Christmas At Thorncliff Manor

by Sophie Barnes

  “There,” Laura said with a sudden sense of excitement when she glimpsed a slight anomaly in the structure. “Go back. A bit more. Yes. Right there. What is that?”

  Milton peered down at the brick Laura was pointing toward. “It looks as if something’s been etched into it…letters or numbers perhaps?”

  Laura leaned in as well and allowed her fingers to trail across the rough indentations. “I think this might be an N followed by a C…no, there’s another line here. It has to be an E and a…” She frowned as she tried to make sense of the squiggly letter. “I don’t know, but the last one looks like an S, so perhaps the one I can’t figure out is a W?” Leaning back, she met Milton’s gaze. “It would make sense with the references my siblings found to North, South, East and West, both in my grandfather’s notes and the letter my great aunt sent from France.”

  “They decided to leave their mark, though I suspect there may be more to it than that.” Reaching out, he placed the palm of his hand against the brick and pushed.

  The wall creaked before starting to turn with a grating sound while dust spilled from every crack. Laura stared at the opening it formed. She could see the fireplace molding now as it stood sideways, allowing for passage on either side. “Shall I go first?”

  “Please do,” Milton said. Stepping forward, he lowered the lantern to light her way before following.

  Laura scrambled out into the study on her hands and knees, her foot catching on the hem of her gown and causing her to fall forward. She immediately rolled onto her back and sat up.

  “Are you all right?” Milton asked, coming to kneel by her side. He’d set the lantern down and placed his hand against her cheek. A frown crinkled his forehead, while concern flooded his eyes. “Did you hurt yourself?”

  “No.” Laura leaned against his touch, reveling in the feel of his skin and the warmth he emitted. Placing her palms on the carpet behind her, she leaned back on her arms and tipped up her chin. “I am fine.” She couldn’t quite stop herself from dropping her gaze to his lips and admiring their fullness. Her own felt suddenly dry, so she licked them, aware he followed the movement with a dark sort of interest that instantly tightened her limbs.

  He leaned forward, paused long enough to allow their breaths to mingle, and then pressed his mouth to hers with an urgency that pushed her off balance. Her hands slid outward, and she was suddenly on her back with his much larger body pinning her down to the floor. His lips were moving against hers while his hands slid scandalously against her thigh, her waist, the side of her breast. She moaned, deep and throaty, as she gave herself up to his kiss and to every sensation he was trying to bestow. She tasted toffee, nuts, and chocolate…a hint of coffee too. The flavor was more than divine, it was intoxicating.

  He pressed himself closer, kissing her fully and deeply until he groaned with a pleasure that heated her skin and tightened her belly. Her arms wound their way around him, hugging him close while she arched up against him, her skirts a tangled mess around her knees…knees he suddenly touched with his hand…a hand sliding gradually higher. “Yes… Please…”

  The door to the study burst open, and Milton cursed as he threw himself off her and pulled down her skirts. Light flooded the space, and Laura sat up, blinking past locks of stray hair that had come undone from her coiffure to fall across her forehead.

  “Well. If this isn’t a compromising situation, I don’t know what is,” came Lady Duncaster’s voice.

  “I can explain,” Milton said, now helping Laura to rise so she could appreciate the true awfulness of the situation. Because Lady Duncaster wasn’t alone. Laura’s mother and father stood by the countess’s side, both staring at Laura and Milton with grim expressions.

  “I look forward to hearing every word,” Lord Oakland remarked.

  “We are affianced,” Laura blurted. The last thing she wanted was for Milton to have to endure her father’s wrath. “You may offer your congratulations.”

  It was as if dark thunderclouds cleared, and the sun came shining through. “Well,” Laura’s mother exclaimed with a smile of pleasure completely apart from her previous expression of horror. She stepped forward, as did Lord Oakland, whose sudden grin was hard to fathom.

  He shook Milton’s hand. “Welcome to the family.”

