Voices drifted up from the beach. How exciting to be sitting right above smugglers. “Will you show me?”
“Show you what?”
“The smuggling. The operation, family business, or whatever it is you call it.”
This was turning out to be the most delightful holiday, with the exception of being strangled that is. But, she’d visited a gypsy, was coming to know Adam, and now she had a chance to encounter smugglers. London would surely be boring after this. Certainly any gentleman she’d meet in the future would pale in comparison to Adam Vail, especially dressed as he was tonight, so much like he’d been clothed while visiting his grandmother. She much preferred the Gypsy in him to the refined grandson of a viscount.
“I’m not sure that is wise,” he finally said.
Of course that would be his reaction. She was a stranger. One didn’t just reveal the ins and outs of their illegal business to a practical stranger. Besides, he was probably tired. He’d had a few trying days as well, and she’d nearly forgotten he’d just buried his brother. Now was not the time to have guests in his home, yet he’d welcomed her and Anthony.
“I am sorry to be an imposition at a time like this.”
“Time like this?”
“Your brother. You are in mourning.”
His smile was sad as he took a sip of brandy. “I am not in mourning. It’s forbidden.”
Certainly not by his grandfather. She disliked the viscount more and more since that uncomfortable dinner.
“Thomas forbade it. He knew he was ill and fading, and while his mind was still somewhat whole, he forbid me to mourn him.” He took her hand then and brought it to his lips, nearly scalding her skin when he pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Besides, he’s been gone for over a year, a shell of a man before his heart stopped. I did mourn the loss then, and have been, but once he took his last breath, only relief remained.”
If his brother had been ill for so long, she could certainly understand, and it did give Adam a chance to truly say goodbye. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was his illness? Something so long in duration must have been horrible.”
The side of his mouth quirked. “The pox.”
Alarm shot through her. Surely she’d misunderstood. “He was not inoculated?”
Adam choked on his brandy. “Excuse me.”
“Hardly anyone gets smallpox anymore, not since Edward Jenner discovered a way to protect people from the disease. And, I certainly didn’t know such a horrible illness lasted so long.”
Adam set his glass on the table and then turned to her, cradling her cheek in his hand. “Oh, Charlotte, you are such a delight.” And with that, he kissed her.
This was a mistake. He knew it the moment he leaned in, but how could he not. Since she’d stepped out on the terrace, looking so beautiful and, well, ready for bed, he’d been wanting her. Charlotte was unlike any lady he’d ever met. A bit of mischief, an ounce of adventure, a pinch of naïveté, and a ton of desirability. Adam wasn’t quite sure he’d ever get enough of her. Or ever learn all that there was to her, but he’d spend a lifetime in discovery. Beginning right now, with her lips pressed against his. She didn’t hesitate but pulled him close, as if she wanted this as much as he. His mouth molded against her soft lips and he knew he should pull back, end this, but how could he? Not when she was so delightfully soft, and utterly perfect.
He deepened the kiss, expecting her to pull back. Instead, Charlotte tilted her head to accommodate him, and he pressed her back against the settee.
This was unwise. Extremely unwise. Yet, he didn’t stop as his body reacted to all that was Charlotte, wishing he could push her nightgown above her hips and make her his once and for all.
Her soft breasts pressed against him, burned his chest through his shirt as his body temperature soared. It was as if a spell had been cast over him, and he couldn’t get enough nor force himself to pull away, and she wasn’t asking that he stop either.
Adam thought he’d known passion before, and he’d been so wrong. This was passion, and Charlotte was the beginning and the end.
Her fingers threaded their way through his hair as she shifted, and Adam found himself lying between her soft thighs, his cock pressed against her womanhood. If they weren’t fully clothed, he’d make her his, forever.
How could he want someone he’d only known a few days? Burn for her as if she was his all? Had his grandmother added something to her talisman he was unaware of? Why else would he have so little control? Charlotte was innocent, his future wife, not a light skirt, and he should not be lying upon her, in his grandfather’s library where they could be discovered at any moment.
Yet, as much as he told himself to move away, his body acted of its own accord. His hand caressed her full breasts, teasing the taut nipple beneath her wrapper and nightshift before he began pushing it aside to get closer, wishing there was a way to open her nightshift so he could feel her skin. To taste every inch of her from her forehead to her ankles.
As he pulled her wrapper apart and found her breast again, Charlotte arched and moaned, a leg coming around his hips to keep him close as she pressed against him.
A door slammed in the distance, breaking the spell, and Adam jerked away, quickly covering Charlotte.
She lie there dazed, her hazel eyes dark with passion, a slight smile upon her lips. “Goodness!”
“I apologize.”
She blinked at him. “For what?”
“I should not have taken advantage.”
“I don’t believe I tried to stop you.”
“It wasn’t right. You are a lady.” He helped her sit up and smoothed down her gown.
She frowned. “In that you are correct.” Her eyebrows drew together in concern. “I’m not certain what came over me. I’ve never behaved in such a manner.” She clutched her robe together. “I hope you don’t think poorly of me.”
She was as confused as he. “You felt it as well?”
