Page 12 of The Swan Syndicate #1
Mary, Hensley’s wife and expert party planner, leaned back while the footman placed platters of sandwiches and tiny cakes on the table and refilled teacups.
She repositioned her napkin and glanced around the solarium.
“I never paid much attention to this particular room. It seems to have a feminine touch I wouldn’t expect from Teddy. ”
Stella surveyed the room as if seeing it for the first time and considered the rest of the manor.
“The decor might be left over from the previous viscountess. From what Beckworth tells me, he’s been slowly replacing items with pieces more suited to his own taste.
” She chuckled. “I’m not sure what in this place actually reflects Beckworth. ”
Eleanor chortled. “He keeps it that way on purpose and has used that excuse for too long. Though, to be fair, he hasn’t spent much time at Waverly these last couple of years.
” She took a sip of tea and took two sandwiches from the platter.
“But if I had to pick one room, I’d say the library.
It’s where he spends most of his time when he doesn’t have guests. ”
Stella wanted to see that side of him. She’d learned his behavior patterns when they were in Baywood.
He preferred tea in the evening after his brandy.
On most days, he was an early riser, but on rainy mornings, he brought a coffee urn and two mugs to the bedroom and snuggled next to her.
Sometimes, they wouldn’t leave the bedroom until mid-afternoon after long discussions and a round of lovemaking.
And surprisingly, or perhaps not that much, he was learning computer skills faster than she would have expected.
He finally admitted that Edith and Louise, the two older sisters who’d taken him in during his first unhappy trip to the future, back when he was considered the enemy, had trained him how to search the internet.
With that knowledge and his consulting work at Ethan’s security business, he was almost as savvy as her with software apps.
With all that, it was his habits here in the manor that she wanted—no, needed to know. Did he prefer to sit by the fire in the library or his study? Did he always go for a ride first thing in the morning? What business did he really do running an estate?
“Stella, dear, did you hear Mary?” Eleanor asked.
“Hmm. Oh. Sorry. Wow, my mind had definitely left the building.” She smiled at their expressions and made a mental note to tone down the twenty-first-century language. “I was just trying to picture Beckworth spending a leisurely day at Waverly.”
Mary smiled with a twinkle in her eye. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that Teddy found you.
But I hate that you’re living in a different time.
” She held her hand in front of her mouth.
“I can’t believe I just said that.” They laughed, then she continued, “I don’t suppose there’s any word of posting banns. ”
Stella had just taken a sip of tea and choked but managed to swallow it before spitting it across the table.
Eleanor didn’t bother with etiquette. “I’m sure Beckworth is waiting for the right moment. He won’t do anything until he feels secure enough to support you.”
The statement made Stella pause. She hadn’t considered that would be an issue.
He had his own money but not a job. Not something that gave him purpose.
It was one of the reasons she’d left this century and him behind.
She pushed the concern aside. He just needed time, and she wasn’t in a hurry to get married.
Not yet. There was more to learn about each other.
Loving someone and marriage didn’t always go hand in hand.
She gave Mary and Eleanor the best response she could. “We met under very traumatic circumstances, and the last few months have been focused on getting him reacquainted with my time period. We’re finally at the stage where we can spend time getting to know each other better.”
“In this day and age,” Mary countered, “we get to know each other during the first couple years of marriage. But I understand it could be confusing trying to blend two different time periods. But AJ and Finn made it work, and their adventure wasn’t any less fraught with danger.”
Stella licked cream frosting off what she would call a little-bitty cupcake. “You’re right. That’s something to consider. But don’t worry. When it’s time to run the banns, you’ll be the first to know.”
She didn’t think it would be anytime soon. She’d seen the light in Beckworth’s gaze when Hensley mentioned that the Daphne would be tracking down the smuggler. Their pending argument was right around the corner.
B eckworth approached the bedroom but stopped before entering.
He’d been avoiding discussing the mission with Stella.
It would be easy to blame the long days when they had no opportunity to discuss private matters.
