Page 16 of A Lady’s Guide to Murder

CHAPTER 15

All at Once

As the miles progressed, Henrietta grew increasingly fatigued. Though she didn’t complain, Theo stopped whistling and his gaze fell on her more and more often. After some time, he suggested they veer off the busy Portsmouth Road because of the dust and traffic.

Henrietta readily agreed, provided they were certain of the road’s destination.

‘I once travelled on that Old Millford Road.’ He jerked his chin towards a shady country lane signposted Kingston upon Thames. ‘Albeit coming from London, and I didn’t travel down as far as this, but it was a pleasant, quiet route, well-enough maintained.’

Henrietta cocked her head. ‘That sign is marked as Kingston, not Millford.’

‘The old name is Millford Road. Read the other signpost.’

She squinted at a block of mossy stone, possibly a medieval signpost. If it had words, they were invisible to her. But it mattered little if Theo was mistaken, for travelling to Kingston would certainly bring them near London, and she’d much prefer a country lane to the Portsmouth Road, even if it were circuitous.

She decided. ‘Very well, let’s take it.’

They turned their horses off the high road. As she passed the mossy stone, the words Millford, 10 miles materialised through the lichen. How had Theo read them earlier? The question nagged at her until she recalled his ability to track her in the dark and from a distance the night before.

‘Do you have exceptionally excellent vision, Theo?’

‘A Hawke’s eye,’ he said over his shoulder.

She cringed. ‘That’s a dreadful pun.’ But laughter bubbled up despite her best efforts.

He glanced back, flashing a grin. ‘If it’s so dreadful, why are you laughing, darling?’

No doubt the presumptuous term of endearment had rolled off his tongue without thought – she’d overheard labourers and shopkeepers calling both known and unknown women of their class ‘love’ and ‘darling’ often enough to realise it was a customary practice and meant nothing – but it nevertheless struck Henrietta silent. She followed Theo’s horse, her cheeks burning like a schoolgirl.

The new route provided a pleasant respite from the heat. It was a narrow lane, winding its way north through hedgerows and canopied passages. Leaves cast dappled shadows on the ground. Yet Henrietta remained in considerable pain, for the stirrup leathers sliced into her raw calves. She repeatedly readjusted her legs, but nothing offered relief.

About five miles after they’d parted ways with the Portsmouth Road, they came to a narrow break in the hedgerow, revealing a pond tucked into a dip in the land not more than two hundred yards off the laneway. Its banks were dotted with a few gnarled oaks and a copse of lanky beeches, and the whole effect was shady and welcoming. Not only was it imperative to stop and fashion bandages for her calves, but Henrietta also longed to wash away the grit on her clammy body.

‘We shall rest a while at the pond to our left,’ she said, and, before Theo could turn towards her, for he was riding slightly ahead, she manoeuvred her horse through the break in the hedge and cantered across the field.

She had dismounted by the time Theo joined her.

He watched her remove her horse’s bit. ‘Is this to be an extended rest?’

‘An hour or so.’ She patted her mount’s neck as he lowered his head to graze. ‘There’s plenty of daylight remaining. Even with a rest, we can reach London before dark.’

Theo looked back towards the hedgerow. ‘I thought we’d press on. Stop in Kingston for a hearty meal. And perhaps a pint?’ he added hopefully.

She put her hands on her hips. ‘I’m hot and I stink , Theo. I want to bathe.’

His brows shot up. ‘Bathe? Here ?’

She glanced at the pond, its sparkling surface dotted with waterlilies. Her skin tingled, anticipating diving into the cool depths. ‘Oh, yes, indeed,’ she said with conviction. ‘Now turn your back until you hear me in the water.’

His face registered mild disbelief, but he complied.

Under the overarching branches of an oak, she undressed fully since she didn’t have a change of clothes. Then, with the afternoon breeze teasing her naked skin, she neared the pond, skirting the banks to judge the water’s depth. The outer ring wasn’t deep enough to dive from the shore.

‘I have to wade in,’ she said over her shoulder. ‘Don’t turn around until I say you may.’

‘You can swim, can’t you?’ he asked, and Henrietta thought she detected a note of genuine concern.

‘I grew up by the sea.’ She pushed into the water until it was as deep as her thighs. ‘I swim like a fish.’

