother.”
“But our sons would be proud to be like their father.”
He laughed. “Oh, Samantha, you are the jewel of my life.”
“It was an incredible nose this time,” she answered drolly.
“It was, wasn’t it?”
She nodded, and then, to her surprise, felt him stir. She sat up, her hair over one shoulder. “You can do it again? So soon?”
His smile was cocksure. “With you, I can do anything.”
They didn’t bother coming out of their room the next day. Their desire for each other had been denied for too long.
Nor did they just make love. They talked.
Samantha had never felt this close to another human being. She didn’t care if they ever came out of the bedroom.
On the morning of the second day, she woke, cuddled up next to him. “I love you,” she whispered.
He smiled, his eyes closed. “You keep saying that and I shall believe it is true.”
“It is true,” she insisted, and gave his nipple a little bite.
His eyes opened. “You love me enough to eat?” he asked in surprise.
“I could,” she answered.
“Really?” he demanded, and began tickling her.
She tickled back. They were both laughing and rolling over the bed when a knock at the door interrupted them.
“What is it?” Yale shouted, rising naked from the bed.
“It’s the footman, Bates, my lord,” came the answer from the other side of the door. “I have a letter for you. It was just delivered. The messenger said it was of some urgency.”
“Slip it under the door and I shall look at it later,” Yale said.
He turned to Samantha. “Now, where were we?” he said, and then with a mighty leap, jumped back into bed.
Samantha shrieked with laughter. Holding her, he kissed her forehead, her ears, her chin, her nose. “I don’t know when I’ve ever been so happy,” he said.
She put her arms around his chest and listened to his heart beat. “It almost doesn’t seem right, does it? Like something terrible will come and take it away from us.”
Yale raised his head to look down at her with exasperation. “Nothing terrible will happen. And if it does, I will protect you. I’m your knight—” He grinned before adding, “Without any armor.”
She giggled, but then added seriously, “You are my rock.”
“And you are the brightest light in my life.”
Samantha felt the threat of tears.
“Sam, why are you crying?” He brushed her lashes with the tip of one finger.
“Because I’m happy. Because I have you.”
“We have each other. Come now, let us bathe and see what the rest of the world has been doing while we’ve played.”
He rang for bathwater for the two of them. Samantha didn’t rise immediately. She wasn’t really ready to give up this haven. The sheets smelled of him. She rolled herself up into them and lay there listening to him move around the room.
Yale picked up the vellum envelope the footman had slipped under the door. He broke the seal and read the message.
“What is it?” Samantha asked.
“It’s from my banker. He asks for an audience today. Says it is a matter of some importance.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow? Then we could spend another day in bed.”
Yale laughed. “Business never waits. But I will make it short, knowing you are here waiting for me. Perhaps you shouldn’t dress but just stay right there the way you are.”
“Will it make you return home faster?”
“It might make me never leave,” he said, putting a knee on the bed. He kissed her hair, her ear, and her neck, and they were soon in each other’s arms. And neither of them rose to get dressed until much, much later.
Samantha found Marion in the nursery. She had Charles and John with her. Matthew was in with his tutor. John drew a picture for his mother while she and Charles practiced his standing.
“Good morning, Samantha. I didn’t know if we would see you today or not.”
Marion was smiling, but Samantha felt her cheeks heat with color. “I’m so sorry that we didn’t stay for the Italian singer the other night.”
Marion shook her head. “She was a disappointment. Uncle Norris fell asleep. He snores as loud as he shouts. Then Twyla and my mother got into an argument over some opera. Family gatherings can be so annoying. So. I take it everything is good between you and Yale?”
“Oh, Marion, he is the most wonderful man. I don’t know how I could ever have doubted him.”
“He gave you plenty of reason, but Wayland and I are happy he has atoned for his sins. And of course, Wayland is still hoping that now that you and Yale are truly man and wife, Yale will stay in London and help him. It would be so nice to have you here. And if you don’t want to live here, you can get a house of your own. You and I can go out looking. Someday our children will play together.”
Samantha placed her hands on her stomach. She could already be carrying Yale’s child. The thought pleased her.
Still…“I don’t know what Yale’s plans are, Marion. I know he is thinking that he may spend most of the year in London, but he’ll have to visit Ceylon to look after his business interests.”
Marion waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, in the beginning. But when you and the children are here, he will change his mind and not want to go to wherever that place is so often.”
“Perhaps,” Samantha said doubtfully. She changed the subject. “Terrance and Alice are getting along well. I was just up to see them.”
“Yes, Fenley is very pleased. He’d thought at first of training Terrance for the household staff but changed his mind and has talked to His Grace about letting the boy apprentice as a clerk.”
“That is very generous of His Grace.”
Marion smiled. “He is a good man.”
Almost as if their words had conjured him, Wayland appeared at the nu
rsery door. John jumped up to greet his father. Even little Charlie bounced up and down excitedly.
But for the first time since Samantha had known him, Wayland did not have an answering smile for his children.
“My love, is something the matter?” Marion asked. “You don’t look as if you feel well.”
“Do you know where Yale is?” he asked Samantha. “Fenley and the butler say they haven’t seen him.”
“He had an appointment with his banker this morning,” she answered. She felt the first stirrings of alarm. “Has something happened to him?” She was halfway to the door before Wayland reached out and took her arm.
“No, Samantha, nothing has happened to him. At least, not physically.”
“What do you mean?”
“I dropped by my club for lunch. I heard word that Yale is done up.”
“Done up?” The expression didn’t make any sense to her.
“A typhoon hit Ceylon. The man I spoke to is involved with the East India Company. He said Rogue Shipping was completely destroyed by the storm. It hit Trincomalee Bay. Eleven ships were sunk. They were mostly my brother’s. The man told me Yale is ruined.”
Chapter 17
The three of them, Samantha, Marion, and Wayland, waited in the downstairs sitting room for Yale to return home. The servants were given instructions to notify them immediately upon his return.
Fenley suggested a footman be dispatched to Yale’s ship in the London harbor, and Bates was sent. He sent a message back that no one had seen Yale on the ship or at a warehouse he owned. Bates would wait until Lord Yale appeared or he was sent orders to return to Penhurst.
“What of his banker?” Samantha asked. “Could he still be there?”
Wayland didn’t know, and because he was not one to cool his heels, he went himself to call on the banker who had sent the early morning message. He returned two hours later. “The banker said Yale received word of the typhoon without comment, other than to thank the man for the information, and he left. Yale did not mention where he was going.” He paused. “I sent out a fleet of footmen to search the pubs and alehouses.”
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