An Earl to Save Her Reputation

by Laura Martin

  He couldn’t believe she was asking the question. It meant she was actually considering kissing him.

  ‘No consequences,’ he said. ‘We never even mention it again.’

  ‘They are particularly beautiful bluebells.’

  ‘Surely worth a single kiss.’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  Gripping her hand, Harry pulled her gently from the path and into the woods, stepping a path that he’d known since he was a boy, yet was all but invisible to the naked eye. Carefully he picked his way across gnarled tree roots and through ferns as tall as his shoulder until they came to a clearing. It had been years since he’d last set foot here, but barely anything had changed. There was still the huge trunk of an oak tree lying on the ground where it had fallen many years ago in a storm, still the dense silence of the forest, interrupted only by small creatures rustling through the undergrowth, still the same earthy scent and the same dappled sunshine.

  ‘No one will stumble across us here,’ Harry said, watching as Anna perched on the edge of the felled tree and then taking his place beside her.

  ‘This is rather a convenient spot,’ Anna said, looking at him with a small frown. ‘Did you plan on bringing me here all along?’

  Not consciously, although he did wonder if somewhere deep down he’d known what he wanted to happen and had engineered everything to make it as he’d pictured.

  ‘No plans,’ he said, ‘but perhaps some unacknowledged desire pushing me subconsciously towards this place.’

  Slowly he reached up and gripped one end of the ribbon that secured Anna’s bonnet under her chin. A gentle tug was all it took to untie it and carefully he lifted the bonnet off her head.

  ‘Do you think anyone would notice if I pulled down your hair?’ Harry asked. For weeks he’d been wanting to see Anna shake her coppery locks loose, to see her hair cascade over her shoulders and down her back, but even he knew that was too much to ask. Only a husband or a lover ever got to see their woman’s hair unfastened and loose. No respectable young lady would ever take down her hair in public.

  He felt his pulse quicken as Anna raised her hands to her hair, slowly pulling out the pins. One after another, each allowing another few strands to uncurl and tumble over her shoulders.

  ‘Maybe I should write an ode to your hair,’ Harry murmured, lifting his fingers and running them through her loose curls.

  His fingers lingered as they brushed against her neck, picking out all the spots he wished he could kiss. There was a hollow just behind her earlobe that begged for his lips, but Harry knew he had to tread carefully. If he didn’t control himself he might find himself ravishing Anna in the middle of the clearing and that would ruin all their plans.

  Tentatively Anna reached up and touched Harry’s shoulders, gripping them gently and pulling him closer to her.

  ‘What was the price for my flowers?’ she asked.

  ‘Two kisses.’

  ‘Two kisses? That seems rather steep. Surely I did not agree to that.’

  ‘I’m sure you did, my lady.’

  Their bodies were close now, thighs side by side, separated only by the thick layers of her skirts, swaying closer together with every passing second.

  Slowly, taking his time, Harry leaned in, the desire in him building to an excruciating high as he watched her close her eyes and tilt her chin, inviting him to kiss her. His lips met hers, gently at first, revelling in the sweet taste of her mouth, the softness of her lips, the warmth of her skin. He stiffened as her tongue flicked out to meet his and felt his entire body clench and tighten as she clutched at his shoulders and pulled him closer.

  His hands were moving now, caressing her neck, her shoulders, her back. He wanted to touch her everywhere, run his fingers over every exposed bit of skin. He felt her breasts brush against his chest and wanted more than anything to push down her dress to expose the milky skin beneath and to trail kisses over the most private parts of her body.

  ‘Harry,’ Anna whispered, inflaming his desire even more as he heard his name on her lips.

  He wouldn’t have ever pulled away. If it were up to him they would still be locked together as the sun set on the horizon and the day turned to night, but Anna must have had more self-control as she eventually sat back, her eyes a little glazed and her mouth beautifully pink.

  ‘That was unfair, Harry,’ she said after a minute.

