Kay Springsteen (44 page)

“
He
’
s just walking toward the road over
…
there
…
”
She pointed in the direction the man had headed, but with the sun just going below the tree line, it was impossible to make out much.
“
I can
’
t see him now.
I spotted
him a few times today.
He seemed…
”
She frowned, struggling for the words.
“
Rather out of place.
”

“
Did he upset you? Should I send a footman after him?
”
Alarm laced Jon
’
s normally calm voice.

She touched his arm.
“
No, no. Nothing like that. He just congratulated me on a job well done today, and I was curious about his identity is all.
”

Jon
’
s eyes pierced through her.
“
Are you certain?
”

She
hated seeing him so
upset.
After all, the
stranger
was gone.
“
I
’
m certain.
Truly.
I was
merely
curious.
”

Jon
’
s jaw clenched and unclenched a couple more times, then his face relaxed and the softness returned to his eyes.
“
In that case, would you care to dance?
”

Annabella hadn
’
t danced in years, except with Juliet.
“
I-I
’
m not sure that
’
s a very good idea. I fear my archery skills are far better than my dancing ones.
”

He took the glass from her and set both on the
closest
table.
“
How fortunate for you that I happen to be an excellent dancer.
”

True to his word, his expertise
on the dance floor put her at ease within minutes. The evening was magical. She danced and laughed more than she had in ages. More than once she caught her husband looking at her, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, his eyes sparkling.

My husband… why, yes he is and I want him to stay that way.
She shivered as excitement momentarily ove
rcame her during a simple country dance, and then she suffered a misstep.

Jon raised an eyebrow and Annabella only smiled.
“
I may have had more port than I should have after all.
”

All too soon, the dancing and merriment ended. Annabella let Jon drape his arm over her shoulder and lead her to the carriage. As he assisted her up the step, she paused in the door and took one last look around at the departing
crowd
, dragging their feet along the lane and into their carriages. Then she turned her gaze on Jon. His
coat
was wrinkled, his hat askew. His hair fell in cheery disarray over his forehead, and Annabella wanted desperately to brush it away again. But his eyes were sharp and gleaming. He looked… happy.

“
Thank you for bringing me.
”
She stroked his chin, giggling breathless
ly
at the scratch of his nighttime whispers against her fingers.
“
This was a lovely day.
”

Jon turned his head and pressed a warm kiss to her palm, his eyes trapping hers in an intense shared stare. Then the moment passed, though the sparks of awareness remained. Annabella turned and made her way to the seat.

Once settled in the carriage, the evening only improved. Gran quickly fell asleep, snoring softly before they
’
d
gone more than a few miles.

“
She
’
ll be out for the rest of the ride,
”
murmured Jon with a soft laugh.

“
Why don
’
t you compete?
”
Annabella whispered
, curiosity besting her
.
“
I know you shoot.
Gran told me so.
”

“
I stopped competing at the archery contest years back. Gran trained me into quite the accomplished archer and the older men seemed to resent losing to a teenager.
”
He chuckled.
“
And of course I was far too arrogant back then to diplomatically lose. Besides, I find it more enjoyable to see the excitement of other participants.
”

“
And are you still too arrogant to be diplomatic?
”
she teased.

Silent laughter rocked his body.
“
We usually call it too stubborn to lose these days.
”

How she wished she could
see his expression in the darkness.

He didn
’
t try to kiss her again. Oh, how marvelous that would have been, ending the day on one of his glorious kisses. But she quickly pushed the disappointment aside and soon she found
herself telling him about her p
apa. It was comfortable, finally sharing the best of her past with him.

When they reached the estate, Jon assisted Gran to the front door and called for her maid.

Annabella covered a yawn.

“
You
’
ve had a long day. I
’
m sure you
’
re ready to retire,
”
Jon said, dragging his fingers down along her forearm before he stepped away.

She tilted her head.
“
Are you not retiring?
”

“
I
’
ll be up shortly. I want to check on a few things in my
study
first.
”
He kissed her tenderly on the cheek.
“
You were amazing today. Sleep well.
”

****

Dark clouds bubbled and roiled across the sky, mirroring Jon
’
s churning emotions to perfection. His body was weary to the bone after the eventful day. But his mind — and his heart — had taken a more stubborn turn, refusing to leave him in peace.

