Midnight Bride (37 page)

Pushing his shirt back into his breeches, Dunstan breathed deeply for a few minutes, keeping his eyes carefully off the chaise. Finally when he had himself once more under control, he sat back down. Elizabeth reached for him once more, but he moved out of reach. She opened her eyes. "Dunstan?" The question was more than his name. He simply looked at her, noting the flush on her breasts, the delightful tumble of her clothing.

Elizabeth sat up slowly, her faced flushed with embarrassment, pulling her wrapper about her tightly. As soon as she was covered once more, Dunstan sat at the foot of the chaise. "Dunstan?"

"I truly prefer Robert, love." He smiled at her, but kept his distance.

"Robert," she said hesitantly. Then as if determined not to let this opportunity pass her, she asked. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Don't play games with me, Robert. Why did you pull away? We were so close."

"Closer than you realized, love." He reached out to smooth a curl from her face. She grabbed his hand, kissing his palm. He let his finger trail down her
jawline
, following the curve of her cheek. "You are so lovely," he told her, his eyes gazing deeply into hers.

"Then why did you pull away?" Elizabeth tried to pull him closer, but he refused to move.

"It was the hardest thing I ever had to do," he said quietly, his eyes shadowed. "But I could not go on."

Her face paled. She dropped her eyes, fighting tears. "I see," she whispered, determined that he would not see her cry.

"No, love.
You do not."

"Don't keep calling me that!"

"What?"

"Love.
How can you call me that when you said you could not go
on.
I suppose I really am a fallen woman now," she said angrily. She swung her legs over the edge of the chaise, ready to make dash for the comparative safety of the dressing room.

"Shaken, my dear, not fallen.
That is why I stopped. Why I couldn't go on," he explained. "If I had taken you then, I would never have been able to let you go."

"Let me go where?"

"To the West Indies or the manor."

"Robert, you are not making sense. Shall we begin at the beginning?" Elizabeth suggested
,
her pulse rate finally slowed to normal. "Sit down beside me," she said, her voice coaxing. He shook his head. "Then bring that chair over here."

When he was safely in his own chair, Dunstan took a deep breath. Before he lost control again, he plunged in. "We have some decisions to make tonight," he said clearly. "Or at least you do. I know what I want to do already." He glanced at her to be certain she understood him. She nodded, causing her curls to bob again and her wrapper to slip a little. He turned away quickly.

"And what is that?" she asked, her voice low and husky. She picked up a scarf from the top of the trunk and began to fold it into smaller and smaller squares.

"Let me explain your choices, and then we will talk about mine." Elizabeth looked up at that, her eyes noting the strain and pallor in his face.

"Go on."

"You know our situation." She nodded solemnly. "Unless we take action immediately, we will be ostracized by society. It does not matter that the rumors are not specific or that they were probably made up by a jealous woman who thought you had too many beaux. The harm has been done."

"Do you mean to tell me that all this grief did not have any basis to it? That I have stayed in my room because someone was jealous of my beaux?" Elizabeth stood up, her eyes flashing. "Who did it? Does she realize what she has done? Tell me her name. I will visit her and let her discover firsthand the effects of gossip."

"It would do no good. Besides, the lady has already left. And you and I know there is a good reason for our reactions. We know what we did."

"You do? All I remember is waking up with you in my bed."

"A bump on my head and elsewhere"—he rubbed his hip,—"were my first memories of that occurrence. You had longer to react than I did."

"What did you expect me to do? Allow the maid to see you in my bed? With the curtains open, she was certain to see you."

"Agreed.
But the problem remains that we and probably someone else know that we were in bed together that morning. Charles said the rumors at the manor began when the coachman and groom returned from London."

"And the rumors here did not begin until the last ball of the Season was over in London," Elizabeth said thoughtfully. "If Jack had not come down earlier, I would know for certain it had been he." Elizabeth crossed to the chaise again. She ran her hand over the silk fabric covering it, remembering the warmth of Robert's skin beneath her hand.

"I think we can absolve Edgerton of the deed, but he has certainly added his share to the problem," Dunstan said, frowning.

"What do you mean? What has he been doing?"

