To Have and to Hold (28 page)

“If you both
don’t get off this land now, I shall have you both arrested for trespass.”
 
Isobel snapped, her chin rose arrogantly as
she glared at both men.
 
Cheeks flushed
with temper, Isobel fought the urge to smack her wayward relation right on the
nose.
 
“All I have to do is scream my
husband,
and half of the armed household
staff will be here before you can take ten steps.
 
I can assure you if either of you are caught
here, then they will take undoubted delight in reminding you of your lowly
station, both of you.”
  
She added with a
scornful look at the silent thug.
 

It gave her no
small measure of reassurance to mention her husband.
 
Something inside her calmed considerably at
the thought of his nearness.

“Your-, “Rupert
spluttered, his face becoming mottled with rage.

“Husband, yes
that’s right.
 
I am Lady Tavistock,
Dominic’s wife.”
 
Isobel smiled feeling somewhat
bolstered by phrasing the words.
 
“I
shall call him if you like, I am sure he would like to make your
acquaintance.
 
He has after all been
trying to find you.”
 
Isobel turned
casually as if to shout but paused as Rupert spat a volley of foul language at
her along with the promise that she had not heard the last from him, before he
pushed his henchman into the bushes and followed him quickly into the
undergrowth.

As soon as they
had disappeared Isobel closed her eyes on a silent prayer before spinning on
her heel.
 
It took every ounce of
self-control she possessed to walk casually back to Edward and the
Gardener.
 
Both men looked up at her as
she approached, looking startled as soon as they saw her.
 
She ignored their questions and continued
into the house, her tread measured and stead.
 
As soon as she crossed the threshold into the kitchen, she took to her
heels, not stopping until she burst through the Library door.

The men within
lurched to their feet at her wild entrance.
 
Isobel didn’t stop until she launched into Dominic’s arms and felt their
steady strength surrounding her.
 
      
 

“Isobel?”
Dominic’s
startled exclamation penetrated the cloud of fear fogging Isobel’s brain.
 
“What the hell?”
 
He took her shoulders to steady her as she
ran across the room and nearly barrelled into him in her haste.

Isobel could do
nothing but hiccup and gasp for breath.
 
Everything within her trembled violently.

“He’s
here.”
 
She whispered, tears pooling in
her eyes.
 
“Through the trees, at the far
side of the rose garden.”
 
She got no
further as the men within the room lurched into action.
 
Within seconds, the grounds were being
thoroughly searched.

Isobel was
carried to sit before the hearth, a brandy in her hands as Dominic rubbed her
arms to ward off the chill from her shivering flesh.
 

“Darling, look
at me,” Dominic murmured raising his hands to cup her face and turn her
unfocused gaze towards him.

Isobel sucked in
a shuddering breath, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks as the tenderness of her
husband, and his reassuring presence before her finally penetrated the cold fog
of fear that enveloped her.
 

“Oh God,
Dominic,” Isobel murmured as she gave way to hiccupping sobs.
 
Immediately, she was enveloped in his warm
embrace.
 
“He was here!” Her whisper was
filled with horror.
 
“Rupert was
here!”
  

“He can’t hurt
you Isobel.”
 
Dominic fought hard to keep
his voice softly soothing.
 
“You are
perfectly safe.”
 
Dominic turned Isobel’s
chin back towards him, waiting for several moments until her watery eyes locked
with his steadily reassuring gaze.
 

Isobel shook her
head mutely.
 
“What did he say to
you?”
 
Dominic tried hard to keep his
voice neutral and reveal none of the fury bubbling inside.

Isobel
hiccupped, desperate to control her rising hysteria.
 
She had never been prone to fits of the
vapours or swooning, yet as she sat before the fire encased in the solid
comfort of her husband’s arms, she was almost overwhelmed by the urge to give
in to the rising sickness and faint.
 
Hesitantly, Isobel recounted her clash with Rupert, unable to hide the
terror from her voice as she leant against the solid wall of her husband’s
chest.
 
Having given Dominic all of the
details she was able, Isobel was swamped with memories of the fear and pain she
had suffered at her Uncle’s hands flooded through her in all of its horrifying
detail.
 
Once again, she was the curled
up ball of misery lying upon the study floor, bleeding and bruised waiting for
the next blow to strike.
 

“Isobel, listen
to me,” Dominic murmured easing away from her a little to look down at
her.
 
Gently tugging her hands away from
her face, he forced her chin upwards until her terror filled gaze met his.
 
“What happened darling, you must tell
me.”
 
He tried to keep his voice as
gentle as he could for the last thing he wanted to do was frighten her any
more.
 
It was abundantly clear that her
emotions were already on a knife edge as it was.

Isobel mutely
shook her head.
 
She couldn’t bear to
remember, let alone speak of that night when the blows wouldn’t stop.
 
The night she knew she would rather face a
life of destitution and most probably prostitution than remain with a man who
would kill her.
 

“Isobel, I must
know”.
 
Dominic murmured his voice harder
and more commanding than before.
 
He
hated bringing her more distress but needed to know the depths to which Rupert
had plunged to drive such a free spirited and dependent young woman to such
terror.
 

