Lenore smiled to herself. This was wild, unbridled London—the London of Frost Fairs and theatre brawls and maypoles and wild court parties. But it was also a great and busy port, and tomorrow they could begin their plans to make an old dream come true, they would embark on a tall white ship and sail to the American Colonies. They would become indeed the Daunts of Williamsburg, and Lorena, her lovely daughter, would be with them!
In the Colonies, with all their mistakes behind them, they could start a new life, better than the old. They could forget the past and become at last the people they were born to be . . . ah, she would make Geoffrey such a good wife!
But for tonight—and this was a part of the promise her reckless violet eyes foretold—tonight as Geoffrey’s lean body sank into his warm bath, she would—very slowly—remove her black silk gloves, one by one, easing them down her lovely arms. With a tantalizing smile she would unfasten the hooks of her black silk bodice, plunging its daring neckline even lower, until—with a twist that would make hen breasts bounce—she would drop the heavy silk dress to the floor and step out of it.
And while he watched she would ease out of her elegant black chemise, letting the lace rasp delicately down her smooth white skin until the black silk whispered to the floor at her feet and she stood before him clad only in her red-heeled black satin shoes and sheer black hose.
As he leaped from the tub and eagerly toweled dry— with his glowing eyes never leaving her!—she would kick off her high-heeled shoes, plant a foot upon the footboard of the great fourposter and with great concentration remove her silver-tinseled garters, slide the sheer black silk stockings down her elegant legs and toss them like smoke rings toward the cold hearth.
That hearth would be the only cold thing in their room tonight!
Tomorrow was time enough to talk of sailing, of a new life—but tonight was for twining naked arms and limbs, for soft murmurings and ardent caresses, for seeking the wild, free heights of love’s stormy passions. Tomorrow they could plan to sail to the American Colonies, but tonight—tonight was for lovers!
There is more to the unforgettable love story of Geoffrey and Lenore. And young Lorena grows into a beauty surpassed, perhaps, only by her glorious mother.
Watch for HER SHINING SPLENDOR, the dazzling sequel to THIS TOWERING PASSION. Coming soon from Warner Books.
This Towering Passion Page 50
