Lady Blue (17 page)

“Harmony,” he breathed. “Harmony, my love.” Her hair, pinned at the crown of her head to fall in cascading copper spirals to her shoulders, was bathed in the lambent moonlight. Her cheeks were flushed with the heat of her need for him, and her eyes glinted, gemlike. Her breasts heaved with her rapid breathing and strained against the material of her midnight blue gown. He touched the rising swell of them and felt the

heat rise to his own face.

It had all seemed so impossible. Yet here it was, the future, the best thing that would ever happen to him, right within his grasp. Harmony wanted him. But did she trust him? Could she love him? He had so little time to win her, before she eventually discovered the truth. He
had
to make her love him so she would not ever want to leave him, no matter what.

But how? What was the right thing to do? Harmony wanted him and he wanted her more than anything he had ever wanted in his life. He might throw caution to the wind and give her what she wanted, what they both wanted. But was it too soon? Would it destroy the foundation he had built so carefully, so painstakingly?

Anthony managed to tear his gaze from the bodice of Harmony’s gown and pull her against him protectively when the coach bounced through a pothole in the street. He continued to hold her tightly and rested his chin on the top of her shining head. Her perfume caressed his senses. He closed his eyes.

Nothing had ever felt so wonderful as to be held like this in Anthony’s arms. Harmony never could have imagined it was possible to feel this way. She felt so safe, so protected. Nothing outside the circle of Anthony’s arms existed. She tried to remember how they had met, how he had tricked her, lied to her. But it didn’t seem to matter any longer. All that mattered was that this delightful dream go on forever.

The carriage moved inexorably forward, however. In too short a time she would be back at her sister’s home. The warm and rosy glow that surrounded and embraced her would be leeched away by the cold and stony atmosphere of Agatha’s prison. Harmony didn’t want it to happen. Not now. Not yet. Not when she was only beginning to know what it was like to allow Anthony to love her.

Anthony didn’t want the moment to end, didn’t want to release Harmony from his arms … ever. So it was with misgiving that he felt her stir in his arms. In response he held her tighter.

“Anthony,” Harmony whispered.

He bent his head to her, lips nearly brushing her cheek. “What is it, my love?”

My love.
Something churned in Harmony’s stomach. She turned her face into his neck and inhaled the clean, masculine fragrance of him. Unbidden came the memory of his tongue licking the chocolate from her lip, and she quivered.

“Anthony, I … I don’t want this to end,” Harmony murmured at last, surprised she had been able to find her tongue at all. The instant the words were out, however, she feared she had been too bold, too forward. What must Anthony think of her? In the next

heartbeat she found out.

“You have only to say the word,” Anthony sighed, “and it will go on forever.”

What did he mean? Harmony’s heart skipped a beat. No, it couldn’t be. It was too soon, too soon for both of them. He only meant the magic of the evening.

“I don’t want to go back to Agatha’s house. Not yet. Please.”

“Where would you like to go, my love?”

“Oh, Anthony, I don’t know!” Harmony pushed away from him slightly to look up into his face. His eyes glittered darkly in the reflected moonlight. A suggestion of his crooked smile lifted one corner of his handsome mouth. Lightning coursed, white-hot, from the center of her breast to the secret, sacred spot between her legs.

“I think I know just the place,” Anthony replied finally. He leaned forward and called a brief instruction to Sneed. When he sat back, Harmony melted against him again, and he wondered at the chance he was taking.

She wanted him. He knew, certainly, that he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything. But what would happen if he gave in to her? Would he lose what he had gained? The question, and the need, tortured him.

In a short while the carriage slowed and Anthony knew he must make his decision. With every ounce of willpower he was able to muster, he straightened and held Harmony away from him as Sneed opened the door.

“Would you like to take a little walk with me?”

Harmony could only nod. She extended her hand to Anthony and let him assist her from the coach. Dazed as she was by his nearness, and her nearly overpowering desire for him, it took a moment for her to register her surroundings. She gasped with surprise and delight when she at last allowed the moonlit scene to fill her senses.

“Anthony! Oh, Anthony … where are we?”

