His Lady Peregrine (5 page)

“
Oh, I
didn’t mean
you
.” Georgiana grabbed his arm and held it so tight to her side
that his sleeve brushed against her breast.

Warmth caused perspiration
to form around his cravat. “I… that is… well now I’m not at all
sure what I’d intended to say…” He tugged at the piece of cloth to
try and breathe a little easier. Why did men have to wear the
blasted things anyway?

Some geese flew overhead, honking and
flapping their wings in a steady beat.

Georgiana shaded her eyes
as she tilted back her head. “Don’t you find geese
fascinating?”

“
Quite.” But he wasn’t
watching the geese. With her head angled back, all he could think
of was placing kisses up and down her throat.

“
And I love it when they
honk.”

“
Um-hmm.” He could imagine
running his tongue right below her ear.

“
They speak to each other
while in the air, signaling who should be next in line to fly to
the front and lead the formation.”

“
Certainly.” Was there
someplace private nearby where they could be alone? Being so near
her yet unable to act out his thoughts was a torment he nearly
couldn’t stand.

“
Such a pity people can’t
get along and be more like the geese.”

“
Oh, I agree.” Perhaps he
could unbutton the top of her dress and press his lips to her bare
shoulders.

“
Wouldn’t it be lovely to
be up there with them? To flap our arms and peer at the world
below?”

“
I can’t
think of anything I’d rather do.”
And after that I could—

She changed her focus back
to him, her light brown eyes wide and unblinking. “Why are you
looking at
me
?
The geese are up there.”

“
Because you’re more
beautiful than geese, my little peregrine.”

“
Oh, Percy, you do say the
sweetest things.” She giggled and fluttered her long
eyelashes.

Percy smirked. “So I’ve
been told before.”

That seemed to have gotten
her attention. “Oh? By whom?”

Perhaps he shouldn’t speak
so easily of his other conquests. “Oh, no one in
particular.”

She narrowed her eyes.
“Are there so many that you can’t recall of which woman you
speak?”

He shrugged. This wasn’t
going at all how he’d planned. “I—”

“
So you’re saying there
are other women…”

He held up his hand. “No, uh… Not, well
now.”

Both of her eyebrows shot
up. “Not
now
?”

“
No one but
you.”

“
And just how long has it
been since there was another? I’m merely one in a long line
of—”

“
Certainly not!” He’d
spoken the words too loud, frightening a small nearby sparrow into
frantic flight.

She tilted her head. “I like you. Very much.
But I’m not one to be trifled with. I’ll not be one of many eggs in
your basket, so to speak.”

“
I can assure you,
Georgiana, that at this moment, you are the only egg about whom I
care.”

She bit her lip and smiled.

Percy took that as a good
sign. Maybe he could talk her into finding a private spot
somewhere. “Say, would you like to—”

Georgiana turned her head
suddenly to something just off to their right. “Oh look! There’s a
red-breasted flycatcher!” Taking hold of Percy’s hand, jerking him
nearly off his feet as well as from his thoughts, Georgiana took
off at a walk so brisk to be nearly a run. Percy stumbled and went
down. Georgiana, still clinging to him, toppled too. They’d ended
up in a small valley, well out of sight of the main
path.

“
Woman, it’s clear from
your actions that you desire me.”

“
But I—”

Percy cupped her face in
his palm. “How often in a short period of time have I ended up with
you on top of my person?”

She raised one hand and
pointed behind him. “But I thought I saw a red-breasted
flycatcher.”

He shook his head, a slow
grin spreading across his face. “You can use a bird as an excuse
for your exuberance, but you and I both really know the
reason.”

“
Reason for what?” She
struggled against him, trying to move away.

“
That you appear to have a
fondness for being exceedingly close to me.”

Georgiana glanced to their
left. “But the bird. It will get away!”

“
Ah… comparing me to a
bird now, are we? I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m not going to
fly away, Lady Peregrine.”

She blinked and peered
down at him as if for the first time. “Pardon?”

“
You’ve successfully
captured my attention, I assure you. I do believe you’re trying to
ensnare me.”

Her face colored, giving
her an attractive pinkish hue. “Well, I…”

Percy tugged her close,
fully intending on an extended kiss. Something shuffled in the
grass a few feet away, and Georgiana angled around and gasped.
Percy finally pulled his gaze from her and turned too.

A very large woman stood
staring at them, her hand clutching the arm of a man only a third
her width. “Of all the… well! Come along, Mr. Smyth. Some things
one shouldn’t have to witness in polite society.” The pair tromped
off with Mrs. Smyth, Percy presumed, muttering about people having
immoral relations in a park.

Georgiana wiggled,
struggling to move from on top of him. Her movement only inflamed
his desire. He clasped her upper arms. “My good woman, cease your
thrashing about, or we’ll give passersby more to observe than a
fully clothed couple simply lying on the grass.”

With a loud gasp,
Georgiana held as still as a sleeping owl on a branch.

“
Now, slowly, roll to the
side — no knees thrust at me if you please — and sit in the
grass.”

Georgiana complied, but
her face had darkened to the shade of a setting sun.

Percy stood and brushed
off his clothing. He reached down and assisted Georgiana to her
feet. He brushed her dress free of grass. When he reached around to
dust off her bottom, Georgiana grabbed his hand tightly.

“
Percy,
I think
not
.” She glanced behind her to the direction in which the
rotund woman had waddled.

Percy sighed. And it had
been shaping up to be such a
delightful
visit to the
park.

