Arthur counted ten full seconds before she raised her chin to look back at him with resolve. “Is this how you honestly feel?”
“It is.”
She swallowed, and he watched in fascination as her throat moved against the effort. “But I am plain and unexciting, my lord, while you are so…so…” A blush crept over her cheeks, and she averted her gaze.
“So what?” He couldn’t help but ask.
Slowly, as though it took her tremendous effort, she allowed her gaze to slide back to his. “Handsome,” she muttered, so low he could scarcely hear her. “Surely you’d want a prettier wife. After all, you are an earl – wealthy, by all accounts, and highly respected – so you could easily have your pick of available brides.”
“The only woman I want is you.” He took a small step closer and was pleased when she didn’t back away, though she did suck in an audible breath. “You are beautiful, both inside and out, and if you ever suggest otherwise again, I might have to set you across my knees and spank some sense into you.”
“Re-really?”
“Oh yes.” He took another step, and the rogue within him sprang forward in full force, no doubt on account of her breathy voice. “So, my lady, what will it be? The possibility of sharing your future with me, or a life dedicated only to science? And before you answer, I can assure you I will support you in your scientific pursuits, but I wish to do so as your partner. I want to discuss your theories with you over tea and scones. I want to help you succeed, perhaps even invest in the lamp you plan on inventing.”
“That does sound rather wonderful.”
“Yes.” Reaching up, he grabbed one of her curls and allowed it to slide between his fingers. “But there must also be time for you and me to indulge in other pursuits.”
Her eyes had gone as wide as saucers. “Like what?”
“Well, for starters, I think kissing ought to be a crucial part of your education.” He allowed his fingers to trail across her jawline in a feather-soft caress. Deliberately, he dropped his tone to a husky whisper before daring to ask, “What are your thoughts on the matter?”
She actually gulped, in the adorable sort of way that only an unschooled woman faced with the prospect of venturing down a forbidden path would do. And then she nodded. “I think kissing might be rather nice.”
“Oh, it will be more than that,” he promised as he finally pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “I dare say it’s going to be delicious.”
A hiss of breath escaped her in answer to that salacious comment. Her chin tipped up, and her eyes closed with an expectation that swiftly brought his lips to hers. The caress was sweet and gentle, the slowness of it complemented by the softest touch of pressure—a tempting elixir that threatened to be his undoing. It was so at odds with the fiery yearning roaring inside him – a dangerous need threatening to conquer her innocence.
Worse was the quivering murmur tumbling over her lips when he tightened his hold, the feel of her arms winding their way around his neck as she pressed herself into his body. Dear God, he could feel every part of her meld against him, and Christ, nothing in the world would ever compensate for such a glorious feeling.
“More,” he murmured against her mouth before playfully drawing her lip between his teeth. The effect made her gasp, and he quickly took advantage, deepening the kiss with a skill that had taken years for him to master. He now applied every lesson he’d learned to coaxing a passionate response from Rachel, the need to make her reveal the wanton inside her so strong, it would not be denied.
Thankfully, she did not push him away as he might have feared. Instead, she followed his lead, exploring his mouth with such enthusiasm, he was hard pressed not to toss her onto the nearest sofa and have his wicked way with her right there in the parlor. Restraint was both his friend and his foe in that regard, but regret was going to be a devilish beast to deal with later, so he did what he could to hold back and to simply enjoy the flavor of brandy upon her tongue.
“That was…extraordinary,” she said, when he finally found the will to let her withdraw. Raising her hand, she pressed her fingertips to her lips as if in wonder, then met his gaze with curious eyes. “Did I do all right?”
Her question practically slayed him. “My dearest, Rachel.” Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss against her forehead. “You were wonderful.”
“I’m sure I still have much to learn.” Her cheeks burned bright in the dimly lit room, but she stayed where she was, valiantly staring back at him as though he held the key to her continued happiness.
“Of course you do, and I would be more than honored to teach you, if you’re inclined to accept my suit.”
She smiled then. “From a scientific point of view, I do believe there may be some benefit to doing so.”
“Cheeky minx.”
“From an emotional point of view however…” He stood completely still as though waiting for a judge to deliver his sentence. “I think there is every benefit to it. What you said earlier…no man has ever made me feel as cherished or as appreciated as you, my lord.”
“You must call me Arthur.”
“Must I?”
Pulling her back into his arms, he murmured against her lips, “I absolutely insist upon it,” right before kissing her once again, this time with more joy in his heart than he’d ever felt before.
Chapter 17
“Are you sure you’ve searched in that direction?” Laura asked Fiona. Having agreed to help her sister find the elusive Thorncliff treasure, she’d ventured into the tunnels below the manor together with Milton, Rachel, Belgrave, Montsmouth, Emily, and Chadwick.
“Quite,” Fiona stated with certainty. She looked toward Chadwick, who held one of the four lanterns they’d brought along. “Am I not correct?”
