Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jasper
For a man of six and twenty, Jasper Maycott had endured an uncommonly high number of terrible days. The day after the Banfield ball was among his worst. Knowing Hetty was in danger, but not knowing where to find her was excruciating. Explaining the circumstances to his guests had felt similarly painful. Out of all of them, only Beatrice seemed insulted by the lie she had been told about Hetty’s background. Clarence, on the other hand, took to the matter rather gleefully, much to Jasper’s dismay.
“A natural-born actress, I say! I simply must have her as my Ophelia!” he’d cried, as though her life were not currently in peril.
After some speculation and excitement, it had been determined that not much could be done in the middle of the night, and the group would reconvene in the morning to plan a daring rescue.
Jasper had not slept a wink, and only his last shred of sense had kept him from tearing into the night and banging on every door in Surrey until he found her. Instead, he focused his efforts on waking everyone up at the crack of dawn with a hearty breakfast spread, a great deal of coffee, and an apology in advance for how he would be treating them the rest of the day.
As suspected, he was a punishing taskmaster. First, he sent the ladies to call on nearby country houses to dig up information about where Claremont might be staying. Next, he buried Viola and Freddie in all the books he could find about Surrey’s landed gentry, thinking perhaps there might be information about Claremont’s other properties. He even went so far as to dispatch August, George, and Edgar to London in order to sniff about Claremont’s abandoned townhome in Mayfair and convene with Simon’s men, who might help lead them to the baron. Clarence he kept close because he didn’t quite trust the man with a more important task, and he insisted Lucian stay in case Hetty returned to them injured.
It was a chaotic enterprise, but better, he suspected, than waiting for news of something terrible. Still, he thought he might lose his mind with worry, and those who had stayed behind at Mulgrave Hall were doing all they could to avoid him. When his sisters returned with nothing to help him, he thought he might go mad. And when another night passed without Hetty safely in Mulgrave Hall, he was sure of it.
In the end, it was Aunt Adelaide who found her. Jasper had been attempting to keep his aunt out of it entirely, worried she would be more of an obstacle than an aid, but she had sensed weakness in Freddie and dragged the information from him. She had swiftly departed Mulgrave Hall early that morning and returned to it before Jasper knew she was gone. He met her in the hallway, prepared for censure.
She peeled her gloves off. “Sutton House, home of the recently deceased painter John Henry Davenport and his only child, Miss Henrietta Davenport. Not eight miles from here. My coachman will take you.”
Jasper had nearly choked. “How?”
“You don’t think whispers get around when an uninvited guest weasels his way into a ball?” She raised a brow at him. “We spinsters can be quite useful; pity others choose to underestimate us.” She rolled back her shoulders and gave him an evaluating look. “I’m told nearly all of the servants have been let go. I don’t know what you may be walking into, Jasper, but you must be on your guard.”
“But you otherwise don’t object?”
“To your taking a wife?” She shook her head, her features softening. “I would never.”
“No?” replied Jasper, his image of the ever-strict Aunt Adelaide not matching the woman who stood before him, urging him to behave in a rather improper manner for an earl.
She sighed and gazed out the window. “I daresay you know it was my foolish prejudice against your mother that tore a rift between your father and I, a rift I was never quite able to mend. It is the regret of my life, and the reason I avoided Mulgrave Hall like the coward I am, even after his death.”
“I challenge you to find even one individual who would call you a coward.”
“Not to my face, perhaps,” she added with a small smile. “But it is a coward that lets the fear of what may occur stop them from living the life they were meant to.”
She spoke of her own past, but the sentiment applied to Jasper as well, and only served to strengthen his convictions. “I wish you and my father had been able to mend your relationship before he died.”
Her gaze over the Surrey countryside was wistful. “You know, I likely would have stayed away forever, stewing in shame. But it was a letter from Viola that convinced me to come back.”
“Indeed? I didn’t even know you corresponded.”
“I’m not sure I’d describe it as such, but she has kept me abreast of the goings-on at Mulgrave Hall for several years now. After you lost Anthony and your parents, her letters became unintentionally revealing, which led me to believe I could be of use to you all, in some small way.”
