A Hint of Rapture (47 page)

Madeleine gazed at Garrett, so overcome she could not
speak. There were no words to express the wonder she felt, no words to describe
the tumult of emotion that enveloped her so completely.

She flew to him suddenly, and he opened his arms to
her, shattering forever the bitter void that had separated them. She had made
her choice. She would never turn back.

"Maddie," Garrett whispered hoarsely against
her hair, hugging her as fiercely as she embraced him. Time was lost while they
held each other, sharing an infinite moment of radiant happiness.

It was Garrett who pulled away at last, smiling through
the tears in his eyes. He tenderly kissed her face, her throat, her eyelids.
His lips brushed against her damp lashes, then sought her mouth. She tasted the
salt of her own tears as he kissed her until she was breathless.

"To think I had stormed around looking for you,
and you were waiting for me all along," Garrett said, holding her close
once more. "Waiting with such news." He swept back her hair and
nuzzled her neck, kissing a delicate earlobe. "I owe everything to Glenis.
Everything. Without her I might never have fulfilled my dream."

"Yer dream?" Madeleine asked softly,
delighting in the delicious sensations his touch aroused in her.

"You are my dream, Maddie," he replied, his
words punctuated by fervent kisses. "My wife—my love—my life." He
abruptly drew away from her, searching her face, his eyes full of concern.
"Kitty said you weren't feeling well today—"

"I'm fine," Madeleine insisted gently,
smiling up at him. "Glenis was right. 'Twas a malady easily cured, by a
kiss." As she stood on tiptoe and did just that, a small, embarrassed
cough sounded from the archway. They both turned to find Kitty standing there,
looking at them strangely.

"Supper is ready, Maddie," she said.
"Major Marshall."

"Ye must be famished," Madeleine said as
Kitty turned and walked back into the dining room.

"Yes, I am," Garrett answered, a rakish smile
lighting his handsome face. "Ravenous." He swept her so suddenly in
his arms she gasped aloud.

"Garrett!"

He chuckled deeply, raising his voice as he carried her
up the stairs. "We'll dine later, Kitty. Have Sergeant Fletcher escort you
home. Oh, yes, and tell him everything is fine! Couldn't be better!"

Madeleine felt his body tense as they neared their
bedchamber, and she felt a wild tremor of excitement.

"If you'll kindly open the door for us,
m'lady," Garrett said playfully, his warm breath tickling her ear.

She did as he asked and they entered the darkened room,
then she swung the door closed behind them.

"Well done." He set her down gently, cradling
her face as he kissed her fervently. "Just a moment, love, while I light
the fire," he said, moving away from her.

Madeleine stood there shivering, missing him terribly
even though he was so close. In a few moments a bright fire was blazing in the
hearth. She rushed forward, holding out her hands to warm them.

" 'Tis grown so cold in here," she said
through chattering teeth, watching as he shoved the large tub into a corner.

"It will heat up soon enough," Garrett said
huskily, returning to embrace her. Then he was gone from her again, wrenching
pillows, the tartan blanket, and the heavy bedspread off the bed. He quickly
arranged them on the floor in front of the fireplace, then grabbed her hand and
pulled her down beside him.

"How do you like our bower?" he said softly,
running his fingers through her lustrous hair as they lay together before the
fire. "Do you think it will do for our wedding night?"

Madeleine's heart seemed to skip a beat, and she
blushed in confusion. "Wedding night? But we've already—"

He silenced her with a lingering kiss, then drew back,
staring into her eyes. "This is our wedding night, sweet Madeleine. From
this night we start anew, you and I. Love has made it so."

"Aye, love has made it so," she repeated
softly, tracing the sensuous curve of his mouth with her fingers. " 'Tis a
fine wedding bower, Garrett." She thought she might faint when he took her
hand and tenderly kissed each fingertip in turn, his tongue teasing the hollow
of her curved palm.

"I would that my hunger be sated, my lady
wife," he said, a wicked glint burning in his eyes.

A seductive smile played about her lips as she gazed at
him boldly, his words filling her with daring. She wound her arms about his
neck. "Yer bride is willing and awaits yer pleasure," she said
saucily, pressing her mouth to his.

