The Wartime Bride_Regency Romance

by Joanne Wadsworth

  “I was passing by and caught your argument with my sister. Your voices were a tad too loud. Are you all right, Major?”

  He plucked the vial of laudanum from his pocket and dropped it onto his bedside table, then he sank down on his blue bedcovers, rested his head on his pillow and kicked off his boots. “Please, if you have any sway with your sister, I beg of you to fetch her for me.”

  “Is that laudanum?” The lad snuck across and picked up the vial of reddish-brown liquid, pulled the cork and sniffed the medication. Frowning, Jamie corked the vial again and growled under his breath. “How did you come by this?”

  “Poole. I’ve had pain in my arm. He stitched the wound I got from my fall down the cliff.”

  “That was five days ago. You should be well onto the road of recovery by now.”

  “Well, I’m not.” He pointed a wobbly finger at the door. “Jamie, if you won’t fetch your sister for me, then please fetch me another damned bottle of brandy from the officers’ supply cupboard so I can drink this pain away. If anyone asks, tell them I gave you permission to bring it to me.” He glared at the gold and blue striped canopy overhead, which swayed even though no air circulated in his room. No, it wasn’t just the canopy swaying. Everything was, his head included.

  “It’s not liquor you need but to have your wound tended to properly.” Jamie dropped down onto the bed beside him with a bounce, which made his head spin even more.

  “Sit still.” He thumped the lad’s arm.

  “Ouch.” The lad thumped him back. “Sir, take the laudanum and then I’ll fetch my sister.”

  “Laudanum is a bitter and repulsive brew. Have you ever taken it yourself?”

  “Yes, and if you pinch your nose when you swallow, it’ll go down far easier.”

  “I’m not taking it.”

  “You are a terrible patient. Let me see the stitches Poole made.” The boy set the vial back on his table then pressed a hand to his forehead. A gasp and a growl. “Major, you have a raging fever. Wait right here. Cooling you down is imperative. I’ll open the window.” The boy swept the wooden shutters aside and pushed his window open.

  The full moon shone high within the midnight-blue depths of the night sky, the stars all ablaze and twinkling bright. A light breeze swirled in and swept over his heated skin.

  Jamie dashed out the door and it clunked shut behind him.

  More heat washed through him. He heaved his regimental shirt over his head and—gah! Sharp pain tore through his arm. Slowly, he unraveled the bandage covering the stitches Poole had sewed and—well, no wonder he was still having such trouble. The wound had reopened and now oozed pus and blood.

  He’d need to have it cleaned and re-stitched, otherwise he’d be out of commission for days. Which was completely unacceptable. He was a hussar. Hussars had duties to attend to.

  The secret connecting door swung open.

  Julia stood there in the doorway, her pale golden locks all tousled and brown eyes blazing, her bare toes poking out from under the hem of her ivory nightgown. She marched inside, her arms laden with cloths and medical provisions. “Jamie,” she muttered, “said you had a fever and wouldn’t take your medication.”

  “I’ve m-missed you.” He wanted to drink in the sight of her, only she set her armload down beside his bed and disappeared back into her chamber. Thankfully she returned a few seconds later with a basin of water in hand. She dunked a cloth into the water and seated beside him, gently wiped his wound clean. He caught one errant lock of her hair and twirled it around his finger. “You’re so b-beautiful.”

  “You’re annoying.” With her lips pinched in a tight line, she picked up the needle and thread she’d brought and stabbed the needle into his flesh.

  He barely held back his moan. “U-understood.”

  “Good.” She drew the needle through with efficient ease, and he gritted his teeth against the pain. “I’m extremely mad at you, Harry.”

  “I know the feeling. I’m mad for you too.”

  “Not mad for you, I’m mad at you. There is a distinct difference between the two emotions.”

  With her face so close to his and the top laces of her nightgown loose, his fingers itched to loosen those laces further, to cup her lush breasts and suck on them. He couldn’t help but lick his lips, his cock hardening ruthlessly at his lascivious thoughts. She wasn’t likely to let Mr. Jones anywhere near her though, not for days to come, if ever. Poor Mr. Jones.

