by Laura Landon
He kissed her with frenzied urgency, then with a consummate completion. With each assault, a hunger raged inside her that was nearly uncontrollable. She wanted more than his kisses. She wanted to feel his hands on her naked flesh.
She wanted to be his wife.
As if she’d spoken her thoughts aloud, he pulled her close. He kissed her again then looked down at her with eyes black and mysterious with passion.
“Are you sure? Do you have any doubts at all, Anne?”
“No. The time for doubts was before I let you kiss me that first time. Heaven help me, I think I will die if you stop now.”
His fingers worked the ribbons at her neck. He loosened the lacing down the front and pushed the material from her shoulders.
Filmy white gauze and soft peach satin slid over her hips and landed in a puddle at her feet. When she was naked, he picked her up in his arms and placed her on the bed.
She watched as he loosened the tie at his waist and shrugged out of his robe. He stood naked before her, so virile and handsome she wanted to cry.
“You are beautiful,” she whispered.
He chuckled as he brought himself down over her. “I think those are words that I am supposed to say, my lady.”
“I don’t need to hear that I am beautiful.”
She lifted her hand and stroked her fingers down his face. Oh, but he was handsome. More handsome than she ever imagined her husband would be.
He nestled his face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling her skin and kissing her to distraction. “Then what do you need to hear, Anne?”
“Only that you want me. For this. For tonight. For as long as we have together.”
“I will always want you, Anne,” he whispered. Then he made her his wife.
Griff slept peacefully. She could tell by the slow, relaxed breaths he took. He’d dropped one arm and one leg over her, and lay in quiet contentment.
She wrapped her arms around him, marveling at the rightness of his weight atop her and how complete she felt. Marveling at how perfect loving him was.
Knowing what they’d shared was worth the risk.
She closed her eyes and slept in his arms. She would not worry that Julia or Andrew held the largest part of his heart, just as she would not worry that he would want a drink more than he wanted a life with her.
She would live her life with him one day at a time. And she would be happy.
Chapter 26
Anne looked up from the letter she was composing to Becca and sighed. How could she put into words how her life had changed since she had become Griff’s wife? How could she explain that marrying Griff wasn’t the tragedy she’d feared at the time?
She thought of the man she’d married and realized she didn’t regret becoming his wife. She’d come to care for him and rely on him. She’d come to look to him to fill the part of herself she’d never known was missing—a part that made her feel whole.
Although he was still a mystery to her, she knew that given the chance, she wouldn’t do anything differently. She wouldn’t wish to be married to anyone else if it meant she would have to live a future without Griff. She would take one day at a time and trust that her life would be complete.
He had changed little in the past two weeks. He still kept her at arm’s length more often than not, refusing to open up to her or show her that he might care for her. She understood now that he was terrified that something might happen to her.
He went out every day to search for the enemy he was certain was waiting to do her harm. He’d increased the number of men guarding her to the point that she’d given up trying to call them all by name. She was never alone. There was always someone with her, watching over her.
Every night he came to her, whether out of need, or because of her demand, she wasn’t sure. She preferred not to know for certain. She’d come to care for him entirely too much to realize his reason might only be one of obligation.
She blushed when she remembered the hours she had spent in his arms. Every night for the two weeks they’d been together, he’d shown her how passionate it could be between a husband and wife. How marvelous it was to receive what he gave her.
Some nights he made slow, languorous love, touching and caressing her until she was wild with passion. Other nights, his lovemaking contained a desperation to hold her, to consume her. On those occasions it was as if he feared this might be the last night they had together.
Even though they shared no words of love, words weren’t necessary. Losing someone he’d loved as completely as he’d loved Julia was an obstacle between them. But the obstacle wasn’t insurmountable.
Anne knew he wanted her. Perhaps in time he would even come to love her. Especially once there was a child.
She placed her hand on her stomach and breathed deeply. Perhaps he’d already placed a babe inside her. She would not know for at least another week.
She couldn’t stop the smile that covered her face. Perhaps when there was a child…
Carter’s voice brought her back to the present.
“My lady,” he announced from the doorway. “You have a visitor. The Marquess of Brentwood is here to see you.”
Anne hesitated but couldn’t invent a plausible reason to refuse him. “Show him in, Carter.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The marquess entered the room and Anne struggled to appear hospitable. “Good day, Lord Brentwood.” She rose and stepped around the desk.
The marquess walked toward her with a purpose, as though he was eager to see her. “My dear Anne,” he said, reaching out his hands to take hers. “You look radiant. As if marriage truly agrees with you.”
“It does,” she answered.
Brentwood lifted her hands to his lips.
The second she was able, she pulled her hands out of his grasp. “I didn’t realize you’d returned to the country,” she said.
“London can occupy only so much of my time before I yearn to be back to the quiet solitude of the country. And, as you are aware, Brentwood Manor is a perfect place to find such contentment.”
