“I need you both in a controlled environment. One where I have the freedom to do whatever is necessary to ensure the success of our plan. The McHugh’s are friends, of course, but I don’t know them well enough to go tromping through their home the way I would Frost’s.” The way Nick smiled a bit nastily made Harry distinctly uncomfortable. “As long as I don’t spill too much blood on Lavinia’s carpets again, she will forgive me just about anything, I imagine.”
“Spill blood on the carpets? Why on earth would you do such a thing?”
Turning, Harry watched as Penny swept into his breakfast room as if she owned it. Which, if things continued as they were, she just might – in a fashion. Yet, upon closer inspection, she wasn’t quite as serene and calm as she had first appeared. Her hands seemed to be trembling and there was evidence that she had been crying.
“Penny! You should not be here! Is something amiss?” Harry was on his feet and hurrying to her side in a flash.
“Harry is right, Lady Penny.” Nick was a bit more sedate in his actions, though he too quickly pried himself from his chair. “I left you with my sister and her husband for a very good reason. It is not safe for you to be out of their home. Not without one of us.”
“Nor is it safe for me to be there, apparently,” she countered as she plunked herself down in a chair next to the one Harry had just vacated without any hint of the propriety and grace he had come to expect from her.
Harry could see now that her hands were indeed shaking and he let out a long, low growl as he sank down beside her. “What happened, sweetheart? Are you well? Please, tell me you are well.”
Behind him, Nick made a snorting sound that might have been mixed with a bit of an amused snigger.
“There was a fire in the kitchens. Or a good deal of smoke anyway, though no real fire to speak of. We had to evacuate the Radcliffe residence. All of us.”
That made Nick gasp and suddenly he was no longer amused.
“Is my sister well? Ben? The children?” Harry could see the real fear in Nick’s eyes and heard the obvious tremor in his voice.
Penny nodded quickly. “As I said, it was more smoke than fire, really, and easily put out. A rag left on the stove that merely smoldered, though it never actually caught fire. However, no one knew that at first.” She picked up a discarded teacup and her hand shook so badly that it rattled against the saucer so she was forced to put it back down. “According to Julia’s cook, an errand boy for the costermonger was in the kitchens this morning without permission. She chased him out, but we all fear he was likely one of Willfield’s errand boys paid off by my uncle to flush me out of the house. Servants talk and I am certain at least one of them knows where I went. My uncle is not a fool and he probably knew that he would not be allowed into Ben and Julia’s home to fetch me.”
“Damn it! That bastard Telford will pay for this! Willfield as well!” Nick swore as he ran a hand through his hair, pacing angrily now. “I need to attend to this immediately! Harry, if you will excuse me?”
“Of course. Do what you must. You have my full support, as well as Bow Street’s and the Home Office’s, I imagine.” Harry was nodding calmly, though he too was a bundle of nerves and anger inside. “But as for tonight?”
“We stick to the plan.” Nick grabbed his hat as he made for the door, obviously unable to contain his anger. “Frost’s ball this evening. All evening. Telford has attacked my family. He has gone too far and he will pay!”
As the duke thundered off, Harry simply sat and watched him go, his heart still racing. Once he heard the slamming of the front door however, he sprang into action and immediately took Penny into his arms.
“Oh, sweetheart! I had no idea your uncle would do something like this!” Harry was gratified when Penny snuggled closer into his embrace.
“Neither did I!” she sniffed, her body still trembling a bit, though she was coming back to herself. She was strong, his perfect Penny. “I was in my room with Janie, and then we heard people yelling about smoke and, well, it is all a bit confusing after that.” She wiped at her eyes as she had begun to cry again, though that, too, was quickly subsiding. “But Lord Radcliffe took charge immediately and made certain the fire was out after we were all directed to the back garden rather than the street. Then Lord Breckenright appeared and took me out some back gate before placing me in a carriage and sending me directly here.”
