Evangeline took a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself. Now that they had finished reading The Story of a Baron, she thought she might only see him in passing or perhaps at a ball, should her brother ever escort her to one. Although the baron had made a promise to her, its condition was in her brother’s hands, and she rather doubted the matter had been broached, given her brother’s bahavior.
Lord Sommers was calling on her. Yes, he was one of her brother’s friends, and yes, he probably spent far too much time playing cards at White’s, and, yes, there was the hint from something her brother had said that Sommers had at one time employed a mistress, but at that moment, none of those things mattered.
Besides, if the man had a wife, he would no doubt spend more time at Sommers Place, his Mayfair mansion in Cavendish Square, and less time pretending to be a rake.
He isn’t really a rake, Evangeline considered just then. He couldn’t be if he was a friend of her brother’s. Everly would never consort with a rake, although he might if said rake was an explorer or adventurer or a member of the Royal Society. Besides, in all the days they had sat together reading, he had only ever kissed her when she had asked to be kissed.
Well, there was that other time or two, she considered, feeling a blush coloring her face, but she had welcomed his advances. Encouraged them, even.
Evangeline had barely finished this last thought when she realized Lord Sommers was regarding her from the threshold. She struggled to withhold a gasp, for he was quite imposing, dressed for a ride in a smart, perfectly tailored scarlet jacket and buckskin breeches that hugged his muscular thighs. His black Hessians were polished to a high shine, and he held a riding crop in one black kid-gloved hand. She supposed she should have wondered why he hadn’t given it to the butler when he gave up his hat, but it seemed to give him an air of superiority. A shiver shot through her when she imagined him wielding it. What awful deed might she commit that would have him threatening her with it? Her cheeks blushed a bright pink when she realized what she was imagining.
Blinking in an effort to pull her thoughts from those better left in a bedchamber, Evangeline forced herself to concentrate on Lord Sommers’ other attributes.
Bowing deeply before saying a word of greeting, Jeffrey’s eyes seemed to caress her. “Lady Evangeline, please do pardon my interruption,” he said, his voice almost a plea.
Evangeline, her lips slightly parted from her surprise at his appearance, afforded him a deep curtsy. Even before she had returned to a standing position, Jeffrey had moved into the room and reached for her hand, lifting it to his lips so that he could bestow a kiss on her bare knuckles. His lips didn’t just brush over her skin as she expected they might, but rather took purchase and kissed her as he did the times he had kissed her lips. A tremor shook her body, the shock of his touch so unexpected and so pleasurable, she had to suppress another gasp. “Of course, Lord Sommers. You are most welcome at Rosemount whenever you should wish to call,” she managed to get out, keeping a small smile in place. She felt almost giddy that Jeffrey would kiss the back of her hand as he had done. Indeed, he hadn’t yet let go of her hand. And, at the moment, she didn’t really care if she ever took it back. As far as she was concerned, he could keep it.
Jeffrey seemed relieved to hear her response, his expression otherwise one of indecision. “My lady, I ...” He glanced back at the open door, wondering if the butler hovered somewhere beyond. “I know this may seem ... untoward,” he struggled to get out, “But I was wondering if we might go for a ride in the park a bit earlier than I indicated in my note. I realize it’s not the fashionable hour, but by that time this afternoon, I am rather hoping I will have completed courting you and have an affirmative response to my request for your hand in marriage. So that I might find myself on the morrow at Doctor’s Commons in pursuit of a special license so that we might marry in a few days.” The words came tumbling out, with no hint of embarrassment or self-doubt or regard for propriety.
Lady Evangeline stared at Jeffrey Althorpe for a moment, blinking before a brilliant smile appeared. “You’re not being the least bit untoward, Lord Sommers,” she replied with a slight shake of her head. Marriage? Lord Sommers truly intended to ask for her hand! Just as he had promised. Which meant he must have spoken with her brother.
“Jeffrey,” he stated, his hand moving to hold hers more tightly. “Remember, you should call me Jeffrey,” he added, taking a step closer to her.
