Lady Ellingham and the Theft of the Stansfield Necklace: A Regency Romance (23 page)

Felicity
returned his gaze with tears welling up in her eyes. ‘Richard would never force
me to do anything, but yes I will marry you.  I very much wanted to say yes
that day in the rock garden when you first asked me. It broke my heart to
refuse you but I knew I could not come to a marriage knowing what I had done,
yet I could not bring myself to tell you.  I am not proud of what I did.  I
knew I had gone beyond the bounds of propriety and if you knew about it, you
would develop a loathing for me.  I could only go by how I felt the day Emily
told me you were a thief. Oh I have grown to rue the day I ever met that
detestable girl but maybe if it was not for her, we would not have met.’

Alex took
Felicity’s hand, ‘Oh we would have met,’ Alex grinned, ‘I had seen you often
and I would have ensured it.  My relationship with Emily was most certainly
over the day I clapped eyes on you.  I had admired you from afar for weeks and
when I knew my way was clear I made my introductions at Almack’s.  Do you
remember? It was that fateful night you called me David.  I would be telling
you a lie if I told you that I was not annoyed but I was also curious as to why
you would have said such a thing and determined to get to the bottom of it.  I
knew of your friendship with Emily and thought that the accusation may have
been connected but I could not be sure.  I deliberately forced matters to a
head by calling Richard out but even then, I was still intent on having you and
had no intention of injuring your brother.’

‘But if that was
the case Richard could have killed you.’ she gasped incredulously.

‘It was a risk I
was prepared to take.  Richard and I were not of the same set but I had
observed him and I knew Richard to be a man of honour.  I did not think for one
minute that he would kill me.  I was correct in my judgment of him and
everything worked out just as I had planned. I have you now and that is all
that matters.’

Alex turned over
her wrist and brought the disfigured skin to his lips, kissing it tenderly and sending
a wave of desire through her whole being.  Her reaction frightened her and she
pulled her hand away. He caught it back, ‘I love this scar,’ he whispered. ‘If
it was not for this scar I would never have discovered your secret and in your
misconception you may never have agreed to marry me. I shall look at it every
day for the rest of my life and be thankful for it.’  He looked up, ‘how did
you get it by the way? Were you caught in a fire?’

Felicity sighed,
‘Oh through my own impulsive stupidity.  I was eight years old.  It was a
lovely sunny day and Richard and I went down to the river to play. I had read
in a science book about reflecting the sun through glass to make fire and I was
determined to carry out the experiment on the first sunny day we got.  That day
I took a magnifying glass out with me, gathered some dry old leaves and twigs
on the riverbank, and made a small pile. Richard asked me what I was doing and
told me in no uncertain terms that mother would be very angry if she knew I was
playing with fire and tried to take the magnifying glass away from me.  Anyway,
I won the fight and went ahead with the experiment anyway; only it went wrong,
oh so very wrong.  The little pile began to smoulder and I watched intrigued, and
when it did catch fire, it was sudden and the flames leapt up igniting the
sleeve of my dress. I panicked but Richard dragged me to the river and pushed
me in.  I was not too pleased at the time for I was drenched to the skin but if
it was not for his quick thinking the incident could have been much worse. It
is the story of our lives really.  Richard was always the sensible one and I
the adventurous one.  We may be twins but in personality we are nothing alike.’

Alex gave a loud
guffaw, ‘So I have noticed,’ he took her arm back and kissed it again. ‘I would
have you no other way but breaking into men’s boudoirs after midnight will have
to stop, do you hear me?’

Felicity was
forced to laugh. ‘I certainly have no intention of doing so ever again,
unless,’ she added mischievously, ‘circumstances dictate the absolute
necessity.’

