Page 25 of A Beguiled Gentleman (The Bradley Brothers #1)

Chapter 25

He couldn’t sleep. Try as he might, thoughts kept him awake, tormenting him. Images of Hannah being wooed by Swinton. Swinton’s lips caressing the tender skin on her hand, his fingertips trailing across her skin. For a moment, Noah had dozed, but awoke only an hour later from dreams that picked up where his thoughts had left off.

Noah padded over to his window and looked out at the vast expanse of sky and stars. The moon was bright, casting shadows from trees across the grass. He rubbed his chest as a strangling feeling clawed at him. Words begged to be free of his tongue, but who would listen?

Hannah . . .

His friend. His confidant. His everything. He pressed his brow against the cool glass panes, pinching his eyes shut. What a cruel situation it was. Hannah was hurting, he was lost and confused, and now they weren’t even speaking with one another.

Noah’s eyes followed the shadows along the grass—the moon bright and clear.

Before he had made a conscious decision, he was pulling on breeches and a shirt and slipping his boots on as quickly as his hands would allow. Running his fingers through his tangle of hair, he slipped out his door and made his way to the stables. If Mrs. Gibbons wouldn’t let them speak, if she really had her heart set on Swinton for Hannah’s hand, Noah would circumvent Mrs. Gibbons and speak to Hannah on his own. They owed that much to each other after the last couple of months together.

He slowed his mount as he crept along the tree line. It brought back memories from the night on the bluffs. How he had held Hannah to his chest as they rode together in the dark. His ignorance stared at him in the face. What Noah had thought was only an adventure with his friend had upheaved everything as he knew it. The need to hold Hannah as she cried, but not knowing how to do so under the circumstance. It had awakened something in him. A desire to touch her—to make her hurt go away.

Noah tied up the reins as he looked over his shoulder toward Highgrove. He knew the exact window to her bedroom, and his mind conjured up images of her red hair strewn across her pillow.

As he walked toward her window, the familiarity played with his mind—as if this wasn’t even a different night at all, and if he threw a pebble at Hannah’s window, she would come down and expect him to take her to the bluffs. But this time, he would know what she intended, and instead of reacting as he had . . .

A small stone on the ground caught his attention, and he bent over to pick it up, rubbing his thumb over the smooth edge as he straightened. He counted the windows, and then he let his pebble loose.

It seemed an eternity that he waited for Hannah to appear. And when she didn’t, he looked about for more stones. He found another and threw it. Then another and another. Finally, after the fifth stone, a familiar shape appeared behind the glass. At first, she just stood staring out and looking for the source of the sound.

And then he threw one more.

She jerked, then glanced down to where he stood. Leaning forward, she pressed her fingers to the glass. Their gazes held, one of her hands laying on her chest as the other rested against the pane. And then she disappeared.

Noah waited, anxious to see her and know if she was well. Nerves swirled in his stomach as he briefly wondered if Swinton had already offered for her. But his thoughts came to a rushing halt the moment Hannah slipped out the back door.

His feet moved with a new lightness as he walked toward her. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders, same as before. But now, instead of only admiring her beauty, he wanted to run his hands through the strands. To know what it felt like to touch her and be touched by her.

“Noah?” Hannah pulled her cloak tighter about her as she drew near. “What is wrong?”

He swallowed, his gaze tracing her features. Her green-brown eyes, the soft slope of her cheek and the bow of her upper lip.

“Noah.” Hannah put a hand to his arm.

He jerked his gaze back to her eyes. “I needed to see you.”

Her shoulders sagged as if they had borne a weight for too long. “I am glad. Though, I wasn’t expecting a visit so late. During the day was not sufficient?”

He shook his head. “No. I needed to talk to you about something that I don’t want an audience for.”

“Oh.” She hooked an arm behind her, bringing all of her hair over her shoulder.

Noah cleared his throat. “I also wasn’t sure if your mother would allow me to see you.”

