It was a place where she made new friends with names like Robert the Rogue or Luke the Vicar. It was a place where Louisa had pushed her down only to later welcome her with open heart and arms. And it was the place where Constance fell in love with Stephen.
So, it was only fitting that such a memorable place dear to her heart be the location for a very special day.
“Are you ready?” Sally asked.
Constance turned and smiled at her friend, who insisted on remaining her lady’s maid, though she would never be the typical lady’s maid. No, this woman would be closer than any maid ever could be, one Constance could trust as much as her sisters.
“I’m ready.”
Sally smiled and placed a wreath of braided twigs on her head, white flowers sewn to silver ribbons falling down her back. “You make a beautiful bride,” the woman said as tears filled her eyes. She handed Constance a bouquet of gladioli of various colors wrapped in white and silver ribbon.
“Thank you,” Constance replied as she hugged the woman. With Sally at her side, she stepped through the multicolored leaves and into the campsite. Fires roared in the three fire pits, and the smell of fresh meat roasting on one of the spits filled the air. Most of the inhabitants were gone on various assignments, but not all.
Robert the Rogue stood beside the quiet Patrick and Nancy, who Constance learned was quickly gaining their trust. Mary and Emma stood beside the log benches, both in matching blue dresses trimmed in white lace, and between them stood Charles looking dapper in his dark blue coat, tan breeches, and black knee-high boots.
Every eye turned to her as she entered the common area, smiles adorning their faces. Luke would perform the ceremony - as it turned out, he really was a vicar - and beside him stood Stephen, who turned to face her. At her request, he wore his typical black garb and not a new suit as would have been expected for a groom; to her he was the Man in Black, and she could not see him as something he was not.
When he looked at her, his eyes held such love and adoration, she could have melted right there. Her heart soared as he took her hand and whispered, “There is not a woman more beautiful than you. I am very lucky.”
“That you are,” Constance said in reply. Then she winked at him, making them both laugh.
Hand in hand, they turned to Luke, and as he spoke, she thought of the man who stood beside her. The man who had encouraged her and showed her that it was only her own doubts that held her back. And it was she who had shown him that his self-judgment was the one thing he had not conquered.
Together, however, they had come to form a union made sacred with the vows they repeated with love in their hearts. It was a bond formed in love that had a power far sharper than any blade one could carry. For love could destroy doubts and fears and heal wounds that no doctor could.
When the vows ended, Stephen kissed her, and then hand in hand, they joined their friends, now as husband and wife.
***
Night would not come for another few hours as Constance sat beside the basket that lay atop the blanket. Inside was a bottle of wine as well as bread and cheese - a gift from Sally, who, during a private conversation insisted Constance make her wedding night special.
So, Stephen and Constance had left the guests behind and traveled far into the woods to be alone. Constance stood only in her shift, goosebumps pebbling her skin as she waited for Stephen to join her. The small clearing opened up to a vast field that fall had not yet claimed, and Constance rubbed her arms, not only from the cold but from a nervousness, as well. What would be expected of her? She knew nothing of what men and women did together in an intimate sense. What if she was a disappointment?
A sound caught her ear, but before she could turn, a hand covered her mouth, and fear clutched at her chest. No! This was her wedding night! She could not endure another abduction.
Remembering what she had done to that horrible man Hawk, she balled up her hand into a fist. If only Stephen had not returned to the camp and left her alone!
“Shhh.”
Constance relaxed with relief, for the voice belonged to her beloved Stephen. He removed his hand from her mouth and kissed her neck, sending marvelous chills down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. “Do you know how beautiful you are?”
“I do not,” she replied with a giggle, but a gasp escaped her mouth when he slid his hand into the bodice of her dress. If chills had attacked her before, fire ignited in her now.
He turned her around and continued to kiss her neck, pulling the sleeves of her shift down her arms. She found breathing difficult, but she did not want him to stop. And he did not. His lips rained fire down her arm, following her shift until it dropped to the ground.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered as he trailed kisses along the cleft of her breasts.
When his thumbs brushed her breasts, she gasped with pleasure.
“You like that, do you?” he asked, his voice a husky chuckle, his breath a flickering flame on her body. He pulled his shirt over his head to reveal a broad muscular chest, and when he clapsed her into his arms, the sensation of her breasts against him sent a fire to her most private of places.
Leading her to the blanket, he pushed aside the basket and laid her on her back. He explored every inch of her body with his lips and his hands, and she memorized every cleft and muscle of his.
It did not take long before Constance was breathing as if she had run a race, and she wanted nothing more than for him to bring her release, to ease the fire that burned inside her.
The weight of his body upon hers only intensified that need, and when he opened her legs and rested between them, she thought she would expire right there and then.
“Are you ready?” he asked, concern hidden behind the desire in his eyes.
