Secrets of Seduction (34 page)

“Of course. Fortunately Tallis Court is large enough to house an army of guests.” Skye’s brow furrowed as a thought occurred to her. “In fact, after we are wed, we could live temporarily at Tallis Court while repairs are being completed here at Hawkhurst Castle. I am certain Quinn won’t mind. He hasn’t resided at the Court for months.”

“I have another idea. What would you say to visiting Cyrene for a wedding trip?”

Skye did not have to think twice. “I would love that. I could see where you have lived for the last ten years.”

“A journey there would also allow me to resolve the status of my breeding stables. I want to bring some of my prize stock to England.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled.

“I plan to return to England to live permanently.”

Easing away, Skye gazed up at Hawk in consternation. “But you cannot give up the Guardians. They mean too much to you.”

“I needn’t give them up completely. I can continue my work here in England. This is my home, where I want to be. I am ready to move on with my life … with you, my love.”

It was Skye’s turn to shudder. “Thank God you didn’t go through with wooing Sir Gawain’s niece.”

“I agree.”

“You should be thanking me as well. I saved you from making a terrible mistake.”

“I am willing to concede that you changed my fate much for the better. You made me believe in love again.”

Skye widened her eyes innocently. “Did I? How very inspired of me.”

He chuckled softly. “Indeed. I don’t want to live without your love.”

“You have my love, Hawk. Always and forever.”

She clasped his hand and drew it against her breast where her heart thrummed with love for him. This was the feeling she had always dreamed of: caring, yearning, needing until it hurt.

The hurt was physical as well. She wanted badly to consummate their love, to show Hawk how very much he meant to her. Her need to feel possessed was as fierce as her longing to possess him. When heat flared in his gaze, she knew he felt the same longing.

She was willing to wait, though, Skye decided as she raised her mouth for another long, tremendously satisfying kiss. Very soon she would be his bride, and nothing would ever part them again.

Kent, England; November 1816

Hawk’s impatience with
delaying the marriage ceremony grew when Lord Cornelius proposed holding a double wedding at Tallis Court. But between preparing for both weddings, procuring another special license from London, repairing damages from the latest fire, advancing current renovations to Hawkhurst Castle, and planning for the voyage to Cyrene, the next week flew by.

Hawk felt content with his decision to make his home in England with Skye. Although the Isle of Cyrene was a Mediterranean paradise, and the island and its people had provided him a place of refuge, he had exiled himself long enough.

As for the Guardians of the Sword, he was still obliged to keep their secrets. However, once he and Skye were wed, he could reveal the legend of the order’s creation and show her the magnificent sword that had once belonged to England’s most valiant king.

Exactly one week later, Hawk and Skye traveled to Tallis Court, where most of her family, the second bridal party, and other guests would soon join them. There had been no word from Traherne, although Skye professed faith that her brother would arrive in time for the wedding ceremonies.

Skye was gladly welcomed home by the large staff at the Court, where she had been mistress since the death of her parents at the tender age of ten. Clearly her servants adored her and were excited for her marriage. But Hawk would have preferred them much less underfoot and effusive in their eagerness to please.

That night he dined with Skye and then spent the evening discussing final plans for the wedding. Hawk bided his time, watching her for the sheer joy of it, aware of the warm affection in his chest and the lightness in his heart. But once the household retired to bed, he came to her bedchamber. He had almost lost her, and he would not wait one minute more to claim her as his wife, even if the actual ceremony wouldn’t occur for two more days.

Seized by the need to hold her, which occurred with great regularity of late, Hawk wrapped his arms tightly about Skye.

“Privacy at last,” she murmured with a pleasurable sigh.

They undressed each other with barely restrained haste, craving the feel of skin to skin. When they were both nude, Hawk’s hands rose to caress her bare breasts, arousing her easily, while she stroked his chest and loins. Her bandages had come off recently, with no lasting effects or scars, so she was able to reciprocate in inflaming his passion.

After a time, he led her to the bed and followed her down. Aching hunger drove his fingers deeper into her pale tresses as he devoured her lush mouth. When he parted her thighs, she was wet and eager for him. His own body hard with need, Hawk sank inside her, groaning as her tight sheath clenched around his cock.

Soon her hips were rising and falling in a timeless rhythm, matching his urgency. A heartbeat later, when Skye shuddered and cried out in ecstasy, the fierce need of his body engulfed him. Hawk poured himself into her in a violent climax, a confirmation of love and life.

In the aftermath, he felt shaken as he lay there, absorbing the healing warmth of her body against his. He’d fully believed he would never again love, but thankfully he was wrong. His first love had been youthful and ideal, but this felt deeper, more intense. His love for Skye had been forged in fire, quite literally.

He would forever be grateful to her. Skye had helped free him from his dark past and banished the great emptiness inside him. Because of her, he now had the fortitude to face the nuptial bed at Hawkhurst Castle that he had once shared with Elizabeth. Sorrow and loss would always be a part of him, of course, but the pain and grief were nearly gone because he had Skye.

He had no thought of sorrow when he shifted his head on the pillow to gaze down at her. In the flush following lovemaking, she looked more radiant than ever. The drowsy, contented smile curving her mouth warmed him, as did the life pulsing through her.

She was as life-giving and vital as sunlight, Hawk
thought. Indeed, he felt as though the sun was shining on his face for the first time in many years.

Easing closer, he kissed her softly, his lips lingering. “This is forever,” he murmured, a promise, a vow.

Her eyelids fluttering open, Skye regarded him steadily. The love shining in her eyes was so fierce, it took his breath away, as did her quiet words:

“I will cherish you all the days of my life,” Skye vowed in return.

