He gave a brief nod of acknowledgment after he had glanced up at the two women before looking pointedly toward where Clara lay fast asleep in the bed.
Rissa immediately found herself being hustled back out of the bedchamber by Lady Catchpole.
“We know it is most improper for Lord Stone to be in Clara’s bedchamber.” The older woman became flustered once they were out in the hallway with the bedchamber door closed behind them. “But Clara became…distressed when we reminded her that Lord Stone has a business to run and must return to his own home. She would not take the doctor’s sleeping draught until Lord Stone promised to still be here when she woke. The poor man was given no choice but to agree.”
It did not appear to Rissa as if the protective Lord Stone had wanted a choice.
Rissa could certainly understand some of Clara’s feelings toward the man who had rescued her. After all, Rissa had felt a similar need for the protection of Zachary’s company after he had saved her from the fire. “I am sure Clara will grow more reassured of her safety over time,” she comforted. “Then she will not feel the need for Lord Stone’s presence as she does now.”
In the same way that Rissa no longer felt a need for Zachary’s presence in her own life?
Well…no. But it was not the same thing at all. Rissa had fallen in love with Zachary, but there was absolutely no possibility of Clara falling in love with Lord Stone.
Was there?
No, of course there was not. Clara loved the balls and parties and all the other Social events of the Season, along with fashionable gowns and the gossip so rife amongst Society. Ezra Stone was a taciturn but obviously caring man to have joined in the hunt for Clara today, but Rissa very much doubted he liked any of the frivolous things that Clara did.
No, this was merely a temporary need for comfort and protection on Clara’s part, and would pass as she recovered from her ordeal and gained in confidence.
Rissa took both Lady Catchpole’s hands in her own to squeeze them reassuringly. “Please be sure to tell Clara I was here when she wakes. I will call again tomorrow, if that is acceptable?”
“Of course,” Lady Catchpole nodded. “This is such a terrible business.” The older woman trembled as they walked down the stairs together arm in arm. “I dread to think what might have happened to my darling Clara if she had not been found when she was.”
So did Rissa, but to say so would do nothing to help the other woman’s distress. “You must put such thoughts behind you,” she soothed. “Clara is here, and she is safe, and there is no need to say any more about it,” she added as the men came out into the hallway to join them before she and Zachary prepared to leave after refusing to stop for refreshment.
“That was sound advice you gave Lady Catchpole,” Zachary remarked once they had set off on their ride back to Weston Park. “You must put all this behind you too,” he explained as Rissa gave him a questioning glance.
Her expression turned to one of mockery. “Is that not a case of the pot calling the kettle black?”
“Not at all,” Zachary answered evenly. “Clara is safe, as are your father and stepmother, and you also have a new baby brother. There is much there for you to feel grateful for.”
“You are an earl, and obviously wealthy, and Royston’s behavior these past few days will further clear your name of any scandal. Do you not have much to feel grateful for too?”
Zachary could not help but chuckle at how successfully his Angel had turned the statement back onto him. “You forgot one very important thing in that list of things I should feel grateful for.”
She eyed him cautiously. “I did?”
“Oh yes.” Zachary reached out to hold her reins with his own as he slid down from his horse. He led both horses over to where a huge oak tree grew in one corner of the field they were crossing, then secured both horses to the hedgerow before assisting Rissa down to the ground. “You forgot the most important thing of all,” he murmured huskily, his hands on her waist, their bodies almost touching.
The delicacy of her throat moved as she swallowed. “And that is?”
He gave a teasing smile. “That I am able to do this.”
Rissa had expected Zachary to kiss her, but instead, the world tilted and she found herself upended before being draped across his thighs as he settled down comfortably on one of the oak’s large and visible tree roots. “You would not dare, Zachary!” she warned as she fought against the hand placed firmly against her back, keeping her in place.
He leaned forward and spoke softly against her ear. “The next time I am forced to do this, you will be bare arsed so that I can see and feel how wet you become during your spanking. But for the moment, we will settle for being alone here rather than your nudity.”
