Chapter 11
Hermia whisked Crispin out into the long hall, horrified by her brother’s behavior.
“I will understand,” she said as she pulled him along, “if you wish to retract your proposal.”
“I cannot retract my proposal,” he said flatly. “It would be, as your brother pointed out so factually, a breach of promise.”
“Then you are stuck with me,” she blurted as she guided him further and further into the house, looking for a secluded nook to converse with him.
They’d had had so little opportunity to speak alone. And after that debacle, she wanted to talk with him. Wanted to make him understand that she would not force him to marry her, or marry into a family such as hers, if he could not endure it.
“Truly,” she said, pausing as she slipped into one of the chambers beside the library. It was a beautiful, small circular room meant for hiding, for keeping quiet, for sharing secrets, for slipping away into imaginings.
“I promise you, I have no intention of backing down from this arrangement for one very important reason,” he stated.
“You don’t wish to be ruined,” she assumed.
“No,” he replied. He took her hands in his and met her gaze. “You stood up for me in there.”
“I beg your pardon,” she breathed, astonished. She couldn’t quite believe his words.
“You stood up for me,” he affirmed. “Surely, you realize that.”
“I did?” she queried, blinking.
He smiled slowly, letting his gaze wander over her face as if it was the dearest thing in the world. “You barged into the room, gave the duke a set-down for daring to shoot his pistol at me, and then you insisted that you would attend every party I asked you to, for it was your end of the bargain to uphold. I have never seen anyone do anything like that, Hermia. Certainly not for me.”
“But it is such a small thing,” she whispered. “To do what one has said they would.”
He was stunned by her naivety in this. But he felt himself admiring her more and more. “Is it truly? If you dislike parties so, is it such a small thing? And that was no small thing to stand up for me.”
She swallowed, amazed. “Are you not accustomed to people standing up for you?”
He remained silent, unable to reply, for his throat suddenly tightened.
“Oh dear,” she realized, taking in his face. “You are not.”
He shook his head. “All my life, I have been rather beaten down, if I’m honest with you. And I have had to do what my parents have said. First my father, then my mother. And when I reached my majority… Well, that did change things, but I still behave as I’m expected to. As an earl is expected too. It is all I have ever lived for, you see.”
“I understand,” she said, her gaze softening as if his words made her terribly sad. “Let me tell you something,” she returned. “If you marry into my family, not only will I stand up for you, but all of my siblings and my mother will too. And my grandmama. And perhaps all of my aunts and uncles. We are a very united group of people.”
“I can see that,” he said, unable to stop a laugh that tumbled past his lips. “But I have trouble believing that I shall be so accepted once we are wed. I’ll still be an outsider.”
“There are no outsiders in my family,” she said with utter certainty, “which is why my brother is acting so absurdly and strongly. I hope he did not give you an apoplexy.”
“There was a moment,” he confessed with a grin, “when my soul left my body, but it did return.”
She laughed at that, as did he. And she found she loved the look upon his face as he was laughing, and the sound of his deep rolling voice embracing her. It was so beautiful, that deep timbre. Hermia found herself swaying towards him.
His eyes suddenly glowed with warmth, and he lifted his hand to her cheek. He gently stroked his fingertips along it and without another word, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.
The delicious warm feel of his lips upon hers stole all her reason away. Logic abandoned her. Rational thought fled! All she could think of was him, his earthy scent, his muscled body so near her own, and the tempting touch of his mouth.
Slowly he kissed her, his lips teasing, caressing, sparking her blood to passion.
His arms swallowed her up, and she arched her back ever so slightly and gave into his embrace. She held onto him, taking in the feel of his muscled arms and the feel of his hard body against hers.
They seemed to fit perfectly together, despite their difference in height. Like a key to lock.
His tongue slipped along the line of her mouth, and she instinctively parted her lips.
His tongue swept into her mouth, and what she thought should have felt absurd felt like heaven instead.
She wanted more, and their kiss built in passion, in hunger, in intensity, until she was kissing him back. Hermia held onto him for dear life, in a world she’d never experienced before.
He tilted her head slightly to better receive his kiss, and for a moment she was certain that her individual self would disappear and they would become one.
A low groan tore from his mouth as he pulled her tightly against him, and the evidence of his desire pressed against her hip.
She gasped at that and, reluctantly, he drew back. His gaze was wild as if he was lost.
Hermia drew back, gazing up at him with wonder.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, touching her swollen lips.
“Because I wanted to,” he rasped. “Did you not want me to?”
“I don’t know what I wanted,” she confessed as she savored the changed feel of her mouth. It was so tender, and yet she wished for his kiss again. “But I definitely did want it. And I think I want more of it, if I am honest.”
“Good,” he growled, his hands resting upon her waist, pulling her body into his. “For we are to be wed, and we shall be allowed to be intimate as often as we can.” His hands roved to her back as if he could scarce stop himself from tearing off her clothes. “We shall be allowed to do whatever we want, wherever we want.”
She laughed at that, as tingling, all-consuming passion danced through her veins. “Surely not wherever?”
“Well,” he said, considering, “within reason. So, we are still marrying?”