“And you should call me Evangeline. Or Eva, if you prefer,” she countered, realizing her heart had settled into a rhythm that, although still entirely too fast, was at least quiet enough that she could hear her own words.
“Eva,” Sommers breathed, his lips suddenly hovering over hers.
Evangeline closed her eyes as his lips settled over hers, as the hand that held the riding crop moved to the back of her shoulder to pull her body just a bit closer. She took a step forward so that her entire body collided with the front of his.
Her free hand reached up to rest on his shoulder and then moved to the back of his neck as his lips opened against hers. She allowed her lips to follow suit, aware that the tip of his tongue was brushing over her teeth.
At some point, a moan or a mewl escaped her, which only encouraged Jeffrey to deepen the kiss. The hand that held hers released it and came to rest on the back of her waist, pulling her body harder against his. The hardening bulge behind the fall of his breeches pressed into her soft belly through the fabric of her gown. He rather wished there was less fabric separating them. Far less. None, in fact, but there would be more appropriate places for what he wanted to be doing with her just then.
Evangeline thrilled at the realization that she had caused his arousal, not for a moment frightened by what could happen next. Jeffrey was going to ask for her hand!
“Eva,” he whispered, his lips pulling away from hers so they could leave soft kisses along her jawline. Jeffrey wrapped one arm around Evangeline and used his free hand to keep her body pressed against his. “Eva,” he whispered again, loving the sound of her shortened name. He would call her that when they shared a marriage bed, he thought. And in the breakfast parlor, when they shared their morning meal.
“Jeffrey,” she whispered back, her hand sliding through the waves of his silken brown hair. She was sure she felt a shiver pass through him as his lips moved to her earlobe. In a moment, his teeth were teasing the soft flesh, sending shivers through Evangeline, much like the ones his caresses along her bare skin had caused the one night when she had asked for a kiss.
The hand behind her waist moved up and around so it rested on the side of one breast, the thumb caressing her suddenly hardening nipple. Evangeline couldn’t stifle the small shriek that erupted from her throat.
Jeffrey’s lips moved to cover hers, kissing her as he repeated the stroke over her nipple. “Marry me, Eva,” he whispered, his lips moving to cover hers before she could reply.
Evangeline nodded against his lips. When he finally pulled away to take a breath, she said simply, “Yes.” She was aware of the hand next to her breast moving to somewhere inside his coat, so that he had to pull his body away from hers for a moment. Then her left hand was held in his and a ring was sliding onto her finger.
“It’s not the real one, of course,” he murmured, his forehead coming to rest on hers. “But I’ll have one far better by tomorrow,” he promised, his whisper urgent.
Evangeline dared a glance at her left hand, stunned when she realized his opal signet ring was wrapped around her middle finger.
“You have made me a very happy man, Eva,” he whispered, his lips saying the words against hers.
“And you have made me a very happy woman, Jeffrey,” she replied with a sigh. “Perhaps ... perhaps we could just skip the ride and continue this instead?” she wondered, her words coming out in little breaths. Had she taken a moment to consider what she had jus
t said, she might have gasped at how much like Geraldine she was behaving at this very moment.She might even have begged forgiveness for her impropriety. But the look on Jeffrey’s face suggested he would be most disappointed if she did such a thing.
“As my lady wishes,” he replied with an enthusiastic nod. “Although, I do believe I need to sit down. You have left me quite unable to stand of my own volition.”
Eva giggled, leading him to a large wing chair. Even as he sat down, he pulled her atop him, settling her so her bottom rested on one of his thighs and her head settled against his shoulder. “My brother said nothing,” she whispered, suddenly irate that Everly didn’t share the good news of her impending betrothal to Lord Sommers before he left the house.
Jeffrey let out a snort. “That’s because I haven’t yet asked his permission to court you,” he replied, his arms wrapping around her body so his hands were clasped together as they rested on her hip.
