Page 14 of The Taming of the Countess

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

T he weight of Dunwood’s body dragged Evie down, and though she tried to pry herself free, her hands came away slick with blood. The viscount fell to the ground, clutching his chest.

Her husband rushed forward, but James halted beside her, his attention caught by the dowager, who was also on the ground, covered in blood.

‘Is she all right?’ Evie asked, horrified to realise that James had pulled the trigger, not knowing if he’d struck both of them.

‘My pride is wounded,’ came the elderly woman’s voice. ‘I lost my balance, and my ball gown is a mess. I’ll never be able to wear it again.’

Evie started to laugh through her tears, and they both reached out to help her up. Lady Penford winced at the sight of the blood. ‘The blood’s not mine, don’t worry yourselves. After I took a swing at that blackguard’s head, I fell.’

‘Thank God,’ James said. ‘I thought I’d shot you.’

The dowager reached out and hugged him. ‘I’m fine, you needn’t fear.’ But then, she turned serious and eyed the footmen. ‘You will be our witnesses, if needed. And when the constable asks you what happened, you are going to tell him that it was I who pulled the trigger and shot Lord Dunwood to defend my daughter-in-law.’

Understanding dawned within Evie. If the dowager took responsibility, she would not suffer in the same way. Everyone already believed she was mad.

‘I will tell the police that Lord Dunwood tried to strangle me,’ Evie said. ‘You both came to my defence.’

James pulled her into his arms then, and she laid her head against his chest. Despite her tears, she’d never been happier to be in his arms. ‘Thank you for coming back.’

‘I never should have left,’ James remarked. ‘The moment I realised the letter wasn’t sent from London, we returned.’

Evie was dimly aware of James giving instructions to the footmen to send for the constable, but right now, she could only be grateful that none of them had been harmed. And Lord Dunwood would never come after her again.

Her hands were shaking as she held on to her husband, even a few hours later, after they had spoken to the constable and the undertaker had removed the bodies. They brought Hotay back to his stall, and James gave the donkey an extra bucket of feed for the animal’s heroism.

‘I was so happy and scared when I saw your mother riding him,’ Evie said. ‘She truly tried to save me.’

‘I never knew a donkey could go that fast,’ James confessed. ‘It made it easier to track where they’d taken you.’

Once they reached the house, Lady Penford was already walking up the stairs, accompanied by a maid fussing over her.

Evie still felt shaken, and James turned to her. ‘I’ve ordered hot baths for both of you. I’ll give you privacy,’ he promised.

‘No, I… I want you to stay with me,’ she pleaded.

He hesitated a moment but nodded. ‘I’ll be upstairs shortly.’

The servants were already bringing up buckets of hot water, and Evie was grateful for it. She was still covered in the viscount’s blood, and she fully planned to burn her clothing. She never wanted to wear it again, for the gown was utterly ruined.

After she was inside her room, her maid helped her undress. Evie sank into the tub of water, washing herself with soap. She dismissed the maid, wanting time to be alone.

Even after she scrubbed herself, over and over, she couldn’t stop thinking of the way the men had tried to hurt her. It was a nightmare that kept trying to interfere with her feelings of safety.

And perhaps that was what it had been like for James. It was hard to pretend as if nothing had happened, returning to the rest of her life. If her husband hadn’t come back, she didn’t want to think of what the viscount would have done to her. Lord Dunwood’s cruelty was beyond anything she’d ever imagined.

It would take time to drive away the fears and the harsh memories. But she told herself she could get through this. James had rescued her when she’d needed him most, just as Iris had come to help. A warmth slid through her, and she tried to hold fast to that memory instead.

A soft knock sounded at the door, and she heard James ask, ‘May I come in?’

‘Y-yes.’ She drew up her knees, and the door opened quietly.

He closed the door behind him and asked, ‘How are you?’

She didn’t know how to answer that. Although she knew she should answer, ‘Fine,’ it wasn’t really true. Her body and mind were still racing, and she couldn’t quite calm down.

‘I think I understand how you felt when you returned from India,’ she admitted. ‘I try not to think of what happened to me—but it will take time for this memory to fade.’

He held back and asked, ‘What can I do to help?’

Evie met his gaze and took a moment to breathe. ‘Will you hold me?’ She wanted his arms around her, but more than that, she wanted to feel safe again.

He walked forward slowly and reached for a towel on the chair. She twisted the water from her hair, and when he stood before her, she rose from the bath and took the towel from him. After she wrapped it around herself, he lifted her out of the tub and brought her to stand by the warm fire. Then he pulled her into his arms and simply held her close.

‘Thank you,’ she murmured.

The water dripped from her, but she was so grateful to be in his arms again, she said nothing else.

‘There were many nights when I woke up and didn’t know where I was,’ he confessed. ‘Sometimes, I could hardly breathe.’

