by Sarah Thorn
“I hope I’m not interrupting” I heard Marvin’s voice behind me. I turned my head around and craned my neck up to look at him. He was smiling again and it filled my heart with instant delight.
“Just watching the sun set” I said and looked away from him. I could sense him move and he sat down beside me, at least a foot away.
“It is gorgeous” he said and I turned to look at his profile. The fading light lit up his silhouette as he looked away towards the distance. He now had a bit of blonde stubble around his jaw, and he looked much older.
“Look. I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable” he said after neither of us had spoken for a few minutes.
“You don’t have to keep apologizing. It isn’t your fault. I’ve just been very stupid” I said and took another sip of my milkshake. He had turned to look at me and I caught his eyes, unwavering and strong. I don’t know where I had suddenly developed the strength to stare into his eyes and not worry about blushing.
“If you say so. But I don’t know why you think you were stupid. I thought we had a great time together”, he said and I watched as his red lips moved. I was drowning in his bright blue eyes and I didn’t care anymore.
“I don’t know either why I feel that way. I guess I just wanted an adventure and not have to worry about it. You know? Just get on with my life” I said and tore away from his gaze finally.
“Well, you still can. It’s not like I’ll stalk you forever” he said and I didn’t reply. I knew he was right but I didn’t know why I still felt like it had been a mistake. He had been nothing but charming and kind to me from the moment we had met.
“Is it because you’re feeling things that you didn’t expect a one-night-stand to make you feel?” he asked softly. His words came out in dribbles, shaking my world as I remained silent and chose to hang my head low. I concentrated on my leather boots instead.
“Because that is how I feel” Marvin said and I jerked my head up to look at him. I didn’t expect him to confess his feelings. I didn’t even know he had feelings!
“Yes” I said finally and blushed a bright red. Marvin smiled but looked away nonetheless.
“I knew we had a connection. I knew you were going to be more than just an adventurous drunken fling” I heard him say slowly.
“But I don’t want to feel this way” I said pleadingly. I was embarrassed by my own voice and my heart stopped beating when he moved himself closer to me. Our thighs were grazing now and he crept his hand over to mine, the one that was lying on my side. He engulfed my hand in his own big palms and I shut my eyes tight and looked away from him.
“It won’t be a disaster if you don't treat it like one” he said after a few minutes. Our hands were locked together, and I cold smell his cologne and my senses were reeling.
“You’re going to be gone in six months. This time you will actually be gone” I said, I could feel tears pricking my eyelids and I felt stupid. I couldn’t believe that the situation was making me cry. My hands were in his and all it did was break my heart.
“It doesn’t mean that it has to end what we can possibly build in six months. That is a lot of time” he said. He had leaned in closer to my ear and I could feel his breath on my cheek. I was so close to kissing him, but I was more interested in the words that were coming out of his mouth.
“What do you mean? How is it going to work if we are in two different continents Marvin?” I asked him, meeting his eyes daringly even though I could feel the pool of water around my eyes.
“We aren’t captives. We can decide what we want to do and where we want to do it. Nobody and nothing is holding me back in England for starters” he said hurriedly. I could see him trying to convince me with his words. In that moment all I wanted to do was throw my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest.
“I like the sound of that” I finally managed to give him a smile and he smiled widely back at me.
“Good” he said and he didn’t ask permission, he just leaned in and bit my lower lip. Just when he was pulling away I grasped his neck with my hand and pulled him to me again, kissing him with a new found passion and hope. Marvin turned his body to face mine and pressed up closer to me. Even though we had layers of clothing between us I could feel the growing heat emanating from his body.
He broke away from me suddenly and laughed, just as he had done that first night at the end of the Tower Bridge. “You really know how to surprise me Amber” he said through his laughs and I couldn’t help but join him in laughter.
“I could say the same about you Marvin” I said when I managed to stop.
“Marvin. That name sounds good in your mouth” he said just before pulling me to him again and kissing my throat.
****
THE END
CLEAN REGENCY Romance - Saved From a Scoundrel
Chapter One
Lady Isabeau Camm collapsed in a cushioned chair in the row along the wall, waving her fan in front of her face. It was entirely too hot in the ballroom, and there were entirely too many people there. She continued fanning herself until she saw Anne coming toward her. She lifted her fan high in the air and called out loudly, “Anne! Anne! Over here!”
Anne saw her and made a beeline toward Isabeau, dropping herself into a chair next to her.
“Oh, Izzie!” Anne looked as exhausted as Isabeau felt. “It feels like this ball will never be over. We should just start walking home.”
“It’s much too cold to walk, Anne.” Anne had lived next door to Isabeau and her family since they were very small children. They had played together from the very early ages, sharing dolls and secrets throughout the years. This was their first time on the season and were both trying very hard to keep up with the Ton and present the best appearances possible.
“Do I look terrible, Anne?” Isabeau raised the hand she wasn’t using to hold the fan and patted down her auburn hair, feeling just a few strands that had come loose from the barrettes and pins. She instantly flushed, picturing her hair fluffed out all over her head. Anne shook her head.
