Page 15 of A Diamond for Christmas (Diamonds of the First Water #6)

L ord James Diamond decided his son was a chip off the old block. First the episode in the butler’s pantry that all of London had read about, and now it seemed Geoffrey had absconded with the willing Chimes wench.

If there was any doubt, it evaporated when he witnessed Lord and Lady Chimes barging across his foyer as soon as his butler admitted them. Allowing them in was probably a mistake, but the alternative was cowardly.

And James was no coward. Caught on the staircase, he called behind him.

“Dearest wife, we have visitors.” Intruders, more like , he added silently.

“The Fenwicks?” Marianne called back. “I hope.”

“Alas, no,” he sighed. “Do hurry.” And he went down to greet the least likely of guests.

“I pray you know where your rapscallion son is,” Lord Chimes began.

“Good evening,” James replied, ignoring the man’s tone. “There is a lady present, so we shall adhere to all manner of civility. Lady Chimes, would you care for a glass of wine, given the hour?” It was that between time after dinner and before supper .

“No,” she said, and James could see it cost her to finish politely, “thank you. We are here because our daughter has disappeared. And we fear she is with your son.”

James wasn’t done with playing host despite not fearing anything. Rather, he knew with certainty because that’s what he would do if he fancied a forbidden lady. And also, because he had run into his son’s best friend, Lord Trent, at White’s.

“It sounds as if we have trouble brewing, and that’s always better handled with brandy.” Yanking the bellpull, he offered once again. “What about you, Chimes? Are you thirsty?”

“I wouldn’t drink with you if you were the last man on earth.”

“Rather harsh,” James muttered.

Luckily, Lady Diamond entered before he could make matters worse. And then she proceeded to do precisely that.

Upon taking one look at their guests, she announced, “Our offspring have eloped.”

“You knew about this?” Lady Chimes asked.

“About what?” his wife asked, infuriating their guests.

“About what?” Lord Chimes repeated. “About the elopement, of course.”

“Not at all,” Lady Diamond said, exasperated.

“I’m not clairvoyant. Yet our son has gone away unexpectedly and then, here you are.

What else can I conclude? In fact, when he didn’t turn up to dinner as expected, I said to my husband, our son has probably run away with that pretty, red-headed girl. Didn’t I, my love?”

“You did,” he agreed, then turned to the Chimes. “She honestly did. And I told her I had heard as much at my club from a gentleman with close ties to our son. And now you’ve confirmed it. Do you understand now?”

He was playing the devil but couldn’t stop himself.

On the other hand, his wife appeared resolved to be a hostess. “Diamond, have you offered our visitors wine? ”

“Yes, my love, and brandy, but they refused,” he told her.

Turning her smile upon them, he didn’t know how anyone could resist Marianne’s charm. “How about tea, then?” she asked.

“We don’t want anything,” Lady Chimes insisted in clipped tones, “except our daughter.”

“Well, we don’t have her,” Lady Diamond told them. And then she took a seat, and James realized she’d come to the end of her graciousness already. She did have a rather short rope and little tolerance for anything unpleasant.

“It was careless of you to let her wander away from home unsupervised, don’t you think?” she added.

James wished his countess hadn’t said that. Sure enough, fireworks ensued.

“Let her wander !” Lord Chimes spluttered.

“More like she was snatched,” Lady Chimes put in, but she also took a seat.

James didn’t like that insinuation one bit. “Are you stating you believe our son kidnapped your daughter?”

“Poppycock!” Marianne said.

“Caroline was perfectly content this morning,” Lady Chimes insisted. “We took a walk. There was no hint of her leaving. She didn’t even have luggage!”

“If they are together, and it seems likely they are,” James said, “then they are in a carriage on the best road to the closest Scottish town.”

“Gretna Green,” Lord Chimes interrupted.

“However, if I take my best horse,” James continued, “then I may be able to beat them there.”

“You mean I might,” Lord Chimes corrected. “For I intend to go after my daughter.”

“Not without me,” Lady Chimes insisted. “She might be frightened or in a dreadful circumstance if your dastardly son has had his way with her. ”

“Then I shall go, too,” Marianne insisted. “If your daughter is trying to ensnare my boy, then he’ll need me to see through her feminine wiles. His heart will be broken.”

“Ridiculous,” Lady Chimes insisted. “Your son is obviously just like his father.”

“Meaning?” Marianne asked tightly.

“Not a gentleman at all. Rather, he’s willing to ruin a woman to secure her hand.”

“And your daughter is just like you,” Marianne said, rising once more. “A grasping mushroom!”

“How dare you!” Lady Chimes exploded, jumping to her feet. “We can’t all be fickle, shallow females, tempting men in order to secure an engagement.”

Marianne laughed. “Well, which is it? Did my husband ruin me or did I tempt him?”

“I thought we were talking about my daughter and your son,” Lord Chimes said. “I fail to see how your sordid history is important.” Even he seemed disconcerted by the turn which the conversation had taken.

“I suppose we ought to stop the wedding,” James said, “at least until we sort out a marriage contract and your daughter’s dowry.”

Lord Chimes turned red. “Not another penny from me to you,” he declared.

“We don’t want to negotiate a marriage arrangement,” Lady Chimes said. “We want to stop them getting married. I’m going, too, but not all that way on horseback.”