She nodded, but a moment of panic overcame her. Was she truly ready? But she needed something to bring her release. He entered her slowly, carefully, and she could not stop herself from lifting her hips. Closing his eyes, he thrust into her fully. A sharp pain made her cry out, but he covered her lips with his. As he moved inside her, the pain was replaced by a desire she could never have thought existed, and soon she was moving with him, meeting him with every thrust.
“I wish to possess every part of you,” he said in that husky tone.
She found speaking difficult, for her breathing became short, but she managed to whisper, “Yes! I want that more than anything.”
And he did possess her, every part of her, even her soul. Passion built up in her, a desire to have that fire quenched, but the fire raged, became a wildfire that she thought could never be extinguished, a pleasure she could never have thought possible.
“The feeling,” she gasped as she threw her head from side to side, “It is building…”
“Yes,” he whispered, the rhythmic movements quickening, matching her heartbeats. He intertwined his fingers in hers. “Allow it to build.”
The sun broke through the gray clouds above them just as something inside Constance burst. Lights danced behind her lids and her body exploded with the most wondrous of sensations. She pulled him closer to her just as he gave a shuttering grunt, and he kissed her, their moans mingling together as one.
He moved to lay beside her on the blanket, stroking her hair and smiling down at her with such love, she wanted nothing more than to remain here with him forever. He pulled her into his arms, her head resting on his chest, their whispers and kisses soft as they spoke of their love for one another.
It was not long before Constance’s eyes grew heavy, and still holding his hand, she fell asleep in his arms, depleted but never happier.
Epilogue
Autumn passed to winter, and on a late Thursday in January, snow fell outside the windows of Sweetspire Estates when Charles came hurrying into the parlor.
“Mother,” the boy said as he threw his arms around her, “Father is taking me to play in the snow!”
“That is wonderful,” Constance replied. Emma and Mary ente
red the room, both dressed in heavy overcoats, hats, and gloves. Constance suppressed a smile. “It appears your sisters will join you as well?”
Emma gave a sniff. “I do not believe we had a choice in the matter,” she said, which made them all laugh, Emma included.
“Charles insisted we must,” Mary added.
Stephen also came into the room, and Constance smiled up at her husband. Then she returned her attention to her son. “I suppose you have a request of me?”
The boy nodded. “Will you join us?”
Constance pretended to take careful consideration before replying, “I suppose I can. Run along with your sisters, and your father and I will be right there. I must speak to your father for a moment.”
With a cheerful laugh, Charles joined his sisters at the door and allowed them to lead him outside.
Stephen gazed down at Constance. “Tomorrow, if you wish for me to remain…”
“What I wish is that you follow your heart,” she said in mock admonishment. “It is what brought us together and what we must listen to.”
Stephen smiled and placed his hands on her arms. They had discussed his desire to return to the woods, and the plan they had devised was simple and fair to them both. Patrick would now run the camp, and Stephen’s ventures would be no more than a fortnight at a time. He would return more often, but his heart’s desire to help others was something Constance could not deny him. It was but one of the reasons she loved him.
“You are too good to me,” he said. “I’m grateful for your love.”
“And I am grateful for yours.”
He leaned in and kissed her, and that now familiar warmth filled her in various parts of her body. She sighed when the kiss broke, wondering how it was possible she loved the man more every day.
She smiled up at him. “I’m very happy.”
He tilted his head. “Is that so? And why is that?” A smile flitted at the corners of his lips.
“My sisters are safe and will soon be searching for their own love. I cannot wait to see them experience all that I have.”
“I have no doubt they will find someone suited for them,” Stephen replied. “They are as strong as their sister, the Lady in White.”
Constance giggled. She adored the name he had bestowed upon her. “I cannot accept all the praise,” she said, running a finger down his chest mischievously. “It was the Man in Black who helped me become who I am today.”
“The man you thought a rogue?” he said in mock surprise. “You know better of him now.”
She smiled. “A rogue does many things you do not. However, many are known to steal, and you, my dear husband have indeed stolen my heart.”
He pulled her in close to him for one last kiss, and they turned toward the window upon hearing the sounds of laughter. Charles ran ahead of Emma and Mary as white flakes floated from the sky, creating a beautiful blanket on the ground below.
“Our family awaits us,” Constance said. She giggled when Charles fell in the snow. “Let us join them.”
And as they had done many times before, Constance walked hand in hand with her husband to join her sisters and their son. There was a time when they had run from the past and had tried to find a future in London. Now she understood that her future was beside her, and she could not wait to see what it would bring.
Other Books
Regency Stories Series
Stranded with the Marquess
Duke of Chance
The Baron’s Charade
***
Delicate Hearts Series
Waltz of the Wallflower
Rescued by the Duke
Redeeming the Rake
Rogues Always Wear Black: A Steamy British Historical Romance Novel (Forbidden Kisses Book 1) Page 23
