Leonora rose from her seat and slipped into the chair directly beside Philip. “Perhaps you can assist me with the marketing,” she said as she leaned in closer. That now-familiar scent of him, of sandalwood, leather, and coffee, assailed her senses, and for a second she could scarcely breathe. She reached for the ribbon he held, and her fingers grazed his, causing a jittery sort of unsteadiness right in the pit of her belly.
Intensely aware of his warmth, his nearness, and the way his breath tickled the back of her ear as she bent to complete her task, Leonora struggled to keep from turning, from flinging her arms around him, and possibly climbing straight onto his lap. Because that would not be the least bit proper.
“I’d be happy to,” he said.
Happy to what?
Oh yes.
The marketing.
Her brain felt as if it had gone to sleep. So she finished the bow, which she had to admit looked rather perfect now, and added some appropriate distance in order to regain her ability to form logical thought. “It’s called Compton’s Produce at the moment, but perhaps another name would be better.”
His lips quirked. “I have no doubt that it would.”
She leaned back. “Are you laughing at me?”
“I would not dream of doing so.” He held his hands up as if in surrender.
“And yet you are! You think Compton’s Produce sounds ridiculous.”
“Well, it doesn’t exactly ring of elegance or quality or anything else that might compel wealthy clients to make a purchase.” The lip twitch transformed into a smile – the warm and sympathetic variety that told her he meant no insult by finding amusement in her practical name choice. “How about something along the lines of Compton’s Oasis, or since you may soon take a different name...” His hand found hers, his thumb stroking along her sensitized skin and causing her to shiver. “The Bond Street Oasis or Paradise Fruits and Flowers or, if you fancy a bit of French, Le Jardin Extraordinaire.”
Dear heaven above, the way he said that, with deep and smooth intonations, was almost too heady. Leonora swallowed and deliberately met his gaze from beneath her lashes. He’d not yet kissed her, but the opportunity to do so hadn’t been there either.
She glanced at the open doorway. Perhaps now would be a good time? Perhaps she could kiss him? She leaned closer slowly and saw his eyes darken. Her gaze dropped to his lips, so near now it wouldn’t take more than a second for her to claim them.
“Ah! There you are,” Caroline said as she entered the room.
Leonora jolted backward, causing her chair to rock until she was perilously close to falling from her seat and onto the floor. Philip steadied her with the swiftness of a man whose reflexes were much to be admired. His one hand caught her chair while the other latched onto her wrist, bringing both her and the chair to an upright position.
“Are you all right?” he asked with serious concern. When she nodded, he scowled, and it occurred to Leonora then that he cared more about her than she would have thought. He did not approve of Caroline’s interruption or of the risk it had placed on Leonora’s wellbeing.
She hastened to smile. “No need to worry. I’m perfectly fine.”
His scowl eased into a frown before gradually fading, but his hand remained at her wrist, discreetly behind the back of the chair so Caroline wouldn’t see.
“This garland is incredible,” Caroline said as she came to admire their work. “I cannot wait to see what it looks like once it’s been hung.”
“It’s just the first of five we plan on making,” Leonora told her. “And once they’re all complete, we have in mind some paper cones for sweetmeats and nuts.”
“Will there be mistletoe too?” The mischief in Caroline’s eyes erased all remaining question about her hoping Leonora and Philip would soon form a match.
“We didn’t find any yet, but perhaps we should go and have another look.”
“Oh. Do,” Caroline insisted. “And don’t forget the baskets for the tenants. Cook has produced some preserves that can be added, along with some plum pudding, smoked ham, cheese, and chestnuts.”
“We’ll start working on it as soon we’re done here,” Leonora assured her. And then, just to tease her, she added, “I trust you’ll be helping?”
Caroline’s eyes widened. “Oh...um...I actually have to give Lucy a bath.”
“And then?” Leonora pressed while appreciating the warmth from Philip’s hand where it still circled her wrist.
“Then there is correspondence.”
