by Gill, Tamara
“I think I have,” she said. She smiled at him and his stomach clenched at the genuine pleasure written across her features. Hell, he loved seeing her happy, excited. “I think it may be gold. I caught a flash of color when I was digging.”
He helped her remove soil from the area, and sure enough within a minute of further excavation the smooth top of a small, round-shaped artifact showed itself. They took their time removing the soil, and then within the hour Hallie had freed the buried piece of treasure and was holding it up before them. “I think this is a section of a legionnaire’s helmet. How extraordinary.”
Much like she was. He helped her to stand and for a moment they stared at the find. “The first of many great discoveries I hope.”
She nodded, heading toward the tent and placing the item in a little box she had set up on a table. “Let us see what else this fort has to reveal, shall we?” she asked, slipping past him to go back to the trench.
“I’m right behind you, Miss Evans.” Arthur settled down beside her. The remainder of the day did indeed sport new finds, other parts of the helmet and some arrowheads, although Hallie wasn’t certain if they were from the fourth century or earlier.
Arthur contemplated his present circumstance. Should his grandmother see him now, Viscount Duncannon, boot deep in mud and digging in said mud for artifacts that no longer held any value to society, only the past. She would be appalled. And yet, never had he ever felt more alive and beneficial than he did right now next to Miss Evans. To be contributing to society, as small as it was.
Chapter 9
Hallie sat in her room later that night after dinner where thankfully Mr. Stewart did not deign to bring up any more games that they should play regarding people’s past. Her friend Willow sat across from her, quiet and reflective as she stared at the flames in the fire.
“Willow,” she said, catching her attention. “There is something I need to tell you, all of our friends in fact, but since you’re here, I wish to confide in you if I can.”
Willow’s brow furrowed and she turned toward her, giving her full attention. “Of course. You know that you can confide in me. I will never betray your trust.”
Hallie clasped her stomach as nerves over admitting to her secret that she’d never told anyone other than her cousin. She was not certain how any of them would take the news, or if they would look down on her, scorn her for her choice. “There are two things really, and I’m uncertain what you’ll think of me when I tell you.”
Willow reached across the space that separated them and clasped her hand. “I will never think less of you, no matter what you’re about to tell me. I promise you that.”
She hoped that was true, for to lose her friends over her secret would be unbearable. “You know how much I loved Omar, will always love him even though he’s gone, but there is something that you do not know and I need to confide in someone before I shout it out at the top of my lungs for everyone to hear and be damned the consequences.”
“Tell me what it is before I expire,” Willow said, smiling a little.
Hallie took a calming breath and swallowed her fear. “Not long after Omar was killed I found out that I was carrying his child.”
Willow gasped, wrenching back into her chair. “You were pregnant. What happened, Hallie?”
She stood, pacing back and forth between the hearth and her bed. “By then Mr. Shelly, the Egyptologist, was scheduled to leave and I jumped at the chance to return home. I needed to return home, to Berkshire, where my cousin lives and give birth. This all happened around the time that Ava lost her home to the fire. I went and visited her if you remember. Well, not that anyone knows it, but it was only a few weeks after giving birth to Ammon.”
“You had a boy?” Willow asked, standing and coming over to her, clasping her hands. “You’re a mother?”
Hallie nodded. “I am. He’s the sweetest little boy, and my working here for the baron is so I can support him. I need positions like this so we’ll be able to one day return to Surrey, to my cottage in Felday and I’ll never have to leave him again. But there is a problem with that.”
“What problem?” Willow asked, frowning.
“Lord Duncannon problem,” Hallie admitted. “I’ve not been completely honest about his lordship either and after I tell you what happened many years ago I fear you’ll think me a…”
“A what?” Willow clasped her shoulders to halt Hallie’s pacing. “A what, Hallie?”
Hallie kept her attention on the fire, unable to look at her friend. “A whore,” she admitted, shame washing through her that she’d been with two men in her life and both times married to neither of them. So unladylike even for a woman such as herself who thought women should have just as much freedom as men. Still, just like all the women of her acquaintance she was a product of her time and there were rules. Rules that she’d cast aside and now would have to pay the price for.
“You are not a whore. Tell me what happened, and please, stop pacing.” Willow pulled her to sit back down before the hearth. “I want to know everything.”
Hallie worked her bottom lip a moment before she said, “I first met Lord Duncannon by chance on the road to Felday, the day I buried Papa. He was cast off by his friends in a snowstorm and I gave him a lift to town so he may find a place to stay. But, due to the inclement weather, many people traveling through Surrey that day had halted in Felday for the night. There was no accommodation left in the town. Lord Duncannon asked if he could stay at my cottage and I couldn’t see the harm in it and allowed him to.” Hallie thought back on the night, the too many wines, the warm fire and cozy room, lit only by a single candle was a perfect situation for seduction and mistakes.
And oh boy, did she make one that night. The thought of his hands, strong and knowledgeable, certainly clever to make her even shiver to this day bombarded her mind. She let the memory take life in her mind as she told Willow all and everything that happened as if it were only yesterday.
