Lies and Misdemeanours (15 page)

For some reason, he rather suspected that neither of them would have made it to the mill house alive

Hetty seemed to be thinking along the same lines because he felt her go still. When she tipped her head back to look up at him, he looked down into her eyes.

“I think that we were next, to be honest with you. Me, because I was asking too many questions. Simon, because Meldrew wants money from your family,” Charlie declared sadly.

“God, that horrible man,” Hetty whispered.

He looked down at the shadows of her face. Even encased in weak moonlight she was beautiful, and he felt himself drawn to her by an invisible cord of silken promise that ensnared them both.

He slowly lowered his head.

The first brush of his lips across hers branded her. Her soft gasp sounded loud in the silence of the night. She couldn’t break away. She didn’t want this one special moment to end.

The soft hoot of an owl, accompanied by the gentle rustle of the leaves in the trees as they were teased by the wind all added to the almost hypnotic atmosphere that had captured them both. Neither of them could draw away.

Hetty sighed when his lips settled more firmly upon hers. She had never felt anything like this before; this closeness to another person; another man. She had been hugged by her brothers, of course, on many occasions and, as a child, had played roughly with them, but this was something different.

This was sweeter, enchanting almost, and it held her spellbound.

“Hetty,” he whispered.

He wasn’t sure what he wanted. He couldn’t pull away. The gentle warmth of her lips drew him in, but he didn’t want to frighten her by going any further either.

This was his wife. The woman he got to spend the rest of his life with. They could wait for the right time to consummate their marriage, couldn’t they?

He tried to resist temptation, he really did. But his body responded with desperation that he had never felt before as he sipped and savoured at the honeyed warmth of her mouth. He groaned aloud when she shifted and melted against him until it was difficult to know where she ended and he began.

When he finally forced himself to lift his head, he found that he couldn’t tear himself away from the temptation completely. He rested his forehead against hers for several moments while he tried to get his mind to work well enough to think of something to say. Words failed him though. All he could do was draw her head back down onto his shoulder, and hold her in stunned silence.

Hetty was suddenly battered with a mixture of confusing emotions that left her with a frown on her face. Although she hardly knew him, it felt wonderfully familiar to lie against him. The kiss they had just shared was something she had never thought possible with another person before. It wasn’t like the kiss he had scalded her with outside the jail. This was something different; softer, gentler, yet far, far more intense. She wanted to touch her lips because they still tingled. She wanted him to do the same thing again, but then the intensity of the emotions that had already begun to unfurl deep within were worryingly strong.

The future suddenly loomed before her with more worries, doubts and insecurities than she had ever had before, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do now. She wanted to run away and hide. To pretend that nothing had happened, at the same time that she wanted to hold on to him forever.

“Come on, let’s get some sleep. We need to rest while we can because we have a long day tomorrow,” he murmured softly.

In the last few moments, in spite of their situation, awareness was replaced with a comfortable silence.

Although she didn’t want to break it, she really needed some assurance that they weren’t going to spend tomorrow riding in endless circles while trying to outrun the hangman’s noose.

“What happened yesterday, by the way?” Charlie asked. He had to keep talking, if only to keep his mind off just how wonderful she felt in his arms.

It was so tempting to lean over her and take the lush curves of her lips, but he daren’t. Not again. He had already pushed things too far. If he did, circumstances would be changed irrevocably between them and it really was the wrong time and place. “I mean, how on earth did you evade Meldrew and his men, and half of Derby jail?”

“It was the most horrifying day of my life,” she declared quietly before she recounted everything she and Mabel had been forced to do to evade capture. “At the inn, we both waited for that inevitable knock on the door that would mean we had to be searched. Although we didn’t have anything incriminating on us, I just knew Meldrew, or any of his men for that matter, would recognise me by my hair.”

“I take it that they didn’t search you?”

Hetty shook her head. “I have no idea why. I don’t know if the jailers were just plain lazy or it had been searched before we got there. Neither of us wanted to ask the innkeeper to be honest with you. We didn’t want to raise anyone’s suspicions. In the end, we got as much rest as we could, did what we needed to, and waited until dawn.” She smiled up at him. “That’s when you turned up.”

She was incredibly relieved that he had, and dreaded to think about what she would have done if he hadn’t.

“It was pure look that I found you,” he sighed.

“You took an awful risk coming back for us.”

“I had to, Hetty. I couldn’t leave you to deal with that situation by yourself. It isn’t right. Not after what you did for me.”