“What about Lockwood?” Philip asked. “I haven’t seen him at all since dinner last night.”
“Ah...we...” Caroline cleared her throat. “He has been very busy with his ledgers, and once he is done with those, he will most likely want to help me.”
“With your correspondence,” Leonora said, just to be clear.
“Precisely.” Caroline backed away a little. “Great job on all of that.” She waved her hand, stumbled slightly on her way to the door, and turned as soon as she reached it. “I will see you both later.” And then she was gone, hastening away before they could stop her with any more questions.
Leonora laughed. “How transparent can one woman be?”
Philip grinned. “Very, it would seem.” He released her wrist and turned in his seat so he could better face her. “I wonder if you can tell me something honestly.”
Curious as to what he might ask her, she met his serious gaze and said, “I will try.”
He hesitated briefly before asking, “What were you thinking before your sister arrived just now?”
Leonora’s pulse leapt and every nerve in her body started to hum with alertness. He was asking her to make herself vulnerable, to admit to her secret longing for more, to tell him precisely what she wanted. It wasn’t easy, for it would require going against everything she’d been taught to do all her life. It would mean saying something scandalous and being improper.
But if they were to share a future, if trust was to form between them, then she had no choice but admit to the truth.
“About kissing you,” she said, and then, because it seemed suddenly necessary for him to know how strong the urge to do so had been, she added, “I’ve considered it almost repeatedly since that night at the inn.”
“Me too,” he said on an exhalation of breath that caused hot little tingles to scurry across her shoulders. “But I dare not do so here. The chance of interruption is far too great.”
She understood him completely. “Then where?”
His eyes darkened to a wolfish gleam. “If I may suggest, let us finish this garland and the rest of the decorations. Tomorrow we’ll take the baskets to the tenants, and perhaps while we’re out, we’ll find the opportunity we seek.”
PHILIP KNEW HE WAS being a bit of a scoundrel, because the truth of the matter was, he could have kissed Leonora a dozen times already if he’d simply elected to pull her into an empty room, shut the door, and take advantage. Except he didn’t want that. He wanted her to want him with the same kind of desperation he’d felt when she’d stood before him at the inn, dressed only in her chemise, though she might as well have been utterly naked.
The things he’d imagined since then – the dastardly thoughts and the wicked desires he’d had no choice but to quench even as they grew increasingly stronger. When she’d looked at him the previous day and her gaze had dropped to his lips, he’d known what was on her mind, but he’d needed to hear her say it, to have her confirm her desire for more than conversation and the occasional touch. And then, when she told him she’d wanted to kiss him for days...
Every muscle inside him had tightened with expectation, only to be disappointed by Lady Lockwood’s interruption. But he supposed there was a benefit to it, namely that of heightening anticipation. It was why he’d not yet tried to kiss Leonora, because he wanted the question about where and when to make her wonder, make her long, make her crave until she was just as close to expiring from need as he was.
They we
nt to deliver the baskets together in the afternoon. The trip required ten stops by carriage, so it took a couple of hours to complete. Unfortunately, when one of the maids offered to assist and Lockwood told Philip that having her there would be wise, he was forced to accept that his kiss with Leonora would once again be delayed.
“I should have agreed to share the bed with you at the inn,” he murmured when they returned to the manor and he helped her alight.
She blushed as she so often did when he spoke to her in private. “Why didn’t you?”
It was a bold question, deserving of a bold answer. “Because I would not have been able to keep my hands off you for one second.” He ushered her inside, heedless of her gasp and the way her steps faltered in response to his scandalous statement. “You should go take a nap before dinner. This afternoon has been rather exhausting.”
“I do not feel especially tired.” She handed her bonnet and gloves to the butler, and as always, Philip stopped for a second to stare at her gorgeous red hair.
He blinked, shook his head and proceeded to pull off his gloves with sharp movements. “Nevertheless.” He gave her a direct look. “The rest will do you good.”