Part of him stood in contempt of his sense of caution, that little voice which warned him to move slowly with his wife even if she had been showing signs of softening toward him. What if he was reading her wrong? What if she only wanted gentle affection? She
’
d certainly had little enough of that in her life from what he could tell.

He shuddered. What if she were only looking for the brother she hadn
’
t found in Wyndham?

The black clouds thinned and a quarter moon thrust through like a fist, reclaiming some of the shadows with her shimmering white glow.

“
Jon,
”
came a soft whisper from behind him.

He stiffened, curling his fingers into the fabric of his nightshirt. Had he really heard her? Or merely conjured her from the darkest depths of his desire? Fearing the latter, he closed his eyes and held his breath.

“
Jon,
”
she said again, a bit louder.

He eased a breath out and turned, slowly, lest he ruin an illusion. At the sight of her standing in the silver moonbeam, his breath left him in a rush. If he never drew another, seeing the beauty before him would have been worth it.

Her nightdress was simple white muslin that clung to her shoulders and breasts and then floated cloudlike around her as it fell to the floor. At once it revealed less and yet more than the courtesan
’
s fantasy of lace and silk with which she had tormented him after he
’
d removed the door between their bedchambers. He
’
d ached for her that night, had castigated himself for not taking what she
’
d
offered.

What he hadn
’
t realized then was that the brazen woman in silk hadn
’
t even been close to the real Annabella. The uncertain goddess who hovered in the entrance now, brave enough to have opened the door and called his name, but too terrified to step over the threshold…

It took every ounce of
his
willpower not to rush across the distance between them and take her where she stood.

“
Jon? I…
”

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile rather than a lascivious leer.
“
What is it,
Annabella? Do you need something?
”
Say it, say you need me…

She held the arrow he
’
d left on her bed.
“
I thought — I thought maybe you
’
d like…
”

Jon suppressed a groan.
“
Have mercy, Annabella. Please,
”
he said, struggling to temper the need in his voice.
“
I
’
ve even less patience just now than David had with Bathsheba.
”

She stiffened and pushed her chin out.
“
I
’
m your
wife
, not some harlot bathing on a rooftop,
”
she snapped. Then, with head held high, she spun about, ready to leave.

It was in that awkward moment that he understood she was as afraid of his rejection as he was of hers.

“
Wait! Please.
”
The pleading in his voice surprised him, but not as much as the realization that he couldn
’
t bear for her to walk away.

She turned, her eyes searching, and took a step into the room. Then another, walking toward him with slow deliberation, but no more hesitation. She stopped within a few feet. Jon stepped closer. She didn
’
t retreat.

“
I hope you didn
’
t come to return the arrow.
”

Annabella glanced down.
“
You shouldn
’
t have.
”

“
Yes, I should have. You were amazing today.
”
He skimmed his fingers along her cheek and she turned into his touch, pressing her warm lips against his palm, flicking her tongue and tickling the sensitive skin there.
Slow and easy,
he reminded himse
lf sternly as his body flared to exquisite awareness.

Jon hovered on the edge, battling between desire and decency.
“
I want you.
”

“
I
’
m your wife,
”
she repeated softly. Locking her gaze with his, she tossed the arrow onto his bedside table. Her green eyes mesmerized
him
as she untied the lace at her throat and parted her nightgown. Then she dipped her hand in
to
the opening. Excitement jolted through him like lightning. She drew out a satin ribbon and held it up.

The firelight glinted off the gold signet ring he
’
d given her. He
’
d seen the ribbon around her neck before but hadn
’
t known
it held
her wedding ring.

“
See? Your wife.
”
She tucked ring and ribbon back inside her nightdress and smiled up at him.

The words touched him in his core, erupted, and spread molten fire to every fiber of his being. Jon pushed his hand into her hair, tangled the silken tresses around his fist. He slid his other hand around her waist and splayed his fingers in the small of her back, settling her more intimately against his body.

She trembled, giving him pause, but then she twined her arms around his neck and draped herself over hi
m
, arching her neck in sweet surrender. He could feel the staccato beat of her heart throbbing against his chest, and when he trailed kisses along her neck, its echo pulsed against his lips. But by then, his heart marched in time with hers.

“
Annabella,
”
he murmured against her skin.
“
Please, my lady, be very certain. What will be done is not something that can be undone.
”

That part of him which operated on instinct berated him for asking, but he held himself very still awaiting her reply.