“And that you have been, and not just because you found Hetty for me.”
She turned to him. “If I thought either of you less deserving of the other, I’d not approve.”
“Of that I am sure,” he added hastily. “But Mulgrave Hall was a terribly lonesome place before your arrival. I do hope you’ll stay a while longer.”
A foolish man might have commented on the tears forming in the corners of his aunt’s eyes. Jasper wisely said nothing as she collected herself. “I find there is not much left for me in Bordeaux,” she said before turning quickly on her heel and departing with all of the straight-spined dignity she could muster.
That was enough for Jasper.
He found Nash and August and they left almost immediately. And now he was bundled into his aunt’s carriage, racing down the narrow roads of Surrey, facing the prospect of possibly fighting a man for Hetty’s freedom.
“It may come to blows, you know,” he warned the others, after having apprised them of everything he knew about the baron and his crippling debts.
His valet flexed his hand and formed a tight fist. “I’m not afraid to fight a toff, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
Jasper let his head fall back on the seat. “Christ, I haven’t punched a man in years.”
“In my experience, it isn’t something one forgets how to do,” said Nash.
“You’re in luck,” began August. “I scarcely make it a month without punching someone. Toffs or otherwise.”
Jasper eyed him wearily. “We have much to discuss, August.”
“And no time at all for a discussion,” his brother replied, not entirely upset that the situation at hand would prevent one from occurring.
“Yes, well, pity I’m a bit distracted.”
A small stretch of silence, before Nash asked, “You love her, then?”
“More than anything,” was Jasper’s emphatic reply. “I know you have your doubts as to her character—”
“Not yours, though. If you love her, that’s enough evidence for me. Granted, it is rather early in the day to be fighting for a woman’s honor, but who am I to turn down such an opportunity?”
“You know, Nash, I find the pesky matter of a woman’s honor to be an inexhaustible topic of conversation,” said August.
By then, the carriage began to slow and Jasper was out of it before it stopped fully, hitting the ground running. He barely saw the house, could not have told you the color of the trim nor the location of the stables. All he could think of was Hetty within, needing his help.
He took the steps three at a time and pounded on the door quite forcefully.
“Claremont, if you’ve harmed a hair on her head, I’ll make you wish Griffith was the one behind this door!” he roared, primed and ready to do what he must in order to keep her safe.
Nash and August joined him on the landing as he knocked again, harder this time. The very last thing he expected was for Hetty to answer.
Jasper’s heart burst at the sight of her. She wore a long silk robe and an overlarge dressing gown, her hair tumbling down to her waist and her eyes wide with shock. She was pale, so pale, and he could see she had been crying. Half a second elapsed before he crushed her against his chest, relief numbing the rage that had been propelling him.
“Hetty, my Hetty,” he whispered against her forehead, giddy with relief. “You’re unharmed?” He held her at arm’s length, eyes on every inch of her, searching for injury before pulling her into his arms once more. “I never should have let you leave alone. I am so sorry, Hetty.”
“Jasper.” His name on her lips was an incantation he wished to hear her recite for the rest of his life. He pulled back to look at her, her silver eyes bewitching him as easily now as they had when he first beheld them in a sliver of moonlight. With her hair loose around her shoulders, she looked like a priestess of old, which made him her devoted acolyte. “You came,” she said, bursting into tears.
No heavenly power could have stopped the kiss that followed, her tears staining his cheeks, the taste of salt on his tongue as she smiled against his lips. It was a kiss of relief. Of joy. Of knowing the woman he loved was safe and would continue to be so, so help him God.
August cleared his throat behind them.
Jasper looked up at his brother and back at Hetty. “I take it your cousin is gone?”
She nodded. “I sent them away this morning.”
“And they left without a fuss?” he asked, hardly believing it.
Hetty blushed. “There may have been a bit of swordplay involved.”
August choked, the noise caught somewhere between shock and admiration.