‘Be careful all the same. Even those who swim well can drown.’

‘I’m touched by your concern,’ she replied glibly, and then she dived.

Her body sliced into the water, washing away the heat, the grime, the sweat and the aches, all in one deliciously icy moment. Not knowing the pond, she swam open-eyed amongst the reeds and fishes, her hair reaching out like seaweed, then she kicked upwards until she crested the surface. ‘I’m quite decent now,’ she called to Theo.

As she trod water, he nudged his horse around and gave her a smouldering stare. ‘Well, thank God for that.’

He was being sarcastic. Or possibly teasing her. Or maybe flirting? Whichever it was, she took too long to think of a suitable reply, and he appeared to lose interest in her, dismounting and tending to his horse instead.

Somewhat flustered, she dived underwater again and lost herself in the swim. When she surfaced, Theo stood half turned away under the oak tree, all his clothes save his breeches folded upon the ground, his hands fiddling with his waistband.

Henrietta froze, utterly unable to draw her eyes from the magnificent sight before her.

The forearms that had plagued her thoughts throughout the day now led to muscled biceps, flexing as he unbuttoned his breeches. His back spread broad and strong, as if he could have borne the world upon his shoulders, and his partially visible chest was sculpted and dusted with dark curls, tapering into a flat abdomen. Then he released one last button and his breeches crumpled at his ankles, exposing a stunningly firm bottom …

She gasped. He turned, his startled gaze shooting to hers. Horrified realisation slammed into Henrietta – she was behaving like one of the lecherous gentlemen who let their wandering eyes travel all over her. She hadn’t meant to stare at Theo while he undressed, but his beauty was so captivating, she had done it without thinking. Her mouth dried, an apology stuck in her throat – then, to her shame, she made everything worse by dropping her gaze …

And that sight jolted Henrietta into action. She dived underwater, cooling her scalding cheeks, but the split-second glance of heavy, thick male genitals hanging prominently between a pair of muscular thighs had left her trembling.

She swam deep into the pond. Again, she was behaving like a silly schoolgirl, not like an eight-and-twenty-year-old woman. She had been married. Theo believed she’d had lovers. He would think she had seen men’s parts before in real life and not just on statues and in paintings, where they appeared significantly … smaller than what she’d just witnessed. Her behaviour was both immature and suspicious. She needed to face what she’d done like an adult.

She crested the surface, gasping to feed her stinging lungs with oxygen.

Theo stood waist-deep in the water. ‘You dived under in a hurry.’ He laughed. ‘I’m trying not to let it affect my pride.’

She met his gaze steadily, as if the image of his naked body wasn’t branded upon her brain, and as if she weren’t the least bit tempted to stare at his chest again. ‘I apologise. I emerged from the water at an unfortunate moment and in my surprise, I didn’t turn my back as swiftly as I should have.’

He lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. ‘I have no objection to a beautiful woman ogling me, provided she likes what she sees.’

Then he winked. Bold, cocky man.

Even cooled from her swim, Henrietta’s cheeks flamed. To salvage her dignity, she changed the subject. ‘The water is so refreshing, is it not?’

Her voice was too high. Almost squeaky.

Theo grimaced. ‘That’s one way to describe it.’

‘Can you swim?’ she asked, mirroring his question. ‘Or is it that you find the water too cold?’

His eyes met hers. ‘I’m acclimatising.’

‘It’s best to jump in all at once.’

He didn’t reply, but continued to inch his way forward, and Henrietta, remembering how her brothers had taught her to overcome hesitation about entering cold water, ducked under the surface again. A bit of playfulness was exactly what was needed to put that awkward episode behind them …

She swam forward until she saw his legs. Determining not to look higher than his knees, she grabbed his ankles and pulled, dragging him under as she swam towards the bottom again. He tried to kick her away, but she held firm until she guessed he was fully submerged. Then she released, just as her brothers had done to her many years earlier.

She surfaced, grinning. ‘There, isn’t that better?’

Theo was sputtering as he swiped dripping hair from his forehead – and he looked furious , not refreshed. ‘I told you to stop attacking me, woman!’

But even angry, he didn’t frighten Henrietta. The situation was too amusing. It reminded her of summer days playing with her brothers and her childhood friend Georgiana, and so she laughed merrily until his face softened and he was laughing too – or, rather, trying but failing to suppress his laughter.

