Rebel Dreams (20 page)

Evelyn sent a nervous glance to the large bed with the
covers thrown back. She reached for her glass of water and sipped at it.

“I would have suggested wine as the better choice, but I
doubted that our hostess had anything potable to offer. There’s a pitcher of
ale. Have some. It will relax you.”

“I don’t want to be relaxed,” she said sharply. “And I don’t
intend to share a bed with you. The world can believe as it wishes. I don’t
know what’s the matter with you tonight. You behave as if it’s my fault that we
were tricked out here and our horses stolen. You would do better to apply your
thoughts to who would do that and why.”

“I have a very good idea who would do that and why. I
apologize for not considering this solution to your dilemma earlier, but I have
a rather narrow-minded aversion to marriage. Now that the choice has been made
for me, I can see that you are quite right. We shall suit nicely as soon as I
rid you of a few missish inhibitions.”

Evelyn’s stomach contracted painfully. “I don’t know why I
stand accused of this atrocity. What have I ever done to make you believe this
of me?”

Wearily Alex dismissed the subject with a wave of his hand. “It’s
no matter. I daresay you have done us both a favor. My family has been trying
to marry me off for years. They will gladly lend their influence to catch the
real perpetrators and clear your name. In the meantime, you can return to
England with me. The court won’t be able to reach you there, and even if it
does, my family will see the fine paid before letting you go to jail. The
solution is ingenious and requires only delicacy of timing. We can cry the
banns when we return, and pray one of my cousin’s ships arrives before you have
to go to jail. With any luck, we will be married between the two.”

Evelyn continued eating just to keep him talking and delay
the fight to come. “There is only one problem, my friend. I refuse to marry
you.”

A pained smile twisted Alex’s lips. “Just once, I would like
to hear a woman say yes to my proposal. This continual rejection is damaging to
a man’s pride. Come now, you are only playing with your food. Share my ale and
be sensible.”

She sipped gingerly at the warm ale. She could not imagine
any woman rejecting his suit. Perhaps he was not precisely the suave, debonair
type, but she preferred his rough-hewn features. True, there was a hard look
about his eyes that could make a woman shiver when he was angry, yet now the
hardness seemed turned only on himself.

She felt no danger, though the evidence of his greater
strength was displayed in the breadth of his shoulders and chest as he sat
relaxed with one arm over the chair back. No, he was certain to attract his
fair share of women, particularly with title and wealth at his fingertips.

“I am being sensible,” she told him coldly. “I don’t belong
in England. You do. Tell me about the other women who rejected your proposals.
I am certain they did not reject
you.”

Those black eyes gave her an odd look. “I was only sixteen
when the first woman rejected me. I find it difficult to discriminate between
rejections of my person and my proposals. Perhaps you could enlighten me on the
difference?”

Evelyn sipped her ale and tried to ascertain how much of his
speech was glib words and how much an honest reaction. She had not known Alex
to dissemble. “If you were a colonist, if you were not heir to an earldom, if
you were an honest workingman, I would be a fool to reject your proposal. But I
cannot live in England away from my family and friends, and I cannot live the
idle life of a countess. It is the outcome of our marriage that I object to,
not you.”

A smile twisted Alex’s lips as he leaned forward. “So, if I
were to stay here and tell my cousin to find another heir, you would consent to
marry me?”

She had trapped herself with that one. Giving up any
pretense of eating, Evelyn tried to honestly determine the answer. Her physical
reaction to the idea of spending the rest of her nights in his bed screamed “Yes,
yes!” but lust had little to do with logic. Would he make a good husband and
good father? She saw the eager gleam in his eye and her heart lurched.

“I’ve never thought of you in that way before. It’s very
hard to think of you as a man who comes home to his tiny house after a hard day’s
work, hugs his children, and kisses his wife. You told me you never wanted
marriage and children. I would have to turn my thinking around to give you an
answer.”

“So would I, I fear.” Alex sat back. “I’m not that man and
never will be. You made no mention of love. Shouldn’t that be a deciding
factor?”

Evelyn met his gaze squarely. “If a man and a woman like and
respect each other, love will grow with time. I think friendship and respect
should be the deciding factor.”

