Before he could speak, she was in his embrace, blissful, and so alive with her dreams. He gave a full and masculine laugh.
“Not on the forehead. I want the taste of your lips so I can dream tonight.”
He bent low and aligned his lips to hers. With his hand, he cupped Jaclyn’s chin. One kiss hurtled her to the point of no return. The glorious sensation sent spirals of ecstasy through her like swarms of comets. She pressed her body against him never dreaming a kiss could feel so warm and wet.
Wolferton withdrew from her. “Miss Jaclyn, I…”
“You may control a lot of things, Your Grace, but I own my dreams and I want you in them. You do not have a choice. Until tomorrow then.” She retrieved her arms from his neck, sighed, and walked into the drawing room headed toward the staircase.
In her room, she closed the door but not her mind. She was more shaken than she cared to admit. Her guardian was a complex man, not easy to know because he withheld intimacy. And yet, his kisses enticed, tempted, and confused. Tomorrow was another day. Exhausted, she sat in the wing chair, leaned back into its comfort, and soon fell into a sound slumber.
Chapter Thirty
An Unlikely Event
The sound of the drapes opening and a stream of blatant sunshine flooded the room. Jaclyn blinked at the brightness and stretched her arms high to remove the kinks in her body. Chairs were not meant for sleep.
“Mistress, you must have been too tired to undress. Here, let me help you with your ablutions.”
Jaclyn managed to rise, rubbed the ache in her neck, and stamped her legs to get the flow of blood active. “What time is it?”
“You wanted to awake before nine. I have your outfit ready for you.”
She giggled. “I remember when I had to awake at five-thirty and thought nothing of it. These late nights are not easy to adjust to my bodily needs. Sedona, last night was wondrous. Is it me, or do you like it here too?”
She hustled with preparations. “Yes, mistress, I do. My chest breathes better in this air. And the food is freshly picked. It will be sad to leave.”
Jaclyn emerged in her teal ensemble, which included a pert hat with a veil and feathers, not to mention matching gloves. Her boots were black Hessians, especially made by Wolferton’s boot maker.
Ready to face the day, she took a sip of the tea Sedona brought in and then proceeded down the steps. Camille’s door was ajar, which meant she had already started her day.
In the drawing room, Wolferton sat at the head of the table with Camille to one side. Jaclyn greeted both of them with a resigned sigh. “I don’t think I’m wide awake yet.”
“You’re a sleepy head,” Camille said. “Radolf was up most of the night with the foaling. We have a new colt, and he’s a beauty.”
“Goodness. Everything went well?” she asked, her head tilted to him.
“Yes, as well as expected. We named the animal Beau. You’ll see him when you’ve finished breakfast.”
“He’s modest, my dear. It took quite a few hours but was well worth it.”
Jaclyn helped herself to ham and fresh fruit from the buffet and sat.
“I’m not used to such late hours, but I love it here,” Camille said over her hot cocoa.
Wolferton stood to leave, nodded to Jaclyn who immediately rose to follow. “Wait for me,” Jaclyn squealed as he quickened her pace.
Camille raised her cup to her lips, “I’ve already seen Beau. I’m just going to relax with another hot drink. Have fun.”
Wolferton and Jaclyn walked out of the breakfast room together. “You have your first riding lesson today, but let’s go congratulate the colt’s mother.”
They walked in sync to the stables and stopped in front of the stall.
Jaclyn fell to her knees at the sight of the magnificent foal, all spindly-legged and still a little wobbly as his mother licked her baby boy. “I’ve never felt in awe of anything like the way I do now. Nature is beautiful if you learn to appreciate its grandeur. I don’t know enough about horses, but this boy doesn’t look more than an hour or two old. You were up all night?”
He grinned at the sight of something also magnificent in his view—the beauty and wonder of Jaclyn, all teary-eyed and never lovelier. “I cannot tell a lie. Yes, it’s strange, but I’m not tired. To view a birth is special. I’ve done many things, but nothing more important than this, right now, here, and with you to appreciate all it means.”
He lifted her from the ground. “You’ve straw on your skirt.”
