Always Forever (Emerson Book 5)

by Maureen Driscoll

  “I should send you back there, but I am a selfish creature. I confess I have already grown too content having you at my side.”

  “Good. Because I am not leaving without you. How did your father know you searched his desk?”

  Rose was now down to her shift and Nate was barely able to see her dusky nipples through it. He wanted to taste them. He wanted to…

  Rose snapped her fingers. “Nate! You look like you are somewhere far away. How did Bancroft know about your search?”

  “I wondered the same thing. Could there be a peephole somewhere in the room?”

  “My understanding is that it happens quite often in houses like this.”

  “How did you come to that understanding?”

  “Books.”

  “Novels?”

  “Novels are books, Nate.”

  “But I have a feeling you read the lurid tales of gothic romances.”

  “Yes, I do. Mayhap I should have revealed that fact before we married, but as I did not, you are stuck with a wife who likes to read.”

  “Did any of your novels describe this?” he said as he quickly divested her of her shift, picked her up and threw her on their bed.

  “Are there novels which describe this? Because I would have liked learning about this sooner, though I am quite sure Colin wouldn’t have approved of such a reading list.”

  “You learned about this when it was time for you to learn about it. And mayhap we can write our own stories,” he said as he followed her down to the bed. He was still wearing his breeches, but had removed his coat, cravat and vest.

  He began kissing his way down his beautiful wife. “You are so responsive,” he murmured, reveling in all the sighs and soft moans she gave him as he slowly made his way down her body. He stopped when he was between her thighs. He could feel her tense. “Relax, love.”

  “It is difficult when you are…..ohhh, Nate. What are you…how can….please continue.”

  Nate had to laugh, even as he lapped at her. He was surrounded by her warmth as he breathed her in. Surely, no man deserved to be this happy, but he would do what he could to make sure Rose never regretted marrying him.

  She was on the verge of climax and with just a few more caresses, she went over the edge. He remained where he was, slowly sucking on her until her tremors subsided, then he moved back up her body.

  “Take off the rest of your clothes,” she said, as she vaguely motioned to him. “I do not have the strength to do so. But be quick about it.”

  “May I always obey all your commands with such pleasure. Of course, I should ask if you intend to order me about frequently.”

  “When needed,” she said, as her eyes devoured him.

  Once he was finally as naked as she, he lay back down upon her, where she welcomed him into her body. Nate had never known such bliss as they came together, caressing each other and whispering words of love. And when they both climaxed, he collapsed, fully sated.

  When he finally lay next to her, he pulled her into his arms and arranged the sheets over their cooling bodies.

  “I love you, Nate,” said Rose, as she was already close to falling asleep.

  “And I will love you forever, Rose.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  For the second day in a row, Rose and Nate didn’t reach the breakfast room until mid-morning. Rose was mortified that the staff probably knew exactly what had delayed them, yet Nate looked completely unconcerned.

  “Lord and Lady Grayson,” said Westfield as he appeared from nowhere and bowed just the slightest amount. “If you would like something else from the kitchen, please let me know.”

  As Rose surveyed the feast on the sideboard, she had to wonder how many people were coming to breakfast. “Have the duke and duchess already been here?”

  “His grace was here earlier. Her grace has not yet been down.”

  “Where is his grace?” Nate asked the butler casually as he helped Rose fill her plate.

  “Out.”

  With no more answer forthcoming, Nate continued. “Lady Grayson and I shall go for a ride as soon as we have finished eating.”

  The two of them tucked in, while discussing nothing of importance. Rose had never realized how much she would miss her privacy, but there was something unnerving about always having a room full of servants listening in. For his part, Nate seemed to think nothing about it. But he’d had a lifetime to get used to it. Mayhap Rose would adapt with time.

  But she wasn’t optimistic.

  After changing into riding clothes, Rose and Nate left the house.

  “I am glad we are finally alone,” she said, as she took her husband’s arm.

  “As am I, love,” said Nate. “I would like to give you a general idea of the layout of the estate today, though I fear it would take more than one day to show you everything.” He nodded to the head groom as they reached the stables. “Saddle Liberty for Lady Grayson, Johnson, if you please.” Nate indicated a mare with a chestnut coat. “I seem to remember you as a good rider,” he said to his wife.

  “I always did whatever I could to keep up with my brothers and their handsome friend.”

  “Liberty is a strong horse, not easily spooked, and her size should be good for you.”

  “I will try her out today,” said Rose, as the sleek horse was being saddled. “Are you nervous that someone might tamper with our saddles?” she asked quietly.

  “The thought has crossed my mind, which is one reason I’m so particular about the horses we ride. I would prefer that you only take Liberty from here on out, provided you like her. I would like her to grow used to you.”

  “I promise. But I would also like to exact a promise from you that you’ll be as vigilant about your own safety as you have been about mine.”

  “I promise. After all, Lady Grayson, I have a great deal to live for.”

  A quarter of an hour later, they were underway on their tour of the estate. As their horses cantered through the green fields, Rose began to realize the size of the estate she now called home. They crested a hill and Nate slowed his horse. Liberty followed and came to a halt next to him.

