Redemption (The Reckless Rockwoods Book 4)

by Monica Burns

  “Why would you do that, Miss Bennett? According to the witnesses, the children were escorted out of the tavern before you went to Mr. Ruckley’s rooms,” the inspector said in a curious tone that held just the hint of foreboding. Rhea met his probing gaze and her mouth went dry.

  “Because…because Ruckley…”

  “Because the bastard didn’t ask for money. He demanded something of Miss Bennett that no gentleman would ever ask of a lady.”

  Rhea jumped as Percy answered the inspector’s question in a freezing tone that made the man scramble to his feet in a manner that illustrated his discomfort. As the man met Percy’s gaze, the inspector bowed slightly.

  “Mr. Rockwood.”

  “I thought I told you not to interview Miss Bennett until after her physician gave his approval to do so.” Percy’s expression was harsh with anger, and the inspector cleared his throat as his discomfort grew.

  “I summoned Inspector Graves,” she said quietly as she met Percy’s gaze. “He was attempting to understand why I would go willingly with Ruckley,” she said as she looked at the inspector. “Is there anything else you wish to ask?”

  “Actually….well…there is the matter of the Derringer we found at the scene,” Inspector Graves said as he cleared his throat again. “We…ah…that is to say…was the weapon yours, miss?”

  “Yes,” she said with a nod.

  “Rhea—” The warning note in Percy’s voice made her wave him into silence.

  “I lived under Ruckley’s control for more than seven years, Inspector Graves. I knew what kind of man he was, and that he might attempt to renege on our arrangement, which he in fact did,” Rhea flinched as she remembered seeing Edgar when she entered Ruckley’s room. “Edgar’s presence was never a part of our bargain.”

  “That’s quite enough,” Percy bit out in a low, menacing voice. “I think you have more than enough information to close this case, Inspector Graves. Miss Bennett is the injured party here, not Ruckley who attacked her with a switchblade, or the boy who tried to strangle her.”

  Rhea’s hand went to her throat where the markings of Edgar’s attempt to kill her were still clearly visible. At Percy’s icy words, the inspector turned his head and grimaced as he looked at Rhea’s neck. With a bob of his head, Graves bowed in her direction.

  “Mr. Rockwood is correct, Miss Bennett. I apologize for my curiosity.” The man’s words sent a bolt of relief skimming through her veins.

  “Your line of questioning is understandable,” she murmured. “But I assure you most emphatically that my actions were solely in self-defense. A position I believe is emphasized by my state of dishabille when Mr. Rockwood found me.”

  “A quite valid point” Inspector Graves said as if he’d not considered that fact before. Rhea pushed the thin shawl she wore off her shoulders and rose to her feet.

  “Then if you have nothing further…” As her voice trailed off, the inspector shook his head.

  “No, I have more than enough to recommend the case be closed,” Inspector Graves said. “I appreciate your assistance in concluding my investigation.”

  The man bowed in her direction then quickly skirted Percy and darted out of the room. As Rhea watched the man leave, she experienced amusement as well as relief at the inspector’s departure. In the next instant, a wave of trepidation washed over her as she looked at Percy. The last time she’d seen him had been three days ago when he’d found her in Ruckley’s rooms. Her memories of the moments after Ruckley’s and Edgar’s deaths were a jumble of images and fear. The fear was what she remembered more than anything. But she also remembered what she’d said to him. Nothing had changed that.

  “You should be resting,” Percy said quietly.

  There was a strained note in his voice and she turned away from to pick up the shawl she’d dropped on the chair and began to fold it in to a neat square. Aunt Beatrice had said he’d come by at least twice a day since the night at the Bull and Hare. Was the man blind to scandal surrounding her involvement with Ruckley? Aunt Beatrice had tried to hide the papers from her, but she’d insisted Bessie bring them to her. The reports of what happened at Ruckley’s had started out as a small article buried deep in the paper, but then someone had made a connection, and it had reached the scandal sheets

  “Aunt Beatrice tells me you’ve been a constant visitor.”

