An Unconventional Countess, page 23
‘But it’s where we met.’ Samuel came to stand close behind her, placing his hands on either side of her waist. ‘That seems fitting for our first night together.’
‘About that...’ She pushed the door open, removing one of his hands and using it to lead him inside. ‘I’m not sure whether...’
‘It’s all right.’ He lifted her fingers to his mouth, kissing the backs of her knuckles reassuringly. ‘I don’t have any expectations tonight. I’ll be happy just to hold you in my arms if you don’t feel ready for more.’
‘I’m ready.’ She smiled at the obvious relief in his face. ‘But you’ve had a hit on the head and you must be exhausted after such a long day. Maybe you should—’
‘I’m ready, too.’ He cut her off, closing the shop door and drawing the bolt firmly behind them. ‘It’ll take more than a bump on the head to keep my hands off you.’
‘As long as you’re certain.’ She hesitated. ‘Only the truth is that I’m not entirely sure what I’m ready for. I would have asked my mother, but she’s not here, and as much as I like your grandmother...’
‘She’s not the kind of person you can talk to about that. Thank goodness you didn’t try.’ He advanced towards her, smiling in a way that set butterflies fluttering in her stomach. ‘Remember what we did in the plunge pool?’
‘Yes.’ She felt her cheeks turn pink at the memory.
‘Well, it’s like that, only warmer, drier and usually more horizontal.’
‘Oh... I see. Would you like some tea first?’
‘No.’ His lips quirked. ‘No tea.’
‘Wine?’
‘Nothing.’ He reached for the tasselled ends of her shawl, slowly peeling it from around her shoulders and dropping it onto the shop counter. ‘I want you, Anna. Nothing else.’
‘Oh...’ She swallowed at the touch of cold air on her skin. It was a relief since the room seemed to have become ten times hotter all of a sudden. His hands surrounded her waist again, his gaze dark and hungry-looking, holding her own so intently that the fluttering sensation in her stomach felt more like flapping now, as if the butterflies had somehow transformed into birds. She took a faltering breath, her thoughts spinning as he lowered his lips against hers, softly and searchingly at first, then kissing her so deeply that she felt as if all the blood in her body had rushed straight to her head. She curled her arms around his neck, though she didn’t realise they were moving until her back touched the counter.
‘Samuel?’ She tipped her head back, breaking the kiss to catch her breath. ‘Should we go upstairs?’
‘Probably,’ he murmured against her neck, covering her skin with hot, open-mouthed kisses. ‘While I still can walk.’
‘Why wouldn’t you—?’ She opened her eyes wide as the lower half of his body pressed against her. ‘Oh.’
‘Oh,’ he repeated, a smile in his voice as he slid his hands over her hips and bunched his fingers in the folds of her skirts. ‘I’ve wanted to do this from the first moment I saw you.’
‘Not the first,’ she protested.
‘The very first. I was standing just outside that window and you were scowling from behind the counter.’
‘I was trying to scare you away.’
‘I know. You have a very attractive scowl.’
He pressed a kiss into the hollow at the base of her throat. It felt so tender that she heard a moan escape her lips even before she’d opened them. Mercifully, the flapping in her abdomen had stopped, only it seemed to have been replaced by a throbbing sensation instead, making her legs so unsteady that she doubted she could make it up the stairs now, either. And he certainly couldn’t carry her in his...condition. Which left only one alternative...
She braced her hands on the edge of the counter behind, pulling herself up to perch on the edge.
‘Anna?’ Samuel’s gaze looked arrested.
‘You said like the plunge pool.’ She frowned. ‘Or does it have to be horizontal?’
‘No...’ There was a raw edge to his voice as if he were struggling with the question himself. ‘But this is your first time. It might be better if we...’ He didn’t finish the sentence as she leaned forward, pressing her breasts against his chest and skimming her lips along the curve of his ear with a small shushing sound. For a moment his whole body seemed to tense at the contact, but then he reached up, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her even more deeply than before. ‘I want you.’
