Romancing His English Rose (Entangled Scandalous)

by Hemmerling, Catherine

  It made him even more eager to find the stupid ring and get out of there.

  “Here are the rings, Rose,” Simon said quietly, once they were in front of the case.

  …

  Rose looked at the large expanse of glittering and shining jewels. There were hundreds of them, just as she feared.

  “There are so many, Simon,” Rose whispered despondently.

  “I know, darling, but you can do this.”

  Simon squeezed her hand and with his support, Rose took a deep breath and calmed her jittering nerves somewhat. She closed her eyes tight for a moment, then focused on the case in front of her and began searching through the hundreds of small sparkly rings for the one that matched the ring in her memory.

  After a long couple of minutes, Rose looked up at Simon with a surprised look on her face. “It isn’t here,” she declared.

  Simon turned to look at the baubles, as if he thought he could find it when she couldn’t. “That’s impossible! Are you sure? There are an awful lot of rings here; maybe you missed it.”

  “I didn’t miss it.”

  Rose glared at him and Simon immediately held up his hands. “All right. It’s not here. Now what?”

  “Now, we…” Rose stopped and let out a long sigh. “Now we finally admit that Caleb is going to get away with murder and there is nothing we can do about it.”

  …

  “Rose—” Simon began, when suddenly he heard laughter coming from the other side of the bookcase. “Someone’s coming,” he whispered. Simon looked around the room swiftly and he soon determined there was only one real place to hide. “Quick, in here.”

  He ran over to the armoire and flung the door open. Hanging in the closet were a dozen or more costumes for both men and women, it appeared. Oh Caleb, Simon thought with a shake of his head. Clearly these were items he utilized in his sexual fantasies, for certainly they were not appropriate for a fancy dress party or anywhere else, for that matter.

  Grimacing over the fact that he and Rose were going to have to hide among Caleb’s, ah, special clothes—for lack of a better description—Simon grabbed Rose and pushed her into the large wardrobe. Looking around the room again, Simon swore when he saw his coat still hanging over the window. Motioning to Rose to stay put, he ran to the window and removed the garment, and then he went to the bookcase to extinguish the lamp, leaving it where he found it.

  Before joining Rose in the armoire, he paused to listen at the opening of the hidden entrance. He could hear Caleb talking to someone. The person who replied sounded like a rather husky-voiced woman. Simon briefly held out hope that Caleb had just brought his lady friend to see the outer room, but then he heard Caleb say something about how the woman was really going to like his special collection.

  Realizing that they were indeed coming into the secret room, Simon eased the bookcase all the way closed and hurried to join Rose in the closet. Once inside with the door shut, Simon and Rose pushed themselves all the way to the back of the armoire and arranged the clothes in front of them to conceal as much of themselves as possible. Simon knew that if Caleb gave the interior any more than a cursory glance, they would be spotted immediately, but there was nothing he could do about that.

  Except pray. Not something with which he had had a whole lot of practice, but if he got out of this, he might seriously consider taking up the habit.

  “Is he coming in here?” Rose whispered.

  “Shhh,” Simon shushed. “Yes, he is, but there is someone with him, so if we remain completely quiet, hopefully they will just get what they need and then go.”

  Simon only hoped and prayed that what they needed was not inside the wardrobe.

  Rose nodded, but she was trembling so hard Simon would not have been surprised if the whole armoire was shaking. He moved slightly so that he could wrap her completely in his arms and then he just held her tight.

  Seconds later, he heard the now familiar pop of the bookcase opening.

  “Almost there, my sweet,” Caleb was crooning.

  “Can I take this blindfold off?” the woman said. “I am afraid of what it is doing to my hair.”

  “You have never looked more lovely, my girl,” Caleb responded silkily. “However, the blindfold is no longer necessary, so yes, we may remove it.”

  Simon could see a faint light shining through the cracks of the armoire and he could hear the rustling of what he guessed was Caleb removing the person’s mask.

  “Oh my!” the woman exclaimed.

  “What do you think, my dear?” Caleb oozed. “Isn’t my collection just…titillating?”

  His friend giggled. “Mmm, yes, darling. It is simply delicious.”

  It sounded as if the two of them were standing just outside the wardrobe, which meant they were looking at his ring collection.

  “Those are my pride and joy. Poison rings, you know.”

  “Oh? You mean they all open in some way?”

  “Yes, yes…they can all hold a bauble of some kind…or more likely a poison of some kind. Historically they were quite useful modes of, ah, execution, shall we say?” Caleb replied, before adding ominously, “As well as in recent history, too.”

  “Recent history?” the woman repeated thoughtfully.

  “What was that dear?” Caleb asked. “My hearing, you know.”

  “Sorry, darling. I just wondered what you meant by ‘recent history’?”

  “Oh, just that one ring in particular has come in very handy, as of late.”

  “Really?” his friend drawled, before giggling again. “Oh, you naughty, naughty man.”

  “I’ll show you naughty…” Caleb purred.

  Simon heard what sounded like kissing and for a moment he was sure he was going to be sick right there in the closet. After much too long—in Simon’s opinion—the couple finally broke apart.