“I c-can’t,”
Isobel hiccupped, “P-please, I just can’t.”
 

“I have to know
Isobel.
 
You have to be strong and tell
me.”
 
Dominic pulled her across his knees
until she was sitting on his lap, her head resting on his shoulder.
 
“I cannot help you until I know what he did
to you.”

Isobel heard the
words reverberate through his chest beneath her cheek but couldn’t bring
herself to raise her head to face him. Shame coursed through her as she lay
there.
  
Everything within her warned her
not to reveal her weakness.
 
Not to allow
Dominic to see how pathetically useless she was.
 
On trembling legs she moved across the room
slowly until she stood beside the window, pulling her shawl tighter around her
shoulders with a shiver.
 
She wasn’t cold
in the least, but inside she was chilled to the bone.
 
Once again, her world had shifted.
 
Everything she had come to know and love had
been tossed on its head.
 

“Isobel, I have
seen much death and destruction upon the battlefields,” Dominic murmured from
behind her.
 
“I have killed in order to
save myself.”
 
His harsh words were cool,
and matter of fact yet did little to ease Isobel’s concern.
 
“I have seen men who have been consumed by
fear and panic at the horrors they have seen.
 
The scale of death and destruction he had witnessed was truly appalling.
 
Man can cause such pain and dissolution one
has to experience it to understand the true depths of depravity one can
encounter in the heat of battle.”
 

Slowly he eased
to his feet, his movements slow and carefully measured so as not to startle
her.
 
“There is nothing you can say or do
to make me feel any less about you, my love.”
 
Tenderly he eased his arms around her, tugging her resolutely backwards
until she rested against his chest.
 
He
needed contact with her.
 
Anything to
bring her back to him and out from behind the wall she had built to hide her
inner turmoil.
 
“There is no woman on
this earth I want as my wife more than you.”
 

Fresh tears
sprung to Isobel’s eyes as a fierce tightness settled upon her chest.
 
Suddenly, she felt the she would burst if she
didn’t do something, anything to rid herself of the consuming emotions
threatening to choke her.
 

Turning in his
embrace, she tipped her head backwards to stare up into his reassuring
gaze.
 
“Make love to me,” she murmured
tipping his head down for a kiss.
 
Initially, he withheld, reluctant to allow her to change the subject and
distract him.
 
Soon, however, her
persistence paid off, and he was unable to prevent the hardening of his
manhood.
 

Sensing victory,
Isobel deepened the kiss pushing her hips against his causing him to groan with
the increased pleasure.

“Witch,” Dominic
murmured, his palms sliding over the taught mounds of her buttocks.
 
“Turn around.” Briefly he left her staring
out into the gardens, to lock the door.

Isobel’s eyes
widened briefly as she considered his words.
 
Unsure where this was leading she, nevertheless, did as she was
bade.
 
When she was facing the window,
she waited for the unlacing of her stays to begin, only to shift uncertainly as
cool air slowly swirled over her uncovered legs as her skirt was lifted from
behind.
 
She gasped with delight as his
hands palmed her hips pulling her backwards against his burgeoning
erection.
 
Isobel could feel the
persistent bulge against her and squirmed as delicious tightness pooled low in
her abdomen.
 
Revelling at the new
sensations he was bringing to her shattered senses, she moaned with delight as
her bodice was tugged low and the soft mounds of her breasts were bared to the
tender ministrations of his wicked fingers.

“Oh my,” she
murmured as his hand caught hers, slowly easing it downwards until she was
cupping herself.
 
“Dominic-“ Isobel
squirmed unsure if she liked what he was expecting her to do.
 
Pleasure eroded all doubts as their questing
fingers parted the moist folds of her femininity drawing a gasp of pleasure
from her.
 
Tipping her head backwards
against his shoulder, she gave herself over to the waves of pleasure flowing
through her as he tugged and pinched, probed and stroked her until she felt
ready to burst.
 

Unable to stand
the torment, she eased a hand backwards to stroke the probing length of his
manhood still encased in his breeches.
 
Fumbling slightly, she moaned with delight as his rigid length sprang
into her hand.
 
As he had shown her, she
slowly eased her hand down the length of his shaft, squeezing and caressing the
entire length over and over.
 
After
several minutes Isobel became aware of the insistent pressure of his hand
behind her, pushing her shoulders forwards until she was bent over.
 

She meekly
braced her hands upon the window seat before her as she felt her skirts being raised
further to expose her buttocks.
 
Questing
fingers drove into rhythmically into her moist heat making Isobel instinctively
rock her hips to deepen the penetration.
 
She moaned with delight as one hand grasped one swinging breast, gently
tweaking the nipple as it massaged the soft plumpness.
 

“Dominic,
please!” Isobel gasped, desperate to ease the ache within.
 
She was made to wait for several more
minutes, as his fingers continue to plunder until she was sure she would
explode.
 
Or her knees would give out.
 
Pushing her hips backwards she waited
patiently as his fingers withdrew.
 
His
large hands massaged her breasts, fingers tugging gently at her
nipples when
Isobel felt the first probing touch of the smooth tip of his huge
erection.
  
Instinctively, she widened
her legs to allow him greater access, moaning with delight as he immediately
slid into her.