She ran her fingers through her hair. “That is a legitimate concern. She may not have.”

“And I cannot blame her for that.”

Hannah huffed a soft laugh, giving him a weak smile. “So why are you here, Noah.”

He swallowed, trying to gather his thoughts. “I needed to talk to my friend.”

Hannah dipped her head as she quickly blinked, pulling her lower lip in. She nodded. “You know that you will always be my friend, Noah. I am happy to listen.”

Even after all they had been through—his rejection of her, their fight, Noah’s foolish yearning for a woman who never even loved him.

“How can you say that, Hannah? After all that I’ve put you through?”

Dewy eyes came back to his. “You did not ask for your heart to be broken, nor did you ask for me to come into your life. But, regardless of anything that has happened, I know deep within me that we were meant to meet. You helped me see my worth. And I hope I’ve been able to help you see yours as well.” She took a slow breath. “Perhaps it was only for a season, but I would never wish it away.”

Eyes trailing over her face and hair, a strong need to hold her came over him. He looked down at the ground, unsure if he could bear looking into her eyes in case she gave him an undesirable answer. “I have to ask.” He chewed his lip. “Has Swinton proposed?”

She hesitated, and even in that brief moment of unsurety, his torment was severe.

“No.”

He jerked his head up. “No?” Hope bounded within him. A hope he hadn’t even allowed to find a voice in his mind. “Has he hinted at his intentions?”

When Hannah paused to swallow, he filled in the blanks for himself. Noah took a step forward, his throat tightening with emotion. “Say no.”

“What?” Her brow furrowed.

Noah took her hand, both of their fingers trembling. “Say no, Hannah.” He pulled her hand up until the back of it rested against his cheek. Turning his head, he pressed his lips against her skin, then held her soft fingers in his grasp. “If he asks to marry you, I beg of you to say no.”

“I don’t think you have the right—”

Noah used his free hand to reach up and gently toy with the ends of her hair. “I know I don’t.”

“Then why do you ask?” Her voice wavered.

Noah pulled nearer, his eyes raking across her face. “Because I do not want anyone else touching you as I am now.” He pushed his hand farther into her red locks, and her head tilted toward the touch as her eyes fluttered closed. “I want no one whispering into your ear,” he said, letting his breath caress her face. He pulled his hand from her hair and placed it against her cheek. A truth settled in his bones, so obvious, yet long hidden within his grief. His eyes fixed on her mouth and his thumb rebelled, tracing the supple skin on her lip. “Unless that person is me.”

Hannah opened her eyes as she lifted her head, and Noah slid his hand to the back of her neck.

He dipped his mouth down, and chills ran along his spine as he heard her soft inhale as their lips met. Everything within him seemed to fall into place. As if something had been wrong for weeks, yet he couldn’t quite put his finger upon it. Now Noah’s heart sang out the rightness of this moment while Hannah’s warm lips returned his kiss.

He moved his hands from her face, wrapping them about her waist until they clasped behind her back, his mouth pressing more firmly against hers. How had he not been kissing her like this all along? It was as if he was breathing for the first time in weeks. His mind practically burst as Hannah’s hands slid up his chest, her lips skimming over his, caressing and tasting.

Noah pulled back for air, his eyes fluttering shut as he pressed his brow to hers and placed a quick kiss to her lips. He ran his nose along her cheek as she held him close, gently stroking Hannah’s hair, kissing her brow, her cheek and the corner of her mouth. A tear slipped from Hannah’s eye and he reached up, swiping it away with a single brush of his thumb.

“Hannah?” He bent down until he could see directly into her eyes. “Are you all right?”

She sniffed as she nodded. “Yes. I just . . . I cannot believe this is real. I’m afraid I may wake up at any moment and find this has only been a dream.”

A smile lifted his lips as he put his cheek to her hair, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “It had better be real. I will be sorely disappointed if it’s not.” He sighed. “I find I cannot stop holding you, Miss Gibbons.”

