Amethyst (40 page)

"We will. We'll be there when the sun rises."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Ford put a sympathetic arm around Kendra's shoulders and drew her out of the tavern, and she resigned herself to a sleepless night of waiting.

COLIN WAS AWAKENED
by a warm, delicate kiss brushed across his mouth. He opened his eyes lazily, gazing up through half-closed lids. In the hazy light of dawn, he saw Amy's face just inches from his, her sweet breath lightly caressing him from between her parted lips.

"Colin, make me forget the feel of his touch," she whispered before lowering her mouth once again to meet his.

How could he resist such a heavenly invitation?

He returned her kiss gently, at first mindful of her bruises. But soon his resolve melted away. Concerns for her battered anatomy and fragile state of mind were pushed aside as his body responded to hers with a will of its own.

Rolling her over slowly, he brushed the hair off her forehead and framed her face with his hands. His eyes searched hers for permission and approval, but what shone from their amethyst depths was such a deep, abiding love that he was momentarily taken aback. His breath caught in his chest, and he blinked, but when he opened his eyes the look was still there.

Unconditional and unfaltering.

Her arms came around his back, and she gifted him with a sweet smile of encouragement. With a soft groan, Colin covered her parted lips with his own. His tongue plundered her warm mouth with reckless abandon until both of them were breathless.

When he broke contact, he could feel her heart beating against his in the still room. He bent to place a kiss in the hollow of her throat and inched one hand down to caress her breast.

She shook her head. "Now," she said, her voice shaky and tremulous. "Come inside me
now
. Please."

The simple words sent the blood racing through his veins. He'd never heard a more sensuous plea. A man given to leisurely, playful lovemaking, in this case he was only too eager to comply.

He came over her and slid inside her welcoming body with a single swift thrust. Her answering moan of pleasure drove the last lingering thoughts of restraint from his mind, and his body took over, innately establishing the glorious tempo that bound the two of them together, body and soul.

She cried out, clutching him, and his heart leapt. In that moment, he knew with a stunning clarity that he'd never give her up again. Nor did he want only part of her.

He had tried to protect his heart—tried and failed. Now it was bursting with love, and he couldn't deny it a moment longer.

He pushed into her again, and the sweet sensation of her convulsing around him sent hot fingers of fire sprinting along his nerves, enveloping his entire body in explosions of pleasure.

A while later, once his heart had slowed, he came up on his elbows and brushed the tangled curls off her face with shaking hands. His lips grazed her eyelids, the warm swath of her forehead, one shell-pink ear. "I love you," he whispered there.

Amy's breath came in uneven gasps. "Wh-what?"

He kissed one downy cheek and the tip of her nose before his tongue flicked her other earlobe. "I love you," he murmured, his voice husky and unsteady.

"No. You cannot. We cannot."

His head snapped up. Did she not
want
to marry him? "But I saw it in your eyes. I thought you—"'

"I love you, too," she whispered fiercely. Her arms tightened around him, crushing him to her. "I do. It's just—"

"Hush." Colin touched his fingers to her lips. "I've never told a woman that, you know," he admitted with rueful candor. "You've disrupted my entire life, Amethyst Goldsmith."

In contrast to his words, he felt immensely pleased with himself and his world. He kissed her with all the exquisite tenderness he felt in his heart, completely at peace for the first time in months.

"Tell me again," she begged, a smile in her voice.

"I love you," he said simply, and it was easier than he'd ever thought possible.

When he lifted himself off her, sliding from her body, a small sound of loss escaped her lips. "Oh…"

Chuckling, he settled himself beside her and propped his head up on one hand. "I'll be back," he promised, shooting her his best irresistibly devastating grin.

Her response was a hum and a gentle smile, intimate as a kiss. "Don't be too long, said in a seductive whisper, then she blushed, clearly pleased at her own boldness.

To his amazement, Colin's body responded immediately. When he opened his mouth to speak, the words were rough with renewed passion.

"Has it been long enough yet?"

IT WAS STILL DARK
and foggy when Kendra and Ford left Jason and a footman at the deserted St. James. She was relieved to confirm they were not too late—at least not at this church.

The bleary-eyed twins traveled on to St. Trinity and were elated to find it empty as well.

They slipped into a back pew to wait, resting their exhausted bodies and chatting quietly. A couple arrived with two witnesses in tow, and then another couple, the woman visibly pregnant. The two groups stood in separate clusters in the back of the sanctuary, shifting nervously on their feet as they waited for their respective ceremonies to commence.

The light grew steadily brighter, passing through the ancient leaded windows and projecting brilliant colored patches on the walls and floor of the church. At last, a door opened at the far end, and a plump curate entered. He bustled about, lighting a few tapers before turning to address the small crowd.

A satisfied smile spread on his face as he viewed the assemblage. "Now, who was here first?"