  “You sound surprised,” he said with a hint of irritation. Rhea looked over her shoulder to see him scowling at her.

  “I am under the circumstances.” A sudden chill skated over her, and she moved to stand in front of the fire. Hands extended toward the flames, she tried to warm her hands.

  “And what circumstances are you referring to?” he said with a notable amount of frustration. With a shake of her head, Rhea sighed and turned to face him.

  “Surely you’re not going to stand there and tell me you’ve not seen the papers.”

  “I read the paper every day,” he said in a silky tone of voice. “Is there anything particular I should be taking note of? A new bill in Parliament? The price of wheat falling?”

  “Don’t be absurd,” she snapped. “You know good and well what I’m talking about.”

  “If anyone is being absurd, it’s you.”

  “You are a blind man, Percy Rockwood.”

  “When it comes to a certain, Miss Rhea Bennett, I would agree whole-heartedly,” he replied.

  “Then you’re a fool.”

  She worked hard to keep her voice as cold and brutal as she could. His gaze narrowed, and he took a step toward her. Instantly, she recoiled, certain that if he were to embrace her it would be impossible not to cling to him as if he were a life raft in a choppy sea.

  “No, I’m simply a man who doesn’t care what the rest of the world thinks.”

  “And I’m a woman who does.”

  “Why?” The single word question made her jerk, and she stared at him in confusion. When she didn’t answer, he shook his head. “I asked you why, Rhea.”

  “Because I have no desire to drag more names through the mud,” she bit out in desperation. Surely the man could see that she was trying to save him and his family from being associated with a woman who was a known killer.

  “I wasn’t aware the streets were muddy as we’ve not had any rain in several weeks.”

  “Now, you’re being deliberately obnoxious.”

  “Actually, I think I’m being quite patient.”

  “For a Rockwood, I imagine that must be quite difficult,” she snapped.

  “Indeed,” he said. “Particularly when the woman I love is allowing people who are unimportant dictate her happiness—our happiness.”

  “This isn’t about my happiness,” she exclaimed as her heart skipped a beat.

  “If not yours, then whose?”

  The gentleness in his voice made her heart twist in her chest. His resolute expression said he was determined to convince her otherwise. Worse, she wasn’t sure she had the strength to keep fighting him. She shook her head and turned back to the fire. Staring into the flames, she blinked fast to prevent tears from falling. If he were to realize how difficult it was for her not to run to him, he would press the issue. She couldn’t let him do that. The man needed saving from himself.

  Any association with her would damage far more than he realized. As his mistress it would be difficult enough for him. But if he married her it would be impossible for him to go anywhere without people whispering. The scandal wouldn’t affect just him. It would impact the entire Rockwood family. She’d killed two men, and the circumstances weren’t just tawdry, they were deplorable.

  Everyone would believe the worst, and even then what people thought would never compare to the reality of who she was. Why couldn’t she make him understand that? Couldn’t he see that the redemption she’d thought Ruckley’s death would give her was a façade? She’d saved those she loved, but she’d not erased what she was.

  “You didn’t answer my question, Rhea.” The quiet resolve in
his voice made her straighten her shoulders, and she slowly turned to face him.

  “I don’t intend to, since it’s pointless to do so,” she said as she averted her gaze from his penetrating one. “I’ll be leaving for Green Hill House in a few days. I want to put as much distance between me and the past as I possibly can.”

  “It’s not like you to run away.”

  “I am not running away,” she snapped as she glared at him. “It has always been my plan to return to Green Hill House to tend to the health and welfare of the children.”

  “Then I’ll come with you,” he said as if he’d just had an epiphany. “I’m good with children, and they’ll need a father figure to ensure you don’t mollycoddle them.”

  “I beg your pardon,” she gasped as she stared at him with a mixture of disbelief and anger.

  “Naturally, you’ll have to marry me. As my mistress you’d be setting a poor example for the children, and I know you wouldn’t want to do that.”

