“Yes, dear. It’s terribly hot. Don’t stay away too long. It’s best to be visible tonight.”
She was already heading for the door. People stared at her as she passed. She smiled and nodded to each of them. Some were acquaintances and others gossips, but she treated them all the same. Let them think what they wanted. She wouldn’t be made to hide at home and cower. She picked her head up even higher.
Once she was at the back of the room, she quietly slipped out the open door. Even fall’s cool air couldn’t cut through the stuffiness of the ballroom.
The fine weather had coaxed a few people outside. Elinor moved into the shadows. No one turned to see her, and she continued quietly along the outside of the dim patio, descended several steps, and rounded a shrubbery into the darkness of the gardens.
A full moon provided the only light. The white pebble path shone, but the manicured bushes did not allow her to see much beyond it. She walked for a few minutes. Every bush looked the same, and the path gave no clues to how far she’d come. She wouldn’t find Michael and would never find her way back to the house.
An arm snaked around her waist and pulled her hard against a male body. The warm scent of soap and vanilla mixed with Michael’s distinctly male aroma sent a shiver down her back.
“Michael,” she whispered and leaned back against him.
His mouth was just at the curve of her ear. “How was your dance?”
“Are you jealous?” She pushed her bottom into him.
He moaned. “You’re damned right, I am jealous.”
Turning, she put her arms around his neck. She leaned forward and kissed his lips softly, allowing their breath to mingle. “There is no reason for you to be.”
“No?” He pushed her an arm’s length away. “Middleton is in love with you. You must know that.”
“He has not made any declarations of the kind.” She pressed against him from knees to neck. “I am in love with you. Preston is our good friend who is helping us out of a difficult situation.”
He mumbled something.
“I thought you went and saw him yesterday. Didn’t the two of you discuss what would happen this evening?”
“It is one thing to sit in a library and discuss the idea of another man showing desire for one’s fiancé. It is quite another to see her in that other man’s arms.”
“I am in your arms now, as you knew I would be. And next week, I will be your wife and in your bed every night for the rest of our lives.”
“Mmm. That is worth even the price of watching you dance with Middleton.” He kissed the skin between her shoulder and her neck.
She tilted her head to give him better access and sighed as her desire blossomed.
“We should return to the ball.” He kissed a line from her throat to her shoulder.
She yearned to rip off her clothes and press against him like the wanton she’d become. “You are probably right. We are supposed to be disrupting a scandal, not creating a new one.”
His laugh rumbled deep in his chest. Feeling the vibration, she pushed herself tighter to him. He warmed her through their clothes.
“Elinor, you are driving me mad.” He groaned.
“I am driving myself mad as well.” She took a breath to steady herself.
“It’s only one more week.”
“It will seem like an eternity.” She pressed her hips hard against his obvious desire. It sent glorious sensations shooting through her.
Michael ran his hand up along her waist to the side of her breast, then gently caressed the swell of her breast above the gown. His fingers slipped beneath the fabric, pinching the rigid nipple.
She pushed her chest forward, unable to resist the delight he provided.
Gently, he tugged her bodice until her bosom popped free. Immediately, he lowered his head and took her into his mouth.
She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out. Wantonly, she arched against his suckling mouth, wanting more.
Far too soon, he raised his head and returned her gown to its proper position.
She was about to complain, but his hand had moved to her hip, then lower to her thigh, where he eased up her dress. Once he had reached the bottom, his hand caressed the sensitive skin of her thigh through her light chemise. He ran his fingers over the delicate fabric, lifting it as well.
When his skin met hers, her legs quivered.
His hand ran down the back of her thigh and up again, squeezing her bottom and pulling her against his erection.
A familiar tightening flooded her. She would let him take her in the garden with half of London within earshot. She wanted him, wanted this.
He traced down to the back of her knee and up again until two fingers settled between her thighs.
Gasping, she clung to his shoulders, burying her face in his chest.
“Oh, Elinor, so soft and wet, so beautiful.” His voice strained.
Her own passion was so intense, everything else faded away. She thrust against his probing fingers.
Moments might have passed, or it could have been an hour. She erupted against his hand.
His mouth covered hers muffling her cries. He crushed her to him until the wave of ecstasy flowed gently away, leaving her like a willow in his arms.
She shook and clutched his shoulders until the orgasm calmed.
“We will have to go inside soon, love. People have probably already noticed our absence.”
“Yes, I know.” She remained clinging to him in the garden’s darkness.
“Elinor?”
She sighed and took a deep breath before stepping out of his arms. “I have to find an alternate entrance, one that is not so public. I am sure I look as if I’ve been ravaged.”
“Let’s see if there’s a servant entrance.” Laughter rang in his voice, but he took her hand and led her down the path.
She stumbled along beside him. “How can you see anything? It’s dark as pitch out here. I can barely see the path.”
“Practice, I suppose.”
Elinor quaked with the notion of all back alleys and woods he must have slunk through as a spy. She shuddered at the danger he had put himself in for so many years.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“No.”
