Delight and Desire (7 page)
Read Delight and Desire Online
Authors: Joanna Maitland
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Historical, #General
Isobel straightened her shoulders. The mere thought of spending days with Robert in the confines of a post chaise had her insides heating and melting. She tried not to dwell on that. There would be a time for desire. Later. Especially if what she had seen in his eyes was love.
She forced herself to sit demurely at the desk. After a moment’s thought, Robert said, ‘We must turn you into a selfish, top-lofty young woman, I fear. It is the only way. Try this.’
Isobel wrote at his dictation.
Annie, Pray tell my dear aunt that I beg her pardon for having left so abruptly, but I could not consent to marry a man so far beneath me, even to spare my papa. I shall stay with my friend Emma until Mr Craigie has withdrawn. Impress upon my dear aunt, pray, that my uncle must
not
come here after me. My kind hostess moves in the highest circles, but even she could not prevent the scandal that would result.
‘That will do, I think,’ he said. ‘And now you must write a covering note to Annie, so that—’
‘Wait, Robert. This will
not
do. My uncle will soon discover that I am not at Lady Manson’s house.’
Robert shook his head. ‘Oh, ye of little faith.’ He picked up a clean quill pen and the water carafe. ‘Watch.’ He deftly placed a tiny drop of water on the word ‘Emma’. The letters blurred and become quite illegible. To complete the deception, he dripped on other parts of the paper, too. ‘You wrote this in a mood of guilty resolution. Determined, but unable to hold back your tears.’
He pulled out a fresh sheet. ‘And now the note to Annie.’
Obediently Isobel wrote at his dictation, instructing the maid to do everything possible to put her uncle off the scent, and then to travel to Scotland, with Grant.
‘Two days’ start should be enough,’ Robert said firmly, pulling her to her feet and into his embrace.
She could trust him. He would save them both. She gazed up into his beloved face, hoping, longing to see some sign that he might one day feel more than mere desire when she was in his arms.
What she saw there took her breath away.
He stroked her hair back from her temple with a sure, possessive hand. ‘You will be safe very soon, under the protection of my name. As my most beloved wife.’
Her long sigh of delight was captured in his kiss, the kiss of a man who loves and is beloved in return.
The
Times
, London, July 1800:
Lately, Major Robert Anstruther to Miss Isobel Lang Ritchie.
‘What did your father mean, Robert? He said you had given him an ultimatum. And then he laughed. Is there some private joke between you?’ She snuggled more closely into the crook of Robert’s arm and slithered a hand over his naked stomach, ignoring his sharply indrawn breath.
He put his fingers over hers and held them still. ‘I cannot think when you do that, my love. If you want a coherent answer, you must behave.’ She sighed loudly. ‘Not for long, I promise.’ He dropped a kiss on the top of her ear. Neither of them spoke. They simply relaxed into each other’s embrace. They were married, and one flesh. Star-crossed no longer. Soon there would be another glorious joining. But that could wait a little while. Even waiting could be pleasurable.
He stroked her hair. ‘My father is not long for this world. He has had too many seizures. He confidently expects the next one to carry him off.’
‘Robert! You must not—’
‘No, love. There can be no pretending. He does not wish it. He says he is ready to meet his maker. He means to put an end to the Ritchie-Anstruther feud.’
She caught her breath. ‘Was it you who—?’
‘I urged him to it, I admit. In the face of death, he sees that it is futile, and condemns the grandchildren he will not live to see. He spent his life pursuing that feud, and now he is equally determined to see it finished. He is not a man to cross, even now. And his mind is still sharp enough to have found a way.’
‘But how?’
‘He is making a new will. He will leave a large legacy to Archibald Ritchie, with a dying man’s wish that it be used to restore the Ritchies’ standing in the world. In return, my father asks only that yours will bless the union of our two families, and care for his grandchildren.’ He touched a finger to Isobel’s cheek and wiped away a stray tear. ‘I pray that your father will not refuse.’
‘He—’ She stopped and thought hard. She should know her father well enough to be sure. ‘My father is stubborn, but he is an honourable man. I hope…I think he will feel bound to accept.’ She gazed up at her beloved husband through her tears. ‘If only your poor papa did not have to die to accomplish this. It seems so very sad…’
‘Aye, and so it is. But he would not have you weep, my darling. He would have us celebrate life, and the love we have found together.’ He lifted her fingers and laid them on the very definite evidence of his need.
Isobel sighed in satisfaction and curled her hand round his flesh, tightening her grasp until he groaned, deep in his chest.
‘You truly do know how to torment a man, Mrs Anstruther.’
‘Not
any
man, sir. Only the one man who showed me how very special love can be, when it is given and returned in equal measure.’ She slid her hand up his hard length, until he arched his neck with the exquisite agony of it. She squeezed again.
‘That, madam, is quite enough of that.’ His voice was little more than a gasp. With a deft flick, he rolled her on to her back and settled into the cradle of her hips. ‘What I need now is all of you.’ He slid into her body in one long, glorious stroke and then stilled. ‘I have you now, my love. And tomorrow,’ he whispered into her ear, his mouth so close that his breath made her shiver deliciously, ‘I think I shall take you back to Caerlaverock. I shall make love to you there in the twilight, under the stars. My darling nymph shall be earthbound, for ever. We were so nearly star-crossed lovers. Let us show those old stones that twilight lovers can
live
for each other, too.’
And then he kissed her, and it was as if the whole canopy of stars was enfolding them, and smiling down on their union.
Readers can meet the Anstruthers again in
Bride of the Solway,
published as a Harlequin Historical in September 2010.
If you liked this story, look for more of Joanna Maitland’s historical romances always available in ebook format!
His Cavalry Lady
His Forbidden Liaison
His Reluctant Mistress
His Silken Seduction
A Regency Invitation
, “An Uncommon Abigail”
And don’t forget
The Bride of Solway
, connected to
Delight and Desire
, on sale now!
If Cassandra Elliott does not escape from the Laird of Galloway, she’ll be forced into marriage or confined to Bedlam! Desperate, she turns to Captain Ross Graham, and begs for help in a most unladylike manner.
Fleeing across the Solway, Cassie and Ross cannot be distracted by a desire as wild as the Scottish hills. When Cassie is kidnapped, Ross realizes exactly what this spirited, seductive woman has come to mean to him…but will he find her in time to tell her?
Enjoy more passion through the ages with the sensual Harlequin Historical UNDONE titles on sale now:
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Craving something a little longer? Find more historical romantic adventure from Harlequin Historical at www.eHarlequin.com or your local bookstore.
Interested in writing for Harlequin Historical UNDONE? Send your submission to [email protected].
Joanna Maitland
was born and educated in Scotland, though she has spent most of her adult life in England or abroad. She has been a systems analyst, an accountant, a civil servant, and director of a charity. Now that her two children have left home, she and her husband have moved from Hampshire to the Welsh Marches, where she is revelling in the more rugged country and the wealth of medieval locations. When she is not writing, or climbing through ruined castles, she devotes her time to trying to tame her house and garden, both of which are determined to resist any suggestion of order. Readers are invited to visit Joanna’s website at www.joannamaitland.com
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5293-0
Delight and Desire
Copyright © 2010 by Joanna Maitland
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