Dear Captain Raynalds…
Seated at the escritoire in her bedchamber, Louisa swiped the feather of her quill across her chin. Now that she’d written the salutation, how should she word the body of her letter? A week had passed since she left Greystone Hall and she could not bear to wait another moment to hear what he meant to propose.
After being cooped up inside for a se’nnight, she was almost as eager for a ride as she was to see the Captain. But—curse her luck—the barometer in the entry hall predicted rain.
Not that precipitation was entirely without its advantages.
She imagined the two of them taking shelter from the storm beneath a tree. In her mind, the Captain lifted her down from her horse, took her in his arms, and kissed her passionately—whatever that might be like. Because there were no such intimacies described in Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, or any of the other romances she’d read, she had very little notion what to expect.
Would the meeting of their mouths be pleasant or disagreeable? Would the contact be long and lush or short and sweet? Either way, she was certain the Captain’s kisses would be a thousand times more enjoyable than the vile assault Charles Hillsworth had forced upon her.
With a sigh, she returned to her letter. Finally, my ankle is able to support my weight...
Biting her lip, she brushed the quill once more across her chin. It was a good start, but what to write next? Unable to think of anything they could do outdoors without risking getting soaked, she decided to offer to come to him at Greystone Hall.
If you are both amenable and available, I will call upon you an hour after you receive this note…
After signing and sealing the letter, she went in search of her co-conspirator, who now knew all there was to tell. Finding Georgie in her bedchamber, Louisa gave over the letter with these instructions: “Take this at once to Greystone Hall. If you should see Captain Raynalds there, wait for him to read what is written and bring his answer to me. Unless you cannot go for some reason…in which case, I must go myself and take my chances.”
Georgie, clad in a pretty blue dimity frock, was seated at her dressing table. Smiling at Louisa in the mirror, she said, “What reason would I have not to go?”
Louisa wondered if her sister’s willingness to help was inspired in part by her hopes of encountering Lt. Churchill while calling at Greystone. Though Georgie had said nothing of it, she’d sensed a mutual attraction at the assembly ball. “You are so good to me, dearest.” Louisa set a hand on her shoulder. “What would I do without you?”
Beaming at her in the mirror, Georgie patted Louisa’s hand. “With luck, you will never have to find out.”
Georgie rose from her stool, removed from the wardrobe her riding habit of cream-colored Holland, and dressed with Louisa’s help. When her sister was ready to go, Louisa walked with her out to the stable and watched in nervous anticipation as her sister set off toward Greystone Hall.
To pass the time as she waited, Louisa went up to her room. If her younger sisters saw how anxious she was, they would tease her ruthlessly, thereby arousing her father’s suspicions. If he then confronted her, she would be unable to keep her countenance.
For sneaking around was one thing, while telling a bald-faced lie was quite another.
She put on the riding habit the Captain had not yet seen—to expedite her departure should he agree to see her. She then tried reading and needle-work, but was too distracted to concentrate on either for long. Eventually, she planted herself on the window seat to keep watch. Just when her patience reached the breaking point, Georgie came into view.
At once excited and terrified, Louisa hurried downstairs and out to the portico. Within minutes, Georgie was before her, looking as spent as her mount. Pulse racing, Louisa rushed up to her sister so they could speak without being overheard.
“Did you see him? Did you give him my note?”
“Yes to both.”
Louisa was so on edge she could barely keep her equanimity. “What did he say? What did he say?”
“He agreed to your request—and quite readily, too.”
Louisa was thrilled, but also extremely curious about what the Captain intended to propose. Georgie dismounted and together, they walked the horse to the stables, chatting away all the way. The stable boy took the gelding while the groom saddled Midnight. As Louisa mounted, she thanked her sister for the great favor she’d done her.
“If ever I can return the favor, you need only ask.”
Georgie smiled up at her. “I only hope I have the need one day.”
Moments later, Louisa set off toward her destiny. Her heart trembled when the house came into view and fluttered wildly when she saw Capt. Raynalds waiting out front. She had almost forgotten how dashing he was. Struggling to maintain her self-control, she rode up to him and brought her horse to a halt.
“Good day, Captain. Thank you for agreeing to see me.”
A heart-stopping smile bowed his sensual mouth. “How could I refuse?”
Midnight danced under her, eager to run. Tightening her hold on the reins, she tried to calm the horse. Anxious as she was for a hard ride, she wasn’t going anywhere until she heard what the Captain had to say. She just hoped he would not keep her in suspense over long.
