Authors: Helen Dickson
Zack sent her a small frown askance and the impatient look in his eyes brooked no argument. Raising her chin a notch, she turned from him. ‘Very well. Who am I to argue?’
* * *
Upon leaving the house, with his hand placed possessively on Shona’s elbow, Zack escorted her out into the street. Handing her up into the carriage, he then went around to the driver’s seat as his groom climbed to his post in back. Gathering the reins, he snapped them smartly over the backs of his high-stepping horses. Their hoofbeats rebounded off the elegant houses as his carriage rolled down the cobbled street, urging them to a canter when they entered the main thoroughfare and drove the short distance to Hyde Park. The speed at which they travelled brought a reluctant smile to Shona’s lips, her hair flying behind her and whipping around the sides of her bonnet.
Zack cast her an admiring sideways glance. ‘Glad you came?’
Shona was surprised by his unexpected gentleness and, worse, completely at a loss as to how to answer. She wanted to appear haughty, coldly remote—anything but friendly, for that was tantamount to giving in. On the other hand, she could scarcely say
no, she wished she hadn’t come.
‘It’s a pleasant diversion, I suppose. I had nothing better to do.’
He smiled as the fetching creature pretended not to be over-enthused. ‘Careful, Shona,’ he said with underlying sarcasm. ‘Your enthusiasm might show. At least we can be accorded some privacy out here.’
Shona was about to retort that the last thing she wanted was privacy with him, but, with her emotions all over the place, she decided to hold her tongue.
When they arrived in the park, being the height of the Season and a Sunday, they found the Ring crowded with mounted riders and open carriages occupied by persons of rank and fashion. The pace was fast and the park roadways muddy following an earlier rainfall.
Zack quickly noted the stares they drew from society ladies and how young men gawked at Shona. Word had quickly spread that the delectable creature who had graced the Whitchester Ball last night was his wife, generating a great deal of attention. Turning off the Ring, he drove away from the crowds towards Kensington Gardens, where he slowed the trotting horses to a halt.
‘I thought we might stretch our legs and walk for a while.’ Climbing out, he went round to assist her down while the groom alighted to take care of the horses. ‘The fresh air agrees with you,’ he said, noting the blooming colour in her cheeks.
Leaving the carriage, they strolled along a gravelled path beneath the trees.
Shona glanced at the lazily relaxed man beside her. She knew he was trying to break the ice and carry on reasonably normal conversation with her. Sullenness was foreign to her nature and she felt horribly churlish for remaining cross. Unaware that Thomas had paid him a visit earlier, finally she said, ‘Do you intend going back to sea?’ She was suddenly curious about what he intended now he was back in England.
‘I might, but not yet. I shall conduct my business from London—or my home in Surrey—for the time being and let others bring back sugar, indigo, rum and other goods from Virginia and the Indies.’
Shona shot him a curious look. ‘I didn’t know you had a house in Surrey.’
‘There’s a lot about me that you don’t know, Shona. Yes, I have a house in Surrey—Harcourt Hall. It was where my mother was raised. It’s very beautiful.’
‘I suspect you will miss your life at sea. What will you do with your time?’
‘I will have much to occupy me. It will give me time to meet with investors, to watch the stock prices—and,’ he said, looking at her, ‘to put down roots. My father is the Earl of Halland and the ancestral home is in Kent.’
‘Is your mother still alive?’
‘Very much so.’ He grinned. ‘She’s the stalwart of the family. I doubt my father could function without her. My older brother, Harry—who is married to Miranda with two young sons—will inherit Halland Park one day. I also have two sisters. They are both married and live north and west of London. That leaves me.’
His face softened and his eyes warmed at the mention of his home. Against her better judgement Shona kept him talking about a subject that obviously meant something special to him. ‘What’s Halland Park like?’
‘It’s a beautiful place,’ he said with a soft smile. ‘It’s been in the family for six centuries. The original earl built a castle on it. I believe different aggressors coveted it and laid siege to it, but no one could take it. The castle was demolished by another ancestor, who built a mansion. Then the next earls enhanced and enlarged it until it became the place it is. It’s the responsibility of my brother to preserve it.’
‘Do you regret not being the elder brother?’
He shook his head. ‘No, I never did. My heart was set on sailing ships and building up a fleet of my own.’
‘And sailing to foreign shores.’
‘Something like that. I succeeded and now it’s time for me to settle down at Harcourt.’