  “My, my Caleb. You are a ravenous thing, aren’t you?”

  “You have no idea,” Caleb replied huskily.

  “So, which one did you use?” the woman asked, apparently returning to the subject of the rings.

  Simon immediately perked up. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Caleb gave them the exact information they needed to convict him?

  “Oh, it’s not here.”

  “Where is it, then? Did you have to get rid of it?” she asked in a furtive whisper.

  Simon and Rose both leaned forward, as interested in the answer as the woman.

  “Oh, no, no,” Caleb chuckled. “That ring has not yet lost its usefulness. There is one more thing I need to take care of first. Then it can be returned to this room and be displayed in a place of honor.”

  Rose gasped and Simon quickly covered her mouth with his hand. He stood frozen for a moment, expecting Caleb to throw open the door at any second. But after a full minute, Simon realized he was much too absorbed in his, er, friend to notice such a little sound.

  A few minutes later, Simon began to pray that Caleb didn’t take his romance to its conclusion right there in the room. The couple seemed extremely caught up in the passion of the moment. Fortunately, seconds later, his prayers were answered when he heard the woman whisper something about taking their lovemaking upstairs. Caleb readily agreed and, despite some argument over putting the blindfold back on, the two quickly exited the room and made their way elsewhere in the mansion.

  Simon heaved a huge sigh of relief and, after waiting another five minutes in the stifling armoire, he and Rose stepped out into the now dark and quiet room. Neither one said a word as they made their way over to the bookcase.

  The lever to open the secret door from this side was much more obvious—apparently the Collicotts figured that once in the room, keeping the door a secret was rather unnecessary—and within seconds, the duo was making their way down the hall, through the kitchen, and down the basement staircase.

  Finding the window in the basement was much easier than finding the door, since their eyes had long since adjusted to the gloominess, and the moonlight was shining bright
ly through the dusty panes.

  Simon gave Rose a boost and she scrambled up through the opening. He quickly followed. Closing the window behind them, Simon followed Rose silently away from the Shrewsbury Manse and back down the dark streets and alleyways toward Rose’s house.

  …

  About halfway home, Rose had to stop. She felt as if her heart was going to explode. The events of the evening had begun to catch up with her and if she didn’t stop for a moment, she was afraid she would pass out.

  Simon, apparently sensing her need, led her over to a large rock situated under the shadow of a tree where they could rest for a few minutes without being seen.

  Rose gratefully sat on the hard surface and lowered her head to her knees. She remembered reading somewhere that putting your head down while sitting could really help when one is feeling faint. At this point, she decided it couldn’t hurt to try.

  “Are you all right?” Simon asked, his voice filled with concern.

  Rose waved her hand to indicate she was fine and a few moments later sat upright and said, “I’m sorry. I just needed to get my breath.”

  “Don’t be sorry, love,” Simon replied. “This has been a strange and difficult night.”

  She nodded. “Did you hear that Caleb plans to use his ring again?”

  “You caught that too, did you?”

  “Yes, what do you suppose he meant?”

  “I think someone is in danger.”

  Rose considered that statement and had to agree that was likely the case. The question was…who? One name immediately popped into her head. William!

  William and Hannah had had a run-in with Caleb recently that left the lord humiliated. Caleb had tried to blackmail Hannah into marrying him, and had even gone so far as to threaten her life before he was stopped. And while all involved had decided pressing charges against Caleb would lead nowhere because of the man’s standing in society, the hatred for the engaged couple still clearly burned in the man’s eyes whenever they appeared at the same event.

  “Simon,” she said in a hushed tone, “you don’t suppose he is going after William, do you?”

  “That would be my guess, yes.”

  Rose looked at Simon with stark fear. “We have to stop him.”

  “And we will,” Simon said. “But right now, we need to get you home. We can work on a plan tomorrow.”

  “All right,” Rose said. Perhaps once they had a plan the knot growing in her stomach would go away. It wouldn’t do to become bogged down in fright. They had to remain alert and aware. There was no way that Rose would let someone else die at the hands of this monster—no way at all.

  Standing, she held out her hand to Simon, who took it immediately. Together they quickly made their way back to the Warren house.

  It was only minutes later that Simon was hugging Rose with all his might at the base of the rose trellis that led to her bedchamber. When he finally let her go, she just stood there looking at him solemnly. “You will be back here in the morning?” she asked softly.

  “Yes, dear,” Simon assured her. “I will return then. We will be able to think better after we get some rest.”

  “I don’t care if we have to follow Caleb every day for the rest of his life; I will not stand idly by and let him kill someone else,” Rose vowed.

  “Neither will I, but we know he is not doing anything tonight, so you need to stop worrying now and get some sleep.”

  “Oh, Simon, I don’t see how I can stop thinking about all this,” Rose confessed.

  …

  Simon pulled her in for a hug. He needed to take her mind off of everything they had seen and heard that night and there was really only one way he could think of to do it.