“What?”
“Like you had no power. As much as your mind willed you to stop, you couldn’t make your body obey?”
Those hazel eyes widened. “Yes!”
Adam leaned back and thrust his fingers through his hair as he reviewed the stones in her putsi. His grandmother was behind this, somehow.
“The emerald,” he groaned.
“It’s for seeing the evil. I don’t understand how it can have anything to do with what just occurred.”
Adam shook his head. “It is also for passion.” He had his answer. He might be marrying Charlotte because he had supposedly ruined her while trying to save her life, but the emerald did not lie. “As well as love.”
He picked up her hand and kissed the back, lingering a bit longer than he should because the draw to her was so very strong.
“Love?”
He chuckled. “It’s hard to understand as we barely know one another, but an emerald will reveal your true mate, your destined love.”
Charlotte leaned forward, her eyes full of intrigue. “We will fall in love?” A smile slowly formed on her lips as if she was not at all upset with the idea.
He looked into those eyes and held them with his own. “I do believe it’s already begun to happen.”
“As do I,” her voice was barely a whisper as she leaned into him and placed her lips against his.
“Adam,” his grandfather bellowed from the back of the house.
Adam jumped, putting himself between the door and Charlotte.
“We have need of you. Get your arse to the caves.”
Chapter 10
Magical. Simply magical. That’s what Adam’s kiss was and everything else she’d experienced with him. Her pulse was still humming through her body, and there was a tension she didn’t understand, as if her insides were wound tight. Even her most private areas ached. Never had she experienced the like, and she couldn’t wait to experience it again.
Was he truly falling in love with her? She could most certainly be falling in love with him
. Adam Vail was unlike any gentleman she’d ever encountered and he kissed divinely. If he were to ask her to marry him this instant, her answer would most assuredly be yes. It may not be the romance of poetry and picnics she’d always assumed would occur before she fell in love, but this was better. She knew in her heart that he was her destiny, and each day of her life, without a doubt, she would grow to love him more and more. It would be impossible not to.
“I’ll be along in a moment,” Adam called.
Charlotte grasped his hand. “Let me go with you.” After all, she was his now, or would be if she had any say, so she should learn everything she could about his life.
“You can’t go to the caves dressed like that.”
“I’ll change.” She hopped off the settee. “I’d never be able to get to sleep now.”
Adam stared at her and she could tell he was warring inside of himself whether to send her upstairs or agree to let her accompany him.
“Please?”
He let out a sigh. “Very well, but hurry. My grandfather won’t wait for me long.”
Without glancing back, Charlotte rushed from the room and up the stairs. “Another adventure.” She grinned.
She pushed through the door and went straight to her trunk, hoping not to disturb Martha, who would never approve, and changed into the dress she’d brought along for tomorrow. It was a simple day dress of lavender. Certainly not something one should wear when smuggling, but it wasn’t as if she could have planned ahead for this outing.
After dressing, she pulled her hair into a knot behind her back, slid on kid boots and hurried back to the foyer where Adam stood waiting.
“We will enter from the top. Don’t let my grandfather see you.”
She nodded.
“Promise me you will stay out of sight and simply observe.”
As much as she wished to participate, Charlotte gave her promise.
Adam led her first to the back of the house, to the servants’ quarters, and then down two flights of stairs until they reached the cellar. He proceeded further, stopping only long enough to light a torch before they descended into near darkness. The wooden steps became stone, as if they were chiseled right out of the cliffs, and Charlotte kept close to Adam for fear she’d lose him in the darkness or miss a step if the light were too far away.
As they descended, the steps grew narrow and steep. Dust and mildew tickled her nose and Charlotte wiggled it to keep from sneezing. Soon, the dank air grew salty as fresh air from the sea floated up to them. Adam stopped at the top of the odd, curved staircase, and Charlotte came to his side, hardly able to contain her excitement, biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing with happiness. Her brothers would certainly disapprove. Hopefully Anthony was sound asleep and hadn’t been woken by the voices on the beach because his presence here would never do.
Adam placed the torch on the wall, and they continued only a little further before Adam stopped and turned to her. “Stay here.”
Charlotte nodded. As much as she wanted to go further, she would not leave this spot. At least, not this time.
He stood back and gestured. “You should be able to see everything from here.”
Charlotte took a step forward and peered out. Below them were all manner of barrels, kegs, crates, and chests. Some people were bringing them in from the sea while others were stacking them against the wall or attaching them to the back of a mule or horse. Adam’s grandfather stood over an open one as if inspecting the contents. It was all so very exciting and intriguing.
“Goodness!” she whispered. “Was all of this brought in this evening?” How could those small boats carry so much?
Adam chuckled. “No, over the last weeks. We are storing until it can be moved.”
“Moved?”
“One must be careful when getting rid of illegal items. It’s not safe right now.”
Safe?
Of course, what they were doing was highly illegal.
“You’ll stay?”
“Yes.” Today she would observe and learn. The next time…well, if there was a next time, she wasn’t making any promises.
