Gritting, his muscles—his entire being—demanding release, he reached up with his free hand, grabbing the back of her neck. He pulled her down into him, his tongue invading her mouth, making her succumb, his thumb forcing her body to twist, agonized above him.
She could only fight it for another moment, and then she broke, tearing her mouth from his as her restraint vanished. Her muscles contracted as her core tightened around him, drawing him long and solid, even farther into her body.
Control instantly lost, Sebastian growled, coming deep within her, unable to tell his own racking spasms from hers.
Gripping Brianna’s back, he pulled her down tight, captive on his chest. Not letting her limp body move from his, he forced her to ride the last unrestrained waves of his contractions, feel every bit of what she had done to him.
What she could do to him.
What she could make him feel.
His lips fell onto the top of her head.
Damn if he wasn’t falling completely in love with his wife.
Chest heaving, he didn’t move for long minutes. Didn’t let her move for long minutes. Not that she tried.
Minutes, hours—enough time for the fire to die down to embers—Sebastian wasn’t sure how much time passed as he sat there, sated and in silence. Brianna in his arms and that one thought running through his head. Coming to uneasy terms with that one thought.
Uneasy, because he knew too well the pain of losing happiness. Losing what he loved. He had trusted fate, trusted that Brianna and he were meant to be together. But love. He had not anticipated that.
And if he dared to let himself love her…
The sudden thought of losing her cut deep into his chest. His hold tightened around her back.
She rustled, turning her head, her lips settling onto the skin of his chest.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“No.” Her voice came up to him, soft, lazy. “Thinking.”
“Of?”
It took her a long moment to speak. So long, he almost wondered if she had fallen back asleep. “Where do you put your pain, Seb? All that happened to you. All you lost. What do you do with the pain?”
The question startled him. His hand went to the back of her head, fingers trailing down her hair. “I honestly do not know, Bree. It has never caught up to me. Not until now.”
She kissed his skin, then tilted her face up to him. “Do you wish the pain gone—wish it bad enough to leave, banishing it to the wind behind you once more?”
“No. I will take it, Bree. If this is my destiny—if you are my reward. I will take it. Gladly.”
~~~
Brianna hurried up the circular stone stairwell at Notlund to her sister’s room on the third floor. According to the first maid Brianna had encountered, Lily was supposedly dressing for dinner.
She slipped into Lily’s room, only to be greeted with the usual mayhem that accompanied Lily’s change of clothing. Dresses piled high upon the bed, a rainbow of silk and lace. A harried maid running about the room. Lily barking out orders for her hair, accessories, and the next dress she needed to try on before she would be fit to be seen.
And this was just a simple dinner.
Brianna closed the door quietly behind her back, smiling to herself. People thought she was the controlling one—but they had never witnessed this scene. Lily’s maids would have a far different story to tell.
In her stays and shift, her sister spun at the sound of the door clicking. “Bree, you are back—thank goodness.”
“We just arrived. Is something amiss? Lord Bepton’s visit is not going well?”
“Bepton?” Her sister looked momentarily confused, then waved her hand in the air. “No, nothing to do with Lord Bepton—he is well and settled. No, I have been waiting for you. There was a letter.”
Lily looked over at her maid digging through a box of ribbons. “Prudence, can you please excuse us? I need to speak with my sister in private.”
“Of course, miss.” The maid scurried out of the room.
Before the maid closed the door, Lily was across the room, opening the top drawer of a walnut inlaid desk, digging into the far back corners. She pulled out a folded piece of thick paper, the black seal on it broken.
“It was for you, but I took it.” Clutching the letter, her sister walked to Brianna. “I am sorry, but I did. I thought it might be a missive about Lord Newdale and I was not about to let you interfere. And then once I read it, I had to hide it.”
