“And you will give your permission unless you want everyone to find out exactly what has been going on in this house. Unless you want everyone to find out that the injury that Sarah had wasn’t even real. She has been a slave in this house for the past four years since the viscount died. All this dirt on you will come out if you stop two people in love from being together.”
“But you’re siblings,” Christina shouted, grasping at straws.
“Only by marriage, it may seem different to the outside world but it’s no worse then when people marry their cousins, something that happens all the time in the aristocracy. We love each other, we are not related, and we are going to be together no matter what you say.”
“I can send her away,” Christina said, smiling at her new brilliant plan.
“Where? She has no other relatives,” Stephen reasoned, knowing for a fact that this ‘family’ was the only one she had.
“She can go to finishing school,” Daphne chimed in. Stephen whirled around, not knowing they had an audience. How long had she been standing there? How much did his sisters know? He felt as if he couldn’t trust a single member of his family. He suddenly realized that besides Sarah he really had no one. This thought made their marriage even more important to him.
“Yes that would be the perfect solution,” Christina shouted, acting as if this were her idea all along. “Sarah has always wanted to go to finishing school and who are we to deny her what she wants.”
“The same people who denied her a warm fire and bed in the same room as well as the people who denied her a place at their table. Mother, don’t pretend you are doing this for Sarah, when really you are trying to do this for yourself.”
“But Stephen she really has always wanted to go to finishing school,” Pamela said gleefully.
“I know this and if she wants to go, then I won’t stop her.”
“Really? If I wanted to leave and go to school you would let me?”
“Of course I would sweetheart. I would do whatever you wanted.”
“I want to marry you,” Sarah said, more resolve in her voice now that he knew what he was willing to give for her.
“You’ll still never have my permission,” Christina said with a laugh. She kind of had them there, no way would she be able to get married without her guardian’s permission, except…
“Who is really Sarah’s guardian, mother? Did Anthony actually name you the guardian until she turned 19?”
Christina’s cheeks turned pink before she hissed. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t until just now. It was just a hunch, since Anthony liked me so much.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Sarah said, pressing further into Stephen’s side for comfort and strength.
“If what I’m thinking is correct, then Christina was only your guardian until I turned 18 at which point I was named guardian and executor of your trust. A lawyer did try to find me last year, but they kept missing me on the battlefield because my battalion moved around so much. This could be what he wanted. Mother, where is the paperwork?”
She stood there, a defiant look in her eyes.
“Where is the bloody paperwork, Mother!”
She flinched at that before answering, “I burned them. So no one would find out.”
“Well that solves that then. Sarah and I will get married. We will go to Gretna Green to get married and I will get a commission in the army so my wife and I can join the ranks. Luckily she’s used to getting dirty. When we have a son, which I sure we will, he will be a viscount and we will be able to have this house back. That is the plan. Sarah please pack darling it’s time to go.”
“Go? Go where?”
“Gretna Green so we can begin our life together before heading to the coastline for war.”
A look of fear fell into Sarah’s eyes at the thought of war. “Don’t worry Sarah, I will protect you like I should have all along.” With a short but lingering kiss to her lips, Stephen pushed her towards the stairs to back what little belongs she had before following to get his own. One suitcase of hers to his two later and they were ready to go. Ready to begin a life of adventure, as a real family.
When they came back downstairs Stephen’s mother and sisters were just standing there, arms crossed, feet tapping. As though they knew they had lost but could hardly believe it.
“Dobbins call the carriage,” Stephen said, strolling to the door hand in hand with Sarah.
“Of course sir,” Dobbins said, looking more than a little gleeful about the whole thing.
Moments later they were in the carriage, ready to depart for their new lives. “To Gretna Green,” Stephen said.
“To the rest of our life,” Sarah responded, snuggling as close into Stephen’s side as she could.
Epilogue
Sarah was already in their bed when he walked into the room. By the looks of it she was very much naked under those bed sheets. He slinked across the room, unbuckling his trousers so he could pull his shirt over head. He was so glad they decided to stay at the inn before heading out to the coast to join his new regiment. A man and a woman’s first time together should not be spent aboard a ship crossing the channel. Neither should their second or third. He brought over to the bed the light fare he planned for them to eat: bread, cheese and cold meats. Just enough to satisfy without becoming stuffed. Pulling off his trousers he joined his bride Sarah on the bed, both of them entirely unclothed. Sarah blushed in the most adorable way upon his arrival. “Those blushes, they must go all the way to your feet.”
“They do not.” she giggled, with a smile at the thought. “Okay maybe. We should find out.”
Stephen lifted the bed sheet to check and was distracted by the womanly curves that greeted him. “Pity, no blushes past your neck. Lovely stems though,” he said, running his hand down her leg and causing her to gasp and scoff, unused to such flatteries. “You know it’s true. Don’t act like you don’t have the most beautiful body in the history of the world. If Helen of Troy and you had a beauty contest, you would have won hands down.”
At that Sarah laughed, rolling over onto her stomach. Stephen ran his hand along her spine, stopping sporadically to knead the muscles he felt there. He moved down with his hands, planting fiery kisses along the way right down to her bottom which he kneaded aggressively, swapping kisses to either side. Then he moved down to lick her mound from nub to anus before sticking his tongue inside the space, spreading her legs apart to give him better access. Stephen kept licking like a dying man, easing a finger into the mix and scissoring both tongue and finger into her passage together.
Stephen thought about what would happen next. He was sure it would hurt no matter how gentle he was as a lover. Sarah’s mother had died at birth and he knew Christina would have never imparted any wisdom on the facts of the birds and the bees. Stephen doubted anyone was able to tell her how things would be on their wedding night. Not wanting to cause her an unnecessary amount of pain, he wanted to ready her as much as possible before they take the next step together. Drive her to the point of distraction so she wouldn’t notice the pain. With that thought in mind, Stephen added another finger, taking the nub in his teeth and nipping and sucking it, bringing her to climax before flipping her onto her back. Once there, Stephen started loving each nipple in turn, sucking almost an entire breast into his mouth before swapping to the other. The suckling and loving every inch of her breasts and nipples, caused Sarah to writhe beneath him. He stroked her sides lovingly, feeling the silky texture under his hand. He couldn’t believe all of this was his now, his to love. He shuddered at the thought of what his life would be without her. She was so eager, so sweet to taste and touch. The way she gently stroked his stomach was slowly driving him insane. The delectable heat of her body like a siren’s call. He ran a fingertip up along the lower curve of her breast, moving with perfect slowness over the pebbled point of her erect nipple. She gasped and closed her eyes. Encouraged, he took her nipple gently between forefinge
r and thumb and squeezed gently, licking his lips at her sigh of delight. She slid her palms slowly up his muscled biceps to his shoulders then wrapped around him close. “I love you, Stephen.”
Stephen braced himself at her entrance, preparing to move slowly into her dripping core. “I love you too, Lady Knight.” With that last word he thrust into her, their bodies so on edge that they immediately climaxed together. Lord and Lady Knight. Cinderella and her loving stepbrother.
Summer Cooper
Discover the wild girl in you
[ Image: Cooper-Tag-line.png ]
Besides her love of chocolate, dogs and music… reading and writing is Summer’s number one route to escape from crazy friends, family and the in-laws!
She found her own happily ever after with a martial arts fighter who also happens to be an adorable IT geek! Now, she loves to write about hot alpha males that come with a pretty face and covered in tough-as-nails muscle… who are secretly looking for their true soul mate (shhh…)!
Summer is currently working on her next book, so she’s trying to stay away from the internet! However, if you wish to get in touch, please email her at [email protected] and she’ll get back to you as soon as she can.
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