  “Can you turn your arm more to the side?” She shuffled around to get a better angle, her neckline gaping wider and he frowned. Her breasts had been bound. He could see the wrappings and they were pinning her mounds flat to her chest.

  “Your breasts have been bound. Why?”

  “Yes, they have.” She tied a knot and sliced the end of the thread with a small blade she’d brought with her.

  “Do you care to explain?”

  “No.” Sucking her bottom lip into her mouth, she pressed a finger to his lips. “Wait right here. I’ll be back in a moment.”

  “Where are you going?” Now that he had her close, he didn’t wish to have her leave, not even for a single moment. “I need you. Please stay.”

  “Well, I need to apply a healing paste to your wound, then I intend on bandaging it.” She swept back through the paneled door.

  “Does it hurt?” he called out, pushing up onto the elbow of his good arm. “The bindings?”

  “No, and you’re in luck. I collected some fresh plantain herb this afternoon with Una and when the herb is fresh, it has the most wonderful healing properties.” She returned and sat beside him.

  “Please, remove those bindings from around your breasts.”

  “When I’m ready I shall remove the bindings, and not a moment before.” She plucked the leaves from a stem of plantain and stuck it into a stone mortar. With the pestle in hand, she ground the herb until it turned into a rich green paste, then she dabbed a cloth into the paste and carefully smeared it along his stitched arm. She flapped out a strip of clean cloth from the supplies she’d brought, wrapped it firmly around his bicep and knotted it in place. With her belongings bundled up, she disappeared back into her room then returned with a small flask. She tipped the vial of laudanum into it and seated beside him once more, held the flask to his lips. “Laudanum slips down the throat far easier with a dash of whisky. If you drink this for me, I’ll unbind my breasts.”

  “That is a compromise I can accept.” He opened his mouth and gulped the whisky. Once he’d downed the lot, he swiped his mouth with the back of his hand and motioned to her chest. “Your turn.”

  She stoppered the flask, set it aside and standing before him, twirled one finger in a circle. “Turn over. I need privacy.”

  He gave her that privacy, shuffling over on the bed and giving her his back.

  He waited and waited and waited.

  “You may turn around again.”

  A swing of his legs and he rested his feet on the floor and smiled as she waved the wrappings in front of him. Unable to help himself, he nabbed her around the waist and toppled her back onto the bed beside him.

  She squealed then giggled. “Harry, what are you doing?”

  “Shh, not so loud,” he whispered. “Jamie already heard us from the passageway.” He cupped her breasts through the cloth of her nightgown, his palms filled with her warm flesh, the rosy tips of her nipples poking through. With his gaze on hers, he murmured, “I want to wrap my mouth around your breasts. Does that shock you?”

  “Yes.” She searched his gaze. “And I’m still mad at you.”

  “Please forgive me for all that I’ve done wrong. I give you my word I’ll never make any of those mistakes again.” He kissed the tip of her nose, both her cheeks, then her chin. “I should never have left you without saying goodbye and I regret doing so.”

  “What about sending me a message from Pero Negro?”

  “I was trying to protect your reputation. Receiving a personal message from me might have c
aused gossip to begin flying, particularly when all I wanted to say was that I couldn’t wait to hold you in my arms again.” Tears pooled in her eyes at his words, the sight tearing at his heart. “It has been an endless five days for me, Julia.”

  “You abandoned me.” She sniffed. “My parents did the same.”

  “Pardon?” That made no sense. The professor was her father and he certainly hadn’t abandoned her. Of course the professor was still at Sobral, which he’d learnt on his return when the professor hadn’t attended their officers’ meeting.

  “I mean my true parents.”

  “The professor isn’t your true parent?” He was struggling to follow her.

