Chapter Ten
Trajan knew Florence had been aching for this kiss, too.
She melted into him, her arms flung around his neck and holding on to him as though she might drown if she ever let go.
He was her steadying anchor. “Trajan…”
“I know, love.” He pressed his lips to hers with greater urgency, parting them to delve deeper into the minty velvet of her mouth.
She moaned at the first touch of his tongue to hers, and invited more.
Fire tore through him as she urged him to expand his exploration.
And he did so.
There was something glorious about her body. The way she felt in his arms.
He wanted to ravage her. He wanted to protect her.
He wanted her.
In this moment, in this kiss, everything felt perfect.
A gentle breeze surrounded them and lightly tossed her dark curls. A shaded arbor protected them from the heat of the sun and the sight of those indoors. He breathed in the lavender scent of her skin.
He could kiss her and inhale her forever.
Yes, she was perfect.
Even her breasts were just the right plumpness against his chest. Her bottom was just the right amount of pertness. He felt her every wriggle as she squirmed against his thighs.
Yes, they would be good together in bed.
He needed to marry Florence.
By the heat of her response, he knew she would give herself to him this very night if he asked. She was so hungry for love and to be loved.
So was he. For her.
Only for her.
It saddened him that she had never been properly courted. His loveable, fake bird watcher deserved better than a stolen kiss or two in an arbor, did she not?
He could court her after their marriage, perhaps. It might be perceived as unusual. But everything about Florence was unusual, so why not? He meant to marry her as soon as this Frampton affair was over and done.
Mine, Florence. You are mine.
She was the first to ease away from their blistering kiss, laughing lightly while catching her breath. “Oh my. That was…”
He arched an eyebrow. “Unexpected?”
“Yes.” Her expression softened and her eyes held the loveliest glow. “And wonderful. I could kiss you forever.”
He gave her cheek a gentle caress. “Mutual, Florence.”
“But I think we chased poor Timmons away. He was about to step onto the terrace with a tray in hand when you suddenly swept me up in your arms and kissed me into eternity. He sprang away like a mountain goat being chased by a leopard.”
Trajan laughed. “He knows I am going to marry you. No harm done, unless you still think marrying me is a bad idea.”
“No, it was always an excellent idea. There was never a doubt in my mind.” She placed her hand over his heart. “Any reluctance on my part has to do with fear of you coming to harm. I am so sorry you were dragged into my problems.”
He kissed her again, this one deep and gentle, but packing more heat as his mouth moved over hers in a slow and sensual grind.
“Trajan, dear heaven,” she whispered.
Her breathy moans undid him. He shuddered and drew his lips off hers before things went any further.
“That was nice. It felt awfully naughty, but very nice,” she admitted, casting him a soft smile.
“Ah, Florence. You have no idea what really naughty feels like.”
“Will you show me?”
“Yes,” he said with a wicked arch of his eyebrow. “But not here and not now, or Timmons will have a seizure.”
She grinned. “Oh dear. We must not have every vital organ in his body falling into spasms. Look, he’s peering out the parlor window to see if we are still locking lips.”
“Ah, and he’s started toward us.”
She darted off his lap. “Do not kiss me again or he’ll run away.”
“So what?”
“I am thirsty again.”
So was he, but his thirst was for Florence.
The poor butler’s face was a fiery red as he approached with a fresh pitcher of lemonade, set it down on the table, and then sprinted back into the house with a lively spring in his step to resume his post by the front door.
Trajan laughed. “Well, we made quite an impression on him.”
Florence buried her head in her hands. “Oh, this is awful. Now he thinks I am a shameful wanton.”
“No, love.” He took her hands in his and had her look up at him. “Florence, this might scare you. It surely scares me. But it is very possible we have already fallen in love with each other. Not just on the way to it, but there.”
“Do you think so? Is this why you mistakenly called me your beloved earlier?”
He nodded. “But it was no mistake.”
“It felt nice, as though you really meant it. Why did you pretend it wasn’t real? Oh, never mind. I know why. Because of this horrid Frampton affair. I cannot wait until it is over and done.”
“Nor can I.”
“About that…I will need to leave for London as soon as I get my hands on those letters.”
“Agreed, but we will go together. There’s no negotiation on this. You are not taking that trip alone.”