Garrett groaned against her lips, his arms tightening
around her like strong bands. For a long time they were lost in the glory of
their shared kiss, and it was with great reluctance that he pulled away from
her and stood up. His movements were impatient as he kicked off his boots and
worked at the buttons on his shirt.

Madeleine rose to her knees, staying his hands.
"No, husband, allow me," she insisted brazenly, smiling at his
startled expression. "Come." She drew him down to kneel in front of
her.

One by one she slowly undid the buttons, revealing his
bronzed chest with its sprinkling of blond curls. She gently pushed the shirt
from his broad shoulders, her hands caressing and exploring the rugged breadth
of him, as if touching him for the first time.

"Never before was a man as beautiful as ye, Garrett,"
she whispered, her desire making her even bolder. She wanted to please him,
wanted desperately to make up for everything that had gone before.

She reveled in the hard strength of the muscles that
bulged as his arms reached out for her. She ran her hands down his chest,
delighting in the sinewy power beneath her fingertips and the smooth, supple
texture of his skin. Her hands strayed lower, over a taut abdomen ridged with
muscle, until her fingers found his leather belt.

"You're a wanton lass," Garrett said, his
eyes searing into hers as he allowed her to unbuckle the belt and slide it from
his waist.

"Only with ye, my love," Madeleine replied,
tossing the belt aside. Her fingers wandered to the vertical row of buttons at
the front of his breeches. Garrett moaned and caught her hand. "Would ye
have me stop, then, husband?" she asked, taunting him provocatively. When
he did not answer, she undid the first three buttons, blushing when she
encountered the hard swelling beneath the fabric. Anticipation streaked through
her, her skin dimpling with goosebumps, and she dared to caress him.

"Enough!" Garrett commanded thickly, rising
and yanking off his breeches.

Madeleine had barely an instant to feast her eyes on
his glorious nakedness before he was pushing her down on the soft blankets. He
stretched his long length atop her, supporting his weight with his elbows.

"It's my turn to play the wanton, my lady
wife," he said, his narrowed eyes glinting with heat and fire. He traced
his finger along her lace-edged bodice, just grazing the lush curve of her
breasts. "Though I promise I will not dally as long as you."

Garrett drew himself up and knelt over her, his
powerful thighs straddling her hips. He deftly untied the sash securing her
gown. "I like these wrapping gowns best of all, e murmured, chuckling deep
in his throat as the lustrous silk fell away from her body. "I'll see that
you have dozens. They reveal your hidden treasures so easily." He slid his
hand under the hem of her chemise. "And as for this," he whispered
roguishly, "the seamstresses shall be kept busy stitching these as
well."

Madeleine cried out in surprise when a tearing sound
suddenly rent the air as her chemise ripped in two. She felt her exposed
nipples grow taut, and she arched her back when Garrett bent over her suddenly
and captured a rosy peak in his mouth.

She moaned aloud, thrusting her fingers through his
hair as he suckled hungrily and lightly nipped the swollen nubs with his teeth.
She was so lost in the dizzying sensations she scarcely realized he had
divested her of the last of her clothing, revealing her lithe body.

"There's never been a woman fashioned more
beautifully than you, Madeleine," Garrett said thickly, echoing her words
to him. His lips found hers, drawing jagged breaths from her as he kissed her
with impassioned fervor, a kiss that claimed her once and for all as his own.

His hands, his mouth, and his tongue raced up her
writhing body and down again, caressing, teasing, as if he had to touch every
inch of her and savor every silken secret she possessed. She opened herself to
him, freely, gladly, urging him on with frantic whispers and pleading sighs.

Madeleine heard herself cry out his name as he entered
her at last, sheathing himself within the softness and warmth of her body. She
eagerly arched her hips to meet his thrusts and wrapped her arms tightly around
his back. She rejoiced in the wondrous sensation of his desire throbbing within
her, the friction of their skin like a searing mantle of flame between them.

She hurtled wildly toward rapture, oblivious to all
else but panting breaths, frenzied kisses, and Garrett's ragged whispers,
urging her on.