"We were, Father." Kendra rose, tugging on Ford's hand to pull him up after her and down the narrow aisle.

"Where are your witnesses?" the curate asked as the twins came up before him.

"But—" Ford sputtered, "but she's my sister!"

The man's crooked teeth disappeared as his smile reversed to a stern frown. "Young man, I realize we're known for being, ah,
tolerant
here at St. Trinity, but the church expressly forbids—"

"Dear heavens!" Kendra's laughter rang through the sanctuary. "We're not here to be wed, Father—we're here to find out if someone else was wed on Saturday. We hope to prevent the marriage if it hasn't already taken place."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" the clergyman asked peevishly. "Whom are you inquiring about?"

"Amy—Amethyst—Goldsmith and Robert Stanley."

The curate's eyes opened wider. "I declare, I cannot recall the last time there was so much interest in one wedding. Why—"

"Then they're already married?" Kendra's heart seemed to drop to her stomach.

"No. Not to my knowledge." When she sagged in relief, the clergyman smiled. "I believe they were here Saturday evening, however, and yesterday a tall gentleman with dark hair—"

"Our brother," the twins said in unison.

The stout man looked them both over thoughtfully. "Yes, he could have been. In any case, the groom in question planned to return this morning, and your brother went off to search the inns on Fenchurch Street last night."

"Thank you
so
much." Kendra handed the man a coin.

Her wide smile must have been contagious, because the curate's uneven teeth reappeared, although his gaze was already shifting to the other couples. "Now, who was next?"

Kendra and Ford retreated to the front steps of the church, where they quickly decided Ford would wait inside in case Robert and Amy appeared, while Kendra took the carriage to fetch Jason.

She arrived at St. James to find Jason pacing outside. He strode to the carriage. "What's news?"

"They're not wed." Kendra grinned. "But he plans to wed her today, at St. Trinity. Jason…"

"What?" He climbed inside and pulled the door shut.

"I'm hoping you won't mind, but I asked Carrington to head for Fenchurch Street. The curate said Colin was searching the inns there last night. I'm thinking perhaps he grew tired and slept at one of them." Jason began to protest, but Kendra held up a hand, rushing to finish. "Won't you check a few of the inns,
please
? I cannot just sit and wait."

"But you said Robert and Amy are due back at the church."

"It's still early. Besides, Ford will see to matters should they arrive."

"There's no arguing with you once your mind is set, is there?" Jason muttered.

For the next half hour, he obligingly walked along Fenchurch, checking a few likely places while the carriage followed at a crawl.

Kendra regretted the detour almost immediately. Waiting in the carriage, she grew more and more impatient as she watched Jason go in and out. She noticed a sign in the window of Mr. Farr's Tobacco Shop, proclaiming it had "The Best Tobacco by Farr." A few shops down there was another sign, that of his rival, "Far Better Tobacco than the Best Tobacco by Farr." She smiled, but mostly she was bored and restless, wondering what was happening back at the church.

Coming out of the seventh inn, Jason stalked to the carriage, his face set in purposeful lines. The door was flung open just as he arrived.

"Kendra, this is—"

"—a waste of time. They may have turned up at St. Trinity by now. And much as I trust Ford to intervene, I'd hate to miss the resulting scene. It ought to be better than Shakespeare."

Worn out as he was, Jason couldn't help but smile. "You're something else, you know that?"

"I'm
your
sister." She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Come along."

Before climbing inside, Jason instructed his coachman to turn around at Mark Lane and head back to St. Trinity. But they'd driven less than two minutes when Kendra started banging on the roof of the carriage.
"Stop! Stop!"

"What the devil—"

"That's Ebony! There, in that shed. Colin's here!"

She was down from the carriage before the wheels stopped turning. Jason groaned as he followed her out. "Now, Kendra, not every horse with a white star on his forehead is Ebony."

But it was. Whickering softly as they approached, Ebony bent his big head to search Jason's pockets for a treat.

"Colin must be in there." Kendra indicated a dubious establishment called the Cat and Canary.

"I think not." Jason shook his head. "Colin wouldn't stay in a place like that, no matter how tired he was."

"Then where?"

He pointed to the back wall of the shed. "Behind there is Leadenhall Street. And a very nice inn, if I'm not mistaken."

MINUTES LATER, KENDRA
and Jason were knocking on the door to Number Three at the Rose and Crown. A sleepy, barefoot Colin came to answer, his breeches unlaced, his shirt untucked, his hair in disarray, and a stupid, satisfied smile plastered on his bristled face.

Needing no other evidence to guess she'd find Amy in his bed, Kendra pushed past him. She wasn't sure whether she was thrilled to see Amy sitting up against the pillows, or horrified to see her friend had a quilt clutched under her chin to cover her bareness.