Chapter 21
When Ivy awoke, she looked up to see that Marcus had fallen asleep with her. The last thing she remembered before she drifted off to sleep was Marcus stroking her hair. Ivy laid her head back down on Marcus’s chest and ran her fingers along his side. She found the scar that she had encountered earlier while they were making love. She ran her finger across it lightly tracing it from his side to his stomach and back again. Ivy bent her head down and placed little kisses along the path of the scar. A tear slid down her face and landed on the scar.
“Ivy?”
Ivy looked up at the questions in Marcus’s eyes. She wanted to answer them, if only he would just ask them; instead of shutting her out. If he wasn’t going to ask her his questions, then that was not going to stop her from asking her questions. This time he was going to answer them for her.
“What happened here Marcus?” Ivy asked as her fingers continued to trace the scar.
Marcus tried to rise from the floor sliding Ivy off him. But Ivy was not going to be pushed away any longer. She wrapped her hands around his waist stopping his movements. She didn’t fight for him all those years ago, but she was going to fight for him now.
Marcus sighed and slid back down to lean back against the cave walls. He would answer her questions; then he needed to get her back to the house. She was not safe out here with Shears’s men crawling all over the place. He would give her the answers she sought, and then let her go. He would keep her safe for Maxwell; if that is who she desired.
“We were caught in an ambush along the coast of France. We were fed false information from an agent who was working both sides. The other side offered him more money so my crew and I were caught in the middle. The agent told the French where we were docked and what my ship was carrying.”
“What was on your ship?”
“Not what but whom. We were giving refuge to one of Napoleon’s highest ranking officers. He had just lost his wife and child at the hands of Napoleon’s idiocy. He had top war secrets that he was sharing with us. In return we were going to give him and his daughter a safe place to hide until the war was over. But the other agent told the French of our plans for this officer and his daughter.”
“The French invaded our ship in the middle of the night. Most of my men were in the local village. We had been at sea for months and they were taking a much needed break. We had put on the appearance of a merchant ship so not to draw attention to ourselves. When they attacked, they hit the men I had on guard first. Sammy was one of those men. They beat him up really bad and crushed his leg with a barrel. When I heard the commotion, I hid the officer’s daughter and ran on deck. By that time, they had already captured the officer. As I charged at them they slit his throat before I could reach him. I pulled out my sword and started to fight their leader.”
“Another English ship at dock came to our rescue. The leader of the attack sent out the signal for them to retreat. They had accomplished what they came for; to kill the officer. But they were unaware that I had his daughter. I failed to keep him safe but I was going to do everything in my power to protect his daughter.”
“Did you protect her?”
“She protected herself or so she thought.”
“How did she do that?” Ivy inquired.
“She came to the top of the ship after she heard the fighting was done. That was when she saw that her father was dead on my ship. She thought that I betrayed her father, so she took his knife that was in his boot and charged at me. My crew saw her coming at me but were unable to stop her in time. She got the knife into my side and dragged it across to my stomach. I think it was just her gut reaction to act out like she did. When she saw the blood, realizing that she caused it. she dropped the knife and backed away from me. The horror that was on her face I will never forget. She had just lost everybody that she loved and in turn became violent. I tried to reach out to her but the cut was deep and I collapsed. I was losing a lot of blood. She took off and ran off the ship.”
“By the time I came to a few days later, she was nowhere to be found. I had my crew search for her, but they came up empty handed. We couldn’t stay in port much longer without the French on our tail. Not being able to give her shelter has been one of my biggest regrets. I’ve put in word out amongst all my contacts but nobody has seen her.”
“Is that where Sammy got his limp?”
“Yes, if it wasn’t for me keeping the officer on board without extra protection, he wouldn’t have gotten injured like that.”
“It isn’t your fault Marcus; those are the consequences of war.”
“But that is just it Ivy it was war and I let my guard down. It is the guilt I will have to live with for the rest of my life.”
“I hope that you will share that burden of guilt with me to help ease the burden that you have on your shoulders Marcus.”
Marcus did not respond to Ivy. He needed to end this right now. It was torture dragging this out, even though it helped to unburden his troubles with her. He felt a lightness in his heart that he hadn’t felt for a very long time. But at the same time, he felt an extreme heartache at the loss of her love.
“I will not burden you with my guilt Ivy.”
“But don’t you see it is not a burden but a joining of our love to make it more bearable for you to deal with.”
“But there isn’t really our love is there Ivy?”
“What are you talking about Marcus?”
“I don’t have your full love do I? You love another.”
Ivy stood up pulling the blanket around her body. She felt naked enough before him, without having her emotions laid out bare for him too.
“And who am I to love other than you Marcus Edward Thornhill?”
“Let’s not play games with each other anymore Ivy. I won’t keep you from your true heart’s desire. I realize now that I was selfish by tying you to me with this engagement. Also, I am even more guilty by making love to you. But I couldn’t help myself, I have loved you for years and I could no longer deny myself the pleasure of your body. I should not have taken your virginity; it was not mine to take. If I had known of your love for him I would have fought the temptation of your body. We will find a way out of this engagement as soon as I know that you are safe. I will plead your case to your father and smooth the way for you to marry your true love.”