“The gardens of the estate of a … a friend … of mine.” Lying yet again. Oh, God, when would it end? When
could
it end?

“And they won’t mind that we’re here?”

“Not at all, I assure you.” Anthony crooked his elbow and Harmony took it. Her eyes were wide and glittered with the inner fires of the gem they so closely resembled.

“This must be the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen!”

“I’m so glad you approve. Walk with me a way?”

“Oh, yes,” Harmony breathed.

The path they followed was of carefully laid flagstone, cunningly fitted together. It meandered and branched over what had to be acres and acres of gently rolling green hills. Copses of alder and ash studded the distant hilltops, cow parsley growing in their shade. Yew trees, branches streaming upward like smoke, lined the pathways here and there. Ivy crept along the ground and twined up the trunk of an oak tree. Silver and downy birch marched up the slopes like a silent and stately army. In the minivalleys between the hills were gardens of varied description: snapdragons and daisies; petunia and periwinkle; bluebells and violets. There was a rose garden, in the center of which stood a gazebo, covered with wild, climbing roses. Fragrant tuberoses lined the walkway to the gazebo. Swans and ducks, now still and peaceful for the night, slept beside small, scattered lakes and ponds. Weeping willows trailed their branches in the moonlit surface of the dark waters.

Side by side, arms linked, Harmony and Anthony walked for several minutes. It was as if they walked in a wonderland. At length, Anthony led Harmony to the rose-covered gazebo. They sat together on a stone bench in the perfumed shadows.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Anthony,” Harmony whispered. “It’s the perfect ending to the perfect evening.”

“Was it really? Perfect, I mean?”

“The most perfect night of my life,” Harmony replied honestly.

“Does this mean that you …?” Anthony swallowed. “That you forgive me for our … our bad beginning?”

It was almost as if he had read her mind. Over and over again Harmony had tried to summon the anger and betrayal she had once felt. It was gone, however, vanished as if it had never been. When she recalled their initial time together she did not experience dismay, but excitement. She would never be able to forget how he had looked in his tight buckskins, large, dark, expressive eyes shining above his kerchief. And when she remembered the night they had spent together, side by side …

“Are you cold?” Anthony asked with concern when Harmony shivered.

She shook her head. She was not cold at all. She was, in fact, burning.

“Anthony …”

He could almost feel the heat rising from her. He had known many women. He had never known one so completely sensual … and so completely unaware of it. He felt the stirring in his groin and knew he must do something soon, or lose control.

With a groan, Anthony stood and offered his hand to Harmony. She took it, but he did not miss the flick of her gaze over the crotch of his trousers. He watched her cheeks redden, and waited for his own flush of embarrassment.

But it didn’t come. Instead he felt the full and awesome power of his manhood. Still holding Harmony’s hand, Anthony pulled her against him.

She thought she might faint. Never had she experienced anything as overpowering as the desire she felt for the man who had pulled her into the hard, strong circle of his arms. She placed her hands against his chest. Not to push him away, however, but to feel the rhythm of his heart pulsing into her palms and fingers. Then his grip on her tightened and she raised her lips to meet his.

The electricity of their passion sizzled through both of them simultaneously. One arm around her shoulders, the other around her waist, Anthony unconsciously bent Harmony backward as his mouth, in his hunger, devoured her. Harmony became aware of the hardness of him pressing against her, igniting a flame that spread from her belly to her throat. Her hands slid away from his chest to slip around his neck, the better to pull him to her that she might be consumed.

For it was all Harmony wanted now. To be drawn into Anthony, into his body, his soul. To meld with him and become one with him, never to be separated again. Like molten metal, her body flowed against his.

The enormity of what Anthony felt lent an unaccustomed weakness to his knees. Trembling now himself, he straightened, Harmony still held to his chest, and he pulled his lips from hers. He couldn’t let it go any further. He couldn’t.

“Harmony, no … we … we can’t do this. It’s too dangerous.”