  “He’s the only father I’ve ever known, but he isn’t my actual father. Twenty-seven years ago, he found me inside a padded basket snagged on some reeds along a river near Una’s cottage. My father asked far and wide if anyone knew of a newborn baby being cast aside, but when no one came forth he made the decision to raise me as his daughter. He adopted me and gave me his love, an abandoned child not even loved by her own parents. I owe him my life and all that I am.”

  “I already hold your father in great esteem, and now even more so.” Why hadn’t she told him about her adoption before now? He would have understood. “Do you have any other secrets you wish to share?”

  “Yes.” With a long sigh, she curled her arms around his neck. “It’s because of my adoption that no gentleman wants me. For those men who showed an interest in me over the years, when I declared the truth about my birth, they declared that my parentage was soiled and they promptly left.”

  “Then they were all idiots.”

  She smiled at his frank remark. “Say that again.”

  “They were gits, of the greatest sort.”

  “I do believe you mean that, Major Trentbury.”

  “I mean everything I say.” He dipped his head and captured one rosy nipple, right through the cloth of her nightgown, then he sucked on it madly before letting it go with a soft pop. He growled low in his throat, his cock getting harder and harder. “Mr. Jones is feeling rather amorous. Do you still wish to be lovers?”

  “I fear that I’m giving into you far too quickly.”

  “The French are gathering their force and I fear we won’t have more than a few days together. I need to make love to you, to hold you, to kiss every sweet and delicious inch of you.”

  “Well, when you say it that way, I could be coerced.” She touched the wet spot on her nightgown then lifted her gaze back to his. “I do want to experience passion at your hand. I can’t deny that need still pulses strongly within me.”

  “Then give into that need.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, his own need for her an unstoppable beat in his blood. “I promise to never leave the fort again without informing you personally of where I’m going, no matter where I might be traveling to.”

  “Truly?”

  “Yes, and I give you my word that I’ll bombard you with messages along the signal stations should you desire it, for however long we have together. We’ll sort out a code we can both decipher.” He nuzzled deeper then nipped her ear. “I want to bury my cock deep inside you. That’s code for—”

  She pressed a finger to his lips. “I understand what that means. I’m taking herbs which Una gave me, a pinch each morning, to protect me against getting with child.”

  “That sounds perfect, but I also want to ensure you experience only wonder and joy this first time, which means there’ll be no joining until after I’ve given you all the pleasure I possibly can.” He caught her hand and twined their fingers together. “Say yes, and I’ll make you mine.”

  “Yes.” With slightly jittery fingers, she turned his hand and pressed his palm against her lips, her kiss so sweetly tender. “Harry, don’t make me regret staying with you tonight.”

  “I’ll make certain you never regret a single moment that we spend together.” He covered her mouth with his and kissed her deeply, the sweet taste of her swarming his senses.

  “Your kisses are heavenly.” Voice hitching, she gripped his shoulders.

  “I’m damn randy at present, almost ready to come in my breeches if I’m being honest.” He rolled his hips against her hips, his cock throbbing with agonizing hardness. “I’m hungry for you.”

  “Promise me you’ll be gentle.”

  “Absolutely. I give you my word I will.” He slipped the sleeve of her neckline to one side, eased his hand inside her nightgown and filled his palm with her warm flesh.

  “Oh, but you’ve taken the vial of laudanum and most certainly have a fever. We should wait until the morning.”

  “The laudanum isn’t affecting me, and I won’t be able to cool down until I’ve made love to you.” Heat surged through his loins and he deepened their kiss, plunging his tongue inside her mouth until he got drunk on the sweet taste of her. Hell, it would be a losing battle to keep his passion in check tonight, not now he finally had her in his arms and in his bed.

  More. He wanted even more, and not just to have his hand against her. He tugged her nightgown to her waist and exposed the sweet curves of her upper body. Gently, he grazed his teeth over each nipple, first her right then her left. Her lush breasts taunted him to take more and he rolled his tongue around both nipples before drawing them deep inside his mouth and sucking on them with devilish hunger.

  “Harry.” She moaned, her fingers clawing into his shoulders, her back arching against his mattress. “How you touch me…it’s divine.”