“Games? You are the one playing games. I have poured out my love to you in words and in the actions of my body. What more do you want from me? What other love? There has only ever been one love in my life. I will love him for all of eternity. But he is too stupid to realize it. If you did not want me, why have you teased me with this passion and these phony words? Do I not deserve better from you? I knew that I should never have let you have my heart again. But I could no more resist you than I could resist the love I feel for you.”
Ivy began to gather her clothes and moved deeper in the cave to get dressed. She couldn’t stay with him any longer. She did not understand the games that he was playing. He had nerve accusing her of playing games and loving somebody else. Who else was she supposed to have loved?
Ivy turned back around making her way back to Marcus. Dropping her clothes, she stood with her hands on her hips and foot tapping on the cave floor in anger as she demanded some more answers.
“Well since I am to have given my heart to another man; would you be so kind to let me know the name of this mysterious gentleman?” Ivy asked.
Marcus could hear the sarcasm in Ivy’s words. Why was she playing coy about this? He saw the picture in Maxwell’s bag. The love that she had for him was evident, all over her face. Maybe she didn’t realize that her affection towards Maxwell was love. It was up to him to let her know. She was very young and naïve, maybe she didn’t understand her true feelings. He would put his love and pride to the side for her happiness.
“Zane Maxwell,” Marcus answered.
“Zane?”
“Yes, you love Maxwell.”
Ivy began to lau
gh. She had never heard anything in the world so hilarious. She doubled over and sunk to the ground laughing. Marcus’s jealousy of Zane hit a new high. Or was it a new low. How on earth did he come to that conclusion? Ivy saw the confusion then the anger crossing over Marcus’s face as she continued to lay on the ground laughing. It serves him right that she was laughing at him. Of all the idiotic things she had ever heard, this one was priceless. If he thinks that she loves Zane, then why not play along for a few minutes with it.
“Oh, Marcus what a relief that you have guessed what I was unable to tell you.”
“So you don’t deny that you are in love with Maxwell?”
“No I can no longer deny what my heart speaks to be true. I love Zane Maxwell.”
“He has admitted the same to me as of this morning.”
“He admitted to you that he loves me?”
“Yes.”
“How else did you come to this conclusion that we loved each other?”
“I saw a picture of you that he drew that he keeps hidden in a secret compartment of his bag.”
“What picture was this?”
“A picture of you at the park watching ducks.”
Ivy remembered that picture. Zane wanted to sketch that afternoon that Ivy tagged along with him to Hyde Park. As Ivy sat watching the ducks, Zane sketched her. Ivy was confiding in Zane about how much that she had missed Thorn. Zane began telling her stories about the trouble that they had always gotten into at school. Zane’s stories about Thorn helped to ease the ache in her heart. Ivy saw the picture when Zane was done with it. It was a picture of a woman in love.
“Would you like for me to tell you about the love I have for Zane?”
Ivy watched as Thorn tightened his hands into fists at his side. She really should quit teasing him, but he was the one that started this. Ivy came to her feet and walked over to stand in front of Thorn. She let the blanket drop off her shoulders, holding it tight right in front of her breasts. Her breasts swelled out of the blanket ready to be exposed. Ivy watched Thorn’s eyes drop down to her breasts and saw him swallow his comment. She relaxed her hand and let the blanket gape open for him to see more.
“Well Thorn, would you like to hear about my love for Zane?” Ivy asked again.
Thorn was in agony. He did not want to hear about her love for another man while she was standing in from of him wearing nothing but a blanket. She had let the blanket gape open for him to see her creamy skin hiding underneath. He wanted to reach out and caress her body with his hands. Then when he was done caressing her with his hands he wanted to caress her body with his mouth. Thorn shook his head at his train of thoughts. She was distracting him with her beautiful body. Did she even realize what she was doing to him? He had to put a stop to his now. He reached out and closed her blanket shut and pulled her close to his body.
“How can you speak to me about your love for another man when your actions tease me with your body? Do you even realize what you are doing to me Ivy? I cannot control myself around you. You need to get dressed so that I can return you back to the house.”
“I will not get dressed and run from us anymore Thorn.”
“There is no us anymore Ivy. You have just spoken that you love Zane. I will not stand in your way. Just give me a few days and I will straighten all this out with our families.”
“Just answer this for me Thorn and I will return to the house. Do you love me?”
“I love you will all my heart and soul Ivy. It has never changed for me. I will never love another.”
“Then why are you trying to end this?”
“I will not hold you to me, when your heart is not fully mine.”
“But you have my heart Thorn; you have had it for years. It is fully yours for eternity.”
“What about your love for Zane?”
Ivy smiled up at Thorn, “My love for Zane is in friendship only. He has been a wonderful friend to me these last few years. But that is all there is, just the love for a dear friend.”
