Sylvie Sommerfield - Noah's Woman (27 page)

They drank, and Noah watched the reflection of the firelight in her eyes. Food was the last thing on his mind, but he sat down opposite her and prepared a plate for each of them, handing hers across the small table. While they ate, Noah tried to involve her in conversation about herself, but it seemed only to aggrevate her nervousness. So he desisted and regaled her with humorous stories of his childhood until her smile reappeared.

When the meal was finished, they sat before the fireplace and sipped wine and began to talk about their future. Noah drew her gently against him, and she nestled in his arms as if she had belonged there forever. In fact, she felt just that, as if Noah were another part of herself.

He tilted her chin up, and in the glow of the firelight she could see the warmth in his eyes. He kissed her gently, a light touch of his lips on hers. Any fears she might have had melted in the promise of that kiss.

"Tonight there is only you and me, Noah. I do so love you, beyond anything in the world. Nothing else matters at all."

Her words were silenced by a kiss that stopped all rational thought. When he rose and extended his hand to her, she smiled and put her hand in his.

In the bedroom, there was a fire in the small fireplace, but it showed signs of dying. Noah went to kneel before it and stirred it to new life, then rose and turned his gaze to meet Charity's across the room.

She had moved to a nearby table and poured two glasses of rich red wine. She stood with a glass in each hand and a smile of invitation on her lips that could not be denied.

He gazed at her for a moment, then crossed the room to join her. But instead of taking a glass from her hand, he reached up and slowly began to pull the pins from her hair, loosening it and working his hands through the heavy mass until it drifted about her in golden profusion. Only then did he take both glasses from her hands and place them on the table.

"We don't need any more wine tonight," he said quietly. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly. Her lips parted under his, and she could feel the glowing flame deep inside her burst and flood her whole being like molten lava. His hands slid down to her hips to hold her tighter to him, and she could feel the hard demand of his passion.

Noah loosened the hooks at the back of her gown and slid it from her shoulders to lie in a heap at her feet. The thin chemise she wore hid little, and she thanked Kat for insisting she would not need a con-

fining corset or any other obstacle tonight.

Noah could see the rapid rise and fall of her breasts through the gauze-like material. He held her again and kissed her deeply, letting his kisses roam down her throat to the swell of her breasts. His seeking hands and mouth found the soft flesh beneath her chemise.

Only when she was lost to desire and the room swirled about her did he swing her up in his arms and carry her to the large and inviting bed.

He laid her gently against the pillows and for a moment stood above her absorbing the intoxicating view.

Charity watched as he removed his clothes. First his coat was thrown hastily on a chair. Then his muscular arms appeared from beneath the white shirt. The rest of his clothes followed rapidly, and he stood before her in the glow of the fire: long limbs, taut and heavily muscled: broad shoulders and chest; strong, narrow hips. Charity rose on one elbow and gazed at the muscular beauty of her husband. She wanted him as much as he obviously wanted her. She lay back against the pillows and raised her arms to meet him.

Never having been a hesitant man, Noah needed no further invitation. He joined her on the bed and gathered her into his arms to kiss her again.

His tongue probed the soft moistness of her willing mouth, and hers answered, timidly at first, then more urgently as her need for him filled her.

Noah wanted to touch and know every inch of her. Moving his lips down the curve of her throat, he ex-

plored the soft, rose-tipped breasts until he could hear a purr of contented pleasure.

She felt the fire flow from him to her, and she arched under him with a soft cry of passion. But he moved slowly, exploring the gentle curve of her hips, the flat plain of her stomach, the inner flesh of her thighs which parted willingly.

He brought a moan from the depths of her as his mouth discovered soft, intimate places while his fingers penetrated the heated softness of her. They stroked gently . . . firmly . . . rapidly, until she forgot all but him.

"Charity," he whispered with a half groan as with silken body and boldly seeking hands she stirred to higher heat the fire of his passion.

His hands stroked her body, savoring the petal softness of her skin. She was lost and he knew it. He desired nothing more than to bury himself in her . . . but he waited until he was absolutely sure she was ready for him. And she displayed that readiness with a fire that made his breath catch in his throat and the blood surge in his veins. Their bodies came together hungrily, and she returned his fevered kisses as she clung to him, giving herself wholly to him. He luxuriated in her giving. He entered her as easily as he could and felt a joy such as he had never known as she lifted to him with an urgency that matched his.

Only then, when she was consumed with the rippling pleasure that washed over her in wave after wave, did he allow himself the freedom of total surrender. They moved as one, dissolving in mutual fire.

As he moved, inexorably and steadily, her body

quivered in delight. Her breath came in short gasps, and soft moans escaped without her knowledge. They moved together, her body arching to meet his driving thrusts, and her hands digging into the muscles of his back and sliding down to his hips to urge him to even deeper possession.

Giving and taking, they rose higher and higher until his mouth was all that silenced her cries of ecstasy as they soared to the pinnacle and beyond, clinging to each other.

Charity held tight to Noah until her world righted itself, until her breathing and heartbeat returned to normal. Only then could she look up into his eyes and see that he, too, had experienced this earthshaking and wonderful thing.

Noah bent his head and lightly touched his lips to her forehead and then to her cheeks. "Ah, Charity, how wonderful you are, and how much I love you."

He gathered her to him as he rolled to his side, and she rested her head on his chest. She laid her hand against the bronzed flesh of his chest, and gazed at the ring that glowed upon her finger. The ring was a symbol of their marriage, but what she and Noah had just experienced was the sign of their love. It was overwhelming and fulfilling, and yet a bit frightening. The more she loved Noah, the more her fear grew that she could lose him.

"What are you thinking?" Noah asked.