“You are,” he said as he swung the light around. After following the tunnel he and Fiona had been exploring the previous day, they’d arrived at a cross section.
“Shall we split up then?” Laura asked. “Emily and Montsmouth could come with me and Lamont.”
“It will be more efficient than all of us going the same way,” Rachel said, while Belgrave nodded. After announcing their betrothal at breakfast, the earl had taken every opportunity to dote on his fiancée, while Rachel herself had smiled a lot more than usual.
Laura could not be more pleased. Even though she and Milton had not yet made a public announcement, she was thrilled to know Rachel, who’d been least likely to marry, had managed to find both love and happiness.
And then there was Emily and Montsmouth – a couple Laura still had to get used to, though Emily’s assurance he was everything she’d ever hoped for offered more than enough reassurance. And although they had only just made their courtship known, Laura was certain they would soon be announcing their engagement, if the tender looks they were sending each other were any indication.
“Come on then,” Montsmouth said. He started down the tunnel to the left.
“See you later,” Fiona called. She hurried after Chadwick with Rachel and Belgrave in quick pursuit.
“After you.” Milton pressed his palm against Laura’s back. The depth of his voice lent a rich warmth that seemed to ward off the damp chill of the tunnel.
Starting after her sister and Montsmouth, Laura remained aware of Milton’s solid presence behind her. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a firm chest with hardened planes that bore evidence of an active lifestyle. As a woman who’d spent the greater part of her life imagining what her perfect hero might look like, she had to admit Milton was as close to perfection as she might have wished. In fact, she’d considered him at great length for some time – long before she’d ever imagined forming an attachment to him herself.
Inclined to admit her secret, she allowed Emily and Montsmouth to move on a few paces so they wouldn’t hear what was only meant for Milton’s ears. “You ought to know I’ve admired you for some time.”
There was a slight moment of silence, and then a quietl
y murmured, “Really?” He sounded intrigued.
“When I started working on my first novel—”
“The one you recently published?”
“No. The one to which I am referring has never been read by anyone.” She continued forward, carefully watching her footsteps while she went. The ground felt lumpy beneath her feet, with stones occasionally sticking up in a way that made her trip at least once. Milton caught her by the elbow with a steadying hand. “It features a woman who flees her mean-spirited guardian.”
“The best stories do have a heavy dose of drama.”
“I absolutely agree,” Laura said. “And in this case, it offered the perfect opening for the hero to come to the rescue.” Milton chuckled so deeply, she felt the vibrations flowing through her. Had they been completely alone… She forced herself to focus on what she’d been saying. “I wanted him to be strong – tall with broad shoulders and dashingly handsome. At the time, I didn’t know anyone perfect enough to offer inspiration. Nobody really fit the image I had in my mind. Until I attended the Jupiter ball and saw you.”
He was suddenly closer than before – so close she could feel his breath fanning across her neck. His hand clasped her shoulder, and his lips grazed her ear when he leaned forward to whisper, “And then?”
She could scarcely speak for the jittery nerves now bubbling up inside her. He’d lit her whole body on fire with that simple question. Against the tightening of her bodice, her heart drummed a rapid beat, the effect so intoxicating it made her feel slightly faint. “And then I had my inspiration for every hero I’ve written since.”
His teeth scraped the side of her neck in a playful caress that made stars spark behind her eyes. “You drive me to distraction, Laura.”
Shivering slightly, she whispered back, “I cannot wait for us to be wed – the sooner we make our engagement known, the better.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” He’d leaned back again, adding some respectable distance, but not without letting his hand slide down her side and over her thigh.
Heavens, she’d never have thought a man might provoke such intense sensations inside her – that he might make her want things no decent woman had any business wanting. She’d probably have to broach the subject with him at some point. After all, she did hope to base her marriage on honesty.
“There’s another intersection here,” Emily said from further ahead.
Laura approached, with Milton right behind her. “I wonder if we’ll ever find the end of these tunnels.”
“Shall we split up again?” Montsmouth asked. “We can give ourselves half an hour and then meet back here. Do you have your pocket watch with you, Lamont?”
“I do.” He pulled it out and checked the time. “It’s three o’clock right now.”
“Good. We’ll meet you back here at half past three. Does that sound reasonable?” Montsmouth looked from Laura to Milton and back again.
“I believe so,” Laura said with a glance toward her sister. There was no missing the hopeful gleam in her eyes or the color that rose to her cheeks. No doubt she was as eager to be alone with Montsmouth as Laura was to have Milton for herself.
“Then it’s settled,” Montsmouth said. Moving away from Laura and Milton, he guided Emily down the tunnel to the left.
The glow from his lantern diminished as they went, leaving Laura and Milton with considerably less light than before. “Allow me to lead the way.” He stepped in front of her and started walking.
“I don’t suppose you were counting on such an adventure when you decided to visit Thorncliff for Christmas.”
He glanced at her over his shoulder, the planes of his face cast in dark relief and his eyes so black she could not make them out. “I didn’t count on a lot of things, but I had my hopes. This adventure, as you call it, will be an interesting tale for us to tell our children one day.”