“Oh yes,” she said. “If you can stand up to my brother and withstand seeing him at his most mad, then of course we shall,” she said. “We couldn’t possibly do anything less.” She bit her lower lip as a sudden wave of doubt rushed through her. “But what if our children are like my family?”
“They’ll be fortunate,” he said quickly. He gazed down at her, his face sill a mask of passion. “And you, after having met my mother and my sister, will you be able to bear being married to me?”
“If you can bear my family, I suppose I can bear yours. Besides, once we’re wed, we will see little of them…and each other,” she said softly.
“A perfect recipe for happiness,” he reminded.
It was his sincerity that gave her pause.
He seemed to genuinely mean it, and she didn’t mind. Truly. It was the appeal of his proposal, the fact that they would each lead separate lives and do what they wanted. She would never have to go into ballrooms over and over again, feeling inadequate. No, just for a few weeks and then all would be well.
Then she slowly stepped back and smoothed her hand down the front of her gown. “Let us go. They may send out a search party soon.”
“You’re correct. I must retreat,” he said with a rueful smile. “It’s true. I don’t wish to be cornered by your brothers again. And no doubt my mother is waiting for me.”
“No doubt she can’t wait to leave,” she pointed out.
“You are probably right,” he groaned. “Come. Let us go.”
Together, they slipped out of the small room, and she led him back down to the foyer. And he was quite right. His mother was all but pacing.
“Are you ready to leave, Crispin?” she demanded.
“Oh, I am, Mother.”
The duchess was standing adjacent, watching the whole thing with a strange clever smile, as if she was not surprised by any event. Juliet stood by their mother, equally fascinated by the unfolding scene.
“I cannot believe this house,” his mother announced. “It is absolute madness. For one moment, I thought…”
“What?” the duchess asked. “What did you think, my dear Countess?”
“Oh, nothing,” the countess rushed, blinking, “But you are certainly a mad lot. And I am deeply sorry that my son has already proposed to your daughter.”
“Well, he has. And it is too late to do anything about it,” the duchess said with a simple shrug.
“Come along, Crispin,” his mother said before she whipped around and headed out.
Lady Gillian looked about, clearly uncertain what to do, then whirled around and headed out with her mother.
“I wish you good luck on the carriage ride home,” Hermia said to Crispin.
He took her hand in his and lowered until he brushed his lips gently over her knuckles. He skimmed them ever so slightly. “Adieu, my Hermia,” he said, “until we meet again.”
“Yes, until our families clash again, I suppose.”
But she felt the warmth of his hand upon hers, and the tingle of it raced through her body, doing the most delicious things.
And then he stepped back and turned to Hermia’s mother. “Thank you, Your Grace. It has been a most informative day.”
“I thought you would think so,” the duchess said brightly. “Better to be forewarned so you can be forearmed, don’t you think?”
He smiled wryly, turned, and headed out to his carriage and to his family.
Hermia’s breath caught in her throat. “This was the strangest day. I cannot believe this is happening,” she said.
“Oh, I can,” the duchess said, stepping forward. “The man is bored. Bored to death. And he needs us.”
“He needs us,” Hermia echoed, gaping at her mother.
Her mother nodded seriously, her eyes wide. “Oh, indeed, my dear. Oh, indeed. He has been waiting for something like this his whole life, and you are about to give it to him.”
“I am?” Hermia exclaimed.
“Oh yes, my dear,” her mother said, clearly excited by the prospect. “And I cannot wait to watch.”
On that declaration, her mother turned and headed up the stairs. “Come, my dears. It is time to get ready for the evening. After all, Hermia is apparently going to be going to multiple parties and I, for one, am eager for the excitement to begin.”
Hermia stood at the bottom of the stairs, willing herself to have strength.
“Don’t abandon me,” Hermia said to Juliet as she held out her hand.
Juliet crossed to her eagerly and wound her fingers about hers.
“Never,” promised Juliet. “Absolutely never. I shall stand by your side, and we shall do battle together.”
“It’s going to be quite a war,” Hermia sighed, wondering what exactly she’d gotten herself into.
“A merry one, I think,” Juliet teased.
“I do hope so,” Hermia breathed softly as her heart began to skip beats.
She could still feel the press of his lips upon hers.
The kiss. Oh, that kiss.
It had been sheer heaven. For the first time, she considered there might be more to marriage than just a partnership, that she might actually want to be in Crispin’s company more than just a little bit. And that sent a shiver of terror through her. What if she developed feelings for him? He wanted nothing to do with her in that regard. He had made it clear.
Were men and women so very different? Could he kiss her and feel nothing? Because she was fairly certain that she was beginning to feel something. Something very powerful indeed, and it unsettled her greatly.
“Come along,” Juliet urged, pulling her up the stairs. “Let us make you look as marvelous as you can.”
“I’m not going to change for him,” Hermia insisted.
“I didn’t think you would,” Juliet assured swiftly, “but surely you wish to show the ton that even a wallflower can win an earl. I think it’s time everyone saw how beautiful you truly are.”
She laughed at that. “I suppose,” she said. “And if it gives you pleasure, Juliet, I’ll do it.”
Because whatever made Juliet happy, made Hermia happy.
And there was an end to it.