Wildfire Kiss (23 page)

“Nick,” seemed to be the only thing she could
say.

“My love, my love … oh my little love …”
The duke was beside himself as he held her gently in his arms.

“He drugged me, I think … something over my
face …”

“I shall put him under ground for this!” The duke
started to lay her back down so he could make good on his
words.

She held tightly to him. “My own Lord
Wildfire … I think …” She glanced at Sir Edward
unconscious on his back in the road. “You have already done
that … do you think now, you could get me home?”

“Yes … first, my love, can you stand for
me …?” She started to move, and he helped her up onto her
feet. “Are you … steady?”

“Not quite … but I shall do. If you hoist me
onto your horse … and hold me there with you, it won’t be
comfortable, but I think we can manage …”

He almost crushed her to him. “My love, didn’t you
know … couldn’t you see, haven’t I always told you that you
could trust me?” He didn’t wait for her response. “I will know why
this happened … why you agreed to allow this
scoundrel …”

“Ah, for now, kiss me, Wildfire … then maybe I
will tell you my big, dark secret,” she said with some of her color
returning to her cheeks.

Epilogue

AS IT HAPPENED, Babs convinced her Wildfire to leave
Edward, who had lifted his head to survey the mess that was his, to
the ministrations of his coachman.

“Before we go … I mean to attend to him as he
should be dealt with,” the duke said harshly.

“No … no … you have to get me home …
leave him. We shall never look at him again.” She pulled at his
hand. “Come then, hoist me up …”

He found himself unable to resist her. It was as
though her wish was of the highest priority. He frowned but gently
fixed her in the saddle and hopped easily up behind her. She said
softly, “Hold me tight … I am not quite steady.”

He laughed with abounding joy. “You are a
minx … but say you will be my minx … Babs, shall we be
married this summer?”

“Oh yes, as quickly as we may before you change your
mind,” she said earnestly.

He laughed again and hugged her close. “Ah, my
love … I am set in my ways, but I know what I need for the
rest of my life …
Do you?
You are so young … are
you sure …?”

“All I want for the rest of my life is your Wildfire
kisses …
You are the one
, Nick,” she said softly.

He laughed and hugged her as he asked, “Then why did
you not say him nay?”

“I wrote
Passion’s Seed
,” she said simply.
“He made it his business to find out who penned it, and then he
threatened to expose me and ruin my family with the
information.”

“
You wrote
… you …?” His lordship
was incredulous, and then he barked a laugh. “I am so very proud of
you. Babs, you never cease to amaze me!”

“Then you don’t mind?”

“Mind? Why should I mind … When do you write
the next?” He rubbed his chin on her head.

“But … he may still choose to hurt
me …”

“He will be laid up for a time, and we are at an
impasse. He cannot reveal his part in today’s business, and for
fear of having your name bandied about, nor can we, but as to the
book, I have a notion that I think will work. I will visit with the
Regent and confess that my future bride is the author. He will be
thrilled to be the one who discovered the authorship, and he will
make certain you are admired for it.”

“It is what I thought I should do, go to the Regent,
but I see it would be much better for you to do so.”

“A powerful, wealthy duchess, which is what you will
soon be, can be forgiven many idiosyncrasies,” he said, touching
the nape of her neck with a kiss.

“I have lost my bonnet …” Babs suddenly
realized with a sigh.

He laughed and sighed. “Babs, I think you are going
to be forever giving me a neck-or-nothing ride …”

“Otto said that what I need is a man who will smile
at my antics … perhaps curb me a bit … but never tame me.
You don’t wish to tame me—
do you
?”

“More’s the pity, I do not.” He kissed the top of
her head, but as he brought her face up to his, he took his eyes
off the road ahead, leaving it to his horse, and kissed her sweetly
on her lips.

He came away with a husky note in his voice. “Have I
told you that I love you beyond hope of recovery?”

She laughed. “What a very odd way to put it, but I
am glad, for I don’t want you to recover from me …”

And at that moment their attention was called away
from each other by the sound of Otto yelling into the wind.

He rode at them, his hat and clothes askew, his
manner full with excitement. Glancing at one another, Babs and her
Wildfire felt a combined affection for the count as they laughed
right out loud!