  ‘Unfair?’

  She nodded. He understood. They might have laughed and joked about never mentioning their little intimacy again, but it would be impossible to forget that kiss. It was unfair. Right now he couldn’t remember a single reason why he and Anna couldn’t be together. He liked her. He desired her. He wanted to get lost in her kisses all day long. There was a small voice in the back of his mind shouting about duty, but Harry found it very easy to silence as he glanced again at his fake fiancée.

  He never thought Anna would kiss him again, despite upping the price of the flowers to two kisses, but as he turned back to her he wondered if he was in heaven as her fingers snaked around his neck, tickling the skin before she leaned in closer.

  There was nothing gentle or delicate about this kiss. Harry found it impossible to hold back. All the pent-up desire that had been building over the past couple of weeks erupted and he found himself gripping Anna hard, kissing her as if they would never get the chance again. She returned his passion, running her hands over his body and kissing him deeply.

  He couldn’t help himself, he needed more. With dextrous fingers he traced the edge of her dress, where fabric met the skin of her chest. Anna stiffened for a second and then melted into him, pressing his hand deeper under the fabric. Inch by inch he exposed the silky-smooth skin of her breasts, pushing at her dress and chemise, knowing he had to see her, had to taste her.

  ‘Harry,’ Anna whispered, a plea for more that inflamed him like nothing else could.

  With an almost imperceptible ripping of fabric Harry managed to push her dress down, taking a moment to watch how the soft cotton pooled at her waist, wishing it would just fall over her hips and leave her completely naked.

  ‘I need to kiss you,’ he said, his voice gruff with pent-up desire.

  She nodded, her eyes wide, and before she could say anything his lips were on her skin again. He trailed kisses from her collarbone to the groove between her breasts, finally pausing before capturing one dusky-pink nipple in his mouth. Anna sighed, a sound that went straight to his very core, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her head drop back, her eyes glazed with desire.

  After a few seconds of teasing and kissing he moved his lips to her other breast, eliciting the same deep sigh, and he wondered if it was the most perfect sound in the world.

  It would have been so easy to lay her down, to strip her entirely naked right here deep in the forest and worship her body until the sun went down, but reluctantly Harry pulled back. He wanted her badly, but this wasn’t the right way. Despite being a widow and not a shy virgin Anna was still vulnerable and he wouldn’t be the man to take advantage of her, not like this. Even if he had to suppress a groan as he looked at her wonderfully dishevelled appearance.

  Wordlessly Anna moved away a few inches, as if she didn’t trust herself to remain quite so close. He felt bereft without her body pressing against his, but contented himself with watching her straighten her dress and pin her hair up. In the dappled sunlight she looked like some Greek goddess, some deity sent to bewitch and bedazzle him.

  ‘I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself,’ Harry said eventually.

  ‘Don’t apologise,’ Anna said softly. ‘It was wonderful.’

  Harry knew then how close he was becoming, how close he was to falling in love. He needed to distance himself, to step away from Anna and her sweet, strong nature and her beguiling looks, but right now that seemed impossible to do.

  ‘We need to find something to ta
ke back from our scavenger hunt,’ Anna said, standing and brushing small pieces of moss from her skirts.

  ‘A bluebell,’ Harry said, plucking one of the hundreds that surrounded the small clearing and tucking it carefully in the pocket of his jacket so the head of the flower poked out the top.

  ‘Weren’t we meant to bring back three things?’

  ‘Let’s pretend we forgot that part.’

  He’d promised her they wouldn’t discuss the kiss, the intimacy, promised her things would go back to normal, but he wondered if her heart was still hammering in her chest. He couldn’t imagine never thinking about those few minutes in the clearing again—right now it seemed like it would be at the forefront of his mind for eternity.

  ‘We should return,’ Anna said, placing her hand in the crook of Harry’s elbow. ‘Otherwise we will be late and the others might get suspicious.’