Interest flared in his eyes before he replaced it with his
usual bland expression. “That’s a fascinating theory. How do we know if we’re
friends?”

“I had thought we were, but a friend does not force a friend
to do what she does not want. This does not solve the problem of why we are
here or how we are to get home.”

Alex rose from the table and held out his hand to her. “I’m
no longer interested in hows and whys. It is very possible that I could spend
the entire evening conversing with you, but we have a lifetime for that, and I
have more urgent matters on my mind. Don’t be shy, little tyrant. You are too
intelligent and sensible to fight the inevitable.”

She remained seated. “You are not the inevitable. Weren’t
you the one who once said he’d rather spend a few months in jail than a
lifetime in marriage?”

Alex lifted her from her chair. “The consequences of my
hasty tongue often haunt me. And a man can deal with a life behind bars easier
than a woman. You’re not going to jail. You’re going with me.” He wrapped his
arms around her and met her gaze. “I’ll show you that it won’t be an entirely
unpleasant fate.”

When he bent to start his kisses again, Evelyn knew the
desperation of her plight. She turned her head away and pushed futilely against
his chest. “This is humiliating, Alex. Haven’t I endured enough humiliation
these last weeks?”

Irritated, Alex dropped his hold and glared at her. “Now I
am
humiliating
. Are there any further
insults you wish to hurl at me before I take you to bed?” He caught her chin
and forced her to look up at him. “I am taking you to bed, Evelyn. There’s
nothing you can do or say to change that. I’ve done my best to play the part of
gentleman for two months now. You’ve driven me insane with your kisses, but I’ve
respected your wishes. Tonight that’s all changed. Tonight we’ll see where
those kisses lead.”

He brushed her cheek, and she felt longing build inside her.
He did not even need to kiss her to stir these mad desires. She wanted to be in
his arms, feel his caresses, and discover where they led, just as he promised.
Suddenly it did seem quite inevitable. Captivated by the almost tender look on
his face, Evelyn licked her lips nervously.

Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Alex, I’m terrified. I have
no experience at this sort of thing. You said to look upon it as our wedding
night, but I do not even have a gown, much less a trousseau. Isn’t the groom
supposed to leave his bride alone to prepare? There are certain necessary . . .”
She waved her hand awkwardly, seeking the polite word. “. . . functions,”
she added lamely, “or do they not matter when we . . . ?”
She gave up in disgust. “I need to wash, at least.”

Amusement played along his handsome lips. “I apologize, my
love. I’m new at this business of seducing virgins. We’ll have to learn
together.” He slid his hand along her cheek and buried his fingers in her hair.
“I tend to be impatient and hasty. You will need to slow me down when I go too
fast for you. I’ll send that hideous old woman up to clear the table and bring
you some warm water. That will give you some privacy. Don’t look at me like
that, Evelyn. I do think of you as my wife.”

He bent and placed a chaste kiss upon her nose, and before
Evelyn could believe it was true, he was gone from the room.

She hadn’t realized how much she felt his proximity until the
room was empty. She stared at the shadowy four walls in bewilderment, wondering
where this aching emptiness had come from. She felt certain it hadn’t been
there when she arrived earlier in the afternoon. Or had it? There had been fear
and hope then, but hadn’t she carried an eagerness that had more to do with
Alex than the news she hoped to hear?

The old woman arrived to carry away the tray, jarring Evelyn
back to reality. Alex wouldn’t take no for an answer. He had warned her that he
wasn’t a gentleman, and now she knew what he meant. She had a choice now of
running away into the darkness of unknown woods or staying here to be ruined.
The gun wasn’t an alternative. He knew she wouldn’t use it on him.

Perfunctorily performing the necessary ablutions, Evelyn
wrestled with the problem. This night in all probability would ruin her just as
he said. Selling all her possessions or going to jail would equally diminish
her hopes to none. She was fighting Alex merely on principle, not because she
wanted to fight him. Lud, but she didn’t want to fight his kisses at all.

So where would principles get her? She started tensely as
the door swung open. Principles. She had to remember principles. She swung
around to meet the man barring the doorway, and all thoughts fled. Principles
didn’t exist in his world.

