He smiled tenderly. “I know. That’s why I know you won’t leave me after our baby is born. I never had any intention of letting Daniel leave with you.”
Her ardor evaporated like dew in the morning sun, replaced by bitter rage. Again he had deceived her! No matter that she loved him and acted like a wanton whenever he touched her, she felt he had manipulated her again. He had given her his word that she could leave after the baby’s birth. And now he admitted that he had never intended to honor it. Would he never stop lying to her?
By the time the coach had halted in front of the manor, she had arranged her gown and pulled her cloak about her shoulders. She glared icily at him. “No matter what you think, Paul, you don’t own me. You gave me your word that I could leave this house after our child is born, and I expect you to hold to it. If I choose not to go, then so much the better. However, for once in your life, don’t deceive me.” She scampered from the coach and ran into the house before he could move or speak.
He ran after her and caught up with her at the door to her room. He grabbed her arm and looked deeply into her eyes. “I do own you, madam. I own your lips, your eyes, your body. Remember that I love you. And I refuse to be turned out of your room tonight!”
Despite her anger, he gently scooped her up into his arms and kicked the door closed behind them. Once again, his hands and mouth worked their magic over her, her harsh protests soon giving way to contented moans.
Later, as she lay beside him and listened to his steady breathing, she knew she’d never love another man. Though he confessed he loved her, she couldn’t trust him. He had married her only to ensnare Fairfax Manor, so how could she believe he truly loved her and not a woman as beautiful as Constance Granger?
23
The moon illuminated the meadows as Beth, throwing caution to the wind, determinedly went to Howard. Even if circumstances prevented their marriage, she loved him and knew he loved her. To be his mistress would not be degrading, not when they loved each other so ardently, so passionately. She remembered their nights together in the barn, still able to feel his arms around her, his lips on hers. Oh, yes, it would be like that again—this very night! What difference that she was married? Patrick didn’t love her any longer. He barely spoke to her when he chanced upon her, and not once had he visited her in his own cottage. It was clear to her that Annie Donahue now ruled his heart, but she refused to let that disturb her.
When she reached the Granger property, she had no idea what she should do. Perhaps she should ask to see him on the pretext of delivering a message from Miss Allison or Mr. Paul. But his father or sister might be suspicious. So, she sneaked over to the barn, trying to decide how to get her message to him at the big house.
A candle flickered on the window sill of the room and drew her like a moth. It was the very same room where she had lain with Howard on those sweet, stolen nights of bliss. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her face against the crack between the shutters and peered in. She smothered a groan of anguished surprise to see Howard, the man who claimed to love her, undressing a little parlor maid. He fondled the girl’s breasts and muffled her delighted giggles with his mouth before he lay her on the same cot where they had made love. His desire to claim the girl was evident, and Beth could bear no more.
Like a wild, wounded thing, she turned and fled. When she reached her cottage, she bolted the door as if it could lock out Howard’s face and the girl’s delighted giggles. Strangely she felt unable to cry, almost as if she expected this turn of events and accepted it. Clearly God had punished her for her sin—first by losing her child, and now by discovering Howard’s blatant promiscuity. She sat by the table for a long while until she composed herself then walked into the bedroom. In the glow of the moonlight that streamed silver through the window, she was startled to see Patrick asleep in their bed. When had he returned? Did he intend to stay? Her heart beat sped up until she wondered if he could hear it in the quiet room. Her gaze fastened upon his naked, bronzed body that lay atop the sheets. His face was turned towards her, and she realized how truly handsome he was, and how she was envied by many women who felt she was lucky to have him for a husband.
She wondered if he had returned only because he had grown tired of sharing Annie Donahue’s bed, whore that Annie was. But the reason mattered little to her. Sparks of desire suddenly shot through her. Beth realized that she wanted him; she needed to feel loved. Knowing that he wouldn’t come to her, she slowly undressed, and when she was naked, she climbed into bed.