He snorted. On their first night home, neither could stay awake long enough to do anything but hold each other.
He reached for the doorknob then stopped.
Why hadn’t Stella asked? He took a step back.
She seemed fine at dinner. Even gave him a kiss on the cheek before he followed the men into the study.
Had she been waiting for him to come to bed to ask him?
If she were any other woman, he’d assume she wouldn’t understand how important Hensley’s mission was.
Wouldn’t understand how it would intrigue him.
Stella wasn’t any other woman. So, what was she up to? He thought back to the moment they found the men in his study. He hadn’t witnessed any suspicious behavior. Had he missed something?
His thoughts were interrupted when a housemaid walked by, a dress hanging over her arm.
“Good evening, sir. Do you need anything?”
He gave the young girl a smile. “No. I’m fine, Abigail. Have a good night.”
She nodded and hurried on.
Good god. He was scared to walk into his own bedroom. The last thing he needed was another person seeing him standing outside his room. He could already hear them gossiping in the kitchen. Without another thought, he pushed open the door.
The room was ablaze with dozens of candles.
Shadows fluttered among the light cast by the flames dancing in the hearth.
All his previous concerns disappeared as he searched for Stella.
Like a wood nymph rising from the floor, she propped herself up on her elbow.
The fire glowed around her, and though it cast her in shadows, there was no doubt she was naked. Waiting for him.
He wanted to rip his clothes off, but he tempered his burning desire to race to her.
His movements slowed as he pulled off his jacket.
After the boots, the waistcoat and cravat went next.
He stepped closer until the contours of her body were visible, beckoning him forward.
Memories of the first time they’d made love rushed back.
How could he want her even more now than he had then?
He untied his shirt and pulled it over his head, dropping it at his feet.
He heard her soft intake of breath, and he smiled.
She pushed her hair back, exposing her long neck.
He wanted to run his lips over the sensitive skin.
He pushed his pants down and stepped out of them.
Her eyes followed his movements, and she did the unthinkable.
She licked her lips—and he came undone. Nothing else mattered but this woman.
She’d upended his world until she’d chipped away the wall he’d built around his heart and claimed it for her own.
How had he existed before her?
He knelt in front of her and pulled her up to him, running a hand over her cheek then down the length of her neck. She leaned her head back, giving him access to kiss the soft hollow at the base of her neck. He sighed at how well reality matched the vision.
She ran her fingertips up his arms and over his shoulders until she caressed the back of his neck.
He pushed her down to the blankets, his mouth moving to a breast. His moans of pleasure increased when she ran her hand through his hair, urging him on.
He took his time until she cried out in frustration, and he couldn’t help smiling with satisfaction.
It was her sign that she couldn’t take another moment before he took her, and if he didn’t, she’d take matters into her own hands.
And there were many times when he let her. But not this night. Tonight was his.
When they joined, her passion ignited as she wrapped her legs around him. He kissed her, her body thrumming to match his own. Then, without warning, their legs tangled, and with a swift push, she rolled him until she was on top.
She stretched back, her hands on the floor as she rocked, and his breath caught.
His auburn beauty. His wildest desire. He stroked her breasts until she shuddered with release.
Then he rolled her onto her back and thrust until she screamed for more.
And when his own pleasure peaked, she opened her eyes, sensing it.
He knew that look. He belonged to her, and she’d never let him go.
They napped for a short period before her fingers ran down his chest, then moved up until she pinched his chin. “Did you want wine?”
Beckworth lifted his head. “There’s wine?”
Her throaty chuckle stirred him. “Of course.” She crawled toward the sofa, where a tray sat on the floor. What a marvelous view of her backside. She returned with an opened bottle and two glasses. He sat up and took the proffered glass.
He sniffed it, tasted it, and grinned. “Barrington must have retrieved this from the cellar.”
“Libby might have had a hand in it.”
He pulled over a blanket and spread it across their laps. “You thought of everything.”
She grinned. “That also might have been Libby.”