Brianna’s eyes narrowed at her sister. “You stole a letter meant for me? That is not like you, Lils, to sneak about. We may have argued about Lord Newdale, but for you to—”
“Stop. Never mind all of that, Bree.” She flung the paper into Brianna’s hands. “You have to read the letter. We can discuss at a different time how disappointed you are in me.”
Lily’s frantic agitation stopped Brianna from her scolding, and she looked down at the letter, quickly scanning the short note.
The blood draining from her face, she reread it three times before Lily interrupted her thoughts.
“Who is Mr. Flemming, Bree? What was he investigating and why is he reporting that a Mr. Welbury is dead? Who is Mr. Welbury?”
Brianna’s legs went soft, and she swayed, but she forced herself to stand in place. She couldn’t scare Lily.
She looked up to her sister, a wooden smile on her face. “It is nothing to concern you, Lily.”
“I do not believe you.” Lily’s arms folded over chest. “A man is dead, Bree. Tell me this instant who Mr. Welbury is.”
Brianna looked down, folding the note carefully along its original lines. It only gained her a few seconds. She met Lily’s accusing stare. “It concerns the one thing I will not talk about, Lils. And I will tell you no more. Nor can you speak of this note to anyone.”
Lily stepped to her, grabbing her forearm. “What are you doing, Bree? You said the past was the past and we were to not think of it. Not speak of it. Never again.”
“I will tell you no more, Lily.” Brianna twisted her arm free and stepped backward. “And you can be as angry with me as you need to be. But no more. I am doing this to protect you. That is all you need to know.”
Brianna spun, going to the door before Lily could continue her assault.
“But who will protect you, Bree?” Lily’s words trailed her into the hallway.
Eyes closed, Brianna clicked the door shut.
She had no answer for the question.
{ Chapter 13 • Earl of Destiny }
She had known this day would come for long time.
That no matter how long she waited, no matter how she would try to forget, no matter that she prayed him dead, he would show himself again. Gregory.
It was almost a relief. Almost.
The first ray of light appeared along the edge of the draperies, and Brianna slid to the edge of the bed, slipping out from under Sebastian’s bare arm over her belly.
She had debated all night about whether she would try to sneak out from Notlund without him knowing, or whether she would tell him of her plans. Neither side winning, she tiptoed across the room, leaving it up to fate to decide.
If he awoke, fine, but she wasn’t going to go out of her way to startle him from sleep.
Her breath held, she set her fingers on the doorknob, turning it slowly, pulling, waiting for the squeak that always started when the door swung.
“Is it a ride this morning, or do you have other questionable plans afoot?” Sebastian’s sleepy voice cut through the dark room.
Her held breath escaped. Relief, or something very similar, filled her. She closed the door, going back to the bed, her fingertips tapping the edge of the coverlet.
“I do not want you to worry, so I will tell you. I have a meeting with Mr. Flemming near Pepperton again.”
Sebastian sat up in the bed. “Why did you not tell me? I am coming with.”
“It is not necessary, Seb. It is a simple meeting, just like the o
ne before.”
“I am not about to let you go by yourself, Bree. I think you know that.”
“I have made this trip a number of times, Seb, I will be fine.”
He pushed the coverlet from his waist, swinging his naked legs off the side of the bed. “Think of it as me just accompanying you on a ride, then.”
“You will let me speak to Mr. Flemming in private?”
Even in the dim light, Brianna could see the lines on his forehead appear as he looked up at her. “Why would you need to speak to him in private, Brianna?”
“Accompanying me on a ride is just that—a ride, Seb. I would welcome that. But my dealings with Mr. Flemming are private—my business—and I would like it to remain so.”
Sebastian rubbed his forehead, his hand moving along his scalp to scratch the back of his head. He sighed. “As it is still well before the roosters are even roused, I do not have the mind to argue with you. But I will accompany you. That is not to be negotiated.”
Brianna nodded, silent.
Relief. It was definitely relief she felt.
~~~
Three hours later, Brianna stepped through the doorway to the abandoned mill, tugging closed the half-attached door, awkwardly lifting it to wedge it into place.