“Oh?” Evangeline replied quietly, wondering if she should be disappointed that he hadn’t followed protocol. “I do not think he’ll object,” she murmured, reaching out with her lips to kiss his jaw.
“He had better not, or the Earl of Torrington will have his hide,” Jeffrey stated, his own lips moving to cover hers for a quick kiss.
Evangeline straightened on his lap, eliciting a slight gasp from Jeffrey as her hip pressed harder against his hardened manhood. “What does my godfather have to do with this?” she wondered, her brows furrowing together.
Jeffrey had to suppress a chuckle. “Your brother may be blind to love, my lady, but Grandby is not. He’s a rather convincing matchmaker when he puts his mind to it.”
Evangeline regarded Jeffrey for a moment. “You didn’t ask for my hand because he ordered you to do so, did you?” she asked, suddenly doubtful of the baron’s intentions.
Jeffrey tilted his head to one side. “No,” he replied carefully. “Although, I will admit I am asking a bit sooner than I expected to be allowed to, only because he said he would see to your brother on my behalf.”
His future baroness seemed satisfied with his answer, for she settled her head back onto his shoulder. “Would it be alright if we had a small, quiet wedding?” she whispered, her lashes resting on the tops of her cheekbones as if she might take a nap in a moment or two.
A chuckled erupted from Jeffrey just then. “I would prefer it, but I want you to have the wedding of your dreams,” he murmured sleepily.
“Mmm,” she purred, her eyes still closed.
In a moment, her even breathing indicated to Jeffrey that she had fallen asleep in his arms. He gave a sigh of his own as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the scent of honeysuckle that wafted around her honey blonde bun and ringlets.
Not only had Lady Evangeline given him the kind of response he could only fantasize about and write in a book, she had been everything Jeffrey had hoped for the woman he would one day marry. Even if that day was just a few days hence.
Had he followed Grandby’s instructions to the letter, he would be taking the lady for a ride in the park later that afternoon, perhaps choosing to detour on foot through the lesser-used walking paths among the trees.
He would ask to court her before they left the park, and then he would ask for her hand when he was depositing her on the steps of Rosemount House with the promise of a ring the following day.
Instead, he had managed to accomplish an entire afternoon of courting in just a few moments. Well, he considered that most of the courting had happened the week before. All the time they had spent together reading his book had given him time to realize Evangeline was nothing like Geraldine and everything he wanted in a wife.
And an even greater miracle was that, despite the fact that the butler hovered just outside the parlor door, the man never once interrupted Lady Evangeline’s nap to take issue with him over the impropriety of how he held her or how she was positioned rather suggestively against most of his body. He was just deciding he was going to enjoy being leg-shackled when the sound of a carriage turning into the drive caused Evangeline to give a start and suddenly open her eyes.
“Good afternoon, my beautiful,” Jeffrey whispered with a teasing grin.
There was a moment when Evangeline thought she had simply moved from one dream to the next, for to wake up in the arms of a man as handsome as Jeffrey Althorpe wasn’t something she thought to do again – especially after the one night in the parlor. But the light press of his lips against her forehead brought her back to reality and she smiled. “Are you quite sure you can abide a wife who would fall asleep in the arms of her intended?” she whispered, her furrowed brows suggesting she was quite serious.
Jeffrey blinked. “Absolutely,” he replied with a nod. He kissed her then, most thoroughly, just as the sound of the front door closing reached his ears.
Evangeline was quite sure she had never moved so quickly in her life, especially when it wasn’t of her own doing. For one moment she was nestled against the front of her betrothed, and the next she was sitting quite primly on the settee and Jeffrey was back in the wing chair with a cup of tea covering the bulge in his crotch, regarding her as if none of the previous thirty minutes had happened.
Her brother’s entrance into the parlor might have been a bit on the violent side, he no doubt having been briefed by Jones regarding the presence of Jeffrey. But when Harry found his sister regarding him with an arched eyebrow and Jeffrey quite properly seated across from her, he relaxed. “Is it ...is it done then?” he asked, his attention going back and forth between the two.
