Unleashed Desires 0f A Noble Lady (Steamy Historical Regency)

by Scarlett Osborne

  After we marry no part of my body would be off limits to his touch, no inch of me won’t be his.

  Emma wanted to say yes, wanted to tell him yes over and over again until her voice gave out. The only problem was her voice gave out first. Then she was forced to choke back a sob. Hot tears came running down her cheeks, making it so all the green and beauty of the garden swirled in front of her eyes. Her vision hot and clouded, she started having trouble breathing. She swooned and fell, only to be caught in Donald’s strong arms.

  “Emma? Emma dear, are you all right?” Donald’s voice spoke to her from very far away, as if she was floating on a cloud of happiness and love. She was more than all right, she was as happy as she had ever been. She felt him lower her to one of the benches of the garden, the stone work beneath her disappointing after she had been reinforced by his arms.

  Emma’s eyelids fluttered as she blinked and the world came back into focus. She was greeted by Donald’s worried face as he sat next to her as well as Josephine’s face close behind him, looking altogether quite put off by the situation. “I did not mean to worry you,” she told them weakly.

  “There is nothing you can do to get me to stop worrying about you,” Donald said and turned away from her. “My proposal...it made you cry. Perhaps I was over zealous? I asked too soon? You should feel no obligation to marry me if you aren’t ready. Or not at all if you don’t want to. I have fretted that our friendship may have pressured you into agreeing to courtship.”

  My love, you must never know where these tears come from.

  “My dearest. I cry from happiness. I cry because I never thought I could be this happy. You have never made me feel like I had no choice. You were always so loving and considerate.” Emma turned to look at Josephine. She had chosen a pleasant spot under the shade of a drooping tree.

  Soon I can be alone with Donald as much as I want.

  Emma smiled at this thought. She summoned up her strength and slid along the bench, closing the appropriate gap between the two of them.

  “E…Emma!” Donald stuttered in surprise.

  “Are we not betrothed?” she asked. “I simply wish to be close to you.” She said and rested her weary head on his shoulder and felt him stiffen, but quickly relax. His breathing became slow and deep and she enjoyed the feeling of the rise and fall of his chest.

  To have a chance to press my hand to that chest, to feel his strength.

  “You have made me so happy, Donald. I wish we could stay like this forever.” Emma said sleepily into his shoulder.

  She felt his arm move around her to pull her closer. She went from warm to hot and from sleepy to suddenly very awake and aware of him so close. She squirmed lightly against his firm body and felt his breathing quicken.

  “Emma,” she heard him say huskily and she looked up at him, her eyelashes still heavy with the tears she had been crying earlier. In that moment his face had never been more handsome. His hand trailed softly under her chin, raising her face so it was level with his. He turned his face and leaned in.

  While Emma couldn’t compare the two kisses, this kiss reminded her of the first kiss they had shared in this very garden. She couldn’t really say why, though, as they were completely different. The first kiss was a confession, an admission to a love that had long been denied and had finally come rushing to the surface in a physical declaration. It was unplanned and it happened and it was beautiful.

  This kiss was filled with purpose. He brought his lips to hers in celebration of their engagement, in this moment they could share together again and again. Emma could feel Donald’s face warm as he pressed into the kiss. It seemed to last forever, which was perfect, since Emma didn’t want it to end.

  Thinking about how he was also so careful, so unsure, Emma sat up more and leaned into the kiss to show Donald that this was something she wanted from him. Her hand rested on his firm lap as she straightened and pushed herself up. She didn’t even realize that her hand was squeezing his thigh until she was already pushing more into the kiss. She felt his leg flex beneath her touch. Now more conscious of her hand placement, she allowed her fingers to spread over his thigh muscle, feeling him.

  They broke it off at the same time. Emma took no offense to Donald pulling away when she did. They were now a good distance away from each other on the bench, regaining their composure. She could feel how he longed for her as much as she did for him.

  But we must wait.

  An occasional touch or even a kiss was acceptable now, but nothing more than that. And she knew Donald would not expect more from her as he was a true gentleman.

  “Emma, I love you.” His voice was breathy as if he had been holding it for a long time.

  “I love you as well, Donald. I don’t think you could make me a happier lady if you tried.” She rested her head gently back onto his shoulder again just as her father and mother rounded the corner of the garden path.

  “There the love birds are,” Lord Westfolk said while clapping his gloved hands, his eyes full of pride and joy. “And they already look the part.” He said while laughing, causing Emma to sit up in embarrassment. Donald stood up immediately afterward.

  Emma stood up, her excitement almost causing her to swoon again. “Father, Mother, I have wonderful news. Lord Stapleton just proposed.” Emma was beaming with joy and pride.

  “I am so happy for you two,” the countess said. “Please, My Lord, tell me you will be joining us for a celebration dinner this evening.”

