by Lydia Dare
“Shhhh,” he said, his breath blowing softly against her tender flesh. He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. She drew it into her mouth and sucked, then nipped the pad of his finger. He groaned that time.
“Shhhh,” she said with a light laugh.
“Witch,” he remarked as he went back beneath her skirts.
“Aye, and ye’re my beast.” She threw her head back as he licked her to new heights, then he finally pushed her over. But he caught her when she fell. Before she’d even come back down, he picked her up and opened her legs to straddle his lap. Then he lowered her slowly onto him.
She took him carefully, her gaze never leaving his as she settled around him. He gently helped her rise and fall, riding him until her body fluttered, and then he joined her in pleasure.
“We were no’ very quiet,” she whispered as she lay against his chest, her breasts bare and her skirts around her waist. It felt perfectly decadent to be so free and open with him.
“Yes, I know. My brother will be ready to do bodily harm to me by the time we get to the coaching inn.”
“Why?” She didn’t understand.
“’Cause I plan to take you again. At least once more. And I plan to make lots of noise,” he laughed.
Thirty-nine
THE COACH FINALLY STOPPED, AND BEN STEPPED FROM its confines, eager to stretch his legs a bit. Again, he thought to himself how coaches weren’t made for men his size. He stepped out and asked the coachman, “Where is his lordship?” as he looked around for Will.
“He went ahead as soon as we left Edinburgh, my lord.”
“Do you know where he was going?”
“Permission to speak frankly, my lord?”
“Of course,” Ben said, waving his hand impatiently as he glanced at Elspeth to be sure she wasn’t listening.
“He said he was going to find a whore.” The man shrugged and smiled. “Not sure what put him in such a hurry.”
As though Will needed an excuse.
Ben offered his arm to Elspeth and escorted her through the inn yard. “Where is yer brother?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea, apparently he rode on ahead.”
Elspeth breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank heavens. I was so sure he would have heard us. I doona think I could ever look at him again.”
“Ellie,” he laughed. “You are my wife. I’m certain he has some idea of what happens between us.” He pulled open the door to the taproom and directed her over the threshold.
As soon as Ben’s eyes adjusted to the darkened room, he noticed his brother, relaxed and clearly sated, enjoying a pint in the far corner. With a rakish grin, Will lifted his mug in a mock toast.
“Found him,” Ben muttered, though he wasn’t sure if he was happy about that or not.
“Ah, Benjamin,” Will called. “I’ve already acquired rooms for us. The beds are rather comfortable.”
After more than a fortnight of travel, Elspeth had decided that even though her brother-in-law was an unrepentant rogue, she liked him quite a bit. William had a charming personality, though he seemed to irritate Ben to no end.
He knew about her healing powers, but not why Ben had sought her out. As London came into view, she stared across the coach at Lord William. Once they arrived in Town, she was sure she wouldn’t see much of him. She had been wondering something about him ever since they met.
As Ben was sleeping, she knew this was her last chance to find out. “Will,” she began quietly, “doona ye tire of yer debauched life?”
He winked at her. “My life is wonderful as it is.”
“But Ben says there’s a girl, a neighbor, who owns yer heart.”
Will took a deep breath, his eyebrows knitting together. “Ben says more than he should.”
“Who is she? And if ye care for her, why do ye…?” She waved her hand to encompass his entire person. After all, the man hadn’t spent one night alone since their journey began. It had taken only one day for her to be glad he wasn’t still in Scotland near Sorcha.
“Things with Miss Hawthorne will never come to fruition, no matter how badly I may want otherwise.” His gaze flashed to Ben, she assumed to make certain his brother was truly asleep. “Since that’s the case, there’s no reason I should stop living my life, Elspeth.”
“Why do ye say things willna come ta fruition?” He seemed so sad about the situation.
Will shrugged. “You haven’t met her. Once she’s made up her mind about something, there’s no changing it. Prisca is the most stubborn woman I know.”
