Six Shades of Romance
Page 20
Chapter Eight
After they made love, Caroline left to help Margery tend the sick in the chapel. Weeks went by and Caroline worked from dawn until she could no longer stand.
Nicholas, despite her protests, worked with her helping the afflicted. He wept when a child succumbed to death despite all he did to try to save her. Caroline held him as he cradled the child.
She ate a meal once a day with Nicholas while reviewing letters and practicing writing, but as soon as she finished eating, she was back in the chapel.
Nearly a month later, many of the ill had died. Caroline’s parents had survived including many of their servants. Their note from a carrier pigeon brought relief to her heart when Margery read it to her.
“Write them back.” She instructed Margery. “Tell them I a-and the baron are well, but we have lost many.”
Margery, herself, and two grooms were the only survivors of those stricken by the plague in the baron’s household. Thankfully, Nicholas, the baron and a few others never caught the plague.
Caroline was working with Nicholas on reading short words. Margery coughed as she came in. “I brought your favorite my lady, porridge.” The steam wafted from two bowls.
Suddenly, Caroline’s stomach twisted. “I—I’m not hungry.”
“But you have not eaten anything since yesterday.” Margery frowned.
The smell of the porridge reminded her of rancid meat and decay. She burst from the library and outside. There, she took gulping breaths. Was it the plague again?
Or perhaps, since Nicholas and her had made love several times, and she put off seeing the baron, God now punished her for her wanton behavior?
“Caroli—” Nicholas and Margery were there beside her, and he rubbed Caroline’s back. “Send for the physician.”
“He died last week, remember?” Margery wrung her hands.
“Then get the one from York. Or a healer—someone!”
She had never heard Nicholas raise his voice to anyone. Neither had Margery for she blushed and hiked up her skirts and ran.
*
Caroline lay in bed with Nicholas fussing over her. She felt fine and asked for bread with honey and apple spice.
He ordered a guard to go and tell the cook, but Nicholas would not leave her side.
“Truly, I feel better. Let me stretch my legs and stroll in the fresh air.”
“Maybe after Margery returns with someone.”
“It’s been a day … perhaps there are no healers left.”
The guard returned with the food and she devoured half of it before he left.
The warm bread nearly melted in her mouth.
“Stop making those sounds when you eat or I may forget how ill you were earlier.” He winked.
When she finished, he licked the honey from her chin. Then the door flew open and smacked against the wall.
“I found a physician!” Margery burst in.
A plump man dabbed at his sweaty brow with a handkerchief. He had kind eyes and smiled easily. “She doesn’t look sick to me.” Still, he shooed everyone out.
After he finished his exam, he patted her hand. “I will allow you tell the baron the news.”
“Am I dying then?” She swallowed the lump in her throat.
“Nay, baroness, you are with child.”
Chapter Nine
Pregnant! She could not be. The baron. She had not even held his hand or kissed him.
“T-thank you.”
He must have seen the terror in her eyes, for he continued. “Do not fret. You are young. Find a good midwife and you’ll have many more children.”
After he left, Caroline paced. A baby! She would birth Nicholas’ and her baby. If she were a commoner, she would take his name of Smith. Caroline Smith. She loved the sound of it. Baroness felt foreign upon her tongue.
If she annulled her marriage with the baron, and confessed to him, then perhaps he would send her away stripped of her title and money.
She did not care. As long as she and Nicholas could be together and raise their child. Or children. She wanted as many as she could have with him by her side. His kindness and patience would make him an exceptional father.
She squared her shoulders and marched to the baron’s chambers.
At his door, she knocked and heard a cough. Was he sick again or sleeping? No matter, she would not be the coward and run without telling him.
Some women might try to bed him and pass the child as his. Caroline would not be able to live that lie.
Letting out a sigh, she pushed open the door. It was dark in his chambers and she saw no one. However, she had overheard someone from inside a moment ago. The dark curtains rustled.
“Lord baron?” Her guilt would not allow her to call him William—his Christian name.
His breathing was even.
“I know we have not seen each other in sometime. But it is me, your wife … Caroline.” Did she want to see his face when she told him? No. It was bad enough she succumbed to lust and fell in love with a servant. How could she look into the baron’s and see her betrayal reflected in his ancient eyes?
“I-I did not plan any of this, my lord. I-it just happened. You have been ill, then the plague, and I,” she took a breath. No matter what he did or thought, it did not change her love. She would not be ashamed for loving someone. “I’m pregnant. A-and I love him, Nicholas. We will leave tonight a-and my father will pay you for your troubles.”
She spun around and was at the threshold when Nicholas grasped her arm.
“Truly? You’re with child, my child … and you love me?”