“All right. In truth, I prefer to have you with me, since a woman alone would be an easy mark for every highwayman and cutpurse from here to London. We ought to travel on horseback, even though I am not a very good rider and will likely slow us down. But horses are still faster than taking a carriage, are they not?”
“Mail coaches are even faster.”
“Oh, you’ve given our getaway plan some thought?”
He nodded. “If you manage to grab those letters, then we’ll ride to Bournemouth and take the first mail coach to London from the coaching inn there.”
“What of the horses?”
“I know a reliable stable owner. He’ll hold them until one of my cousins rides over to pick them up.”
“We have to worry about Frampton following us.”
“Yes,” he said. “I’ve thought of that, too.”
“What’s your plan?”
“Nothing complicated, but it will require the cooperation of Hermia, my cousins, and some of the Gull Hall staff. Most have been in service here for years under my granduncle and can be trusted to follow my instructions to the letter.”
“Are you sure it isn’t complicated?”
“Yes, I’m sure. We may need a decoy.”
She cast him a questioning look. “What sort of decoy?”
“It ought to be simple enough for Timmons to make a show of piling our trunks onto my ducal carriage. Perhaps have Andrew and one of the maids with similar height and hair coloring to you climb into the carriage with him.”
“To what purpose?”
“Their destination will be Bath, where Lady Simmons is presently staying. She and her husband like to take the waters and mingle with others in the Upper Crust spending their summer there.”
“How do you know this?”
“I believe I told you she was after me for a while, so I learned a few details about her husband’s routine.”
She frowned. “You mean you learned his schedule so you would know when he was not present and could conduct your assignations.”
“She pursued me, not the other way around. But there were no assignations, I promise you. Besides, their current whereabouts were reported in one of the London rags.”
“So, your carriage heads to Bath while we ride for London?”
“That’s right. We’ll be on horseback,” he reminded her. “So we won’t be able to bring much, only what can fit in our travel pouches. And once we have those infernal letters, we had better plan to leave before first light on the chance Frampton decides to put his men to watching Gull Hall.”
“Sneaking out while it is still dark?”
He nodded.
“Frampton might not be on his guard if the fake letters switch works.”
“That man is always on his guard,” Trajan insisted.
“But I don’t think he realizes it is the Princess of Wales who put you onto this task.
He’ll think you are reporting to Lady Simmons, and this confusion will work to our advantage.
If he sends men after us, hopefully they will ride for Bath and not realize we are making for London. ”
“And what if he is not fooled?”
Trajan laughed. “Then we will be in a heap of trouble, won’t we?”
In truth, Frampton was not Trajan’s only concern. The Princess of Wales might also cause problems, for these royals could be fickle or forgetful whenever it suited their purpose. He was going to stand beside Florence and make certain the princess lived up to her agreement.
He would not let anyone cheat Florence. For this reason, he needed to be with her at all times. If she fell, he had to be there to catch her.
But she could be thickheaded at times.
“If questioned by Frampton,” she rattled on, “your cousins could—”
“Stop, Florence. I think you are giving me a blistering headache. Let me make this simple for you.” He pointed to her. “You.” And then pointed to himself. “Me.”
“Yes?”
“Together. Always. I travel with you. I protect you. Whatever the ultimate plan, we stay together.”
“Gad, you are such an ape.” But she was smiling and casting him a moon-eyed look, so he took the remark as a compliment.
Another thought crossed Trajan’s mind, one he knew she would resist. “We have not given enough consideration to the fact you may be walking into a trap and that Lady Frampton has fooled you into believing she is innocent and harmless.”
Florence stared at him, miffed. “She is innocent. I saw it in her eyes.”
He leaned forward and caressed her cheek. “And if you are wrong?”
“Then there will be nothing but rose cuttings in what she gives me, and that will be that.”
“You had better be sure of this before you hand over the fake packet of letters.”
“I know. I will do my best to be sure before I give her anything or ever say anything to her.” She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes a moment.
“What are you thinking now, Florence?”
She looked so pretty in the soft lavender gown and her hair drawn back to show off the delicate features of her face.
“I am thinking that I love this,” she said with her eyes still closed. “Us. Sitting out here together and talking over problems.”
Despite his concerns, he smiled. “Me too. We’ve tossed out a lot of possibilities. Let’s set them aside for now, sleep on them, and let them sink into our heads. We can discuss the best ones while on tomorrow’s ride to Weymouth.”
She readily agreed. Yes, this matter of switching letters had both of them very much on edge.