by Merry Farmer
“But all the things you said,” Lady Darlington appealed to him. “All of the visions you painted of a community where everyone belongs and where no one goes without.”
“A community such as that needs money,” Linus father snapped. “You have none, so you are of no use to me. And you—” He turned to face the O’Shea sisters. “You sought to play me for a fool, didn’t you?”
“Only a fool would know,” Shannon said, crossing her arms and smirking at him.
Linus’s father made a disgusted sound as he turned to Linus. “You’re part of this whole thing, aren’t you?”
Linus didn’t deny it. “I told you to give up your scheming ways and leave Lady Darlington alone.”
Apparently, his father needed no further explanation. He snarled and started to walk out of the tent.
Fergus shifted his chair to block the way. “And where do you think you’re going?” he asked, his one eye narrowed.
“Get out of my way,” Linus’s father said. “I’m leaving. This has all been a colossal waste of my time.”
He tried to go, but Fergus continued to block him. “You’re not thinking of returning to London, are you?” Fergus asked.
“I—”
“Because if you do, I can guarantee that not only will you not find anyone interested in your schemes and tricks, some close, personal friends of mine in high positions within the Metropolitan Police will be informed of what you attempted here. I’m certain they would love to bring you in for a little chat about other communities you’ve run or attempted to set up.”
Linus’s father snapped his mouth shut. He glared from Fergus to Linus, appearing furious on the surface. But underneath the fury, Linus could see in his father’s eyes that he knew he’d been defeated. He worked his jaw as though he would say something, but in the end, he dodged around Fergus and tore out of the tent.
Linus let out a breath, his shoulder sagging. “With any luck that will be the last of him.”
Lady Darlington squeaked, clapped her hand to her mouth, then burst into tears. “He’s gone,” she wailed. “It’s all gone. We’re ruined.”
She, too, dashed out of the tent. Lady Phoebe hurried after her, looking wan and miserable.
“I should see if they need help,” Henrietta said. “Please excuse me, Lady Coyle.”
“By all means.” Lady Coyle nodded. “And if you do not mind, I believe I will return home as well.”
Lady Coyle and Henrietta left. As soon as they were gone, the O’Shea sisters burst into laughter, and even a round of applause for themselves.
“That was simply delightful,” Marie said with a happy sigh.
“That was a spectacle I won’t soon be able to get out of my mind,” Fergus corrected her morosely.
“Nonsense, Fergie,” Shannon laughed, skipping forward to take the handles of his chair, wheeling him out into the sunshine. “We haven’t had so much fun in ages.”
“You’re horrible, the lot of you,” Fergus called over one shoulder, then the other, as his sisters wheeled him away from the tent. “You should all be locked up in Bedlam, or worse, chained to stern, boring husbands.”
“I’d like to see the day that happens,” Colleen laughed.
“I’ll find them for you,” Fergus promised. “The stodgiest, dullest, strictest husbands I can find.”
“You wouldn’t be so cruel,” Chloe laughed.
“Oh, I would,” Fergus told them.
Linus stood where he was, grinning as the O’Sheas moved farther from the tent. When the sound of their conversation finally faded, he turned to Natalia, the only one left in the tent besides him.
“Well,” he said. “That’s the end of that.”
Natalia lowered her head, glancing up at him coyly through her long lashes. “That’s hardly the end of that,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Linus’s heart raced as energy pulsed through him.
“We still haven’t completed the initiation ceremony,” she said, stepping slowly toward him. “I was given to understand that initiation is necessary if I am to belong to the community of God’s love.”
Linus raised one eyebrow. “You’re still interested in that sort of community?”
She reached him, spreading her hands across the lapels of his jacket and gazing heatedly up at him. “Of course, I am.”
Chapter 20
Natalia lifted to her toes, kissing Linus lightly. Her heart was full to bursting with pride in him. It couldn’t have been easy to orchestrate the scene they’d just witnessed and to bring his own father to heel. A father who, she could now see, had profoundly affected the way he saw the world and the man he was. She felt as though she understood him now in a way she wouldn’t have if they hadn’t gone through the fire together.
But that didn’t mean she was through with teasing him.
“I wish to complete the initiation ceremony,” she whispered, unable to keep herself from smiling seductively.
He grinned back at her, a light in his eyes that told her he knew she was playing with him, but that he liked it. “And just what exactly do you think is involved in this sort of ceremony?”
She shrugged, glancing at her fingers as she picked a bit of fluff off his shoulder. “I should imagine it isn’t that different from a wedding,” she said. “One pledges oneself, one’s life, and one’s livelihood to another forever and ever.” She glanced up into his eyes again. “And then that promise is sealed with a kiss? Or perhaps more?”
His smile grew. “Could it be that my bride has a decidedly naughty imagination?” he asked, sliding his arms around her waist.
“Isn’t that the way these sorts of initiation rites work?” she asked in return.
He laughed gently, studying her face with a fondness that warmed her to the tips of her toes. “You don’t want to live in a community like that,” he said. “Trust me.”