Hetty smiled, but was glad that it was dark and he couldn’t see her disappointment on her face. She didn’t know what she had expected him to say; that he had come back for her because he couldn’t bear the thought of her being in Meldrew’s clutches, maybe? Or, that he had wanted her to be safe because he cared about what happened to her because she mattered to him?

Her heart ached with uncertainty. After all, her actions had been driven purely by the love she felt for him.

Feeling decidedly melancholic, she remained silent and tried to will sleep to come. Strangely, she was so focused on the emotions tumbling through her that she completely forgot about her empty stomach, the fact that she was frozen, and sitting in the middle of nowhere, beside her new husband.

“Hetty,” he whispered.

Their eyes met and held.

Bathed in the moonlight, his handsome features looked hauntingly mysterious. The sharp protrusion of his cheek bones and chiselled jaw were bathed in the silvery glow that seemed to emphasise the dark orbs of his eyes.

She sighed as she watched his head slowly lower toward hers. The gentle sweep of his lips was feather light. Once, twice, he swept backward and forward. Touching, teasing, all the time studying her for any sign of hesitation. When her lashes lowered, he groaned softly, and settled his lips over hers with determined possession that carried them both toward a tide of desire.

His arms swept around her. He pulled her so tightly against him that she could feel the heavy thud of his heartbeat beneath the fine material of his shirt. A blush stole over her cheeks as the lush mound of her breasts pushed tantalisingly against the broad expanse of his chest, but she didn’t draw away. A delicious sensation began to unfurl deep within her, urging her to move closer.

His arms instinctively tightened to hold her still, and his mouth began to devour hers.

At first, her hands rested on his biceps as she clung to him for support. Eventually, even that contact wasn’t enough. Her palms slid up the corded muscles of his arms, across his shoulders, and came to rest at the nape of his neck. Her fingers intertwined with the soft curls of his hair. She felt the shiver that swept through him, and tightened her hold as he deepened the kiss, and began to plunder.

Desire built in both of them before the clothing that prevented closer contact became frustrating. Hands clutched desperately at material as bodies sought to get even closer. She moaned low in her throat as he shifted forward to allow her to feel the evidence of his need for her.

A gentle breeze swept across his shoulders: a tender reminder that he should remember where he was. Reluctantly, he eased away from the kiss, and lifted his head to look down at her.

“Hetty, we have to stop,” he murmured. He couldn’t draw away and sever all contact with her, not when she looked so damned delectable. He began to drop random kisses down the long column of her throat while he waited for her to respond.

“I am sorry,” she whispered, although had no idea what she was apologising for.

She didn’t – couldn’t – regret this. Although she had grown up with her brothers, she had never been this close to any man before, and was as amazed by it as she was slightly worried at the intimacies they were sharing. Still, she couldn’t ask him to stop. The wonderful feelings his caresses brought forth deep within her intrigued her. She desperately wanted to know where it would take them.

She felt branded, possessed, and cosseted, and loved the fact that this man – this incredibly brave, caring, protective man, was the reason for it.

How can any man’s kiss do this to me?
The thought whispered through her mind, but was gone as quickly as it came.

He tipped his head, and reclaimed her lips in searing possession that robbed her of all further thought. The hot probe of his tongue swept across her lips, and elicited the gasp from her that he wanted.

He immediately took advantage of her momentary distraction. The sensation of his tongue probing deeply into her mouth left her with no choice but to cling to him even tighter, and give in to temptation.

His mouth suddenly vanished, and she was left to stare up at the stars in the sky while he peppered her face, neck and shoulders with random kisses. She gasped when his kisses brushed the gentle curve of her breast. She suddenly felt completely out of her depth, but wasn’t frightened by it. She wanted more.

Charlie groaned and struggled to retain some semblance of control. While his mind warned him to remember where they were, his body wasn’t listening. If it hadn’t been for the lush, feminine curves, and the gentle teasing of her fingers at the nape of his neck, he might have been able to withdraw a little, and put some distance between them so reason could take hold.

However, when another shiver swept down his spine, he knew that it was impossible. He had never felt so tuned to anyone in his life. Every sense; every fibre of his being was locked firmly on her. He could hear her every heartbeat; feel her every breath, and just couldn’t bring himself to pull away. The lushness of her moistened lips glistened temptingly at him in the moonlight.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered.

One long finger trailed over the tender white flesh that was barely visible above the material of her shirt. He watched the flesh quiver beneath his finger, and studied her for a moment before he followed the trail with his lips.

