Robert's Rescue [Lords of Hawksfell Manor 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Josie Dennis

  He left her then, but paused at the door. “If you change your mind you know where to find me. I’ll be in the carriage house. All alone.”

  With that, he left her room and she sank back down on the bed. The room smelled like his scent and heat as well. Her body trembled as she thought of how very beautiful he’d been in his release. His head thrown back and his throat working. A flush on his chiseled cheeks. She was unfulfilled, though. He wasn’t wrong in that respect. Well, she wasn’t the type of girl to let her passions loose. She didn’t have that luxury.

  For the first time in her life she could almost regret that she didn’t.

  Chapter 3

  Robert faced Phelps from his chair at the breakfast table, his mouth agape. “A letter from whom?”

  The elderly butler held the missive out to him. “The Earl of Hawksfell, my lord.”

  Robert pushed aside his coffee cup and took the letter. It bore a crest he recognized well enough. A bloodthirsty-looking hawk with talons outstretched, its sharp eyes daring any and all to stay out of its way. “Whatever could the earl want with me?”

  “There’s but one way to find out.”

  Robert threw him a look. “Thank you, Phelps.”

  The old man chuckled as Robert opened the envelope. He read the contents, which were short yet warm and welcoming.

  “I’ve been invited to Hawksfell Manor,” he said.

  The butler let out a whistle. “You’ll have to socialize, my lord. However will you manage?”

  Robert just arched a brow at him. “Never mind.”

  Phelps smiled at him. “Do you wish me to see a response sent in the earl’s direction?”

  Robert thought for a moment. It had been nearly a week since his sojourn into the village and he’d kept himself to the house since then. Seeing Jared Morrissey, feeling an attraction to him that was so very strong, had disturbed him. Now that he had the chance to meet him again under different, far safer, circumstances? He would visit the earl, then. Why not make the acquaintance of the head of his family? There was the chance he would enjoy flirtations with the earl’s chauffeur as well. No doubt the earl had fine motor cars to explore.

  “Yes, Phelps.” Robert stood to go into his office. “I’ll have the message ready for you in a few moments.”

  “In the positive?” the butler asked.

  Robert let out a breath. “Yes, yes. I shall let the earl know that I would be honored to accept his invitation.”

  The old man grinned and Robert felt his lips twitch in response. Shaking his head, Robert headed to his office and penned a note to this exalted relative he’d never met before. He was suddenly eager to meet him and any other Hawk relatives that might have come to the manor to roost.

  He knew there were a couple of brothers. Well, half-brothers. Given the propensity of previous generations to litter Yorkshire with bastards they legitimatized in name only, that was no surprise. To hear Phelps tell it, the current earl was actually married. Married! And apparently quite happily, but how could that be?

  He called to Phelps and sent the note on its way. His mother filled his mind then. His sad, frail mother who never stopped pining for his unknown Hawk father. Perhaps he was spared further discomfort by her dying when he was such a small boy. It seemed a little bit selfish but he couldn’t help but wonder if she would have ever put his father in the past and lived her life as her own. The Lord knew she barely paid him any attention.

  Putting such maudlin thoughts out of his mind, he went to see his valet ready his things for his upcoming visit to Hawksfell. He was going to present a hale and hearty Hawk to the earl and his family, one who had his urges under control. He’d heard that the manor had no shortage of willing and well-paid servants much like his at Waltham Hall. Should his beast arise he would see to its satisfaction without intruding upon anyone who might come to mean more to him.

  Jared Morrissey appeared in his mind, handsome and jovial and welcoming. No, he should keep himself away from the earl’s chauffeur. He suspected that he could come to value the man’s friendship and he would never force himself upon a friend. Not that he’d ever had one. Not really.

  He smiled as he thought back to his conversation with Jared at the inn nearly a week ago. Comradery wasn’t something he had much experienced before. Yet, he’d felt a connection to that man. Before he’d felt the beast rise, of course. His grand home certainly felt very lonely today. He’d never admit it to Phelps but the old man was right.