“Well, here is a door. Stay here a moment and I’ll check where it leads.”
She nodded in the darkness, but he must have seen her, because a second later she stood alone in the dark. She should have been frightened, but the delight of what transpired in the garden kept her happy.
The door opened, startling her out of deep thoughts of rapture. Michael took her hand and pulled her inside.
“This seems to be a private family entrance. The Brashers must have felt a need for a discreet entrance.” He looked down at her with a wicked grin.
Elinor giggled.
“There is a small lady’s parlor through that door.” He pointed to the door on the left. “It is empty. I believe that if you follow this hall to its end, you will arrive back at the foyer.”
“I see.” She would need a few minutes to gather her wits.
“Will you be all right?”
Loving him so intensely would make for many such entrances over their lifetime. Unable to contain her joy, she smiled up at him in the shadowy hall and touched his cheek. “I will be fine. You had better go.”
He kissed her lips, then went back out the private doorway.
Chapter 24
By the time the Kerburghe carriage had delivered Elinor and her mother home in the early morning hours of the next day, any rumors of what might have happened in Scotland were pushed aside as impossible. Elinor was the talk of the town. No woman ever had two dukes bidding for her affections at the same time. It was unheard of. At least, that’s what the paper printed. The only explanation was that the lady was extraordinary. All eyes should be focused on the wedding of the season, to take place on the next Saturday.
Elinor couldn’t have cared less about the gossip. All she cared about was making it to the following Saturday without anything going wrong.
* * * *
The crowd outside the St. George’s the following Saturday was the largest in memory. The streets were so thick with people that the carriages couldn’t pass. Elinor chewed on her fingernails looking out the window. How would they ever get to her own wedding?
Making matters worse, Virginia screamed at the driver to push through. “Move forward, man!”
“Mother, stop yelling. If Jones could move, he would. I do not want anyone killed by our carriage on the way to church.”
“We will never get through. How long do you think the congregation will wait?”
Elinor thought about that and smiled. She had a vision of the entire sanctuary being empty, save Michael and the pastor whom Michael had forced to wait. She laughed aloud.
“I see nothing funny,” Virginia scolded.
“Michael will wait. That’s all I care about.”
“I wish your father were here.”
That wiped the smile off Elinor’s face. “If Father were here, the two of you would be yelling at poor Jones, and we still would not be moving.”
“I sent him a letter this morning.” Virginia pursed her lips and crossed her arms.
“I am sure Father will be thrilled to hear of my happy nuptials.”
“Don’t be so harsh, Elinor. Your father loves you very much.”
“He loves money and power more.” It was bitterness, but Elinor couldn’t help it. She had not yet forgiven her father. Perhaps she never would.
A commotion in the street turned her attention toward the window.
Eyes wide, Elinor watched as the unwilling crowd made way for three riders to advance toward the carriage.
Markus Flammel, Thomas Wheel, and Daniel Fallon were all mounted and heading to the waylaid carriage.
Inch by inch through the complaining onlookers, the three made progress until Thomas Wheel, smartly dressed for the wedding, arrived at the carriage door.
She couldn’t help the joy welling up inside her. These friends of hers and Michael’s were extraordinary.
He made a half bow in the saddle. “My lady, I am afraid when you marry one of us, you must accept all four as family.”
She laughed. “You say that as if it is a bad thing, Mr. Wheel.”
He smiled brightly. “Today you will be happy to have us, but I expect that there will be a day in the future that our presence will become a nuisance.”
“Mr. Wheel, if you can get me to my wedding, I will forgive you any transgressions in the future.”
Tugging on the horse’s reins, Thomas nodded, his eyes full of amusement. “You may come to regret those words, but we will get you there.”
The three riders moved into position in front of the carriage and nudged the throngs of people aside enough to allow for the carriage to roll forward. It still took over an hour to make the short trip to the church, but they did arrive, and everyone was still there waiting for the bride.
The people in the street oohed and aahed as she descended the carriage. Great cheers rose up as she walked into the church. Then the doors closed behind her, and there was silence.
Hundreds of faces stared, but the only one she cared about had bright blue eyes that twinkled in the candlelight of the altar as they looked down the center aisle at her.
Markus Flammel, Dory’s brother and longtime family friend, walked Elinor down the aisle.
When he handed her over to Michael, she gasped for the breath to thank him.
He smiled and joined his wife, Emma, in the second pew.
Elinor took her place next to Michael.
“Are you all right?” he whispered.
“I am here now. That is all that matters.”
The pastor cleared his throat to get the bride and groom’s attention. He was obviously annoyed by the long wait.
He spoke of duty and obedience, and the perils of desire and depravity.
Elinor listened but heard only a word here and there. She and Michael faced each other, and she was lost in his eyes. When it was her turn to answer, she turned to the pastor momentarily before turning back to those stunning eyes and saying, “I do.”