  “It is a breathtaking view,” said Rose as she looked out at the distant green fields. “Is all of this part of the Bancroft estate?”

  “As far as you can see, love. We have almost three dozen farms, as well as several acres set aside for grazing.”

  “So, it could take us a long time to search for places Bancroft might have hidden evidence.”

  “Unfortunately, there is a great deal of ground to cover, though I believe we can safely eliminate the farms. Is that Nick’s carriage?”

  Rose looked over to the distant driveway to see her brother’s carriage making its way to the castle. “I was not expecting a visit, but may we go back? I am sorry to interrupt our ride, but I don’t want to miss them.”

  Nate’s answer was to lean over to kiss her, with their horses obediently standing still. “Of course, love. The land will still be here tomorrow. And today I just wanted to give you an idea of the scope of our search.”

  “We have a challenge ahead of us,” agreed Rose, before kissing him back. “But we shall overcome all obstacles. You should heed my words because I am never wrong about the important things. You should also keep in mind I am rarely wrong about the less important things, either.”

  “Noted, Lady Grayson,” said her grinning husband before he turned his horse back for the castle, with Liberty following.

  * * *

  Rose and Nate entered the sitting room to find Win and Alex having tea with the duke and duchess. Rose could sense the tense mood in the room, despite the outward calm.

  Rose and Win hugged each other as if it had been much longer than two days since they had last seen each other. “Is something wrong?” Rose whispered to Win.

  Win shook her head, then squeezed Rose’s hand before greeting Nate.

  “It is very good to see you,” said Nate, who must have been just as curious as Rose as to wh
y the two of them had come to visit.

  “Please be seated, Nathaniel,” said Mirabelle, as she patted the seat next to her.

  Nate seated Rose in a chair, then took the one beside it.

  For her part, Mirabelle was as disinterested in Win as she was in Rose. She did start flirting madly with Alex, which made Win narrow her eyes.

  “How are things at the dower house?” asked Bancroft.

  Win frowned. “To be perfectly frank, your grace, they are not at all to our liking. I do not know if you are fully aware of my change in circumstances, but I was used to managing my own home in London. Now we are relegated to being guests in my brother’s house.”

  Rose could not have been more surprised. It was so unlike Win to complain about anything, especially Colin. And she had been a prisoner in her home in London. Rose couldn’t believe she would imply that her circumstances there were better than here.

  “I see,” said Bancroft. “What about you, Lewis? You were, what, a barrister before your fortuitous marriage to Lady Winifred? I can only imagine circumstances at the dower house aren’t exactly what you were expecting when you married up into the peerage.”

  Rose was on the verge of objecting to Bancroft’s insulting insinuation, when Nate squeezed her hand. She could tell he was very tense, but knew he wanted her to remain silent. As she turned to Win and Alex again, she suddenly realized something was up, though she did not know what.

  Alex’s jaw was clenched so hard it looked like it would break. And Win seemed like she was barely able to keep from throwing Bancroft’s words back at him, but she, too, remained silent.

  The duke continued. “I had heard that Ridgeway had made a mull of things. Do you think we should send over food for the children?”

  “Your grace,” said Nate, with barely suppressed fury. “I am quite certain no one wishes to hear the Earl of Ridgeway disparaged. He cannot help the state of affairs he inherited and I know he has made the best of his circumstances. But I confess myself curious as to the reason for Mr. and Mrs. Lewis’s visit here today, though they will always be most welcome guests. Can someone please enlighten me?”

  Win smiled at him gratefully. “We have come to ask a favor. My husband and I would like to move into the castle. Not permanently, of course. Just long enough to get over the adjustment to country life.”

  Rose was going to kill her sister. Kill her. If Nate hadn’t been squeezing Rose’s hand almost to the point of numbness, she might have pulled her sister from the room to talk some sense into her. Win and Alex couldn’t move in. It was much too dangerous. Rose was quite willing to risk her life for Nate’s sake, but she would not allow Win and Alex to do the same.

  While the duchess looked annoyed, Bancroft was rather amused, as if he knew the real reason Win and Alex wanted to move in. “Ridgeway must really feel like a failure to know two of his sisters had to move out.”

  Win looked murderous, but Alex took her hand and kissed it. “Truth be told, the earl was relieved when we told him. He knows how much Win and Rose missed each other over the years. They had barely been reunited when Rose married and left.”

  “One wonders why Rose did not simply postpone her marriage to Nathaniel,” mused Mirabelle. “It was rather sudden, was it not? The way I heard it told, the wedding would not have happened at all if Rose had not chosen a particularly inopportune moment to throw herself at Nathaniel.”

  Rose was about to throw her cup and saucer at Mirabelle, followed by the tea pot and its contents, when Nate spoke up.

  “I am afraid you have been misinformed, your grace. I have been in love with Rose for some time now. The moment of our discovery was one I engineered myself. I simply could wait no longer.” Then he leaned over and kissed Rose.

  “It is a true love story,” said Win, in the first honest sentence she had uttered since entering the castle. “So, will you open your lovely home to us, your grace?” She asked the duke without even glancing in the duchess’s direction.

