deserved.
Her hand reached out and gently brushed over the horse’s nose. “He’s beautiful,” she whispered as he mounted with ease, then held out his hand to help her up.
Pulling her cloak tighter around her, Caroline slid her hand into his and then lifted her left foot to the stirrup. With one swift tug, he pulled her up, settling her in front of him. One hand held the reins while the other pulled her back against his chest, holding her securely as he urged his trusted steed down the alley.
Caroline tried to maintain a certain distance, unable not to picture the shocked expressions of her parents if they were to see her like this. However, with nothing to hold on to, nothing to keep her upright and balanced, Caroline soon found it hard not to make use of the broad chest in her back.
“I’ll not bite you,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled her deeper into his embrace yet again. “I promise.” His warm breath ticked her skin, and Caroline closed her eyes as a shudder gripped her. Of all the things that had gone wrong tonight, her reaction to this man was probably the worst!
With any luck, she would never see him again. Unfortunately, that thought did not fill her with relief though.
As his black beast carried them through the silent streets toward her home, Caroline began to relax as fatigue stole over her. Her body was no longer able to uphold the tension she’d forced on it all night, and she sank deeper into his arms, resting her head upon his shoulder. His arm held her securely, his hand settled on the folds of her cloak where they closed over her belly. As they rode, the horse’s movements jostled them in such a way that she soon found his hand slipping inside her cloak, nestling on her own.
Caroline had not thought to don gloves when she’d all but rushed from her home hours earlier. Her companion had deemed them unnecessary as well for she felt his bare skin brush against her own, warm and comforting, and yet, utterly unnerving.
“Shall I drop you off here?” he whispered in her ear after pulling his mount to a stop a few houses down from her home. “I assume you wish not to be seen.” He chuckled softly, and when she turned her head to glare at him, their eyes locked, all mockery vanishing into thin air.
Caroline swallowed when his gaze darted to her lips. “I-I need to go,” she rushed to remind them both, then all but pushed his arm away and slid off the horse, landing with a dull thud on the pavement. Not daring to look back at him, she hastened toward her father’s house, urging herself to be watchful. It would not serve her to lose her head now and be discovered.
Fortunately, for once that night, Fate was on her side for she made it into the house and up into her chamber without encountering a soul. With a deep sigh, she closed the door behind her, then sank down onto the floor, her knees no longer able to support her.
“Where have you been?”
At the sound of Sarah’s voice, Caroline flinched, her heart all but jumping out of her chest. “I beg you not to frighten the living daylights out of me,” she gasped, a hand over her thundering heart as she fought to catch her breath.
“I’m sorry,” Sarah relented, coming to sit beside her, her gaze sweeping over Caroline. “Are you all right? You’ve been gone for a long time.” She swallowed, and Caroline could see the strain that lingered on her friend’s face. “I was so, so worried. What’s happened?”
Closing her eyes, Caroline leaned her head back against the door, unable to suppress the smile that stole onto her face. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
In fact, Caroline was not quite certain she believed it herself.
But, blast it, it’d felt wonderful!
Chapter Thirteen
Out of Sight, but Not Out of Mind
Pierce spent Christmastide at Markham Hall with Daphne, enjoying the girl’s glowing eyes and the small “O” her lips formed as she gazed at all the beautiful decorations his staff had retrieved from the attic.
Together, they’d trudged out into the snow to cut evergreen branches to be hung in doorways and over windows. Donahue, Markham Hall’s butler, a man with a long red beard and a missing arm, had insisted on accompanying them, his cheerful chuckle never far behind Daphne’s squeals of delight as they