A Lady's Passion Knows No Distance: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Henrietta Harding

  “Lord Canton is coming to dinner tonight,” her mother announced as she came into the sitting room and disturbed Caroline, who was trying to lose herself in a good book.

  She often did this when she felt overwhelmed and stressed. And it was during these times that she longed for William to come to her, to give her a bouquet of wildflowers from the banks of the pond where they visited each other. It was his sign of saying they could meet again at the pond, but with her busy social schedule and William needing to be with his sickly father every chance he got, they hadn’t had time to see each other in private lately.

  “Thank you for letting me know, Mother,” Caroline said, unmoved by the announcement. She looked down at her book and tried to continue reading. But after a moment, she realized that her mother hadn’t moved from the room and was still standing there.

  With a sigh, she closed her book and set it aside, giving her mother her full attention.

  “There is a new ballgown in your wardrobe. You will wear it tonight, along with the new set of pearls and jewel-encrusted bracelets. They are gifts from Lord Canton, and you should honour him by wearing them tonight,” her mother explained. She folded her hands in front of her and peered down at Caroline as though she was a servant to command.

  “I wouldn’t want to give Lord Canton the wrong impression. I have a very lovely yellow silk gown that I would prefer to wear,” Caroline said, not wanting to argue with her mother, but not willing to be ordered around, either.

  “Caroline, you must understand that Lord Canton is your best option. He is the son of an earl. You’ll live a life similar to the one you have now. You shall never be in want of anything, for you shall have it all,” her mother said, her voice rising as she stepped into the room. “Give me one reason why you should not accept his offer.”

  “Because I am in love with another,” Caroline said, standing to her feet suddenly and startling her mother. The woman looked at her with wide eyes, but then a smile came to her face, surprising Caroline.

  “Really? You have fallen in love with someone? Then why didn’t you say anything?” she asked, coming to Caroline and taking her daughter’s hands in hers with glee in her eyes.

  “I don’t know if the man returns my affections,” Caroline lied, knowing she shouldn’t have spoken up. Now her mother would demand to know who, and she knew that if she really did tell her that she’d fallen in love with a footman, it would go rather poorly.

  “Do I at least know him?” she asked, seeming excited.

  “Yes, Mother. You do know him. I was simply waiting a bit longer to see if things would work out between us,” Caroline said, reclaiming her hands and folding them in front of her. “I would be afraid to offend him if I wore the gifts of another man.”

  “Sure, sure. I completely understand,” Lady Goldman said as Caroline stepped past her. “But you should surely tell me the man’s name so I can invite him to dinner and encourage him.”

  “I will consider it, Mother. But for now, I wish to be alone.” Caroline looked at her mother for a moment, wondering if she should just tell the truth. But she decided it was best to hold her tongue and turned away, hurrying to the comforts of her bedchamber and regretting ever saying anything at all.

  “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t,” she muttered to herself as she made her way up the stairs, dreading the idea of spending another evening with Lord Canton.

  However, when she returned to her room and found a bouquet of wildflowers on her bed, her heart soared. She knew the time had finally come that she could go and meet William. Quickly, she dressed in her riding clothes and made her way quietly out of the house and towards the stables.

  Now was her chance to finally feel at peace, if only for a short while.

  Chapter 5

  William stood on the edge of the pond, knowing he wasn’t needed back at the estate until the household was preparing for dinner. There would be another dinner party and all the servants had been talking about Lord Canton’s undoubted proposal to Caroline during the course of the meal.

  William had panicked when he’d heard the news, collecting a bouquet of flowers for Caroline in a hurry and even sneaking into her room to leave them for her in a place only she would find them. It had all been rather risky, but he knew he needed to talk to her at least once before tonight.

  The sound of a galloping horse approaching filled his ears, and he turned his head to see Caroline hurrying towards him. She didn’t even wait till her mare had stopped before she slid off the saddle and ran into his arms. He clasped his arms around her, holding her tight and wishing he would never have to let go. He wanted this moment, of him holding her tenderly, to go on forever—as if time could stop for the both of him.

  “I’ve missed this,” she whispered to him, raising her head so they could look into each other’s eyes. He could get lost in the depths of her brown eyes and spend hours running his hands through her golden locks. She was indeed beautiful, and no doubt why Lord Canton sought her out though she was still considered young. Any man would be proud to have such a beauty for a wife.

  “I’ve missed you so much, Caroline. Being close to you every day but being unable to touch you has almost been like becoming mad or crazed. I long to be with you each day, and every day I try to think of a way for us to be together forever,” William said, placing kisses on her hair as he spoke.

