Journey's End (Marlbrook) (9 page)

Armed with the insight that Laura had joined him in desire
,
Thomas grew bolder, his actions drowning them in ecstasy.  Thomas no longer governed his responses, but he had an imperative need for Laura to free him from uncertainty.

“Laura, if we are to
go no further
,
I beg of you to demand this of me now
,
before it is too late.”

Laura fought to vanquish the unfamiliar hunger that gnawed at her depths, but the intensity of Thomas’ expression united with passion to rob her of any such hope.

Laura’s silence gave Thomas his answer.

Deliberate in its leisure, Thomas’ mouth again
sought
Laura’s and the kiss, a long slow meeting, made the pit of Laura’s stomach wrench.

Thomas’ hands, bound by affection, were mindful of Laura’s needs but unwilling to deviate from their course. The essence of Laura added tenderness to his response, and her body, in all its glory, granted him delight.

The initial contact made Laura flinch.  She was conscious of Thomas’ caresses, and his lips were relied upon to stay her nagging doubt.

Thomas’ actions increased in confidence, a mere petticoat no barrier, as he bared Laura’s breasts to his touch.  Large calloused hands sketched the outline of the precious mounds before cupping them in their grasp.  His craving was physical and overrode thought.  Had he been in position
,
he would have taken Laura there and then, his body arching of its own accord
,
rehearsing what was to come.

Thomas’ mouth encompassed Laura’s nipple
,
drawing it into its heat, his tongue teasing.  Thomas trembled with rapture, Laura’s response
s
spurring him on.  He shifted his weight.  One hand travelled the length of Laura’s long limbs before gently coaxing her thighs apart.  He
fought to
resist the incredible impulse to probe inside her private territory, a place he longed to abide.

Thomas kissed Laura as only a lover could while positioning himself in readiness to penetrate her warm depths, the compulsion to enter her was intense - God, the sole witness to the strength of his want.

Dark eyes embraced Laura, the final hurdle before they became one, and it came as no surprise when he confronted the look that both curbed and inflamed his desire.  Thomas beheld the woman he loved, and in all conscience could not condemn her to a life of regret.

Thomas remained entwined, acknowledging the experience of mourning.  Censure rightfully fell upon him, and his behaviour could cost him dearly.  Inexperienced, Laura’s suffering showed
,
but Thomas loved her all the more for registering her honesty.  That they were both willing partners was apparent, and this awareness suspended any words Thomas might have considered uttering.

Impact took time to occur.  Laura lay uncaring
,
as she scanned the scene.  She
strove
to make sense of what had just taken place.

Fragments of thought circulated in her mind, and her eyes brimmed with pools of liquid.  Laura's body cried out for more.

The beauty of their union
,
and the loss of fulfilment
,
had left the lovers needy, conflict a new entrant upon the scene.

Laura could hear Thomas speak, but she lacked awareness.  Heightened senses demanded taming, the loading of her disgrace a private assignment.  Laura plunged headlong into distress, and Thomas became a bystander to her suffering.

Thomas began not to apologise, but to ask Laura to forgive herself.  His knowledge far outweighed hers, and he determined that this would be her hardest task.

Inwardly
,
Thomas groaned
,
as the possible consequences of his behaviour confronted him.  Laura could have been placed in threat of a child.  His conduct obliged him to re-examine his principles, the case taking on a moral as well as a physical aspect.

As they made to depart, w
ords did not present themselves - there were none
.
  Laura looked
away
as Thomas leaned forward to help her mount his horse, his hand extended in support to a beneficiary blind to his concern.

Laura fought for self-possession.  The caretaker had entered her narrow world and wrenched it apart.  What nature decreed
to
happen between a man and a woman her guardians had omitted from her education, but natural instincts told Laura that they had not completed the act. 

Laura
salvaged little consolation from her insight, and the knowledge afforded her nowhere to offload blame.  She turned upon herself for the wanton abandonment she
had demonstrated, and a
wave of physical sickness descended upon
her
.  In her own mind
,
she could be branded a whore
,
for the difference appeared slight.  Laura had wanted Thomas just as intensely as he had wanted her.

CHAPTER
TWELVE
- Time

“
Miss Townsend
,” Lady
Catherine
began, “I understand more than you realise, and I will not tolerate any poor behaviour while your sister is absent.”

Sarah merely nodded.  She had to accept that the only reason she would be tolerated at Marlbrook was due to the spinster of a sister she had inherited.

Lady
Catherine
’s arrival had been accompanied by all the splendour and formality that one would expect when welcoming
home
a Lady and her entourage.  Sarah had travelled from
London
in the company of her Ladyship, thrilled to have been chosen for the role.  However
,
it had not taken Sarah long to discover the pitfalls that went with
that
selection.  Lady
Catherine
was an old woman with stale comments and lectures that bored.

#

The butler entered the morning room, a serious frown engraved upon his wrinkled features.

