Ghost of Christmas Past

by King, Rebecca

The blissfully reassuring sound of Rupert’s voice above her head made her look up. She pointed toward the window with a shaking hand.

  “A man,” she gasped, and shook her hand. “On a carriage. He looked straight at me.” As soon as she said the words she knew how stupid she sounded but couldn’t shake off the insidious feeling that some sort of evil had touched her life and she wouldn’t ever be the same for it.

  Rupert flicked a glance at the window, but hesitated. Pain was evident on Thea’s face and, from her position on the rug it was evident that her legs had struggled to cope with the sudden movement she had asked of them when she had tried to run for the door. Instead of heading toward the window he squatted down before her, but had seen enough of the scars that were visible on her bared flesh to know that she must be in considerable discomfort.

  He swept her into his arms without a word and carefully deposited her on the rug before the fire where she was a little warmer. Only when she smiled her thanks at him did he then move to the window to take a look outside. He was unsurprised to find that the street below was still and quiet, and there was no sign of any carriage. He took a moment to carefully close the shutters before he returned to down beside her.

  “What did you see?”

  Thea had never felt so foolish in her life. This was London; a city full of people. There was nothing untoward about carriages moving up and down the street at any time of the day or night. There was absolutely nothing for her to be afraid of. She sucked in a breath and tried to quell her shaking.

  “It was a black carriage. Outside,” she whispered. “Oh dear. God, it’s ridiculous really.”

  Rupert picked her hand up in his. Immediately his thoughts turned to the black carriage that had rumbled by the night that John had been shot, and the black carriage Fornier had been driving back in Leicestershire.

  “Describe it.” The hardness in his voice made her study him carefully for several moments. His eyes met and held hers in silent reassurance but it did little to calm her trembling. “Thea, I need to know what it looked like.”

  “It is silly, really. I don’t know what came over me,” she whispered.

  Rupert was having none of it though. He knew that it was far too late to head outside and see if he could find it but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was one and the same carriage that Fornier used. What had happened, though, for her to be so shaken by a carriage rumbling past?

  “Tell me what it looked like. There is a reason, but I will tell you in a minute.”

  Thea frowned and described the black carriage. “Then, when he drew level with the window, he turned and looked directly at me. He looked like he was on his way to a funeral.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “He was covered in black from head to toe so I didn’t see his face.”

  “He wore a tall top hat.” It wasn’t a question.

  She gasped and turned to stare at him at the sound of the calm certainty in his voice. “You have seen it.”

  Rupert nodded. He didn’t want to frighten her but needed to keep her safe. “I think it is the same carriage that was in the street the night John was shot. Because of the similarities, I don’t want you sitting in the window seats for the time being.” He picked her hands up in his and kissed the back of each one tenderly. “Now, I am not saying that the carriages are the same, but it seems mighty odd that the coachman is wearing a top-hat given that carriage drivers in London don’t usually bother with them.”

  Thea nodded, and felt slightly sick. “John was shot.” She shuddered at the thought of just how vulnerable she had been doing nothing other than sitting in the window seat.

  He cursed at the look of fear on her face. “I am not saying that he would take a shot at you. It isn’t you he is after, so don’t worry about it too much. There are men outside keeping watch and I have no doubt they are following him as we speak.”

  “He? You said that it isn’t me ‘he’ is after. You know who it is, don’t you?”

  Rupert cursed his slip of the tongue but couldn’t insult her intelligence by denying anything. “We do have a serious line of enquiry, but I cannot say any more right now.”

  He wished now that he hadn’t brought her to the Mayfair house at all because he had brought her straight into the centre of danger. “I will make arrangements for you to go back to Leicestershire as soon as possible. If John is well enough to travel, you can take him with you. I am sure that he will enjoy the country air to recuperate in.”

  Thea felt the heavy weight of disappointment and immediately shook her head. “It is too late now. He has seen me in the window and knows I am here. Surely, if we leave the house we will be more at risk. At least here, you and your colleague are around to protect us. Besides, I cannot leave Uncle John and he is not well enough to travel. He needs to remain here for the time being and I need to be here for him.” Thea read the doubt on his face but refused to allow him to change her mind. “I am not going,” Thea replied loudly when he continued to stare steadily at her. He could hardly force her to leave the house. When he continued to study her far too closely she heaved a put-upon sigh. “I am sorry but I am not going anywhere.”

  The strength and determination on her face made him feel immensely proud of her, and relieved that they would have a little more time together. He just wished that it could be without the threat of Fornier hanging over them. He made a decision right there and then that if she was to remain the centre of danger, she had to at least have the pertinent facts so she knew who she should be keeping a look out for.

  “If you insist on staying then I cannot argue with you, however I need you to take extra precautions, especially now that Fornier appears to be circling.”

  “Fornier?” She watched Rupert nod firmly.

  “He is French; one of the spies we are after.” Rupert merely looked at her as though trying to gauge her reaction but she looked completely unperturbed to find herself slap bang in the middle of one of the Star Elite’s investigations.

