by Wendy Vella
“Let go, Claire–I’ll catch you.”
She did, and a low, keening sound came from her lips as she scaled the heights of ecstasy once more, and with two more thrusts, Simon followed, then slumped down on top of her. Their limbs were tangled; their bodies, dampened by sweat. Claire kept her arms wrapped around his neck as their hearts thudded against each other.
“Let me go, Claire. I’m too heavy.”
She did so reluctantly. He pulled the covers over them and then settled her onto his chest.
“Sleep now. Tomorrow is soon enough to think again.”
She felt him relax, and soon, the gentle rhythm of his breathing told her he slept. Of course she would not do the same, she thought with a big yawn.
Claire woke as the sun began to rise. Turning her head on the pillow, she looked at Simon for long minutes, committing his handsome face to her memory. He had given her so much already, but last night he had shown her the wonderful things a man and a woman could experience. She loved him, of course, and could acknowledge that to herself here in his bed. However, it was now time to set him free.
Slipping from the bed, she pulled on her nightdress and then hurried back to her room. She would never regret making love with him, yet in doing so, she had complicated matters more. He was an honorable man, and she had no doubt he felt something for her, especially after what they had shared. However it was not love, and whilst she was once prepared to settle for less, she would not do so now, not knowing she loved Simon. It wasn’t a startling revelation. She had simply avoided acknowledging it until last night. However it was because she loved him that she would not allow him to settle for less in his future wife.
Hurrying into her room, she pulled her riding habit and boots from her luggage. The rest would have to stay here until she returned. Once she was dressed, she checked on Louis, who opened his eyes as she entered the room.
Claire knelt beside the bed and ran her hand gently over his head. After his bath, his hair had dried to the exact color of Anthony’s. “I must go to London briefly, Louis, and then I will return for you. Simon is here and his aunt and uncle, and they will care for you until I return.”
“Come back soon?”
She smiled at his little voice. “Very soon, my darling. Now go back to sleep.” She wasted precious seconds until she was sure he slept again before making her way out of the house.
The stables were a small distance from the house, and she hoped, given the early hour, there was someone awake in there. She kept off the paths where she could, to avoid the noise her boots made on the stones, and did not stop to examine the lovely flowers before her.
A sleepy man greeted her as she entered. Lifting her chin and using her no-nonsense voice, Claire said, “Could I please have a horse saddled at once? I am an experienced rider, therefore your strongest, fastest horse, if you please.”
Claire kept her expression cool as the man looked at her. “Would you be wanting company on this ride, my lady?”
“Oh no, indeed, I will not. I am quite capable of a good morning gallop, thank you.”
“The problem is, my lady, we don’t have a side saddle on account of no ladies ride here.”
Claire felt her stomach plummet to her toes.
“I shall ride astride, then.”
He looked briefly at her legs encased in her habit but said nothing further, shrugging he moved to do as she requested. Soon she was seated on big-boned black horse that looked like he could run all day.
“He’s a lovely boy. What is his name?”
“Gus,” the man said, nudging her leg forward. He then shortened her stirrups.
“Well then, thank you very much for your assistance, sir, but I must be on my way now.” The man stood back and let her leave, and Claire felt him watching her as she walked from the stables. She made her way to the driveway, praying that no one had woken and was looking out the windows. Releasing a loud breath upon reaching the gate undetected, Claire then touched her boots to the flanks of her horse, and it sprang forward. She had ridden astride before, and tucking her skirts securely around her made it comfortable, plus she could ride faster.
She knew what had to be done and knew it was her family that must hear first. Society would no doubt turn their backs on her, but she would make sure Simon’s name remained untarnished.
Turning, she blew a kiss at the house in the distance–to the man she loved and the boy who was now hers to cherish. And then, urging Gus forward, she did not look back again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Where is Claire?”
His aunt and uncle looked up as Simon walked into the room. He had woken smiling and had reached for her, and she hadn’t been there. She had also not been in her room or with Louis, who was sitting at the table eating toast slathered in jam, though much of it was smeared on his face.
“I have not seen her this morning, Simon. I had thought because of her ordeal that she may have slept in, and that is why I went to Louis’s room to help him wash and dress before bringing him to breakfast. Do you think perhaps she is walking through the gardens?”
“Perhaps, aunt, yet I don’t think so.” Simon’s eyes fell on Louis, who was now watching him intently.
“Do you know where your aunt is, Louis?”
He nodded and then took another bite of his toast. Simon moved to his side and pulled a chair closer so he could look the boy in the eye. He looked rested today. Some of the shadows in his eyes had gone. He knew it would take time for Louis to become comfortable with them and the lifestyle he would now lead. However he believed, given his age and the love both he and Claire would give the boy, he would adapt.
“Where is she, Louis?”
The little boy thought about his question briefly and then said, “London.”
Simon literally shook his head. He hadn’t heard that word correctly, surely. Claire would not just leave, especially after what they had shared and not after the way he had spoken to her the last time she had run from him. “Pardon?” he questioned the boy politely.
“London.”