  ‘Perhaps we could linger just a few minutes more,’ Harry suggested hopefully. It really was beautiful under the trees and out here he didn’t have to share Anna with anyone else.

  ‘The whole purpose of this pretend engagement is to save us both from further scandal and gossip,’ Anna said, trying to look haughty, but instead just looking delightfully dishevelled. ‘And all we’ve done these past few weeks is jump from one scandalous situation to the next.’

  She was right: first their little trip into the darkness of the Carmichaels’ garden, then the unchaperoned private platform to watch the opera from, then the kiss at the top of the tower and now this wonderful interlude in the forest. They hadn’t really been behaving as they should, but Harry found he couldn’t regret it.

  ‘We’re among friends here,’ he said. ‘Who is going to care if we return a little late?’

  ‘Perhaps the upstanding Miss Wright and her mother,’ Anna said, casting a sideways look at Harry.

  He shook his head, but couldn’t find the words to refute Anna’s statement. He didn’t really know Miss Wright or her mother well. They might be the sort of people who loved to be witness to a scandal so they could tell all their friends.

  ‘She’s pursuing you,’ Anna said, just the tiniest hint of emotion in her voice.

  Now wasn’t the time to talk about this. Not five minutes ago he’d been kissing Anna, completely lost in her, willing to give away his fortune for just a few more minutes alone with her. He couldn’t think of any other woman right now, even if there was no way of him and Anna having a future.

  ‘Do you mind?’ he asked.

  Anna sighed, not answering for a few seconds, before shaking her head. ‘I don’t mind you having admirers, Harry. As much as I like you I know we aren’t really engaged and one day soon we will go our separate ways. But I do want you to be happy and I’m afraid you’d be marrying Miss Wright for all the wrong reasons if you did court her.’

  She’d said the same to him before, only a couple of days ago.

  ‘People get married for all sorts of reasons,’ Harry said. ‘Money, titles, allegiances. Love doesn’t often come into it. Why would my reasons be any different?’

  ‘You deserve happiness, Harry,’ she said, stopping abruptly and turning to face him. ‘And an unhappy marriage is not a good start to a happy life.’

  ‘That’s exactly why I want to marry some respectable young woman that I can see myself tolerating for the rest of our married lives. Much better to have contentment than passion.’

  ‘Toleration is no substitute for love,’ he heard her murmur, but she shook her head and dropped the subject.

  They continued walking in silence, emerging from the woods and back into the long grass before finding the path that led back up the hill to the house. As they began the descent to the house they saw Miss Wright and Lydia walking arm in arm back from wherever their scavenger hunt had taken them.

  Next to him he saw Anna surreptitiously smooth down her creased skirts and pat at her hair so no one would suspect anything untoward had happened between them. The tear in the fabric of her dress she’d cleverly concealed by holding it together with a hairpin and arranging a few loose strands of hair over the new seam.

  ‘Lord Edgerton,’ Miss Wright called as the two pairs neared each other. ‘Lydia has been telling me of her love for music.’

  He glanced at his sister and was surprised to see a hint of excitement in her eyes.

  ‘My mother is hosting a small piano recital next week at our London house and I have invited Lydia along. Of course you’d be welcome to accompany her.’

  No invitation was forthcoming for Anna, but he pushed this to the back of his mind.

  ‘Would you like to go, Lydia?’ he asked, hardly daring to hope.

  With a small nod his sister indicated she would and Harry felt like falling to his knees and praising every saint that had ever lived. A piano recital was hardly a bustling ball, but it was a start. It was a social event that his sister had agreed to go to and without him having to cajole her a single bit.

  This morning was turning out to be a great success. With a spring in his step he turned towards Halstead Hall, trying to stop the triumph from showing on his face.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‘Play for me,’ Harry murmured in Anna’s ear, sending shivers down her spine. They were in the drawing room, awaiting the other guests to gather before dinner, and Anna had gravitated towards the piano without realising it.