Suddenly he seized her tightly and rolled over onto his
back, carrying her with him. She was astride him now, bracing her hands against
his glistening chest as she met the urgent fierceness of his movements, his
strong hands grasping her hips as they strove to become one.

"Come with me, Maddie," Garrett demanded
huskily. His eyes blazed into hers, his powerful body shaking with passion.
"Come with me—now!"

He pulled her to him, capturing her in his arms, his
body driving upward within her even as she cried out her piercing pleasure;
she, a part of him, he, a part of her . . . one at last in the blinding rapture
surrounding them.

***

Late in the night Madeleine awoke to the dull thud of a
charred log falling through the grate. She rose slightly from the bed and
glanced drowsily at the hearth. Only faintly glowing embers remained of the
roaring fire Garrett had stoked there earlier.

She sighed, pulling the blanket up to her chin and
snuggling closer against his warm length. She marveled at how well they fit
together, as if the contours of their bodies were especially made for each
other. One of his arms was hugging her protectively, and she marveled at that,
too, how he held her so closely even in sleep.

She peeked at him over her shoulder. His handsome
features were lost in shadow, but his beloved face was etched forever in her
mind. She rested her head on the pillow, smiling softly to herself as she
thought back on their long night of passion. She could hardly wait for the
morning, when they might love again.

Desirous warmth flooded her body as she blushed at her newfound
wantonness. It was Garrett, after all, who had teased her just before they
slept by whispering that he planned to keep her in bed with him throughout the
next day. He had claimed a wedding night was hardly enough to satisfy him. He
wanted a wedding week, a wedding month!

Madeleine shivered at the provocative thought. She had
to admit that the notion thrilled her.

A darker thought suddenly pressed in on her, clutching
at her heart. Glenis's dire warning echoed in her mind, and it chilled her
despite the comforting warmth of Garrett's body.

No, tomorrow she would not be able to spend the day in
bed. Glenis had judged her well. She'd done a terrible thing, and only she
could set it to rights. Tomorrow she would go into Farraline and speak with her
kinsmen, alone. She only hoped Garrett would understand and not insist on
accompanying her.

It was going to be hard enough to admit to him the
accusations she had spread throughout the valley, even though she had believed
it was the truth at the time. To have to tell Garrett she had endangered his
life was a most unsettling prospect. She would rather die herself than have
anything happen to him!

Madeleine's heart thudded painfully. Garrett would have
to remain at Mhor Manor. There was no other way. He would be far safer at the
estate than riding into Farraline with her.

She closed her eyes, knowing sleep would most likely
elude her for the rest of the night. Maybe it was just as well. She needed time
to think.

God help her find the right words to sway whatever plans
her kinsmen might have made, she prayed fervently. If they branded her a
traitor after they knew her change of heart, her brief happiness would be lost.

Chapter 32

"Wake up, Maddie. Please wake up!"

Madeleine's eyes blinked open at the rude jarring. She
was stunned to find Meg bending over her, roughly shaking her shoulder.

"Meg, what are ye doing here?" she said,
sleep muddling her thoughts. "Quiet with ye now or ye'll wake
Garrett."

Meg's expression was guarded as she shook her blond
head. "Major Marshall is gone, Maddie. He's ridden out with his men."

"Gone?" Madeleine's heart lurched in her
throat, and she rolled over, wide awake. It was true. The bed was empty but for
herself, and the sheets were cold where Garrett had slept. She glanced back at
Meg, a blush burning her cheeks. She had always made it a point to be well out
of bed before the girls arrived in the morning.

"What's going on?" she asked, clutching the
covers beneath her chin to hide her nakedness. "Where's Gar—Where's Major
Marshall?"

"He's gone in search of two of his soldiers,"
Meg replied, shifting uneasily. "Seems they went out early this morning to
hunt for grouse and never came back. Their horses returned almost an hour past
without them."

Madeleine could hardly believe she had slept so soundly
that she hadn't felt Garrett rise from the bed or heard him leave the room for
that matter. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to wake her.

The last thing she remembered was falling asleep
sometime near dawn after lying awake for several hours. She must have been more
exhausted from their lovemaking than she realized, despite the worries that she
had thought would prevent her from sleeping.