"I am thinking that I would not want to go on with my life if you were not a part of it. That I hope you do not tire of me and find someone else to share this"

"And if I did?" He was amused at the thought. He was sure that no matter how many years they had together, he would go on wanting her more and more.

"I would be violently jealous. Most likely I should snatch every hair from her head." She smiled up at him. "Before I rendered you incapable of committing such an indiscretion again."

"It seems I have caught myself a tigress."

"Where you are concerned, Noah, I believe I could be. I want you all to myself . . . forever."

"I shall endeavor to make sure you have just that. Forever . . . Charity I'm so glad I looked behind Aphrodite's mask and found you."

At the memory of the masquerade ball at which she had met Noah, all of Gregory's plans came back to her. His plans and her part in them. Noah sensed at once that he had touched on a sensitive subject and again waited for her to open her heart to him and confide what he already knew. He wanted to wash Gregory Hamilton from her mind forever, but there was little he could do unless she spoke first.

After all, how could he tell her that he and Hamilton had been enemies for a long time, and that there was little about his enemy he didn't know . . . except how to break the code in the letters he had found, and when, where, and how the attempted assassination was to take place?

"You were so insistent," Charity recalled. "You quite took my breath away."

"I wasn't about to let the finest thing to enter my life escape it. I'm glad I found you again."

Charity wanted no questions she was unprepared to answer just then. She looked up at Noah, who had risen on one elbow to gaze into her eyes. Reaching both hands up to tangle in his thick black hair, she drew his head down to hers. As the fiery kiss grew, Noah forgot questions and answers. He forgot all but the miracle he held in his arms.

Under the same brilliant moon that lighted the hideaway of the lovers, a ship was coming into dock in London harbor. On deck a man and woman stood side by side and watched the city come into view. She was an attractive woman a few months short of forty, but her face was young, and contentment radiated from it.

The man who stood beside her was a brawny fellow perhaps a year or two older than she. He had the appearance of one who has troubles and hard labor, for his eyes were filled with knowledge only time and life can impart.

His hair was golden brown with silver strands, and his short beard and moustache were threaded with silver as well. He gazed down on the woman with a look of understanding mixed with doubt. He would have prevented her taking this trip if he could, but he knew it was necessary to her peace of mind. He, too, wanted the ghosts washed away for all time.

''It is possible that many things have happened since you left London, not all of them good," he suggested. "Perhaps there is no sign of her . . . perhaps she is dead."

"We have considered these things so many times,

and all other possibilities as well, but I cannot rest or find any happiness until I have fulfilled my duty."

"Why did you not write to this Josine and keep contact so that she would know you were coming?"

"Because my enemy is too clever. It would have taken no time for her to find where I went. Josine and I had everything planned, and it was necessary for the child's sake to make sure she was of the right age before I came back to see that her inheritance is returned to her."

"I have watched you over these years and I do admire your devotion to the girl, but you must face the facts. It has been years. Maybe this Josine . . . given enough reward"

"No! Josine would never betray me or the child. Josine is the one person whose faith I can depend upon completely."

"Laura, you know how much I love you."

She turned to him and laid her hand over his. "I know, Andrew, and you know how grateful I am."

He smiled. "Is your gratitude the reason you finally agreed to become my wife?"

"Gratitude had little to do with that. I married you because of your strength, your kindness, and because I love you with my whole heart."

"I would not see you hurt," he said gently.

"There is another reason why I married you."

"Oh?"

"Yes, because of your compassion and loyalty. You think I am chasing a dream, and that the child is lost to me. Still you come with me, support me, and let me lean upon you in my hours of desperation. I do

not believe I could have finished this if you had not helped me."

"It is my investment I am considering."

She laughed softly. "Being your servant saved both my sanity and my life. And I'm quite certain I would not be here today had you not listened to me and made the way easier."

"I want you to remember, my love, that you still have a long time to serve your indenture. I should think the rest of your life would do nicely."

She rose on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "If I had stayed in America, Andrew, I would never know what has become of her. I would have to live with the idea that her inheritance was lost to her, and that would be very hard to do. She has a right to what is hers. Besides, I would not want Glenda to win. She has enjoyed her ill-gotten wealth long enough."

"Well, we are coming in to dock. I imagine it is too late tonight to find our answers. We will find lodgings and rest for a while. First thing in the morning we'll go to the orphanage and find Josine. Then we should have all the answers to your questions."

"Andrew . . . what if"

"Now, let's have no second thoughts."

"I have been so afraid for her all these years that it is hard to put the fear away."

"I know. But now we are very close. The orphanage is only a short distance away. What are you afraid of now?"

"I . . . I don't know. It is strange to be here, to not waken in our home in New York. To know that some-

thing I have dreamed of for all these long years is finally about to come true. It is hard to wait."

"Morning will be here sooner than you think. You have been patient all these years, surely one more night will make no difference."

"No, I suppose it won't."

He understood her reluctance, but he had a motive of his own. A year ago he had decided to find someone here in London he could trust. An attorney friend had been discussing his son's good fortune in acquiring a major account in London for his law firm. The son had gone to spend a year or two in London, and Andrew had asked him to make discreet inquiries about the orphanage and its matron.

Andrew meant to contact that young man early the next day, preferably before Laura awoke. He wanted to protect her in every way he could from severe disappointment.

When they finally found a cab to take them to their hotel, it was very late, and Andrew insisted Laura get as much rest as she could. He was satisfied only when he looked down on her sleeping form.

He was afraid. Laura had held this secret in her heart for so long, he wondered what void would be left when she came face to face with an answer that might only cause her pain.

The next morning Laura awakened to find Andrew gone, and a note explaining that he would be back in time to breakfast with her and to accompany her to the orphanage. Under no circumstances was she to go alone.