Before he left, Adam pulled her close, brushing his lips against hers. “You’ve become a part of me, Charlotte. I never anticipated what could be. I am most anxious to see what else there is.”
Her heart soared because she felt exactly the same.
With one last lingering kiss, he pulled away and continued down into the cave and Charlotte sank down onto the step with a sigh.
“This was a very bad idea,” Adam muttered to himself as he joined his grandfather. But Charlotte had asked, and he found it impossible to deny her request, which did not bode well for the future. Yet, if she was his future, the smuggling was hers, not that he’d ever let her participate, of course.
With a chuckle he shook his head. As if he’d be able to stop her.
“Have you lost your mind?” his grandfather demanded.
“What do you mean?”
“You brought her here!” His grandfather pointed to the step Charlotte watched from. “Not thinking with your head, boy, but something else, and it will see the lot of them arrested.”
Of course his grandfather never feared arrest. His riches lined too many pockets, guaranteeing that investigators, if they ever came around, would look the other way. Others, their friends and colleagues, had been caught in the past, but his grandfather did nothing to help them. Someone had to pay for the crime, and it satisfied the authorities by arresting a few on occasion so they could claim they were ridding the coast of the dreadful smugglers.
“Just as bad as her.” His grandfather nodded to Tressa Teague, one of the vicar’s daughters. “Brought a stranger with her. A fisherman who I’ve not seen in these parts before.”
“Does Miss Teague trust him?” Adam asked. Tressa would never put this operation in danger, any more than Adam would.
“Says she does, but what does she know? She’s a woman.” He pointed to Charlotte. “Just like her. None of them have a lick of sense.”
Adam should have expected such a comment from his grandfather. He knew of only two uses for women. One was warming a bed and the other, delivering heirs. Otherwise, they were of no use, which was why he’d practically celebrated when Adam’s stepmother took her four daughters from the manor when Thomas returned, ridding them of all the nonsense that comes from having females about.
Chapter 11
This was truly one of the most adventurous nights of her life. Actually, since coming to Castle Keyvnor, there had been more excitement than her entire last season in London, and it was delightful.
Well, the ghost of a baron trying to kill her wasn’t exactly delightful. In fact, it was downright frightening, especially for one who once believed ghosts were an invention to frighten children.
However, the baron was not at Hollybrook Park, and Charlotte put him from her mind.
Below, several men and women moved cargo about. The ladies carried smaller chests, each grabbing a handle on the sides. Was that lace or silk or both? The large barrels stacked against the far wall must be brandy. Had the brandy she and Adam shared come from right here? Rowed in on boats under the cover of darkness? And all that wine in his cellar. How much of it was purchased and how much was smuggled?
In the back, in the darkest corner of the cave was a stack of strange flat crates, and she couldn’t imagine what was in them. If Charlotte hadn’t promised to stay in this exact spot, she’d sneak down the stairs and take a quick peek inside.
To think, men and women worked side by side down here. She’d never seen the like. Though she’d been surrounded by servants her entire life, the heaviest thing she’d ever seen a female servant lift was a tray, or perhaps laundry. Men did the manual labor. But not here. It was almost as if they were equals.
A thrill shot through her at the possibility of a chance to be more than a pampered sister, daughter, or wife. If she and Adam did fall in love, which was already occurring, they might one day
marry and then she’d be able to enjoy adventures such as these regularly. Between the smuggling, the gypsies, and Adam, her life would be exciting and full.
A sigh escaped as she spotted Adam near the entrance of the cave. He bent to lift a wooden crate, the material pulled against and outlined his backside. Heat surged at the delightful sight. When he stood, the linen of his shirt was pulled across his shoulders and back because his arms were holding the crate. He was a gentleman who need no padding in his jackets. As he turned, Charlotte noted the strength of his arms and the cords of his neck as he carried what appeared to be a heavy crate to a wagon.
Goodness it was warm down here!
The sun would be up soon, and Adam was exhausted. No doubt Charlotte was as well. But, despite all that, he wished he was not just escorting her to her chamber but taking her to his, where he could strip her of that lavender dress and lay her in his bed. After he thoroughly loved her, then they would sleep.
In time that would be true, especially if her father still insisted on her ruination, and Adam could only hope he pressed for a Special License. Not that Adam needed to be forced to marry Charlotte. He wished they were now, which was maddening. Adam always assumed that once he married, it would be to a lady he’d entered into a proper courtship with, probably meeting her during the season. He’d walk with her, take drives in the park, get ices at Günter’s, dance at balls, and sneak kisses when a chaperone was not watching. He never dreamed he’d meet his future at a Gypsy camp and need to save her from a ghost before taking her to the caves for smuggling.
They stopped just outside of her door, and Adam drew Charlotte into his arms, unable to keep from touching her.
“Thank you for another wonderful adventure.”
“Hollybrook Park is usually not so exciting. Rather boring if you must know.” He hoped she didn’t think there’d be excitement every day, or she’d be disappointed within a month of their marriage.
“Of course,” she smiled up at him. “But your corner of Cornwall is far more interesting than Suffolk where nothing ever happens.”
Spellbound Page 15