  “How could I possibly refuse?” Donald asked, a hint of his breathlessness still hiding in the edge of his voice. “An opportunity to dine with my betrothed and her lovely family sounds like the perfect way to celebrate this joyous occasion.”

  The Countess and the Earl both smiled. “Delightful,” she said, “And we should invite dear Lord Thetmont, no? He will want to hear the good news.”

  Emma’s heart dropped. She wished that the utterance of that name didn’t bring this very happy moment crashing down around her. Was she ready to face him so soon after the engagement? Could she look Matthew in the eye?

  Emma felt Donald’s finger tips brush the arm of her dress in reassurance. “I spoke to Lord Thetmont recently about my plans to ask for Emma’s hand. I am sure he would be delighted to be invited.”

  “Excellent. We haven’t seen him since his return from America. It will be good to have the old gang back together,” Lord Westfolk chuckled. “I will send a footman with a message at once. You two will join us in the drawing room, won’t you? So much to discuss and plan, I insist we start right away,” he said as he turned the group back toward the estate. His wife turned to join him with Emma and Donald following slowly after. Josephine close behind them.

  Emma bit her lip and looked briefly away from Donald. She was comforted by his insistence that Matthew was happy with their engagement. But for one of the few times in her life, she doubted Donald.

  * * *

  “What a happy occasion that brings us together this evening,” Lord Westfolk said while sitting at the head of the table. Donald was to his right, and The Dowager to Lord Westfolk’s left. Next to Donald was Emma, and next to her was Matthew. Opposite Emma was Henrietta and sitting at the other end of the table was the Countess.

  They sat at a table decorated with Cornish hens, pickled beets cut into the shape of flowers in honor of the special night, and a particularly nice wine that the Lord of the manor had been saving specifically for Emma’s engagement. Emma’s saw her father get Donald’s attention during the pouring and informed him he had an even nicer bottle he was saving for the wedding, and punctuated a comment with a wink that Donald met with a smile.

  Emma had inspected Matthew’s demeanor several times, and, from the outside, what Donald said appeared to ring true. Matthew’s mood was bright and infectious, fueled only more by the atmosphere and the delicious wine. He truly was celebrating with them as a friend would, and Emma was happy to see it.

  Henrietta’s dour mood seemed to ha
ve lifted as well, as she embraced the celebratory atmosphere, asking the happy couple about wedding planning that they couldn’t have possibly had time to sort out yet.

  “You will have to call Mr. Caraway to do the flower arrangements for your wedding. The man has the most impeccable sense of color coordination. He could draw beauty from the most drab affair, so imagine what he could do for your wedding,” Henrietta encouraged.

  “Your enthusiasm is noted,” Matthew interrupted, “but Lord Stapleton and I are members of The Blossom Court, whose committee members include some of the most prestigious florists in all of London. It would be considered quite the unfortunate social move for us to hire someone outside of that circle.”

  Henrietta sighed. “You gentlemen and your clubs, always finding a way to bring politics into your personal events.”

  “Just wait until they have to start sorting out the guest list,” the Dowager commented into her food.

  “To that, my dearest, I must confess. My father will insist that we have the wedding breakfast at his estate,” Donald commented with a sheepish smile.

  “A bit unorthodox, no? It will require quite a bit of travel to get us out there,” the Countess remarked uncertainly. Emma was sure that she didn’t want to risk offending her new betrothed, despite the idea being less than traditional.

  “If it is acceptable, I am sure my father would insist on having you all out there for a visit leading up to the wedding. As you all know, His Grace has a particular knack for making the absolute most out of any occasion.”

  “Don’t have to tell me twice,” Lord Westfolk laughed. “Never have I met a more dour gentleman who apparently loves to throw parties.”

  “A conundrum that I assure you has vexed me since I acquired a taste for wine,” Matthew laughed in return.

  “A mystery as he may be, my father would be quite cross if we deprived him the opportunity to host us for the wedding,” Donald said definitively and it gave Emma a little shiver. She liked when he made firm decisions for them. The only reason she wanted to have the wedding here instead of the Derbourg manor was the chance to become his wife even sooner. But she would be willing to wait, if that meant appeasing Donald’s father.

  The dinner ended on a delightful note, Emma’s favorite dessert of peaches and cream had been prepared during dinner by the cook as one final happy note onto the celebration. The Lords and Ladies relished the simple desert with enthusiasm, but Emma especially. It had been her favorite since she was a little girl but now she often felt embarrassed asking for it as a young lady. She made a mental note to thank the cook later.

  And in that moment, while she was enjoying her dessert with her family and friends, she felt the only pang of sadness in regard to her marriage. When she married Donald, she would have to leave much of the world she loved behind. Not just her family and Henrietta, but many of the house staff that had been in her life since she was a little girl.

