Stephen’s gaze swung from Meg’s angry face to Rheda and asked incredulously, “What has Fleur got to do with this?”
Rheda open and closed her mouth. Perhaps this had nothing to do with Lady Umbridge. “Nothing, I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“This is a mistake.” Meg tried to pull Stephen’s hand from Rheda’s arm. “Let her go. What does Lord Strathmore have to say about all this? When he finds out that you’ve manhandled Miss Kerrich ...”
Stephen looked down his nose at them. “Who do you think sent me?”
Pain like that from a festering boil grew and throbbed as Rheda heard Rufus’s title. Was this his revenge on her for leaving him? Did he have so little faith in her? In their love? At the first fence he’d faltered. Rufus still didn’t trust her, and the knowledge made every hollow in her body ache.
To her dismay, Stephen and his men escorted her like a common criminal back to Hastingleigh, and she soon found herself locked in her bedchamber.
Quite some time later, when her nerves were stretched to breaking, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps nearing her door and knew instinctively whom they belonged to.
This time it did not crash open; he simply unlocked the door and stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind him. Rheda scrambled up from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her mouth open to berate him. Instead she froze, made speechless by the raw anger in Rufus’s eyes.
Her tone hardened. “I don’t deserve this.”
“Don’t you?” Rufus answered, his tone clipped.
“I can explain—”
“Can you? Last night was one of the most unforgettably passionate nights of my life. I woke eager for more, only to find you gone. What was last night to you? Was it supposed to stop me from arresting you for smuggling? If so, it appears to have backfired.”
His scathing tone caused a hot flush to spread up her neck and flood her cheeks. “You don’t trust me. After all we have been through you still don’t trust me,” she said, utterly bereft.
“Trust?” He gently raised her chin, and she saw the stormy tempest of his eyes had softened. “What is this all about, minx?”
She jerked her head away from his touch. “I’m not sure you deserve to know after this behavior.”
“What has Lady Umbridge got to do with this?” he demanded.
His grip on her chin stopped her from averting her gaze.
Blast. She was a terrible liar, always had been. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“Stephen mentioned you’d thought Fleur had something to do with your arrest. I want to know why?”
Feeling the sting of unwanted tears, she cried, “Can’t you just trust me?”
“Not if it means I lose you,” he swore furiously.
“For once in my life let me do the right thing. Please don’t force the truth from me.”
He rubbed his thumb over the corner of her mouth and leaned in close. The scent of him sent her pulse ricocheting to every corner of her body. “The right thing is to tell me you love me, too, and that you’ll gladly become my wife,” he whispered against her ear.
Her breath faltered. What was love without trust? Is that why she felt dampness on her cheeks?
“I do hope they are tears of joy.”
When she remained silent, he prodded her in the ribs. “Are you not going to give me an answer?”
“ No. ”
“No, you won’t answer? Or no is your answer? I warn you, the answer better be yes or I’ll strip you naked, lay you on this bed, and make mad passionate love to you. Then I’ll tell your brother. You know he’ll insist we marry. I’m sure he’ll be ecstatic at our union.”
Would he ever trust her? And if he couldn’t, what would that do to his love over time? She wouldn’t end up like her mother, married to a man who despised her. Rufus sat back and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not wrong, am I? You do love me. I know who you are, Miss Rheda Kerrich, and the Rhe I know and love would not have made love to me last night if she didn’t love me. She wouldn’t have rushed to save me at her own peril, and she would not be sitting here letting her world fall apart.” He leaned in until their noses almost touched. “Would she?”
She felt like screaming at him, ”When will you understand I have a plan?’
She saw a shade of uncertainty in Rufus’s eyes. His self-doubt tore at her heart, but she shook her head gravely. “Rufus, you once accused me of being selfish, and you were right. But watching you—seeing how you put everyone before yourself—made me realize that love means sacrifice—”
“Marrying you won’t be a sacrifice. Come here, sweetheart.” Rufus pulled her into his arms, and she was too weak-willed to resist. “Is this about your being a smuggler?”