Slowly she moved her leg to touch his calf, inching closer to him until her breath ruffled a strand of his hair. Her body grew hot with desire, and wanting him to know she was there, she reached out and entwined her hand around his manhood. She slowly stroked it, and almost instantly it sprang to life, seeming to scorch her flesh with its heat.
Her eyes widened in surprise, realizing that Patrick had pretended sleep. She felt his gaze upon her face, and when she looked at him, he kissed her long and lingeringly. “Are you sure this is what you want, sweet Beth?”
“Aye,” she whispered and boldly nibbled his ear. “I’ve come to you, Patrick.”
Pleasure and disbelief flooded his face. Patrick nestled against her, groaning slightly when the roundness of her breasts made contact with his chest. Her arms went around his shoulders, pulling him to her, and her rosy lips beckoned to him, urging him to plunder their softness by parting voluntarily. When his own lips touched hers, her little pink tongue darted from between her teeth and traced the indentations and grooves of his mouth.
He broke away, too filled with desire, and he placed his hands on either side of her head. “Easy, sweet. You’re going too fast. We’ve got the whole night.”
Beth breathed deeply. “But I want you.”
His large hands stroked the soft strands of her hair. “I want you, too, Beth, but let me love you in my own way first.” Gently he pushed her into the pillows, kissing her tenderly while stroking and fondling her breasts. A small ragged sigh escaped her when his fingers touched her nipples, and his hands covered the ripe, fullness of each mound. She quivered and watched his dark head descend to suckle each globe, each touch of his tongue driving her mad. A strangled moan escaped her as she writhed beneath him, but he laid a stilling hand upon her hips. “Easy, sweet Beth.”
She bit her lip and tried to control her rapid breathing, but the sight of Patrick’s nakedness glowing in the moonlight, his hands moving sensuously from her hips to her thighs, was becoming too much for her, She ached to feel his hard fullness within her, but his gentle touch momentarily quieted her. Beth lay under the hot, scorching heat of his body, turning her head towards the window to see the sky, sprinkled with glittering stars, and she wished to be among the twinkling diamonds, floating away forever with Patrick by her side.
Her passion had subsided to such a degree that Patrick’s lips on her belly tickled, and she giggled a bit as his tongue flicked into the indentation of her navel. His tongue traced a burning path from her navel to skim the flatness of her abdomen, then moved lower. Beth nearly stopped breathing. His hand nestled between her thighs, stroking her moistness while he spoke words of love in Gaelic. Then his dark head descended between her legs, and she felt the point of his tongue continue what his hand had been doing, She moaned and pulled his head closer to her until she thought she would die of the ecstasy.
When she whimpered, “No more, Patrick,” he lifted his head and slid up her perspiring body, sealing her lips with a kiss.
“Are you ready?” he asked as he held her in his hot, sweaty arms. She was more than ready, and his male hardness resting against her thigh stroked the fires within her even higher.
She nodded, but just when he would have mounted her, she moved from under him. “Lay down,” she commanded gently. He obeyed, a questioning look in his passion-starved eyes. Her gaze wandered over the muscular body of her husband, her hands tracing the contours of his chest, the hard flatness of his abdomen, his long, powerful leg
s. A smile flashed across her lips because Patrick belonged to her. Every part of him was hers and she could do with him as she wished, could give him as much pleasure as possible. She planted kisses along his body, delighting in his strangled moans when her lips reached his male hardness. Then she knew it was time to end both their torments.
She pressed her lower body against his pulsing hotness, taking him into her with ease. While she rode atop him, Patrick tried to hold himself in check. Her long hair trailed about her face, streaming across her shoulders and spilling onto her breasts and over his hands that were massaging her nipples. Dear God, he loved her! His Beth! His woman! His wife! Yet she was driving him crazy with her voluptuous body atop him, and soon all control dissolved. His hands flew to her hips and held them in place, and he thrust deeply, until her movements matched his own.
“Oh, Patrick.” His name on her lips made him pull her down, searing her mouth with his, as the first wave of pleasure rolled over them. At that moment one final thrust sent them spiraling into the starry darkness of the sky … together.