She brushed it away.
“Mama has to feed her hungry boy. Let’s go find your horse and start our lessons.”
Jaclyn ran to him, jumped into his arms, and cried.
“Hush, my dear. We shared a most precious moment.” He released her, and they walked hand in hand. “I think it’s time you called me by my Christian name. Would that please you?”
“Yes. Yes. Yes. I thought you’d never ask. You may also call me Jaclyn. Does that please you?” Her smile could light the sun.
“More than you know along with its endless possibilities.” Now that made him grin.
****
The head groom looked a little worse for wear and had a stable boy ready to assist Jaclyn to mount the horse. She got a lift into the regular saddle and took the reins. Jaclyn tried not to look at the distance from the seat of her horse to the ground. She made every attempt to calm herself, but it seemed the earth was there to swallow her up. She’d read about side saddles and was grateful they were not always used in the country.
Wolferton mounted and gave her a bright smile. “The major waits for Camille, but let’s walk the horses. Your mare is named Whinney.”
“You could have named her something more creative.” She laughed, now somewhat relaxed. “Go, Whinney, go.” The horse didn’t move.
With a chuckle, he said, “She doesn’t understand your directions. Give her a slight kick with your boot—not too hard—and she’ll move forward. Hold the reins firm. Too loose and she’ll start to gallop.”
Jaclyn said a silent prayer she’d survive this ordeal. She leaned forward a touch, patted the horse’s neck, and nudged with her heels. Whinney moved. Wolferton set a slow pace toward a well-used road.
“This wasn’t so hard.” She exhaled and bubbled with joy. “I can do this. I confess I had my doubts, Radolf,” she added with a blazing smile.
She memorized words he’d just said to her. “Hush, my dear. We shared a most precious moment. I think it’s time you called me by my Christian name. Would that please you?”
Yes, a million times, Yes. It was a major victory for her. Yes.
Radolf’s voice brought her back to the moment.
“Don’t get overconfident. A horse is a heavy animal, and you should treat it with deserved admiration. Whinney has to know you better and to trust you to guide and protect her.”
“How could I protect such an animal? I’m small, and she’s large.”
“You’ll learn in due time.” He graced her with another broad grin.
They left the flat trail and entered the brush. A sound like a baby’s rattle penetrated the air. A rattlesnake slithered into the path. Whinney gave an alarmed cry. The animal reared on its hind legs with her front hooves pounding the air. Whinney jumped over the snake and took off in a full gallop. Unable to control the horse, fear enveloped Jaclyn. Her arms flailed. Panic rioted within her. Her stomach churned. The sound of her rapid heartbeat thumped, echoing in her ears. Now a bundle of fear, she bit her lips. Jaclyn let the reins drop, grabbed the horse’s mane, and hung on for dear life. She was going to die. No, not now. Then her hold slipped. The horse’s feet barely touched the ground as Whinney fled and Jaclyn jolted like a rag doll. With a piercing scream, Jaclyn landed hard in the dirt.
****
Wolferton sped to where she lay, jumped off his horse, and went to her side. Jaclyn lay limp in the brush. He knelt beside her and with the greatest of care, turned her over. She was unconscious, eyelids clo
sed. “Don’t die on me, Jaclyn. You are my everything.” He never felt so helpless. Never. Not on the fields of battle. Not on the endless wanderings of his life. He raised his head in a silent prayer. “Please let her live and I’ll do anything you request.”
Camille and the major caught up with him.
“Camille, go summon the physician. Major, I dare not move her any further. I can’t determine where she’s hurt.” He turned his gaze back to her. “Jaclyn, can you hear me?”
He loosened her jacket and bow. Then he removed her chapeau, careful not to jiggle her head. “If you can hear me, say something. Blink? Move a finger? Help is on the way.” He rubbed her gloved hands. Then he turned to the major. “Go back and see if you can speed them up.”
As the man galloped at full speed, Wolferton continued to speak, murmuring anything. “I need to apologize for my behavior. When you informed me you asked Halifax for kissing lessons, I swear it was a blow to my heart. There are times in life when a man must confront his demons and admit they are blacker than his heart.”