He fell silent, as if unwilling to show how much he would miss the adventure of life at sea, and when he lapsed into silence, she realised he must be reflecting on how drastically different his new life would be.
‘I hope the transition will be as smooth and painless as possible for you.’
‘Thank you. Tell me about the time you spent in England as a schoolgirl.’
‘There’s very little to tell, really. I was at school in Hertfordshire and during the holidays I went to stay with my friend’s family in Northamptonshire or in London with Aunt Augusta—when she was in town. She wanted to bring me out, to make my début, but my father had died and Antony insisted I went home to Santamaria.’
‘And would you have liked to be a débutante?’
‘Yes, I think it would have been fun. My friends wrote telling me of their experiences—the balls they attended and the assemblies—and I confess I was envious at the time, being so far away. But it couldn’t be helped.’
‘And now you’re a married lady who has been denied the frivolous fun that would have been yours as a débutante.’ He clasped his hands behind him and, looking every inch the proper lord, his expression became serious. ‘Please believe that I have nothing but regret for what has happened. What I did was thoughtless and cruel, and I realise you must have been deeply hurt.’
‘You don’t need to soothe my pride. It isn’t necessary. My heart was not broken, although my pride was bruised and I am still hurting,’ she confessed. ‘You and my brother treated me very badly.’
‘I won’t do it again, I swear to you.’
‘You say that, but you made me believe a lie before, so how can I know that you aren’t deceiving me now?’
‘You don’t. But when you get to know me better, you will learn to trust me.’
Zack turned and studied her profile. He had developed a deep attraction for her on the island, strong enough that one could safely describe it as a sort of madness with him. He wanted her so badly. She had become in his eyes a woman as alluring and desirable as any he had ever known. Even now, when the consequences of what he had done were so grave, he wanted her. Even now, when all the things he valued most—his home, the honour of his name, his daughter and the legitimacy of a possible heir—were in jeopardy, even now, he wanted her.
Yes, Shona had become a passion to him, a beautiful and vibrant woman. A woman he had hurt very badly. These were not the most romantic circumstances under which to begin their life together. And having the subject of Caroline come out had not helped.
‘I can only wonder at your refusal to end our marriage,’ she remarked. ‘Would you not value your freedom?’
For a lengthy moment, Zack’s translucent grey eyes probed the dark depths of hers. That had been the question haunting him since the moment she had told him she was indeed his wife, but knowing the bliss of holding her in his arms and the taste of her lips, he found it impossible to dismiss his enthralment with this beautiful woman.
‘When I returned to England I was determined that my life would change, Shona, and now, since I found that also entails being married to you, that is how it will be.’
‘You needn’t go to such extremes,’ she stated, wounded by his callous commitment to the existing contract. ‘How are we supposed to have any kind of life together if you don’t tell me what is going on between you and Lady Donnington?’
His look became sharp. ‘Nothing is going on, Shona. You have got to
trust
me.’
‘How can I? I don’t even know you. Will you let her go?’
‘There are reasons why I cannot end the connection, but I have every intention of respecting our marriage vows.’
‘No. I’m sorry, Zack. You can’t have it both ways. I will not accept this. You’re my husband and yet at this moment I have no idea who you really are. I’m trying, but you have to decide. You can either explain your situation with Lady Donnington,’ she told him slowly, meaningfully, ‘or you can divorce me. The choice is yours.’
‘You are ruthless,’ he said quietly, shaking his head as he stared at her. ‘You have learned well, Shona.’
‘I was taught by the best,’ she answered. ‘My brother was noted for it. You’re intentionally dismissing the importance of what I’m trying to tell you. Don’t you understand that I am giving you leave to dispense with this whole thing?’
Zack lifted his chin thoughtfully. Losing Shona was the last thing he wanted, of that he was confident. Capturing her gaze, he plumbed the dark depths as he stated with conviction, ‘This is all rather sudden, but I mean to abide by my part of the marriage. I sincerely hope you intend to do the same.’
Shona bristled. ‘I confess that was not my purpose when I came here. I offered to withdraw whatever claims I have on you because of the nature of our marriage and not because I thought you would wish to be free of the agreement.’
‘Now you know better.’
‘I have difficulty discerning your thoughts. Your actions seem to suggest the converse.’
‘And your actions, my dear Shona, suggest to me that you are the most contrary young lady I have ever met,’ he countered. ‘I should hope in all truth that is not the case.’