She reached across the coach and squeezed his hand. “I am sorry.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.” He pulled back the curtain and stared out at the ever-approaching skyline and let out a world-weary sigh. “So what is the plan, Elspeth? How do you and Ben plan to discover your father’s identity?”
She leaned against her husband’s shoulder. With him she always felt so safe. “Ben says we’ll go see Major Forster, that there are records in yer Society that can be of help.”
“It’s a start. If you don’t end up with your desired results, we’ll think of something else.”
We. How nice to be part of a family. Her coven sisters were one thing, but now that she was part of the Westfield family, she realized how much she’d been missing. “Thanks.” Then she cleared her throat. “Yer mother… Ben seems ta think she’ll like me, but I’m a bit nervous.”
Will dragged his eyes from the window and smiled at her. “Ben’s right. She will love you, but if I were you, I’d wait to inundate yourself with the Westfields. Mother will demand your time. Simon’s wife is a bit of a mother hen, though I must admit I don’t know her well. Find your father, then step into our fray.”
“He’s right, love,” Ben mumbled from beside her, stretching his arms above his head and groaning as he woke from his nap. “Steer a clear path away from the Westfield women, or they’ll drag you down like a hare caught in a trap.”
She punched his shoulder. “I thought ye were asleep.”
“I was for a bit,” he said, then shot an uncomfortable glance toward Will. “I only heard you when you began to talk about Mother.”
“That’s because you’re a mama’s boy,” Will said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“There’s nothing wrong with a grown man loving his mother, is there, dear?” he asked playfully as he dropped one arm behind Elspeth. “You should try it sometime, Will.”
“Aye, I heard it said once that you can learn a lot from a man by the way he treats his mother. If he treats her like a prized possession, he’s capable of lovin’ with all his heart,” Elspeth said, watching Ben’s face as she said the last. He turned from her with an uncomfortable look on his face, as though he was suddenly ready to change the subject.
“You two know how to turn a man’s stomach, don’t you,” Will broke in. “All this talk of love. It’s all fluff and nonsense.”
“Ye ken that’s no’ true,” Elspeth scolded as the coach came to a stop.
“Ah, home at last,” Ben sighed. He opened the door and stepped out of the coach. And out of her conversation about love.
Forty
BEN WAS QUITE HAPPY TO STAND OUTSIDE OF HIS townhome in Mayfair and direct the servants instead of being swept inside with Elspeth and the household staff after introductions were made. In truth, his presence wasn’t needed. His staff was competent, and he would be much more of a hindrance than a help.
“If I didn’t know you better, I would accuse you of avoiding your new bride and her discussion of love,” Will said from behind him. Ben groaned and turned.
“Can’t a man get five minutes to himself to think about things?” Ben bit out. “You’re too bloody nosy for your own good.”
Ben stepped into the entryway of their home and glanced left and right.
“Playing hide-and-go-seek, now, are we?”
“Go to hell,” Ben snarled as he walked toward the study. He cringed when he heard the clop of Will’s shoes as h
e followed him. “Now you’ve taken to stalking me?”
“I believe you’ve forgotten that I live here, too,” Will reminded him. He turned and poured two tumblers of whisky and then handed one to Ben. “You’ve a perfectly lovely wife, Ben. Congratulations.”
Ben harrumphed and downed his liquor in one swallow.
Will would not be set off his path, evidently. “She’s easy on the eyes.”
“She’s bloody gorgeous,” Ben grunted as he tried to occupy himself with rifling through his correspondence and ignoring his brother.
“She’s smart.” Will filled Ben’s glass again. He tossed it back. The bite of liquor soothed the bile that rose up in his throat like fear.
“Brilliant.” Ben nodded absently.
“And head over heels in love. With you.”
Ben glanced up quickly. There was no teasing glint in Will’s eyes. There was no sarcastic twist to his mouth. Just a stare that searched him, reaching all the way to his gut.
“And you, my brother, are a fool,” Ben growled.
