Chapter Eleven
Oh, good heavens!
By chance, Charlotte had been peering out the front bow window of the teahouse as she waited for William at a small, round table when movement on the street captured her attention.
In some horror, she watched as he started across the street and then was nearly it by a carriage and then by the mail chaise.
When he fell to the ground, her heart had lurched before it tumbled into her stomach.
Not caring how it made her look, she darted up from her chair so quickly, the table bumped and dishes rattled.
As the people around her stared, she pelted from the teahouse and out the door.
On the pavement, she glanced about, and seconds later plunged into the street, heading directly toward the earl.
“Lord Wolcott!” Despite the small crowd that had formed around him, Charlotte pushed and prodded her way through until she gained access to him.
“William, are you injured?” She gained his side with her heart squeezing to the point of pain.
“You’re bleeding.” Her fingers eased along the side of his head where he’d been lightly struck from the carriage.
“Charlotte.” Faint relief reflected in his eyes as he met her gaze. “Leave off. I’m well enough. Merely scratches.” But he grimaced and put a hand to his left shoulder.
“You aren’t.” She slipped her gloved fingers over his torso, checking for broken bones. “The cut on the side of your head needs tended to.”
“A scratch, surely.” The earl brushed off her touch. “I’m fine. Truly.” When his gaze met hers, honesty reflected in the green depths. “Perhaps I wasn’t paying proper attention or perhaps I was woolgathering, or—”
“Or perhaps there are other men in London who drive at reckless paces like you,” she couldn’t help but interrupt. When mottled color rose up his neck, she snickered. “Oh, yes, I’ve gone driving with you, remember. It doesn’t impress me when you take corners tightly.”
“Do shut up, Miss Primrose.” He shot her a charming grin that made her knees wobble. “I am a bit muddy and battered, I think, but none the worse for wear, and certainly not hurt more than what will heal with a few days of rest. You’ll understand if I don’t come in for tea?”
“Of course.” Knowing their onlookers wouldn’t move unless they did, she slipped her arm through his and held it. “Let me escort you home to make certain you don’t go unconscious.”
“I won’t. I swear I’m fine.” He snorted. “Unless the bad luck of my family line has chosen this moment to put an end of my existence.”
Her chest seized. Was that true? “Well, you don’t appear so.
” With her other hand, she wiped at the blood on his head.
“I’ll wager also you’ll have a proper bruise on that shoulder.
” As she led him off the street and then pulled him onto the pavement, she tsked her tongue.
“Honestly, you should have a doctor in just to give you a quick examination.”
“But…”
“Please do as I ask, William,” she said in a soft voice while peering up into his face. “If fate does have a hold on you, taking care of yourself can mitigate that a bit. Besides, I still have much work to do on your library. You can relax as I putter.”
The earl nodded. “Very well. I left the carriage in a mews a block over.” He pointed in a general westward direction. Then he wiped at the drips hanging onto the brim of his beaver felt top hat. “Damned rain.” As he walked, he favored his left leg, which developed into a limp.
“You’ll be out of it soon enough.” After nodding to a couple of the gawkers, Charlotte guided him through the crowd and then in the direction he’d indicated. By the time they arrived at the mews, he was more able to walk about without the limp. Perhaps his hip had been bruised as well.
“Your Lordship?” William’s driver sprang up from where he sat in a chair around a rough-hewn table where three other men were playing cards. “Have you changed your mind?” He glanced at Charlotte. “Begging your pardon, miss, but this is no place for a lady.”
She shook her head. “This is quite tame, Mr. Dolan. Regardless, His Lordship suffered an accident before he could attend tea with me, so if you’ll please drive us to his home?”
“Of course.” The driver tossed his hand of cards to the table, while the other men chuckled and divided up his current winnings. “I’ll bring the carriage into the street. I hope he’ll be in good health.”
“Thank you.” Charlotte bestowed a smile on him. “I can assure you that he’ll have a doctor in the moment we arrive.”
“I’ll fetch ‘im myself after I let the two of you off. His Lordship’s physician lives not far from Hanover Square.”
“Good man. That is most appreciated.” She flashed a grin at William.