“I know you’ve worked all your life to clear your father, and I destroyed that when you had to kill Christopher. I won’t see the chance to prove your father’s innocence taken away from you again.”
He crushed her against his chest. “You’re wrong. I’ve been so pigheaded. The past is for the dead. The future is for the living, and I want my future to be with you. I love you, Rheda. I love everything about you. Your spirit, your courage, and your selflessness. Nothing would make me prouder than having you by my side, as my wife, my lover, and my true partner.”
At her shocked silence he drew back, his mouth curving into a glorious smile. “If you are trying to be noble because of Christopher’s journals, the ones Lady Umbridge found, don’t be. They are in Stephen’s safekeeping. All of them.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “Meg was right. I’ve worried everyone for nothing.” She pushed at his chest. “However, I’m not sure you know me at all. How could you think I’d simply let Fleur win? I had a plan. A good plan. But you couldn’t trust me to sort her out on my own.”
He hugged her tightly. “It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. I was goddamn worried about you. Samuel is still out there. All I wanted to do was find you to ensure you were safe.”
“Oh.”
Relief and longing warred in Rheda’s chest, but she forced them away. She stepped out of his hold. It was time for some straight talking. She had to ascertain if this was more than obligation on his part.
“Are you sure that you want to marry me? I know how important your family’s standing is. I can’t possibly be your countess. I wouldn’t know where to begin. I’ve never been to London. What if my past became known? What if the scandal with Prince Hammed arose? I’d shame the Strathmore name all over again. You’d be universally condemned for your whore of a wife.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that,” he said, anger scoring his words. “I was your first lover, and goddamnit I intend to be your last. If the past few weeks have taught me anything, it’s that the only opinions that should matter are those of my family and friends. You taught me that.”
He pulled her into a tight embrace. “I don’t give a damn what Society thinks anymore. You’ve opened my eyes to true honor. You gave up a real chance to be a darling of Society in order to keep Tumsbury Cliff safe for Daniel—”
“You’re wrong, I wasn’t selfless. I did it for me, too. I was so afraid of ending up like my mother. In love with a man who would never love her—”
“Well, you haven’t ended up like your mother. The man before you loves you more than life itself and always will.”
“That hardly makes me qualified to be a countess.”
“But your love is all I require. I’ve let Society dictate the man I have become, but I swear no more. Once we marry I intend to retire to my estate—with you—and breed racehorses. And my wife will breed the finest cavalry horses for the army.” He took her hand and placed an intimate kiss on her palm. “We’ll be so wrapped up in our family we won’t give a toss about Society.”
The turmoil in her heart still raged, but as she searched his face a flicker of hope began to burn.
“You’re sure you won’t care if my past raises its ugly head. If I marr
y you there is no guarantee someone—Lady Umbridge for instance—won’t take pleasure in disparaging me and therefore your family. What will your mother think?”
“My lovely, wonton, and reckless Rheda cannot be frightened of my mother? I would not have thought it,” he teased. “If you must know, Mother is here and she’s dying to meet the woman who saved her son’s life.” His voice softened, and the tender notes made her want to weep again. “My mother has only wanted me to be happy. That is what true love means, putting someone else’s happiness before your own and not caring about the consequences. And I won’t be happy, I won’t be whole, without you by my side.”
When she didn’t reply, he leaned closer, the earnestness in his eyes growing more intense. “I know I’m asking you to risk everything, to give yourself to me in marriage, but I promise on my father’s grave that I will love you, cherish you, and revere you until the day I die.” He bit his lip and dropped to one knee. “You’ve taken risks all your life. Will you take one more? Will you trust me with your heart, Rheda? Will you have the courage to love me back? Marry me.”