“I am a fool about a lot of things.” Will blinked once, obviously thinking about something. “A goddamn bloody fool.” There was no doubt in Ben’s mind that he referred to Prisca. Will placed his glass so hard on the table that it made a knocking noise. “But that woman is in love with you.”
“And what am I supposed to do?” Ben said as he stood up to pace.
“Why did you marry her if you don’t love her back?” Will asked.
Ben shrugged. “It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.” He knew he sounded like a complete idiot. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his fists in frustration. “She didn’t have anyone. Her grandfather had just died. And I wanted her.”
“You still want her.”
Ben’s head shot up. “Of course I do. I’m simply not sure I’m capable of… loving her.” His eyes rose to meet Will’s. He saw no censure in his gaze, thank heavens. No judgment. “I really fouled things up in Brighton.”
“Yes, you did.”
Will’s eyes narrowed, but Ben continued. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“No one thinks you did. You mustn’t blame yourself for being too much of a Lycan. There’s no such thing. You simply chose to go to a whore too close to the full moon.” He shrugged, as though he’d just solved the riddle to how the universe was created.
“I hurt her,” Ben said quietly.
“It wasn’t something she didn’t recover from. You scraped up her back with your fingernails and got too rough with her. I’m sure she’s had worse happen in her line of work. Simon settled a tidy sum on her, by the way, so she’s quite happy with the way things turned out.”
“I didn’t mean her.” Ben let his voice trail off and refused to look up at Will.
“Then who the bloody hell did you hurt?” The dawning of recognition passed over his face. “You hurt Elspeth?” Will gasped.
Ben nodded as he picked at a fingernail.
“What. Did. You. Do?” Will bit out, syllable by syllable.
“I got too rough with her,” Ben said as he buried his head in his hands. “If I allow myself to love her, it will mean nothing but trouble for her.”
“Something tells me she’s not going to settle for that. You’ll work it out. The two of you, together. Talk to her. She’ll understand and will probably welcome you with open arms, no matter how stupid you are.”
Ben picked up a heavy wolf paperweight and threw it at Will’s head. It was a shame the man moved so quickly to avoid it.
“Charming as ever,” Will laughed. “May I offer a suggestion?”
As though he could stop him. Ben shrugged, having a go at another fingernail.
“Let nature take its course.”
“We can have a good life.” Ben nodded his head. “Can’t we?” he asked as he looked toward Will. “I can still make her happy. Even though I can’t love her.”
“Are you trying to convince me? Or yourself?” Will asked. He squeezed Ben’s shoulder once and walked from the room.
Elspeth wasn’t spying. She really wasn’t. She just wanted to hear what they were talking about. She would wait one minute longer and then let them know that she stood outside the door to the study.
But then they began to talk about her. Elspeth’s heart soared. She had so much love in her heart that she felt like it would burst. He thought she was brilliant. And beautiful.
Her heart suddenly plummeted to the floor. It felt like someone had pulled it from her chest and dropped it at her feet, where it went splat.
He didn’t love her. She pressed her hand against her lips to keep from crying aloud. The pain of hearing that was nearly unbearable. Tears formed in her eyes and began to trail down her cheeks.
She heard every word he said and heard Will’s responses. Ben planned to settle for her, even though he didn’t love her. She couldn’t let him waste his life when he could be out looking for his true love.
Elspeth’s life had never been easy. She didn’t know why she’d ever expected to meet a nice man, fall in love, and marry. She was too much like her mother.
She knew what she had to do. She had to give him his freedom. He’d brought her to London, and she owed him a great deal for his trouble. It would break her heart, but she wouldn’t keep him trapped.
Elspeth turned to walk away from the door and heard the hiss of a whisper. “Tsk, tsk. Listening at doorways is so unladylike,” Will said.
She brushed her hands across her cheeks and squared her stance. “I wasna eavesdroppin’.”