She understood that more fully now. But more than that, she hated the idea of allowing this fear to command her life. She wanted it gone, driven out of her memories.

‘James,’ she whispered. ‘Will you kiss me?’

He cupped her nape and leaned in, capturing her mouth. The warmth of his lips and the strength of his body were what she needed most right now. She wound her arms around his neck, and the towel slipped slightly. His tongue slid against hers, and she welcomed him inside, letting herself fall beneath his spell.

‘You are the only man I’ve ever wanted,’ she said against his mouth. ‘And forgive me if I need you to push away every last memory of him. Please.’

‘You don’t ever have to beg me, Evie,’ he said, removing his jacket. ‘After I realised you were in danger, I could think of nothing more than coming back to protect you.’ He cupped her face between his hands. ‘I was an idiot to think I wanted a marriage in name only. When the truth is, I want everything.’

Tears caught up in her eyes again, spilling over with happiness. ‘I love you, James. And I want a real marriage, too.’

* * *

She helped him remove his shirt and traced the edges of his body. The soft touch of her fingers drove him towards his own madness. His body was hard and aching for her, and he needed to feel her body, skin to skin.

‘I love you, too,’ he answered. ‘I can’t ever imagine living apart from you. Not any more.’

When she rested her hands upon his thundering heart, she let the towel drop, baring her naked body. He started to pull her close, but she reached for the buttons of his trousers.

And God help him, he couldn’t strip his clothes off fast enough. He needed her close to him, needed to taste every inch of that beautiful skin.

When he stood naked before her, she came into his arms, and he lifted her up while she wrapped those long legs around him. It was all he could do not to take her now, pressing himself inside her up against the wall. But he wanted to savour this moment. Although it was not their first time of lovemaking, he intended to brand every second of it into their memories until she could remember nothing else.

He brought her back to her bed and laid her down upon it. Her dark hair was wet against her skin, and he leaned down to kiss the droplets away.

‘It’s cold,’ she said, shuddering. He moved upon her body, shielding her from the air, until she sighed. ‘That’s better.’

It was, except that she had opened her legs slightly, and his erection was cradled between her thighs. She shifted against him slightly, and a searing flare of desire caught him, making him aware of her wetness.

He needed a distraction right now, something to take his mind off how easy it would be to simply guide himself inside. And so, he bent down and took her nipple into his mouth, savouring it with his tongue. As he’d hoped, she gave a slight cry and arched against him. While he tasted her sweetness, he caressed her other breast, arousing her nipple as he tormented her with his mouth.

‘I need you so much,’ she said. Reaching down, she took his shaft in her palm, squeezing it gently and easing him to her entrance.

‘I want to make this good for you,’ he said, his voice holding by a thread.

Her blue eyes met his. ‘It’s always good between us, James. But please, don’t make me wait. Not now.’

And he understood, then, her need for haste. Slowly, he eased himself inside with gentle, shallow strokes. She sighed, meeting his thrusts as he went deeper each time.

It was, quite possibly, the most incredible sensation he’d ever felt. Being connected to his wife like this, watching her eyes flare with need that mirrored his own simply disintegrated every last barrier between them. He could no more deny her than he could deny his own needs.

He could feel her clenching him deep inside, and the exquisite pleasure made his breathing unsteady.

She drew her knees up to give him deeper access, and when he finally embedded himself fully, she met his body with her own, making love to him just as he did to her. She had always been his equal, challenging him. Pushing him to be more than what he was.

And he loved this woman, from her ridiculously col-oured ball gowns, to the way she argued with him. He quickened his pace, seizing her bottom as he thrust and withdrew. He kept up his pace, and she guided his head back to her breast in a silent demand. He could feel her straining against him as her breath came in quick gasps, and his own need was barrelling fast.

But he wanted her to experience the pleasure first. He slowed down, keeping a steady rhythm of penetration until he felt her trembling and arching, her face pained with need. With one more stroke, she broke apart, half sobbing as he pushed her over the edge of release. He could feel her body welcoming him, the inner walls spasming against him. He drove within her a few more times until he allowed his own pleasure to erupt and spilled himself inside her.

His body reverberated against hers, giving as much as she could take. And when he lay spent against her, the scent of her hair was a welcome sensation as he collapsed upon her.

‘I love you,’ he said again, kissing her.

‘I love you, too.’ She reached out to touch his face and stroked his cheek. Emotion held her in its grip, and she ventured, ‘We could have a child from this. Is that…all right?’

A knot clenched in his throat, but he understood that their marriage was far more important than the nightmares of the past. And with her, he could overcome all of it. ‘I want to make you happy, Evie. That matters more than anything else. If it’s a child you want, then we will keep trying.’

She smiled at him, and he leaned in to kiss her again. ‘I’m not very good at this,’ he said. ‘It will take time for me to learn everything you desire.’

Evie’s smile turned wicked. ‘Then, I suppose we’ll just have to practise.’