“It started with a toast for papa, and spiraled out of control from there…”
Felday 1817
“I’m going to kiss you, Hallie,” he’d said, brushing his lips just the slightest against hers. Without thought Hallie reached up and clasped his wicked, long locks and pulled him down for a kiss.
He moaned at her action and her body ached in places she’d not known could ache. What’s more, Arthur kissed her back. He took her lips in a fierce way, and she scrambled to keep up with his desire.
She’d never done anything of the kind before, but a heady feeling came over her. A feeling that this was right and what she wanted, more than anything before leaving her home and starting a new life.
The action was scandalous of course, and when picking him up earlier today this was not how she thought her night would end, but in his arms, as his hand slid down hers, across her stomach and around to her bottom, nothing had ever felt so right.
“Are you sure?” he asked, kissing her throat and pulling the small ribbons on her dress apart, leaving the gown to gape at her neck.
Hallie nodded, kissing him again. “I’m sure,” she gasped as his hand cupped her breast, his fingers finding her nipple and rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. Lightning shot through her veins and with a will of its own, her body purred against his like a feline seeking comfort.
Arthur stood, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to her room. He lay her on the bed, following her down and kissing her, his intention as clear as her acquiescence.
“You’re so beautiful.” He rolled off her a little, lifting the hem of her dress, and pulled it upward over her body. Hallie sat up to allow him to take everything else off, and in her moonlit room she could see the need that burned in his gaze. He shucked off his breeches, his shirt his only attire, gaping at the neck and giving her a perfect view of his chiseled waist.
She reached over, taking the shirt in her hands and pulling it over his head. Hallie bit her lip at the sight that greeted her. His body was
as lovely as his face, strong lines, taut and hers for the night.
Hallie ran her hand over the rippling muscles on his stomach, unable to stop her eyes from dipping to what stood erect between his legs. She reached down, running her finger along the tip and marveled at its perfection. “It’s so soft and yet hard. I had no idea.”
She felt his eyes upon her, and she looked up. “You’re a virgin?” His words were breathless but controlled, and she nodded.
“Yes.”
He frowned, his hand halting its path across her breasts.
“I don’t want to stop,” she said, moving over to him and wrapping her arms about his neck. “Show me what it’s like before I leave all this behind. Just once I want to be with a man.”
He pushed her hair off her face, clasping her jaw. “Are you really sure? I don’t want you to think that I took advantage of you tonight. This was not my intention when I came here. I need you to know that.”
She kissed him, slowly and deeply, just as he had before and he wrenched her hard against his person. “I know you did not, but I want to. I really want to.”
Arthur kissed her fiercely, falling back onto the bed. Hallie smiled through the embrace. Yes, this was what she wanted. This, all of this.
Her final memory before slipping off to sleep later that night, wrapped in his arms and hearing the thump of his heart against her ear, was of Arthur, and the perfect farewell gift he had given her. Multiple farewell gifts in fact.
Whatever next did the world have in store for her? She could not wait to find out.
Hallie finished telling Willow of her one night with Lord Duncannon, minus most of the details that were for her memories only. Her friend’s eyes were wide, her cheeks as red as a Scottish lass who had stood in the sun too long.
“Well,” Willow said, breathlessly. “You know Lord Duncannon very well indeed.”
Hallie nodded. “I did not know he was a lord at that time. He introduced himself as Mr. Howard. When I met him again at the Duchess of Whitstone’s ball, the night of the fire at Ava’s estate I learned who he really was. Not that it would have changed what happened that night in Surrey, but I certainly would have been more prepared than I was when we did meet again.”
“Which you did not think would happen. Am I right?”
“That’s right. But we have run into each other again and its awkward. I think he likes me,” she admitted, meeting her friend’s startled gaze. “What are you thinking? You look surprised by that.”
Willow threw her a concerned glance. “I’m just worried, that is all. Living with my aunt has been informative and not always in a positive sense. These lords are not to be trusted, and while there are a few who can be, the Duke of Whitstone of course, but most of the men of my acquaintance are rogues and go through women like a cook goes through dishwater.”
“Eww,” Hallie said, not liking the idea that she was being looked upon as dishwater or a just one of many on Lord Duncannon’s bedpost. But then, she ought to think this way, for it would most likely be true. He was a renowned rake. His family also strove for him to marry only the best. She was surprised he spoke to her at all, she was so far beneath him, in his family’s estimation at least.
But he did speak to her, helped her at the dig site and was trying to make amends. Hallie could not fault him for that. He was sweet and caring toward her. He’d already slept with her, so there was no reason why he should continue to work on their friendship, unless he was being truthful and trying to make things right between them.
“You need to speak to him, tell him that what happened in Egypt. Explain that what occurred between you both will not happen again and that he should concentrate on more eligible women who are actually interested in his courtship.” Willow studied her a moment and Hallie fought not to fidget under her inspection. “Unless you are wanting his attention.”
Nerves fluttered in her stomach at the thought of him touching her. She stood and went over to her desk, pouring two glasses of wine, having had the maid who turned down her bed tonight procure her a bottle before she retired for the evening.