  Robert needed to have contact with people outside his insular world at Waltham Hall. And where better to reach out for that contact than at the Earl of Hawksfell’s estate?

  By the time the next morning came, Robert was more than ready for his sojourn into the heart of Hawk territory. He drove himself in his motor car past the moors toward the grand manor. Hawksfell didn’t disappoint.

  The sprawling house had an impressive edifice, with soaring walls of sandstone leading to peaked roofs of slate that glinted in the morning sunlight. The grounds were well kept and the drive well maintained, as evidenced as his motor car made its smooth arrival. The earl had the Hawk gift with money, then. Waltham Hall was a very nice estate but nothing compared to this grandeur.

  There was a line of servants awaiting his arrival, which was no surprise. Flocks of maids and footmen stood in a straight row and he felt a tremble in his belly. He was a Hawk, for God’s sake. He should be used to such attention yet he allowed that his household seldom had visitors, let alone ones who merited such custom. It didn’t matter to him but he had to present the man these people were expecting.

  He slowed the motor and rolled to a stop. As he opened his door he caught a glimpse of heads turning and the whisper of chatter.

  “He drives himself,” a footman said.

  “Like Mr. Crowley, he is,” a maid said.

  Straightening, Robert looked toward the impressive butler. There was no mistaking his position. He was crisp and proper and looking at Robert with obvious deference.

  “Lord Waltham,” the butler said with a short bow. “Welcome to Hawksfell. I am Carstairs.”

  “Thank you, Carstairs.”

  “And I am Mrs. Holmes,” a smiling, motherly woman said as she stepped forward. “The housekeeper.”

  “Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Holmes.” Robert looked down the line and nodded at the servants. “And your staff we well.”

  “We are at your disposal, my lord,” Carstairs put in. He ran his bemused gaze over Robert’s motor car then looked back at him. “Perhaps Morrissey can drive your motor down to the carriage house?”

  Robert kept his expression even at the mention of the very man in his thoughts these past days. “That would be agreeable, yes.”

  He knew when Jared approached. He could smell that fresh scent he’d caught at the inn.

  “Morrissey, my lord,” Jared said.

  Robert met his gaze and felt that flash again. Of desire, yes. But of a warmth in the center of his chest that could only be attributed to a kind of kinship. They shared a secret, after all. A moderately innocent one, but still.

  “Take good care of her, Morrissey,” Robert told him.

  Jared winked at him and Robert started. A quick glance at both Carstairs and Mrs. Holmes showed they hadn’t taken note of it, however. As the chauffeur slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door, Robert faced the servants again. The oddity of his driving himself had apparently dissipated, since they once more stood ramrod stiff and staring straight ahead. All except for a maid standing not far down the line. The first maid in position, which marked her as the lady’s maid. That young woman’s eyes were fastened on him. Her eyes were a warm brown and large, set in an exquisite heart-shaped face. And they regarded her very closely. His body reacted as he met her gaze. A spark of lust shot through him and he sucked in a breath.

  “Is everything all right, Lord Waltham?” Carstairs asked him.

  Robert turned a smile in the butler’s direction. “Wool-gathering, I’m afraid
.”

  The butler nodded. “Lord Hawksfell is expecting you.”

  “Of course.”

  He followed the butler into the house, leaving the housekeeper and the line of servants behind. As he passed the lady’s maid, who now stared forward as the rest of the staff, he caught a bit of her scent. Hot house roses, of all things. On a frigid March morning, it was as welcome as Jared’s smile had been. Much like his reaction to Jared, he felt the heat between himself and the lady’s maid. Perhaps this visit wasn’t quite the fine idea he and Phelps had presumed.

  He rolled his shoulders as he followed Carstairs through the finely-appointed hall toward what must be the earl’s study, trying to ease the tightness there.

  “Lord Waltham, my lord,” Carstairs said in introduction.

  “Very good, Carstairs,” the earl said from within.