Alex smelled of soap and his hair was still damp where he
had slicked it back. He must have borrowed a razor to shave, and the evidence
of that thoughtfulness reduced Evelyn’s flagging will to jelly.

He was trying to please her. The selfish, arrogant man she
knew would never have thought of pleasing anyone but himself. What had changed?

He closed and barred the door, never taking his eyes from
her. Evelyn was conscious of the water droplets still clinging to the hollow of
her throat where she had opened her shirt to wash and had not yet fastened it.
Her fingers plucked at the edges of the linen, as his gaze dipped to the swell
of her breasts. She flushed beneath his look.

“I’ll buy you nightrails dripping in lace just for the sheer
pleasure of removing them.” Alex’s fingers trembled as he loosed her grip on
the shirt and tugged it from her skirt.

“Alex, please,” she whispered, but she sank her fingers into
the soft folds of his shirt instead of fighting him. His broad hands circled
her chemise-clad ribs and rose to just below the curve of her breasts, creating
a fierce rush of pleasure.

The intimate touch left her shaken. She could not look him
in the face. Neither could she pull away.

“Did I ever mention how very lovely you are?”

His breath was warm as he bent to kiss her hair. His hands
stayed where they were, as if afraid to release her. Evelyn felt the need for him
to caress the ache of her breasts, but she wanted to linger and learn more of
this man too. Even after all these weeks, he was an enigma.

“You don’t need to speak words you don’t mean,” she
murmured. “We both know you would have sailed away with the first ship that
came for you. Let’s at least try to be honest.”

Alex released the ribbons of her hair, carelessly dropping
them on the floor. Evelyn dared to breathe, and his warm smile drove her newly
released breath from her lungs. He looked nearly angelic when he smiled like
that. Why had she thought his would be a devilish grin?

He pressed a kiss to her brow. “Honesty is not one of my
better qualities, I admit, but I’ll not lie to you about this. I only lie when
I need to, and I don’t really need to with you, do I?”

Evelyn’s fingers relaxed their grip enough to enjoy the movement
of Alex’s muscular chest. He pulled her hair down about her shoulders, waiting
for her reply.

“No, there’s no need to lie,” she admitted. He didn’t need
to murmur pretty compliments and words of love for her sake. She was about to
give herself without any promises at all.

“So believe me when I tell you that you are lovely, that I
have wanted to twine your hair in my hands since the day I met you. It’s like
thick, rich silk. I’ve never felt anything like it.” His kiss strayed to her
ear this time, sending a shiver up her spine. “I want to feel the rest of you,
Evelyn. Will you let me?”

She had little choice, but the truth of the matter was that
she wouldn’t stop him if she had one. The loosened shirt fell from her
shoulders, dropping to the floor with a twist of Alex’s fingers. She continued
to study his face as he absorbed the way her chemise clung to her breasts,
leaving her throat and much of her shoulders bare. She had worn one with only
simple capped sleeves beneath the riding habit. She wished for one with oceans
of lace to make her feel more feminine right now. She was painfully aware that
she did not have the full, curved figure men preferred. Yet Alex’s expression
displayed no displeasure.

“This is what you would come home to if you so foolishly
married me.” She couldn’t hold the words back. No matter how much she wanted his
touch, she did not want to be taken like any doxy off the street, to be used
for a moment’s pleasure and forgotten later. If she had only this one chance at
knowing happiness, she wanted it to be complete, knowing he wanted her as much
as she wanted him.

Alex chuckled and started to work the fastenings at her
waist. “You’ll not scare me off like that, little tyrant. I’ve been around
enough to know what I want. Did you think I would embroil myself so thoroughly
in your affairs for any other reason? I’ll admit, marriage wasn’t what I had in
mind, but your company has been worth the wait. We’ll suit, even if we do have
our differences of opinion.”

Those differences made Evelyn close her eyes as he slid the
skirt down her hips into a puddle on the floor. They would never suit in any
way but this. Embarrassment flooded her as he cupped her buttocks, shaping her
chemise to the flesh beneath. When he pulled her close, fitting her against him
so she could no longer deny the maleness of him, her eyes flew wide with
fright.