Moving by instinct, she wriggled forward until there was no space left between them, wrapping her legs around his waist while his fingers unfastened the hooks at the back of her gown, tugging it down over her shoulders. His mouth fell to her breasts, and she pushed her hands beneath his shirt, feeling the muscles of his shoulders flex as she smoothed her fingers greedily over the hard contours of his body.
‘Anna.’ His voice sounded guttural, making her heart clench with anticipation as he unfastened the front of his breeches and then slid a hand between her legs, touching her so intimately that she sucked in a breath of surprise. ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’
‘You’re not,’ she gasped as hard flesh pressed against the entrance to her body. ‘I want you, too.’
Determinedly, she clutched hold of his shoulders, moving her hips forward so that she slid on to him herself, biting her lip to hold back a cry at the new sense of intrusion. Samuel groaned, too, a low exclamation followed by a muffled oath as if she were the one hurting him.
‘What’s the matter?’ She started to move back in alarm, but he grabbed at her waist, holding her where she was.
‘Nothing’s wrong.’ He closed his eyes. ‘You just feel too good.’
‘How can it be too good?’ She slid farther along his length, feeling a hot burst of pain followed by a tingle of pleasure.
‘Wait.’ He made a sound at the back of his throat, something between a laugh and a growl as he tightened his hold on her. ‘You’ll find out if you’re not careful.’
‘Maybe I want to find out.’ She tried moving again, writhing her hips despite the arm clamped around her waist. Somehow the movement caused a fresh spasm of pleasure.
‘Anna...’ He sounded as if he were speaking through clenched teeth, pushing himself even deeper.
‘Mmm...?’ The spasm felt so good that she couldn’t stop herself from moving again, bucking against him as she pursued the feeling. He didn’t protest this time, bracing one hand on the counter as he moved with and against her, faster and deeper while the spasms seemed to build in intensity, one upon another, sending vibrations of feeling out along every nerve and through every limb. At last they all seemed to join together at once, mingling into one extended burst of feeling that wrenched a cry from her lips and left her feeling dazed and satiated. She let her head fall backwards, her body turning limp as Samuel thrust one last time and then shuddered inside her.
‘Anna?’ He pressed his face into her neck, gasping for breath.
‘Yes?’
‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes.’ She laughed at the question. ‘I’m very all right.’
‘Good.’ He sounded relieved, letting out his own ragged laugh. ‘So much for horizontal.’
* * *
‘Horizontal is definitely more comfortable,’ Anna sighed, tucking her head into the curve between Samuel’s neck and shoulder after their second lovemaking, this time in bed. ‘Although there’s something to be said for shop counters, too.’
‘I’ll never look at one in the same way again,’ Samuel murmured, stroking a hand over her hip and drawing one of her legs up over his body.
‘Me neither. It’s probably a good thing I’m leaving or I’d never be able to sell biscuits again without blushing.’
‘No regrets?’
‘None, except...’
‘What?’ His hand stilled instantly.
‘Part of me wishes my mother could have been at our wedding, after all. And then there’s Sebastian. I wish I even knew where he was.’
‘It’s not unusual for ships to be out of contact with the Admiralty for this long, but I’ll write and ask if there’s been any word.’ He raised a hand to her hair, looping his finger around a stray curl that hung over her forehead. ‘He—and your mother, too—can come to Staunton and celebrate with us as soon as he gets shore leave.’
‘Thank you.’ She nuzzled closer. ‘You know, I always hoped that if I married then it would be a love match like my parents, but I never thought I’d be so lucky.’
‘Certainly not with an earl.’
‘Definitely not with an earl, but nobody’s perfect.’
‘How flattering.’ He tugged gently on the curl. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind leaving Belles? It’s going to be a big change.’