Risk? He thought being his wife was a risk to her? “Oh, Rufus, loving you, marrying you, is no risk. More than anything it would be my dream come true.”
With a raw sound, he rose to his feet and hauled her into his arms. His kiss was fierce, consuming. He twisted his hand in her hair and held her still as he plundered her mouth with relish.
He gazed over her shoulder to the bed. “I intend to lay you down, remove your clothes, worship every inch of your skin, and ensure that your brother is fully aware of what I do. I intend to make it so you can never leave me.”
Rheda cupped his face in her hands. “You don’t need to do that. I will gladly be your wife. I love you, Rufus. I love the man you are. I love that you love me and that you love your family above all else.”
“We’ll make a bigger family—together. Wild little hellion children who will challenge us every day.” He lifted her hands to kiss her fingertips ardently. “Say it again—tell me you love me.”
“I love you, Rufus. Now and forever. I only hope,” she murmured, “the price you pay for marrying me is not so high you live to regret it.”
“There is no price to pay. You’ve taught me that love is the only true measure of a man’s worth.” He laid her on the bed and kissed her sweetly. “I must be the richest man in the entire world, for I have found a love that surpasses anything I’ve known before.”
He stood up. “Excuse me for one moment.” He strode and opened the door to the bedchamber and murmured to someone waiting outside. On his way back to the bed he began removing his jacket, a half-smile playing on his lips. “I gave your brother the good news. I thought that when I ravish my wife to be, I’d like a bit of privacy. I want to pleasure you all the way down to your soul, siren, and I want you free to make as much noise as you like.”
“Promises, oh, promises,” she murmured, stretching seductively like the true siren she was.
His slow smile curved into a huge grin. When he had stripped down to his breeches, he called huskily, “Come and get me.” And he almost melted as he saw the brilliant sparkle of her emerald eyes and felt lust and love surge through him.
Rising to her knees, his siren, his heart, crawled to the edge of the bed. She ran a finger down his chest until it came to rest on the waistband of his trousers. “I’ll undress you, if you undress me.”
His grin widened.
Within minutes they were both naked and breathing heavily. He lowered her down onto the bed, her riotous curls cascading wildly around her naked breasts. He buried his head in the tresses and breathed deeply. Her fragrance was that of the rambling roses that grew along the cliff tops.
He finally lifted his head and swept his gaze over every tempting curve of her body. His hands and mouth burned with the need to touch her, claim her, mark her as his.
“Mine. My love. My wild and wicked siren.”
Her soft smile held an erotic allure. “You make me wild. Wild with want. Wild with love and desire.”
He flashed a roguish smile. “Then it’s my duty to help unleash all that wildness.”
“One kiss and I’m wild. Wild for you,” she responded, reaching up to slip her arms around his neck.
He leaned down and kissed one hardened nipple. “I intend to keep you permanently wild.”
His touch was a flame against her skin. Her limbs tightened, and she made no protest when his hands slowly stroked down her body. He watched her, totally absorbed in her reaction, a wicked sensuous smile lingering on his mouth.
He caressed her inner thighs until her skin erupted in a blaze of heat. Rufus lowered his head to kiss her, and she felt the wildness deep inside rise and take her over. He boldly possessed and claimed her mouth.
His tongue stroked the inside of her mouth while his questing fingers delved into the wet heart of her, and her world erupted into scalding white heat. His long, talented fingers surged deep within her, and his mouth captured the cries his ravishment drew from her. She was almost mindless in his loving. She clutched his thick, chestnut hair, her hips lifting in a silent plea for release.
Yet he did not allow her fulfillment. He brought her to the brink of climax and drew back, a teasing light in his eyes.
“Rufus ... ,” she begged. “Your siren may well be about to claw you.”
He lifted slightly off her, his muscled arms holding his weight above her as he bent to kiss and lick her sensitive breasts until she thought she’d lose her mind. “I’d enjoy you scoring my back, marking me as yours,” he whispered against her heated skin. He moved to his side.