Simon felt the color quite literally drain from his face. “Of all the irresponsible, foolish—Pardon me.” Simon stopped when his uncle cleared his throat. She’d done it to save him, of course–gone to London alone to confront her brother and break the betrothal, believing he wanted this. If she’d just waited until this morning… He’d planned to tell her he wanted her as his wife, needed her in his life as much as the deep gulp of air he’d just inhaled. Bloody woman! Always charging off without thinking. When he got hold of her, he’d shake her until her teeth rattled. Had she thought last night meant nothing to him? Christ, the thought of her traveling to London with only a coachman for protection made his stomach churn. He wondered how she had coerced one of his drivers to accompany her and prayed it was Merlin. The man would make sure she stayed safe until he reached her.
This time when I catch you, Claire Belmont, I’m keeping a firm hold on you.
“I will need to borrow your carriage, uncle,” he said, storming from the room. Running down the stairs, he made for the stables, arriving in minutes.
“She’s riding to London on my horse!” he yelled minutes later as he faced Ned, his stable master. Merlin and Ben, he noted, were keeping their distance, both brushing horses and not meeting his eye.
“Said she was experienced, my lord, and in need of a strong horse, as she was a good rider. Thought she was heading out for a gallop and nothing more. I never would have given her a horse, had I known she was riding it to London.”
“Merlin, get out here!”
“My lord?” He appeared before Simon in seconds.
“Prepare my carriage at once. That bloody foolish woman has taken it upon herself to ride to London, and she’ll be lucky if she reaches it in one piece.”
“At once, my lord.”
Fear mixed with rage as he ran back to the house. Taking the stairs two at a time, he wondered if even now she was being chased by someone ben
t on harming her. No, he would help no one, least of all her, with those thoughts. His family was still at the breakfast table, and if possible, Louis had more jam on his face as he re-entered. “I must go to London but will return shortly with Miss Belmont.”
Louis slipped from his chair and moved to Simon’s side. Surprisingly, the boy then wrapped both arms around one of Simon’s legs. Picking him up, Simon held him close, knowing he, too, would now be covered in jam. “It is safer for you here for now, Louis,” Simon said gently. “My aunt and uncle will care for you until we return.”
“Don’t leave me.”
God, the look in those eyes nearly dropped Simon to his knees.
“I told Miss Belmont we would care for the boy, Simon, but it seems he does not want to stay with us, nephew, so take him with you.” His aunt came around the table with a napkin and proceeded to clean Louis’s hands and face.
“I want aunty.”
“My French is not as good as it was, Simon, but I think he said he needs his aunt. Take him to her and then bring them both back soon, darling.”
Giving his aunt a kiss, Simon then nodded to his uncle. “I will return as soon as I can, but if it is not in the next few days, I shall send word that all is well.”
Simon swung the boy onto his shoulders as he headed outside to his carriage. Merlin sat in the driver’s seat while Ben held the door. “As fast as is safe, Merlin, as we have Louis with us,” Simon said before climbing inside.
He kept his eyes on the windows as they traveled the short distance to London and prayed Claire had arrived there safely. He’d believed before the trip to Liverpool that his life was complete. Each day was filled with things he liked to do and the occasional one he didn’t. He had Eva and Daniel, and they had given him Georgia– what more could he ask for? He’d known there would be a wedding in his future, yet he had not been in a hurry to marry. Then Claire had changed everything. He needed her now. She was his future, the woman he would always love. She would challenge him, torment him, and make him want to strangle her, but she would love him, too. He knew she was capable of great love, and at the end of the day, it would be him she would use as her pillow. God, she’d been magnificent last night, with her lovely body and smooth satin skin. The scent of her had wrapped itself around him and held him tight. She’d not shied from anything he’d done. In fact, she’d loved it. Each touch and taste had resulted in delightful little noises that had hiked his passions higher.
“This is London?”
Good god, he was lusting after Claire with her nephew seated beside him. “I thought you were sleeping, Louis,” Simon said, brushing aside the hair that tumbled over the boy’s forehead as he shook his head. Eager to see everything, the boy stood on the floor between the seats and went from one window to the other.
“You must listen carefully to me now, Louis,” Simon said, intercepting him as he made another pass. Lifting him onto his lap, he looked into the boy’s eyes. “While we are here in London, you must stay close to me or Aunt Claire, Louis. Do you understand?” The boy nodded and then looked wide-eyed out the window once more. Minutes later, they stopped outside the Belmont townhouse. Simon had wondered if this was the right course of action, bringing the boy here, however, he’d had no other options. Holding Louis in his arms, he knocked on the door.
“Good morning, Lord Kelkirk.”
“Plimley.” Simon nodded. The man really was too good-looking. Even he felt flustered in his presence. Louis just stared in wonder at the Adonis as he stood aside to let them enter. “We are here to see, Miss Belmont, please.”
The butler gave him a gentle smile. “If you will follow me, I will take you to her.”
“Before we do, Plimley, can I thank you for caring for Miss Belmont for the years you have known her?” Simon felt someone needed to thank the man for his support of Claire, and as her family did not know of her sleeplessness, he thought it was up to him.
The butler stopped briefly. He didn’t turn but gave a deep sigh before simply nodding his head and continuing on.