‘Yes, but at least I have a manager I can rely on. Henrietta’s enthusiastic and she seems to genuinely love baking. I think she’ll make a bigger success of the place than I ever did.’
‘She ought to. You’re paying her twice as much as my steward with free lodgings to boot.’
‘Do you object?’
‘Not a bit. I’ll have to raise my steward’s wages to match. I’m just glad you’re not closing the doors altogether. Belles is a Bath institution, after all, and you’re the original Belle.’
‘The Countess who smells of the shop.’ She smoothed a hand over his chest. ‘Of course, that’s only an insult if you don’t like the smell of biscuits.’
‘And who in their right mind doesn’t? Personally speaking, I adore it. I’m going to need a supply of Contessas just for the journey north.’
‘Are we going to share a carriage this time?’
‘What do you think?’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘I’m a newly married man. It would be remiss of me not to seize the opportunity of being in a closed carriage with my wife for two days. There are all sorts of things we can do to entertain ourselves.’
‘All sorts?’
‘Well, one sort really, with several variations.’
‘Mmm.’ She smiled lazily. ‘In that case, when are we leaving?’
‘Just give the order. Are you ready to start a new life with me, Countess?’
‘If you’re ready to leave the sea behind, then yes, Captain Delaney, I believe that I am.’
‘Well, then...’ he murmured, pressing a kiss onto the top of her head. ‘Clear the decks and anchor aweigh.’
Epilogue
Six months later
Henrietta bolted upright with a gasp, startled awake by the sound of a thud from downstairs. As she listened, there was another, and another, all in quick succession, muffled but unmistakable. She judged, by the pitch blackness outside her small window in one of the attic bedrooms above Belles, that it was still the middle of the night, which meant that whatever, or whoever, it was shouldn’t be there.
She tossed her blankets aside and flung her legs over the side of the bed, palms sweating and heart pounding like a drum, which was both terrifying and inconvenient since it made it impossible for her to listen for anything else. Slowly, she crept out into the hallway, pausing at the top of the stairs as she considered whether or not to wake Nancy, the Baroness’s former kitchen-maid-turned-shop-assistant. Much as she wanted some moral support, however, she decided against it. There were no sounds coming from below now, making her wonder if she’d dreamt the thuds, after all. She’d been so certain, but what if...?
Just to be sure, she descended the wooden staircase to the parlour, feeling her way as her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, taking care not to creak any floorboards, but that room was so still and silent and looking so much like normal that she began to relax and feel foolish. It was typical of her wayward imagination to run away with her. Thank goodness she hadn’t woken Nancy or she’d have to explain herself and...
A shiver raced down her spine at the sound of another distinct thud from below. Instinctively she reached for the nearest weapons, a pair of tongs and a metal shovel poking out of the coal bucket, before carrying on downstairs. Each step seemed to go on for ever, giving her sufficient time to terrify herself about what she might find. Thieves? Cutthroats? Probably not highwaymen since she wasn’t on horseback or in a stagecoach, though the image of a masked man still popped into her mind with startling clarity.
For the first time in months she wished she had a husband there to protect her. Once upon a time she’d thought of marriage as the answer to all of her problems, but after several upsetting episodes she’d come to realise that commitment wasn’t what most men had in mind when they looked at her. Now she was older and wiser, she understood the world a bit better and a husband was the last thing she wanted.
She was married to Belles now—and if there were thieves below stairs then she’d deal with them herself!
She braced herself, tightening her fingers around her makeshift weaponry as her foot touched the bottom step. The shop itself was completely swathed in darkness, which meant that the thuds had to be coming from the kitchen. Which struck her as odd since there wasn’t much there to steal except for a few sacks of flour and sugar and assorted baking utensils, but perhaps the thieves were hungry? She pressed her ear against the door to listen, stifling a yelp of alarm at the sound of footsteps inside. They seemed to be coming closer, too, as if whoever it was had heard her approach. If she didn’t act quickly, then the door would open and she’d be caught.