Of course, Ben would have sent them to the garden first. Given that this fire had happened only two mornings after Penny had come to reside until his roof, there was no question he would be suspicious of such a turn of events. Not to mention that on the street, anyone could have come along and harmed a member of his household. Or kidnapped Penny.
It also made sense that Marcus was hanging about, since all of the men had agreed that with Telford in town, they would need to be on the alert for tricks and the like. Out of all of them, Marcus was the most skilled in disguises that allowed him to go unnoticed and thus able to spy on someone without being seen. The viscount might be a peer but with his damaged leg, his battered cane, and the proper clothing, he could also easily be mistaken for a beggar. Or a vagrant or random sort of unsavory man and go virtually undetected, even by the most seasoned of Runners.
Or nefarious lords up to no good.
Penny’s uncle might be clever, but he was not smarter than Harry or his friends. Not by half.
“Shh. It is fine. All is well, Penny. Sweetheart. You are here with me now and that is all that matters.” With her still in his arms, Harry maneuvered them to a small settee just outside of his breakfast room. “There is no need to fear any longer.”
“But I did! Oh, Harry, I was so afraid! And I thought…well, I….”
The way Penny was shaking told him that her sweeping into his house had been her final act of false courage before that same strength and courage deserted her entirely. Still, he was extremely proud of her that she had managed so well on her own and he told her so.
“I know you were, sweetheart.” Harry pushed Penny’s hair out of her eyes and pulled back so he could meet her gaze. “But you were brave enough to follow Marcus’ instructions and you are here with me now. That is all that matters.”
“It is?” She sniffed again, but she was no longer trembling quite so much, as if some more of her strength was returning to her.
“It is,” he affirmed. “Because I will not allow you out of my sight again, Penny. You are far too precious to me and now that your uncle is in Town, I refuse to lose you to his nefarious plans. I just won’t.”
“Oh, Harry.” He could tell that his words had touched Penny’s heart and once more, he felt an odd tingling in the general vicinity of his gut. “Thank you. But you don’t have to ply me with sweet words in order to make me feel better. Not if you don’t mean them.”
“But I do mean them,” Harry insisted as he eased Penny down onto the oversized settee beneath them. “Don’t you understand, sweetheart? The idea of your uncle taking you away from me? Of him hurting you in some fashion? It terrifies me. It truly does. You mean so very much to me, Penny. I would never allow you to come to harm.”
There was a part of Harry that wondered if he should say that he loved her and be done with it, but he couldn’t just yet, for those words would be a lie. Maybe. Or not.
For Harry still wasn’t quite certain that he did love Penny. He felt something very strong for her, yes, but was it love? Again, as he had never been in love before, he had no idea. And he had vowed, at least to himself, that he would never lie to her again.
But Harry did desire Penny and, at the moment, he thought they both needed a little bit of confirmation that she was still alive and unharmed. That she was here with him. Precisely where she should be.
“I need you, Penny. More than I have ever needed another woman.” Harry cradled her head in his hands as he loomed over her, overly aware of her small body pinned beneath his much larger one. “Don’t you understand? I need you.”
She nodd
ed, her eyes wide and her lioness’ gaze fixed on his. “I do understand. At least I think I do. And I…I need you too, Harry. More than I realized. Probably more than I should.”
“Then I will…” He started to rise but she clutched him tightly to her, refusing to let him go.
“No. Please, Harry, no. Don’t leave me.” Penny’s voice still rang with a hint of real fear. “I need…I need…”
Harry had the feeling that he knew exactly what Penny needed. She needed to know that she was still alive and unharmed. He had seen this same thing before, many times. Though she hadn’t escaped death or anything so dramatic as all that, whatever she had endured under her uncle’s care – or perhaps even in that horrid boarding school – had likely been traumatic and the very thought of going back to him probably scared her witless, especially after this morning’s events.