Interesting, Simon thought, following his very straight back. Did the man have no faults? His voice didn’t annoy and his appearance was stunning. Perhaps he had one toe that turned in, or maybe his ears were over large. Moving closer, Simon saw the perfectly shaped ears and dismissed the last. Plimley was not alerting Claire that they were here. In fact, he was taking them right to her, which was another point in the man’s favor. He wondered if it was a chore to be so perfect? Simon had certainly never perfected the art. He heard the raised voices then, as they reached a closed door. There was both a male and a female voice, and he guessed the latter belonged to Claire, as he didn’t think Lady Belmont could yell like that.
“You are a hypocrite, Mathew. You sit in the House of Lords and work for the poor, bringing attention to the conditions in which they are forced to live and work, yet you cannot even take the time to acknowledge your brother’s child.”
Definitely Claire, Simon thought.
“You defied me, Claire, and traveled to Liverpool alone. You have brought shame on this family.”
Releasing Louis, Simon lowered his feet to the ground.
“Stay with the handsome man now, Louis, and he will take you to the kitchens for some food. All will go well,” he added as the boy shot a worried look at the door behind which Claire was arguing with her brother. He couldn’t understand what was being said, but he understood the anger behind the words.
“Aunt Claire is all right, Louis. I promise you.”
The boy took Plimley’s hand then, and the butler led him away.
“I did what you should have done, Mathew. What your responsibility as head of this family should have been.” Claire’s voice was lower now; she was no longer shrieking at her brother.
“You are a disgrace, sister. No man will have you now, and I demand you leave London at once. I wish never to set eyes on you again!”
Simon opened the door on those words, the handle crashing into the wall as he pushed it wide. No one, not even her brother, spoke to Claire like that. Stalking forward, he passed his now open-mouthed betrothed and grabbed her brother by the shirt front. “I will have her, Belmont. She is to be my wife, and you had best watch how you speak to her in the future.”
“Wife?”
Simon released the man to prevent himself from planting a fist in his face. It would not be a good start to his nuptials if he struck his future brother-in-law.
“Your sister has a heart bigger than any I know. She is brave and beautiful, and you should be bloody worshiping her. She went to collect Louis because he is your brother Anthony’s son, Belmont, and she is willing to give up everything in her life just to secure the child’s safety. Have you no idea of her worth?”
Before him, Mathew Belmont seemed to wilt before his eyes.
“How dare you treat her so callously? She is worth ten of any lady I know.”
“You wish to marry my sister?” Belmont whispered.
“I do, and Louis will live with us.” Simon did not look at Claire but heard her sniff. “Would you turn your back on your nephew, Belmont, because he was unfortunate enough to be born out of wedlock? Are you like so many of the others who live among us, a shameful bigot just because you were lucky to be born on the right side of the sheets?”
Ashen now, Mathew looked at his sister.
Simon looked at her, too. Her skin was pale and her eyes over bright. She was close to tears but apparently reluctant to let her brother see her shed them. Her close-fitting riding habit hugged the body he now knew intimately. Her hair was plaited in two long tails, with one sitting higher than the other on her head, which suggested she had done the job herself. She still wore her dirty boots, and in his eyes, she had never looked more beautiful.
“Simon, you should have stayed with Louis and your aunt and uncle. Coming here and saying what you have–”
“We will marry, Claire, so it would be in your interest to get used to the idea, and Louis is
with me–in fact he is in your kitchen with Plimley.”
“You brought him to London?”
“He would not let me leave without him. He wanted to see his aunt, who, incidentally, I’m bloody furious with. How dare you run from me again?”
“I thought it best–”
“Well, stop thinking,” Simon snapped. “It only makes you do idiotic things.”
She flew around the desk and into his arms so fast, he stumbled backwards several steps.
“Thank you, oh thank you so much for…well, everything.”
He held her face in his hands. “We will wed, Claire. I’ll have your word.”
“But you do not wish it.” He saw the vulnerability again, the belief that she was not worthy.
“I wish it with everything inside me, sweetheart,” Simon said, kissing her. “Now go and collect your nephew. Your brother and I need to talk.”
“Is he really Anthony’s child, Claire?” Mathew Belmont sat now, and he looked suddenly a lost man.
“Yes, Mathew, he is.”
“Go now, sweetheart. Louis will be scared alone with strangers. Give us a few minutes, and then bring him back to meet his uncle.”
“I won’t let him hurt him, Simon.”
“He’s a good man, Claire–you know he is,” Simon said, knowing Belmont was listening. He hoped he was right. She nodded, and then he watched as she ran from the room. He walked to the chair on the other side of the desk and sat, giving Belmont a few moments with his thoughts.
Lifting his head, Mathew Belmont stared at him for several seconds before nodding. “I don’t understand how you came to be involved in any of this, Kelkirk.”
Simon sat forward, looking steadily at Claire’s brother. “I intercepted her as she was about to get on the stagecoach for Liverpool.”
“Dear god.” The man was now whiter than the paper on his desk.
“Precisely.”
“What happened to your face?”
“I got these protecting your sister,” Simon said, deciding it wouldn’t hurt Belmont to hear a few details, even if he modified them slightly.