  Loosening his hold slightly, Simon leaned in to capture Rose’s mouth with his. The kiss started off slow and tentative. Frankly, he wasn’t sure how she would react to this sudden change of focus, but surprisingly she seemed eager for his affections and soon the kiss turned much more passionate and almost desperate in nature.

  Within seconds, Simon realized that one kiss was not going to be nearly enough…for either of them.

  The truth was, Simon had been able to think of little else these past weeks but making love to Rose. It was enough to make him think he was developing feelings for her. He needed to get her out of his system once and for all. It wasn’t as if he would be ruining her for anyone else—for all intents and purposes she was his already. He just needed to get past the mystery of her and then he could put her out of his mind and move on with his plans of a marriage of convenience.

  And with that thought, Simon put his plan of ultimate seduction into action.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut.

  —The Duke of Lancaster

  Once Simon finally released her, Rose looked up at him and whispered, “I suppose I should go now.”

  “Yes, darling, it’s well past time for us to get to bed,” he replied, smiling softly.

  Rose thought she saw an almost wolfish glint in his eye when he said that, but when she looked at him again, he appeared the picture of innocence. Must have been the moonlight, Rose thought, or wishful thinking, if she were being truly honest with herself.

  Turning, she grabbed onto the rose-covered lattice and began to work her way up the side of her house to crawl back into her room. Rose hadn’t even had time to shut the window when she heard someone climbing up behind her. Looking over the sill, she was startled to see Simon right there, about ready to pull himself into her room.

  “Simon!” she exclaimed softly, backing up as she watched him lift himself through the open window. “What are you doing?”

  Simon firmly shut the window behind him and turned around to look at Rose heatedly. Rose felt herself shiver in response to the intense passion she saw smoldering in his eyes.

  “I told you, Rose,” Simon purred as he walked slowly over to her. “It’s well past time we went to bed.” The last part of his sentence was said right up against Rose’s lips as he drew her tightly against him, and shortly thereafter he began kissing her ardently.

  Rose sighed with pleasure and willingly wrapped her arms around Simon’s neck. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that she should not be allowing this to happen. Where was her maidenly outrage? Where was her shame? To Simon she was just another conquest, but somehow she just couldn’t bring herself to care.

  Then Simon did something completely amazing with his tongue and all thoughts—shameful or otherwise—flew from her mind completely.

  …

  Simon knew immediately when the last vestiges of hesitancy left Rose’s body. And soon she was responding to his caresses with timid ones of her own. Her hands began to play with his hair and across his shoulders, her hips began to instinctively press against his, and when he felt her tongue begin to wrestle his, he knew that he too was lost.

  Letting out a primitive growl, Simon removed her coat in one swift move. He allowed himself the pleasure of running his hands up and down her body—her every curve clearly defined in the tight-fitting breeches and the loose cotton shirt that did nothing to inhibit her surprisingly generous breasts—before he lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the bed.

  Laying her down gently, Simon eased himself onto the bed beside her. He removed Rose’s spectacles and laid them on the table next to the bed. Then he leaned down and kissed her while his hands slowly began to pull her shirt free of her breeches.

  Apparently not to be outdone, Rose boldly began to tug Simon’s overcoat off his broad shoulders. Incredibly aroused, Simon sat up and ripped his coat and shirt off as quickly as possible before resuming his place at her side, where he expertly unbuttoned her breeches with one hand and slid them down her long and slender legs.

  As he uncovered each inch of skin, Simon caressed and tasted it. Rose was so soft and silky; he had no choice but to revel in every single part of her. He was especially enamored with the backs of her knees and the a
rches of her perfect little feet.

  …

  A chorus of wonderfully strange feelings and sensations were coursing through Rose’s body. Who knew she would feel a stab of intense pleasure deep to her very core when Simon licked and nibbled on the crooks of her knees!

  Soon Rose was squirming uncontrollably on the bed and she could no longer stand to be so far away from Simon—who seemed rather content to focus his kisses down around her feet. Bolting upright, Rose reached down and grabbed Simon’s hair (the only part of him she could reach) and she tugged firmly on it in a silent plea for something…she just wasn’t quite sure what.

  When Simon didn’t immediately respond to her non-verbal request, Rose whimpered, “Simon…please.”

  “Shhh, love.”

  “But…but…”

  Simon didn’t respond again, but he did begin to move toward the head of the bed, kissing and tasting his way back up her legs. Appeased by the fact he was moving in the right direction, Rose laid back down, but she kept her hands in his hair, feeling the need to touch him in some way.

  As Simon moved closer and closer to her most intimate of areas, Rose felt herself tense slightly. Everything he had done so far made her feel warm and loose and restless all at the same time, but the thought of him touching her there made her more than a tad apprehensive. Not that she thought Simon would hurt her in any way, it was just, well, a place no one had ever touched before.

  Then Simon’s hand brushed over the warm thatch of hair just above the very spot she was nervously waiting for him to explore and she jerked a little in panic.

  …

  That was when Simon knew the haze of passion that had enveloped Rose earlier had faded and she was beginning to think too much. So he decided to abandon the soft triangle of hair—and the treasure beneath it—for now—and concentrate on getting her back to the point where she couldn’t think, only feel.