“
Lady Catherine
,
it appears that
Lord Ashley has taken
in
the young lady.”

“Thank you,
Jenkins
.
With my son
making his way back to the
city
, t
he timing of the situation is most unfortunate.”

“
S
hall
I
organise
the
carriage and fetch her myself, ma’am
?
”

“No – I have need of you here. Send the sister. She is of no use to me at present.”

News of Laura’s delay provided an unexpected bonus for Sarah.  She
had
delivered a believable performance as a dutiful, loving sister, expressing concern without appearing overly emotional.  She would rescue Laura from her unfortunate predicament, and the truth that she would also get away from the stifling company of her Ladyship
,
and
her dreary
household
,
would remain her little secret.

Seated in the comfort of her Ladyship
’
s favourite carriage, Sarah cast her eyes fleetingly over the
boring
scenery and a shrill laugh echoed in the quiet.  The joke had suddenly dawned on her, and she found it quite hilarious.  Laura, although
over five
years her senior, obviously required guidance to fulfil her own wants
,
let alone play sentry to her
sister
.  And a sweet smile emerged that served to hide the bleakness of
Sarah’s
character.

#

The rain had abated and the sun shone with spectacular brilliance
,
when it deemed to shine, donating an eerie, yellow tinged slant to everything natural or man made.  Lord Henry toyed with his whip – he was not amused.  Thomas had hauled him from his bed the previous day
,
spouting stories of some hell
-
bent notion of rescuing the woman
,
Laura
,
from something.  Lord Henry failed to remember just what that something was.  His mind had been clouded with sleep and his interest insufficiently stirred.

Dutifully
,
Lord Henry had waited for Thomas to return.  He had exercised forbearance and
had
extended his personal boundaries, but patience was not his strong point and one day spent alone, without any distractions, he considered
to be
quite enough.  Nothing could entice him to stay in a place devoid of companionship and barren of the basics of life.

Laura had been the sole draw card.  A connoisseur of the fairer sex
,
Lord Henry could determine when a woman was worth sampling
,
but even she could not hold him here.  Laura would be waiting for him at Marlbrook, and he duly looked forward to the amusement that particular campaign would bring.

Lord Henry mounted his horse, the beast exhibiting identical impatience to that of its master.  His departure had taken place barely ten minutes before Sarah’s carriage passed through the Manor gates.

             
             
#

Sarah detested the place on sight.  Laura was nowhere to be found
. Her sister’s
inconsideration replenish
ed
her irritation and signall
ed
the
beginning
of
Sarah’s
resentment
.  That feeling might have been sustained and plummeted Sarah into a bout of fury had the driver not volunteered his services.  Pleased with his contribution, Sarah
deemed
her duty discharged.

With Laura relegated to past thoughts, Sarah sought to find a way into the Manor.  She found the hovel disgusting, the inside a reflection of the desolate exterior.  Sympathy momentarily surfaced for her sister’s distress.  To have had to tolerate these conditions,
was abysmal in
Sarah
’s
consider
ation
.

Locating Laura’s travelling cases had not taken Sarah long.  Stacked neatly in a corner of the kitchen, Laura’s
decrepit
belongings were instantly recognisable.

Under duress, Sarah undertook the climb to the first floor.  Contempt mounted for the owners, as the spectre of her father and his faults stepped forward.

In one partially decontaminated room, Sarah located the portrait of a woman whose lifeless image managed to capture her interest.  Sarah commended beauty, forever mindful of the influence that came alongside.

Undeniably this doe-eyed woman would have ruled the men in her life.  Raven hair complemented pure white skin, the ruby
-
red material of her dress providing an exquisite contrast.  Jewels, in particular the expensive gems that decorated the woman’s delicate hand, had been captured to perfection, a jeweller’s pedestal no match for the elegance of a dainty finger.

Sarah moved closer, re-examining one of the precious items at close quarters.  She trusted her senses.  Something was not right.  Filtering through carefully stored material
,
she sought answers but they were not as she supposed.  Lady
Catherine
, it appeared, shared a common bond with this horrid place.  Secreted away, stored between her Ladyship’s large bosom
,
hung this very ring.

Why a Lady of such great standing would involve herself with these ruins
,
let alone associate herself with them in an intimate way
,
puzzled Sarah
, b
ut Sarah adored mysteries
for it was
always worth trifling with
them
– discreetly of course.

A large, grimy window overlooking the courtyard announced Laura’s imminent arrival.  Envy fragmented Sarah’s insides.  The man sat straight upon his mount, his dark hair in abundance about a strong, imposing face.  Laura’s unprotected hands, white against the black of his winter coat, were attached to arms wrapped firmly around his waist.  A second horse, tethered to the first, trotted mindlessly behind.  Laura must have chosen to ride with the stranger.  That Sarah was not the centre of attention did not sit well with her.