“And here I was, thinking I’d be the one doing the rescuing. I should have known you’d rescue yourself, Hetty.” Jasper’s gaze went back to Nash and August. “Return to Mulgrave Hall and call off the search, will you?”
August nodded but Nash looked concerned.
“And how will you return, my lord?”
He looked down at Hetty. “There are horses in the stables?” She nodded. “We will find our way back eventually.”
Nash gave a quick nod. “Happy to see you are unharmed, Miss…”
“Davenport.”
Not for bloody long , Jasper thought, feeling rather possessive.
“Miss Davenport,” Nash said with a bow.
“Looking forward to better making your acquaintance, Hetty,” said August with a genuine smile. “It’s not every day you hear of a woman dispatching her unsavory relatives at sword point.”
“And I you, August,” she replied, blushing.
With that, they left, and Hetty ushered Jasper farther into the house. Her house, he supposed, even if it felt wrong to consider anything but Mulgrave Hall to be her home. They would get to that in due time. For now, he simply wanted to hold her and relish the complete lack of walls left standing between them.
They sank into the nearest settee. “How did you get here so quickly?” Hetty asked breathlessly.
“What do you mean? It took me more than a day to find you.”
Her brow furrowed. “I only just sent Jack with the letter this morning, and despite everything I didn’t think you’d respond quite so vigorously.”
“Jack? What letter?”
“The footman. He was the only person I could trust. If he hadn’t brought you the letter, I would still be at my aunt’s mercy, I suspect.”
“I didn’t get the letter, Hetty. Perhaps we passed him on the road. But I have been looking for you since the ball. It was a devil of a time for us to find you, too. We only managed it thanks to Aunt Adelaide.”
“Truly?” she whispered.
He nodded. “Why send a letter? Why not come yourself?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I was a fool to trust Claremont,” she started.
“Not a fool, Hetty.” He brought his hand to her chin, raising her head. “Your heart and your insistence on seeing the good in others are the best parts of you.”
Her cheeks blushed pink at that. “They began drugging me as soon as I arrived, Claremont and my aunt. It took some time before I realized. And by then I had already lost so much time, and their motives were still a mystery to me. Eventually, I overheard my aunt while eavesdropping—”
“Naturally,” he said, struggling to keep his voice even and light as murderous thoughts flooded his mind.
“And I discovered they meant to have me confined to an asylum in order to access my inheritance. They meant to use my lack of memories against me, and told me I had gone mad with grief. My aunt went so far as to claim my mother went mad before she died, and that I had inherited her affliction. I was starting to believe them, before I heard otherwise.”
Jasper had never felt a rage so all-encompassing. “It’s a good thing Claremont left before I arrived.”
“I said as much when I told them to leave with the tip of my blade at his throat. But he was not the true architect of the plot. My aunt was the one who would have locked me away so easily, erasing me from the world.”
“Even if they had succeeded, Hetty, know that I would have found you. There is no place on earth they could have hidden you in, no dark corner I would not have torn apart in order to find you and bring you home.”
She kissed him again, deeper than any they had shared before. He wanted to be kissing those lips forever, learning what pleased her, tormenting her sweetly with his touch, cherishing her above all else.
She pulled back slightly, her eyes soft on him, her hands cupping his jaw. “Jasper, I love you.”
Jasper had been so overwhelmed to see her safe and healthy that he hadn’t expected her swift declaration. It rather disarmed him. “What?” he choked, barely able to keep himself together.
She smiled at how undone he seemed. “I didn’t say it before, and I don’t want another second to pass without you knowing my heart. I love you,” she repeated, kissing him softly on his mouth. “I love you.” Another kiss on his cheek. “I love you.” Now his forehead. “I love you.”
Jasper hadn’t thought happiness such as this could ever be his again. “I’ve loved you since you were sick on my boots, dear Hetty.”
“Don’t remind me,” she groaned with a smile. “I suppose I’ll never live that incident down. Our grandchildren will know the manner of our meeting, whether I like it or not.”
Jasper thought he might lose his cool entirely at her casual mention of their future grandchildren. “At least they will know it was true love between us.”