  “How could I refuse?” asked the duke, likely knowing about the conspiracy against him and not caring a whit.

  “Thank you so much,” said Win. “Rose, perhaps you would like to show Alex and me where we will stay.”

  “I would think that is my duty,” said Mirabelle.

  “As you say, your grace,” said Win. “But since you and the duke are newly married, I suspect you have more enjoyable activities to do with your time. Rose, shall we?”

  Rose thanked Bancroft for his generous offer, then led her sister and brother-in-law upstairs to Nate’s wing of the house, trying to think of a way to convince them to leave.

  * * *

  “Oh, we are not leaving, dearest,” said Win a few moments later as the four of them settled into the sitting room off Nate’s bedchamber. “We are here to see it through.”

  “Colin must be furious,” said Rose.

  “He is certainly not at ease with having two sisters in residence with a possible murderer, but he does trust his two new brothers to keep us safe. Besides, he has had a little time to get used to the idea.”

  “When did you raise the issue with him?”

  “Right after you arranged to be caught kissing Nate at church. That was a wonderfully sweet story you told, Nate. I always suspected you were a romantic at heart, despite all the raking.”

  “You have been plotting all this time?” asked Rose.

  “Of course. We all have. It was Colin’s idea to have me complain that his mismanagement had made it impossible for us to live comfortably at home. He knew Bancroft would enjoy hearing that. I, of course, strenuously objected to spouting such nonsense. But Colin said he didn’t give a damn what anyone thought of him as long as you and Nate had more protection at the castle. Not that he doesn’t believe you both are more than capable of keeping yourselves safe. But he figured even Bancroft would hesitate if he had to kill four people instead of two. We did have the decency to wait until you had spent your first two nights together. But as soon as we heard the duke and duchess were back, we did not hesitate.”

  “I am so touched you would do this for us,” said Rose, as she hugged her sister.

  “I could not bear it if anything happened to either of you,” said Win. “Now tell us about the duchess. She appeared too interested in both of our husbands, though, of course, we can certainly understand the sentiment. But I cannot imagine Bancroft is very happy with such behavior.”

  “I am certain he has noticed her wandering eye,” said Nate. “I feel I should warn her he is not a man to cross, but, frankly, I fear being alone with her.”

  “Do you believe she would harm you?” said Alex.

  “I believe she would devour me.”

  “She most certainly will not do that,” said Rose. “Unless she wants to see what she will look like with all her hair pulled out. But, let us not waste time with talk of the duchess. How are the girls?”

  “I am afraid they miss you terribly and have cried more than a few tears.”

  “And now you are gone as well. The poor girls.”

  “We did not tell them much, but we did say Alex and I were coming here temporarily to help you. And we hoped we would all be reunited soon.”

  “Pray it is so,” said Rose. “And how is Ava feeling?”

  “Better, though it is Colin I worry about. Each time poor Ava looks the slightest bit tired, he threatens to carry her off to bed.”

  “Yes,” said Alex. “But I do not think it is always just to sleep.”

  Win laughed and kissed her husband.

  “Win, may I speak with you a moment?” asked Rose. “I would like to show you the…wardrobe in your dressing room.”

  Without waiting for her sister’s reply, Rose took her by the hand and ushered her into the next room.

  “Is this not your bedchamber?” asked Win.

  “It is yours, now. It is only where I keep my clothes and I shall move them today. Or have them moved. Whatever it is a Lady Grayson would do. I am not allowed to have my o
wn bedchamber.”

  “Oh, really?” said Win with a grin. “I trust you are in charity with that arrangement.”

  “I confess that I am,” said Rose, as her face heated with a blush. “That portion of our marriage has been lovely. More than lovely. I do not believe a word exists which could adequately describe how much I am in charity with that arrangement.” She steeled herself for what she had to say, but hesitated.

  “Dearest, is there something else you wish to tell me?”

  Rose thought about denying it, but she could never lie to Win. “I believe I saw something the other night.”

  Win’s eyes grew wide. “Was it Bancroft? Did he threaten either of you?”

  “No, it wasn’t Bancroft, and I hesitate telling you because I fear you may think me daft. I haven’t told Nate for that very reason.”

  “Love, I could never think you daft, although I am growing worried. What did you see?’

  “I believe I saw a ghost. In this very room. Mayhap, I should find another room for you to sleep in.”

  “How exciting! And do not even think of relocating us. I like the idea of being only a sitting room away from you, though I promise we will not trespass on your private time with Nate. Now, about this ghost. What was he like?”

  “Well, it was a lady and while I was not scared of her, I was rather surprised to see her hovering about.”

  “Did she do anything of note?”

  “No, but she looked sad. Then Nate walked in and she disappeared.”

  “What should I do if she comes back?”

  “Tell me you saw her, so I don’t feel like a Bedlamite, for one thing. But I would be most interested to know why she’s here. We already have a duke who may have committed murder. I hope we do not also have a ghost who has come to do us harm.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Not three days after Win and Alex arrived, the castle received two separate carriages of additional unexpected guests. The first arrived in the morning and brought Oliver Wilkins, Viscount Canning, along with the duke’s man of business, Michael Jones.