Dangerous.
The word echoed with surprising clarity in her head. Yes, Anthony was right. It was dangerous. Dangerous to feel this way about someone she wasn’t even sure she could trust. Worse, she didn’t care if she could trust him or not. She cared about nothing except the way she felt in his arms, in his very presence. Without fully realizing what she was doing, Harmony leaned into Anthony and raised her face to his, eyes heavy-lidded.

“I don’t care,” she murmured.

But Anthony did. He cared far too much to make a mistake at this juncture. It seemed she might love him. He couldn’t risk losing that love, or the promise of it. He dared not exchange a moment for a lifetime.

“Come,” Anthony said hoarsely. “Walk a little farther with me.”

Unprotesting, Harmony allowed Anthony to lead her on down the path. Arms entwined, leaning against one another, they strolled beneath the moonlight. Despite the beauty of the gardens, they were aware of nothing but each other. Yet when the moon reached its zenith and began the downward half of its arc, Anthony forced himself to take stock of the

situation.

“We should start back, my love,” he said at length. “I don’t want to return you too late.”

“I never want to go back.”

Anthony sighed. “I know. But you have to. I want to see you again, so I don’t wish to incur your sister’s … displeasure.” He stopped abruptly and faced Harmony. “You do want to see
me
again, don’t you?”

She wanted to tell him she never wanted to be separated from him. Instead, Harmony merely nodded. “Please,” she whispered.

Breathing seemed suddenly easier. “I’ll come tomorrow morning to take you for a drive. Harmony, we … we have to talk.”

Harmony experienced a faint prick of alarm and her eyes widened. Anthony spoke again before she could form a question.

“I’m going to have to leave soon,” Anthony said in a rush. “No …”

“I’ve been here too long already. I have to go … go home for awhile.”

“Anthony, why?”

“There are many things I have to take care of,” Anthony replied carefully.

“But you’ll come back?”

The lopsided grin was barely visible in the fading

moonlight. “Of course I’ll come back.”

She didn’t want him to go. And she wanted to ask him a thousand questions. But they could wait, everything could wait, until she had kissed him again. Before he could react, Harmony captured Anthony’s face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.

He was not going to be able to resist her any longer. He was not going to be able to stop himself. The mere fragrance of her stirred his manhood. Her touch, her nearness, was overwhelming. It was with a regretful kind of relief, therefore, that Anthony heard Sneed’s familiar footsteps. He pulled away from Harmony an instant before he heard Sneed clear his throat.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, sir. But it’s quite late.”

Anthony did not miss the subtle warning in Sneed’s tone. It had been a gamble to come here. Just as every moment he remained in one place was a gamble. He couldn’t afford to overplay his hand.

“We’re coming,” Anthony replied. “We’ll be right behind you.”

Sneed departed at once. Anthony lifted Harmony’s chin with a forefinger.

“Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

Hands clasped, they followed Sneed to the waiting coach.

I
t had been difficult, the next morning, to pry her eyes from sleep. Harmony had vowed to rise early, however. She wanted to be ready the moment Anthony arrived.

From the armoire, Harmony chose a morning gown of pale blue. Anthony loved her in blue. And she liked it when he called her “Lady Blue.” Perhaps she could persuade him to do so again. She secured her hair with a simple ribbon at the nape of her neck, applied a touch of color to her lips, and hurried down to join her sister at the breakfast table.

Agatha did not greet her. “You were out very late last night,” she said without looking up from her plate when Harmony seated herself.

“I had a wonderful time, thank you for asking.” Harmony unfolded her napkin across her lap.

“Don’t be impertinent.” Agatha looked at her sister at last, pale eyes flashing. “Tell me about the

friends he took you to meet.”

Harmony met her sister’s gaze coolly. “They were very nice.”

“Do they have names?”

“Of course they have names.” Something prickled uncomfortably on the surface of Harmony’s skin. “Why do you ask?”

“You’re my sister,” Agatha retorted sharply. “I’m responsible for you. Furthermore, you live in my house and I have a right to know where you go and who you see.”

“I was with
Lord
Farmington. That’s all you really care about, Agatha.” Harmony watched her sister’s expression register shock. She didn’t care.

“How
dare
you?!”