She gasped at seeing him. “But, the baron. Where you in there with him?” The bed curtain was shoved aside and only twisted sheets stared back at her. Must she repeat her confession again? “Where is he?”
“He heard your confession.”
“Then where is he?” She allowed Nicholas to lead her deeper into the chambers and sit her on a stool.
“I am the baron.”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, you are Nicholas Smith. A servant of the baron. Have you been drinking too much ale?”
“I-I tried to tell you before we kissed for the first time, but I was too intoxicated by you. Then, I planned to let you know when you said you would meet the baron, but then the plague happened. It was never the right time.
“Smith was my grandmother’s name before she married the baron. Her father was a blacksmith, but my grandfather fell in love with her any way. She’s the one in the painting you commented on when you first arrived here.”
“B-but, his portrait. The locket you showed my parents and me? And you said his name was William—or is Nicholas the lie?” Her head spun.
“That was my great grandfather’s image.” He knelt before her and grasped her hands. “I exchanged letters with your mother and father for months. When I heard what you did regarding your other suitors, I knew you were the one for me. But if I presented myself as the baron, you would shut me out before you had a chance to know me. You were afraid of love.”
“I’m not afraid of anything!”
One of his hands rose to her cheek. “Then if I had told you I was the baron and your husband-to-be the night we met instead of just a proxy, would you have married me? Would you have fallen in love with me when you were so against it—to anyone?”
She thought back to that night. Her rebellion. Her wish to be free and never marry … never have children. She placed a hand on her stomach. “Aye, I was afraid then. But I’m not now.” Then she punched him in the arm.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Lying to me! Don’t you ever do that again, or I will fill your boots with manure.”
He held his hands up and chuckled. Then she leapt into his arms and kissed him. Soon, he kicked his door shut with his foot, and carried her to the baron’s bed.
“I think you will sleep in here, with me wife, from now on.”
“But the baron, I ate with him, he-he … “
“What is your real name?”
“It’s both. I was christened William Nicholas. Yet, I have always gone by Nicholas.”
“And your skin?” She ran a hand along his arm. She had forgotten his freckles, seeing the man beneath them. “Nobility does not work and especially not in the sun.”
“My grandmother was a commoner, remember? She refused to allow the servants to do everything. She raised my father, and then when he died in battle, took me under her care.”
Caroline threw off her embroidered wool dress and linen tunic, shivering from the cold and anticipation.
His naked body covered hers as he kissed her neck. “Oh, and one more thing you should know about me and my family.”
She gasped as he covered her breast with his hot, moist mouth. “Tell me.” She clutched his hair.
“Twins run in my family.”
- The End -
About The Author
Andrea has always created characters and stories. However, it wasn’t until her late twenties that she began writing novels. She adores writing and reading fantasy, paranormal and historical romance.
Her current novels include: Viking Fire – historical romance with a touch of magic, and fantasy/paranormal romance the Legends of Oblivion series : The Garnet Dagger, Cursed in Shadow, and Son of Dragons.
The Proxy is a story idea that she thought up years ago, but it never seemed to be time to write it until Seven Shades of Romance came calling.
Sign up for her website and http://www.andreaRcooper.com and get advanced notice of sales, giveaways, contests, new releases and more.
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Secret Passions
by Kate Mckeever
Caroline has been happy being Wes’s secret passion. When she learns she is pregnant she has to make a face the ultimate decision to keep the pregnancy a secret and give the baby away or risk losing the man she loves.
Prologue
Caroline opened up her email and scanned the entries impatiently. With four meetings today she didn’t have time to waste. As she sorted through the mass of emails, assigning them to the appropriate folders to be handled, she glanced ahead. “Oh.”
Wes was coming in this Friday. He sent the requisite message informing an inferior in management that he would be in the office for the afternoon, insuring the local investment office was being run smoothly. Imbedded in the memo was a more important message for her. He’d be there for the weekend and Caroline let the butterflies that threatened to flutter from her chest take flight. She immediately removed her smart phone from her desk drawer and made reservations for the weekend.
She finished the day’s work in a haze of nerves, intent on getting the job done in her own efficient way but in the back of her mind planning the phone call she’d make that evening and the clothes she’d pack later in the week.
Having a friend with benefits had never been a plan for her, let alone having a secret lover. Wes was worth the effort, though she would probably lose her job if someone found out she was sleeping with her boss.
After arriving home at eight that night, she made a protein shake and settled down with her cell phone. She quickly dialed his number and waited.
“Hey, baby. Did you get my email?”
“I did and I made reservations at the cabin for the weekend.”
“Great, it’s been too long. You have any problem with the reservations?”
“Nope.” She settled down into the couch and idly played with a loose button on her cotton pajamas. “Will you be going back to Richmond on Sunday afternoon?”
