Most Rebellious Debutante (18 page)

As soon as Simkin drew the horses to a halt, Theo moved as quickly as he was able, but not as swiftly as Lucy.

She was out of her seat before the coach had drawn to a halt, her hand on the handle, ready to open the door.

‘Sit down at once, Lucy!’ Lady Templeton commanded her daughter.

Her father banged on the coach roof. ‘What’s happening, Bradley?’

‘It’s Lord Rockhaven,’ Lucy informed them, as she opened the door. She glanced back over her shoulder as she made to leap down without waiting for the step to be lowered. ‘I knew he’d come for me. And he has!’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, Lucy! Don’t you dare…! Come back, Lucy!’ her mother cried.

Lucy paid no heed. She nimbly jumped from the coach and ran forward to where Theo was carefully stepping down from his coach. ‘You came!’ she cried with delight. ‘I hoped you would. And dreaded you wouldn’t.’

She paused, suddenly shy. He looked … different. A tiny gasp caught in her throat. He was no longer dressed in the garb of a rough soldier hiding in the woodland. Instead, he looked rather splendid in his well-tailored coat and tightly fitting pantaloons. His cravat was of plain cream silk but fell in well-ordered folds. Was he still the man she had fallen in love with?

She suddenly wondered if her greetings were a little too presumptuous, but before her doubts had time to take root, he was standing before her and immediately drew her into his arms. ‘How could I not, my darling girl?’

She looked adorable. Her hesitancy made her seem vulnerable and he longed to sweep her up into his arms and twirl her around. He longed to capture her laughing red lips in his own and taste the sweet delight of her, but he wasn’t
yet strong enough for such flamboyant behaviour and he was conscious that her father was descending from his coach with an expression of wrath upon his face. So, instead, he held her at arm’s length and then took hold of one hand.

‘Lucy, I mean, Miss Templeton, I will court you through the next Season if I must, but I can’t wait to know. Can you bring yourself to love me? Can I hope?’

Lucy beamed up at him, her eyes shining, though she tried to look stern. ‘Ugh! Not another Season. I hoped for better than that from you, m’lord!’

‘Ah! Not a long courtship, then?’ With a wary eye on the approaching Lord Templeton, he raised his right eyebrow and cupped her chin in his hand, lowering his head until his breath whispered across her lips. ‘How short?’

Lucy felt ready to melt. Her limbs were turning to jelly and her heart was racing wildly out of control. She felt euphoric. She was in his arms again, at last. She
remembered
his last kiss. She held her breath, revelling in the warmth of his breath on her lips.

‘Very
short?’ she whispered.

‘Christmas, then. We’ll be married at Christmas.’

‘Oh, yes!’

‘You, sir!’ Lord Templeton thundered. ‘Unhand my daughter!’

Theo stepped to the side, but kept hold of Lucy’s right hand. He made a brief but pleasant obeisance with his other hand.

‘Lord Templeton … Lord Rockhaven, Earl of Montcliffe, at your service, sir! May I speak to you, concerning your daughter’s hand in marriage?’

Lord Templeton looked ready to splutter an outraged refusal, but Lucy slipped her hand free of Theo’s and ran to her father. She slipped her arm into his and looked up at him beguilingly.

‘Do say yes, Papa, for you must know that I love him dearly!’

‘Hmph! Love, indeed!’ Lord Templeton eyed Lord Rockhaven speculatively. An earl, eh? And Murchison was merely the second son of a baronet. And, if Lucy’s wild
revelations
were to be believed, Montcliffe wasn’t the disgraced soldier he had been rumoured to be. Besides, he knew a
fait
accompli
when he saw one. He nodded curtly. ‘Instruct your driver to follow us to our home, m’lord. I will speak to you there.’

Later, in front of a roaring fire in the Templetons’ drawing room, Theo took hold of Lucy’s hand and drew her to him. He had already assured her that he appreciated loyal servants and that her erstwhile maid and groom would be welcomed into his household. His heart swelled with love for her. He would give her
everything
that was in his power to give.

Lucy felt a melting deep within her as she willingly stepped into the circle of his arms, loving the way her body moulded to his shape, loving the very essence of him: the scent of his skin, the re-growing strength of his muscles, the very masculinity of him. She knew she was where she always wanted to be.

She lifted up her face and smiled shyly.

He was watching her changing expressions, his eyes reflecting her look of love and longing. His lips curled
upwards and crinkly lines radiated outwards from the corners of his eyes, both the one she could see and the one behind the patch. He lowered his head towards her, until his lips moved softly over hers, caressing them, teasing them; the tip of his tongue flickered, begging entrance until, with a tiny sigh, her lips parted and his tongue probed gently, meeting hers with a thrill of joy, causing the kiss to deepen; a long slow kiss that set Lucy tingling from the top of her head to the soles of her feet.

A tiny moan of contentment and desire for more sounded in her throat, causing Theo to draw her body closer to him. Strange sensations swept though Lucy’s body, hot and melting, low in her abdomen, where she could feel the
hardness
of his body pressing against her own yielding softness.

She longed to know where this yearning was taking her – wherever it was, she knew she would have to wait, but not for too long, she hoped. She knew it was going to be the most wonderful thing she would ever experience and her heart flooded with love for him.

When they needed to breathe, Theo raised his head. ‘Why do I feel we have done this before?’

Lucy laughed, her eyes dancing with delight. So he did remember … somewhere deep inside. Her fingers entwined in the hair at the nape of his neck. She had longed to do that so many times, that and other exciting things.

She drew his head back towards her.

‘I’ll tell you later,’ she breathed softly. ‘But, right now … ohhh!’

Summer Island

Red Rose Girl

Love Is Blind

A Time To Forgive

Love Conquers All

A Matter of Trust

Designs For Love

When True Love Wins

The Heart Knows No Bounds

Outrageous Deception

A Taste Of Happiness

The Turning Tide

Rising To The Call

A French Masquerade

To Face The Past

A Heart Divided August

Danger Comes Calling

Dangerous Intrigue

Just A Summer Romance

An Unsuitable Alliance

Her Reluctant Heart

Afraid To Love

To Capture A Heart

Faith For The Future

A Change Of Heart

Illusions Of Love

A Divided Inheritance

Elusive Love