Rissa let out an unladylike screech as his palm landed on the curve of her bottom cheeks. Once. Twice. And then a third time. “You will pay for this,” she assured through gritted teeth.
His only answer was a chuckle before he administered a fourth, fifth, and sixth smack.
Rissa suddenly found herself righted again and sitting on his thighs rather than lying across them. The position made her uncomfortably aware of her stinging bottom cheeks.
“No.” Zachary refused to release her as she struggled to stand and relieve some of that throbbing. One arm remained about her waist, holding her firmly in place, while the other lifted her chin and turned her face toward him. “For your own safety, you cannot keep behaving so willfully or riding off alone the way you did earlier.”
Rissa glared at him rebelliously. “The earl is no longer a danger to anyone but himself.” She attempted to slap his hand from the light grip he had of her chin.
“There are more dangers than the earl in this world, and I will not allow any harm to come to you because of your own recklessness.”
Her eyes widened. “You will not allow?”
His jaw tightened. “No.”
“Must I once again remind you that you have no authority over me?”
The frown disappeared from his brow. “That will change once we are married—”
“Married?” Rissa wrenched her chin away to stare at him in shocked disbelief. “I believe it is polite to ask rather than make assumptions,” she snapped. “Besides which, I doubt my father would give his permission—”
“He already has. So has your stepmother.”
Rissa pulled back even farther. “You asked them before asking me?”
Zachary bit his top lip to stop himself from laughing. His Angel looked positively furious. “Make your mind up, Angel. Either I should have asked your father’s permission before first broaching the subject with you, or I should have asked you first and then approached your father. It seems to me that you are being contrary for the sake of it.”
She stood, hands on her hips as she glowered down at him. “You did not broach anything with me, but told me the way it will be. It is not the way I expected to receive my first proposal of marriage.”
Zachary’s eyes narrowed as he rose to his feet. “It is not only your first but also your last. Once you are mine—”
Her chin rose. “But I am not yours.”
“No?” His expression gentled. “Have we not belonged together, to each other, since the moment we looked at each other the night of the fire? Answer truthfully, Angel,” he warned.
“Possibly,” she allowed grudgingly.
“Definitely,” he chided.
The tension eased from her shoulders, her gaze almost shy as it met his. “You said you could not and would not marry anyone. That the scandal of the past prevented you from doing so,” she reminded.
“I have changed my mind.”
“Did my father have anything to do with that?” she prompted suspiciously. “Sophia told me he had spoken to you on the subject,” she acknowledged.
“You are the one who has changed my mind. Only you,” he insisted. “These past few days have shown me how precarious life is. That happiness has to be grasped tightly in
one’s hands and never let go.”
“And I am this happiness to you?”
“Damn it, Angel, how can you doubt it? Can you not see how much I love you and want you as my wife?” he impatiently voiced his exasperation.
Her expression softened even more. “You love me?”
He nodded. “More than I believed it possible to love anyone.”
“I love you too.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “I hoped that you did, could not believe we could have shared the intimacies we have if you did not love me as I love you.”
“It would still be nice to be asked to marry you rather than told,” she chided huskily.
Zachary did not hesitate but instantly fell to one knee in front of her before taking one of her hands in his. “My darling Angel, will you marry me?”
Rissa stared down at him for several long seconds, wondering if this could really be happening. She had known of Zachary’s desire for her, but she had never dared to hope that he loved her and wished to marry her. She had wished for it, of course, but Zachary had been so adamant the past scandal meant he would never marry.
“A man of my ‘advanced’ years should not be kept down on his knees for this length of time for fear I might never get up again,” he warned.
The tension eased from Rissa at Zachary’s teasing, a tremulous smile curving her lips. She did some teasing of her own. “Will you make love to me if I say yes?”
“No.”
Her smile faded. “No?”
Zachary shook his head. “I believe you would, in years to come, prefer to remember yourself as being a virgin bride. But I do promise to ensure our wedding night is the most memorable of our lives.”