Jeffrey Althorpe stood and gave Evangeline’s brother a nod, wondering if Grandby had just spoken to the man. “I have asked for your sister’s hand, and she has accepted,” he replied with another nod. “And, as Lady Evangeline would prefer a small ceremony, I will see to a special license so that we might marry ...”
“Did you ruin her?” the earl interrupted suddenly, his attention darting from Evangeline to the baron. “It seems my sister is the current on-dit and not for her propensity to read too much.”
“Harry!” Evangeline cried out in surprise, her fists suddenly clenching at her sides. “How dare you?”
Jeffrey held his hand out in front of Evangeline, as if he meant to protect her from her brother. “And if I did?” he countered, his chin raised in defiance.
Evangeline gasped. “You did no such thing!”
Jeffrey gave her a passing glance and turned his attention back to Lord Everly. “I kissed her. Several times,” he stated proudly. “And I’ll kiss her whenever I want to, I’ll have you know.”
“But, I’m the one that asked to be kissed!” Evangeline argued, turning to her brother to poke a finger into his chest. “And I am not ruined,” she added before turning to Jeffrey to poke the same finger into his chest. “And you’ll kiss me whenever I allow it. And whenever I want you to,” her voice lowering a bit with the last demand.
Jeffrey blinked, not quite sure how to interpret her demand. “My lady, I really wish you could be a bit more agreeable,” he commented, his brows furrowing in concern.
“I’ll have you know I am usually very agreeable,” Evangeline countered as she crossed her arms over her bosom, suggesting she wasn’t about to agree on the matter. “Especially on the subject of kisses.”
Harry Tennison regarded the two people who stood before him, crossing his own arms in a move that made him look very much like his sister. “So, when’s the wedding?” he asked with a sigh that suggested he was quite bored with their childish behavior.
“Next week,” the two replied simultaneously. They both blinked and turned to regard one another in surprise. “That would be lovely,” Evangeline whispered, giving her husband-to-be a tentative smile and a nod.
“Ah, something we can all agree on, I see,” Lord Everly said with a much larger smile. “If you are in
need of her services, Lady Torrington has offered her help in arranging the nuptials.” The earl shrugged and gave the two each a nod. “What a relief. I was in fear I might have to arrange for Evangeline to move to a nunnery.”
Evangeline gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. “You wouldn’t dare!” she cried, her protest drowning out Jeffrey’s sound of disbelief.
Her brother shrugged and then grinned. “That was my favorite part of the book,” he whispered in Jeffrey’s direction, his comment eliciting a pair of dropped jaws and expressions of disbelief. “Instead, I can get on with arranging my next trip. I was beginning to think I’d be stuck in England for the rest of my life.”
Before either his sister or his future brother-in-law could respond, he added, “If you need me for anything, sister, I shall be at the Royal Society.” He turned his attention to Jeffrey. “And I shall see you later at White’s. Good day to you both,” he said, giving Jeffrey and Evangeline a bow and then turning to leave the house.
Evangeline barely had a chance to curtsy and Jeffrey didn’t even bother to try, his mouth still open in shock.
When had the earl had time to read the book?
He turned slowly toward Evangeline, his look of astonishment slowly changing to a simple grin. “That went well,” he said, reaching out to wrap his arms around her shoulders. He pulled her against the front of his body and kissed her on the forehead. “You were positively brilliant.”
Her body suddenly stiff, Evangeline raised her head to regard her fiancé. “I wasn’t acting,” she murmured, her manner suggesting she was still rather miffed with him.
Jeffrey was about to say he wasn’t either, but thought it safer that he simply hold her a moment. “Please, don’t be angry with me, Eva,” he whispered. “It’s all worked out to everyone’s satisfaction. The kissing, at least.”
Evangeline relaxed and wrapped her arms around his waist, her head finally falling against his shoulder. “I’m not angry, truly,” she replied. “Offended just a bit, but not angry,” she added with a sigh.
The Story of a Baron (The Sisters of the Aristocracy) Page 27