  “I am not going to do anything silly,” she assured him tartly. “But Uncle John was there for me when I needed him and he did a lot to make my recovery as smooth as possible. Now he needs me and I have to be here for him. I am not going to be driven away by anyone, not least a Frenchman,” she sniffed.

  He felt a little nonplussed and wasn’t quite sure what to make of the feeling that blossomed around his heart. He wanted to mentally applaud her determination, but at the same time he wanted to put his head in his hands and groan out loud with the sheer frustration of trying to reason with her.

  She waved a vague hand toward the door. “I am sorry for my reaction just now. I am not sure what came over me. Tiredness perhaps or possibly too many emotions over a short period of time, I am not sure which, but I am fine now.”

  While she spoke she tried to keep her voice steady so she didn’t betray the awareness that began to blossom within her. Although she couldn’t put a name to it, she knew exactly what it was. She had only ever experienced it once before, and that had been during the night she had spent in his bed. It didn’t frighten her. In fact, if she was honest with herself she yearned to feel it again. She was drawn to his solid masculinity before her; his strength; his essence, that was purely him.

  She coughed and shifted uncomfortably when he continued to study her. As the minutes ticked by she gradually became aware of their intimate situation. The room was large yet cosy, lit only by the soft amber glow from the fire. Her cheeks began to grow warm as she realised that she only wore her nightgown and a thick woollen shawl while he was fully dressed and looked as handsome and debonair as he had over dinner earlier that evening.

  If only she knew what a beautiful sight she made, Rupert mused wryly and tried not to stare at the shadowed perfection of her silhouette displayed so tempting by the flickering firelight behind her. The feminine curves seemed to call to him, beckoning him closer. Whenever she moved he could smell the scent of lavender she wore and his body responded
with a fierceness that made him feel strangely protective. He wasn’t aware of covering the short distance to kneel before her but she made no attempt to stop the hand the reached out to cup her chin. He waited for a moment; assessing her beautiful eyes for any indication that she wary or didn’t want his attention, but he saw nothing but calm acceptance staring back at him.

  “Thea,” he growled and dipped his head before she could speak or push him away.

  Thea knew it was asking for trouble, especially with the siren’s call of the empty bed beside them, but she couldn’t deny her raging need to be close to him again. Her fingers clutched at the crisp material of his shirt and she was immediately flooded with memories of their night together all that time ago, before their lives had changed completely. She couldn’t speak, nor did she want to when he slid one long arm around her back and drew her tight against him.

  He felt the gentle slide of her small fingers in his hair and shivered at the sensual feel of her softness against him. It had been so long since they had been so close, alone and undisturbed, yet it felt as though it had been only yesterday. Unable to quench the desire that flared between them, he slowly slid one hand down her back until it settled on her hip. When she made no objection, his search took him higher, over the gentle dip of her waist to her ribs, even higher to cup the gentle weight of her breast.

  His ministrations drew her gasp as burning hot shards of sensation made her knees tremble. Before she could speak she felt herself swept high into the air. There was little she could do other than hold on. Any words of protest that formed were captured by the tender kisses that rained down on her lips, cheek and chin. She had little choice but to hang on for dear life as he carried her over to the bed and lay her on the crisp white sheets before he settled down beside her.

  Rather than lean over her though, he turned her to face him and gathered her into his arms. He knew now that their night together hadn’t been a figment of his imagination, and nothing was going to stop him from experiencing the very same depth of passion between them that had haunted him for four long and lonely years.

  Her low moan was all he needed to hear, and he rolled her slowly backward. When he deepened the kiss, he felt the first flickering flames of desire take over. Lips fused, bodies melted together as hands sought to fan the raging fire as they rolled over until their positions were reversed and she was lying over him. She gasped at the strange sensation but couldn’t bring herself to break the kiss or tell him to stop. When she did try to draw away she found her head captured in his hands and she was tugged back down to his fervent kisses. She was helpless to do anything other than abide by his wishes as he reversed their positions again and took advantage of their movement to lift her nightgown.

  The cool was of night air on her fevered skin was as effective as a bucket of iced water. Everything with her froze. With a sudden jerk of her head she wrenched her head to one side at the same time that her hand tried to stop his. The feel of the cool breeze on the rippled scars on her thighs brought tears of shame to her eyes and she lay horrifyingly embarrassed beneath him. She desperately clawed at her night dress, trying to drag it down to cover her humiliation.

  “Please don’t,” she whispered as she tried to settle the painful thundering of her heart. She couldn’t believe that she had forgotten.

  “Thea,” Rupert groaned and buried his face into her neck while he tried to control the desire that pounded through him. After several moments he took a deep breath and leaned back to look down at her but made no attempt to lift himself off her. “I have seen death and physical injuries before. I was there when you were unconscious in the carriage and saw, more than you did what state your legs were in. I am under no illusions that your injuries were life changing and you still carry the scars, and will do so for the rest of your life. However, I had hoped that you would think me a better man than one who would be put off, or offended by, a few scars.” When she made no attempt to answer him, he dropped a quick kiss onto her lips. “Would you tell me something honestly, Thea?”