"What he has been saying is more the question. The major and Lord
Hathaway,
have agreed to talk with him privately and discourage any future remarks."

"Did you warn them he was dangerous?"

"They know. They also said to tell you that they do not believe the gossip. But their colonel has prohibited them from visiting you. He is not as generous as they." Elizabeth smiled. "I have already begged their pardon for my ridiculous behavior," he added.

"After I overcame my anger, I decided that you were sweet to be jealous," Elizabeth said, giving him a long glance from under her eyelashes.

"Sweet?
That is not what you said," he reminded her. "I wish you had told me sooner."

"You were much too sure of yourself as it was. The ruthless way you dragged me off to the garden." Once more Elizabeth fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"And you always let me. Had you protested after the first time, I would have stopped," he told her seriously. "Elizabeth, I lived for these few moments alone." He smiled at her and she smiled back. Then their hands reached out to each other, and they were on the chaise again in each other's arms. A few kisses were all that Dunstan allowed them. Then he sat up again and pulled her up beside him.
"Enough of that."

Elizabeth allowed him to put her off again. "But who in London hates us enough to want to harm us?"

"The person may not hate us. He may simply be a gossip who cannot keep from repeating what he has seen or heard."

"You think it is a man?"

"I don't know. All I do know is that twice rumors have begun about us. And I do not plan for there to be a third time. I hate being the center of everyone's attention."

"You too?"
Elizabeth asked, turning to look at him in wonder. "All my life I have tried to stay out of the public eye. Unfortunately, I have not always succeeded."

"I was succeeding nicely until you came into my life," he reminded her. "For eighteen months I had been blessedly scandal-free."

"My fault again.
You did choose to crawl into that bed," she said firmly. Then she asked, "Why eighteen months?"

Then the whole story poured out: his father, his brother, his grandfather. "He has decided that it is time for me to marry," Dunstan explained for what he hoped would be the last time. "He has even picked out my bride."

"Your bride?"
Elizabeth's eyes flashed at him.

"She is his choice, not mine," he reminded her. His smile warmed her like a fire on a cold day. "But if we do not solve this problem satisfactorily, I may not be able to resist him much longer," he explained. "Or if
I
do, I will need to leave England,"

"Leave England?
Why?" she demanded, her heart racing in fear.

"I have decided that if he turns me off as he threatens to do, I will join our forces on the Peninsula," he said quietly, his mouth in a firm line. "But that is still only a possibility. Let us get back to our problem. How can we stop the gossip and prevent it from recurring?"

"Your superior has truly put you on a leave of absence?" He nodded. "And your grandfather is using the situation to force you to marry a girl you do not want?" He nodded again, pleased to see her mind more on him than herself. "Perhaps we should run away together," she said only half in jest.

"I have a better idea." He reached out and took her hand, holding it between both of his own. "Marry me."

"Robert, you know how I feel. Marriages that are forced rarely work out happily." She sighed deeply, but she did not pull her hand away.

"Remember the day at the royal stables?"

"How could I forget? The ball that evening is burned into my brain," Elizabeth said bitterly.

"Forget about the ball. Concentrate on the breakfast we shared." His thumb stroked the top of her hand lightly. "What would you have said that morning if I had asked you to marry me?" he asked quietly, his eyes never leaving hers. Her eyes fell before the ardor in his. "What would you have said?" he asked again. "Picture yourself there with me beside you. What would you have said?"

"Yes." The word was so soft that Dunstan had to strain to hear. He reached out and gathered her into his arms, covering her face with kisses. Resolutely she pushed him away. "But things have changed. Robert, do not feel you must offer for me. I would rather live in obscurity than have you beside me and unhappy."

"Haven't you been listening to me, Elizabeth? I want you for my wife. I was attracted to you as early as your First Season, but with my prospects your father would have laughed at me. As soon as I saw you again, I realized that you were even more lovely than you were as a young girl and that I wanted you to be mine. Now, call your maid and change your clothes. As soon as the clergyman arrives, we will be married."

"Tonight?"

"I am not letting you change your mind," he said firmly.

"What about your grandfather? Shouldn't he be here? Will he forgive us if we exclude him this way?"