A twist of more serious emotion curled through the deep affection she felt for him. “Was it all a lie?” she asked. “The way you were raised? The community your father created back then?”
Linus let out a breath, resting his forehead against hers for a moment. She could practically feel the memories swirling around him. “There were many things about that life that were wonderful.” He straightened and smiled at her. “The sense of family we had, the freedom we children experienced.”
“Do you still have contact with any of your brothers and sisters?”
“A few.” Linus’s smile was bittersweet. “The ones who were as disillusioned by the whole thing as I was. A large portion of them moved to America or India in an attempt to establish colonies there. The rest of us saw my father’s game for what it was. I swore I wanted no part in deceiving people ever again, and that I would devote my life to serving and healing others instead.”
“Which is the noblest aim I’ve ever heard of.” She slipped her arms around his shoulders, threading her fingers through his hair. “You make me proud to carry the name Townsend.”
“Do I?” His brow lifted in surprise. “After all this? Knowing that I’m nowhere near worthy of the rank and life you were born to?”
Natalia laughed in spite of herself. It was such a different reaction from the way she’d felt on the island—when he’d expressed similar sentiments, but in an entirely different way—that she laughed even harder.
“I’m beginning to see that where you’re born and who you are born to is not what makes a man,” she said. “What a man does with his circumstances and how he treats the people around him are what make him noble.”
“That’s quite a humbling pronouncement,” he said, leaning closer to her. “I only hope that I can live up to the standards you’ve set for me.”
“You already have,” she said with a happy sigh and a smile. “And that is why I demand you initiate me into the most sacred society of your love.”
His grin flashed with heat. “You demand, do you?”
“I do.” She glanced from his eyes to his lips and back again.
“We will forever be our own community, with our own definition of nobility and family.”
“We won’t live by anyone else’s rules,” he agreed in a low growl, then captured her lips in a kiss.
Natalia melted into his arms. It felt so perfect to be one with him again, not just as their bodies pressed together and their tongues teased each other, but in purpose and in spirit. His arms around her were heaven. The way her heart pounded in anticipation made her dizzy with joy.
“We should go back to the house,” he whispered against her ear, the intensity of his ardor sending tingles across her skin.
“Why bother with the house when we’re perfectly fine where we are?” she whispered in return, glancing up at him and arching one brow.
“You are wicked,” he said, his smile growing. “Someone could come along at any moment.”
“Would they dare interrupt us?” she asked.
He studied her intensely. She could see his mind racing as he decided how daring he was at heart. Finally, he pulled her tighter into his arms and brought his mouth crashing down over hers.
Natalia was instantly carried away. She sighed loudly as she kissed him back, wanting nothing more than to be scandalous with him. She went so far as to work open the buttons of his jacket and waistcoat and to slide her hands along the soft cotton of his shirt. She remembered the scent of his skin and what it had felt like to touch and be touched by him as if it had been years since the two of them had been together instead of weeks. She wanted him now even more than she had back then.
“I love you,” he murmured between kisses, stepping toward the table with her. “I have since the first moment I saw you. You are beautiful and vibrant and alive.”
“I love you too,” she said, pushing at his jacket to slide it off his shoulders. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
He lifted her to sit on the table and nudged her legs apart. Natalia’s breath caught in her throat, then came out as a restless laugh as her mind raced with all the things they were about to do. She peeled off his waistcoat and tugged his shirt out of his trousers, doing her best to continue to kiss him as she did. A breeze blew in under the base of the tent, reminding her that the walls around them weren’t solid and that the flap they’d entered through was partially open, but she didn’t care.
“I want you,” she said.
He replied with a low growl of passion, leaning in to her to the point where she was forced to lie back on the tabletop. It was invigorating and naughty. He tugged at the hem of her gown and stroked his hands up her sides to cradle her breasts as if he didn’t know which part of her he wanted more desperately. She would have been happy either way. No matter what happened, she was happier than she’d ever been in her life.
“This is mad,” he whispered, deciding on grabbing a handful of her skirt and hiking it up over her hip.
“Deliciously mad,” she agreed, shivering as her legs were exposed.
She pushed herself up as much as she could, wriggling so that he could tug her skirt up to her waist. She stroked the side of his face as she kissed him, his beard tickling her in all the best ways. Even that wasn’t enough for her.
“I’m yours,” she said, wriggling so that she could open herself completely to him. “All of me.”
“And I am yours,” he echoed her, his words full of passion.
For the briefest moment, he leaned away from her, but only to work free the fastenings of his trousers. When he surged back into her, she felt the heat of his thighs against hers. She thanked heaven for split drawers, but even that irreverent prayer was cut short as he plunged into her.
It was sudden and overwhelming. The surprise of him burying himself deep within her, while the two of them were still mostly dressed, was intoxicating. She cried out in victory, arching into him and urging him to take more of her. He did everything she wanted, moving with deep, deliberate thrusts to claim her as his. The excitement of the moment, the pleasure that their wickedness gave her, went beyond every expectation she had.
