“All right!” Jasper strutted into the house, his men behind him. “We’re going to head off. Daisy, Bridget, Connor, and the Wentz family, you’re in carriage four. Peter, Bernadette, Merrill, Anne, and Lester, you’re in carriage three. Hooper, Watson, Brighton, Adam, and Hazel, you’re in carriage two. Stephen, Annabelle, Christine, us, and the babies are in the first carriage. Are you all ready?”
We all nodded. I was disappointed I wasn’t in the carriage with Christine and Annabelle, but they’d have their hands full with the little ones. Together we left Wolf’s Peak behind and climbed into the carriages. I sat next to Adam, while the men sat across from us. Hooper and Watson, the coroner and detective inspector, were familiar with each other, but I didn’t know them well. We mostly stayed quiet during our trip into the city.
“So, what should I expect at the trial?” I asked Adam as we rolled along. “Have you ever had to testify in front of the elders before?”
“A few times,” he said. “They’ll just want to ask you questions about your time at Ashford Castle and our ambush.”
“That seems easy enough.”
He kissed me on the forehead. “I’m sure you’ll do fantastically.”
“Hazel, how is your ankle feeling?” Dr. Brighton asked me from across the carriage.
I flexed my ankle, finally free of its cast. “Much better, thank you.”
“It’ll still be a little weak for a while, but should heal well.”
“I appreciate all your help,” I told him. It was nice not to have to limp anywhere.
The road shifted underneath us from dirt to pavestones and I looked out the window to see that we were in Ervine. Black smoke billowed from the smokestacks as we traveled through the grimy town. It wasn’t long before we pulled up to the train station.
We climbed from the carriages. It was wonderful to be able to stretch after hours of sitting. We all joined together in the terminal, huddled against the humid chill of the city air. Christine looked ready to fall asleep as she cradled Lowell in her arms.
“We’ve got about a half an hour before we can board,” Jasper told us, holding a thick stack of tickets in his hands. “Feel free to walk around, but please meet back here in twenty.”
Adam took my arm. “Are you hungry?”
My stomach growled. “I could eat,” I admitted.
We wandered together over to a food stand where the merchant was selling pot pies. We each purchased one with a cup of tea and sat at the little patio tables to eat lunch.
“How long of a trip is it to London?” I asked.
“By train? Only a few hours,” Adam told me.
“That will be nice,” I said, stretching out my legs in front of me. “And how do we get to Sweden?”
“We’ll take a ferry to France and then a train again,” he said. “That ride will be a little longer, a few nights as long as the weather is nice.”
I yawned. “This is a long journey.”
“Maybe someday there’ll be an easier way.”
We glanced at the large golden clock and realized we only had a few minutes to reach the platform at the requested time. We tossed the remnants of our meals in the trash and rushed down to meet the others.
Jasper had bought out the entire car for our journey. Adam and I took the compartment across from the duke, and we sat with Hazel and Conor. As the train departed the station, I clutched at the armrest.
“You all right?” Adam asked.
“I haven’t been on a train in years,” I admitted. “This is a little strange for me.”
“I’ve never been on a train,” Bridget said, tearing off a piece of pastry and stuffing it in her mouth.
“Never?” I asked her.
“Spent my whole life in Ervine before coming to Weylyn,” she said with a shrug.
“What about you, Conor?”
“Oh, I’ve been all over the place,” he said.
“He gets around,” Bridget said with a smirk, and he rolled his eyes.
“Grew up with an Irish mother, spent time in Ireland and all around England,” he said.
“Where did you become a doctor?” I asked him.
“London. Spent a few years there, then moved to Ervine toward the end of my schooling. Stayed there until a few years ago, when I came to live with my uncle after his wife passed.”
“Busy life,” I said.
“I don’t mind it. I enjoy seeing the world.”
“Why become a doctor if you were already a lord?”
He shrugged. “I wanted to help people.”