Her smile could have warmed him in the depths of a blizzard. “Indeed, though I might hope for a more conventional path for them.”
“I never had much use for convention.”
Another beaming grin aimed straight to his heart. But then she yawned and frowned. “I am so tired but I desire never to sleep again, after having it weaponized against me. And I feel wretched and dirty and barely able to walk more than a few feet without risk of collapse.” She looked at him sheepishly. “This is not the reunion I dreamed of.”
He stood and extended his arms to her. “May I?” he asked, scooping her up before she could protest.
“This feels familiar,” she said, referring again to the manner of their meeting.
“Nonsense,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You were unconscious last time.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“I find there is very little turmoil in this life that cannot be solved by a steaming hot bath.”
She buried her head into his neck. “That sounds heavenly.”
Finding the bathroom was easy. Sutton House, while generous, was not nearly so large as Mulgrave Hall. The bathroom was a sumptuous room of white tile and brass fixtures, with various pots and vials of soaps lining the shelves. He deposited her onto an ottoman and began fiddling with the taps of the tub until the water was hot and tendrils of steam curled around them.
Satisfied, he stood and offered her a small bow, not wanting to leave her alone, but understanding all the same that a woman who had been through an ordeal such as hers might crave a moment of privacy.
“Would you stay?” she asked, her voice small. “I find I do not wish to be alone, not after…”
He joined her on the ottoman and took her hands in his. “Hetty, you need only say the word and I will never leave.”
Hetty smiled and reached her hand out to tangle her fingers in his hair. She studied him then, not seeking a lie but rather relishing the truth of what existed between them, what they had uncovered after so much denial. He understood her desire to simply live in the feeling of it, of them.
“Never leave,” she whispered. And then she stood, making her way to the bath and selecting a vial of oil to pour into the water, the scent of lavender filling the room. She let her robe fall to the ground, revealing a nightgown beneath. Jasper’s mouth went dry at the sight of her. She gestured for him to turn away, which he did, knowing he would wait forever if Hetty wished it. He listened as she stepped into the tub and sank into the water, sighing as she went. What followed could best be described as several minutes of splashes and soft noises designed to drive him wild with speculation.
After some time, Hetty spoke. “You can turn,” she said. “I’m mostly clean, save for the places I cannot reach.”
She was alone in a sea of bubbles, and so achingly radiant he thought he might collapse at the sight of her.
“And which places are those?” he asked, straining to maintain what little composure he had left.
She blew an errant strand of hair from her eyes. “I’m too sore to reach my back,” she said, exasperated by her own limitations.
“May I?” he asked, hardly daring to hope she might allow him to care for her so intimately.
“Would you?” she asked, apparently unaware that he would give up everything he owned just to touch her.
He rolled up his sleeves and she handed him the cloth she had been using. He dipped it again in the warm, sudsy water and brought it to her back. He paused, awaiting confirmation. She moved the curtain of her sable hair to the side, revealing the delicate slope of her neck and an impossible number of bruises. He hadn’t known she was so hurt.
“Hetty…” he started, his voice a rasp as he traced along the worst of them. He shouldn’t be surprised. She had been thrown from her horse, after all.
“Shh,” she whispered. “I can hardly feel them now.”
He brought the cloth to her skin and scrubbed lightly, careful to also knead the sore muscles of her shoulders and neck. She was tense, but she melted at his touch, and for the first time in a long while, Jasper felt blissfully contented. To care for this woman would be the greatest honor of his life. There were so many things left to talk about, but for now he simply relished touching her, being deliberate and careful as he washed her. When his fingers wove into her hair and began rubbing her scalp, she groaned in pleasure. He went painfully hard at the sound.
“My God,” she said. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be content washing myself again.”
Perhaps he’d dedicate his life to performing this task for her. His hand trailed down her spine, coveting the shape of her. He couldn’t speak, knew his voice would crack if he did.
Hetty reached for his hand and brought it to her chest. An invitation. Her heart beat hard against his palm. He looked at her and saw her lips were parted and her eyes were hooded with desire.
“Are you sure?” His voice was ragged.