  “We couldn’t be more pleased,” Lady Oakland added.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Milton said. He sounded as stunned as Laura felt. But a quick glance in Lady Duncaster’s direction suggested that maybe this match had not been as accidental as Laura might have believed. She didn’t care. The most important thing of all was she’d found a man who was certain to love her as much as she would love him. And nothing in the world had ever felt more right than that.

  Chapter 18

  “Did you hear that?” Emily turned to stare back along the tunnel through which they’d been walking.

  “It sounded like heavy blocks of stone moving across the ground,” Charles muttered. Stepping closer to Emily, he took hold of her hand. “That can’t be possible, though. Can it?”

  She shook her head. “I wouldn’t think so.”

  “Come on then.” He carefully pulled her along with him. “Let’s see where this leads so we can get out of here.”

  “You’re not much of an adventurer are you?”

  He slanted a look in her direction. “No. I prefer clean parlors to filthy underground passageways.” Wrinkling his nose he added, “It smells like someone died down here.”

  That comment quickened her pace. “Do you really think so?”

  “No, but I’m sure there must be rats and other unsavory creatures.”

  Shuddering, she clasped his hand more tightly. “My brother mentioned bats when he ventured into the cavern.”

  “Well, there you are then – bats are flying rats, are they not?”

  “They’re certainly not pleasant,” she muttered. Oh, if only she hadn’t allowed Fiona to convince her to venture into this subterranean maze. “I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”

  He swung around, facing her with a stormy expression that managed to do all sorts of curious things to her insides. “There’s no need for you to apologize, Emily.” He blew out a breath and took a step closer. “You’re trying to help your sister realize a dream, and that’s a noble cause if there ever was one. As for me, I shouldn’t be complaining, considering the fact I started this search myself. Granted, I always thought the treasure would be in some closedoff and forgotten room above stairs, or at least in a proper cellar. Still, I would like to find it as much as Fiona would, perhaps even more.”

  Emily chuckled, “I doubt more would be possible. That jewelry box is all Fiona thinks about these days.”

  “And finding the missing paintings was all I could think about until you began occupying my mind.” He held up the lantern, illuminating their faces, and she could see he was smiling in a way she’d never seen him do before, with deep satisfaction. “Considering my grandfather’s role in all of this, as dishonorable as it may have been, finding those paintings is still important to me. But it is not as important as it once was. You matter more now, so if you would rather abandon this search, you need only say the word, and I shall return upstairs with you for a glass of mulled wine or a walk in the snow – your choice.”

  Laura stared at him, at how the light caught the darker flecks of bronze in his eyes and made them shine like liquid caramel. He was willing to give up his quest for her, and while she appreciated the sentiment, she could not let him do it. “No.” Reaching out, she took him by the hand. “Let us see this through together.” Because not doing so might make him resent her one day, whether he wished to or not, and that was something she would not be able to bear. And besides…“How often does the chance to search for treasure on a mysterious estate come along in one lifetime? We would have to be fools to pass it up.”

  His smile broadened. “This is what I love about you.”

  “What you ah…er…love about me?”


  “Your kind and selfless heart,” he explained. The smile faded, and he turned quite serious. “Besides being the most incredible artist I have ever met—”

  “You flatter me too much.” She couldn’t possibly be the most talented.

  “I say what I truly think, Emily.” Lowering his head, he placed a kiss upon her forehead before whispering against her skin, “And the truth is, you are lovelier than any other woman I have ever known. To have won your affection has humbled me in ways you cannot possibly imagine.” He kissed her again. This time, his lips lingered for an extra second before he quietly added, “I know we spoke of courtship, but you should know my mind is already set. You are all I need, all I will ever desire, which is why my greatest hope now is to secure your hand in marriage.”

  Inhaling sharply, she tightened her hold on his hand. “Charles.”

  The name was but a breath of air as she raised her face toward his. Seeking his lips, she secured a kiss wrought from love and admiration, pleasure and need. She kissed him slowly, allowing every possible sensation, each touch, to imprint itself on her mind. Releasing his hand, she curled her fingers around his lapels and held him to her, so close she could feel the beat of his heart matching hers through all the layers of fabric between them.