I enjoyed chatting with Bridget and Conor; I hadn’t gotten to do it enough. I suspected it wouldn’t be long until Bridget was no longer a servant and instead was a lady and a wife.
After a few hours, the train came to a stop. We all met up in the terminal, with the women sitting on benches while the men grabbed our things. I watched them weave their way through the crowd, returning with our trunks. Our hotel was connected to the station, and we walked together through the terminal to reach it. The massive building was several stories tall and designed to be a gothic throwback, with tall spires and arched windows that shone in the spring mists.
The interior was just as impressive. Delicate gold chandeliers hung from the lofted ceilings, casting a warm glow over the expansive lobby. The walls were papered in a deep red with a gold damask print, and a wide staircase was carpeted in a coordinating navy and gold. Jasper approached the massive mahogany desk and checked us in, returning with our room keys.
“All right,” he said as he distributed the keys. “Anne and Merrill, Bernadette and Peter, Daisy and Bridget, Ingrid and Christoph, Hazel, Adam and Conor, Lester and Brighton, Hooper and Watson, Annabelle and Stephen, and this last one is for us.” Jasper said, smiling at Christine. I took the key from him. I was the only one who got my own room, the men vastly outnumbering the women. I didn’t mind at all; that meant it would be all the easier for Adam to stay with me if he was so inclined.
We climbed the staircase. The ceiling over the first landing was vaulted and had been painted blue to match the carpet, with little gold stars to replicate the night sky. From the landing the staircase split in two, but Jasper had managed to get us rooms near each other, so we all followed him up one side. We passed under a series of archways until we turned down our final hallway and made it to our rooms.
I slid the key into the lock and heard the click. The room was beautiful, even more stunning than the ornate bedroom I had stayed in at Wolf’s Peak. Gold paint along the rim contrasted with the red damask wallpaper, and the crystal chandelier sparkled along with the brass furniture. Arched windows looked out over the twinkling lights of London, framed by deep blue velvet curtains for when it was time to bid the city goodnight.
We’d get two nights here, so I unpacked two dresses from my trunk and hung them in the mahogany wardrobe. Attached to the bedroom was a bathroom, far bigger than any I’d ever seen. The clawfoot tub was edged in gold. After a long day of dirty travel, I was anxious to get clean and soak. But first, dinner.
Adam knocked on my door and I let him in. He held a tray piled high with food, and we sat at the table beside the windows, looking out over the city.
“It’s lovely, isn’t it?” I asked.
He smiled at me. “Stunning.”
“A shame we only get two days here.”
“Would you like longer?”
“Someday, maybe.”
“You wouldn’t want to live here?”
I took a long look out over the city. “I don’t think so. Look how quickly the people move, always in a hurry. I think I’d prefer the simple life in the country.”
“I’m glad,” he said. “I don’t think a werewolf would do well in London.”
“Much less space to run around and be free.”
He paused. “How would you feel if I spent the night in your room?”
“I was hoping you’d ask,” I answered with a small smile.
“Is that a yes?”
“Of course it is. It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve gotten any time alone.”
“Just another month,” he sighed.
“One more month.”
After we finished eating we placed our tray outside the door and Adam went to get a few things from the room he was supposed to share with Conor. Of course, since Adam wouldn’t be there, Bridget was taking his place, which meant Daisy was the only one who was actually sleeping alone.
Adam returned with his things and a bottle of wine. He popped the cork and we sat together on the bed, feet dangling over the footboard and warmed by the fireplace. We passed the bottle back and forth, letting ourselves be swept along by the sensation.
“I don’t know that I’ve drunk this much since your birthday party,” I said with a slight hiccup.
He laughed. “That damn party.”
“Damn party? I remember it fondly. That’s when you told me how you felt about me.”
“Not that I ever did a good job concealing it.”
“Are you joking? I had no idea. When you told me, I thought you were playing for a laugh at first.”
“Did you?”
“Well, I was a bit drunk. But also, I just never imagined that you actually felt the same way about me.”