“We shall wait outside for you, Mr. Dolan.” Then, with slight pressure of her fingers on the earl’s arm, she led him out into the short street that ran in front of the mews.
“Isn’t it lovely you have so many people in your life who care about you? ”
When he turned his head and met her gaze, she wasn’t expecting the sheen of moisture in his eyes. “I liked to hope I made a good impression on people, but one never knows, because I especially tend to muck things up so often.”
She lost a piece of her heart to him in that moment. “We all have made mistakes, but that doesn’t mean that is how every day will be.”
No more was said, for the carriage rolled into the street. William handed her inside straightaway then climbed in after her and settled on the bench beside her. He remained quiet as the vehicle wound its way onto the main street, but it was slow going. Traffic through Mayfair was quite snarled.
Mr. Dolan rapped on the roof. “Accident ahead. No good way around it. Rain and reckless driving ain’t a good mix. I’ll have you home as soon as I can, Your Lordship.”
“Do your best. We are not in a rush,” he responded, then leaned his head against the squabbed back of the bench. Briefly, he closed his eyes as he removed his gloves and laid them on the other side of the bench next to him.
Still worried, Charlotte fussed over him, checked the cut on the side of his head. “Are you certain you aren’t hurting?”
“I am, but it’s not overwhelming. Tomorrow, that will be another story entirely.
” Exasperation rang in his voice. “Stop it.” When she kept on, he heaved out a breath.
“My limbs are not broken, and there isn’t anything exponentially wrong with me.
” Then he captured her gloved hands in his.
“Trust me when I tell you that I am well. I will not expire imminently.” Seconds later, he claimed her lips in a kiss designed to capture her full attention.
No doubt to convince her to leave off. Foolish man.
Not that she minded. The earl’s kisses had the ability to sweep her away.
Freeing one of her hands, she rested it on his chest and curled her fingers into the folds of his cravat in an effort to gently pull him closer.
Their positions were a tad awkward, but as she returned his kisses with enthusiasm, for she had been quite worried when she’d seen him tumble to the street.
The realization that he was no longer a stranger, but that he’d become someone she was learning to care about sent shock skittering through her chest. Too much a coward to tell him of her feelings, Charlotte continued to kiss him, and it wasn’t long before the embrace ignited into an inferno of heat and need and longing.
Honestly, perhaps mutual fear and worry, but that was all poured into the kisses that grew progressively more intense.
Admitting to herself that she might like him more than she should, was frightening, for she was unsure what sort of husband he’d make or even if he truly would go the distance and marry her.
If he did, would he pledge fidelity to her or would he continue to chase anything in skirts?
They needed to have a conversation that had nothing to do with carnal play, yet that was proving nearly impossible.
Wanting much more of him, Charlotte broke the kiss merely to climb into his lap.
She straddled his waist, and immediately his hands were at her waist as he pressed a line of searing kisses to the side of the neck.
It was the height of erotic, and she couldn’t have enough of this man.
As soon as her fingers slipped into his luxuriously thick and soft hair, she knocked off his top hat, and to his credit, he removed her bonnet.
Both pieces of headgear tumbled to the floorboards without notice.
There was something so thrilling about doing this with him in a carriage.
Granted, the vehicle wasn’t moving all that quickly since the street was clogged with traffic, but that didn’t matter.
The curtains were still drawn so no one passing by could peer in, and that was fine by her because she wasn’t planning to leave off with chasing pleasure alongside him.
“You are the best distraction,” William whispered against her lips as he moved his hands to her shoulders.
Then he encouraged her bodice down, manipulated her underclothing until her breasts were bared and the nipples hardening in the relatively cool, ambient air.
“God, I could get all too used to this.” He dipped his head and took one of those sensitive buds into the warm cavern of his mouth.
“Every time you do this, my mind leaves me and madness seeps in,” she whispered as she peppered his face with light kisses. The rasp of the hairs of his close-cropped beard only enhanced the sensations already bouncing through her insides.
“That is the point,” he said with a chuckle. Seconds later, his hands were at her breasts, squeezing, caressing that flesh, giving the nipples nips and nibbles and light pinches that had her writhing on his lap.