‘Come, you must admit it is refreshing, isn’t it?’ She flashed what she hoped was an irresistibly charming smile.

The fury in his eyes faded, replaced by a dark, mischievous gleam. He drew closer, the waters swirling around them as he trod. ‘But I warned you if you attacked again, I’d have to teach you a lesson.’

His voice had changed. It was thicker. Throatier.

Henrietta’s heart pounded in response. She managed to say, ‘I’m not concerned about your idle threats,’ but her breathlessness belied her words.

‘That’s just it, though.’ His eyes were planted on her mouth. ‘I can’t have you believing my serious warning was an idle threat. You were cautioned, you chose to attack anyway and now you must take your punishment.’

Under the water, his fingertips grazed her forearm, and Henrietta’s body moved closer of its own accord, like a magnet to iron. ‘If you attack me in punishment, I shall fight back.’

He cupped the nape of her neck and brought her so close his breath caressed her cheek. ‘We aren’t going to fight, darling. That wouldn’t be a punishment; you enjoy it too much.’

‘What will you do instead, Theodore?’ Now her silly voice was emerging as a purr.

‘It’s not what I will do.’ He trailed his fingertips along her neck. ‘It’s what you will do. Namely, give me the kiss you offered five years ago.’

‘That is quite impossible.’ Their treading movements brought them together and her nose brushed against his. Her toes curled under the water. ‘I offered the kiss as incentive for your silence. The offer was revoked the moment you wrote that beastly column.’

He pulled her closer, her nipples grazing his chest. His jaw knotted, released, tightened again. ‘Tell me you want my kiss, Henrietta.’

Her head spun. Her eyelids were growing too heavy to keep open and her arms reached around his torso of their own accord. His skin against hers was heavenly, his hard body intoxicating. Gone were her thoughts about avoiding impulse, gone were all thoughts entirely other than that Theo wanted her. Badly. And she reciprocated his desire. Years of unquenched urges raged inside her and fulfilment might finally be within her grasp.

‘If I want your kiss, how is it a punishment for me?’ she said teasingly, pursing her lips the moment the words left her mouth.

‘My kiss will make you want me as much as I want you . As much as I have always wanted you. That is your punishment. Now admit you want my bloody kiss.’

‘I want your kiss,’ she murmured.

His mouth was upon hers before she could take another breath.

He groaned as their lips touched, as if the contact pained him, but it couldn’t possibly hurt, for he was gentle.

So gentle.

His kiss was honey, his mouth caressing, catching, playing, teasing, nipping. But he was too gentle, going too slowly, and Henrietta whimpered, wanting more. She tentatively sought the join of his mouth with the tip of her tongue, and he opened for her, letting her explore the shape of his lips, the feel of his teeth.

After her second, more frustrated whimper, Theo took control, cradling her head securely with his hand and guiding her body towards his until his hard length jutted into her abdomen.

His tongue entered her like molten satin, stroking her masterfully. Her back arched and she melted in his arms, heat coursing through her body.

Against his chest, her nipples grew hard and painful; between her legs she throbbed, swollen and sore. She mimicked his movements in kissing and he responded with a primal growl. His desire fuelled her confidence and their kiss grew hungrier until Henrietta had to break away, gasping for air.

Her head fell against his shoulder, and he cradled her tenderly. The scent of his wet skin ignited a deeper hunger. After years of yearning to explore these mysteries, Theo’s kiss had left her coiled and tight inside. Without release, it would be torture. And no matter how it might appear, she wasn’t a wanton woman – she had a dutiful reason for desiring this union. She owed Edmund an heir. Didn’t she?

She lifted her head until her eyes met Theo’s.

Her lust was mirrored in his gaze and she thrilled to be so wanted.

‘Will you …’ The words caught in her throat as terror suddenly gripped her. Could she disguise her inexperience or would he guess the mortifying fact that he would be her first?

But she couldn’t falter now. Her body thrummed with desire for the man holding her. He was handsome and intelligent and resilient, and every new thing she learnt about him deepened her admiration. That was enough for now; they could cross future bridges if and when they encountered them.

She lifted her chin boldly. ‘Theodore, will you … will you lie with me?’