Outside, the solitary hoot of an owl was the only sound that interrupted the stillness of the night as the lovers gave in to the desire that neither of them could ignore.

“How are you?” Charlie asked quietly as he drew her tighter against him.

Even with her hair hanging around her shoulders in wild abandon, she looked tousled and sleepy, and so damned beautiful that she took his breath away. The brilliant blue of her eyes seemed even more cobalt this morning which, in addition to the gentle flush on her cheeks, gave her the look of a woman who had been thoroughly ravished.

He felt a wave of immense, almost overwhelming, love for her sweep through him. It was so strong that for a moment he couldn’t speak. The force of the emotion he felt hit him like a bolt of lightning, and he stared down at her nonplussed for a moment while he considered the effect she had on him.

His heart thundered heavily.
Was it love? Could it be love this soon?

He hardly knew her really, yet felt as though he had known her all of his life. Theirs was certainly a comfortable relationship; something that just felt right. There was none of the usual awkwardness that usually lay between two people who were attracted to each other, but were desperately trying to ignore it.

They had fitted together, last night, as though made for each other. At the time, he hadn’t paid too much attention to how perfect she felt beneath him but now, in the cold light of day, what they had shared had been wonderful.

“I am fine,” Hetty lied.

She fought hard to keep her face impassive while his eyes slid gently over her.

Inside, she was a seething mass of emotions she struggled to make sense of. She couldn’t believe she had slept so soundly, especially given the danger they were in. However, the stunning force of what she had shared with Charlie last night had left her too overwhelmed to do much of anything else except curl up against him and rest.

Before she could say anything else, the soft snort of a horse drew their attention. Her gaze flew to their horses, neither of which had moved, or made a sound.

“Charlie,” she whispered.

She knew from the look on his face that he knew the sound had come from another horse outside.

She opened her mouth to speak only to find the space he had occupied suddenly empty.

He crossed quickly to the window and looked outside. Hetty took a moment to herself to dress before she looked at him. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at the sight of him standing tall and proud beside the window, and completely naked.

“Who is it?” she whispered, as she gathered his clothes up. She crossed the room and handed them to him. He took them off her absently, his gaze locked on whoever it was outside.

“There are about four of them. I think they must be a search party,” he breathed.

The small hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he studied each rider in turn. Although none of them were wearing the jailer’s uniforms, he was fairly certain that they were something to do with Meldrew.

“Could it be our brothers?” She asked hopefully, and tried to peer over his shoulder to get a better look.

“We have to get out of here,” he declared flatly.

He had seen enough to know that the dangers were too high to risk crossing paths with the approaching men. They were just inside the treeline and, unless he was very much mistaken, were studying the house. From the conversation they were having it was evident that they were deciding whether to take a look inside.

Whoever they were, it was highly unusual for them to be riding through the countryside at this time in the morning. It was barely dawn, and still mostly dark outside. Four armed men, out in the middle of nowhere, looking at old and empty buildings, were there for a particular reason, and Charlie had no doubt that that reason was him.

“How?” Hetty challenged. “We have to go out of that door to get to the path. They will see us.”

She tried desperately to keep control of the fear and worry that clawed at her, especially now that she needed to keep her wits about her, but it was difficult with danger on the doorstep.

Charlie had already studied the layout of the house. There was a single door at the back, but no path that would take them to the road. If they used the rear door, they would have to cut across the fields, but at least the horses were well rested. It would be a squeeze for the horses to fit through the narrow doorway, but they had to try. Right now, they were sitting targets.

“Keep a hand on the harnesses so that they don’t make too much noise,” he whispered. He motioned to the door which led to the other side of the house. “We have to go.”

He tried to keep his voice calm so that he didn’t frighten her, but urgency clawed at him. He had no idea if there was another group waiting at the back of the house, and placed a reassuring hand on his gun as he motioned her behind him.

Once they were outside, he waited only until Hetty was settled in the saddle before he quickly mounted his own horse and turned to issue one last set of instructions before they raced for freedom.

“Keep low in the saddle. Don’t sit up again until I say. Let’s go this way.”

Although neither of them had thought about it at the time, he was extremely grateful that they had chosen to stop at a house which was so overrun with bramble and weeds. It provided them with sufficient cover to escape the area without being seen.

Hetty physically shook as they picked their way through the dense foliage. She only risked one quick glance behind them.

The dark figures that approached the front door were deeply disturbing, and faintly haunting. The way they crept stealthily toward the property warned her that they were indeed Meldrew’s men, and were there to recapture, or kill, Charlie.