“You look well.”
“As do you,” he said. “I’m very glad to know your ankle is better.”
“It is much improved. I can almost walk without limping…” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her faux pas. “Forgive me, Captain. I did not mean to imply…”
“Do not trouble yourself, Miss Bennet,” he said sincerely enough. “Your remark gave me no offense. But your remaining on horseback throughout your visit certainly shall. Will you not come down and accompany me indoors?”
He came forward and helped her dismount—not as gallantly perhaps as in her fantasy, but his hands still felt wonderful around her waist. Just as her boots hit the gravel, he let her go and stepped back.
So much for taking me in his arms and kissing me violently.
Their physical connection resumed when she took his offered arm, but it was hardly the same. Hundreds of gentlemen, including her father, had escorted her in similar fashion over the years.
The Captain guided her into the parlor and left her there on the pretense that he would ask his butler to bring refreshments. As he took his leave, he closed the door behind him.
Frustration bubbled up inside Louisa. Curse his hospitality. She did not want tea and cake; she wanted to know how he planned to help her—and the sooner the better. For she’d already passed a week agitating over what he intended to propose.
As she sat there, stewing in the broth of fear and insecurity, she all but convinced herself he was delaying because he’d changed his mind about whatever he meant to suggest—and was nervous about telling her as much.
* * * *
Theo paused to gather his courage outside the parlor door. He had waited more than a week to speak to Miss Bennet, and now that she was here, he suddenly had reservations. Drawing a deep breath, he cast them aside and opened the door. She was seated on the sofa looking far more hostile than when she’d arrived. Too ill-at-ease to maintain eye-contact, he limped to the window, pushed open one of the panes, and filled his lungs with fresh air.
When he felt steadier, he began. “As much as I want to help you, Miss Bennet, I must tell you again how strongly I object to elopements. I also believe it exceedingly dishonorable to court a lady behind her father’s back. I came to Much Wenlock in the hopes of elevating myself to the first circle of polite society, not to sink lower than I was in the eyes of the gentleman officers in the Navy. And that is indeed what will happen if we conduct ourselves in secret and are caught.”
“You can save your breath if you plan to continue in this vein,” she said crossly. “For you made your feelings abundantly clear to me last week.”
God help him. He had not expected her to be argumentative. Perhaps he should look at her. On the other hand, if he looked at her, he might lose his nerve.
“I beg of you to hear me out before becoming defensive,” he said, eyes still fixed on the freshly manicured shrubbery. “It is not my intent to chastise you, as you seem to have taken into your head. I simply wanted you to know my feelings on secret courtships in general—as a preamble, you might say, to my offer of help.” He shot a backward glance in her direction. “Now, may I continue without further interruption?”
“By all means. You have me on the edge of my seat.”
He cringed at the snippiness of her tone. This was not how he imagined this would go. Far from the romantic speech he set out to make, he sounded as if delivering a lecture. It did not help that she seemed annoyed with him. Should he ask her what he’d done to upset her?
Probably not, as it will only distract me further.
“Miss Bennet,” he said, plowing ahead, “I might not be ready quite yet to enter into a betrothal, but I have no objection to courting you until we are sufficiently acquainted to consider taking that step. As I see it, the risks are small. Since our courtship will be a secret one, no one will be the wiser if we decide to part ways.” He cleared his throat. “For now, however, let us assume all will end well.”
He turned to her then, feeling much like a man facing a firing squad. He wanted to go to her, to sit beside her, and to take her hand in his, but it felt as if a wall of ice had arisen between them.
She eyed him incredulously. “Are you in jest?—or are you seriously asking to court me in secret?—despite having made it clear you disapprove of such arrangements in general?”
“I promise you, my request is sincere.” Her reluctance to take him at his word further unraveled his confidence. “For I disapprove far more of fathers forcing their daughters to marry undeserving men than I do clandestine courtships.”
“While I applaud your chivalry, I cannot help but wonder about the constancy of a man who professes no interest in marriage one day, and then reverses his convictions the next.”
His patience was wearing thin. Had she not begged him to marry her—not to mention sleep with her—only a week ago? And now that he had acquiesced, she was interrogating him as if he were a knave instead of her saving grace.
Upon my soul, do all women truly know their own minds so little?
He took a breath, struggling to maintain his composure as he attempted to explain his change of heart. “Surely, at one time or another, you saw something you had to have in a shop window, even though shopping was not the primary purpose of your outing.”
“Yes, of course.”
“And did you change your mind and take the item back shortly thereafter?”