24
“This is preposterous!” Dera paced the length of the bedroom, unable to stand in one spot for longer than a second. The candlelight flickered across her movements, causing her pale silk gown to appear brighter and matched the fire in her eyes.
Quint watched her but refused to back down though her fury was directed against him. “You know I had no other choice.”
“We could have returned home long ago,” Dera stated in agitation. “That was the choice, but you refused to take it. Now, we’re truly hostages of Peg McConnell’s vengeance. She hates us, and she’ll use her daughter, your daughter, too, I might remind you, to get her way. She cares nothing for the girl, only for herself, and tonight is a way to appease that vengeance by humiliating us.”
Quint stuffed his hands in his coat pocket. “I don’t see how a family dinner will do that. After all, Paul and Allison are both aware that Beth is my child. Paul has accepted her, and Allison doesn’t seem to resent the fact. I never knew of Beth’s existence all these years, and a little birthday celebration for her can’t complicate matters.”
For a brief moment, Dera closed her eyes in anguish. She’d never be able to forget Quint had a daughter, a child she hadn’t given him. She loved her sons dearly, but all of her life she had wished for a daughter, someone with whom she could share the lighter things of life. With Daniel, she had come close. He wasn’t as consumed with hatred as Paul, but just the same, she always had wished for a daughter who resembled her, someone molded in her own image. It might be selfish of her but she wanted to relive a part of her life through a female child. And she knew Quint too had wanted a daughter whom he could spoil. But, of all the people on earth, why did Peg McConnell have to be the one who bore a girl?
“Quint,” she said through tightened lips, “I’m aware Peg has made you feel guilty. However, you didn’t know she had a child. It’s very good of you to want to form an attachment to Beth, but are you certain she is truly yours and not some other man’s child?”
“She is mine. The girl resembles my mother and my eldest brother.”
Dera wished to cry, but she had cried so often the last few weeks that she didn’t think there were any tears left. Instead she opened the door, shutting it soundly behind her and left the room.
~
During the everlasting meal, Allison spoke warmly to Beth and tried to make her feel welcome as they sat around the long mahogany dining table. Beside Beth sat Patrick, who looked out of place in a high necked shirt and coat.
Quint asked Beth about her early life, and she answered truthfully that it had been hard to be abandoned by her mother. He found himself warming to his daughter, and though she wasn’t dressed as richly as Allison or Dera, in his eyes she was beautiful. He and Peg had produced a beautiful daughter. He was enraptured by her soft voice, the cinnamon eyes dancing in her round face, and wished he could have spoiled her when she was a little girl. He had come from a family of all sons and had married a woman who gave him handsome healthy sons, but a daughter was different. He wished Beth could have been his and Dera’s little girl.
Quint stood and raised his wine glass. “To my daughter,” he said, his pride evident in his eyes. Paul also toasted her as did everyone else, but Dera did so reluctantly.
Beth blushed and lowered her eyes. “Thank you,” she said, her voice trembling. “I know my mother somehow forced you into this celebration; I am grateful to all of you. This is the most wonderful birthday I’ve ever had!”
Her gratitude was so overwhelming that everyone was deeply moved. Paul went to her and kissed her cheek. “You’re my sister and a Flannery. You belong here in this house just as much as anyone.” He looked towards Patrick. “I’d be pleased if you both would move in with us and out of the cottage. What do you say, Father?”
“Aye,” replied Quint with pleasure shining in his eyes.
At that moment, Dera rose from her chair. “Excuse me for leaving the celebration, however, I have a headache and need to retire for the night.” Quickly she left the room and nearly bumped into Peg who stood in the vestibule, listening to all that occurred in the dining room. Dera glared at her. “I hope you’re happy with yourself. Your daughter is now part of my family.”
Peg smiled, her sharp little teeth flashing. “‘Tis as it should be. Beth is a Flannery and will live in this house.”