Zack swept a warm gaze over her. Shona McKenzie—or Fitzgerald as she now was—was so different from any of the women in his past, he thought, watching the sun’s glow glint on her hair like a silver halo. Observing her quiet, cool beauty, he could hardly remember what he had seen in any other woman. Her loveliness held such powerful allure that his body began to throb as it had always done when he was near her.
The thought of drawing her into his arms now and removing her clothes—here, beneath the canopy of leaves—of drawing her down on to the grass and burying himself in her enchanting body, beckoned him like a strong elixir. And the visual image of her naked, of her long limbs clasping his hips, her eyes liquid with heat, brought him to a pulsing arousal. Clenching his hands, he cursed himself for inviting such fantasies. Perhaps she didn’t realise her deepening effect on him and was actually trying to do the honourable thing by releasing him from his commitment, but as much as his pride might have rallied at his freedom to claim his daughter, the idea of losing his firm grasp upon Shona went sorely against the grain.
She was the one. He knew it. And as his gaze consumed her, a single, searing thought filled his mind, body and soul. She belonged to him. She was his. He would not be parted from her.
Chapter Nine
T
hey returned to the carriage and drove out of the park.
‘This isn’t the way we came,’ Shona remarked when they failed to turn into Upper Brook Street. ‘Where are you taking me?’
‘Not far. There’s something I want you to see.’
Proceeding to drive along spacious Grosvenor Street, the carriage finally drew up before a striking house. It was the perfect location for the home of a wealthy man of distinction.
‘What is this?’ Shona asked, looking up at the elegant façade.
‘This, Shona, is to be my town house. It has undergone some changes since I purchased it and will very soon be habitable. The whole house has been redecorated and most of the rooms are already furnished. I’ve installed a butler and a couple of footmen to oversee the final stages. At present I’m residing at my brother’s house not far from here. He’s down at Halland Park just now with the family so I have the house to myself. Come,’ he said, jumping down from the carriage and holding his hand out to her. ‘I’ll show you around.’
Jessen, the butler, opened the door and bowed to them, and they stepped into a magnificent marble entryway with an ornately plastered ceiling three storeys above. He then retired to the domestic quarters when Zack informed him he wanted to show Lady Harcourt the house.
Shona couldn’t help but be impressed as Zack conducted her through spacious rooms that were graced with high ceilings, gleaming woodwork, elegant furnishings and floors covered with plush carpets.
* * *
Once they had covered the whole house Shona was surprised how reluctant she felt to leave.
‘It really is a fine house and beautifully decorated. The furnishings are exquisite. Thank you for showing it to me. The grounds are lovely.’
‘There is still a lot to be done,’ Zack said with a sigh as he gazed out of the window overlooking the terrace. ‘I do appreciate your opinion and welcome any suggestions you care to make.’
‘Why? What I think is of no account. I have not changed my mind, Zack.’ She took a deep breath, willing herself to be calm. Being his temporary wife certainly had its drawbacks, but only because their marriage was destined to end. She knew that by delaying the task, her heart would be entangled that much more when it came time for her to sign the papers. ‘I think we should have our marriage annulled.’ Quietly she murmured, ‘Perhaps the sooner the better.’
Zack flinched, but showed no signs of backing down. ‘Is that what you want, Shona? Truly? Tell me.’
Feeling herself weakening beneath his penetrating gaze, she averted her eyes, lest he saw the truth mirrored in their depths. ‘I—I don’t know...’
‘Then let me help you. I don’t want to be divorced from you,’ he said quietly. ‘I have no intention of letting you go, Shona. I don’t want to be parted from you any more than you want to be parted from me.’
Zack’s eyes burned into Shona’s and she could feel the resistance melting within her. The thought began to run through her mind that he was, after all, her husband and it was quite proper to yield to anything he had in mind.
‘Come,’ he said, taking her hand and steering her along the landing. ‘I think it’s time to settle the matter and put an end to any more talk of an annulment.’
Flinging open a pair of polished double doors with ornate brass handles, they entered a large stately room which was clearly to be his bedroom—already a large bed had been erected on a dais in the middle.
Zack had no idea until now just how deep his hunger for Shona was. For the time they had been together, of wanting her, of frustrating self-denial, his need for her had built up to such a pitch that he was almost beyond restraint. All he could think of was shattering her demureness and reserve and laying bare the woman of passion—a woman he had every right to make love to. Whatever it took he knew he would do anything to bring her into his life. He was shaken by the intensity of his desire—his very soul flamed with a whole new motivation to complete what had been, until now, a complete misunderstanding.