Ignoring Mr. Flemming standing in the middle of the room, she walked straight to a small slit in the far stone wall, peeking through it, searching until she found Sebastian. Leaning on a tree, staring at the stone structure, he didn’t look particularly pleased she had held him to his word.
But she could not let him interfere. He had promised to stay with the horses, a good stretch away by the woods, and she was going to make sure he did so.
“Miss Silverton?”
She turned sideways, taking a step backward to make sure she could both see Mr. Flemming and keep an eye on Sebastian.
“Mr. Flemming, your associate, Mr. Welbury, I am so saddened to read of his death.”
“Thank you for saying so, Miss Silverton. He is a loss. But Mr. Welbury knew well the risk of our profession.”
A quick glance to Mr. Flemming, and then she looked back out the slit. “Do you have any idea what happened?”
“It was foulness that took Welbury out, that be for sure. And he was only working on one case, Miss Silverton—yours.”
Brianna’s eyes closed, her chin dropping to her chest. She nodded, her eyes first going out to Sebastian, then to Mr. Flemming. “I understand. What had he discovered before he was killed?”
“Beyond what he told me, I do not know. His papers were gone—all out the window into the Thames.”
Brianna’s arms came up, wrapping her ribcage. This was exactly what she had feared. “That you sent the letter directly to Notlund—it was a risk—a risk you promised you would not take, Mr. Flemming.”
“Yes, but I thought you needed to be warned straight away, Miss Silverton. I have been here three days, waiting for you.”
“I apologize. I was away from Notlund or I would have been here sooner.” Her head dropped and she rubbed her forehead, giving a sideways glance to Mr. Flemming. “What is it that you know from Mr. Welbury?”
“Just that he was close. He said he would have true news for you soon. A location. That the man, Gregory, had been found.”
That shook Brianna, shook her to her core, and she stumbled backward. She had guessed it was the case, but to hear the words. To hear that Gregory was alive. Found. Her head spun.
Mr. Flemming grabbed her elbow, his thick hands steadying her.
“Are you solid again?”
It took her long seconds before she nodded and he released her.
“Do you know anything else, Mr. Flemming? Anything at all?”
“No. I am afraid not. Are you safe at Notlund, Miss Silverton? If not, I have places I can hide you. You and your sister.”
Brianna’s hand waved back and forth. “No, it is all right, Mr. Flemming. We are safe at Notlund.” She said the words, only half believing their truth.
“Shall I pick up on what little trail Welbury left?”
“No. Please do not. I do not wish another life to be at risk. Do nothing. Please just concentrate on Lord Newdale. And distance yourself from Mr. Welbury’s investigation.”
Mr. Flemming gave a nod. “I will.”
“And Mr. Welbury—did he have a family? Anyone he supported? I would like to make arrangements for their well-being.”
“No. It is kind Miss Silverton, but Mr. Welbury was alone. As are most of us in the trade.”
“Please be safe, Mr. Flemming.”
“To you as well, Miss Silverton.” Mr. Flemming moved next to her, pointing out the slit. “And this man that you rode up here with, can he be trusted, or do I need to determine a new place to meet with you?”
Brianna glanced out the slit. Sebastian still leaned against the tree, arms crossed over his chest. He had kept his promise—she truly hadn’t been sure if he would allow her privacy. “He can be trusted, Mr. Flemming. That man is my new husband.”
“A husband? That is a surprise. Congratulations on your nuptials.”
“Thank you, Mr. Flemming.” She pulled on the bottom edges of her gloves, tightening them to her fingertips. “I must leave now, but I trust that you will have definitive news on Lord Newdale for me soon?”
“Yes. Godspeed, and do keep a wary eye out.”
With a nod, Brianna walked over to the door, lifting it while kicking it open with the toe of her boot. Once outside in the fresh air, she stopped, her hand on the stone wall for support. She only made it five more steps before she had to bend over, swallowing silent sobs of terror that threatened to overtake her.