Her lips parted and for a second he thought she would protest again, but then she nodded and turned for the stairs. “Perhaps you are right, Mr. Dalton. I’ll see you again later.”
As soon as she was gone, Philip strode off to the library in order to find a book, any book, in an effort to look as though he did not have roguish intentions on his mind. Leonora needed to get upstairs first before he followed. He had to appear nonchalant, which was getting increasingly difficult, he had to admit.
But when he entered the library, he found Lockwood there with his wife and daughter, the perfect picture of family unity, intimacy, and love. Lucy was cradled in Lockwood’s arms fast asleep against his shoulder, and that image alone made Philip’s heart ache.
Soon, he reminded himself.
“How did it go?” Lady Lockwood asked from her position on the sofa. “Were the tenants pleased with what you brought?”
“Very.” Philip strode further into the room. “They asked Miss Compton and me to give you their thanks.”
“Where is my sister? If she joins us, we could play a game of charades.”
“I believe our excursion has tired her.” Lady Lockwood’s eyes widened with surprise so he quickly told her, “She’s gone upstairs for a nap.”
Lady Lockwood frowned. “I hope she doesn’t feel as though I’ve been neglecting her.”
“Of course not,” Philip assured her. “She understands how busy you’ve been just as well as I understand how occupied Lockwood has been.”
“There has been so much correspondence,” Lady Lockwood said.
Lockwood nodded. “Work never ceases when you’re running an estate.”
Philip just looked at them both without blinking. “Of course,” he said dryly, without the slightest effort at pretending he actually believed them.
“Perhaps we can persuade you to play a game of charades while Lucy naps,” Lockwood suggested.
“Thank you, but I actually came in here to find a book. In London, I rarely have the luxury to simply sit and read, so I thought I’d do so now until dinner.” He went to peruse the shelves, spotted a copy of The Vicar of Wakefield and snatched it up. “This will do. I’ll see you both later.”
He was almost at the door when Lockwood spoke from behind him. “What exactly are your intentions?”
Philip turned. “My intentions?” he asked as if he hadn’t a clue about what his friend might be referring to.
“Regarding Miss Compton.” Lockwood’s stern expression dared him to deny there was anything going on at the risk of facing his censure.
“I’m courting her,” Philip told them both.
Lady Lockwood squealed, which caused Lucy to stir and her husband to shush her. “Sorry,” she whispered, “but I’m just so incredibly happy. We both are. Aren’t we, George?”
Her husband nodded. “We most certainly are.”
Philip glanced at the door. “May I go now?”
“With our blessing,” Lockwood told him sincerely.
Philip clutched the book tighter and turned on his heel. There was kissing to be done, and he had no intention of delaying it any further.
Chapter Five
LEONORA STOOD BY HER bedchamber window looking out at the frozen landscape. Perhaps she’d misread Philip’s meaning when he’d asked her to take a nap. They’d parted ways fifteen minutes ago at least, so perhaps he’d really intended for her to sleep?
A soft rap drew her out of her reverie. Her pulse quickened and she crossed the floor, opened her door, and found him there, handsome as ever.
His eyes, dark like the richest chocolate, latched onto hers. “May I come in?”
It was a daring question, filled with the promise of impropriety. She stepped aside, granting him entry, and swiftly closed the door behind him. Her heart hammered wildly against her breast, and her skin pricked with increased awareness. It was as if a gust of wind was blowing straight through her, gathering force as it swirled up inside her, causing a frenzy of tingling nerves and charged vibrations.
She turned to face him, and every sensation he’d managed to stir in her since their first encounter pulsed through her. Desire, so raw and direct, burned in his eyes. The intensity of it caused her to gasp, which brought his attention straight to her mouth. And then she was in his arms, his mouth on hers, gently at first but then with added pressure.
His lips were soft, pliable, and so very different from the rest of him which was hard and angular, firm and secure. Her arms wound around his neck and she swayed against him, letting him drag her closer, his hand at her back, pressing her to him. Yes, this was nice, lovely, intimate...closer than she’d ever been to another person in her entire life. They were joined now, in a manner of speaking, exploring each other in a new sort of way that confirmed their courtship better than words ever could.