“Oh, God,” he said, flopping back on the mattress. “Hazel, I’ve loved you as long as I can remember.”
“Have you now?” I asked, setting the bottle carefully on the floor before lying beside him, head propped up with my hands as I ran my fingers along his chest. “Tell me more.”
“More? How can I say more? I don’t even remember the first time we met, we were so young, but I remember the way my heart would pound every time I heard your name.”
“That’s so sweet.”
I leaned down and kissed him, a deep kiss with our tongues intertwined, tasting the wine on his lips. Adam wrapped his hands around me and pulled me on top of him, our bodies pressed together. I worked my fingers at the buttons of his shirt, anxious to pull it off, anxious to run my hands along the tight muscles of his torso.
Adam undid each of the buttons on the front of my dress and I pulled it off as quickly as possible. He kissed my neck, nibbling at my collarbone as I ran my hands through his hair, gasping as his teeth gently connected. I reached down, the hardness in his trousers pressing into my hand as I struggled through my tipsy haze to undo his buttons. With his trousers off we shed the last of our underclothes and finally lay together naked on the bed.
“My turn,” I told him, kissing down his torso, his cock hard and hot in my cold hands. I swirled my tongue around the tip gently, watching Adam’s back arch at the sensation. In one move I took him in my mouth, his tip hitting the back of my throat. He cried out and I suppressed a giggle, trying not to think of what our neighbors would think.
I teased him with my mouth and hands, his member twitching beneath my touch until Adam put his hand under my chin, tilting it up to meet his eyes.
“Please,” he said, fumbling for a condom. “I need you.”
I climbed up his body, ready to straddle him as he applied the condom, but instead, he flipped me over onto my back. My breath hitched as he positioned himself at my entrance. I grasped at his shoulder and gently guided him inside of me, tears springing to my eyes as he filled me.
“Are you all right?” he asked, concerned.
“Fantastic,” I breathed.
He pulled out for a moment before thrusting back in, filling me once more. I thought he might split me in half, and briefly wondered, with his werewolf strength, if he could.
He was gentle, though, so I would never have to find out. He started slow as I adjusted to his girth, moving carefully, still managing to hit me in the perfect spot with every deep thrust.
“Faster,” I whispered, my body aching for him. He obliged, moving faster, harder, each thrust feeling more amazing than the last.
I lost track of how long we went or even how many times we made love that night. In the light of the fire we fell asleep together, naked bodies intertwined. He’d be my husband soon, but we were still going to take advantage of whatever nights we had.
Twenty–One
The next morning was rough. We’d hardly gotten any sleep that night, so pulling ourselves out of bed was a chore. Not only that, but my body ached slightly from the hours of exercise we had gotten that night, so I was half-awake as I sat up in bed, sheets pulled around my body.
“Good morning,” Adam said, rolling over and offering a big smile. With the light streaming through the window and catching on his golden hair, he looked like an angel.
“Good morning,” I said, stifling a yawn. “How did you sleep?”
“Very little,” he said.
“With good reason.” I leaned over and gave him a kiss. He pulled me on top of him, warm hands against the bare skin of my back, before pausing.
“What time is it?”
I craned my neck to look at the clock. “Almost eight.”
“Bloody hell, we’ve got to get ready for breakfast!”
I thought. “I mean, do we have to?”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Yes, my love. We have to. We’re in London!”
“I suppose you’re right.” I disentangled myself from the sheets and climbed off the bed, padding across the rug to the wardrobe.
“Although,” Adam said, “you could just stand there and let me look at you.”
“Too cold for that,” I said. “I don’t have that hot werewolf blood in my veins.”
“Fair enough.”
I pulled on undergarments as well as one of my warmer, forest green gowns. Through the velvet curtains I could see the sky was gray and mist had settled over the streets. Just our luck that it would rain while we were visiting.