Unless she caught them first.
Without pausing to reconsider, she grabbed hold of the handle, gave it a quick twist and then shoved as hard as she could, knocking the wooden door against something large and heavy. There was a thwack, followed by a volley of expletives and then another thud, as if she’d just knocked someone off their feet. Seizing the advantage, she pushed again and jumped inside, swinging the shovel up over her head and thrusting the tongs out in front of her.
‘Get out!’ She tried to sound as threatening as possible, relieved to find that the thieves were in fact just one thief, sprawled on the flagstones behind the door.
‘What the blazes...?’ The man stared up at her with one hand clamped over his face. In the shadowy light of the still-glowing hearth, it made him look like the masked highwayman she’d envisaged. All she could make out were dark eyes, black hair and what looked like a red trickle streaming between his fingers.
‘Oh!’ She started forward and then stopped. Just because he was injured didn’t mean she should help him. If anything, it served him right!
‘You might give a man some warning when you’re about to open the door.’ He pulled his hand away, revealing a handsome, albeit bloodstained and somewhat swarthy, countenance. ‘I think you just broke my nose.’
‘Good! That’ll teach you to break into people’s property in the middle of the night! Now get out or I’ll scream for the night-watchman.’
‘Wait!’ He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a white handkerchief, waving it in the air like a flag of surrender before using it to wipe the blood off his face. ‘I didn’t break in. I have a key and I was trying not to make noise, if you must know, only things seem to have moved around since I was last here. Where’s Anna?’
‘You know Anna?’ Henrietta blinked in surprise, lowering the coal shovel a few inches.
‘All my life.’ He looked her up and down speculatively. ‘By the way, would you mind putting those tongs down? I’m afraid to ask what you intended to do with them, but they’re making me want to cross my legs.’
‘Oh.’ A hot flush rushed through her body at the implication. The look of bemused interest on his face made her feel hotter still, as well as acutely conscious of the fact that her only clothing consisted of a plain cotton nightgown that stopped halfway down her calves. Thank goodness for the dark. ‘No! Not until you tell me how you know Anna.’
‘Well...’ He jumped to his feet so abruptly that she took an instinctive step backwards. ‘I believe that we first met in the cradle. She used to sing me lullabies, as I recall. Allow me to introduce myself. Sebastian Fortini, at your service.’
‘Anna’s little brother?’ Now that he mentioned it, she could see the resemblance. His dark hair was wavy and dishevelled rather than curly, but he had the same square-shaped jaw and soulful, deep-set brown eyes. Judging by the crinkles around them, she had the impression that he laughed a lot. They held a mirthful glint now that made her want to smile, too.
‘The one and only.’ He winked good-naturedly and made an elaborate bow, flourishing the now bloodstained handkerchief out in front of him. ‘As for you, I assume that you’re a figment of my imagination caused by the blow to my head.’
‘Oh, dear.’ She put the tongs and shovel down by the fireplace. ‘Sorry about that. I really thought you were a burglar.’
‘Perfectly understandable.’
‘My name’s Henrietta Gardiner.’
‘Delighted to meet you, even under the circumstances.’ His sudden grin was dazzling. ‘So, Miss Gardiner, has my sister employed you to guard the shop against night-time marauders?’
‘Not exactly. I’m the new manager.’
‘Manager?’ His gaze sharpened. ‘Why is Anna employing a manager?’
‘Because she’s...’ She hesitated, looking at him askance. ‘Wait, didn’t you get any of her letters?’
‘No. My ship’s been stuck out in the Pacific for the past year. I haven’t heard anything from home in the whole time. What’s happened? Is she all right? Has something happened to our mother?’
‘Oh, no, everything’s all right.’ Henrietta hastened to reassure him. ‘They’re both perfectly well, only...’ She sucked on her bottom lip, wondering where to begin. ‘I think I’d better put the kettle on. Are you hungry? There are some leftover biscuits somewhere.’