“Never been more certain.” She moved his hand to cover her breast, leaning to kiss him over the edge of the bathtub. Jasper met her hungrily. With one hand, he kneaded the delicious softness of her, while the other cupped the nape of her neck, anchoring her in place so he could taste the sweetness of her mouth. Within seconds, he was as soaked as she was, and water pooled on the tiles beneath his knees.
They parted breathlessly, Jasper doing everything he could to contain his desire lest he devour her whole.
“You should know my intentions are honorable,” he said, panting.
“Mine aren’t,” she replied with a grin. “Take me to bed, Jasper.”
He lifted her again, managing to wrap a towel around her as he did, the two of them leaving a trail of water all the way to the closest untouched guest room. He laid her down gently on the counterpane, reverently, because she was the most precious thing he had ever known. Her body was lush, her hips deliciously curved, her breasts heavy. Lit only by the pale winter light, Hetty still managed to glow from within. She was his sun, after all, and Jasper wished only to bask in her glory. He stood over her, unable to hide his own pleasure at the sight of her.
“You’re a masterpiece,” he said, bringing his hand to her dainty ankle, rubbing her calves, causing her to moan, the sound bringing him near to ecstasy. She lifted herself up on her elbows and bit her bottom lip, seeming to hold herself back from speaking.
“What is it you desire?” He would introduce her to a world of pleasure, if she wished, or retreat to something softer. God knew she had been through enough these past days.
But Hetty managed to surprise him.
“I wish to see you,” she said, her voice low. “All of you.”
He bit back a groan as he undressed carefully, allowing her to see her fill, her words somehow making him harder than before. Her gaze lowered as he stepped out of his trousers. He was straining with want, pulsing with need. The look in her eyes was hypnotizing.
“You must ask me for it, Hetty.” He would not push her before she was ready.
But her desire was as evident as his. “Please,” she begged. “I need you.”
He crawled over her, need ruling him as well. But after denying himself this pleasure before, he intended to take his time with her. Explore every inch of her. Bring her to the edge again and again until she begged him for release.
He started with small kisses along her collarbone, down to the softness of her stomach. She curled her fingers in his hair, pushing him lower, panting with pleasure already.
“I’ve hardly touched you, love,” he teased.
“Please, Jasper.” He continued his exploration, scarcely able to believe the woman he loved writhed beneath him. It was all he’d wanted since their kiss in the library, but until she’d opened the door this morning, it had seemed impossible.
He hadn’t known that happiness could be his ever again. And now that he had her, he would never let go.
He brought his palm to the center of her, his fingertips slick with her wetness. Nothing had ever felt so soft, so perfect. She arched up, pressing her delicious heat against his skin, his fingers stroking harder.
“Please,” she begged again.
She cried as he slid a finger inside her, as he trailed soft kisses along the silkiness of her thighs, savoring her. She tensed beneath him as his fingers slid in and out in a relentless, steady rhythm. She was close, so close now to the edge. All thoughts of sweet torture left him. He needed her to fall apart, preferably on his tongue. He kissed her between her legs, licking and tasting her desire as she bucked against him, shaking, trembling, coming undone.
And then he lay beside her, not sure he had ever known that bringing someone else release could be so pleasurable. He tucked her against him, rubbing her back, her ribs, her belly as she practically purred in delight.
“If we had simply done that in the library, all of this could have been avoided,” she mused.
“But then you wouldn’t have found your home.” He couldn’t imagine that she regretted everything. Finding her place in the world had mattered more to her than anything else.
“I suppose that I needed to come back here to understand that this doesn’t feel like home to me any longer.” She rolled over and placed her palm on his chest, feeling the steady beating of his heart. “You do. And your family does. And Mulgrave Hall. I feared my life would be empty without my past, but how could it be, when you are my future?”
They kissed again, but without the urgency of before. No, this was the luxuriant kiss of two people who knew they had a lifetime before them.
“Marry me, Hetty,” he whispered in her ear.
She answered by bringing her hand to the hardness of him. “Make me yours, Jasper.”