“Ivy, I don’t think you understand your true feelings. Also, you don’t understand that Zane loves you too.”
Ivy reached up and slid her hand over Thorn’s cheek. She ran her thumb back and forth across his cheekbone. She stood up on her tiptoes and gently kissed his lips.
“Thorn, my love; do not tell me my own feelings. I know who I love and that is you dearest. Zane and I only love each other as friends. We have been there for each other the last few years as friends. Nothing more. He was trying to make you jealous, he knows how I feel for you and he is trying to help me capture you. That picture he drew was of me talking about you to him. He had told me stories of you at school and I was telling him how much I missed you. Yes, that was a picture of a woman in love. A woman that is in love with you.”
Thorn gathered Ivy into his arms and held her quietly for a few moments. He felt the tension leave his body replaced by relief. He was such an idiot. He almost lost her because of his own stupidity and jealousy. Bending down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Ivy tilted her head back to look up into his eyes. He finally saw for himself the love that was reflected there. He would no longer deny their love nor deny his affections toward her. She was his and nobody else’s.
“I love you my sweet Ivy.”
“I love you Marcus, with my whole heart.”
“Can you ever forgive me?”
“There is nothing to ever forgive within our love.”
Marcus lowered his head and took Ivy’s mouth in a soul searching kiss. His kiss became all-consuming as his love for her reached higher. He slid the blanket off her body as he lowered her to the cave floor; he needed to be inside her right this instance. He wanted the connection that only she could give him.
Reaching down, he spread her thighs open for him. He slowly slid inside her as far as he could go. He swallowed her moan as he kissed her deeper. As he made love to Ivy he watched her eyes darken with passion and her love for him. His lips never left hers as he slid in and out of her; moving deeper inside her with every stroke. Their passion built higher with every stroke of their tongues and their bodies entwining with each other. He watched Ivy as she exploded with her love for him. The passion, desire and love she had for him was there for him to see. He finally saw what she had been telling him all along. He then went over the edge with his love for her.
Chapter 22
When Ivy awoke again it was to the touch of Marcus’s mouth tracing the scar along the back of her thigh. His tongue stroked up and down along the scar. His mouth nipped at it causing Ivy to moan. Marcus looked up and smiled at Ivy. He looked so sexy with his hair messed up and smiling at her with the look of love.
“Good evening sleepyhead.” He continued to trace the scar with his finger and mouth.
Ivy moaned at his touch. She had craved this for years and was now finally getting it. Laying back she let Marcus pleasure her. She could do this all day and night with him, never getting enough of his touch and kisses.
“Do you remember the day you got this?” Marcus asked.
Ivy unable to speak because of the wonderful things Marcus was doing with his tongue; just nodded her head at him.
Marcus chuckled.
“You scared the life out of me that day. When you came tumbling down that hill and got caught on that branch. My heart quit and started all over again. It was that day that I realized how much you meant to me. I was no longer able to deny my love for you to myself anymore.”
“But you yelled at me.”
“I was angry that you followed us again. It was my fear that made me yell. Watching you tumble down and all the blood that you lost scared me. I felt the same fear all over again on my ship. When I undressed you on the ship; I realized that it was you by this scar. Everything came rushing back to me.”
“Even through all that yelling at me you were still my hero. The way you wrapped my leg and carried me back to the house. Your soft voice whispering to me that I was going to be all right and that you had
me. It was your voice that brought me back on the ship. I heard your love for me in your voice both times Marcus.”
Marcus slid up her body and kissed her softly. He pulled her hair back from her face and smiled at her.
“I will no longer ever deny my love for you ever again Ivy. I hope that you won’t ever grow tired of me telling you.”
Ivy smiled at him, “Never.”
“Can I confess something to you Marcus?”
“You can confess anything to me my dear.”
“I found something by accident that confirmed your love for me while I was on the ship.”
Marcus looked down at her in confusion. He didn’t know what she might have found that would have drawn her to that conclusion.
“What was that?”
“A poem.”
Marcus smiled to himself. He knew what she was referring too. He had written it after their first kiss they shared. She must have been snooping through his things to have found that. It was hidden deep in his chest. He only ever brought it out when missing her was too unbearable for him.
“I found it by accident Marcus. I wasn’t going through your things I swear. I was just trying to find something to wear and my hand bumped against it. Please forgive me.”
“It is all right my love, anything of mine is yours. If I am not mistaken I think the book belongs to you. It is I who should be asking you for forgiveness.”
“I thought I had lost the book. I looked everywhere for it.”
“After the kiss we shared in the garden; I came inside to leave for London. I saw the book lying open in your room when I entered. I knew that I shouldn’t have gone in your room but I was hoping to take a ribbon of yours as a keepsake. But when I saw the book that I had given you for your birthday that you always carried around and read from; I just wanted a part of you that you cherished to take with me. So I slipped it inside my coat and left. Reading the poems that you had read yourself once gave me comfort through the years.”
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