The mention of starting a family together made Laura’s toes curl with pleasure. “I never dared hope I would—” The sound of grating rock cut her off, and she instinctively leapt toward Milton who pulled her aside and away from a wall that slid into place, blocking their way back. Laura stared at it for a long moment before glancing down at the ground. “We must have triggered something.”
“I felt a sinking movement beneath my foot right before it happened.” He stomped around a bit, testing the ground. “It’s right here, but I don’t see a way to reverse the effect.”
“It probably has to be done from the other side of that wall.”
“Or perhaps there was no plan to reverse anything – perhaps this was meant to safeguard the treasure.”
“That would mean it has to be somewhere back the way we came.” Laura had never felt more deflated. “Our hope of finding it now is close to nil if your hypothesis is true.”
“Agreed, though there is still a chance of your siblings finding it.”
She expelled a deep breath. “We won’t even be able to meet Emily and Montsmouth at the designated time.”
“No. We’ve no choice but to continue in this direction and hope we find a way out.”
Laura suddenly felt less brave than she had done when they’d all agreed to explore the Thorncliff foundations. “Do you suppose we might have some trouble with that?”
Taking her by the hand, Milton started off at a moderate pace. “No, but whether or not we do before this lantern runs out of fuel depends on the length of this tunnel. If I may, I’d like to suggest we make haste.”
Agreeing with his logic, Laura gathered up the hem of her gown so she could walk faster. The air was musty and damp with a hint of dirt clinging to it that prompted her to cough every couple of minutes.
“I cannot wait to return upstairs for a cup of hot tea.” In spite of the spencer and shawl she’d brought with her, she could feel the chilly air ripping through every layer of fabric and sinking its fangs into her skin.
Milton drew to a halt, set down the lantern, and began shrugging out of his jacket. “Here,” he told her. He set the heavy garment over her shoulders. His warmth still clung to the fabric, infusing her with the heat she needed.
Still, she could not allow him to suffer on her account. “No. I couldn’t possibly. You’ll catch a cold or worse.”
“Better me than you,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument. Snatching up the lantern once more, he recommenced walking. “Look there. Do you see that?”
She didn’t see anything at all since his much larger size blocked most of her view. “What is it?”
“Looks like a door.”
Hope brimmed inside her. She no longer cared about finding the treasure. Her feet hurt, Milton was likely freezing, and with their way back blocked, her only interest at present was in finding some means of escape as quickly as possible. If there was a door, then they might have found an alternate route.
“It’s locked,” Milton said, shortly after he’d tried to first pull, then push on the handle. He held the lantern toward Laura. “Hold this please and step back a bit.”
She did so without question, watching silently while Milton threw his right shoulder against the door once, twice, three times. It finally splintered beneath his weight in an impressive show of masculine strength and power. Laura stared at the bits of wood that lay strewn around and at those still hanging from the hinges.
“Most of it was rotted.” He rubbed his shoulder for a moment before taking the lantern from her hand. “Breaking it down would have been a lot harder otherwise.”
“I still find your efforts incredibly admirable.” Of course, she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from his chest or from his arms. The muscles there were far more apparent now that he’d taken off his jacket, and the sight made Laura long for more contact between them – for him to hold her close so she could revel in the security he was capable of providing.
Meeting her gaze, he paused for one second before muttering something beneath his breath and heading through the now open doorway. She followed him into a large circ
ular room with a spiral staircase built out of stone. Milton took a turn of the space with the lantern. “It looks as though the only way for us to go is up,” he said.
“Do you think this might be a remnant from the original manor? Spencer says it was built by a knight in the twelfth century.”
“Judging from the way the stones are laid – the style of masonry, that is – I’d say this stairwell is quite a lot older than other parts of the manor. The themed salons, for instance, were probably built a couple of centuries ago. But the interior courtyard which sits to the west of the foyer and some of the hallways there share a medieval look.”
“The ballroom doesn’t, and that room is right off the courtyard.”
“Lady Duncaster has said the manor has undergone many renovations – most recently under her own supervision. To dress a room with polished wood flooring, mirrors, and stucco would not have been difficult.”
“And it would have transformed it tremendously.”
He smiled in response, then turned toward the stairs and allowed the glow from his lantern to light the first steps. “Shall we see where this leads?”
Nodding, she followed him up slowly until they arrived at a wide landing which didn’t appear to have any doors. Instead, a large square piece of glass had been set into the stone roughly four feet off the ground. Milton held his lantern toward it and Laura stepped up beside him for a closer look. “Is that—”
“Lord Duncaster’s study,” Milton said with as much awe as Laura felt. “This has to be the mirror above the fireplace.”
“Do you think there’s a way to get in there from here?”
Milton shifted the lantern, holding it as close as possible to the wall so the light could spill across the uneven surface of crudely shaped bricks.
Christmas At Thorncliff Manor Page 14