A sound something like a low moan filled the air, and Leonora realized it had come from her. Philip answered by nipping her lip, provoking a gasp that allowed him to deepen the kiss most provocatively. She could not only feel him now but taste him as well and, oh! His hand molded against the curve of her bottom, erasing all distance between them and...and she could scarcely think her mind was so drugged by what he was doing and what she was feeling. For now, without any sliver of air between them, her body was able to do nothing else. He was all hard muscle, pressing against her softer curves, surrounding her with his virile masculinity and drawing her focus to the proof of his undeniable need.
“Perfect,” he murmured as he kissed his way along her jaw. “Better than I ever imagined.” His teeth grazed her earlobe, causing her breath to shudder in response to the hot little shivers. “And I have imagined,” he continued, punctuating each word with a kiss. “The most scandalous things where you are concerned.”
Dear god, she was seconds away from catching on fire.
To her surprise, his words had the opposite effect of what she would have imagined her response would be to a gentleman saying such things. It did not fill her with indignation or cause her to want to end their embrace. Quite the contrary. Which was probably why she arched against him, needing more closeness in spite of the fact that all space between them had long since vanished.
But she felt irrational, restless, in desperate need of more.
His mouth nuzzled the spot where her neck met her shoulder. “I want you with a desperation I cannot describe.” To her astonishment, his words shook with emotion – with a sense of vulnerability she would not have expected – and that undid her completely.
“I feel the same about you,” she said, determined to be just as honest and courageous as he was.
His mouth met hers once more, with added roughness and zeal. “Marry me, Leonora. Be my wife and let us...let us simply surrender.”
It sounded like a wonderful idea. No rules to sto
p them from carrying on as they pleased behind closed doors. Nothing to prevent them from discovering where their kisses might lead. To heaven, she expected, smiling as he kissed her again.
Her fingers raked through his hair and then down his back. “Yes,” she managed on a gasp before digging her fingers into his muscles and pressing her mouth to his jaw. The stubble there scraped at her tongue in an interesting way.
More interesting was the low growl he produced in response. “Leonora...” His hands squeezed her bottom, and she suddenly wished they were already married, with fewer clothes and endless days ahead for all manner of wicked explorations.
“I suspect our courtship will be the shortest in existence,” Leonora told him wryly.
“Do you mind?” He’d leaned back enough to meet her gaze, the hint of concern in his eyes reminding her that in spite of what had just happened between them, he was a gentleman who worried about ensuring her comfort and pleasure.
She shook her head and watched relief wash over his face. “Not at all. Indeed, I look forward to being your wife more than you can possibly imagine.”
He grinned. “Oh, I can imagine. You may rest assured that I feel quite the same.”
No words of love. It was too soon for that. But they knew they would get along. The attraction was there along with respect, understanding, and friendship. It was what Leonora had always hoped for, because it was what she had witnessed growing up, between her own parents. Few people were as lucky as they had been, so she was pleased to count herself one of them, and as she rose up onto her toes to kiss Philip back, she knew that love would come, with time.
PHILIP WAS THRILLED. In fact, he could not recall a time in his life when he’d been so happy. Leonora would be his. The wedding was already set to take place in less than a week. On Christmas morning, thanks to the special license he’d managed to procure through a courier. His whole body tingled with anticipation and the knowledge that he and Leonora would soon be able to continue what they’d started in her bedchamber five days earlier. Since then, they’d both been under constant observance by the Lockwoods and a small army of servants who somehow managed to appear from the woodwork each time he thought he’d managed to get Leonora alone. Which was frustrating and annoying and irritating and a whole lot of other synonyms for bothersome. But he supposed it wasn’t as bad as it would have been if Leonora had decided she wanted a London wedding or that she must wait for her parents to return from wherever they happened to be at this exact moment.
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