  “You’re mad.”

  “Madly in love with you, I’m afraid,” he said.

  The smile of satisfaction on his face made her heart skip a beat. He wore the look of a man who’d just solved a difficult problem, and a small bud of hope began to flower inside her. Once again she struggled with the possibility he would be giving up far more than he realized if he were to follow through on this path of insanity. She shook her head in dismay as he slowly closed the distance between them.

  “I know your family is renowned for being reckless, but I’m certain this path you’re proposing exceeds anything others in your family have done.”

  “Perhaps,” he said as he pulled her close. “Although, I certain my brother would disagree with you.”

  Unable to avoid it, she breathed in the familiar male scent of him. With each breath she drew in, her body and heart cried out with a need to accept the happiness he offered. She knew she should fight him, but what he was proposing was laying waste to any of her objections. Gossip might reach the ears of people in the countryside, but she knew it wouldn’t be of any real consequence. Still, a small part of her resisted. She was frightened for him and his family. By taking her into the fold, they would face a great deal of scorn and scandal.

  “You mustn’t do this, Percy,”

  “What? Love you? How could I not?” he said as he bent his head and nibbled at her ear. “However, I would appreciate it if you would put me out of my misery and tell me what I already know.”

  “Please, Percy,” she gasped as warmth spread through her.

  “Tell me what I want to hear, my love.”

  His whisper blew across her skin like a hot breeze. Percy lifted his head and stared down at her. The determination in his expression was countered by the flash of concern she saw in his gaze.

  “I…love you, but it’s impossible. You can’t—”

  She didn’t have a chance to offer up any other objections as his mouth captured hers. The warmth of him and his kiss invaded every cell in her body, and she melted into him. Here, in his arms, was happiness—the chance to be greater than she was simply because he believed in her. His kiss was tender and filled with adoration. Its warmth healed her spirit and pulled her into a place where nothing could hurt her as long as he was at her side.

  His tongue laced her lips until she opened her mouth to allow his tongue to tangle with hers in a dance of fire and seduction. Passion spiraled through her, and the depth of her love for him made her long to be with him completely and utterly. With a quick twist of her body she pulled free of his embrace and hurried to the salon door. The soft thud it made as she closed it and turned the key sent her heart racing as she realized where he was concerned she would always be unredeemable.

  Slowly, Rhea turned to see him staring at her with surprise and the beginning of comprehension as to her intentions. Her steps measured and unhurried, she closed the distance between them all the while her fingers were opening the buttons on her shirt-waist. Disapproval and desire crossed his face as she moved toward him.

  The fact that he stood stiffly in front of her, clearly riveted by her approach filled her with a sense of power. The force of it flooded through her as she realized she was in complete command of this moment. Happiness skimmed through her as she saw the desire in his gaze deepen. He shook his head with dismay.

  “Christ Jesus, marrying me doesn’t mean you have to live up to the Rockwood tendency for recklessness.”

  “Do you want me to say yes?”

  She pulled her shirt-waist free of her skirt and quickly undid the hooks on the front of her corset. With each word, movement, breath, and beat of her heart, she realized being with him would set her free. There would be no more fear—only happiness and joy.

  “God help me, Rhea, you’re not playing fair.”

  His throat bobbed furiously as he clasped his hands behind his back in a clear effort to keep from reaching out for her as she came to a halt in front of him. A tortured groan escaped him as she dropped her corset onto the floor and ran her hands upward from the waistband of her skirt to caress her breasts.

  “Bloody hell,” he choked out in a tight voice. “This isn’t just reckless, it’s madness. If someone were to—”

  “Take off your jacket, Percy. Now.” Although it was a command, she kept her voice quiet and seductive.

  “What the hell are you going to do when someone knocks on the door,” he choked out as she pushed his coat off of him then pulled his tie off his neck.

  “I’ll say I seduced you,” she whispered. “Seduced you so that you must redeem an unredeemable woman.”

