To Love and Protect (42 page)

“Yes, sir,” she curtsied after she herself had stood.

He waited until she passed by and playfully swatted her on the rump.
 
“Don’t make me punish you.”

“No, sir,” she said sweetly, gathering up the cloak he had purchased and wrapping it around her shoulders.

“Shall we?” he asked as he held his arm out for her to take.

“Yes,” she agreed.
 
They walked down the stairs to the taproom.

“Where ye be off to?” the jovial innkeeper asked.

“A walk.”

“Try over by the river.
 
With the snow falling it should be right pretty.
 
Might even see some deer.”

“How ‘bout it?”

“Sounds lovely.”
 
The two headed in the direction the innkeeper indicated.
 
The man had been right.
 
It was a lovely walk.
 
The river ran clear with some rapids here and there.
 
The light snowfall added character to the dying plants.

“Are you all right?” Justin asked.

“Fine,” she murmured.

“Not too tired?”

“No.
 
This is exactly what I needed.
 
What about you?
 
How is your knee?”

“Better.
 
The stiffness is working itself out.
 
I don’t know where that man learned to do that, but someone needs to tell him it was a dirty hit.”

“I think you were looking for a fight that night anyway,” Clarissa felt brave enough to finally voice her true thoughts.

“Perhaps.”

“When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow, if you feel up to it.”

“I’m feeling much better than what I was.”

“Excellent.”

“Justin,” she began hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“I’ve really enjoyed this week with you.
 
I’m glad we have spent time getting to know one another.
 
I know it isn’t very conventional, but I don’t want to end up in a marriage where the husband goes his way and the wife goes hers, and the only thing they have in common is the children.”

“I agree wholeheartedly.”
 
He felt a shiver run across her body.
 
“Cold?”

“Chilled,” she agreed.

“Perhaps we should go back,” he stated and turned her around.
 
Once back at the inn, Justin asked for hot tea, and plenty of firewood be sent up to their room.
 
Clarissa enjoyed his fussing over her.
 
They reached their room and both stood in front of the fire, warming their bodies.
 
Two maids came in, one carrying the requested firewood and the other the tea tray.
 
Justin walked over and placed several logs on the fire while Clarissa locked the door to their room.

Justin heard the click of the lock and felt his body tense.
 
He had enjoyed holding her every night.
 
Knowing that she needed that and that he could provide it made him happy.
 
He wanted her to need and want him in all ways.
 
He closed his eyes and straightened, hoping that they wanted the same thing.
 
The swish of her skirts felt like a caress to his senses, and he could feel himself harden as he imagined her hips swaying back and forth with every step she took.
 
He felt her gently lay her head on his shoulder blade and run her hand around his waist to his tense stomach muscles.

“Clare,” he moaned softly.
 
He caught her hand, moving it lower.
 
He felt her stiffen slightly and moved her hand back to his stomach.

“Justin, show me what you need,” she requested, placing a gentle kiss between his shoulder blades.
 

“Clare,” he said gruffly, spinning around, and dislodging her hand altogether.
 
He walked her backwards to the bed until they tumbled onto it together.
 
“I need you.
 
You’re driving me insane.
 
You need to say something now if you want me to leave you alone,” he whispered.

“I don’t want you to,” she countered, and began undoing buttons on his shirt.
 
She hoped he felt as hurried and on fire as she did.
 
Somewhere in the back of her mind a little voice nagged about consequences, but she fought it, pushing it aside.
 
She wanted to worry about nothing but her and Justin and this attraction between them.

“Next time will be slow, I promise.”

“I don’t care, just hurry,” she panted breathlessly.
 
“Justin.”

“What?”

“No babies.
 
Not just yet.”
 

“I’ll do my best,” he reassured her as best he could, knowing why she spoke those words without having to ask.
 

“No,” she said, stopping him as he reached down to ready her for his possession.
 
“If you touch me now, I’ll fly apart.”

“That’s the idea.”

“I’m ready enough.
 
I don’t want to fly without you,” her sparkling brown eyes held his blue ones as she spoke.

“You’re mine and you always will be,” he said as he entered her slowly but firmly.
 
He felt her grip on his biceps tighten, her nails digging in.

“Yes,” she cried hoarsely as he began to move in her, slowly and tenderly at first, then increasingly faster, harder.
 
She matched him every step of the way until they both touched the sky.

***

A knock sounded on the door to their room that evening.
 
The innkeeper stood on the other side, a worried expression on his face.

“Good evening, my lord.”

“Smith.
 
What brings you up here?”

“A man arrived today asking after you and the missus.”

“An older man?”

“No, my lord.
 
This man was younger and quite fetching.
 
He had light hair and came in a coach with a crest on the door.”

“What did the crest look like?”

“Yellow and red with lions on it.”

“Damn,” Justin muttered.
 
Franklin had finally caught up with them.
 
“Do you think that blonde maid and your son would be willing to earn a few extra coins?”

“I would expect so.”

“It might be dangerous.”

“My Daniel can take care of himself.”

“This is what I want to do in the morning,” and he shared his plan with the innkeeper.
 
“Think it will work?”

“Yes, sir!
 
And if you stick to the back roads, you can take your time, and he won’t know where to track you.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“We’ll be ready.”

“Good.
 
Thank you for letting me know.
 
Will you have trays sent up to our room?”

“Of course.”
 
