Forbidden (Scandalous Sirens) (22 page)

Vaughn squeezed his temples between thumb and forefinger as his other hand reached out for the door of the armoire. He heard the slap from inside the cupboard. It sounded loud and shocking even from in there. Elisa’s gasping cry stabbed into his heart. He gathered himself to burst out into the room and halted, his mind whirling.

He could not reveal himself, even to save Elisa this moment’s pain. If he were to show himself to Rufus, Elisa would suffer far more than a single slap.

An image of Rufus stumping up to the screaming horse and shooting it without hesitation flashed through his mind.

Sweat broke out on his forehead, this time provoked by fear.

He had to bide his time. He must wait.

There were things he had to set in motion, first. Safety measures. Contingency plans.

And Kirkaldy, the very place he had considered his sanctuary would become Elisa’s.
 
In that moment all claim to his mother’s Scottish estate ended.
 
Elisa needed Kirkaldy.

In the dark, he bowed his head and silently cursed his helplessness as Elisa sobbed softly.

* * * * *

She did not hear Rufus leave, or the door close behind him. She heard nothing, until she felt hands on her arms, lifting her up from the floor where she had fallen.

“Shhh, I am here,” Vaughn whispered and his big warm arms wrapped around her.

She smothered her sobs against his bare chest.

“I’m sorry, Elisa. Forgive me—but had I stepped out to confront him, he would have shot us both on the spot.
 
The man always carries a gun. ” He gently brushed her hair from her face and she realized his hand was shaking.

She shook her head a little. “You have nothing to apologize for. I would rather you live, too. It was only a slap. It will pass. Rufus is under a lot of strain right now.”

His arms tightened around her. “Then stay away from the monster.”

She sighed. “My life is such a mess.” She hesitated, then spoke the words anyway. She had passed far beyond such rudimentary caution with Vaughn. “He pays for agents to look for my son. I don’t have funds to do that and he is the only one who will.”

Vaughn grew very still. “I don’t believe he has done such a thing. It is unlike him to help anyone,” he said, his voice low.

“But it is true,” she declared swiftly, defiantly. “He has given me reports of their activities.”

“And in what…five, six months, they have been unable to find a single trace of a small boy?”

She stiffened. “Raymond’s father’s family are very cunning. He has been moved—every time they come close to finding him.”

Vaughn lifted her chin and stared into her eyes, as if he were looking for something there. Then he nodded. “I see,” he said quietly. He shifted a little, moving her in his arms. “If you must go back with him, promise me you’ll meet me at the pond tomorrow at noon. I’ll come straight from here so there will be no speculation. Tell Rufus you’re going for a ride and you’ll return shortly. Tell him you have to buy a bonnet or some such frippery.”

Reluctance made her hesitant to agree. “Vaughn, we must be realistic. I am to be a married woman and you—”

“No, Elisa!” He gave her a little shake. “Promise me,” he ground out. “Be at the pond.”

She shook her head a little. “If Rufus knew—”

“Then you must be careful. But promise me you will meet me there.” She felt him draw breath. “Please, Elisa.”

There was a quality to his voice she didn’t understand. It was as if he knew something about Rufus that she did not, which was strange.
 
Rufus and Vaughn had been practically strangers until a few weeks ago and their relationship had not grown any closer since then.

“All right,” she agreed. “I will meet you.”

He let his breath out with a harsh sigh and got to his feet. Gently, he lifted her to hers and gave her a hard, quick kiss on the lips. “Until tomorrow,” he assured her and strode to the bedroom door. He pulled the door open, looked about for observers and left.

How brazen he was!

Elisa made her way slowly back to the bed and sank gingerly onto the mattress.

Tomorrow…

Her heart thrilled at the possibilities.

Chapter Thirteen

“My lady, what can you be thinking?” Marianne demanded. She stood with her hands on her hips, watching Elisa with an expression that would make most people cower.

A day ago, Elisa might well have cowered, but not today. She turned towards the mirror and gently touched the bruise over her cheekbone, high up next to her eye.

“I’m thinking how wonderful it feels to be desired,” she told Marianne.

“He wants only one thing from you.”

The words sent a little shiver down her back, caused by shades of doubt. This was obviously Marianne’s intent, for she watched Elisa with a lifted brow.

“You know I’m right, don’t you?” Marianne insisted.

Elisa grabbed the brush and began running it through her hair. “You are wrong,” she said as steadily as she could, but in the corner of her heart, she wondered. Vaughn had never professed love, or any of that emotion’s cousins.

But…the look in his eyes when he was making love to her—she could not doubt that. A man could say anything he wanted, but his physical actions, especially when he was in bed, were the truthsayers. It was not simply a matter of sex, she was sure of it.

But Marianne was clearly not so sure. Since returning to Fairleigh Hall last evening, she had been following Elisa around like the nursemaid she once was. Elisa knew Marianne was genuinely concerned and trying to protect her, but she resented the intrusion on what little happiness she’d found since Roger’s death.

Because Marianne meant well, Elisa tried to speak the truth as she knew it. She looked at Marianne in the mirror.

“I know that I want him just as badly and I cannot bear being without him.”

The direct answer silenced Marianne, who let out an exaggerated sigh. She went to the wardrobe and threw open the doors.

“I need a riding habit.”

“You are riding again?.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You’re going to meet him, aren’t you?”

Elisa remained silent. She turned on the stool and studied Marianne, waiting for the other woman’s reaction.

Aside from shaking her head, Marianne made no further comment.

Elisa turned back to the mirror, planning her escape.

Just as he had told her, Vaughn had not arrived home last night. He would meet her at the pond at midday.

And today she would make love to him.