“Don’t pretend you’ve done all this for her! You’re the one who aims to live here. You don’t give a care about Beth! I know you, Peg McConnell, just as I knew your slimy brother. You McConnells were always conniving and deceitful. Tell me—what is it you really want?”
Peg moved closer, her mouth twisted in a grimace. “My Beth shall capture the heart of her father and give it back to me! Already Quint has softened towards me because of her. Not much longer, pretty Dera, and he will be mine—mine as he was meant to be all along.”
The woman’s assurance shook Dera, and she knew that poor, unsuspecting Beth had formed a wedge in her marriage. She didn’t really wish to deny Quint the love of his daughter, but ultimately the girl would be the reason if their marriage failed. If she had to return to Louisiana alone, she’d be certain that Peg was to blame for manipulating the situation. “You’re mad!” Dera said.
“Maybe, but your Quint made me so.” Without another word, she sauntered towards the kitchen. Dera went upstairs, aware that a plan had been set in motion but unable to stop it.
In the dining room, Beth had burst into tears at Paul’s offer. “Isn’t it grand?” she asked Patrick, drying her eyes. The family had left them alone to discuss the offer. Of course, Beth wished to accept, and she expected Patrick to be as thrilled as she was. However, her excitement faded under Patrick’s steady, stern gaze.
“‘Tis a kind gesture, but you’d best be telling your people that we can’t be accepting. I’m the overseer. I can’t live in a fine mansion and do a proper job.”
“Don’t worry over such silliness! My father won’t allow you to keep your position now. He’ll surely think of something grander for you.” She hugged herself. “And just think, Patrick, I’ll have me a lady’s maid! Me, Beth McConnell.” She giggled.
“Lacey. Your name is Beth Lacey now, and don’t you be forgetting it! They’ve filled your head with all sorts of nonsense.” He threw down his napkin and stood up, drawing her to her feet and holding her close. “We’ve only begun to find each other, and I won’t lose you to fancy ways and silk gowns. You don’t belong here anymore than I do.”
She shook her head. “Nay, I’m a true Flannery. My ancestors lived in this house, and I want to live here, too.” She threw her arms around his neck. “Don’t be so hard-headed, Patrick.”
“You must choose between your family and me. There’s no way I’ll be taking their charity and be given luxuries. I belong on the estate, hardworking and earning my living, and I expect you to be with me.”
“This is my birthright.”
She seemed not to hear his words. “You’re much too practical and serious. Let’s pack our things this moment and move upstairs.” She nuzzled against him. “We can make love all night long in a huge, soft bed.”
“Do you love me, Beth?”
She glanced up at him. “What a strange question to be asking at such a time.”
“If you loved me, you wouldn’t think it was strange.” He sighed. “Are you coming home with me or staying here?”
Slowly she disentangled her arms from around his neck. “If you loved me, Patrick, you’d not ask me to choose but would move into the manor.”
“You know I love you, but I’ll not dance to your tune just because you wish to play the fiddle.”
“I won’t return with you. I can’t!”
Her answer caused him to smile wryly. “Aye, you’re a Flannery all right. You’ve inherited their stubbornness, but I can be stubborn, too. You’re not the only pretty piece of fluff around these parts.”
Beth gasped, understanding his meaning, and as he walked towards the terrace doors, she called after him. “I hope you and Annie Donahue will be happy together!” But she herself was far from happy. She sank into a chair and buried her head on her arms until her father came in to comfort her.
“Your father has grown quite fond of Beth.” Allison’s comment contained a touch of envy. Though she disliked Quint, she wanted to belong, to feel she too was truly a Flannery. She watched Quint as he stroked his daughter’s hair, and from her vantage point on the terrace, his concern for Beth was evident.
Paul sighed and straddled the stone bench. He reached for Allison’s hand and pulled her down in front of him, her head barely reaching his shoulder. Gently he twirled a golden lock of her hair around his finger. All was dark around them except for the moonlight faintly illuminating their features.
Lynette Vinet - Emerald Trilogy 02 Page 19