  The moment, however, was fleeting. As Donald brushed his finger tips over the back of her knuckles and spoke to her. “As much as I would love to stay for after-dinner socializing, I am afraid I must take my leave. It is very important that I draft a letter to my family and get it sent at once so that they may begin to make plans.”

  Emma nodded understandingly. She was always sad to see Donald go, but she understood that she would soon spend every day for the rest of her life with him, and one more evening apart would not make a world of difference.

  “I am afraid that I too, must take my leave, then. Lord Stapleton and I will have some last-minute business arrangements to sort out, especially if the newly married couple plan on having a honeymoon.” Matthew chuckled and stood with Donald, both of them bowing as the rest of the guests rose to wish them a good night.

  While Emma and Matthew were saying their goodbyes amidst the ruckus, he spoke to her. “Rest assured that I intend to make sure you live your happy and best life, Emma. I will do everything in my power to make sure that is what happens. That is all I’ve ever wanted.”

  “Thank you, Matthew,” she said quietly, averting her gaze.

  Chapter 16

  Donald was happy to give his friend a ride home from the Westfolk Estate if it meant that he could bask in the evening a little longer before he was forced to retire for the night. He was in no state to talk business, though, mind floating on a mixture of love and good wine.

  “That was quite the lovely evening,” Matthew spoke contentedly from the seat opposite him in the carriage.

  “Wasn’t it just? Lord Westfolk and his family have always treated us so well. I cannot think of a more welcoming family to marry into.”

  “Donald, may I speak candidly with you?” Matthew asked, his voice going from languid to serious in a moment.

  “Of course, Matthew. You are my dearest friend and confidant. You can talk to me about anything,” Donald said with such earnest that surprised even him.

  “Well, being completely honest with you, friend, I am surprised that she accepted your proposal,” Matthew said.

  “Oh yes, her father mentioned that she might favor the times and reject my first proposal, but I was confident that our love was too great for her to turn me down for the sake of posterity,” Donald lied, his ego slightly lubricated by the wine.

  “I mean, most ladies aren’t keen on marrying someone who cannot financially support them,” Matthew commented quietly.

  “Can’t financially support them? What in the bloody hell are you talking about?” Donald asked, the accusing tone in his friend’s voice getting his dander up more than he would care to admit.

  “Donald, my friend, calm down. This isn’t an accusation,” Matthew assured him. “I just know you. I know you would fully explain the dire financial situation that Atlantic Animal Fur Company is in your proposal to Emma so she would understand exactly what she is marrying into.”

  Donald was speechless. He was so caught up in his love, in the gesture, it never occurred to him to have doubts about his financial future. Oh sure, he would always be able to care for the ones he love, such is the life of the son of a Duke, but if his business went under he could not provide the life he had promised Emma.

  Matthew seemed to read the look on his face and sat back. “You didn’t tell her, did you? Donald, I am not here to judge you as you are my friend but I won’t lie, I am more than a little shocked. Usually you are a bit more thoughtful than this.”

  “I assure you, Matthew, I was simply lost in the romance of the moment. It was never my intent to hide anything from my betrothed or her family.” Donald was horrified with himself at this massive faux pas and that he could have possibly tricked the love of his life into marrying him.

  “Donald, this is serious business. Emma is my dear friend. You need to swear to me that you never intended to mislead her or her family.” Matthew’s voice was as serious as Donald had ever heard it.

  “I would never do such a thing, Matthew, I give you my word.” Donald matched Matthew’s tone and didn’t break eye contact with him from across the carriage.

  Matthew suddenly relaxed. “Well that settles that then.”

  The sudden shift had thrown Donald off. “It does?”

  “Yes, if it was a simple mistake, I can hardly hold it against you. We will simply have to solve our little financial problems for certain before they become more, shall we say, publicly evident. Technically there is nothing to speak of, we don’t know for sure what will happen in the next six months, do we?”

  “I suppose we don’t.” The wine and Matthew’s mood shifts made Donald’s head swim. “Are you suggesting we don’t tell Emma or her family?”

  “Well, according to you there is nothing to tell. We will resolve this situation long before it becomes an issue. That’s what you said before, wasn’t it?”

  “I did?” Donald said, trying to sift through the layers of this conversation.

  “When we first confronted this problem earlier this week, you said there is always a solution and we wou
ld find it, yes?” Matthew reiterated.

  “I did say that.”

  “And you still believe that it is possible for us to save the company?” Matthew insisted.

  “I do.”

  “Then I am not worried. I believe in your ability to find a solution before it threatens Emma’s very well being,” Matthew said confidently. “I trust you my friend.” He smiled and glanced out the carriage window. “Looks like this is my estate, as always I appreciate the chance to ride in your lovely carriage.” Matthew stepped out and turned back to face his friend. “Congratulations, Donald, I am happy you were able to find love.”