Harry understood that Penny needed to feel alive. And if he was a different sort of gentleman, he might offer to take her driving or allow her all the sweetmeats she liked. Something simple and innocent.
However, this was Penny and just last night, she had all but crawled into his lap and begged Harry to take her rather roughly on the carriage ride home. For she was becoming rather insatiable in that regard, especially for a woman that, until recently had been a true innocent. So yes, he had a very good idea of how he could help her realize that she was still alive and unharmed.
“Shhh.” Harry shifted Penny more fully onto his lap so that she straddled him. “Penny. My beautiful, perfect Penny. You are fine. You’re here with me and all is well.”
“I…ah…oh, Harry!
He could tell the moment she felt the hard evidence of his desire begin to prod at her bottom. Harry had been hard for her since the moment she had swept into his breakfast room. Now, having her so close to him, all he wanted was to be inside of her again. Now. So that they could both reassure themselves that she was, indeed, alive and well.
“I need you, Penny,” Harry whispered as he drew down the bodice of her morning dress so that he could suckle at her nipples. They were quickly becoming one of his favorite parts of her body. “And I want you. Oh, God, how I want you.”
Penny arched her back, pressing closer and offering him more of herself, both of her nipples now hard little nubs peaked with need. “And I need you, Harry. I need you to make me feel alive. Please!”
“With pleasure, sweetheart. With pleasure.” Then that was the last Harry spoke for some time.
Unlike the first night that they had fucked, which had been slow and sweet at times, this coupling was only wild and uninhibited. Penny’s brush with the possibility that her uncle could have had her in his clutches once again had loosened her inhibitions and now, she met Harry eagerly, offering him her body without hesitation.
Harry suckled at her nipples while his hands caressed her backside, spreading her thighs wide until she was fully spread over his lap and her skirts about her waist. She kissed his jaw and tugged at the buttons on his shirt after she dispensed with his cravat. When his shirt was undone, she wound one arm around his neck and used her other to explore the muscles of his chest.
“Please, Harry,” Penny begged, the raw desire in her voice evident. “I need you now. Please.”
“As my lady likes.” For Lord only knew that he needed this too.
Reaching between them, Harry easily freed his cock from his breeches and then unerringly found the slit in her drawers.
“This will likely sting a bit,” he cautioned. When he had taken women in this fashion before? Well, they had all been whores with a great deal more experience. He had no idea what it would feel like to a proper lady like Penny who had only recently learned of passion.
“I don’t care.” Penny rose up and allowed Harry to position his cock at her already slick entrance. “I need this. I need you.” Then, without waiting for him to guide her, she sank down onto his waiting erection and cried out a mixture of both pleasure and pain, her face awash in what could only be described as pure pleasure. “Oh, God! Harry!”
That was all he needed to hear and quickly, he took control, easing her up and down his shaft while slowly widening her legs until she was seated upon his stiff cock as comfortably as she could be. That only seemed to embolden her however, and while she was not particularly skilled in her movements, she was extremely enthusiastic and was soon riding him with abandon as he pushed up hard into her with each thrust, her breasts bouncing in time with the rocking of her hips.
Unable to help himself, Harry captured one of those perfect breasts with his mouth while he steadied her hips to make sure she didn’t injure either of them in her wild abandon.
“Oh, Penny! You feel so bloody perfect!” Harry had once vowed never to swear in front of a lady but in this case, he couldn’t help himself. Penny just felt so damn good! Even better than the first night they had coupled!
“Harry!” she gasped again as she rode him hard, and that seemed to be the only coherent word she could manage.
He thrust up again, even harder now and she moaned louder as she bit her lip before clawing at his chest. He could feel her feminine sheath tightening around him as his cock swelled even more inside of her. He could smell the musky scent of her arousal and he could hear her breathy cries echoing through her mind. He felt her arms tighten around his neck and the weight of her spread wide across his thighs as he drove into her again and again. She was everything to him. And she was his. And he was never going to let her go. Ever.