Alex raised an amused
eyebrow, playfully knocked her over from her sitting position and rolled on top
of her. ‘Why you adorable wench,’ he chuckled, ‘you will pay for that.  Before
Felicity could know what he was at, he was covering her cheek and neck with
delectable kisses.  She was taken by surprise but lay there paralyzed by an
overwhelming feeling of desire as his mouth found hers. His touch was no longer
playful but he was kissing her with a passionate intensity she could not even
have dreamed of.  Unable to help herself she brought her hands up twining them
through his thick dark hair and then trailed them down over the lean rippling
muscles of his naked shoulders.  She was aware that there was only a thin
silken shirt separating her from his hard warm flesh and was lost to him as his
hands moved over the silken material to explore the soft contours of her body.  
Alex felt the familiar pulsing in his loins as he continued to explore bringing
a hand up to caress the firm soft flesh of her breast, then almost out of
nowhere came the last poignant words that Richard had uttered at parting. They
echoed in his consciousness, ‘If you find her first I shall trust you Alex.’
That was all he had said, but that was all he needed to say for Alex knew he
had meant much more.

It took him all
of his iron will to roll back onto his side. His heart was hammering in his
chest and his loins were aching. He propped himself up on his arm and looked at
her lying there wonderfully bewildered and not quite sure what should happen
next. Her golden hair was splayed about on the straw in tight curls, having
dried that way after getting wet in the rain and she was breathing heavily, watching
him and looking temptingly adorable.  Alex could have cursed Richard. Damn the
man he had made a promise and must keep it but for God’s sake, he had to spend
a whole night in a deserted barn with this beautiful woman. This was going to
be one long night!

Felicity watched
him for a while longer before she spoke. ‘Have I done something wrong Alex?’ 
He rolled back and kissed her on the cheek, ‘you could never do anything
wrong.  It is I who has done something wrong.’  He stood up and brought over
some logs to rekindle the fire. ‘I am sorry Felicity I should not have done
what I did, please forgive me. I think we should get some sleep now and have an
early start in the morning.’ Felicity propped herself up on her elbows and watched
him as he proceeded to collect a handful of hay and pile it up in the corner to
build a makeshift bed. ‘I shall sleep here,’ he added in a hardened voice to
hide his disappointment.  He lay down on his back with his hands behind his head
looking up at the rafters in the dim glow of the small fire.

Felicities
melodious voice carried through the barn. ‘My horse is lame, what shall we do
tomorrow if it is still raining?’

Alex gave it
some thought. ‘I will ride into Middleham myself and procure us a carriage to
take us on to Lealholme Manor. If it is not raining we will ride in together slowly
on Victory.  I do not think your horse is lame; she has just lost a shoe.  We
shall take her to the blacksmith, and then it is up to you whether you wish to
continue to ride.  I can still hire a carriage if you wish it.’

‘No.’ Felicity
almost whispered, ‘I can ride. I am a little stiff after today but I am sure I
will be fine tomorrow.’ 

‘Go to sleep
Flick, we must be up at first light and we still have a long day tomorrow.’

Alex did not
know how long he lay there aware of the woman just a few yards away from him. 
Sleep was going to elude him this night and he watched as the embers of the
fire began to diminish.  He decided that he could not let the fire go out and
got up to replenish it before returning to his lonely straw mattress. He heard
a rustle and Felicity was standing before him rubbing her arms and shivering
and dragging over his coat.  ‘I am cold,’ she murmured self-consciously; ‘can I
stay here beside you?’

He was lost and patted
the ground beside him in invitation and she lay and nestled up beside him. He
put his arm around her neck and drew her in; noticing to his surprise that she
genuinely was cold. It had not been a forward ploy or a ruse and he admonished
himself, ‘blast it,’ he thought he should not have let the fire get so low. He
pulled his grey coat over them for extra warmth. She was tired and exhausted
and fell asleep in the crook of his arm. Alex kissed the top of her head as she
slept and smiled at her artlessness.  Damn her, did this beautiful, impulsive
and spontaneous woman not know what she did to him.  He lay there.  Yes, this
was going to be a very long night, a very long night indeed.

Felicity woke up
to the light of the early dawn.  She looked across to where Alex lay but he was
not there.  A rustling sound drew her attention to the far side of the barn
where Alex still bare to the midriff was attending to the horses.  He glanced
over. ‘Are you up sleepy head? It is time to get dressed and be on our way,
which reminds me I would not mind having my shirt back.  Your shift and riding
habit are over there nice and dry.’