“I’m deciding whether it had been a mistake to have Libby assigned to you or a moment of sheer genius.”
“We’re a perfect match—either way you look at it.”
“Did you have tea with Mary and Eleanor?”
She laughed. “Eleanor really hates that stuff.”
He grimaced. “She doesn’t seem to live in either world—not the aristocrats or the serving class. She wasn’t happy as a housemaid. I gave her a higher position to take some of the load off, but that wasn’t the problem.”
“She wasn’t used to service.”
He sipped the wine and shifted to lean against a chair, then waited for Stella to move beside him. “None of her family was. You know, she’s not too different than you.”
“Wanting her independence?”
He nodded. “I found a small cabin with a bit of property just down the road. Turned out she already had her eye on a place. She said it was both close and just far enough away.” He shook his head.
“You bought the property?”
“She insisted on a loan.”
Stella turned and rubbed his arm. Her touch sent a shot of warmth up his spine. “She still owes you money?”
“You know how stubborn she is.” He pushed a hand through his hair as he considered his friend. “But no, not anymore.”
She leaned back, staring into the fire. “Good.”
He watched her, gauging what her reaction would be.
“It was paid off with a portion of the coins from Gemini’s trunk.
” Gemini had kept a small trunk filled with all types of coins.
After her death, Stella had asked Barrington to hide it from the magistrate, preferring Beckworth find a good use of them.
“How had she been paying you back?” Stella liked Eleanor from the first time they’d met. They’d been on the run, but when they showed up on Eleanor’s doorstep, Stella had rolled up her sleeves and helped with dinner.
“She’s one of the best seamstresses this side of London. You know how well she sews. She makes enough to only work when she needs to.”
Stella considered his answer. “I suppose knowing it was Gemini’s coins, she didn’t argue.”
He put an arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, the wineglass resting against her thigh. “Her only concern was whether there would be enough coins to help others.”
She stared up at him, her green eyes lit with amusement. “But you didn’t keep any of the coins.”
“No. I used a small amount toward repairs to the manor, but only because you requested it. The staff received extremely nice bonuses, and I gave the rest to Barrington. He traveled to London after I left for Baywood and gave it to Chester to share with the crews.”
She stabbed his chest with her finger. “I thought you’d give some of it to a charity like an orphanage or something.”
He grinned. “The Viscount of Waverly already donates money to several needy organizations both in Corsham and London. Philanthropy is alive in the aristocracy.”
“You’re a good man, Teddy.” She took his glass and set both out of the way before grabbing the blanket and crawling toward the hearth.
He crawled after her then grabbed her around the waist and rolled her to the floor.
She giggled as he hugged her close. She’d be safe with Barrington and Hensley to watch over her.
He was the luckiest man in the world. His only concern was in keeping her safe.
They’d still have plenty of time together before the hunting party.
He ran his fingers over a lock of her hair and pushed it behind her ear. Then he let his hand wander down to her bare hip. “Do you have any idea what I’m going to do to you tonight?”
“You don’t scare me, Lord Beckworth.” Her hand touched his thigh, and an involuntary shiver coursed through him.
His chuckle was deep as he bent to lick a nipple. He took his time, enjoying and relishing every part of her. A body he already knew so well. It would be days before he’d see her again, and he wanted this night to be something she kept close until he returned.
For a brief moment, he wanted to ask her to come with him. What a fool. She needed to stay where she would be safe. Barrington would keep her occupied, teaching her the role of lady of the manor.
But her scent drove him mad, and when Stella pulled him to her, there was nothing but her. Why was he planning on leaving her? The missions weren’t his concern anymore. Jamie and the crew of the Daphne were enough for surveillance.
“I love you, Stella.”
“I’m all yours, Teddy.”
He kissed her, then turned her over, running his hand up her back. “Then prepare yourself, Lady Caldway. Lord Beckworth is far from finished with you this evening.”
Her throaty chuckle was followed by moans of pleasure that lasted through the night.