  “Yes,” she murmured against his mouth. “Yes, I will marry you.”

  No sooner had she spoken the words than she felt herself wrapped in his embrace. His lips molded against hers in a kiss more demanding than any they’d shared before. It took and gave in equal measure, drawing them closer and forging a bond that Emily knew could never be broken. It left her feeling both hopeful and breathless as she stood in the chilly murkiness, reveling in the warmth that flowed between her and Charles, the strength he exuded while he held her like he never wanted to let her go.

  “You will be mine.” He spoke with incredulity tingeing his voice.

  “I will be yours,” she echoed. She liked the sound of that assurance.

  The next kiss he gave her was hard and demanding. It swept aside all sweetness as he took possession in an elemental show of power that weakened her knees and quickened her heart. “If only we were anywhere but here,” he growled low in her ear. “If only we were already wed. The things I would show you…”

  Seduced by the deep timbre of his voice, she daringly asked, “What things?”

  With a low growl he pushed her hips against his, so tight she could feel…dear God, she could actually feel…Words could not describe the fresh sensations spiraling through her, the heat that began to gather and the sudden need to be touched in a way she’d never been touched before. A gasp was all she could offer in response. More so when he whispered against her ear, his breath caressing her skin in a way that inflamed her soul. “I would show you what it means to be touched by a man whose thirst for you is unquenchable. I would lay you bare and show you pleasure unlike any you’ve ever experienced before.”

  “Heaven!”

  He chuckled darkly. “I will show you that as well.” Drawing back, he held up the lantern and studied her face. His eyes met hers, full of promise and sin. “But first, we have a task to complete. The quicker the better, if you ask me.”

  Agreeing with him, Emily let him lead the way along the tunnel while doing her best to suppress the feelings he’d stirred in her. He would lay her bare, he’d said, and she suddenly had a vision of herself spread out upon his bed like some pagan offering while he devoured her with his gaze. The notion was both exciting and frightening. She’d never been completely naked in front of anyone before – not since she’d been a child – and the thought she would be so soon, in front of him, filled her with trepidation.

  What if she didn’t live up to his expectations? What if he found her lacking somehow? She wasn’t sure what she’d imagined from marriage, but oddly, the idea of taking her clothes off in front of her husband had never entered her mind. It did now with full force as she reflected on her thighs and her belly. Perhaps they could be trimmer? And then there were her breasts. They suddenly seemed the wrong size.

  Ten minutes later, she’d convinced herself she was going to be an immense disappointment. After all, considering his expectations and the obvious admiration he felt for her, there was no other possible outcome. Which only increased her concerns for the wedding they would have, and the first night they would share together as husband and wife.

  “You’ve gone really quiet,” Charles murmured after another five minutes. “Is everything all right?”

  She could lie, but the truth would likely serve her better no matter how awkward confessing her thoughts would be. “I worry you will find me lacking.”

  “Lacking? How so?”

  “You know…” How could she possibly bring herself to say it?

  “No. I really don’t,” he said, leading her around a curved corner.

  Catching him by the elbow, she drew him to a halt and stepped around him, blocking his path. She took a step back and bolstered her courage. “When I take my clothes off,” she explained, “and…and…you see what I look like without them.”

  His features softened with compassion. “Darling, I can promise you I will adore the way you look.”

  “How can you possibly be so sure?” She turned and started walking, eager to spend the excess energy simmering through her. Somehow, she’d managed to put herself into a state of panic.

  “Emily. You have to trust me in this.”

  She could hear his footsteps closing in on her. “But I—”

  Her words were lost as the ground somehow opened up directly beneath her feet. She fell on a scream while her arms frantically reached for something to grab hold of – anything at all. Instead she was caught by her wrist so hard her body was yanked to one side. “I’ve got you,” Charles grit between his teeth while pain tore its way through her shoulder.