“That is not an incentive for me to say yes now,” she warned.
Zachary took one of her hands in both of his. “What if I apply for a special license and the wedding can take place within the week?”
She pretended to give the matter some thought. “I might need a little persuading still…”
Zachary chuckled as he rose back to his feet. “I am not in the least averse to us indulging in persuasion before our wedding night…”
Rissa also chuckled. “Can we indulge in some of this persuasion now if I say yes to your marriage proposal?”
“Definitely.”
She wound her arms about his neck. “Then I will gladly say yes to marrying you and spending the rest of our lives together.”
“My love…” Zachary groaned as his head lowered and his lips at last claimed hers.
Their wedding, five days later, was a lavish affair in the private chapel at Weston Park. Her parents and baby brother, the Catchpole family, the local gentry and close neighbors were all present to share in their happiness.
Zachary more than kept his promise, Rissa acknowledged long and pleasurable hours later as they lay sated in each other’s arms. Their wedding night was truly spectacular.
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About The Author
Carole Mortimer is a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award 2015, RT Career Achievement Award 2017, RT Pioneer for Romance Award 2014. She was also recognized by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 for her ‘outstanding service to literature’. Carole has written over 245 contemporary, Regency and paranormal romance novels.
She is happily married to Peter. They have 6 sons, and live on the beautiful Isle of Man. She also loves to hear from Readers!
Other books by Carole Mortimer
Regency Lovers Series:
INDECENT (Regency Lovers 1)
OBSESSION (Regency Lovers 2)
CRAVING (Regency Lovers 3)
FORBIDDEN (Regency Lovers 4)
SURRENDER (Regency Lovers 5)
More books to come in this series
Steele Protectors Series:
LOGAN (Steele Protectors 1)
ATTICUS (Steele Protectors 2)
BRYCE (Steele Protectors 3)
More books to come in this series
Regency Sinners Series:
Wicked Torment (Regency Sinners 1)
Wicked Surrender (Regency Sinners 2)
Wicked Scandal (Regency Sinners 3)
Wicked Deception (Regency Sinners 4)
Wicked Captive (Regency Sinners 5)
Wicked Temptation (Regency Sinners 6)
Wicked Sinner (Regency Sinners 7)
Wicked Christmas (Regency Sinners 8)
Dragon Hearts – Contemporary paranormal
Nathaniel (Dragon Hearts 1)
Deryk (Dragon Hearts 2)
Bryn (Dragon Hearts 3)
Dylan (Dragon Hearts 4)
Grigor (Dragon Hearts 5)
Garrett (Dragon Hearts 6)
Aeran & Rhys (Dragon Hearts 7)
Regency Unlaced Series:
The Duke’s Mistress (Book 1)
Claimed by the Marquis (Book 2)
Taken by the Earl (Book 3)
Pursued by the Viscount (Book 4)
Desired by a Lord (Book 5)
Captured by a Gentleman (Book 6)
Pleasured by a Duke (Book 7)
Seduced by a Marquis (Book 8)
Tamed by the Earl (Book 9)
Series is now complete
Knight Security Series: Spin-off to ALPHA series
Resisting Alexandre (Knight Security 0.5)
Defying Asher (Knight Security 1)
Challenging Gabriel (Knight Security 2)
Capturing Caleb (Knight Security 3)
Tempting Zander (Knight Security 4)
Enticing Ian (Knight Security 5)
Seducing Ethan (Knight Security 6)
Series now complete
ALPHA Series:
Christmas Alpha (Alpha 1)
Dark Alpha (Alpha 2)
Shadow Alpha (Alpha 3) Author’s 200th Book
Midnight Alpha (Alpha 4)
Renegade Alpha (Alpha 5)
Warrior Alpha (Alpha 6)
Rogue Alpha (Alpha 7)
Savage Alpha (Alpha 8)
Series is now complete
Forbidden (Regency Lovers 4) Page 12