Meeting in secret? Lying? Snatching moments that only serve as a painful reminder that moments are all we have? He swung away. The longer we wait, the more the world believes that youll marry Desborough.
Do you want me to release you from our engagement? she asked miserably, stepping back.
A cold wave of dread turned Harrys blood to ice. Do you want that?
She looked on the verge of crying. Of course not.
He crossed the chasm separating them and discovered it only measured a pace. He seized her in his arms and kissed her hard. For an instant that lasted an eon, she resisted before kissing him back with a fervor that threatened to send everything but passion to hell.
She leaned back to see his face. I want to marry you, but I dont want my selfish pursuit of happiness to burden my brother with more scandal.
Does that extend to marrying Desborough? Harry asked harshly. When I met you, you were crying over your brothers plans. Dont pretend that suddenly youre prepared to play the dutiful sister.
With a sigh, she laid one hand against his cheek. I was prepared to play the dutiful sister. Thats why I was crying.
Fear dug its talons into his aching heart. You cant enter a loveless marriage to save Leaths pride.
She stiffened. You demand so much.
His hand tightened on her waist as if Leath emerged from the undergrowth to steal her away. Meeting like this does us no credit.
Temper lit her face to vivid beauty. You should be used to deception. Ive heard gossip.
Harrys resentment of Leath ratcheted up another notch. Ill wager most of it came from your brother.
When Sophie avoided his gaze, he knew he was right. Did James lie?
Harry had never been ashamed of all his dashing widows and bored wives before. He was ashamed now. Hell, Sophie, youre the only woman Ive ever loved. His voice shook with sincerity. Thats whats important. That, and how these meetings stain your character and mine.
Resentment shadowed her expression. Youre cruel.
No. Im a man in love. He paused. I want to shout that love from the rooftops, not meet you in corners as if my feelings are a dirty secret.
Harry, Im sorry. She rose on her toes and peppered his face with kisses. Each one eased his outrage, until he caught her and pressed his lips to hers.
I cant be angry when you kiss me.
Thats good. She trailed her lips along his jaw with a tenderness that melted pique. When were married, Ill kiss you all the time.
She spoke as if merely by promising to marry him, their difficulties vanished like mist across the morning meadows. He wasnt nearly so convinced that delay would change her brothers mind.
For the sake of his future and his love, Harry must brave the dragon and claim the maiden.
Chapter Ten
English Channel, late March 1828
Cam stood clinging to a rope on a deck that bucked up and down. He wiped stinging, icy rain from his eyes and reminded himself that the yacht had withstood worse. His gut tightened with foreboding only because they were so close to journeys end.
Theyd experienced rough weather since leaving the Mediterranean and sailing into the Atlantic. Thus far, the Windhover had coped with raging seas like the thoroughbred she was. Spring gales had tossed the ship until Cam didnt know which way was up. Much the way he felt when he encountered his enigmatic passenger.
Now they were only hours from Folkestone, the port hed chosen in preference to Dover. At Dover, he was too likely to run into someone who recognized him. After that inn above Genoa, Cam was more careful than ever. Pen had assured him that shed headed off Mrs. Barker-Pratts curiosity. If she was right, Cam had achieved a miracle. Hed managed to bring Pen home without jeopardizing his plans to marry Lady Marianne.
Even more miraculous, hed managed to keep his hands off Pen. Despite a case of blue balls unlike any he could remember, hed resisted the ravening hunger that kept him awake at night, and restless and cranky all day.
A wonder indeed.
Now he just had to deliver Pen to London. Then, given her plans to return to the Continent, hed probably never see her again. He was a damn fool to regret that. But regret it he did. Losing her before he discovered what all those lovers had taught her made him want to gnash his teeth and break something.
Even in the last minutes, the storm had worsened. The wind through the rigging shrieked like lost souls in hell.
Can we turn back to France? he shouted to his captain, who was lashed to the wheel. The usually imperturbable Scotsman fought to hold the helm steady, the set of his jaw betraying their danger.
Too far. Through the gale, the mans brogue was barely comprehensible. Better we race for the nearest port and wait the storm out.
Do as you think best, Cam shouted back.
For years, hed sailed with John MacGregor. If anyone brought the Windhover through, it would be the dour Aberdonian.
Go below, Your Grace. His tone held no deference. If Cam hadnt been worried sick, hed smile. Yere proving a wee distraction up here.
It was an indication of their perilous situation that MacGregor admitted to needing all his concentration to keep the yacht afloat. I want to help.
