CHAPTER TWO
In the one month since Audsley had asked to be her friend, Emma had been happier than she’d been in quite some time. And that was despite the fact her parents would be leaving soon. She hadn’t seen him very much, since he’d gone back to London for two weeks, but she liked knowing they were friends.
“What has put such a lovely smile on your face, dear?” asked her father one morning as Emma came down to breakfast. Richard Moore’s hair had darkened from auburn to brown through the years, though he was still quite youthful, despite being five and forty. He put down his paper and took his wife’s hand while he waited for his daughter’s response.
Emma’s mother, Catherine, was beautiful and as much in love with her husband as when they’d married almost a quarter century earlier. They were sometimes forgetful as parents, such as the time Emma and Grace had taken the mail coach home from school at Christmas only to find their parents had taken an impromptu trip to Brighton. They’d apologize profusely when they returned ten days later, saying they’d thought Emma and Grace were going to their grandfather’s home in London, but it had still hurt.
Emma appreciated how much her parents loved each other and she didn’t doubt their love for her and Grace. But she knew her parents valued their marriage first and their children second. It was just the way they were.
“It is a beautiful day,” said Emma as she kissed her father’s cheek, then her mother’s. “Have you and Mama finished packing?” She filled a bowl with porridge from the sideboard, then spooned some eggs onto a plate.
“Almost,” said her father. “There are a few things we need to pick up in London while we’re there, which reminds me – because of the extra expense, we’re not able to bring you and Grace to town. We’ll just have to make our farewells here.” He wasn’t unkind as he said it, but it still felt like someone had kicked Emma in the heart.
Emma tried not to let her sorrow show. It was going to be hard enough to say good-bye to her parents since they were leaving for an entire year. But now they’d be saying farewell three days early. She knew it shouldn’t make that big of a difference, but it certainly felt like one. She also wondered why it didn’t seem to bother them at all. “Very well,” she said, trying hard not to let her voice quiver. She wasn’t very successful in her attempt.
“What’s wrong, dear girl?” asked her father as he pulled her to him. “You’re not going sentimental on us, are you? We’ll be back before you know it, just slightly longer than a year at school. And think of the stories we’ll have to tell. In the meantime, you and Grace will still be here in Tidworth. I think that cottage will be quite nice, don’t you?”
“It looked a bit ramshackle.” And that was putting it nicely.
“I thought it was lovely,” said her mother. “There were so many flowers in front that I daresay your spring and summer will be quite fragrant. In fact, you could call it Jasmine Cottage from the profusion of vines I saw. What do you think of that?”
Emma wiped her eyes. She might as well make the best of it, especially since she didn’t want to ruin her parents’ trip by making them think she was unhappy. “I think Jasmine Cottage is a wonderful name. I’m sure Grace and I will be very happy there.”
“Of course you will,” said her mother, kissing her cheek. “You won’t even have to share a bedchamber as you do here.”
Emma hugged her mother, unsure of when she’d have the opportunity to do so again. For some reason, she had a feeling it would be longer than a year. She knew she was just being silly, but it felt good to be in her arms. And from the way her mother squeezed her tight, it seemed the feeling was mutual. Finally, her mother pulled back. “Now go enjoy this beautiful day.”
Emma kissed her cheek once more, then grabbed her bonnet to do that very thing.
* * *
Audsley stood on his bedchamber’s balcony and looked out at his estate. He enjoyed the country, but today he found himself missing London for many reasons. One was that there was very little company in the country which provided intellectual stimulation, though the squire seemed to think he qualified as such. The man was constantly inviting Audsley to dinner and other events, and it was getting harder to be civil in his rejections. It was rather presumptuous of the man to invite an earl to so many events when there’d never been a friendship between the two of them. But Audsley figured the invitations had more than a little to do with the squire’s two unmarried daughters. They were handsome enough girls, but neither fit any of Audsley’s qualifications to be a countess.
Of course, so far no one had met his qualifications to be a countess, despite the fact his mother had been throwing debutantes his way for some time.
As for intellectual stimulation, Emma Moore was the only one in the village who passed muster in that regard, though it had come as a bit of a surprise. It seemed that the girl who’d fallen out of a tree had grown into a beautiful, spirited, intellectual who could more than hold her own in conversation with him. Plus, she had a body which just begged to be touched.
That was another reason Audsley wished to return to London. He hadn’t had a woman since the very willing Lady Hathaway, a widow he’d begun seeing three months earlier before being called back to the country to attend to his estate. She was fifteen years his senior, so there were no expectations of marriage, but the benefits in the bedchamber had been significant.
Audsley was a very physical man who believed prolonged abstinence was not to be borne. He took himself in hand each morning, but it was a poor substitute for a warm woman. However, if intellectual stimulation was difficult to find in the country, an appropriate bedmate was even scarcer. He would never importune a member of his staff or one of the girls who worked in the village because it would be an abuse of his title. No matter how much his body yearned for release he would have to wait until London to indulge himself.
That meant he should return sooner rather than later.