  “I…I… Oh God, please help me!” Her legs dangled beneath her while she tried to get a foothold.

  “Stop moving,” Charles said.

  “I can’t. I need to—”

  “Listen to me,” he told her calmly. “I will get you back up to the surface, but in order for that to happen, you have to help me. When you move, your weight shifts and holding you becomes harder, so please, do as I say and stay still.”

  As counterintuitive as it was, Emily gulped in some air, closed her eyes around the tears that were brimming, and followed Charles’s instructions. She was very much aware that her heart might give out before she managed to fall to her death. Which she wouldn’t. He’d given her his word, and she had to listen. “Very well.”

  Cursing beneath his breath, Charles reached for Emily’s left arm and started pulling her up. The moment she’d fallen he’d flung himself forward, landing hard on his belly and shattering the lantern. The flame still burned by some miracle, but it was dimmer than before, affording him limited light. Shifting his hand from her right wrist to her elbow, he heard her gasp in pain and realized then she must have hurt herself when he’d initially caught her. Bloody hell! This should at least have been him, not her. He was supposed to go first. If he had, he would have lit the path and seen it gave way to a gaping hole.

  Bracing his feet against the walls of the tunnel, he readjusted his hold on her left arm. She screamed then as her weight hinged on her right elbow. But he managed to catch her beneath her left armpit, increasing his leverage and quickening her ascent. “Grab onto me. Anywhere you can. Pull yourself up.”

  He felt her hands clawing against the back of his jacket, her fingers gripping and tugging the fabric while he reached for her right underarm and then for her waist. “Almost here,” he assured her, doing his best to keep his voice level. Inside, his nerves had twisted into a chaotic mess. She grabbed his legs, and he caught her backside, hauling her the rest of the way until both of them were lying on the dirt and panting for breath. Christ! His chest felt sore.

  Rolling onto his side, he moved to gather her up in his arms. “Emily.” His arms came around her tremblin
g body, and for a long moment, he simply held her while thanking the heavens she still lived.

  “Thank you.” Her voice shook.

  When Charles moved to kiss her upon her cheeks, he encountered the dampness of tears. So he kissed her eyes while soothing her with strokes up and down her spine. “Shhh…” he whispered between each kiss. “You’re safe now.”

  Her breaths calmed, and she finally began to relax against him. “I’m sorry I went on without you. It was stupid of me. ” She started crying again. When the tears finally ceased, she quietly told him, “I almost lost the chance to experience everything you want to show me – all because I let fear divest me of my senses.”

  “The important thing is, you’re still alive, but I think we may need a doctor to tend to your shoulder. I suspect it might be dislocated.”

  “It hurts like the devil,” Emily admitted.

  “Right then. I suggest we get you back upstairs with immediate haste.” Squatting beside her, he grabbed the broken lantern and told her to hold it. She did as he asked, allowing him to lift her into his arms before setting off back the way they had come.

  She lighted the way while nestling close against his chest. And although he could feel her warm body against him, he still couldn’t help but consider what might have transpired if he had not been quick enough to catch her or strong enough to hold her. That thought made his whole body shudder with apprehension.

  “I love you,” he murmured against her hair. He quickened his pace with determination.

  “I love you too,” she whispered, her voice so sweet and gentle in spite of all she’d endured.

  There was no doubt in his mind he was the most fortunate man in the world, and he would spend the remainder of his days proving that in every conceivable way.

  Chapter 19

  Arriving at her sister’s bedchamber, Fiona knocked on the door and waited for it to open. It did so quickly enough, allowing Fiona to slip inside the comfortable space. It had been tastefully decorated in creamy tones and gold accents. Adding a hint of Christmas cheer, a bowl of pine cones scented with cinnamon had been placed on the table closest to the door, welcoming those who entered. Fiona breathed in the fragrant scent before carefully wrapping her arms around Emily. “I am so pleased to see you looking better.” Pulling back, she met her gaze and told her sincerely, “We were all so worried about you.”