“Yes. It is beautiful.”
Anne sat on the settee in the middle of the room and held out her hand to indicate one of the overstuffed chairs that faced her. Brentwood sat. When Carter brought tea, she poured, then handed him a cup.
“Is your husband away?” he asked, taking one of the small sandwiches she offered.
“Yes, but I expect him back any moment. He went out to visit one of the tenants.” The lie came easily to her. Griff had left early that morning to continue his search. He was obsessed with finding the person responsible for the attempts on her life.
She prayed someone would go for Griff so she wouldn’t have to be alone with the man who held Freddie’s title. She couldn’t explain it, but he made her uneasy.
“I’m glad to see you looking so happy,” he said. “I was not the only one surprised by your hasty wedding. Half of London is still in shock.”
“There is no reason for them to be,” she said.
“On the contrary. No one was even aware that you and Blackmoor were enamored of each other. Especially your suitors. If we had known, we would have each pressed our suits with much more fervor. We didn’t realize we had such formidable competition.”
She didn’t say anything but lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip of tea.
“I have to admit,” he said, “that I’m glad you returned to the country. It’s wonderful to have neighbors again. After you settle in, I will have to have a dinner party to celebrate your marriage. Just a small, intimate dinner, as many of our neighbors are still in town.”
“That would be nice,” she managed, without displaying her true feelings. “Perhaps in a month or two.”
Brentwood arched his brows. “Of course.” He set his cup and saucer down on the small table beside his chair and steadied his gaze on her. “There is one other matter that brought me here today.” He leaned back in a relaxed pose, as if he were about to discuss some insignificant detail.
Anne raised her brows. “Yes?”
“It concerns the strip of land your brother left you in his will.”
Her mind tried to grasp what he was talking about. She’d almost forgotten about the small piece of land Freddie had bequeathed to her.
“As you are probably aware, the land is worthless. It is nothing but craggy rocks that cannot be negotiated by man nor beast. It is riddled with dangerous caverns and caves that flood with each tide. The land has no conceivable value to anyone.”
“But you are interested in purchasing it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it belongs to Brentwood. It was originally a part of the estate before your brother had it separated. Even though it is uninhabitable, I want it back to make it part of the original Brentwood Estate.”
“I see.”
“I would, of course, offer you a fair price. Say, ten thousand pounds.”
Anne couldn’t believe she’d heard him right. “Ten thousand pounds, my lord?”
“Yes.”
“But I thought you said the land was worthless.”
“It is, to everyone but me. It’s worth that much so that Brentwood is not partitioned off.”
Anne sat back against the sofa and remembered the letter Freddie left her concerning the land.
I regret that I have not yet acquired enough wealth to adequately support you, Annie, but at the moment this parcel of land is all I have to leave you to preserve the Brentwood name. Know that there is no one else I would have possess it but you, and promise that you will never sell it.
“I’m afraid I cannot consider selling the land, my lord.”
A frown covered his face. “But why? What possible use can you have for it?”
She stiffened her spine. “I have no use for it. But it is all I have from Freddie. I have no desire to part with it, no matter how much you offer me for it.”
“But that is foolish. It is nothing but a dangerous piece of land, littered with rocks and boulders, and caves that flood with each swell of the ocean. Surely you don’t intend to let sentimentality lead you to make such a foolish decision?”
“I’m afraid I do, sir.”
“Then I will offer more. Twelve thousand pounds.”
“No, sir. It is not the money.”
Large, angry veins stood out on his neck. “You are being ridiculous! The land is worthless.”
“It is not to me,” she said.
Brentwood got to his feet and raised his voice. “I will not take no for an answer. I will not give up until—”
“Enough!”
Griff charged into the room and made his way to her side. “You will not speak to my wife in that manner, Brentwood.” Griff rested his hand on her shoulder. “What is this all about?”
Anne looked at the livid expression on Griff’s face. “Lord Brentwood has come to extend an offer to buy the land Freddie left me when he died. It is evidently a worthless strip of coastline and of no value to either of us, except it is all I have from Freddie.”
“And you do not wish to sell it?”
“No, sir,” she said, hating the tears that swelled in her eyes.
“Very well,” he whispered, lifting her chin with his finger as if telling her to be brave a little longer.
He turned to Brentwood. If the look on Griff’s face did not send trepidation racing through the marquess, then he was not capable of feeling fear.
“My wife does not wish to sell the land, Brentwood.”
“But—”
“Enough! She does not wish to part with it. She thanks you for your kind offer, but she is not interested. I do not wish to have the matter brought up again. Is that understood?”
“It is,” Brentwood hissed through clenched teeth. “If you will excuse me, I think I have overstayed my welcome.”
Carter appeared to show the marquess out. Not until they heard the door close behind him did either of them speak.
