The Earl's Desire (17 page)

“
My lord, it is best we talk outside,” the housekeeper said.

He nodded and led her out the room.

“
My lord, the problem concerns Master Chris. I haven’t seen him since this morning. He did not come to luncheon. I am so concerned that I feel I must notify you immediately, sir.”

Merrick stared hard at the polished floor.

“
Should I sound the alarm to search for Master Chris, sir?”

Merrick turned and walked toward the door. He stared at it but did not see it. “Nay, Mrs. Ross. Wait a while longer. Perhaps he will turn up eventually,” he said.

“
Very well, my lord,” she said and took her leave.

Merrick returned to the drawing room where everything seemed back to normal. The guests remained for another hour. For Merrick, however, every second seemed an eternity. When the guests had retired, Maximilian stopped him at the door.

“
Merrick, about Chris,” he began.

“
What about him?”

“
I heard the servants talking. You banished him back to the cottage. Merrick, the boy has suffered enough. He doesn’t need your cruelty to deepen his suffering.” Max slapped his friend’s shoulder and walked to the door.

Merrick shook his head. It seemed this ward of his had been able to charm the household servants, including the superior Mrs. Ross, to have made them worry about his absence. Now it seemed Lord Devil, with his rakehell’s heart of stone, was under his ward’s magic, too.

Max paused at the door and said, “Don’t make a mistake, Merrick,” and left.

Merrick glared at the closed door. He stormed up the stairs to his room. He was staring down at the doorknob to his bedroom when something flashed into his mind. He turned to look at the door to Maria’s room down the hallway. He walked to it, and, hesitantly, he knocked.

The door opened instantly. Kate bade him to enter.

As he walked in, he saw Maria strolling toward him. She was dressed in an almost transparent negligee. Her arms were wide open in welcome.

“
Ah, Merrick, you have come,” she greeted him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him softly on the lips.

Merrick stared down at her, and slowly his hands came up to her arms. He unwrapped them from his neck and set them down on her sides.

Maria’s smile faded.

“
Not tonight,” he said and turned to go.

Maria stalked after him and caught his arm. “Merrick, you need me.”

“
Nay, Maria,” he said and removed her hand from his arm. He walked out the door and closed it quietly behind him. He went back to his room and sat on the edge of the bed. He sat in that position for a long time, and then he got up and walked toward the window, staring out into the darkness.

Darn it, he didn’t care anymore. This waiting hurt.

He turned and dashed out the door. He took the stairs three at a time, ran out of the Hall, and went to the stables. There, he saddled Starlight, and in seconds he was on his stallion and gone, out of the stables and into the darkness like a black knight off to save his lover.

Merrick raced his stallion furiously along the quiet road. He urged his stallion faster, riding through the darkness. He was concentrating so hard on finding Christine that he didn’t even notice the chill creeping upon him, making his skin cold to the touch. He was riding along one of the smaller roads now. He kept his head low, his eyes alert, watching out for highwaymen and Christine at the same time. Then his eyes spotted something, a small, dark figure moving ever so slowly. He slowed his stallion so that he could get a better look. It was just a slight shadow, but he knew that figure so well, even from this far a distance, that his heart raced.

Hold on, Chris, I’m coming to take you home.

With determination, he urged his horse to go faster. He was so consumed with relief that he didn’t notice his eyes were misting with tears.

Christine watched as the rider and stallion galloped toward her. From this far away, she didn’t know who the rider was. It could be anybody, but the one person that she was afraid of the most was a highwayman. Panic seized her. She turned to run. She sprinted along the road as fast as her tired legs could carry her.

Merrick frowned when he saw the little figure running away from him. Then he forced his stallion to go even faster.

Christine’s heart fluttered as she heard the clip-clop of horse’s hooves coming closer. She shut her eyes. She didn’t want to die. That was what she had heard highwaymen did when you didn’t have anything valuable to give them—they killed you for the sheer pleasure of it. With the image of death hanging heavily on her mind, she forced herself to run even faster. She could feel both the master and horse getting closer to her, looming over her, wanting to run her down. She chanced a quick glance and realized with horror that the dark figure was nearly by her side. She couldn’t look up at the man and see him clearly for the feeling of him so close to her frightened her.

Christine felt the slight touch of the dark highwayman’s hand on her arm. She furiously hit it away and sprinted faster.

Merrick lowered himself again and tried to get hold of her arm. Again, she pushed him away. Merrick had had enough. This time he lowered his arm down, grabbed her left arm, and roughly pulled her toward the horse.

She panicked even more when her arm was caught. Instinctively, she hit him with her free hand. Merrick held on to her even tighter. He gripped her arm and slowed his horse down. Once he knew she couldn’t go anywhere, he reached down, put his arm about her waist, and in one smooth motion, he scooped her up in his arms and settled her in front of him.

He turned the horse around and started in the opposite direction.

She was caught, and now the man would kill her. Now she’d never see Merrick again. No, she didn’t want to die. She wanted to see Merrick again. Angry at the unfairness of life, she started to hit the man. She punched him in the chest, in the face, and she bit him on his shoulder with her small teeth. She thought she heard him telling her to stop, but she couldn’t because she didn’t want to die.

Merrick tried to stop this little crazy cat who was going to injure him any minute now if he didn’t stop the assault. He halted Starlight, and with both his hands he caught her arms. He held her body tightly against him.

“
Chris. It’s Merrick, Chris!” he shouted.