***

But six weeks later

The wedding went off beautifully with all the
ton
in attendance. Sir Charles was the duke’s best man. Miss
Bretton was the maid of honor, and Babs asked Otto to be a groom in
her wedding party, which he did with a great show of pride.

Sir Frederick and Miss Bretton were married only a
month afterwards, as Corry wished to wait for the duke and his
duchess to return from their honeymoon and stand up for them during
the simple ceremony.

Sir Edward Danton decided to spend his summer at his
country estate in the north and was not heard from until late in
the fall.

Some whispered that he was recovering from a broken
heart … but perhaps that is a story for another day.

Taffeta & Hotspur

One

Spring 1813, Nottingham, England

Taffeta looked out the window as their well-sprung
carriage rumbled languidly over the country road. It was a cool
spring day, and the air held a fresh, crisp scent. She looked at
her brother and uncle across from her. Although she could see they
hadn’t paid the least heed to the sweet breeze as it wafted through
their open window, she breathed it in and prepared for battle.

“Don’t pout, Taffy! It ain’t like you, and it won’t
change my mind,” snapped Lord Nigel in a tone obviously meant to be
suitably firm and effective.

She wasn’t pouting, but she couldn’t pull herself
out of her ‘dream’ to tell him. She was too deeply engrossed in the
vision being enacted in her mind as though actors were on a stage
right before her eyes.

She saw a huge, muscular, and beautifully naked man
with dark eyes that burned through her as he looked right at her—at
least the ‘her’ on the stage. His black hair fell in waves around
his handsome face, and she watched herself as she glanced at him
from top to bottom and allowed her gaze to linger on his ready
manhood.

Lady Taffeta lived in the country and from time to
time had witnessed a stallion breeding. This incredible man was
much like a stallion. She felt herself blush and wondered who he
could be, and why she wasn’t shocked in her dream vision.

She had to get out of this vision. It was wrong—all
wrong. She sucked in air and broke out of the dream as she pushed
her golden tresses away from her face and tried to concentrate on
the present. She didn’t know where this vision had come from—she
was sure she had never seen such a man … yet. “What did you
say? Pouting? I … I am not pouting,” she announced, doing a
very good imitation of it. Taffeta had to direct her attention to
the present.

Sighing, she focused on the conversation at hand.
“Nigel, why you are suddenly taking on this attitude is more than I
can fathom. You may be my uncle, but you are only two years my
senior and not fit to tell me what I should or should not be
doing.”

Nigel turned to her brother beside him. She knew he
was looking for help. Her brother, the young Duke of Grantham, had
been more friend and confidant than nephew to Nigel since the first
day they had gurgled together on the lawns of Grantham Castle,
she’d frequently been told.

“What are you grinning about, Seth? I should think
you would lend me your aid in this. After all, she is your
sister!”

Taffy watched her brother as he eyed his uncle
doubtfully.

“Don’t look to me for help with the brat. Papa was
the only one able to control Taffy, and this muddle is all your
doing, you know.”

Lady Taffeta eyed her brother ruefully and then her
young uncle and guardian. She knew it had been difficult for him.
Nigel had been born to his parents late in life. After his parents’
death, his care and upbringing had gone to his older brother, and
he had grown up with Seth and her, so the job of guardianship was
forever in conflict with the position he held as their confident
and friend. There was scarcely a month in age between her brother
and Nigel, but that month had been enough to award Nigel
guardianship of both her brother and her upon the death of their
beloved father. She didn’t know what she would have done without
both of them.

However, it was getting close to the day when Seth
would be of age and take the reins of his own and her legal
interests.
It is sad really
, she thought idly,
how little
women are allowed.

“You know, Seth, when we started this thing with the
Luddites, well … I allowed myself to be drawn into it, even
allowed you to drag Taffy—” Nigel said.

This brought her out of her reverie, and she raised
one brow as she eyed them. “I wasn’t dragged.”

