Nicola Cornick - One Night Of Scandal

‘Yes, we can. Do you still wish us to be lovers?’

Her head came up with a jerk. There was a silence between them whilst their gazes met and locked. Around them the throng swelled and chattered. Someone bumped into them and apologised. Neither of them spared a flicker of attention.

Deb cleared her throat. Her voice was husky. ‘If you must have an answer now, then I do not know.’

‘Not good enough.’ Richard bent closer and let his lips brush her ear. ‘What is it to be, yes or no?’

He felt the tremor that ran through her. Her eyes did not leave his.

‘I cannot-’

He took his hand from the pillar and caught her wrist tightly. ‘Yes, you can. Tell me.’

Her breasts rose and fell rapidly with the agitation of her breathing. ‘Very well. The answer is yes.’

‘Yes, you wish me to be your lover?’

‘Yes.’ It was a whisper.

‘You do not wish us to be betrothed, but you still wish to take me to your bed?’

‘Yes!’

Several heads turned. Deb, face scarlet, moderated her tone. ‘We should return to the auditorium. I do believe the second act is about to begin, my lord.’

Richard stood back, releasing her wrist. ‘I do believe it is,’ he murmured.

He watched her as she scurried away and up the stairs to the Marneys’ box. He realised that his fists were clenched and he relaxed them very slowly. Damnation. He had not intended to push her so far or so hard. Yet he had had the answer he wanted and he knew there was not a hope in hell of going back now. He would be Deborah Stratton’s lover, betrothal or no betrothal. The time had come.

P lease meet me at Kestrel Beach this afternoon at two of the clock. There are matters we need to discuss in private.

Deb’s fingers shook a little as she pushed away her plate of toast. Richard’s note had arrived with breakfast and it was sufficient to reduce her appetite to zero. Regardless of the word ‘please’ at the beginning of the sentence, she recognised it for what it was-an order rather than a request. She had every conviction that if she did not comply he would come and fetch her.

So the moment had come, just as Richard had promised. Last night she had broken her engagement because she had not seen what else she could do. Last night she had also stated unequivocally that she still wanted Richard Kestrel to be her lover. It appeared that Richard was about to take her at her word.

Deb shivered and Mrs Aintree gave her a look of concern. ‘Do you think that it is time to light a fire in the mornings, my love? These autumn nights are drawing in now and we do not want the house to become damp.’

‘Yes…no…I do not know,’ Deb said, her mind still preoccupied with images of herself and Richard locked in ardent embrace. ‘That is, yes, we could do so.’

Mrs Aintree looked even more worried. ‘Have you taken a chill, Deborah? You do not seem quite yourself this morning and look a little flushed.’

‘I am quite well,’ Deb said hastily. ‘I beg your pardon, Clarrie, I was not attending. I believe I am a little tired. The play did run on last night.’

‘Perhaps you should rest this morning,’ Mrs Aintree suggested. ‘Recover your strength.’

‘Yes,’ Deb said, trying not to think too much about what it was that she was mustering her strength for.

The morning dragged. Deb went into the drawing room and tried to read La Belle Assemblée but could not concentrate. Then she fidgeted around with Clarissa Aintree’s flower arrangement and quite spoilt the elegant display of roses. She considered going to visit Olivia, but was afraid that she would blurt out the whole of the scene that had taken place with Richard the previous night and the scandalous and shocking afternoon that she was planning. Then she realised that she had not thought of a suitable excuse to explain her absence to Mrs Aintree and spent a fruitless ten minutes racking her brains to come up with something. The clock crept around towards eleven thirty and she ordered an early luncheon, then thought that she should not go to the beach too early for fear of appearing too eager and shameless. The absurdity of this then struck her, for had she not brazenly requested that Richard seduce her? It was a little too late to worry about appearing wanton.

She sat at the table, picking at her food and thinking about this. What she was planning to do was both brazen and abandoned, and yet now that the moment had come she could not seem to help herself. It was anticipation, not dread, that was tripping along her nerves now. She had thought she would never feel like this again, would never forsake the principles that had guided her since Neil’s desertion, but she ached for Richard with a desire that was as strong as it was sweet. She shivered and pushed her plate away. She simply was not hungry, at least not for the food.

Finally it was a quarter before two. Deb changed into her red riding habit and went down to the stables.