Georgiana hummed
softly
as she added some chiff-chaff
feathers to an old hat, hoping to give it some extra life since she
couldn’t spare the money for a new one. Percy was coming for her
today. Again! Yesterday at Hyde Park and the day prior at his home
must have gone more smoothly than she’d thought. With all the
tumbling about, though enjoyable, she’d feared it would have put
Percy off.

Then when that woman,
that
dowager
started glaring at her and making veiled insults, Georgiana
was ready to pounce on the other woman like Winston on a
feather.

The nerve! She’d never
even set eyes on the woman before. Why had she been so hateful and
rude? It wasn’t as if Georgiana had anything she could
want.

Wait.
There’d been a few moments, a blissful few minutes when the
dowager had hastened off to sulk on a shady bench. Georgiana had
noticed the other woman watching Percy in a predatory manner,
leaning forward, eyes wide and staring.

No. Surely not.

Georgiana hadn’t given it
much thought before, given the fact that she was ready to shove the
dowager into a nearby creek, but thinking about it now…

Could it be? Could she
have seen the way Percy was so solicitous to Georgiana and gotten
jealous?

With a shrug, Georgiana
tried on the finished hat and checked herself in the looking glass.
She was wearing her third best dress. Wouldn’t do to wear the same
ones as the two days prior, though this one was noticeably more
worn around the hem. Perhaps he wouldn’t notice.

And just like before, he
hadn’t told her what their destination would be. It vexed her not
to know. Did he gain delight from keeping things a secret, or was
it possible he didn’t do it on purpose?

A knock came from the
front door. Georgiana had instructed Mary to open the door in lieu
of Georgiana doing it again herself. A titled lady had to have some
respect, didn’t she?

Too excited to see Percy
again, she didn’t wait for Mary to fetch her. She hurried down the
stairs, slowing only when she remembered the tumble she’d taken
down them only last week.

Keeping a firm grip on the
banister, she forced her feet to take things slow. A good
impression was needed today after falling in Percy’s lap, more than
once, and also nearly getting into a hissing match with the dowager
over nothing.

If the dowager did indeed
have an interest in Percy, all the more reason for Georgiana to
make progress today.

By the time she reached
the bottom of the stairs, Mary hovered in the doorway. Was Percy in
the parlor? Mary’s eyes darted back and forth between Georgiana and
that room. The woman resembled a common cuckoo, which wasn’t a
compliment. Much as Georgiana liked and appreciated Mary, the maid
could often be somewhat of a dolt.

Georgiana walked to the
doorway and peeked in. “Thank you, Mary, for showing Mr. Radcliff
to the parlor.”

Mary gave a perfect
curtsey, much to Georgiana’s chagrin.
Just
once I’d like to execute
one of those
without feeling like I will topple over
.
“Your tea is in the parlor, as requested, Lady
Ollerton.”

“
Thank—” Before Georgiana
could finish her sentiment, Mary all but ran up the stairs and out
of sight. What in the world had that been about? She’d counted on
Mary being a sort of chaperone as long as Percy was in her
house.

Though, not having one in
Percy’s carriage had been lovely. Yes, very nice indeed.

She stepped into the
parlor and glanced up at Percy, who now stood.

“
Ah, my lovely Lady
Peregrine. How is it you’re more beautiful than last I saw you?” He
took both of her hands in his, kissing the back of first the right,
then the left.

Warmth flowed through
Georgiana. And all from the man kissing her hand through her
gloves. If she was already this heated by his presence, perhaps
they’d better forgo tea and hurry to their destination. Much as she
longed to share more embraces with him, it was so soon in their
relationship. No sense giving him the notion that she would
willingly be a light-skirt.

After a glance over her
shoulder, wondering what became of Mary, Georgiana allowed Percy to
help her sit on the settee. Though they needed to leave, and
soon
, propriety demanded
she show at least a modicum of manners.

“
Would you care for some
tea, Percy, before we depart?”

He waved a hand at the
tray, as if shooing away a bee. “No time for tea.”

“
Are you in a hurry,
then?” She frowned.

“
Yes.” He leaned closer.
“Definitely in a hurry.”

She raised one eyebrow.
“Oh. Then perhaps we should—”

“
No. Don’t.”

“
Don’t what?”

Percy flicked a glance
toward the open doorway and stood. “Pardon me, won’t
you?”

“
I…
suppose.”
What is he doing? I
thought he was too busy for tea and in a rush to leave.

She glanced down at the
bodice of her dress, hoping the quick mend Mary had done on the
lace still held. How nice it would be to have been able to purchase
a new dress for today.

The unmistakable click of
a closing door reached her. Angling in that direction, she saw
Percy standing there, his back pressed against the door, hands
splayed on either side of him, fingers drumming on the wood.
“Percy?”

As if that was some sort
of invitation, he left his place by the door and approached her.
Stealthily. Like a cat after a wayward field mouse. He sat down
once again. Very close. The man was practically on
her
lap!

“
I don’t
under—”

Percy placed his finger
over her lips, stifling her words. As if just noticing what she
wore, his gaze roamed up from her face to her hat. “May I remove
your hat?”

“
Why?” Did he think the
hat was ugly?

“
It will make things go so
much more smoothly.”

“
What things?”

“
Has anyone ever told you
that you ask too many questions?” He let out a sigh.

“
Has
anyone ever told
you
that it’s vexing not to be told what’s going
on?”

He chuckled. A deep
seductive sound that awakened every nerve in her body. Good
heavens. What kind of power did this man possess that all he had to
do was—