“Very well, I allowed Taffy to join in the thing
because she—we—needed a diversion. We were all so glum when we lost
your father … but dash it, man, I didn’t think it would go
this far. It just isn’t the thing for Taffy to be involved
in … all of this now. In fact, it is time for us to withdraw
as well.”

“Taffy always gets into everything we do. Always
has,” Seth answered with a wide grin in her direction. “And we
are
withdrawing.”

“Well, fond of her … we are both fond of
her … spirited thing …” Nigel conceded, talking about her
as though she weren’t there. “And yes, thank goodness, we are
withdrawing.”

“You have never minded before, Nigel,” Taffy said
with hurt in her voice.

“As to that, don’t mind now, quite the opposite
really. You have been helpful, in fact, but that isn’t the point,
is it?” Nigel answered irritably.

“That’s right. You’re a great ’un, and I’m proud to
own it!” answered Seth.

“Well, but you shouldn’t, Seth. You are a duke. One
day you will owe it to the line to take a wife and beget an heir.
Your sister needs to marry to suit her station and have a life. You
should not be referring to her as a
great gun!”

“Bit out there, Nigel. Taffy has a life. Deuce take
it, what maggot’s got into your head, with all this talk of
marriage and heirs? None of us are ready for that.”

“That is just it … we should be getting ready
for it. We all owe it to our names. Taffy may only be nineteen, but
next month she will turn twenty, and she needs to attend the London
cotillions and … not have these escapades hanging over her
head. They may rear up and haunt us.”

“Oh pooh, as though I care for such things,” she
said.

“Well, you
should
care for such things,”
replied her uncle. “The job of guardian wears heavy on my mind
lately.”

“I am happy here at Grantham with you and Seth. I
don’t want to troll about for a man in London.”

Her brother barked a laugh, and Nigel shook his
head. “
Troll about
, indeed. Taffy, don’t you want to be
courted?”

“Have enough of that right here in Nottingham,” she
said with a giggle.
“Your
friends have been doing a bang-up
job of courting me these last few months.”

“Really?” Her brother was moved to exclaim. “Never
say so, Taff … who?”

“Trevor Harley for one. He has been making up to me
for the last three months. And Sir Edward tried to kiss me in the
rose garden yesterday, and Jeffry
did
kiss me the day
before …”

“Edward tried to kiss you?
Jeffry did kiss
you
? I’ll run them through,” declared the young duke quite
properly and then immediately burst into laughter. “’Pon my soul,
Edward and Jeffries …” He went off into a rollicking course of
mirth, and he slapped Nigel’s knee, who was also chuckling with
amusement.

She waited patiently while it took them some moments
to catch their breath again before returning to the issue at hand.
“So, I am perfectly content to stay at Grantham and not bother with
a London season.” She shook her head. “Don’t want to add my name to
the lists of debutantes and stand in line waiting to be
noticed …”

“You may be my sister, but I ain’t blind,
girl … You wouldn’t be waiting in line, you would stand
out … Have you looked at yourself lately?” answered her
brother with another chuckle.

“Taffy, you are naught but a green girl,” pronounced
her uncle Nigel.

“Take care, Nigel,” warned Taffy. She lowered her
voice in annoyance and was satisfied to see they knew her well
enough to know she was in a temper about to boil over.

“Oh, now, Taff, take a damper,” said her brother.
“What Nigel means is that you will want a house of your own one
day. You know Papa always said two women could not comfortably rule
one household, and if one of those women were you … whoa.” He
smiled at her and took her chin. “In order to make a suitable
marriage, you are going to have to
out-strut
the best of
them at Almack’s and choose the man of your dreams, not go wildly
about with Nigel and me.”

“But, I am a part of it all … ” said Taffeta on
an obstinate note. “And I shan’t allow you to shut me out at this
stage. I want to see it through.”

“We allowed you to join us to shake you out of your
depression over Papa’s death. We had to do something about your
blues, and you seemed to take a keen interest in the Luddite
movement. But then that first harebrained fetch came up, and we all
did so splendidly, we never gave a monkey for the consequences.” He
shook his fair head of curls ruefully. “No, we didn’t think then of
the future. But, Taff, Nigel is right. We are taking you to London,
and you will take your place amongst the
haute ton
.”