He heard a soft laugh and then another sniffle. “I do not mind in the least.” She laid her head on his shoulder, and he kept one hand tightly about her waist as his other stroked her hair. He kissed the crown of her head.

She nestled into him, making a soft, contented hum in her throat. “I imagined this is what it would be like.”

“Hmmm?” he murmured, tracing his fingers along her scalp.

“To be the object of your attention.”

He pulled back, trailing his hands down to her cheeks and caressing her face with his thumbs. “You shall never have to wonder again, Hannah.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, then sighed. “And, while it is the last thing I desire at the moment, you should probably go back to bed. I will call on you tomorrow.”

Her back stiffened.

“What?” he asked.

“I forgot you do not know.”

“Know what?” He took her shoulders, pulling her back enough that he could see her face.

“We are leaving. Mother and I, anyway. Father is staying behind to—”

“Wait.” Noah’s hands tightened. “What do you mean you are leaving?” He just realized he loved her, and now she was telling him that she was leaving?

Hannah shook her head, her eyes hazy as if trying to gather her thoughts. “Mr. Swinton stopped visiting because he did not approve of my actions the night of the ball. When I explained why to my mother, she decided the best chance we had to recover socially was to move again.”

Noah’s mind scrambled to keep up. So Swinton did not intend to propose after all. “That is nonsense. You cannot leave, Hannah. Why did you not tell me?”

Her face fell, those lips he had just kissed forming a flat line across her face. “Why did you not come?”

“I have,” he sputtered. Though he was almost too late. “I know I should have come earlier, but I was trying to figure out my life. Tonight, I told Margaret to leave me alone for good, and I informed my father I have no intention of marrying her, even to keep our families together. I told him I couldn’t. Because I love—”

Hannah’s eyes widened, her chin tilting up as she waited for his next words.

Noah swallowed, taking a deep breath. He reached up, holding her face in his hands again. He needed to be closer—to touch her. “I love the way you laugh when you should not,” he said, a smile spreading across his lips. Hannah’s eyes grew bright with tears, but her smile had finally returned to her beautiful face. “I love the way your hair catches every person’s gaze.” He traced a thumb above her ear. “I love your heart. I love your spirit. But most of all—” He stopped, taking a breath as his voice caught. “I love you .”

Hannah put a hand over her mouth, shaking her head.

“What?” he asked, cupping her cheek with his palm.

She sniffed and lifted her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I just cannot believe you are saying these things to me. I’m just me.”

“Being you is precisely what makes me love you so.” He pressed his head to her brow and kissed the tip of her nose. “Please do not leave. I could not bear it.”

“I am not sure what I can do to stop it. I have tried everything I can think of.”

Him proposing would likely be a quick fix. But Hannah wouldn’t be so bold as to make the assumption he would. Not after the confusion of his actions toward her. “I believe I can convince your mother. Let me handle that.”

Hannah closed her eyes. “This is the first moment in a week I feel as if I can actually breathe. Like there is hope ahead and not—” She laid her face onto his shoulder once more. “And not having to start all over again.”

All that time he was in tumult, Hannah had been here suffering. While he could not undo what she had already gone through, he could forge a new path for them going forward.

Noah ran his hands along her back, holding her and gently swaying as they listened to the wind in the leaves above them. He could have stayed there all night. “As much as I am enjoying this, you should probably get some sleep. I plan to be over as soon as guests are allowed tomorrow.”

She pulled back, a small smile forming as she looked him up and down. “And you as well. You look as if you haven’t slept in weeks.”

Because he hadn’t.

“You are about to be relentlessly pursued, my lady.”

Her face split into a wide grin. “If you think you can catch me.” She shrugged out of his arms, tossing an unabashedly flirtatious grin over her shoulder at him.

“Do not tease me in this state, Hannah,” he called out with a laugh.

But all she did was wave her hand in the air as she sashayed toward the door and then disappeared.