‘Please tell Mrs Aintree that I have gone riding and may well visit my sister after at Midwinter Marney,’ she instructed the groom as she dismissed him. ‘I am not certain when I shall return, though it may be well into the evening.’

The sandy track through the forest was cool and green, but it did little to soothe the anxiety gnawing at Deb’s stomach. In the end she gave an exasperated exclamation and kicked Beauty to a gallop. It was almost as though she was trying to outrun her demons. They hurtled down the sandy path and broke through the trees and out onto the beach. The curve of sand spread out before her, a perfect semicircle of white with the dunes glistening golden at the end where the low cliffs met the sea. The breeze stirred the marram grass.

There was a thunder of hooves and Deb swung around in the saddle. Richard was galloping towards her across the sand and without hesitation Deb dug her heels into Beauty’s sides and galloped across the wide expanse, the sand flying from the hooves, the water spraying out in an arc as they caught the edge of the incoming tide.

This time it was Deb who won the contest. She reined in Beauty, the colour high in her cheeks, eyes bright and her hat askew. ‘Oh, that was wonderful!’ she burst out.

Richard was smiling at her enthusiasm and suddenly some of her nagging anxiety eased. His gaze was warm and he held out his arms to her to help her from the saddle. After a moment she allowed him to help her down-and felt a little frisson of disappointment when he let her go promptly.

‘Are you hungry?’ he asked, and Deb found herself blushing to the roots of her hair. She met his eyes, then burst out laughing.

‘It is not very romantic but I confess that I am. I could not eat any luncheon.’

It was odd how the ride across the beach had broken the tension between them. Richard led her across to a knot of pines, where Deb was astonished to see that he had set up a picnic beneath the trees. There was ice-cold white wine and there were tiny chicken pies, smoked ham, strong cheese and fresh bread.

‘Was this what you intended us to do this afternoon?’ she said, eyes widening.

She saw his wicked grin. ‘What did you imagine that I intended?’

Deb held his eyes. ‘I thought…oh, you know what I thought! Do not make me spell it out…’

Richard laughed. ‘That comes later…’ he said, and Deb felt hot and cold at the same time, for she could not tell if he was in earnest.

They sat beneath the pine trees and ate the food that Richard had brought; under his prompting, Deborah talked about her childhood near Bath and her family and her life since she had moved to Midwinter. They had talked before during the short weeks of their betrothal, but strangely, given what was to follow, this was the first time that she felt entirely at ease with him.

After a while she stopped talking. She felt a little embarrassed. ‘I have told you a great deal about myself, my lord, and in return I know almost nothing about you,’ she said.

Richard looked at her. He was propped on one arm beside her. The sunlight was in his thick dark hair, turning it a rich conker brown. There was a smile in his eyes that made Deb feel very warm.

‘You have known me for over a twelvemonth,’ he pointed out.

Deb frowned a little. ‘I know that you dance well and can charm the dowagers,’ she said. ‘I even know that you were in the Navy and now you have turned spy catcher. But I do not really know you.’

‘Do you need to know me?’ Richard asked.

‘You mean because we no longer need to pretend that we are betrothed?’

‘No, I mean do you need to know me in order for me to become your lover?’

Deb almost choked on her wine. He was watching her but there was no amusement in his gaze.

‘I thought not,’ she said slowly. ‘But I think that I was mistaken.’

Richard nodded. The wicked smile that she had missed lit his face then and he tumbled her down into the grass beside him. Deb gasped as her bonnet rolled away into the sand and she found herself staring up at the bright blue of the sky through the interlacing of the pine branches. Richard’s arm was still about her waist and she could feel the press of his body against hers as they lay close, but he made no attempt to kiss her.

‘This is nice,’ Deb said, wriggling a little to get more comfortable on the soft sand. ‘I seldom look at the world this way. It is not considered ladylike to lie flat on one’s back and look at the sky.’

‘It is even better at night,’ Richard said. ‘One can lie back and look at the stars and feel very small.’

Deb turned her head and looked at Richard instead of the sky. He was very near and it seemed strange to be studying him at such close quarters. Strange but exceedingly pleasant. He was looking at her too. She could see the tiny lines around his eyes and mouth that deepened when he smiled, and the deep, soulful blackness of his eyes. Knowledgeable eyes that Deb fancifully imagined could read her every thought. She shivered lightly.