‘I treated you very badly, Shona. I regret that profoundly. I know you were innocent of any wrongdoing.’
‘How do you know? What has changed—unless, of course, you have spoken to Thomas?’
‘He called to see me earlier and told me everything. On Santamaria I treated you with a brutal viciousness of which I’d never thought myself capable, for which I am profoundly sorry and beg your forgiveness. Now I aim to do right by you.’
‘And you really have no intention of letting me go,’ she whispered, hope and gladness flooding her heart.
‘Not a chance. I know my wants.’
‘That’s a start, I suppose. An attitude like that does bode well for our future together.’
Zack raised a dark brow and considered her flushed cheeks and trembling mouth. His heated gaze moved even lower and surveyed her heaving bosom. ‘It does. Despite what happened on Santamaria, when I left my mind was tortured by your beauty and I could not forget even the smallest detail of you in my arms. That image was seared into my memory as if you had branded me. Now you’ve found me I will not let you go.’
Shona swallowed, her voice suddenly deserting her as she gazed into his mesmerising eyes. She felt herself being drawn into his gaze, into the vital, rugged aura that was so much a part of him. Being this close to him was having a strange effect on her senses. She was too much aware of his masculinity, of his power, his strength.
‘Are you not going to take me back?’
In answer Zack tipped his head back and closed his eyes, looking like a man in the throes of some deep internal battle. ‘Why?’ he said.
‘Because you’ve shown me the house and it’s time to leave.’
‘I did not bring you here just to show you the house, Shona.’
Shona’s sense of security began to disintegrate. ‘You didn’t? Then—then why are we here? Do you have an ulterior motive?’ she asked.
‘You might say that. It appears to have slipped your mind that you bid five hundred guineas to spend time alone with me. It’s time for you to collect, Shona. Besides, I wanted to be alone with you.’
‘You did?’
He turned his head towards her, and his relentless gaze locked with hers. ‘Come here and I’ll show you why.’
Shona’s entire body began to vibrate with a mixture of shock, desire and fear, but somehow her mind remained in control. It was one thing to want to be kissed by him when there were others close by, but here, in his house, with absolute privacy and nothing to prevent him from taking all sorts of liberties, it was another matter entirely. Far more dangerous. And based on her behaviour on Santamaria, she couldn’t even blame him for thinking she’d be willing now. Struggling desperately to ignore the sensual pull he was exerting on her, she drew a long, shaky breath.
Zack sighed. ‘Considering what has transpired between us, don’t you think it’s a little ridiculous to behave like this?’
Shona tried to keep her voice steady. ‘Since you left me on the island, I’ve begun to see things more clearly. The truth is that my actions that first day we met, when we were on the terrace and I asked you to marry me, were foolish—no, shameless. And again in the creek that day when we were alone together, I behaved like a shameless wanton. I should have known better than to flirt with a man of your years and experience. I can’t completely blame you for thinking that’s exactly what I was.’
‘And you
know
that is what I thought, Shona?’
His deep voice made her senses jolt almost as much as the way he was looking at her. ‘What else could you have thought?’
‘I thought you were very lovely and it was despicable of me to accuse you of being all those things I accused you of. Fear had something to do with it. You see, there were reasons why I couldn’t marry you, Shona.’ He watched her, waiting for her to comment and question his words. When she didn’t, he said, ‘It would mean a great deal to me, and to our future together, if you could forget the things I said.’
‘Only if you can believe that they weren’t true. If we try to hide from it, to pretend it didn’t happen, it will always be there, lurking. It will come back to haunt both of us at odd times, for odd reasons, and when it does, it will come between us. Something one of us says or does will open the wound and create mistrust. I swear to you that I did not set out to compromise you into marriage. It’s important to me that you know that and believe it.’
‘I have already told you that I believe you are innocent of any wrongdoing. How did you come to be so wise?’ he asked with a soft smile.
‘If I were wise,’ she said drily, ‘I would not have allowed this situation to arise in the first place. Why, when we spoke our vows, did you come to my chamber when you believed I was not your wife?’
‘For the same reason that you wanted me to.’
‘It was wrong,’ she protested. ‘It was both dangerous and foolish.’
‘Foolish or not,’ he said grimly, ‘I wanted you. That was something I had no control over. I want you now.’
Shona made the mistake of looking at him and his silver-grey eyes captured hers against her will, holding them imprisoned. His husky blandishments quickened her own hunger for what she had once tasted.