He peered back into the distance. Where the hell were Halbert and the physician? If there was a moment when he didn’t realize how much he cared for her, it no longer existed. But she wanted someone else. The problem confounded, indeed. Who was the inopportune suitor? Yet, he remembered her declaration of love for him in her journal.
Wolferton continued to rub her hands. “Yes, you are young, anxious for love so denied you and ready to face this brand new world.” He touched her cheek with a free hand, gauged the swell of her breasts as she breathed. It wasn’t labored—a good sign—although he’d seen unconscious men lapse into death in peaceful repose.
“My Jaclyn, don’t die on me now that I’ve found you. I never thought I could care about any woman again…until you.” He realized he babbled, but all he wanted was to confess his strong love. He weighed the possibility of carrying her to the manor, but if she had a broken back, he’d make her injury worse.
“It frightened me that I gave you the power to hurt me. You lifted the barrier to my cold heart, and at times I repaid you with arrogance in the form of aloofness because, if the truth were known, I worshiped you.”
He spun his head at a sound, but it was a wishful thought. No one was there.
“My love, can you hear me? Speak, for your words are precious to me. Kiss me, and I’ll give you back three.” He bent his head low, gloved hands on the muddy ground and brushed her lips with a gentleness that conveyed love—blessed and pure. He curled a smile on the edge of his lips. “I’ll wait until you are conscious to collect the three you now owe me. I’ll let you in on a secret. I don’t believe my heart is black anymore. Oh, my Jaclyn, can you speak?”
In a miraculous moment, she moaned.
Halbert arrived with men and a stretcher. The physician dismounted in haste. “Your Grace, I tended one of the stable hands on your property. How long has she been unconscious?”
“I have no idea, but she moaned a moment ago. It’s the only response I’ve gotten from her.”
The physician checked for broken bones. After a few moments, he asked, “She fell forward and not on her back?”
“She rolled several times after the fall. I turned her over to assess how she breathed and covered her with my jacket.”
“She has a large bruise on her head, but all other signs are good. Would you instruct your men to place her with care on the stretcher? I’ll see to her further needs at the manor house.”
Halbert responded as if a fire burned underneath him. Wolferton removed his wet gloves and assisted. Then he and the doctor followed on foot, alongside the stretcher-bearers. A stable hand rounded up the horses and walked behind the entourage.
Chapter Thirty-One
Words Meant and Proclaimed
At the manor house, Wolferton and the doctor entered. Camille waited in obvious concern. She led the stretcher-bearers to Jaclyn’s room. The doctor asked for privacy with his patient. Jaclyn’s maid undressed her so he could make a further diagnosis.
Wolferton walked stridently to his room to change his soiled clothes and boots. A concerned Camille sat outside Jaclyn’s room in a hard wooden chair next to a hall table.
Wolferton returned, restless as he walked to and fro, his hand rubbed his forehead. “Any news yet?”
“Nothing. Will you sit? Tell me what happened.” Camille’s soft voice stopped him.
“A rattlesnake spooked the horse. Being an inexperienced rider, she lost control. Fortunately, it was a clean fall, and the horse didn’t drag her through the bush.”
It was the first time in years he had the opportunity to glance at the corridor walls which now seemed unfamiliar.
The door opened, and the physician appeared. “Your Grace, your ward has no visible breaks. However, there could be an internal loss of blood although I did not detect any such sounds.”
“What else can we do?” Wolferton asked.
“Wait for her to regain consciousness. A caution though, it may not occur within twenty-four hours. Keep her comfortable and watch her progress. Call me if she recovers. I’ve left laudanum for her if she has pain. Just follow the directions. I did force a few drops to her lips to aid her rest. The blow to her head was strong.”
“Thank you, Doctor. We’ll make sure she gets round-the-clock care,” Camille said.
“Remember her rest is essential.” The physician methodically rearranged his black medicine bag. “Remember to call me if there’s any change.”