“I am going to release,” Penny gasped when Harry thrust into her again, still harder than before.
“Perfect,” he ground out as he tilted her toward him so that he could penetrate her even deeper. Which was perfect because if he did not spill inside of her soon, he was afraid that he would explode.
Then there were no more words. Just the frantic coupling of two people who could not seem to be sated of one another. And finally, when Harry let himself go and spilled inside of Penny, he felt himself coated in her answering wetness as she came apart in his arms with a keening cry of release.
And at that moment, Harry was both happy and sated. He suspected Penny was as well, at least if her gasps of pleasure were any indication, her earlier fear now long forgotten.
Just as he had hoped.
They were both alive and well and had found each other. What more did they need?
Freedom, Harry suspected. Freedom from her uncle at least.
But as they both struggled to return their breathing to normal, Harry didn’t say that. Instead, he simply pulled Penny closer and kissed the top of her head. Right now, he only wanted to hold the woman in his arms even closer and bask in the pleasure they had both just enjoyed. For now, this was enough. All the rest could come later.
Chapter Eighteen
Penny supposed she should be ashamed of herself for displaying such wanton behavior earlier that day, especially in the middle of Harry’s home where anyone might have stumbled upon them, but she couldn’t quite manage it. Especially not with her uncle newly arrived in London. She was also now more determined than ever that she would not waste one single moment with the man she had grown to love because her time with him was quickly drawing to a close.
She was not deaf, and no matter how quiet Harry and the Bloody Duke thought they were being, she could still hear a great deal of what they discussed. For spies – or even former spies in the case of the duke – they really were abysmal at subterfuge.
After her mad coupling with Harry that morning, he had been supremely regretful when he had to leave her, but he had insisted there was business that could not wait. Given the events of the early morning hours back at the Radcliffe town home, it did not take much intuition to figure out that the “business” likely had to do with her uncle and his sudden appearance in London.
Penny had settled comfortably in Harry’s library and prepared to wait out the better part of the day until she was told it was safe to return to Julia’s. Penny might be strong-willed but she was
no fool and she had no desire to fall back into her uncle’s clutches. She wouldn’t have even cared if she never saw the man again except that would mean abandoning sweet, innocent Josie to his machinations.
Determined to speak with either Harry or the duke later that morning, Penny had remained on watch from the library window, waiting for either one or both of the men to return. It had taken hours and in the intervening time, a small parade of carriages had come and gone from Harry’s home, until finally, a rather nondescript, small coach had pulled up in front of Harry’s town home and Harry himself had emerged with the duke trailing behind.
Forgotten book still in hand, Penny had headed in the direction of the study but the two men had reached the room before she had, forcing her to eavesdrop at the door. Something she now rather wished she had not done.
The two men had spoken in hushed tones, but loud enough for Penny to overhear bits and pieces of information. They were all attending Lord and Lady Chillton’s ball this evening, it seemed. That she knew. They were declining the McHugh’s invitation. That she did not know.
But what she really hadn’t known was that both Harry and the duke had planned to lure her uncle to London in hopes of both setting Penny free from his machinations and, more importantly it seemed, protecting Lord Fullbridge and his reputation once and for all.
Penny could not blame the men for any that. After all, Phin was their friend and, had Penny never been sent to London to trap him, none of this mess would have ever happened. On the other hand, the whole “setting her free” part left something hard and twisted in the pit of Penny’s stomach. Something that felt rather like despair.
For at no time during the men’s hushed conversation had either of them mentioned what was to become of her, especially after they all but destroyed her uncle. She had heard Josie’s name mentioned at least once, so Penny assumed Harry, Nick, and their friends had made some sort of plans to care for her cousin after her uncle fell into absolute ruin. Or ended up in Newgate – whatever came first. But what of Penny herself. Other than being “set free,” she hadn’t heard her name mentioned even once.
A Lady for the Taking Page 26