“No, you look beautiful, Isabeau,” Anne said, using her handkerchief to dab at her forehead and face. “My, it is quite hot in here. Someone should open some windows and doors.”
“Let’s take a walk on the veranda, Anne. Come on.” She stood up and held out one hand to her friend. Anne took it and stood up. They made their way through the pressing bodies to the massive double glass doors that looked out over the veranda and the vast field beyond. Anne pressed the door handle down and swung the window doors out wide. The two women instantly felt a breeze flow past them, and they both sighed, enjoying it immensely.
“This was a wonderful idea, Isabeau.” Anne stepped out into the evening, taking a small fan similar to Isabeau’s out of her handbag and opening it. I thought I might die in there!”
“Me too.” Isabeau nodded. “I don’t want to be on the verge of fainting when I have my next dance.”
“Who do you have next?” Anne took her card from her bag and put the fan back in it. “I have…” She scanned the card. “It looks like Lord Rupert is next in line.”
Isabeau laughed softly. “Lord Rupert. I have already danced with him. Watch his hands and be careful of his feet. He is quite a talker, as well. My goodness, his business is doing so well, you would think he would be the richest Lord on earth, richer than God!”
The girls laughed. Isabeau glanced at her card. “I have Jonathan Barnaby. He’s an Earl, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is extremely wealthy!” Anne raised her eyebrows. “He would be a good husband, I would think. But he’s very young. I’ve danced with him, too. He’s very agreeable.”
“I don’t want to marry anyone unless I love him,” Isabeau said. “I don’t care if he is a rich man or a pauper.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply anything otherwise, Izzie. I know you. I wonder, though, if you would really feel the same passion for a pauper as you would for a Lord. Having money does make a difference.”
“Mo
ney also changes the way people are inside,” Isabeau said. “I know several wealthy men who had delightful personalities until they became wealthy.”
“I think it’s different when they already have a fortune they have inherited through their family name. I think men with old money are a little more judgmental than the others who have had to work their way to wealth.”
“I would agree with that.” Isabeau nodded her head. “It is because they were once paupers themselves…or close to it. When you are poor, and you grow up to be rich, you can see things from both perspectives.”
“Who else do you have on your card? There are four more dances. After Lord Rupert, I have good old hairy Lord Henry.”
“Oh no!” They both laughed. Lord Henry had not cut his hair from the time he was about ten years old. He was another local, and both girls knew him well. They were all friends and had a good time together, so her dance with him was more for fun than anything
The doors the girls had come out of burst open and two young men came through in a hurry, their eyes in search of something. When they spotted the girls, they both called out to them.
“Anne! Isabeau! We’ve been looking for both of you!”
The women turned to see Lord Rupert and Earl Barnaby heading toward them.
“Oh!” Anne flushed. “Have we lost track of time? Oh dear! Has the next dance started?”
Lord Rupert held out his hand to her, flashing a brilliant smile that made his eyes flash. “If we hurry, we won’t miss more than a few moments!”
Anne matched Lord Rupert’s smile, took his hand, and the two of them jogged across the veranda to the door, slipping in swiftly.
“Well, they are very much in a hurry to dance, aren’t they?” Earl Barnaby turned a smile to Isabeau. “I, however, am less motivated to find a spot on the floor. I am feeling…a bit overheated in there.”
“That’s why we came out here.” Isabeau nodded. “It is extremely hot in there. And with that many people crowded in there…I’m actually quite surprised by how many people came tonight. It’s as if everyone from all around the country came here for this one ball.”
The Earl laughed. He held out his hand, and she took it, letting him take her back across the veranda to the doors. “I think that would be quite a lot more people,” he said when they got to the doors. He stopped her when she put her hand on the door handle.
“We don’t need to go in yet, do we? Shall we skip this dance? Or perhaps dance out here? I can hear the music fine. Can you?”
Isabeau was intrigued. It would be quite lovely to dance out here on the veranda. She lifted her arms and smiled at him. He put his arm around her slender waist, and they began to dance. “Have you had any interesting partners yet?”
“None that had me dancing on the veranda,” she responded softly.
“It certainly seems less stressing than being in there, surrounded by all the others and feeling somewhat suffocated.”
“I agree. How have you fared tonight? Any of the Ladies catch your eye?”
“None yet, present company excluded. I must say I am enjoying this dance in particular.”
“That is very pleasing to hear.” Isabeau smiled at him. “You realize that if we are spotted, everyone will come out here, and we will be surrounded once again?”
“I’ll take that chance. It’s a nice evening out here. I don’t want to stop now.”
“I’m glad! I don’t either!”
They laughed, and he spun her in a circle. They finished the dance several minutes later, and he stepped back a foot to bow deeply to her. “That was a lovely dance, Lady Isabeau! Most enjoyable! I do hope you will consider me as a friend and we can dance again next time we see each other!”
She lowered her head. “I certainly would like that, Earl Barnaby.”