Yell help by bundling up somewhere safe. If the bonnie Duke of Sedgemoor drowns on my watch, my bluidy wife will never let me hear the end of it.
Cam acknowledged the mans dry humor, surely the only dry thing left on the ship. He clapped MacGregors shoulder then turned. Staggering from one handhold to the next, he struggled against the clawing wind toward the hatch.
Below decks, hed thought the din would lessen, but it was somehow worse for being contained. The creak of timbers, the water pounding against the hull, the deep, irregular bang as the Windhover struck the bottom of a wave. He wondered how the fragile wooden structure survived.
In the saloon, he shook off the water drenching him. Like the crew of five above, he wore oilskins. Not that they provided much protection. Swiftly he undressed to shirt and breeches, shivering in the cold.
Pen was in her cabin. Throughout this trip, shed borne every inconvenience without complaint. But in such a storm, even a good sailor with a courageous heart would be frightened. Whatever her distaste for Cams company, he couldnt leave her terrified while they plunged through this turbulent ocean. She was aloneMaria hadnt wanted to come to England.
Bumping drunkenly from one wall to another, Cam made his way down the short corridor to where Pens cabin faced his. During their fortnight at sea, that proximity had plagued him. Now, all he could think about was extending comfort and reassurance.
Although it was only early afternoon, the hallway was as dark as the pit. Cam knocked on Pens door, received no reply, knocked more loudly, then realized that hed need to bash the polished teak with a hammer for her to hear. Feeling like a trespasser, he depressed the brass handle and stepped inside.
All day hed breathed air sour with salt. How was it, then, that the moment he entered this shadowy room, he caught Pens violet scent? Sweet, womanly, alluring. He closed his eyes and reminded himself that he was here purely to provide assistance.
What do you want? Pen asked sharply from across the cabin.
As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw her braced in the porthole embrasure. Hed imagined shed be in bed, but of course, that would be devilish uncomfortable, given the yachts lurching.
I wanted to see if you were all right. He raised his voice over the bedlam. He shut the door, hoping that might help. It didnt.
Of course Im all right.
Disappointment and self-disgust weighted his gut. Hed been a fool to imagine she might want him with her. Ill go to my cabin, then.
He faced the door, catching the lintel for balance, when she replied. No. Stay.
From Pen, that counted as a major concession. Slowly, he turned. I dont want to intrude.
Cam, dont be a numbskull, she snapped. Ive never been so scared in my life.
Oh, my dear
The endearment escaped before he could stop it. He prayed that the storm muffled the words. With a few unsteady steps, he covered the space between them and, knowing it was a mistake, wrapped his arms around her. As he pressed into the opposite side of the embrasure, lightning flashed, revealing her face as she jerked her head up.
Cam, what are you doing? Like her expression, her voice was wary, but her eyes betrayed flaring heat. Even without the lightning, near the window the light was better.
Stopping you from falling. They balanced inside a narrow nook, porthole on one side, cabin on the other. The restricted space offered at least an illusion of stability.
Was his world reeling because of the tumultuous ocean or because he touched this woman? His hands tightened on her waist and he couldnt even pretend that he held her for safetys sake. She was tall and strong, but he felt her tremble.
Theyll give you a medal, she said with a dryness that wouldnt have disgraced John MacGregor.
Is there a kiss with my medal?
More lightning illuminated the way she nervously licked her lips. She shifted backward, but their nook was so small, she had nowhere to go unless she returned to the cabin.
How can you flirt when were about to find a watery grave?
How can I not? His voice roughened into urgency. If the ship goes down, Ill be damned if I die without kissing you.
She started without moving away. This is a mistake.
He laughed, wondering how his demise became cause for amusement. Perhaps Pens courage bolstered his. Most people would cower at the raging seas, but valiant Penelope Thorne met the storm and the man who wanted her with her head high and a smile on her lips. At that moment, if hed been capable of love, he might imagine that he loved her.
The thought of kissing you has tortured me.
Her hands linked around his neck. To steady herself or because she wanted to touch him? He hardly cared as long as she stayed near.
I thought you were bored with this journey.
He snorted his disbelief. Weve battled brigands, avalanches, bad roads, nosy English travelers, and fleas as big as cats. Boredom would be a relief.
You acted bored.
Hed never seen her like this. Like she yearned for his touch the way he yearned for hers. Desire pounded harder than the waves outside. Thunder cracked close.