Money changed hands, and Justin returned to his wife.

“What was that all about?”
 
Clare sat propped against the headboard looking thoroughly loved.
 

“We have a play to act out tomorrow morning.”

“Do tell.”
 
Clare’s eyes went from frightened to angry to gleaming with mischief.
 
“Count me in.”

***

The next morning, they stood hidden in the shadows of the common room.
 
The innkeeper’s son and one of the maids stood dressed in Justin and Clarissa’s clothing.
 
He wore a hat pulled low and the collar of his greatcoat turned up.
 
She had the hood of her cloak pulled up to conceal her face, golden ringlets escaping here and there.

“Thank you again for your kindness,” Clarissa said loudly enough that her voice would carry through the open door.

“Yes, next time I travel to Scotland, I’ll be certain to stay here,” Justin agreed.
 
They remained in the shadows as the couple entered the rented conveyance, luggage included, and headed towards the main road that would take them to London.
 
The plan would be that they would ride a day’s journey from here.
 
The maid had family she could stay with, and Justin made sure the boy had enough money to stay at an inn.
 
They would then return home the next day.
 
By the time Franklin realized he had followed the wrong people, he would be a day behind them.

They waited patiently.
 
Almost a quarter hour later, Hamilton’s ducal carriage passed by going the same direction as the one before it.
 
A second unmarked carriage appeared and after quickly hugging the innkeeper’s wife, Clarissa found herself bustled inside.
 
Justin had paid them with promises of more as soon as he returned to London.
 

Justin had decided to take the less traveled roads to London in hopes of eluding Franklin.
 
They would be able to spend more time together this way as well, but the roads were worse and the travel slower.
 
At least they were out of the elements and no longer on horseback.
 
Justin kept insisting that she rest and nap as much as possible.
 
Sometimes she thought he kept her up at night participating in illicit activities just so she would sleep during the travels.
 
On the third day of travel, she couldn’t take him telling her to rest anymore.

“Southerby, I’m fine.”

“I just want to make sure that ye are,” he said slipping into his brogue.

She merely rolled her eyes and watched out the window at the passing scenery.

“Clare, do you have any idea how much you scared all of us when you fell ill?
 
I found you in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs.
 
It was horrible.
 
You took years off of my life I’ll never get back…” He broke off and stared at her until she looked at him.
 
“Clare, I want to make certain you are properly cared for, and that I provide you everything you need.”

Properly cared for
, she thought dismally.
 
She did not want to be properly cared for.
 
She wanted to be properly loved.
 
Did he not realize how much she loved him?
 
But then again, she had not told him either.
 
Baring her soul to have it horribly rejected was not something she was prepared to do.
 
She felt one of Justin’s gloved fingers under her chin pulling her gaze up to him.

“Clare, I care about you and only want what’s best for you.”

“I know,” she replied, a sad smile on her face.
 
He leaned back in his seat, a puzzled frown creasing his handsome face.
 
“I have wondered something on several occasions and keep forgetting to ask,” she said, trying to erase that look on his face.
 
She feared it would lead to questions she was not yet ready to answer.

“What is that?”

“How did you find me so quickly?”

“I followed you.”

“You did not.”

“I did.”

“But how?” she asked incredulously, relieved to see him once more looking like the old light-hearted Justin.
 
“I watched you leave while I hid.
 
I watched your father go back to the house.
 
I heard the horse’s hooves fade into the night.
 
You couldn’t have followed me.”

“But I did.”

“Explain then.”

“You were hiding in the loft of the barn.”

“How did you know that?” exasperation laced her voice.

“When me and Da’ were talking, I noticed straw falling from between the boards in the loft.
 
That usually only happens when something or someone is up there to sift it around.”

“I see.”

“When I hugged Da’, I told him my suspicions and asked him to tell everyone not to worry about you.
 
If you wanted to go back to London, I would see you safely there.”

“Not as clever as I thought I was,” she said ruefully, crossing her arms beneath her breasts.

“I wouldn’t say that.
 
You were so long coming out of the stables that I thought maybe you left another way.
 
Once I saw you, I let out a sigh of relief.
 
Then I carefully began following you until I realized the storm had moved in, and we would need to take shelter for the night.”

“I guess I should thank you.”

“I know a way you could thank me,” he said huskily, a wicked grin on his face.

“Justin, we are in a carriage.”

“So we are.”

“What if someone hears?
 
What am I saying?
 
We can’t.”

“Oh, but we can,” he pulled her across to him until she straddled his lap.
 
His hands snaked up to caress her full breasts, their rigid peaks pushing at the fabric.

“What if the driver hears?”

“You are fairly loud,” he replied teasingly.

“Justin,” she swatted him playfully, and then moaned as he began running one hand up her leg, under her garments.

“You’ll just have to find a way to be quiet.”
 
Later, when she found her release, Clarissa let Justin’s cloth-covered shoulder muffle her scream.

***

After weeks on the road, Justin announced they should make London within the next few days.
 
So as not to push anyone, Justin had them traveling at a very leisurely pace.
 
They had successfully eluded Franklin, and it felt as if they were on a true honeymoon.
 
Instead of seeing exotic places, though, they weaved their way back and forth across England stopping at various places along the way and taking in the sights.
 
Clarissa found it to be fun to put everything else out of her mind for a while and just focus on her and Justin.
 
Glimpses of the old, carefree Justin could be seen once more.