“What exactly did Brentwood tell you about the land Freddie left you in his will?” Griff asked, sitting down beside her on the sofa and taking her hands in his.
“Nothing, other than he wanted to buy it.”
“Do you have a copy of the will?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to see it, Anne.”
Anne got the will and the note Freddie had written her from a small wooden box in her bedroom where she kept the few personal mementos she had, and brought them down.
“This is what the solicitor gave me, and this is the note Freddie left. Perhaps you will know what it means.”
Griff took both papers from her. He read the will first.
Anne sat quietly beside him and watched his face while he read. The frown on his forehead deepened. When he finished, he opened Freddie’s letter and read it.
“What does it mean?” she asked when he said nothing.
Griff shook his head. “I’m not sure. I can’t imagine why Freddie went to such pains to purchase it. He had to petition the courts to get it, and submit a mountain of paperwork as well as pay a staggering amount in legal fees for something that is seemingly worthless.”
“Did he ever speak to you about it?”
“No. Never.”
Griff read the papers again. The look on his face indicated he didn’t understand them any more the second time he read them.
“How much did Brentwood offer you for it?”
“Twelve thousand pounds.”
His eyes widened, then he looked back down at the papers in his hands.
“Griff?”
He looked up from the will.
“I want to see the land Freddie left me.”
“It’s too dangerous to go there, Anne. We would have to travel in the open, and I don’t want to take the risk.”
“We can go in a closed carriage. We will not be in danger if no one can see us.”
“I said no.”
“Then I will give you tonight to change your mind and agree to take me, or allow me to go on my own. Either way, tomorrow morning I intend to see what Freddie left me that is so important to the new Marquess of Brentwood that he would offer twelve thousand pounds to have it.”
She spun on her heels and left him before he had a chance to argue with her. She knew their discussion was not over, but before she was finished he would find out how stubborn she could be, and that when she made up her mind to do something, nothing could stop her.
Besides, she had all night to convince him.
Her blood ran hot just thinking of the delightful things she could do to change his mind.
Chapter 27
Anne pressed back against the carriage seat and held her breath as the young lad Timothy snapped the reins and drove the horses away from Covington Manor. With every clop of the horses’ hooves, she waited for one of her guard’s booming voices to call her carriage to a stop.
It had been much harder than she’d anticipated to get away from their watchful eyes. There must be a dozen or more men surrounding the house keeping watch. She’d had to sneak past every one of them.
There’d be hell to pay when Griff realized she’d left the grounds without him. But she didn’t care. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.
She’d tried every bit of persuasion imaginable last night to get him to agree to take her to see the strip of land Freddie had left her, but he’d been adamant in his refusal. He forbade her to even consider it. That was when she had devised her plan. She’d only have to make sure Timothy did not pay for her stubbornness.
She’d perfected her scheme all day, making sure she hadn’t overlooked one detail. She had the description of the land so Timothy could find it, and a pistol she’d taken from Griff’s desk drawer—just in case she had trouble. She had a lantern to explore the caves she knew were on the land, and some matches.
When she was certain she had everything she needed, she made arrangements for Timothy to take the carriage down the lane and wait for her on the other
side of the garden wall. Once Griff was gone for the day, she made her escape.
Anne wasn’t delusional enough to think she could accomplish her goal without Griff finding out what she’d done. Even if she returned before he did, she had no doubt one of the men would inform him that she’d left.
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms to ease the nervousness. She would worry about Griff later. He would no doubt be furious with her, and in a way, she didn’t blame him. She’d promised him she wouldn’t leave the house unless he was with her. But…
She touched her hand to the pistol, then looked out the window at the countryside. He would have to understand this was something she had to do.
When she returned, he would yell at her and double the guards to make certain she couldn’t get out again. But by then it would be too late. She would have seen what Freddie had left her. She would know what was so important about the so-called worthless strip of land that Brentwood had offered her twelve thousand pounds for it.
“We’re here, my lady,” Timothy called, slowing the horses.
When the carriage stopped, Anne waited until Timothy opened the door, then stepped out. “Are you sure this is it?” she asked, looking around.
“Yes, my lady. According to the papers you gave me, the place you came to see starts over here where the land juts in, and goes to that big boulder down there.” Timothy pointed to a huge rock that seemed far away.
“Are we on Brentwood land right now?”
“Yes. As far as that boulder. That is where Covington Estate starts.”
Anne walked closer to the edge. A steep drop-off overlooked the ocean. From here she could see straight down to where the waves slapped against the sandy shore.
It was midafternoon and the tide was low. Every large rock and boulder was exposed, plus the openings to dozens of caves.
There was nothing there. Only a long stretch of desolate sand that no one should care about.
Why would Freddie go to such lengths to bequeath her this part of the estate? Brentwood was right. It looked worthless.
Anne walked closer to the edge, searching for a way to get down.