  “You’ve been redeemed a thousand times over, my love. But clearly I’ll have to remind you of that for the rest of our lives.”

  “Then start now. Prove that you intend to redeem me with love.”

  A dark groan rumbled in his chest as he roughly pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was a hot, passionate, and demanding caress. Something about the way his mouth singed hers allowed one wave of pleasure after another to rise up and swirl around her. Hands splayed across his chest, she reveled in the hard, solid muscles beneath the tips of her fingers. She opened her mouth to him once more, and his tongue coaxed then demanded a response. The hedonistic caress served to arouse her more. Eager to touch him, she tugged at the buttons of his pants.

  § § §

  The moment Rhea’s hand brushed across his cock, he released a groan of need and protest. What they were doing wasn’t just ill-advised. It was reckless, dangerous, worse, exceedingly intoxicating. His tongue still dancing with hers, he caught her hands and pinned them behind her back. It would take him a lifetime to ensure she knew just how wonderful and courageous she was. Everything she’d done for him—her family ensured her the redemption she thought she needed as surely as every breath he took belonged to her.

  In a swift move, he half dragged, half carried her to the sofa. His mouth teased and controlled hers into a passionate response. Eager to please her, he grasped the silk of her skirt and tugged it upward. A quiet moan whispered against his mouth as his hand skimmed upward over her stocking to the garter holding it in place. She trembled at the touch, and his fingers stroked her thigh before seeking the heart of her.

  With a growing hunger, he trailed his mouth across her cheek, downward to where he could suck on the hard nipple pressing into her white lawn chemise. She whimpered at the caress and arched upward in a silent plea for more, and he gently nipped at the hard pebble. The sob she released increased his desire, but pleasing her was more important. He slid downward until he was on his knees and he pushed her skirts higher. The moment his mouth caressed the rim of her sex, she dragged in a deep breath. It was followed by a small cry as his tongue swept into her folds.

  She bucked against his mouth and her cream flowed warm and silky across his tongue. He reveled in the delicious taste of her. The sound of her soft cries caused his own arousal to intensify. With a small nip at the swollen nub of her sex, he quickly returned to the sofa
and lifted her to straddle him. In one brief second, he sheathed himself with her white-hot heat. The way her body tightened around him wasn’t just pleasurable, it was mind-numbing. He would never grow tired of loving her like this.

  Suddenly, she began to ride him hard and fast. The movement blinded him to everything except her, and the raw sensation of her body joined with his. Heat engulfed his cock as the friction of her skin against his made his erection tighten and stretch in a manner that was at turns painful and erotic. It was a sign that he was on the verge of completely losing his control, and his hands brushed aside the silk of her skirts and petticoats to grasp her thighs.

  Desire barreled through him as he urged her to ride him harder and faster. Like a beautiful instrument she bended to his will. Their rhythm was a force of nature that echoed with a passion and love he knew would never be lost. His body tensed as her core flexed violently around him. The tight spasms clutched at him, until with a restrained cry he made one last, hard thrust into her and spilled his seed in an explosion of raw, visceral sensation.

  She fell forward into him, and he breathed in ragged breaths of air as his body continued to throb inside her. The stillness between them was filled only with the sound of their labored breathing, which slowly eased until she lifted her head to stare down at him.

  “I suppose I have no other option now, but to marry you, Mr. Rockwood,” she whispered with a sultry smile. “You’ve ruined me completely.”

  “If that’s the only way I could convince you to do so, I’m not sorry for it,” he chuckled then frowned as a serious expression swept over her face.

  “Are you certain you want to marry me—to come to Green Hill House?”

  “I’m afraid you leave me little choice since you insist on burying yourself in domestic bliss in the countryside,” he said with a smile as he brushed his hand across her flushed cheek. She looked radiant despite the uncertainty in her beautiful eyes. “Although you’ll have to agree to visit Callendar Abbey whenever the Rockwood clan gathers there.”