“I do not believe so.”
He risked moving closer to the sofa. “Perhaps you doubt my sincerity because you doubt your own allurements. If that is so, I can assure you they are considerable. Not only are you beautiful, you also possess many admirable inner qualities. Compassion, kindness, intelligence, and spirit, to name but a few. In my eyes, you are a rare jewel among women, and only a fool would refuse such a prize when it is offered to him.”
“I thank you for the compliments, Captain,” she said with a blush, “but if I am so appealing, why have I never had suitors?”
The answer seemed perfectly obvious to him. Men were skittish creatures when confronted with beauty, brains, and inner strength in the opposite sex. Most wanted wives who saw to their needs and never questioned their authority. Miss Bennet, clearly, did not fit that mold, which suited him fine. For he did not desire a wife who would serve and obey him; he wanted a partner who would challenge and cherish him. And Miss Bennet, he suspected, would fill that role superbly.
He moved still closer to her, stopping at the arm of the sofa. Lord, how he longed to take her in his arms and kiss that sweet mouth of hers. “Perhaps lesser men find you unapproachable because they feel unworthy of you.”
She looked up at him from under dark lashes. “But not you?”
At last, he felt relaxed enough to tease her. “You chose me, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I suppose I did at that,” she said with a blush.
A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “And made me an indecent proposal, as I recall.”
“Which you declined.”
He laughed and eased himself onto the cushion beside her. “Out of gallantry, Miss Bennet, not lack of desire.”
“Since we are now courting,”—she scooted closer to him—“I grant you leave to call me Louisa.”
He turned to her with hope and fear dueling in his heart. “Does that mean you accept my offer?”
She laughed. “Did you honestly think I would refuse?”
“I have learned from hard experience never to take anything for granted,” he said, gazing at her longingly.
“I am very glad to hear it,” she said, “for I would not want a suitor who would take me for granted.”
Now, this was more what he’d hoped for. Easy closeness with undernotes of sexual tension instead of veiled hostility and awkward distance. Even if he lacked the finesse to woo her with pretty words and romantic gestures, he should at least feel comfortable enough to speak to her from the heart.
As he took his fill of her beauty, passion reared within him. Desperate for greater intimacy, he ran his bent forefinger down the side of her face.
“I consider you officially under my protection now.”
She smiled modestly. “I would have it no other way.”
Too overcome to say more, he cupped her chin and ran his thumb across her lips. “Have you ever been properly kissed, Miss Bennet?”
“No, but I’m counting on you to remedy that deficiency at once.”
He smiled at her seductively. “Then I must not disappoint you...”
Just as he moved in, he heard dainty footsteps in the hall. His blood went cold and he drew back. He would have no peace again if his sister walked in on them in such a compromising posture.
Seconds later, Winnie entered the room, careless of what she might be interrupting. “I thought that was your horse I saw hitched outside,” she cried upon spying Miss Bennet beside her brother on the sofa.
She stopped dead and went pale when she observed how closely they were seated. “I beg your pardon. I did not mean to intrude upon…well, whatever it was the two of you were up to when I came in.”
Theo cleared his throat and sat up straighter, as if good posture would somehow support his innocence. “We were only…that is to say…Miss Bennet has honored us with a visit, as you can see…and I was only inquiring after her health before going in search of you. But now that you are here, there’s no need to track you down, obviously.”
Winnie, wearing a knowing smirk, darted her gaze between him and Louisa. “Why do I get the feeling you were discussing more than her health? Might it be because you’re acting like a blithering idiot and Miss Bennet’s face is as red as a radish?”
Irked by his sister’s impertinence, he said, “If that is so, it is because she has just come five miles on horseback.”
Seconds later, to Theo’s great relief, Murphy came in with the requested tray of refreshments. As he poured out the tea, Winnie claimed the chair nearest Miss Bennet.
“I was going to send you my copy of Mansfield Park, which I received and read since you returned to Craven Castle. But now that you are here, I can give it to you in person.”
“That is a splendid idea,” said Theo. “Why do you not go and get the book now while your tea is cooling.”
“That is an excellent notion.” Winnie sprang from her chair. “I shall be back in a dash.”
When Winnie and Murphy left them alone, Theo said to Louisa, “I would kiss you, but there is not time to do it properly. Therefore, I beg leave to delay until the next time we meet.”
She smiled at him. “And when will that be?”
“Tomorrow, if you’re available. I thought we might take a ride up to Major’s Leap and see what there is to see.”