  “Your breasts are exquisite, and I could suck on them for days.” He moved to her other breast and lapped the tight bud until she panted for breath.

  She threaded her fingers deeper into his hair, guided his mouth back to hers and kissed him. Her breath whispered sensually across his tongue, a caress that had his blood roaring in his ears and his cock begging for relief.

  Hell’s teeth. She might be an innocent, but she was a fast learner.

  Urging her lips apart to capture more of her honeyed essence, he kissed her with all the passion consuming him. She tasted incredible, so sweetly pure yet with an edge of ravenous hunger that matched his own. He bit down on her lower lip and when she gasped, he licked the spot and groaned as she nipped his lower lip in return.

  Yes, she was most definitely a fast learner.

  Brutal need rushed through him and he kissed her with complete abandon, enmeshing himself in her and she kissed him just as fiercely in return, stealing his breath with one urgent kiss after another. This was what he craved, this kind of raw intimacy with a woman who matched him in every way, and not just any woman but the one lying directly underneath him.

  How had he gotten so fortunate, that she’d asked him to be her lover?

  He pulled back, only an inch, his head swimming and thoughts fogging over.

  “Harry?” Her face wavered.

  Black dots danced in front of his eyes and damn it, no! Now was not the time for the dratted laudanum to kick in.

  “Lie down,” she murmured and tipped him onto his back. “The opiate is taking effect.”

  His limbs softened like jelly and he closed his eyes against the disorientation, although everything kept spinning, the darkness pulling at him, taking him deeper toward full and utter oblivion.

  “Go to sleep and rest,” she murmured in his ear.

  “Stay with me. If you leave, I’ll be lost.”

  “I’ll stay,” she promised.

  And the dark took him completely away.

  Chapter 10

  Hand to her mouth, Julia remained beside Harry in his bed, a dreamy smile tugging at the corners of her lips. His brow had relaxed as he’d fallen asleep from the opiate, his long sooty lashes cresting his cheeks and the fire in his hearth casting its golden glow over him. He looked so rumpled and delicious with stubble glinting on his jaw, his black breeches hanging loose on his hips and his manhood a firm bulge behind the front flap.

  She leaned over him, spread her hand over the solid w
idth of his chest and gasped as his muscles flexed under her touch. Heat surged through her core, along with a boldness she’d never known before. With him oblivious to her presence, she traced one finger down the center of his muscled chest, smoothing through the smattering of springy golden hair before swirling along the tapered line of hair which disappeared below his waistband.

  She swept her fingers back and forth across his contoured middle, his body built deliciously hard and her need to explore him a steady thrum in her blood. With her lips pressed to his ear, she drew her tongue along the soft whorls and nipped his lobe. He groaned in his sleep, a guttural sound that vibrated deep in his chest and escaped his mouth. Such a divine mouth. Delicious and full.

  Kissing the firm side of his jaw, her heartbeat pounded an exhilarating tempo. This atrocious war could snatch a man’s life away so quickly, but she’d now been given more time with him. She would grab ahold of that time and live it to its fullest. With one finger pressed to his beautiful mouth, she released a contented sigh, lowered her cheek to his chest and snuggled into his side. For the first night in five long nights, she could finally rest knowing he was safe and sound.

  Tiredness tugged at her and she gave into her need to rest. Her eyes flickered shut.

  * * * *

  The next morning, a paltry ray of dawn light flared through the open window and Julia stretched languorously. When she opened her eyes, it was to the sight of Harry standing at the end of the bed in his black breeches. He was grinning as he tugged on the hem of her nightgown which slithered down her arms, past her middle, over her hips and down her legs. His amber eyes blazed like heated whisky. She cleared her throat. “Good morning, Major Trentbury. It appears I’m now completely nude.”

  “Good morning, Miss Chalmers. You most certainly are.”

  “Has your head cleared from the laudanum?”

  “My mind is still a little fuzzy.” He crawled up her body, circled her nipple with one finger and murmured, “Did we agree that I could make love to you?”