  Caroline snaked a hand over his shoulders and behind his head, holding him still so she could push herself up onto her tiptoes and kiss him with every passionate fibre of her body.

  William gave himself over to her and her needy kisses, his hands gliding over her back and down towards her arse. He paused his hands at her waist, not wanting to encourage her or to make her think that he only wanted to kiss her so he could feel her lithe body in his hands.

  Her kisses were full of desire, their tongues dancing together and yearning for something more than just kisses. But no matter how dearly he wanted to sink his manhood into her hot core, William couldn’t do something like that to Caroline. Even though he knew she would be willing, he wouldn’t be intimate with her until they were lawfully married.

  “Oh, William. I don’t know how much more I can bear of this,” Caroline said as she broke their kiss but kept her arms around his shoulders. “I want to tell my parents and demand they let us marry.”

  “We both know that your father will not allow it. But I must be honest with you, Caroline. I did speak to my father about such things. He was so overjoyed when I told him that I had fallen in love, I could not bear not telling him. And since then, he’s been very worried about me.”

  “He loves you very much,” Caroline said with a smile.

  “So, you are not mad at me, then, for telling my father?” William asked, truly worried about what her response might be.

  “No. I am not. But you may be cross with me. In my anger, when my mother told me that I had to wear the presents that Lord Canton gave me, I confessed that I had fallen in love with another man. She became so excited and overjoyed that I was certainly surprised. She asked who it was, and I told her that I wouldn’t say until I knew of his affections for me.”

  William looked down at Caroline, knowing how entangled their hearts were becoming. She was being pressured to marry, and before too long, the truth would eventually come out. And if Lord Goldman didn’t allow his daughter to marry for love, what would he do then? William felt like his time with Caroline was truly running out. What could they do about the situation?

  “I am not cross with you, Caroline. I just fear what is going to happen. It seems that you should either marry Lord Canton, or finally tell your parents the truth. Either way, I’m afraid that our future has already been decided for us,” William said, his arms becoming slack around her.

  “Don’t you give up on me now,” Caroline said, her voice becoming very stern and dark. “You are my only hope in this world, and I can’t lose that.”

  William stared down at her, feeling guilty for perh
aps hurting her with his words. He began to kiss her again, wanting her to feel his undying love for her. He parted her rosy red lips with his tongue as tightened his grip on her, his arms folded around her back as he pressed their bodies together.

  She moaned softly against his lips as her hands came up around his neck and began to play with his curls. William loved when Caroline played with his hair and massaged his scalp, her nails digging into him just a bit. His member twitched to attention, wanting more than just a kiss.

  “William…” Caroline moaned as she broke their embrace to trail kisses down his cheek and neck, creating a spark of fire within his loins that quickly began to build. “Take me, William. Once you take my flower, then my parents will have to allow us to marry.”

  “Oh, my dear Caroline,” William said, taking a deep breath and taking her by the shoulders so he could peer down into her eyes. “Though I would love nothing more than to lay with you right now on this grass, in this place where we have been meeting for so long, I cannot. I will not disrespect your body in that way and would only do so if we were married.”

  “And if my parents force me to marry someone else? Would you do it then and allow me to experience what true love making is like before I spend the rest of my life tied to the bed of a man whom I don’t love?” Caroline’s eyes were so pleading, brimming with tears, that he couldn’t dare deny her anything she did truly request of him.

  “I would make love to you, Caroline, if that did officially happen. If I were to read in the papers that you have been engaged, I would make sure to come straight to your side and allow you to feel my true love for you.” As William spoke, he poured every ounce of his love and passion into his words. He may not be able to bring himself to bed an unmarried woman, but he would always find a way to show Caroline that he loved her.

  “Oh, William. Kiss me. Kiss me, for I dread this evening. I don’t want this dinner party to happen and I never want to be pursued by another man.”

  As William kissed her this time, it was gentle and soft at first. He focused solely on the feeling of her lips pressed against his, as though he may never feel such heavenly things once more. His hands ran up and down her back and sides as he put to memory the feeling of her in his hands and arms.

  The sensation of her delicate body pressed to his, the softness of her skin, and the pressure of her large breasts against his chest. All of it he wanted to commit to memory, knowing there would be no other creature on the face of the earth that would ever affect him so greatly.

  Caroline would be the only woman he ever truly loved.

  After a time, he finally let her go. William stared down into Caroline’s dark brown eyes, seeing the fear and worry that she held inside. He wanted to take all her anxiety away and replace it with comfort and joy. There was so much he wanted to give her yet could not think of a reasonable way to go about it.