But she only allowed herself a few precious seconds.
Pulling her spine straight, her hand dropped from the rough stone. Walking slowly, her feet deliberate with each step, she took a deep breath, smoothing the skirt of her riding habit before she rounded the corner. She had to compose herself before Sebastian saw her. Which meant locking thoughts of Gregory into the back of her mind.
Sebastian would see the worry on her face immediately.
And that, she could not have.
~~~
“You have not wanted to ride in days, Brianna. Not once since you met with Mr. Flemming.” His shirt and buckskin breeches already on, Sebastian sat on the chair by the fire, pulling his dark boots up.
“And?” Brianna rolled from her side where she was watching him onto her back. Her bare arm came up, flopping across her forehead and covering her eyes.
“And it is not like you.” He stood, walking over to the bed to hover above her. “While I have enjoyed you not waking me at the break of dawn—and keeping you naked and warm in my bed until a reasonable hour—I am beginning to wonder what is rumbling about in that mind of yours.”
Her arm shifted to let one eye find his face. “It is Lily.”
“Planning something drastic?”
“No. And I take offense.” Her arm moved further up her forehead as she rolled her eyes. “I have come to realize how very soon our lives will be lived apart. She has been the one constant in my life—for as far back as I can remember. So I am trying to get in as much time as possible with her before Lord Newdale comes back to sweep her away.”
“So Lord Bepton has made no impression upon her in his time here?” Sebastian asked.
“None. She still talks about Newdale every chance she gets. Bepton is dull—she did not exaggerate that point. As safe a husband as he would be for her, even I would not wish a life with him upon Lily. She is far too vivacious for a man such as him, although I imagine there is a match out there somewhere for him.”
She lifted her arm from her forehead, her fingers slipping under the top seam of Sebastian’s breeches to pull him closer. “But do not let me keep you from riding. I know how very much you would like to break that new filly in. Maybe today luck will be with you.”
“Hopefully.” He tapped the tip of her nose. “This one is more stubborn than you.�
�
“Impossible.” She sat up, digging her fingers into his side, laughing.
He jumped away, grabbing her hand. “So quick to argue, my wife.”
Her fun squelched, she conceded her attack and pulled the coverlet up over her bare chest. “I do not know what Lily has planned for the day with Lord Bepton. If it is conducive, I shall be down to the stables to at least watch your trials with SilverStar.”
“To watch me get thrown repeatedly?”
She shuddered. “I have seen you get thrown in the worst possible way, so watching the little game that you and SilverStar have been playing with each other has been amusing. You are very good at falling.”
“A graceful faller, am I?”
She reached up, patting his cheek. “The epitome of a fall well done.”
He chuckled, leaning in to kiss her. “Later, then, my wife.”
“Yes.” Smile on her face, she watched him walk out the door.
The door had not even closed before her smile failed.
Two hours later, Brianna had escaped Lily and was walking around the stables. After passing by the empty pen by the first pasture, she found little Tommy poking at some hay, pretending to work.
“Tommy, where is the earl?”
Her sudden voice made him jump, and he spun to her, a sheepish look on his face. “’E break the new filly, mi’ lady. ‘E been out on her, riding ‘er good.”
“Will he be back soon?”
Tommy shrugged. “Don’t know, mi’ lady. Maybe a few hours?”
Brianna nodded, her face going hard. It was time. She had been anxiously waiting for just this opportunity—Sebastian far from the stables—since meeting with Mr. Flemming.
“Saddle Firesprite for me, Tommy—quickly.”
“Not Moonlight, mi’ lady?”
“No. Not today. I need to go up to the castle and will be back within a few minutes, please have her ready.”
Before her words ended, Brianna was already racing up to the castle.
Lord of Fates: A Complete Historical Regency Romance Series (3-Book Box Set) Page 44