  The butler disappeared and Robert stepped into the study. The man who stood before him had his black hair and dark Hawk eyes, and a smile that took him by surprise.

  “Hello, Lord Waltham.”

  “Lord Hawksfell.” Robert cleared the thickness in his throat. “Thank you for your kind invitation.”

  “You are family, Lord Waltham.”

  The dark eyes staring back at him looked nothing but sincere, and Robert felt a different kind of pull toward the earl. This was family, as he said.

  “Robert. Please.”

  The earl nodded. “And you must call me Gabriel.”

  “As you wish.”

  The earl, Gabriel, sat back behind his desk and waved Robert into the chair across from him. “So you have no other family at Waltham Hall.”

  Robert froze then continued to settle into the chair. “Yes.”

  Gabriel laughed softly. “My man-of-affairs is extremely thorough, Robert. He makes certain that everything is known about one of my wayward Hawk relatives before I even think about extending an invitation.”

  Robert relaxed a bit. “My butler and your man-of-affairs are cut from the same cloth.”

  “Raised you, did he?”

  Robert stared at him. “Nearly, yes.”

  “Mrs. Holmes has always been like a mother to me, so I see nothing out of the ordinary there. You lost your mother as a young child.”

  “Yes,” Robert said again. “And before then, it seems.”

  “Yes. She was sickly. Well, I never knew mine.” Gabriel’s mouth thinned. “At least you were spared the rearing a Hawk of the previous generation would have provided.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You’ll meet my brother Matthew during your visit, I’m certain. He was raised by his uncle, and believe me when I tell you all of us were far better without a Hawk male influence.”

  Robert wondered about that, but couldn’t deny that Matthew must have been abused as a child. He said a silent prayer that his father never made the slightest attempt to make a connection, let alone raise him.

  “Perhaps Hawks aren’t meant to be true fathers.”

  Gabriel’s brows rose. “I pray that’s not true.”

  It struck Robert then. “I’d heard of your marriage but are you expecting?”

  A grin spread over the earl’s face. “We are indeed.”

  “And you’re anticipating the event?” Robert asked in amazement.

  “Very much so. My child will be raised with love, Robert.”

  Robert smiled now. “Then he or she will be most fortunate.”

  Gabriel nodded again then leaned back. “Now, as to your stay here at the manor. Please know you are welcome for as long as you wish.”

  “That’s very kind of you.”

  “Kindness has little to do with it. I find since marrying my countess I wish to see other Hawks happy as well.”

  Robert chuckled. “Surely you can’t mean by marrying.”

  Gabriel shrugged. “Perhaps for some, but I meant by learning to live in their own skin. I was miserable before Millicent and her cousin Michael washed up on my doorstep like two drowned rats.”

  Robert leaned forward. “This is a story I must hear.”

  “And I’m sure Michael will tell you at tea, if you wish.”

  “I do. Do you have much family staying here at present?”

  “My brothers, Matthew and Stefan, keep their own homes but they’re very close by. In fact, Matthew lives in the Dower house.”

  “With his wife?”

  Gabriel’s eyes sparkled. “Along with another.”

  Robert narrowed his eyes. “There’s a mystery there, I take it?”

  “No mystery. As my wife likes to tell it, Hawks have a propensity for stealing away our staff.”

  Robert didn’t have time to puzzle over that as Gabriel stood, signaling an end to their little meeting.

  “Seek out Mrs. Holmes, Robert. She’ll see you settled.”

  Robert came to his feet. “Thank you, Gabriel. I look forward to getting to know you and your family.”

  Gabriel studied him for a long moment, his eyes intense. “You deserve to be happy, Robert. Even if your upbringing didn’t promise it.”

  As Robert settled into the very fine room the housekeeper gave him, he puzzled over everything Gabriel had said. He was to be a father, he marveled. A true father, who wished to raise his child with the babe’s mother. Gabriel did appear quite happy, though. As to his own happiness?

  He didn’t dare hope he deserved anything more than peace.