Within no time, she was spiraling close to the abyss and loving every moment of it. He grabbed her knee and held her leg against him as he picked up his pace. The sounds he made were almost as delicious as the sensation of being filled and claimed by him. It was carnal and wild, and the orgasm that washed over her was like being caught in the heart of a storm.
She cried out as her body throbbed, squeezing around him as he stretched her to her limits. He groaned in response to her cries and his thrusts grew harder, stronger, until he burst with a shuddering cry. Even then, he slowed only gradually. The two of them clung to each other, desperate to draw out the pleasure for as long as possible, until he softened over her.
They collapsed into a tangle of bodies draped half across the table as he braced himself to keep them from falling off.
“That was magnificent,” she sighed, still catching her breath. She threw her arms around him, feeling as though she couldn’t possibly have been more content, in spite of their awkward position and the risk of exposure. “I’ve never felt so wonderful in my life.”
“I’d wager I can make you feel far better,” he panted against her ear.
“And I’m certain you will,” she giggled in response. “Perhaps as soon as we are able to put ourselves to right and return to the castle?” She arched one brow.
He balanced himself above her just enough so that he could smile down at her. “Your wish is my command.”
Something about the phrase touched her. She smiled, stroking the side of his face. “My wish is for the two of us to be happy together, no matter what form our life takes.”
“Then we will be happy,” he said, bending down to kiss her gently. “We will always be happy, because we have each other.”
Epilogue
All of London was abuzz for the start of the new season and the new session of Parliament that marked its opening. After months of being as quiet and hum-drum as London was capable of being, the streets were packed with carriages once more, cafes and pubs were crowded, the theaters were sold out nearly every night, and the shops on Oxford Street were teeming with ladies determined to purchase the latest fashions for the myriad of social events they would be attending.
“I’ve never seen anything so exciting in my life,” Miss Lenore Garrett said to Natalia as the two of them elbowed their way through the crush of ladies examining the goods in the newly rebuilt Harrods department store. “We certainly don’t have anything like this in Haskell.”
Natalia laughed, resting a hand on her rounded stomach to protect the baby growing there from the jostling crowd. “We barely have anything like it in London, though I firmly believe shops like this will proliferate in the coming years.”
“I believe you’re right,” Lenore said. “Oh! Look at those gloves. Aren’t they precious?”
Lenore took Natalia’s hand, pulling her through a group of gaping, middle-class women to a counter on one side of the room. Natalia sent looks of apology to the women. In truth, her situation wasn’t as far removed from theirs as it could have been. While she and Linus lived in relative luxury under Fergus and Henrietta’s roof, and while her parents had settled a sizable income on the two of them, once they came around to the idea of their marriage, everything could have turned out differently.
“You need a new pair of gloves to go with your new wardrobe,” Lenore told her as they neared the counter.
“But why?” Natalia laughed. “My hands aren’t increasing along with the rest of me.”
Lenore grinned at her. “Every woman needs new gloves, no matter what part of her is growing. New accessories for a new life.”
“I have all the accessories I need in my life,” Natalia answered with a smile. “I have a wonderful husband who loves me, friends who support us in everything we do, and soon we’ll have a whole new endeavor to embark upon.”
“I can’t wait to meet your baby,” Lenore answered with typical, American enthusiasm.
“That isn’t
what I meant,” Natalia said. “I meant Linus’s new clinic. The one he’s opening in Clerkenwell with Jack and Bianca’s help.”
“I’d almost forgotten about that.” Lenore’s smile brightened. “Your charming husband is a saint for opening a free clinic in an area that needs help so desperately. Freddy and Reese haven’t stopped talking about it for weeks.”
Natalia couldn’t help but beam with pride. As soon as they’d returned to London from Ireland, Linus had set about finding a way that he could use his skills and ambition for the greatest good. He was still personal physician to Fergus, but Fergus had quickly become his chief supporter as plans for the clinic formed. Fergus and Henrietta had also been instrumental in convincing their friends to contribute to the financial needs of the clinic. Everything was turning out for the best, far better than Natalia would have imagined it could.
“How is your delightful fiancé?” Natalia asked as they waited their turn to be served at the counter. “Have you and Freddy set a date for your wedding yet?”
“Not yet,” Lenore said, looking rather suspicious. Her cheeks flushed pink and she did her best to avoid Natalia’s gaze. “Neither of us are in any hurry. Freddy is so busy refurbishing Silverstone with Reese’s help. Once he’s finished with that—”
Lenore stopped abruptly, probably because she spotted the look of shock that had suddenly come over Natalia.
They’d reached the front of the queue at the counter, and a plainly-dressed saleswoman had stepped forward to help them. The saleswoman was none other than Lady Phoebe Darlington.
“May I help y—” Phoebe froze as soon as she saw Natalia.
“Phoebe.” Natalia blinked to make certain she was seeing things correctly. She shook her head. “What are you doing here?”
Phoebe’s face went bright red. She glanced quickly from side to side, then leaned across the counter to say, “I am employed here.”
“Employed?” Natalia’s shock hadn’t worn off yet, but already the story was beginning to come clear in her head.