Naturally, he had to respond. Gathering her to him, he tilted her face up for an ardent kiss—the beginning of a magical night together.

He left her bed early the following morning, before the servants rose. Skye dozed and when she woke, she lay there pinching herself. She had realized her dream of true love, and the knowledge filled her with joy. Hawk had let her into his heart,
finally
, and shown her with his body how much she meant to him.

More crucially, they had made a pact to treasure each moment of their time left together on earth. They both knew how precious and fleeting life could be, how priceless love was, and that they couldn’t live life in fear, afraid to lose loved ones, afraid to love.

The contingent from Hawkhurst Castle—Uncle Cornelius, Rachel, Daphne, and Aunt Isabella—arrived late that morning as expected. Quite unexpectedly, however, Daphne had guessed the secret of her parentage.

“After seeing Lord Cornelius’s tenderness for my mother,” she confessed to Skye, “their love for each other seemed too powerful to have occurred in so short a time, and they confirmed my suspicions. To be honest,
I am quite glad. Strangely, I never felt wholly part of our family, nor could I explain my differences with Edgar, both physical and otherwise. As for the man I always believed to be my father … given his cruelty, my having no real blood relation to William Farnwell is actually a relief. I am elated that I now have a new, loving family whom I never would have discovered without you.”

Skye was elated as well. She had hoped Cornelius and Daphne could come to know each other as father and daughter, and now they would have the chance.

Cornelius was eager to provide for Daphne financially and had offered to fund her research and travels to investigate new species of roses, but if Edgar kept his word, she would soon have her own significant funds to use as she chose.

Without a doubt, Daphne had Wilde blood running in her veins. Her determined independence, her lively charm and intelligence, her brazen disregard for the limits society placed on females in particular, and her scholarly bent and interest in exploration, were all indicative of how well she would fit into their clan.

Kate said as much when she arrived that afternoon, accompanied by Ash and Maura and Jack and Sophia.

Skye was most grateful when her family heartily welcomed her soon-to-be husband into their ranks. Although Kate had reassured both Ash and Jack about Hawk, Skye had a nervous moment when her male cousins interrogated him at length, yet she couldn’t fault them. The Wildes were overly protective but fiercely loyal and loving, just as families should be. And apparently they were convinced of Hawk’s love for her
by the time the other wedding guests arrived at the Court.

Skye truly enjoyed meeting some of Hawk’s closest friends and colleagues. The elderly Sir Gawain Olwen seemed world-weary—understandable given the weight he had carried on his shoulders for so many years as leader of the Guardians—and deserving of retirement, as well as profoundly relieved that Hawk would not be giving up the Guardians for good.

Sir Alex Ryder and his beautiful wife, Eve, were fascinating additions to the guest list, as were Christopher, Viscount Thorne, and his stunning wife, Diana. Daphne and Diana were both skilled artists, so immediately had common interests to discuss.

When the company dined that evening, what began as a formal gathering soon became much lighter with lively conversation and laughter. She and Hawk planned to sail for Cyrene in a week, so Skye was pleased to spend several hours after dinner learning about what she could expect from the island, and hearing tales from Isabella about some of their adventures.

By late that evening, Skye grew concerned Quinn might not arrive in time to give her away at her wedding. And when she woke the following morning, she considered postponing the ceremony but decided against disappointing the others.

After breakfast, Kate and Aunt Bella helped her dress in a rose-colored silk gown, covered by a cream brocade pelisse, since the morning was chilly, despite a watery sun. The wedding parties met at the chapel toward the rear of the estate, where the vicar awaited inside.

They were about to enter the building when the
morning quiet was broken by the sound of galloping hooves. Pausing, Skye soon recognized the horseman as her brother. Gladness filled her heart as Quinn leaped down with an athleticism she was certain that even Hawk admired.

Quinn looked as if he had ridden through the night to reach the Court in time, Skye decided as she hurried down the chapel steps to meet him. His fair hair—a darker gold than hers—was tousled beneath his tall beaver hat, and his jaw was stubbled with several days’ growth. Yet even unkempt, he had an unmistakable aristocratic elegance. Quinn was also far taller and much more muscular than she, and his vivid blue eyes were a deeper shade. Even as his sister, she realized his appeal. That masculine allure, combined with his daredevil aura and extreme cynicism, made him an irresistible challenge to the opposite sex. Despite the scandals that seemed to mark his amorous affairs, Quinn was the target of countless marriage-minded females.

Skye embraced him ardently even as she scolded him. “Where the devil have you been, Quinn? I almost despaired of your arriving in time.”

“How was I to know you would go and get yourself engaged?”

Skye noted that he hadn’t specifically answered her question, but just now, where he had been hiding himself wasn’t important, for Hawk had followed her down the steps.

“I believe you know my wayward brother,” she said when Hawk reached them.

The two noblemen clasped hands like old acquaintances,
but Quinn’s piercing gaze was highly judgmental as he scrutinized Hawk.

“You needn’t worry,” Skye told her brother. “Jack and Ash have already interrogated Hawk thoroughly and approved my choice of husbands.”

“I am under no allusions that you would have heeded my opinion had I disapproved,” Quinn retorted dryly.

“Certainly I would have heeded your opinion,” she protested. “I would simply have twisted your arm to convince you otherwise.”

Quinn chuckled. “Vintage Skye. In fact, I understand
you
were the one who pursued
him
, minx.”

“Who told you that?”

“I have my sources. But I could have guessed your scheme on my own. I know you too well.”

Hawk slipped an arm around her waist. “I never stood a chance once she set her sights on me.” When he locked gazes with her, she could see the smile deep in his gray eyes.