Dazed by the erotic warmth in his voice, she gritted her teeth, savoring the way his hands drifted back up over her stomach, his fingers questing and shaping the sensitive mounds of her breasts. He rolled one peaked nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and she cried out.
Her hands gripped the sheets as his flaming tongue swirled over her breasts. The deliberate attack on her senses caused her to moan and arch up off the bed, opening her thighs wide so Rufus could position himself between them.
Rheda loved the feel of him against her—his rippled stomach, the sparse curls on his chest brushing her skin, and the rigid rod of his arousal, thick and pulsing between her thighs. She almost climaxed as he suddenly thrust home, shuddering as she fully absorbed his swollen length.
“There is nothing as thrilling as feeling you deep inside me,” she murmured, her voice choked with love. “God, I love you ...”
“As I love you, Rhe.” His gaze locked with hers, and he flashed a look so filled with love her heart almost burst from her chest. Then his grin turned cocky. “Let’s see exactly how wild I can make you.”
She shivered at the promise in his voice and in his touch. “Yes,” she panted. “Give me everything you’ve got to give.”
He drew back and surged inside her, impaling her with his thick, pulsing shaft. “Like this,” he said, and he took one of her peaked nipples deep into his mouth.
“Oh, yes, Rufus ...”
Rheda welcomed his growing fever and locked her legs around his hips, clinging to him, meeting him stroke for powerful stroke. She felt his composure fraying, and their joining turned frantic, the rhythm building to unleashed wildness.
His thrusts were relentless in his quest to pleasure her. Rheda held on, wanting them to explode together. Her fingernails scored his back where she clung tightly, her body tightened, and they climaxed in an explosion of convulsive pleasure, his harsh groans louder than her crooning cries.
She felt Rufus’s seed pulse deep within her before he collapsed spent and languid from the force of their fierce lovemaking.
“Was that wild enough for you, my love?” he panted.
“It will do for a start, my lord,” she said, still trying to catch her breath. With strength she didn’t know she possessed she rolled Rufus over until she lay on top of him, the delicious aftermath of love echoing in their racing heartbeats. “On
ce you’ve recovered I intend to thoroughly teach you about wildness.” She smiled and then ran her hand down over his chiseled chest and rippling stomach to lightly cup his flaccid member.
To her surprise she felt it stir to life.
“You’ve taught me so many things already, my beautiful, generous Rhe. Perhaps, for this next lesson, I’ll be a slow learner. After all, you have a lifetime in which to teach me. And I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy every lesson.”
As she bent and took his mouth in a searing kiss, she felt him harden between her thighs and realized he wouldn’t need any teaching. He was already wild enough for her.
Rufus, her perfect mate. Rufus, exactly the man she wanted.
And, she finally realized, the man she deserved.
Epilogue
Rheda made her way down the long corridor toward the top of the stairs. Even the shadows seemed to be judging her tonight. She drew a deep breath and prayed she would not fail. This was her first public appearance as Rufus’s wife.
They had married by special license in the chapel at Hastingleigh almost a month ago. Rufus’s mother, Susanne, and Lady Hale had seen to everything.
Rufus had refused to use the journals to expose Christopher’s treason to the world and vindicate his father. He could have done so and used Christopher’s guilt to elevate himself in the eyes of Society, but had chosen to spare Helen the pain he and his family had endured all his adulthood. His sacrifice only made Rheda love him more.
Of course Lord Ashford had been told the truth, and he did everything in his power to raise the Strathmore’s standing, even arranging for the Prince Regent to bestow an earldom upon Rufus for services to the Crown.
Rufus had received his new title from Prinny that morning. He was now the Earl of Hascombe, the name of his family’s estate near Cambridge. The title did not come with additional property or added wealth, neither of which Rufus needed, but it elevated Rufus and firmly restored him to his rightful place in Society. His mother and sister could stand with their heads high.
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