“Yeah. I have meetings first thing in the morning on Monday. But we’ll have the weekend.”
“I can’t wait.”
“So, what are you wearing right now?”
Caroline chuckled, “the same thing I wear every night when you aren’t with me, cotton pajamas.”
“I need to see you in those, baby. Then I’d be able to imagine taking them off you.”
“I think you have enough experience removing my clothes to take that leap all by yourself.” She knew he joked but she needed to keep something separate from him and the pajamas may be something small but they were hers, at least. “What about you? What are you wearing?”
“Sweat pants.”
“Those gray ones that fall really low on your hips?” She licked her lips as she imagined him lying on the bed, his hand resting on his lower belly as he talked to her.
“Yeah,” his voice deepened as he spoke.
“Where’s your hand right now?”
“Where do you think?”
“I think it’s in the waistband of your pants, inching down to hold yourself as you’re talking to me.” She unbuttoned the last button on her pajama top as she whispered.
“You know me so well, baby. What about you? Are you touching that sweet skin of yours?”
“Mmm. I have three buttons unbuttoned right now. Do you want me to unbutton the rest?”
“Yeah and tell me when you have the shirt off.”
She removed her top and lay back on the sofa cushions. Her hand fell against the outside of her breasts and she smoothed the skin with a fingertip, imagining him lying beside her. He continued to talk her through the rest of their phone call and both of them climaxed to the sound of each other’s breathing and moans in the air.
“Baby, I can’t wait to see you. Wear the black skirt that has the front slit on Friday, okay?”
“Won’t it be too much temptation?” She smiled into the phone as she straightened her clothes.
“No, just enough to whet the appetite for Friday night. See you then, baby.” He disconnected then, leaving her smiling and wanting him more.
Friday came eventually. Caroline spent the morning with clients, urging some to be more aggressive with their investments and calming others down when they wanted to jump into risky tech stocks that didn’t have a strong track record. As she worked she had the image of Wes in his sweats in the back of her mind, his velvet voice talking to her in the night. She had to take a deep breath and squeeze her thighs together a few times to quell the rising desire.
By the time he strode into the branch office she felt ready to jump him then and there. With his short blond hair swept back from his forehead to the sunglasses he wore against the glare of the sun outside, he had the air of the quarterback he’d been back in high school. As the geeky math kid in the stands, she’d had more than one daydream about him sweeping her off her feet but they’d only been casual friends back then. Only when they’d met again when he got a managerial position with Life Investment Corporation and became the district supervisor her crush had returned in force only to be realized when he recognized her and asked her out for a business lunch. Lunch had turned into more that evening and ever since they’d had to juggle professional time and personal, secret time.
She advanced as he removed his glasses and greeted the other people in the front office. His open personality shone through as he greeted each employee by their name and asked about family and other small details that made everyone like him. She waited her turn until he’d finished sampling a cookie her middle aged secretary had made for him. Maddie had a cougar crush on Wes but was classy about it, thankfully.
He advanced toward her, his hand in his pants’ pocket and his smile in place but the gleam in his eyes were just for her. “Hi, Caroline. It’s been a while.”
She accepted his handshake and returned his smile. “It has. I have the reports ready for you, Wes. Are you ready to review them?”
“Sure, after you. Guys, it’s been great to see you all.�
� He waved his hand at them as he followed her into her small office. Caroline closed the door and took a breath of his tangy after shave. She smiled at him and walked to the desk.
“You wore it,” he unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat in the chair opposite the desk.
She smoothed the slit of the skirt closed as she took a seat and nodded, “As you requested. Do you want to review the report now?”
“Yeah, but not here. Why don’t we sit on the couch?”
Caroline arched her brow at his gesture toward the couch. It was a risk, being that close to him after more than a month apart but she gathered the report anyway and took it to the small loveseat tucked into the corner of her office. She put the report on the small table in front of the sofa and sat, leaving him plenty of room. With a tug of his slacks he sat beside her and leaned forward to pick up the report. When she tried to pluck the slit of her skirt closed he stilled her hand with his, “Leave it.”
“But—”
“I want to see you, as much as I can while I’m in the office.” He looked at her sideways.
“Okay.” She watched him as he read through the report, taking him in. He had the classic good looks of an athlete paired with the sharp style he preferred. And he was hers for the weekend.
He had a couple of questions about the quarterly report and she quickly answered them, once getting up and asking Maddie to pull up some information from the computer. In a matter of an hour they were finished and the business end of the day was complete. Wes walked her out of her office and wished everyone farewell before he left, a dozen of Maddie’s cookies in hand.
“He sure is a fine looking man.” Maddie rested her chin on her hand and sighed, “Wish I were a couple decades younger. I’d still be too old for him but it’d be fun to try to get him, anyway.”