  ‘I haven’t played for anyone in years,’ she said, trailing her fingers along the keys.

  ‘I heard you, a few weeks ago when I came to visit you for the first time at your uncle’s house. You were good.’

  ‘I play for myself, when no one else is around, but I don’t think I’ve had an audience in the last five years.’

  ‘Indulge me,’ Harry said.

  ‘I think I’ve indulged you enough today,’ Anna muttered, flushing as she remembered their intimacy in the clearing. She hadn’t been able to look at Harry for the rest of the day without feeling the heat rise in her cheeks and the blood pound in her ears. Never had she felt the kind of attraction she did for Harry. Of course she’d found men attractive before, but with Harry it went deeper. Her body craved him, but it wasn’t just a primal desire, there was so much more.

  ‘Please.’

  With that one word she melted. Before her marriages she hadn’t realised how attractive good manners were.

  Carefully she sat on the piano stool, arranging her skirts around her.

  ‘Do you need any music?’

  She shook her head. Dozens of pieces were seared into her brain from years of practice. It might have been a few years since she last played them, but once learnt a piano piece wasn’t something easily forgotten.

  Stretching out her fingers, she began to play, choosing something which started slowly, building in tempo and difficulty as she gained confidence. After a few minutes she felt all her worries lifting from her shoulders, all the uncertainties, all the dilemmas just fading away. Right now the only thing that mattered was the music.

  As she finished the piece and drifted back to earth she became aware of Harry again, standing far too close for propriety, especially as the other guests were expected in the drawing room at any moment. He laid a hand on her shoulder, his fingers trailing against the bare skin of her neck, the contact sending tiny jolts through her body.

  She dared not turn to face him, knowing he would have that look in his eyes, the one she found impossible to resist. He would suggest a kiss and before she knew what was happening they would be in each other’s arms when the rest of the guests arrived for pre-dinner drinks.

  ‘Tell me why you don’t play much any more,’ Harry said, his voice quiet.

  ‘Lord Fortescue didn’t like it,’ Anna replied simply.

  ‘I like it.’

  She turned to face him then, wondering when this strong, kind man had crept into her heart where he certa
inly did not belong. No man did.

  ‘I like it, too,’ she said.

  Perhaps, a little voice in her head said. Perhaps he is your chance at happiness.

  She did feel happy when she was with him, more happy than she had been in years.

  The door to the room opened and Miss Wright entered with Lydia, the two women arm in arm.

  ‘What marvellous music,’ Miss Wright said, smiling sweetly at Anna. ‘We couldn’t wait to see who was playing.’

  ‘Lady Fortescue is very talented,’ Harry murmured, stepping away slowly as if trying not to draw attention to how close he’d been standing.

  ‘Perhaps you could play for us after dinner,’ Miss Wright suggested.

  Anna inclined her head, knowing it would seem petty if she said no. Hopefully she could just play one piece and then someone else would take over. Both Miss Wright and Lydia would be proficient at playing the piano—all young women of good birth were, although not many enjoyed it as much as she did.

  Within a few minutes their party was complete with Rifield escorting Mrs Wright into the room. They were just about to move into the dining room when the door opened again and Lady Edgerton entered the room, her hair hastily pulled back and her dress crumpled, but nevertheless dressed for dinner.

  ‘Mother,’ Harry said, frowning. ‘I didn’t expect you to join us.’

  He moved quickly to his mother’s side, bending his head and talking quietly, trying to stop everyone from overhearing.

  ‘I should be here,’ Lady Edgerton said, wringing her hands.

  ‘There really is no need. If you would be more comfortable in your rooms...’

  ‘No. I can’t hide away on such an important night. I must be here. I can’t fail you.’

  Harry flashed his sister a concerned glance, but Lydia just shrugged and he had no choice but to escort their mother in to dinner.

  ‘Thank you for a lively weekend,’ Rifield said, lifting his glass once everyone was seated. ‘It has been most memorable.’