“Neither am I,” Marianne said. “Not when we have a comfortable traveling coach.”

“As do we,” Lady Chimes said, with a tilt of her chin.

“Why don’t you ladies go together?” James suggested. “Then when we find them, you’ll both be there should either one of our offspring need comforting or support.”

It sounded ridiculous, but he knew neither of the women would want to be left behind. Nor could he allow his wife to undertake such a journey alone .

“And we shall go on horseback,” Lord Chimes said, glancing at James, “to intercept them.”

“Will you ride straight through?” Lady Diamond asked. “How exciting and utterly exhausting!”

“We cannot stay alone in coaching inns,” Lady Chimes pointed out. “Can we?”

“We cannot stay with you,” Lord Chimes pointed out, “or we might as well be in the blasted carriage, and we’ll never make up time enough to catch them.”

“I’ll send the ladies with my driver and two footmen,” James proposed. “The driver is very experienced and will know where it’s safe for them to stay. And all three will be fully armed.”

“I shall have to go home and pack,” Lady Chimes said.

“I won’t wait,” Lady Diamond threatened. “Every minute wasted —”

James hated to gainsay his wife. It would mean a frosty reception in the marital bed when next he reached for her. However, since they would be apart for a few nights, she might soften toward him and forgive him by the time they met up again. Thus, he suggested a compromise.

“Dearest, I think you should give Lady Chimes leave to go home with her husband and pack what she needs. The two of you can depart at first light when you collect her in our carriage. Meanwhile, I’ll have my horse saddled and some provisions put in my saddlebags and be away within the half-hour.”

Lord Chimes huffed. “I need to go get my best runner. Will you head out without me or wait at Hick’s Hall?”

“If I see you, we’ll ride together,” James said, not making any promises.

Caroline had never been happier. The only blight was how she’d deceived her parents and how disappointed they would be. She might never see her father look at her with his loving smile again. Moreover, they might instruct her brothers to shun her, too.

Yet she would have her heart’s desire by her side.

She would be Geoffrey’s wife and hopefully, one day, mother to his children.

They both wanted a large family if they were so blessed.

They’d had so much time to confirm their compatibility during the hours of travel, she was amazed at how perfectly they suited.

And the night before, after dinner, he’d taken her innocence gently and given her pleasure in return. After another long day of travel, with the Scottish border growing ever closer, she was looking forward to another night of passion.

“You ate your dinner rather quickly,” he teased once they were alone in their chamber. Already, he was helping her to undress.

“As did you,” she said, letting him pull her gown over her head, not feeling the least shyness now when she stood before him in her shift. When that last barrier was slid off her shoulders and down her breasts, her nipples stiffened.

“You are so beautiful,” he said, reaching out to brush his knuckles over each peaked bud.

“There are many beautiful women in the world,” she said.

“I love only one,” he promised. “And if all you had to recommend you was your beauty, I would not have fallen in love with you, but if you had no beauty at all, I vow I would love you as much as I do now. Caroline Chimes, you have captured my heart and own it entirely.”

Her cheeks heated. “You sound more like a poet every day.”

“Indeed, you have brought out the romantic side of me. But also, the animal side.” Without warning, he scooped her into his arms and deposited her upon the bed.

She yelped and then laughed. “Hurry,” she beseeched. “Undress and join me. ”

The night before, for her sake, he’d dimmed the lamps before they removed all their clothing, making it all the more sensual when they stroked each other’s bare skin while preserving a modicum of modesty for her first time.

Tonight, she could see all of him, his hard planes and his muscular figure, the dusting of hair across his chest and legs, and his manhood jutting out and up.

“We are so different,” she said with wonder.

He chuckled. “And for that, I thank God.”

Once beside her, he claimed her mouth under his while stroking her sensitive skin. Circling her breasts first, he caressed lower, down her stomach.

When he tore his mouth away and bent lower to suck upon first one of her pink pearls, then the other, Caroline thought the bed was tilting beneath her.

Arching back, closing her eyes, she gripped his shoulders, only to feel Geoffrey’s hand slide lower.

Unable to help her wanton behavior, she lifted her hips to meet his skilled fingers as at last he touched her core.

As happened the previous night, it took very little time for her to reach the utmost pleasure, her body tightening almost unbearably and then releasing all at once in a joyful, exquisite blossoming sensation.

Even before her heart ceased its frantic racing, he fitted his jutting arousal to her damp channel and surged inside her. Again, her hips lifted to meet his thrust.

“I love you,” he reminded her.

“I love you,” she echoed.

They said nothing more as he began a slow rhythm of desirable torture.

When she was panting with exertion, trying to reach the pinnacle again, he slipped his hand between their bodies to touch where she most throbbed.

“Yes,” she hissed, then shattered beneath him into a thousand pieces of ecstasy.

With a guttural groan, he continued rocking, increasing the pace until his body tensed. While she felt him shudder under her fingertips, he released the warm proof of his fulfillment deep inside her.

When Geoffrey collapsed atop her before quickly rolling to the side and hugging her to him, she decided she wouldn’t mind if they had a baby by next autumn. In fact, such a happy occurrence would please her immensely.

As she drifted off to sleep, she was thinking of names for their children, names that evoked the many facets of a diamond — clarity, purity, and brilliance.