Felicity
hesitated as if in a dilemma. ‘You will have to leave the barn so that I can
change then, if you please.’

Alex laughed,
‘You expect me to go out into the cold semi naked?  Oh no my girl, not me.  I
have no desire to catch pneumonia.’  He grinned at her distress. ‘Alright I
will agree to turn my back but for Lords sake I do not know why, it is I who put
you in that shirt in the first place.’

Felicity blushed
crimson. That is not fair, I was unconscious at the time and could not have
cared, but now I am very much awake and you are not being very much a
gentleman.’

Alex grabbed his
grey riding cape and made for the door. ‘Very well, I shall oblige you. You
have exactly five minutes but mark this you will not receive the same
consideration once we are married.’

Felicity dressed
in record time for she knew she could take him for his word and when he returned
in exactly five minutes, she handed him his shirt still warm from the heat of
her body.  The aroma of sweet perfume assailed his nose as he put it on and he
raised an eyebrow in perverse amusement.

They were soon
ready to leave and he led the horses out into the fresh air. Looking at Felicity,
he gave a smile.  She had brushed back her hair as best she could and tied it
up but the only thing that really would have improved it was a good washing. The
feather in her hat lacked its former glory and drooped limply looking very
sorry indeed. Alex reached up to pluck it off. ‘I think this feather Flick, has
had one drenching too many, we must remember to buy you a new one.’ Even now
without the proper provisions for washing and brushing up, she looked radiantly
beautiful with her classic looks and her fair silken skin.

Alex climbed up
into the saddle and reached down for Felicity’s hand. ‘Up you come,’ he ordered
as he hauled her up in front of him, ‘hold on tight, you will have to put up
with me until we reach Middleham.’

Felicity held on
as they made their way down the country lane. She leaned into him and wished
she could have stayed there forever. It was a cold crisp and damp morning but
she almost wished that Middleham were a hundred miles away for she felt warm
and content in Alex’s strong arms.  ‘This is a beautiful stallion,’ she
ventured after having had time to observe its paces.

‘Indeed he is,’ Alex
agreed, his rich deep voice sounding in her ear, ‘but unfortunately he is not
mine.  I had to change horses at the Unicorn Inn at Ripon if I was to have any
chance of catching up with you.’

‘Don’t talk to
me about the Unicorn Inn,’ Felicity sniffed. ‘The Ostler looked at me as if I
was dirt on his shoe.’

‘Funny,’ Alex
responded, ‘I seem to remember him calling you a regular top of the trees.’

‘That is only
because I gave him a crown.  I considered it an extravagant tip necessary for
my survival.’

‘Alex laughed,
‘and here was I only giving him half that amount. He obviously had a very
profitable day.   He must have been pleased for he provided me with their
finest horse.’ He patted the stallion’s long sleek neck, ‘I am so impressed I
have a mind to buy him.’ He chuckled, ‘I do believe Jimmy thought he was aiding
an anxious lover chasing after his quarry. I do not think he was far from
wrong.’

Felicity responded
by nestling tightly up and resting her head back against his broad shoulder. ‘No
and I am truly glad you caught up, really I am. I do not think it is easy
travelling as a woman alone. I did not expect quite so many obstacles but I
hardly think it is fair.’

 ‘Indeed it is
not Flick that is why someone had to come haring after you.’ he mused.  A woman
alone is considered fare game for any kind of predator. I agree it is not fair
but that is how it is. I am just surprised that your experience is Ripon was
your only problem.’

Felicity sighed.
‘Well I did have a little problem with the Pike man at Killinghall.  I nearly
came a cropper there. He tried to lift me off my horse but I gave him one fierce
kick with my boot and he fell to the ground like a stone.  It is a good job
Artemis is a good jumper. That gate was nothing for her. She sailed over it
like a breeze.’

Felicity felt
Alex momentarily stiffen but then he relaxed again.  If she could have seen his
face, she would have noticed a secret smile. ‘That is my girl Flick, is that
why you bought that ridiculous garb?’