Once we were properly dressed we went down to the dining room on the main floor. Just like the lobby of the hotel, the adjoining restaurant was decorated in glass and mirrors, reds and golds and blues, sparkling chandeliers and flickering candles. Arched windows nearly reaching the ceiling looked out over the streets of London.
Several tables had been pushed together to accommodate our group, and we sat down at the same end as Christine, Jasper, Annabelle, Stephen, and their children.
“What are the plans for today?” Adam asked.
“No set plans, only sightseeing,” Jasper said. “You can do what you’d like.”
I knew what I’d really like to be doing with Adam, but I also knew that it might be a long time before we were back in London. “Sightseeing sounds fun,” I said, looking up at Adam.
“We’re planning on leaving after breakfast,” Christine said, passing Lowell over to Jasper so she could take a few bites of her food. “Would you like to come with us?”
“That’d be lovely,” I said. In all honesty, I had begun to feel a bit excluded from Christine and Annabelle, and was glad Christine had invited me along.
Where do you want to go first?” Jasper asked as the waiters took away our breakfast plates.
“Oh, Big Ben would be fun,” Christine said.
“And perhaps the Palace of Westminster,” Annabelle added.
Adam spoke up. “I’d like to see the Tower of London.”
“I would love to go to the National Gallery,” I said.
Jasper grinned. “Sounds like we’ve got a busy day then.”
Adam and I waited in the lobby with the Randolphs as Christine and Jasper returned to their room to pack a bag for Lowell. From where we sat, in plush chairs and loveseats, we could see through to the windows. Rain was hammering down on the sidewalks. I should have brought an umbrella. Luckily the hotel’s concierge had a few for us to use between the hotel doors and the carriage, so we hurried under the coverage to load into the carriage.
First we stopped at Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster. I thought we’d only observe, perhaps get a few photos, but a man came from the side and knocked on the carriage door. Jasper climbed out and they exchanged a few words. After
a moment, he motioned for us to follow him.
“Where are we going?” Christine asked, echoing all our thoughts.
“Inside.”
“Inside? Inside the tower?”
“Exactly, my dear.”
I was glad my ankle was out of its cast, because, as the man explained to us, the tower had 324 steps to climb to get to the top. Even so, my ankle was aching a bit once we reached the top. It was worth it. From above us we could see the inner workings of the clock as they turned, and we had a view of the city and the River Thames. After we’d taken in the view we traipsed back down the stairs and over to the rest of Westminster. Lockley, Jasper’s friend, showed us around for our tour.
“I’m sure many of you heard of the fire that occurred here in 1934,” he said. “The original palace was built here in the eleventh century. When they rebuilt it, architect Charles Barry chose a Gothic Revival style to mirror the Westminster Cathedral that the palace is named for.”
The architecture mesmerized me. I had always loved the spires and arches of the Gothic Revival. I couldn’t care less about Parliament and politics; I just wanted to stare at the building forever. I was disappointed when it was time to leave, but my disappointment didn’t last long as we pulled up to Westminster Abbey. The cathedral was a stunning gothic building as well.
“Most recently, Edward’s sister, Anne was married here,” Jasper said. “That was, oh, seven or eight years ago now? We’ll be back, I’m sure, whenever Edward takes the throne.”
“Long live the queen,” Lockley muttered.
After the abbey, Adam and I both got our wishes. We stopped by the National Gallery, and while I could have stayed there all day, I could tell the others weren’t as enamored with the art history. Christine had to sit in the carriage to feed Lowell, so we didn’t stay long. Perhaps I could convince Adam that we should come back to London for our honeymoon.
We lunched in a small cafe before starting toward our last stop of the day, the Tower of London. This had been Adam’s request, and I had a morbid curiosity to see it as well. Lockley didn’t give us this tour, though he stayed with us. Our guide was enigmatic, regaling us with tales of prisoners and legends of ghosts. I was amazed how much of the original integrity the building held, and there were moments I could have believed I was back in the thirteenth century, or even earlier.
The Wolf's Betrothed (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 5) Page 16