In lieu of the physical activity he desired, he set out for a walk. It was by no means an adequate substitute, but the fresh air would do him good.
As he walked the land of his ancestors, he was thankful his father had been such a good steward of the estate. Audsley took his duties seriously, knowing he had responsibilities not only to those earls who came before him, but also to the ones who would follow. He diligently fulfilled his duties in the House of Lords and, sooner than he would like, he would set about finding a suitable wife.
He realized with some surprise that his aimless walk had brought him near the cottage he’d leased to the Moores for Emma and Grace. It had been a while since he’d been there, and he wanted to make sure it was actually habitable. The last he’d seen it, he wasn’t certain even his goats would like it.
As he approached, he was treated to a most unusual and attractive sight – Emma’s backside. She was bent over, showcasing her perfect heart-shaped bottom, despite the skirts covering her. His cock immediately hardened and he was glad she was turned away. It was wholly inappropriate to be attracted to her this way, but he didn’t think his brain could convince any other part of his body to cease and desist. He adjusted his jacket to hide the worst of his reaction, then cleared his throat to alert her to his presence.
She stood and turned to face him. “Good morning,” she said with the smile he was beginning to crave.
“What were you doing?”
“Grace and I are to live here soon.”
“Yes, I know that. But you’re not moving in today, are you?”
Her smile broadened. “No.”
“And you’re not actually going to live in the garden, are you?”
“No, but I daresay we’ll spend a great deal of time out here. Mama mentioned the jasmine and I’m delighted to see there’s so much of it. I was just weeding around it.”
That was so wholly unexpected, he almost forgot how painfully tight his pantaloons had become. Almost, but not quite. “What do you know about weeding?”
“I’m not an expert on it, of course. But I know something about gardens and anyone who knows about gardens knows about weeds.”
“You pull them up yourself?” He’d never known anyone to pull weeds who wasn’t being paid to do so.
“I tried talking them out of the ground but to no avail.” When he didn’t say anything, she added, “That was a jest.”
He knew it had been a jest and had he not been so filled with lust, he would’ve laughed. But as it was, his wits were dulled from having to fight his instincts to take her inside the cottage where they’d have plenty of privacy. Too much of it, in fact. “Why are you here?” The question came out harsher than he’d intended. But apparently lust was dulling his ability to be polite, as well.
“Grace and I will move in here soon and I wanted to make certain everything is in order.”
“Will that be before or after your trip to London to see your parents off on their voyage?”
She blushed a bit and Audsley wondered if he’d said something inappropriate. Had he somehow given voice to his thoughts?
Then she spoke. “Grace and I won’t be going to London to see them off. We’ll just remain here.”
She’d said it as if it didn’t bother her, but Audsley had heard the catch in her voice. Her parents’ change in plans had obviously upset her. He wanted to comfort her but had no idea how to do that without touching her, and he absolutely could not touch her, even in the most innocent of ways. “So, you’ll be moving in a little earlier.”
“I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess we will. Do you need more rent money?”
“Yes.” Her face fell. “I’ll take the copy of Pride and Prejudice.”
After a moment of stunned silence, she laughed, which was exactly the reaction he’d wanted. “You made a jest.”
“I did. Would you like to see the cottage again?” Was he mad? He’d made the jest to cheer her up, but her laugh had been so intoxicating, he’d lost his head and his sense.
“Please. Will you accompany me?”
Absolutely not. “I would be honored to.” He pushed opened the front door, which stuck just a bit, then they entered directly into the small sitting room, which had a fireplace and three large windows. The light streaming in made him realize the place could use a good cleaning. The room was empty except for a small chair with what appeared to be three and a half legs. “What furniture will you bring?”
“I don’t know. Mama and Papa are in the process of selling most of it right now.”
Audsley frowned. “Won’t they need furniture when they return?”
Emma smiled a bit tightly. “My parents rarely plan that far ahead. They probably believe that is a problem to be solved at a later date.”
Audsley disliked her parents even more for this latest reminder of their irresponsibility. “I’m certain there is furniture at the abbey which I could provide. The attics are full of it.”
“Thank you, but no. I’ll not take your charity, though I appreciate your kind offer.”
It hadn’t been kind as much as the least he could do when her parents had been so careless. “What will you do? Take turns sitting on the broken chair?”
She grinned, and it hit him in his mid-section. And his cock.
“I will make inquiries in the village. Perhaps Grace and I could arrange a barter for someone’s cast-off furniture.”
“You’d prefer a villager’s cast-off furniture to mine?”
“I have at least a fair chance of bartering something for their well-used table and chairs. Grace and I can teach children or watch them while their mothers are elsewhere engaged. I could write letters or even do some mending though, given my level of skill, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to get anything much better than that chair. But there are no services I could offer you which would be worth even the most broken-down piece of furniture in the abbey attics.”
Audsley’s mind was immediately inundated with the many services Emma could provide which would fill this cottage with furniture. He could even set her up in a large residence in London if she so chose. Of course, he couldn’t do that because she was a lady, even if she was in reduced circumstances. He cleared his throat. “Shall we continue the tour?”