‘I’ve remembered you all this time,’ he went on, ‘and I know damn well you’ve remembered me.’
Shona wanted to deny it, but she sensed that if she did, he’d be so disgusted he’d despise her for her deceit. Besides, she was too deeply affected by the things he’d just said to her to lie to him. ‘Yes, I admit it,’ she said weakly. ‘No matter how hard I tried, I have never forgotten you or what happened between us the night you left me. How could I?’ she added defensively.
Zack’s eyes softened and his voice deepened to the timbre of rough velvet. ‘I’m glad to hear you admit it. Come here,’ he said, holding out his hand.
‘Why?’ she whispered shakily.
‘So that I can finish what we began on Santamaria. Let’s see if it’s as good as we remember. And then, when I’ve had my way with you, there will be no more talk of a divorce.’
Shona stared at him as his voice aroused the memory she had been unable to forget. Tentatively she took a step towards him, desperately wanting to seek the haven of his arms and solace from the turmoil of her emotions. Zack represented safety, warmth, security.
The look of desperation on her face and her trembling lips were Zack’s undoing. Suddenly he crossed the short distance that separated them and caught her in his arms with such stunning force that the breath was knocked out of her. His embrace tightened about her until her toes almost cleared the floor and she was gasping for breath. His mouth swooped down upon hers, twisting, rousing, his lips searing hers, possessing her. As she was trying to rustle up some logic in her mind, pleasure began to seep through the barrier of her own will. The brutal crush of his lips on hers, his strong arms holding her clasped to his muscled frame became somehow bearable and she was answering, not fighting any more, returning his kiss with a fervour that betrayed her own longing.
Zack realised with a surge of lust that her demureness and reserve hid a woman of passion, of courage. He wanted her. Wanted to fill his mouth with the taste of her. The fierceness of his wanting startling him.
‘I’ll help you take off your clothes,’ he forced himself to say in a voice suddenly grown deep and husky.
Panic seized Shona and her eyes flew to the door. ‘But—someone might come...’
Taking her face between his strong hands, he gently kissed her lips. ‘No one will come, my love. Jessen has instructions not to allow anyone to disturb us,’ he told her softly, his warm breath fanning her mouth. ‘Shona...’ the word was a rasp ‘...I can’t take much more of this. Any minute now I’m going to forget I’m supposed to be a gentleman...’
‘Please—help me.’
‘It will be my pleasure,’ he said hoarsely, holding her away from him and helping to divest her of her gown, silently cursing what seemed to be hundreds of hooks and hoops and minute buttons.
Shona let the gown fall to the floor with an idle shrug. Thrusting off his jacket, Zack watched her with an avid, wolf-like stare as she stood in front of him and unfastened his cravat, tossing it on to the floor before setting about the buttons on his shirt. She saw the flash of startled delight in his eyes and he laughed softly, skimming his smiling lips along her neck even as she removed the shirt from his back.
Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her to the bed. He stood her to her feet beside it and immediately they were seized by a frenzied haste to finish undressing one another. Soon they faced each other in all their naked glory. Shona’s gaze riveted on the bronzed skin that covered his broad chest and her treacherous heart began to beat a little faster. His body was a sculpture and she was enslaved. Zack’s right hand lifted, and his knuckles stroked softly up her bare arm in a patient caress while his gaze held hers. The message in those compelling silver-grey eyes of what was about to happen was as clear as if he were whispering it.
Shona gazed at the sensual mouth only inches from hers. His hands moved down the length of her body, stroking her soft breasts, and, lowering his head, he covered her with greedy kisses. In the next moment they were wrapped in each other’s arms and tumbling to the mattress.
Zack’s lips hovered over hers. He had endured a long abstinence and he wanted nothing to hinder his union with his exquisite wife. She was soft and willing, and he was hard and ready.
A tremor went through Shona as his hand claimed the softness of her, touching her where only he had once dared. The eyes above her own glowed intently as his caresses grew purposefully bolder. She held her breath as the strange sensations leapt through her, setting her whole being on fire, and she writhed, unable to stop her dizzying world. She curled against him and she felt his lips against her hair, heard her name hoarsely whispered.
Lowering his head, he traced with tantalising slowness over her breasts, venturing across the swelling mound to the pale pink crest, causing Shona to shiver as a delicious excitement rippled through her.
‘You like that?’ he queried, lifting his mouth to tease hers.