Hallie handed a glass to Willow and swallowed hers down in one go. “Of course I do not, and I have already told him that nothing further will occur between us. I have other things taking up my attention. I do not need a man to get in the way of my life. I’ve had my fill of all that. I cannot ever see anyone coming close to how Omar made me feel.”
She slumped down in her chair, laying her head against its back, knowing what she’d just said was far from the truth. Lord Duncannon had made her feel things as well, not just Omar, but she could not voice such things. To hope where there was no hope was a mistake she could not make. That road led to heartbreak and it wasn’t only herself to consider now. She had a son as well.
“I think if you’re honest with him he will leave you alone. He is the Duke of Whitstone’s closest friend. Whitstone would not be his friend if he was not honorable.”
Hallie nodded, having thought the same. “We did talk of what happened in Surrey today, at the dig site. The way he spoke made me believe he wants more.”
Willow chuckled, sipping her wine. “I’m sure he does, but that does not mean he’s going to get one.”
“Of course not,” Hallie retorted, ignoring the fact her body seized at the idea of having his hands on her again. The first time had been quick but so very satisfying. After being with Omar she was well aware of what her body was capable of and what she liked. To take a lover was not an awful idea, but the risks were too high. To have any more children out of wedlock was not something she was willing to do. Not even for another night in his arms.
“I’m glad of it,” Willow said, standing and clapping her shoulder as she walked past to place her glass back on Hallie’s desk. “I will leave you now to get your rest, but do not worry so, Hallie. Be honest with Lord Duncannon and all will be well. You’ll see, he will understand you’re no longer looking for that type of relationship. Your son must take priority and he will respect your decision.”
“Goodnight, Willow,” Hallie said as her friend left her room, closing her door softly behind her. She stood and went back over to her desk, pouring herself another glass of wine. By the time she finished the bottle she was not only a little tipsy, she was also in need of another drink.
Perhaps the library had some whisky she could take up to her room. Hallie slipped on her dressing robe, and checking the passage outside her door noted no one about nor any noise from downstairs. A few sconces burned along the walls, lighting her way, but as she came to the staircase, she spied a footman below, slumped on his chair asleep, only a single candle burning in the entrance hall.
She slipped past him and started for the library, thankfully finding it empty. The decanter was full and she picked it up, wondering if taking that to her room would look a little bit extreme. Instead, she placed it back down, bending to look in the cupboard beneath. A bottle of red wine sat there along with an array of glasses. She picked up the wine and turned for the door, her steps a little uneven as she moved across the room, trying not to run into any furniture and make noise.
A quick look about the entrance produced only the sleeping servant who had not moved. Hallie ran past him, taking the stairs as fast as she could. When she made the passage that led to her room her nerves settled. The wine had made her warm and relaxed and after admitting her two biggest secrets tonight she was in need of fortification.
Thank heavens Willow had seemed to take the news well. Maybe her other friends would also when she told them, and she would have to tell them. And soon. She wanted to live with her child and she would no longer live hidden away, frightened of what everyone would think. If they chose to turn their backs, that was their cross to bear.
“Drinking alone is never a good thing, Miss Evans.”
Hallie stifled a scream and fumbled with the bottle, almost dropping it. She glanced up and through the darkened hall spotted Lord Duncannon, similarly dressed to how he was t
he night they were in Surrey together. His buckskin breeches fitted him like a glove and his shirt gaped open, yet again tempting her to sin.
She shut her eyes, forcing away the visual. “Spying on me now, my lord. If you keep this up, I’ll start to think you’re obsessed with me.”
He chuckled and pushed off from the wall, strolling with a relaxed air that reminded her of a predatory cat slinking after it’s meal. “Oh, I admit that I’m obsessed with you, Miss Evans and enamoured, in awe and many other things. If only you would put me out of my misery and be with me. Always.”
She gasped and slapped her hand over mouth, wondering if she had drunk too much tonight and was now imagining all of this. Surely not. “You tease,” she said, calling his bluff and meeting him in the middle of the hall. Sandalwood wafted from his skin and this close she could see that he’d recently bathed. The idea of him neck deep in water, rubbing soap over his skin and washing his body caused a shiver to steal down her spine. She clutched the bottle of wine between her breasts in the hopes of stopping her hands reaching out and touching him.
To know what if felt like to be with Lord Duncannon, to be the sole recipient of the gentleman’s attentions was not something to remove from one’s mind without sheer force. A force made impossible by the foxed state she was currently in.
“I’ve never been more serious.” He stepped closer still and his chest brushed hers. Her breath hitched and she dropped her hands to her sides, bottle dangling from one hand. Her heart beat so loud she was sure he would hear it.
“I told you earlier today that what happened between us was a mistake and one I’m not willing to repeat.” She studied his jaw, a small shadow of stubble marring the normally perfect visage. Bloody damn it, he was just so good-looking and so sweet. Her fingers itched to slide up his chest and clasp his jaw, pull him down for a kiss. Allow him to seduce her to the thought of them, a future that would never eventuate. If she allowed this madness to commence it would only lead to heartache.