* * * *
Michael never took his gaze from hers as he too answered in the affirmative. The ornate church filled with murmurs as he said the words that would make Elinor his for a lifetime.
The moment after they were pronounced man and wife, they rushed from the church.
The people still waited in the street.
Michael turned toward his bride, pulled her to him, and kissed her soundly on the lips.
A roar went up in the crowd.
Elinor blushed the prettiest shade of pink.
It took two hours to make the twenty-minute ride to the Burkenstock townhouse, where the wedding breakfast was served later than expected.
After two hours of laughing and speech-making, Michael had all he could take of the celebration. His only desire was to have his wife to himself.
His wife. He couldn’t believe she was his.
He looked around the room at each of his three best friends.
Each looked back and nodded. Their silent communication had always come in handy. Now they let him know that they understood he was leaving the party.
At the far end of the table, Preston Knowles sat talking to Daniel’s younger sister. He broke from his conversation with the lovely Cecilia Fallon and looked over.
To Michael’s surprise, he also nodded his understanding.
In all the years since Michael, Daniel, Markus, and Thomas had met, no one else had shared their special communication. It would seem now there were five of them. Elinor had described Preston as their friend. Perhaps she was correct.
Michael nodded back.
He leaned down toward his new bride. “I think it’s time to go, love.”
She looked up smiling. Without a word, she took his hand, and the two of them quietly left the reception.
Much to her maid’s distress, Elinor did not even change into traveling clothes. The luggage was already loaded, so the couple put coats over their wedding clothes and climbed into the carriage waiting outside.
* * * *
When Elinor and Michael arrived at Kerburghe, repairs on the castle were already underway. It would take a while, and the colder weather was already slowing the progress, but soon enough the ancient structure would be whole again.
It was late and they had been on the road for two days, only stopping once to rest.
Michael woke for the first time in the master’s chamber. It was stark, with no rug and stone walls, but it was his. He breathed deeply the scent of fresh linens. The night before permeated his mind and his arousal returned as well. He rolled over to pull his sumptuous wife to him and found only more linen.
His heart beat tripled in an instant, and he leaped naked from the bed. The room was empty.
“Elinor.” She might have gone to use the privy. He held back the panic building in his gut.
No reply.
Throwing on his trousers and blouse in an instant, he was still pulling on his boots as he rushed through the door and crashed headlong into his valet, Peters.
“Your grace?” Peters called from the hallway floor.
“Sorry. Have you seen her grace?” Michael helped him from the floor. He was thin and tall and dressed as a valet should be, with every piece of clothing starched and clean. Even after the collision and fall, he remained impeccable.
“No, sir, should I look for her?”
He heard laughter from the window at the end of the hall.
“What is that?”
“The church children are playing in the courtyard. Do you want me to send them away?” The valet looked almost eager t
o shoo the children from the premises.
The bubble of bliss filled him, and he slapped Peters on the shoulder. “No. I think I can guess where my wife is.”
Michael followed the sound of the children’s laughter until he arrived in the front courtyard. Half a dozen children, ranging from two to about eight, played with a small dog and a stick.
Wrapped in an ermine fur-lined cape, Elinor sat on the steps watching them. The sweetest smile tugged at her lips. She shivered on the cold stone steps. Winter fast approached, even in the lowlands.
Kneeling behind her, he pulled her from the stone and slid his body beneath hers, so she was in his lap protected from the chill.
“Michael.” She relaxed into his lap.
“I woke to an empty bed and thought you had been whisked away from me yet again.”
“Never.” She kissed his chin.
The children tossed a stick to a small dog that yapped and dragged the thing around the courtyard. Laughter filled the air as they chased the dog to get the stick back.
“Who are they?” Michael asked.
“Orphans that the priest looks after while he tries to find them homes.” She pulled the ermine tighter.
“So many from such a small village.” Michael had a lot of work to do to learn about the people under his protection. He would start after they broke their fast.
She nodded. “There was a fire a few months ago, and several people were killed. Their parents were among the dead. I am told four of them will go to some family that has been located in the far north. They are coming down to get them, but cold weather in the highlands has delayed their arrival.”
“And the other two?” Michael hated to think of any child growing up without parents, but these children were now his responsibility. Guilt for not trekking to Scotland immediately after he’d been elevated settled in his chest.
She shrugged. “Jimmie, the older boy, and Sarah, the baby, are brother and sister. No family could be located for them. They will stay with the priest until he can find a family willing to take one or the other in.”
“They’ll be separated?”
She nodded, and a tear dripped on his hand. He looked up and saw tears quietly rolling down Elinor’s cheeks.
Michael’s heart wretched at the idea of siblings being separated. Having almost lost Everett, he couldn’t bear the idea. Had the gunshot wound killed his brother, he wouldn’t have been at his wedding, nor would he have lived to stand at his own. One day, in the not-so-distant future, he would watch Everett take a bride. It would give him great joy knowing his brother’s child would inherit a dukedom. He had to stay a bout of his own emotion.
Foolish Bride Page 25