“Please.”
He showed her the kitchen, which was in even worse shape than the sitting room. The stove was rudimentary and looked to be only slightly better than an open fire.
“Oh, dear,” said Emma.
“Will you have a live-in cook?”
She laughed. “Hardly. But Mama and Papa have paid Mrs. Webster to come in three times a week to cook enough meals for the week.”
“What will you do the other days?”
“Eat what she leaves for us.” She laughed again. “Do not worry quite so much. Meals rarely appear at regular times at home. Grace and I are quite adept at getting ourselves fed.”
Audsley hoped he wouldn’t run into the Moores before their departure since he wasn’t sure he could keep a civil tongue. He continued the tour by showing Emma a small room off the kitchen, barely big enough for a pallet and chair.
“This is a true luxury,” said Emma. “Grace and I have never had a spare room before. Now we can have company.”
For some reason, that didn’t sit well with Audsley. “Just whom would you invite?”
“We had a friend at school, though we haven’t heard from her in ages.”
“I suppose that would be all right.” For some reason, he’d thought of a man in this cottage and it had made his blood boil.
“Thank you for your permission,” she said, her eyes dancing.
On the second floor they found two small bedchambers. Both of them combined could easily fit into the corner of his dressing chamber. He was about to apologize for the state of this cottage when Emma exclaimed, “This is perfect! Grace and I will both have our own bedchambers. I think the bed we share at home will fit in one room and we’ll only have to secure another for the second one.”
She turned to him with a broad smile, her eyes alight with happiness. Audsley was entranced. Not just because of how she looked, but from the joy he could feel emanating from her. He wondered what it would take for him to be that happy but could come up with no answer other than it would be a lot more than two tiny bedchambers in a drafty old cottage once destined for goats. He was also extremely aroused after listening to Emma talk about beds. Whatever the reason, he leaned down and brought his lips to hers.
She was so surprised she pulled back and he cursed himself. Had he hurt her? Scared her? She was an innocent and he’d behaved like a cad. He was just about to apologize, when Emma put her hands on his shoulders, then moved her head up for another kiss. But there was only so far she could go without him bending down to meet her. He wasn’t sure what to do.
“Aren’t you going to kiss me, Audsley?” she said in the most sensuous voice he could imagine. “After all, you’re the one who started this.”
* * *
Emma couldn’t believe what had just happened. The man who’d been her hero since she’d been a little girl had just kissed her. And she’d been such a lackwit that she’d jumped back as if a snake had slithered up to her. But she wasn’t about to let her first real kiss end so badly. Without thinking, she’d all but begged him to do it again.
And now there was this mortifying pause when he simply looked at her as if this whole thing had been her idea and a terrible one, at that. But then his lips were on hers, lightly, gently. His head was angled, so she instinctively turned hers the opposite way. She forgot how to breathe as he moved his lips gently over hers. Then when she grew dizzy from not having enough breath, she opened her mouth a bit to gulp in some air. That was when he did the most extraordinary thing. His tongue entered her mouth to find her own. This was as far from the simple pecks she’d received at the village assembly on two separate occasions as it was possible to be. Those had been disgusting and too wet. But this…there were no words to describe it. Only feelings. Only wonderful feelings, which swamped her from head to toe.
Now her back was against the wall, which was helpful since her knees had begun to buckle. Audsley was holding her and she couldn’t get close enough to him. She was overwhelmed by the sensation of his kiss, from being so near him. Every part of her felt alive in a way she’d never experienced before. A rational woman would stop to allow her thoughts to catch up with her.
Emma just pulled him closer.
Audsley groaned his approval. He put his right hand at the side of her waist, then slowly moved it up until he was but inches away from her breast. Did he know how aggravating it was to have him that close yet still too far away? She subtly tried to bend into his touch but couldn’t quite make the contact she needed. She certainly couldn’t tell him to touch her there – she simply wouldn’t have the words.
But his hand stayed where it was until he finally pulled back. He was breathing heavily, just as she was, as he kept his forehead on hers. Then he stepped all the way back. It felt like the temperature in the cottage had plummeted, though it hadn’t been that warm to begin with.
“Forgive me, Emma, I was on the verge of forgetting myself.”
“Would that be so very bad?” She barely had the breath to speak and, from the way his eyes flared, for a moment it looked like he would pick right back up where he’d left off.
Alas, it wasn’t to be.
“Emma, you are a young lady and there are rules.”
“Who cares about the rules?”
“I do. And I suspect you do, too, though you might not fully realize it right now.”
“We are in an empty cottage. Who would know about a few kisses?”
“I would. And while I would never tell anyone, I am experienced enough to know that a few kisses could lead to much more.”
Emma was on the verge of telling him she wouldn’t mind doing at least a tiny bit more, but she knew the look in his eyes. Audsley was a stubborn man and now that he’d made up his mind, there was nothing she could do to change it.
For now. Who knew what would happen in the future? So, she completed the tour of the cottage and allowed him to usher her back outside. He walked her to her cottage but declined her offer to come in for tea.