  * * * *

  Rose leaned on the bonnet of the car, watching as Jared polished the glossy paint. Robert Hawk’s motor was as fine as the man himself, and as deserving his careful attention as any of the earl’s fine machines.

  “What are you doing here, Rose?” he asked, forcing himself to keep his focus on the paint finish.

  “I got tired of you avoiding me up at the house.”

  He winced as her words hit their mark. He had been avoiding her. Ever since that night he’d selfishly gone to her room and forced his passions on her. Well, forced her to see to his passions was the truth of it. He’d left her without seeing to her own pleasure, which was a first in his memory.

  “I’m sorry for the other night,” he said softly.

  She snorted and he turned to find her standing there with her hands fisted on her shapely hips. “Sorry? That’s all you have to say?”

  He glanced about and was relieved no one else was in the carriage house. “Hush.”

  She waved a hand. “There’s no one else here but us, Morrissey.”

  He straightened as he fumbled with the cloth. “True, the other staff rarely are.” At her nod he shook his head. “But it wouldn’t do for word of our tryst to reach Mrs. Holmes or Carstairs. We’d be out on our ears by morning.”

  Her mouth dropped open and he recalled just how sweet her kisses had been. “You have the right of it.”

  She walked closer, holding her wrap tightly at her chin as she did so. Her flowery scent reached him and he swallowed.

  “Still, you have yet to show me what you meant.”

  “What I meant?” he asked. “When?”

  She leaned toward him, tipping her face up into his. “You asked me to come see you if I changed my mind.”

  A lick of lust stroked down the front of him, causing his cock to twitch. “You don’t mean what you’re saying.”

  She shrugged. “What if I do?”

  He clicked his tongue at her. “Ah, you’re playing at being something you’re not.”

  She licked her lips and he bit back a groan. “Maybe I’m playing at something I want to be.”

  He brought his lips very close to hers then diverted attention to the bit of fragrant skin above the collar of her wrap. “I’d be happy to play along.” He gently nuzzled her and she shivered. “Just tell me when to stop.”

  She clutched at him and he pulled her close. There was no denying his body’s reaction and she moved against him.

  “You want me, Morrissey.”

  “Jared,” he rasped, catching her earlobe with his tee
th. “You’re driving me mad and you can’t address me by my given name?”

  She giggled softly. “Jared.”

  He did groan then, as her hand grasped him through his trousers. “What are you about, Rose?”

  “I want a bit of what you promised me.”

  He pulled back to stare down at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her pupils dilated. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

  “I saw how you looked at him.”

  Jared blinked. “At who?”

  “The new Hawk, Jared. Lord Waltham.”

  Jared stepped away from her. “I merely offered to drive his motor. This motor, to be precise.”

  Rose tilted her head then shrugged again. “He is quite handsome, he is. Strong and intense, like the earl. But not like the earl, you know?”

  He did, but she couldn’t know about their conversation in the inn. “How so?”

  “He seems…sad.”

  He saw by her sweet little pout that she felt for Robert Hawk. “Lonely, perhaps?”

  “Yes, lonely. That’s what I meant.”

  Her eyes glimmered and he guessed Robert wasn’t the only lonely one.

  “You’re lonely, too, aren’t you, Rose?”

  She stiffened and turned from him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “All alone in that bedroom of yours. Set apart from the others.”

  “I’m the countess’s maid, Jared. It’s my due.”

  “And your duty.”

  “Yes.” She turned back to him. “And what of it?”

  Jared took her chilled hands in his. “You don’t have to be alone. Not all the time.”

  “I have to keep my position, Jared. I can’t go back to my family. Not penniless and not in disgrace.”

  “Disgrace?” Her words soured his belly. “Then why are you here if not asking me to give you a bit of disgrace?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Oh, I didn’t mean such a thing! I want you to give me a bit of passion, Jared. How did you put it. To love me a little?”

  His heart beat faster at her words. “Truly?”

  She came close again and brought herself up on her tiptoes. “I want your kisses, Jared. I want what we shared in my room. There’s no disgrace in that.”