  Thea nodded hesitantly. She knew she should push him away and get off the bed so she could cover her legs completely, but her heart wanted her to remain where she was and see what he really felt about her injuries. It wasn’t as if they were going anywhere; she couldn’t deny their existence. If she tried, all she had to do was look down at her bared flesh and she would see the thin, rippled lengths of skin which should have been smooth and unblemished. She would only need to apply too much pressure onto her leg and feel the familiar shaft of unease grow into aching discomfort and all of the memories of that fateful time of her life would come flooding back. If she had any hope of making him see that she wasn’t the same person she had been back then she had to show him. However, the thought of actually allowing him to see her injuries made her want to squirm with embarrassment.

  “Does it hurt? Lying here like this?”

  Colour flooded her cheeks. Although he had chivalrously covered her bared leg, he was still draped heavily over her and had made no attempt to move in spite of her acute embarrassment. Thea considered their positions for a moment and slowly shook her head. “No, it doesn’t hurt.”

  His eyes met and held hers and he slowly eased his weight forward until he was lying completely over her. His position forced her to accommodate him. He seemed to be gauging her; assessing to see if she was in any discomfort. “Anything now?” He whispered huskily and dropped his head to place a lingering kiss on her mouth.

  She couldn’t ignore the growing evidence of his arousal against her and struggled to lie complacently beneath him. The gnawing ache that had already started to build gathered frustration with it to the point that if he didn’t either get off her and let her get up she was certain she was going to take matters into her own hands. He seemed to read her thoughts and understand her awkwardness over her scars because he eased himself off her long enough to remove his shirt and draw the bed covers over both of them.

  She felt bereft as he temporarily left her and took his warmth with him, but a thrill of anticipation swept through her at the desire that was written on his face. His steady gaze as he turned to face her barely registered and she was left grasping futilely at his hands as he relentlessly drew her nightgown up and over her head in one swift motion. She winced a little as the material ripped when she didn’t move fast enough but he didn’t seem to care and tossed the garment over the edge of the bed without breaking eye contact with her.

  She was left with little choice but to flail her arms about wildly in a desperate attempt to preserve her modesty while keeping the bed covers over her legs and cried out loud when he captured her wrists in his large palms and held them still above her head.

  “How do you feel now?” He whispered, as one hand dropped to the waist of his breeches.

  Thea opened her mouth to speak only to find her words captured by his determined lips, which prevented her from speaking. She was left with little choice but to lie and wait while he awkwardly removed his clothing without letting her go.

  “Nothing about you could ever put me off you Thea. Nothing. Remember that,” he growled huskily and set about proving it to her.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The following morning, Thea awoke to find herself alone. She glanced at the empty bed beside her and sighed at the heavy disappointment that swept through her. She wasn’t quite sure what to think about last night. Rupert had been so attentive; so passionately caring that she had been unable to deny him anything. She had wanted to preserve at least some dignity with him but, in spite of her protests, she had still woken some time during the night to find herself completely bare to his gaze, lying beneath him while he had kissed each of her scars in turn. There had been nowhere to hide and nothing she could do to prevent him from seeing the physical evidence of the horrific carriage accident, but she had seen no revulsion in the steady gaze he had levelled on her. There had been nothing but calm acceptance and a look of love that had made her want to cry.

&nb
sp; Tears beckoned now, only she couldn’t find the reason for them. Last night had been more than she had ever dreamed possible but now wasn’t quite sure what to think, what to do. Where was he now? What was he doing? She glanced at the small table beside the bed but there was no note.

  Immediately her thoughts turned to his work with the Star Elite. Was he in the house somewhere, keeping guard? While she was glad that he was working to keep everyone safe she sent a prayer heavenward for his safety. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him and couldn’t help but wonder how he managed to face such danger on a daily basis.

  Her body still hummed from his tender ministrations and she wished that he was there now to assure her that he didn’t regret what they had shared. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of their situation now or what to expect from him. She could hardly place any expectations upon him. Was their love making last night a resurrection of old memories; a relationship that never really was? Or was it something deeper such as a new beginning for both of them? In all honesty she couldn’t say. He had certainly offered her nothing and she definitely not asked him for anything.

  Eventually hunger drove her from the bed. She was tempted to ring the bell and enjoy the luxury of breakfast in bed, but had endured more than enough of them while she had been ill. Now that she was able to get up and about, that is exactly what she did and she climbed out of bed and saw to her ablutions.

  She was a little disconcerted to find the breakfast room empty. Several serving dishes sat on the dresser on the far wall and the heavenly scent of bacon, eggs, freshly baked bread and pie hung heavily in the air. When her stomach rumbled loudly she cast her worries aside for the time being, and helped herself to a generous serving of everything before she sat down to eat.

  Later that morning, Thea knocked on the door to her uncle’s room. His call to enter was a little muffled but she was greatly relieved to see him sitting upright in bed looking much brighter than he had been yesterday. She pushed the door open a little wider and caught sight of Rupert seated in a chair on the opposite side of the bed.