  “You must return to the manor. It won’t be long before we’re both expected,” William said softly, stroking Caroline’s cheek with the back of his hand. It was a small sign of endearment, but something he hoped that Caroline would always remember. That though his kisses could be passionate, that he could also be soft and gentle with her.

  “I love you, William,” Caroline said, a tear slipping from her eyes. She tried to blink back the rest, but it only caused her to shed more. William helped dry her eyes with his fingers, not wanting her to return back to her home and appear as though she’d been crying. He never wanted to see her cry.

  “I love you, too, Caroline. But now, you must go,” William said, taking her hand and leading her back over to her horse. He helped her saddle and made sure all the straps were secure before he stepped back from the horse. “I will see you tonight, Caroline. Know that you are never alone.”

  “Thank you, William. I will treasure those words in my heart.” She blew him a kiss then, before taking the reins and leading her mare away from the pond. For a few minutes, William simply watched her go, feeling as though his heart was breaking.

  It pained him to tell her to leave him, that he couldn’t think of a reasonable way to secure her at his side. But with the son of an earl to compete with, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever have a real chance with Caroline. And that thought he’d keep to himself and would never burden Caroline with.

  ~*~

  Caroline stood in front of the looking glass in her bedchamber, taking deep breaths as her lady’s maid helped her dress. She was full of dread for this evening, wishing she was instead in William’s arms, enjoying his kisses and strong embrace. But she kept his words fresh in her mind, that she was not alone, and if she was forced to marry Lord Canton, that he would at least give her the feeling of love before she was officially married.

  “There you are, Miss,” Miss Ranch said as she stepped back from where she’d been fixing Caroline’s hem. “You are all set for this evening’s festivities.”

  “Is there something that is being celebrated tonight?” Caroline asked, turning to the maid. Miss Ranch stiffened at the question, her mouth parting as her shoulders and arms hung like boards at her sides.

  “Forgive me, Miss. I shouldn’t have said anything,” she replied, her eyes moving to the carpet before her feet as her hands began to fiddle with one another.

  “Miss Ranch, you are perfectly all right. I have a good idea of what you might be implying, so it’s fine to speak the truth to me,” Caroline said with a smile, hoping to convince the woman to let her know the truth behind her words.

  Miss Ranch looked back up at Caroline, her eyes filled with worry as she said, “All the servants have been talking about it, Miss. That Lord Canton plans to propose to you during the course of the dinner meal.”

  Caroline looked away from her then, trying to hide her shock and surprise. She knew that Lord Canton was interested in her. But she would have never believed that he would be so bold as to propose to her in front of other families. She began to wonder if that was the reason why he’d sent her a new gown and jewels to wear that night. It was all part of a celebration that she wasn’t supposed to know anything about.

  As she looked back at her lady’s maid, she forced a smile upon her face to make her appear as though she was happy about the news when inside, she feared it coming to pass. Miss Ranch seemed to relax upon seeing her reaction, smiling as well.

  “What a celebration, indeed,” Caroline said. “I’m going to take a minute to prepare myself before I go down.”

  “Of course, Miss. I’ll let the others know,” Miss Ranch said as she curtsied lowly before leaving her alone in her bedchamber. Once alone, Caroline let her smile drop as she focused solely on her breathing. The last thing she wanted to allow her body to do was fall into complete panic. She fanned her face with her hands as she began to pace around her room, trying to imagine what she was going to do. Her heart wouldn’t allow her to accept Lord Canton’s proposal. But when she did refuse him, there would be consequences for sure.

  Caroline knew that she couldn’t hide away in her room forever. As she took one last look at herself in the looking glass, her complexion a bit pale, she reasoned that she was now as ready as she’d ever be. She left her bedchamber and paused to close the door behind her.

  Lining the hallway leading to the stairs were footmen standing at the ready. They each held an iron candlestick in their hands, another show of her father’s extensive wealth. And with such an occasion about to happen, she expected her parents had planned a luxurious evening.

  Caroline made her way towards the stairs, walking at a slow pace as she looked at all the footmen. She wanted to see William, to gain some sense of comfort from simply looking into his eyes. She knew it would be risky to focus so much of her attention on him at any given point while they were in the manor. But sometimes it was a risk she was willing to take, if only to feel like she wasn’t a sheep being led to the slaughter.

  As she neared the stairs, she picked up the hem of her gown just a bit so she could walk down easily in her slippers, her oth
er hand resting on the mahogany railing as she descended. The pale-yellow gown she wore reminded her of daffodils and how much she liked to pick them during the early spring around the special pond. Tonight, she would keep William at the forefront of her mind and never allow Lord Canton to persuade her to ever stop loving him.