“Please, we must dispense with the formalities! I am Jonathan to my friends and you, dear lady, I do call friend.”
“Thank you very much, Ea…Jonathan.” She giggled.
He took her hand and kissed it as the doors opened and several people came wandering through. Isabeau looked, but Anne was not one of them.
It was Tomas Hurley. He was the brother of a duke, the beloved Edward Hurley, who was a business acquaintance of her father. But unlike, the Duke, Tomas was rather disagreeable. He had an unpleasant look on his face.
Isabeau’s heart hardened instantly, and she pulled back a little, not wanting to be too close to him until she had to be. He was on her card and she had forgotten it. She probably didn’t want to remember. He had a strange fascination with her, and if she could have avoided the invitation, she definitely would have. But her mother had insisted that both the Duke and his brother would be on her card, whether or not she liked them. They were prominent in society and must not be shunned.
She watched as Tomas Hurley passed the Earl. Both men nodded once and said the first name of the other. There was no love lost between them. She wasn’t surprised. She took a few steps toward the door, hoping to avoid having to speak to him but he was coming straight for her.
She curtsied when he got closer. “Mr Hurley. How are you feeling this evening?”
“I’m doing well.” His voice was somewhat high-pitched, reminding her of what she felt a weasel would sound like if it could talk. “I saw that Earl Barnaby had to go in search of you before the last dance. I hope you will see to it that I do not have to do the same.”
“I…I do believe there is another gentleman before you on my dance card,” she said hesitantly. She didn’t want to dance with him in the first place, much less go out of her way to make sure she was present on time.
“Precisely why I came to find you. I have told you previously of my fondness for you. It looks somewhat inappropriate for you to be dancing with another man on the veranda where no one else is present.”
Isabeau blinked. It was true that he had expressed his desire to see her more often, and he had come by the house on occasion to make it clear to her family, as well. But they knew she had no affection for him, which doubled her frustration that her mother had insisted Tomas Hurley be on her dance card.
“I…am sorry that you feel that way, Mr Hurley. If you would like to cancel your dance with me because of this blight, I would understand.” She could only wish. She knew he would answer the way he did.
“No, I am still willing to dance with you. You will just have to curb your desire to stray when you don’t believe you are being seen.”
Isabeau felt rage surge through her. Outwardly, she curtsied again and smiled at him as she went past. She dared not say a word or her anger would betray her. She wondered if she could run out the door before her dance with him and make it home before he could sound an alarm. She could barely contain her anger, and it ruined the dance with Lord Carlisle, who was next on her card. He was friendly, but she could do no more than fake a smile and dread the moment she would be dancing with Mr Hurley.
There was a ten-minute break before the last two dances. Isabeau spent that time standing to the side with Anne, wishing she had the courage just to leave. If it hadn’t been for the Duke, Tomas Hurley’s agreeable brother, she would have. She knew it meant a lot to be on the Duke’s good side and if that meant dancing with his brother, then so be it.
The time was almost upon her. She felt pressured, anxious.
“Oh, I am not going to like this dance, Anne.” She moaned. Anne took her hand and squeezed it.
“I know. I didn’t enjoy my dance with him either. He is very cold and goes through the motions as if I was a big doll of some kind. He only has eyes for you and that is a sad situation for you, my dear.”
“I know. It is extremely troublesome. I fear what he might do when he realizes I am not going to marry him. I don’t even want to dance with him.”
Anne nodded. “I understand. It’s only a short while. Then you will be free of him.”
“But for how long? Until he comes knocking at my door again?” She shook her head and sighed.
&n
bsp; “Here he comes,” Anne said, dropping her eyes. “Stay calm and just dance, Izzie.”
Chapter Two
From the moment he had her in his arms, Mr Hurley was forceful and firm. He moved her around the dance floor instead of dancing with her. His movements were jerky, and he stomped his feet instead of moving them gracefully. She understood Anne’s analogy of a feeling like a doll. It was not easy to keep up with him.
When he began to talk to her, his words distracted her from his terrible dancing.
“I have been meaning to speak to your father, Lady Isabeau. I intend to ask for your hand. I believe you know that I have been feeling this way since the beginning of the Season.”
“I do,” she admitted, not knowing how to stop the conversation.
“When I speak to him, I would rather you be present so that you can be in agreement with me.”
“I…”
“I know that you have a busy schedule, but I’m sure you can free up some of your time. You will also need to inform any other suitors, such as Jonathan Barnaby, of your intentions so that there will be no more inappropriate behaviors on your part.”
“Mr Hurley…”
“You should call me Tomas, Isabeau. That is appropriate when courting.”
“Mr Hurley!” Isabeau forced herself to continue dancing and kept her voice down to a low hiss. “I am so sorry that you have gotten the wrong impression about my feelings for you. I have not agreed to court or marry you and cannot give my agreement to my father on your behalf.”
She saw his jawline tense up and was amazed that he continued dancing. He responded in an equally low and angry voice. “I have made my intentions clear to you for several weeks. You have not spurned my advances until now.”