“Sure you were,” Will said, pulling her into the front sitting room. “And you probably heard more than you wanted.” He handed her a handkerchief and motioned toward a chair. “Sit, please.”
She paced across the room.
“Or not,” he mumbled. “Look, Ben doesn’t know what he’s saying. Give him a little time.”
She’d never known Ben to say something untruthful. He knew exactly what he had told his brother. He didn’t love her. And he never would—not if he didn’t now, after all they’d been through together. And she couldn’t stand around and watch him, knowing what wasn’t in his heart.
“Elspeth,” Will began softly.
She turned to face him quickly. “Do ye ken Major Forster?”
Will’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, he’s an old friend of our father’s, and I help him out with the Society.”
Perfect. She wouldn’t have to see Ben, then. “Can ye take me ta him?”
“I think this is something Ben should be discussing with you.” Will turned to walk away.
“Please, Will,” she begged, following after him.
“I can’t,” he said, holding up his hands. “It’s not my place.”
“If ye doona take me, I’ll simply go by myself,” she threatened, though she didn’t know how to go about doing so.
“I hate it when women do that.”
“Do what?”
“Manipulate us,” Will bit out.
“Doona consider it ta be manipulation,” she argued. “Just a bit of assistance gettin’ ye ta where ye should be.” She smiled at him.
He had the nerve to roll his eyes at her. “I can go in two hours. Can you be ready by then?”
“Of course.” She would need to leave a few things for Ben and write a note. She’d leave the aloe and the blueberry tea. And she would instruct his cook to make blueberry pies, tarts, and cobblers. There were a lot of things she had to do. She’d also leave the final potion. The one he’d need if he didn’t change with the next moon. According to her mother’s notes, she’d used the same and it had worked.
She had to leave Ben well prepared for the moonful. Because when she left, she wouldn’t be coming back.
Forty-one
WILL POUNDED ON BEN’S DOOR. IF HIS IDIOT BROTHER didn’t come to his senses soon, he’d lose his wife. And that was a loss Will doubted Ben would ever recover from. Personal experience had taught him that.
He’d watched Ben an
d Elspeth the fortnight they traveled together, and it would be obvious to the simplest of simpletons that the two of them loved each other deeply. But apparently Benjamin was completely inept.
When there was no answer to his banging, Will pushed the door open and found Ben lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. “You obviously can’t take a hint. Go away.”
“Stop being obstinate, Benjamin. I need to talk to you about Elspeth.”
Ben winced. “I’m not taking advice from you, so you can save your breath.”
Will heaved a sigh. Why did he even bother? Ben was as stubborn as all the Westfields before him. He’d always had to learn things the hard way and never did listen to reason. “When you’ve lost her, don’t come running to me.”
Ben scoffed. “Nothing can change the fact that she’s my wife, William. Melodrama doesn’t suit you.”
The hard way it was, then. Will rubbed his brow. This would be painful for all involved. Poor Elspeth. How could she even care for the bloody dolt? “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Canis House was in the middle of nowhere. Elspeth and Will had taken horses from the Westfield stables and ridden quite a way from Town into a heavily forested area. Only a small path led to a large Tudor mansion that stood proudly in the distance. A great stone wolf guarded the entrance. It was a bit awe-inspiring.
“That’s it?” Elspeth asked, knowing the answer in her heart.
Will nodded. “You’re not supposed to go in. It’s a gentleman’s club. Wait just inside the entrance, and I’ll go find the major.”
“Are ye sure he’s here?”
“He’s always here.” Will urged his horse toward the stables around the back, and Elspeth followed.
Her pulse raced as her anticipation intensified. She’d never been so close to finding her sire. It had never been a possibility until now. And it gave her something to focus on instead of her broken heart. Why were the Campbell women so unlovable? What was it about them that prevented the men they loved from returning the feeling? Perhaps her father could answer that when she found him. Perhaps then she could understand why Ben was unable to love her.
After dismounting his stallion, Will helped her off her filly. “You should really wait and do this with Ben,” he said.
