is what I said. And, no, you need not get all in a pother about it. I do not intend to ravish you while you’re a guest in my house. In fact, I shall not lay a finger on you until you say you want me to.’
‘Mmm. So I could be here for quite some time, then.’
‘You will be here for some time, Mistress Laker, one way or another. You’re going to marry me and this will be your home. There are still some finishing touches to be made, but I hoped you’d help me with those.’
Her expression was highly sceptical, to say the least, eyes half-closed, head tilted just too far back, her glance sliding off his face with barely controlled derision. ‘Hah!’ she breathed, tonelessly. ‘Thank you for the tea, Sir Leo. Perhaps I should come to see your house another day when you’re feeling better.’ She stood up and gave her skirts a gentle shake. ‘These rapid changes of mind can be so confusing, can’t they? What will it be next, I wonder? Tch! I can hardly keep up.’
‘Phoebe.’
She sighed, but made no move to go. His gentle use of her name came like a caress, deep and velvety-soft, tinged with sadness and regret for the misunderstandings that held them in this tangle. To carry her off in this manner was a strange way to smooth out the problems of the past three years. Nor was it the way to woo a woman. Or so she’d thought only that afternoon. Strangely, however, she had heard something in his tone, felt the urgent desire in his kisses, even the anger too, but different from the victory-kiss after the contest. And when he had sat beside her, unquestionably to be her protector, she had never felt safer or more cherished. Even now, despite the noisy protestations, the thought of being constantly in the care of such a man felt like sailing into harbour after a particularly lengthy storm.
‘Phoebe,’ he said again, ‘come to me.’ Holding out a hand, palm upwards, he waited for her eyes to signal her intentions, moving up from boots to breeches to buckle to chest, where they lingered, then up to his mouth and finally to his eyes, looking above all things for honesty.
They were brown and openly desirous but, more than that, Phoebe saw what she believed was something like love. Sighing, she closed her eyes and, in that brief moment, he was before her, holding her by the shoulders and tilting his head to look deeply into her face. ‘Phoebe, I mean you no harm. You’ve never been afraid of the unconventional, have you? Neither have I. But what I have in mind is not for gossip-fodder, in case that’s what you thought, lass. It’s to make up for lost time after a foolish, callous, jealous remark that I made wounded your pride. I’ve regretted it ever since, not only for the life that was lost but for the damage it’s done to you, too. Now I have to make things right between us. I have to, lass, for there’s never been a moment when I haven’t wanted you for my wife. Like you, I thought that contest at Ham might help to settle things, but you…’
‘But I hated you too much for it ever to settle anything,’ she whispered.
‘Yes. And now? Will you give me another chance? Will you let me show you what a good choice I am, if I tread very carefully, wee lass?’
Her lips struggled not to laugh at his turn of phrase, but there was something in what he said that took her by surprise. ‘Never been a moment?’ she said.
‘Never. I swear it. I want you. Forget the worshipping the ground remark. I was angry and fired up. I’ll settle for affection, if that’s all I’m worth.’
‘No,’ she said, touching the wave of hair that swept his brow.
‘No?’
‘No. I think I can probably do more than affection, Sir Leo, if I try.’
Chapter Five
I n a village the size of Richmond that had just begun to expand after the demolition of the beautiful royal palace, it was never going to be possible to keep secret the irregularities of the few nobility who lived there. They and their activities were, after all,
‘Mmm. So I could be here for quite some time, then.’
‘You will be here for some time, Mistress Laker, one way or another. You’re going to marry me and this will be your home. There are still some finishing touches to be made, but I hoped you’d help me with those.’
Her expression was highly sceptical, to say the least, eyes half-closed, head tilted just too far back, her glance sliding off his face with barely controlled derision. ‘Hah!’ she breathed, tonelessly. ‘Thank you for the tea, Sir Leo. Perhaps I should come to see your house another day when you’re feeling better.’ She stood up and gave her skirts a gentle shake. ‘These rapid changes of mind can be so confusing, can’t they? What will it be next, I wonder? Tch! I can hardly keep up.’
‘Phoebe.’
She sighed, but made no move to go. His gentle use of her name came like a caress, deep and velvety-soft, tinged with sadness and regret for the misunderstandings that held them in this tangle. To carry her off in this manner was a strange way to smooth out the problems of the past three years. Nor was it the way to woo a woman. Or so she’d thought only that afternoon. Strangely, however, she had heard something in his tone, felt the urgent desire in his kisses, even the anger too, but different from the victory-kiss after the contest. And when he had sat beside her, unquestionably to be her protector, she had never felt safer or more cherished. Even now, despite the noisy protestations, the thought of being constantly in the care of such a man felt like sailing into harbour after a particularly lengthy storm.
‘Phoebe,’ he said again, ‘come to me.’ Holding out a hand, palm upwards, he waited for her eyes to signal her intentions, moving up from boots to breeches to buckle to chest, where they lingered, then up to his mouth and finally to his eyes, looking above all things for honesty.
They were brown and openly desirous but, more than that, Phoebe saw what she believed was something like love. Sighing, she closed her eyes and, in that brief moment, he was before her, holding her by the shoulders and tilting his head to look deeply into her face. ‘Phoebe, I mean you no harm. You’ve never been afraid of the unconventional, have you? Neither have I. But what I have in mind is not for gossip-fodder, in case that’s what you thought, lass. It’s to make up for lost time after a foolish, callous, jealous remark that I made wounded your pride. I’ve regretted it ever since, not only for the life that was lost but for the damage it’s done to you, too. Now I have to make things right between us. I have to, lass, for there’s never been a moment when I haven’t wanted you for my wife. Like you, I thought that contest at Ham might help to settle things, but you…’
‘But I hated you too much for it ever to settle anything,’ she whispered.
‘Yes. And now? Will you give me another chance? Will you let me show you what a good choice I am, if I tread very carefully, wee lass?’
Her lips struggled not to laugh at his turn of phrase, but there was something in what he said that took her by surprise. ‘Never been a moment?’ she said.
‘Never. I swear it. I want you. Forget the worshipping the ground remark. I was angry and fired up. I’ll settle for affection, if that’s all I’m worth.’
‘No,’ she said, touching the wave of hair that swept his brow.
‘No?’
‘No. I think I can probably do more than affection, Sir Leo, if I try.’
Chapter Five
I n a village the size of Richmond that had just begun to expand after the demolition of the beautiful royal palace, it was never going to be possible to keep secret the irregularities of the few nobility who lived there. They and their activities were, after all,
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