Rufus’ manhandling of her yesterday and his powerful retribution at the ball, had removed her conscience in this regard and made the decision for her. She would allow herself the very private pleasure of making love to Vaughn. She would revel in it. And she would refuse to bear any guilt for indulging in the one thing in her whole life that made her happy. It would be a secret she would carry to her grave.

A thrill raced through her, knowing that soon she would be in Vaughn’s arms.

An hour later Elisa walked down the stone stairs and swung around the newel post to head for the French doors and the stables at the back of the garden.

She wore a formal navy riding habit. It was a severe cut and style—a high collar, and a long row of tiny pearl buttons all the way down the front of the bodice were its only decorations. The skirt had a train, as usual, but lacked any other decoration. And her hair was caught up in a very simple bun. The removal of a single clip would bring it all tumbling down. It was a style she could easily recreate herself and without the aid of a mirror and brush.

The gown was not her favorite at all, but it had two virtues: it disguised the fact that she was completely naked beneath—she wore no stockings, no garments of any sort. The second advantage was that once the row of buttons were released the bodice fell away and the skirt was unfastened with a single button at the back.

The many buttons she did not foresee as a problem—she knew Vaughn would delight in the slow revelation of her nakedness as he undid the buttons one at a time.

Oh, wicked, wicked Elisa
! the voice of her conscience whispered. She smiled to herself, her heart already picking up speed.

As she approached Rufus’ study, the last door off the foyer, she saw the door was open. Her heart sank. She hoped he would not notice her pass.

It was too much to hope for.

“Elisa.” His voice was sharp.

She swallowed hard and retraced her steps, stopping at the door. “Yes?”

He sat back in the oversized chair, and looked her up and down. “Where are you going?”

“For a ride.”

“Alone?”

Reluctantly, she nodded.

“Why don’t you stay home today?”

“The weather has been so fine. I wanted to enjoy it.” Clenching her gloved hands into fists at her sides, she remembered something Vaughn had told her to say and forced a smile. “I thought I might stop by the village and order another bonnet. I promise I won’t be long.”

He frowned. “I thought the festivities had tired you?”

“I slept very well last night and now I’m restless.”

“Perhaps I should accompany you.”

His words startled her. “On horseback?” she asked.

“You think I am not an accomplished rider?” he responded, his eyes narrowing. “I was an excellent hunter before the bloody gout took me.”

It was hard to imagine Rufus physically active. She resisted the urge to refuse his suggestion for it would only cause more suspicion on his part. Instead she prevaricated. “Is this not the time you usually take a nap?” An idea occurred to her. “There is a second bottle of the port Vaughn imported from France—in the dining room. Shall I have Joshua bring it to you?”

Rufus straightened up in his chair, patently trying to hide his eagerness. “Well, perhaps just one,” he said.

“I’ll tell Joshua,” she said.

“And buy me a cigar!” Rufus called as she left the room.

With deep relief she went back to the kitchen to rouse Joshua, before hurrying to the stables.

* * * * *

Vaughn stared at surface of the pond. It was a hot, still day and the water was smooth, silvered. Flat calm. Not so his soul. He had tried sitting while he waited, but his seething nerves would not allow it.

He wondered what was keeping Elisa. Since leaving Munroe Manor early this morning, he had ridden at breakneck speed for York, to complete his business there, then hurried back to the pond. He had barely made the appointed hour himself and had fully expected Elisa to be here, half out of her mind worrying whether he would keep the appointment or not.

A horse’s neigh brought his restless pacing to a halt. He spun to face the grove of trees where the sound had come from.

A moment later Elisa appeared, her color high, her eyes brilliant as she greeted him with a warm, open smile that made his blood surge.

“You made it.”

“Did you think I would not?” Her smile was playful.

“I thought perhaps you would choose not to.” He studied her anew, his heart quickening. There was something different about her this day. It was not physical, but it affected all of her. Her speech, her face, was more alive and open than he had ever seen it, and if he had not known she was incapable of teasing, he would have thought her expression and tone one of banter.

“Indeed, though it was more difficult than I had anticipated. I told him I was going to the village to pick up a bonnet. He suggested he come with me.” She gazed at him with a clear-eyed stare and a soft smile on her face. She was utterly beautiful, a confident woman. But then he saw the bruise beside her eye and remembered the truth—she was also vulnerable and still young. She had been hurt. He reached out and gently touched the ugly bruise.

Her smile faded. “Don’t,” she whispered and tried to push his hand away. Her own was small against his and strengthless.

He cupped her jaw. “Why not?”

“Here, today, is not the place to talk about him. I do not want him spoiling the day.”

She closed her eyes and leaned into him with a sigh. Her lips grazed his wrist, and a fire raced through him at the fleeting touch. He pulled her to him, his fingers brushing her slender back. Her heart pounded hard against him, matching the rhythm of his own.

“I’ve never wanted anybody the way I want you,” she whispered against his lips, a moment before she kissed him. In that moment he wondered who was the seducer as her arms entwined around his neck and she pressed herself hard against him, as though she were trying to make them one.

Her bold statement reminded him of dozens of well-trained maids, who played the game of seduction well, but expected an offer of marriage before giving themselves to him. This was not such a woman.

Suddenly she put him at arms length, her breath coming in gasps as she stared at him. There was such a fire in her eyes that it stole the breath from his lungs. Her hands were fumbling at his jacket, sliding it off. He allowed her to remove it, standing passively, although his heart was anything but passive, shuddering along under the heavy burden of an excitement he’d never experienced before. Elisa was seducing him. A woman was making her desire clear and intentions direct and active and it acted on him like the opium drug that could take a man’s mind and possess it to the exclusion of all else.