“
No, no, no.
I don’t want to die. No!” she screamed.

“
Chris, stop. It’s Merrick,” he shouted and cupped her face. He tightened his fingers and thumb around her small chin to stop her shaking her head.

“
Chris, stop!” he commanded.

Christine heard that stern command and stopped, staring at his strong, handsome face only inches from hers. The face she saw in the moonlight was like an answer to her prayers. She was so happy she didn’t know she was crying. Her feelings of relief overwhelmed her so much that she threw herself at him and hugged him hard.

“
Oh, Merrick, you came back for me. I was so scared,” she cried, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck, never wanting to let him go.

He wrapped his arms about her small waist, holding her close to him. His chest felt tight, but there was a sense of fulfillment as well.

“
I’m here now, and I won’t let you go again,” he said.

When at last she looked up at him, she smiled and dried her tears with her sleeves.

“
I’m sorry, Merrick, I didn’t mean to make you mad,” she said.

Merrick looked at the person who seemed to have affected him in so many ways. “It’s all right, Chris, I’m no longer angry. Now it’s time to go home.”

She nodded, her eyes glistening with fresh tears. He turned her body around, and they started off.

Christine suddenly felt very tired and very safe. She leaned her head and aching body against his chest and closed her eyes. She dozed off with a content smile playing around her lips. Merrick wrapped his arms around her.

An hour later they were home, and Merrick walked Starlight toward the stables. He shifted his position and woke Christine. She opened her eyes and looked around wildly. Then she felt Merrick’s presence, felt his power radiating around her. She felt safe. Merrick jumped down from the stallion and stood looking at her.

“
Welcome home,” he whispered.

Christine wanted to cry again. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her down from the saddle. When she was on the ground, she still had her arms around his neck. She offered her face to him. She wanted to kiss him.

Merrick removed her arms and stood back, watching her.

That darn man. He had rejected her again. All she had wanted to do was to thank him. With pain in her heart, she turned and marched out of the stables, away from the unfeeling beast.

Though her legs were very tired, she forced herself to walk. Then halfway across the courtyard, one leg buckled. She fell to her knees. She grunted in pain. She stared down at the dirt, feeling the ache in her knees intensifying. Then she felt her body lifted upward. She found herself in Merrick’s arms.

“
I think you have walked enough for one day,” he said.

So many feelings consumed her then. Tears streamed down her face.

“
Now, don’t cry. You are home now.” He mocked her, half laughing.

She shook her head, meaning that she didn’t really want to cry, but the tears just came out by themselves. He smiled his beautiful, heart-stopping smile at her and carried her into the Hall.

TWELVE

Merrick heard the door open. He knew who it was without looking around. In his mind and heart, he wanted to turn and take the person into his arms. But of course, he couldn’t do that. He stood there, his manner easy and his stance at ease, entirely the opposite of the turbulence of his feelings, which were erupting inside him, eating him alive.

Christine came in, as she had been summoned by Mrs. Ross to attend Merrick because Paris had taken a day off, and the woman went on to inform her that Merrick had specifically asked for her. She knew Merrick was going to take his guests to the Robinson’s lunch party this afternoon. That was why she had refused to go with them, knowing that he would probably leave her to her loneliness and spend most of his time with those women. She certainly didn’t want to witness him acting stupid because of them.

She came toward him, staring up at the big man gazing out of the window. He was very quiet, she realized. In fact, since that day she had run away, he had become utterly reserved around her. If she had tried to get close to him, he would retreat. The meaning of his expression was clear to her. He didn’t want to be near her.

“
Merrick?” she began.

He turned then, his eyes gazing at her.

“
So you are here,” he said and walked around her, keeping as much distance between them as possible, as if she had something contagious. He avoided her deliberately.

“
Merrick?” she managed again.

“
Get the black one, Chris. That will do,” he told her, staring down at her from the far side of the room. There were sparks of starvation in his eyes that Christine did not recognize. Those eyes feasted upon her, hungered after her, wanting to make wild, passionate love to her.

She went to the wardrobe and gathered all his clothing for him to change. She placed it on the bed, and then she advanced toward him.

He hesitated, stiffened, prepared to run if necessary.

Christine frowned at this and wondered why he was acting the way he was. She came to stand right in front of him and started to unbutton his shirt.

Merrick shut his eyes and breathed deeply, trying very hard to control his feelings. All he wanted to do at that moment was to take her into his arms. But of course, he couldn’t do that. He needed to discipline himself.

Slowly, Christine undid the buttons on his shirt. When she was finished, she opened it wider, revealing his smooth, muscular chest. She wanted to touch it. Her hands itched, and her stomach felt hollow.

She opened the shirt wider and then tried to slip it off his shoulders. But she was small, and trying to take his shirt off his shoulders and back was impossible. He wasn’t very helpful either for he just stood there as stiff as a rock. She bit her lips as her frustration mounted. She was frustrated because he wasn’t helping her. Her skin felt tingly, and she had goose bumps all over. She felt hot and cold at the same time.

She glanced up at him. His face was a mask. She stamped her foot and jumped up to jerk the shirt from around his shoulders. She got one side down, and it was going well. Then she hovered around him, trying to pull the other side down. She tiptoed, and with one hand she reached for his neck and with the other up to his shoulder. She was very close to him now, her face only inches from his. Her bound breasts rubbed slightly against his bare chest as she slid the shirt off his other shoulder.