Wolferton entered Jaclyn’s room. “Sedona, you may leave. I’ll stay with her a while. Leave the door open for propriety’s sake.” He pulled a chair to her bedside. “What does one say to a Madonna-like angel?”
Both her hands were out from the comforter. An open front wrapper covered her so the doctor could check her on further visits. The swell of her soft breaths raised and then lowered the coverlet.
Wolferton scanned the somewhat familiar room. The mantel clock chimed the noon hour. Halbert entered with a decanter of Wolferton’s favorite cognac and placed the tray within reach on a table. Then he poured a three-finger drink into a goblet and handed it to him
“Bless you,” he whispered with a curled smile, the first relaxation since the accident.
“Shall you require a luncheon tray here? Your sister wishes to know.”
The chair was damn hard and too narrow for any comfort with tight breeches. The plain truth was he couldn’t leave Jaclyn's side. He nodded. “Something light will suffice. I won’t rest until she recovers. Find me a high wingback chair where I can nod off if necessary. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Within minutes, a comfortable woven chair was moved in place beside the bed. A cart set with a domed plate cover and cutlery was at his side. The sheer torture not to know the outcome plagued him. How would he endure if anything serious happened? He carried on a one-way conversation with Jaclyn, ate a bit of food, drank small portions of cognac, and from exhaustion and mental anguish, nodded to sleep.
The sound of rustling awakened him. Jaclyn moved her legs and turned to sleep on her side, an angelic smile brightened her beautiful face. The afternoon descended, hours passed, attested to by the mantel clock’s intermittent chimes.
He awakened to the sound of her voice. “Talk to me some more, Radolf. I heard all you said but couldn’t speak.”
He jumped to his feet, a broad grin on his face.
She opened her eyes. “Hello, my handshum guardian.” Her voice was so low and garbled he barely heard.
“Hello,” he answered, full of relief, joy—and love at her slurred words. “You gave me a scare.”
“Are you real? I had wonderful dreams, and you were in them as always. Has anyone told you your voice could calm a storm or betwitch a maiden?”
He smiled grandly at her laudanum-laced word. “No, I’ve never been accused of betwichment.”
“You change your voice with your moods. Sometimes it’s haunted and other times it’s wounded.” She s
topped speaking. “And other times, it’s loverly.”
Startled by her words, he arose and feather-touched her forehead.
Jaclyn squinted. “My head hurts a bit. Don't leave my side, please. I wish it could be this way forever. I yove you. Do you yove me?”
The jumbled language made him smile.
He answered. “Yes, I yove you too.”
Jaclyn’s voice faded off to slumber.
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from you, my love.” Hallelujah, she’d be well soon.
Halbert entered the room. “I am of the opinion you feel better, Your Grace.” A crooked toothy smile was obvious.
“Yes, you old codger.”
“I’ve sat a vigil outside your door and heard all you said.”
“Dare to repeat a word, and I’ll have your head on a spike.” His warning was one he used many times with his batman, but it belied his happiness.
“Your veiled threats over the years frightened me until I realized they were bluster. Underneath your scary exterior dwells the heart of a sainted man.”
Wolferton chuckled. “Sainted?” He turned to Jaclyn.
“Yes, sir. Maybe if you admitted your true feelings instead of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, you’d be more content.”
“Maybe if you curbed your tongue, you could be assured of a longer life, Halbert. Leave me.” His attempt at gruffness could not disguise his joy and elation.
Halbert lowered his head and left.
“Now, what am I to do when Jaclyn fully awakens and confronts me? Perhaps she won’t even remember,” he muttered. If he were truthful, he’d admit he wanted her to remember his words.
Camille entered with a swish of silk and a broad smile. “Halbert informed me Jaclyn spoke. What did she say? Is she in pain?”
Somehow, he couldn’t repeat the monumental words. How do you tell your sister you spoke childish gibberish and said, I yove you too?
“May I suggest a change of clothes? I’m sure you can use a bath after your night in a chair.” Camille smiled at him. “I’ll stay with her until you return.”
The Blue-Eyed Black-Hearted Duke Page 15