Seduced Bride-To-Be (3 page)

Alex
took a swig of wine and felt his muscles relaxing again. Dinah’s tale disturbed
him, yet he needed to hear all of it.

‘When
did you meet up with Lord Timsbury?’ he asked casually.

‘Oh,
six years ago. I was seventeen and doing my first, disastrous season. My aunt invited
me to London and did her best to grant me a place in society. But for most of
the people I was just a rich merchant’s daughter, who had no right to be
there.’

Dinah’s
voice suddenly broke and tears of old humiliation stung her eyes. Alex felt a
sudden, overwhelming sensation, a mixture of tenderness towards this sad, brave
girl and a murderous rage against anyone who would wish to harm her. He hugged
her closer and, despite her earlier protestations, filled her glass with wine.

‘Drink
it’ he said gently. ‘You do not need to tell me anything you do not wish to
talk about.’

But
it all went pouring out. Turned backs, whispers and an overheard conversation
between two girls who called her ‘thin, pathetic, freckled thing’ and sneered
that she was lord-hunting.

‘It
hurt so much’ she sobbed. ‘I did not dare tell my aunt, she was so excited
about me doing the season. But I gave up all efforts to make friends with the
other young people. There were some young men who still asked me to dance, but
I knew my aunt had told them to.’

‘And
Lord Timsbury was one of them?’

‘Yes.
I was playing a wallflower, as usual, when I saw this young gentleman talking
to my aunt. Next moment he was asking me to dance. I was so humiliated that I
could not even look him in the eye. I mumbled something about a headache and asked
my aunt to take me home. Then she asked me how I liked Lord Timsbury, who
seemed so taken with me!’

‘Perhaps
he was’ suggested Alex quietly.

‘Impossible!
I was a pathetic, freckled thing, remember?’

‘That
is what you told me tonight as well’ he parried. ‘I happen to disagree and
perhaps so did Lord Timsbury.’

Dinah
looked at him, bewildered.

‘Do
you suggest that my aunt told the truth? That he admired me then and perhaps
still does so?’

‘There
has been nothing in your tale so far to prove otherwise.’

‘Nonsense!’
she exclaimed and, looking at her glass of wine, took a deep swig. Then she
smiled:

‘I
am certainly becoming corrupted in your company.’

‘No
one like an old soldier to lead you astray’ he smiled wryly. ‘You still didn’t
tell me how you ended up on the road.’

Slowly
he started to kiss her neck and shoulders.

‘Mrs
Jenkins fell ill’ said Dinah and swallowed hard.

‘Poor
soul’ murmured Alex into her hair. ‘So you set home alone, hoping for an
adventure.’

His
arm slid under hers and his hand closed around her breast.

‘Not
exactly’ said Dinah removing it. ‘I took my aunt’s maid to accompany me, but…’

She
gasped. His fingers found their way back and were circling her nipple.

‘But?’
he moved away from her to remove his dressing gown.

His
hot body pressed against Dinah’s when he kneeled behind her.

‘She
disappeared… oh!’

He
reached for both her breasts, squeezing them, and bit her lightly on the shoulder.

‘Disappeared?’
he whispered, letting his tongue explore her earlobe.

‘In
the ‘Red Lion’ where we stopped. She said she felt sick and needed… oh, Alex!’

His
hardness rubbed against her buttocks and one of his hands slipped between her
thighs.

‘She
must have arranged it earlier… She had escaped with one of the lads…and…oh!’

‘And
now they are probably enjoying each other as we do.’

His
finger found a spot it was searching for and as he stroked it, Dinah completely
lost the track of her story. She felt him slid inside her from behind and soon
they were united again in escalating pleasure.

‘So
the neighbour fell ill, the maid eloped, the carriage broke an axle and the coachman
had an accident. It seems like a divine plot to bring us together.’

They
were lying exhausted in each other’s arms. Alex felt his heart was melting when
Dinah smiled at him.

‘I
hope you are not sorry that you found me. But, actually, how did you find me?’

Alex
explained how he was coming back from a ride with his manservant and how they
found an injured man on the road. He was very anxious about his young mistress
and only let himself be helped when Alex set off to assist Miss Dinah Benson.

‘I
hope that
you
are not sorry that I found you’ he ended smiling back at
her.

‘No’
she whispered seriously. ‘I shall never regret this night, no matter what. But
how shall I go back tomorrow? I must go home at once, with the ball in three
days!’

‘Don’t
worry, I shall arrange things. Trust me. And now try and get some sleep.’

‘It
seems such a waste to sleep when I might never see you again’ she whispered.

‘You
will see me again. Now rest. Adventures tend to be rather exhausting.’

He
kissed her lightly on the head and soon could hear her regular breathing.

Delicately,
so as not to wake her, he reached for his wine glass and marvelled at the
unexpected course the night’s events had taken.

He
hoped he did not make things more difficult. They seemed excessively complicated
as they were. Well, he would soon find out, when Lord Timsbury arrived to claim
his bride.

CHAPTER
4

Every
night has to come to an end, thought Dinah sadly, as she dressed in her damp,
crumpled travelling gown. It was hard to dress without a maid
and
a
mirror. She better find one before she showed her face to the outside world.

There
was no sign of Captain Legrant, only a note to her that he went to make
arrangements for her journey. She did not hear him getting up.

Dinah
was in a muddle. The events of last night left her feeling dizzy. She tried to
block the images, the sensation, the feelings… There would be time to confront
them later, perhaps a lifetime at Lord Timsbury’s side.

At
the moment, there were more pressing matters to worry about. How was she going
to explain her position? No matter the circumstances, if the story leaked out
that she had spent a night alone with a strange man, she would be ruined.

Perhaps
I would not have to marry then, she thought with grim satisfaction.

She
was so deep in thoughts that she gave little notice to the rooms she inspected,
concentrated only on finding a mirror. She finally located one and, taking a
look at herself, decided that she needed a maid.

With
deep blush she noticed a red mark on her shoulder where Alex had bitten her
last night. Suddenly, she could no longer block the wave of despair at the
thought that she might never see him again. She sat trembling at the nearby
chair when she heard a noise outside.

Running
to the window, she saw a somewhat battered looking carriage driven by a young
lad. When it came to a halt, an even younger girl jumped out of it. She carried
a large basket and was soon knocking on the door.

‘Miss
Benson, ma’am! Wake up! I’m come from Captain Legrant to help you dress. I
brought you breakfast. Then we must go.’

Dinah
hurried to open the door. The girl around fourteen smiled at her. She had dark
hair and dimples in her face. 

‘Captain
Legrant sent you?’ asked Dinah.

‘Yes,
ma’am. My name is Nan Thomas and that is my brother, Dick. Captain Legrant
asked to give you this letter.’

She
handed her a slightly crumbled, sealed piece of paper.

‘If
you please, ma’am, I shall serve you breakfast. The coffee’s probably gone cold
already.’

Dinah
moved away, so the girl could go past her. She seemed to know her way around as
she opened the door to a small parlour. The chattering girl explained quickly:

‘My
ma’ used to work for the old Master, ma’am, but he died last year. That’s how I
know the place so well. He used to spend more time here than on his estate. He
was a loner. We live not far away, in a cottage. Captain Legrant takes care of
us now, since his uncle’s gone. Ma’ sends him food and keeps the lodge clean
when he’s away. I’m glad he’s back from the war, we were so frightened when he
got injured. He nearly died. Now, Miss Benson, let me just tidy you up a bit
and you can have your breakfast. My sister is a lady’s maid, so I’ve learnt a
few things from her.’

While
Nan chattered away and administered to Dinah’s appearance, Dinah felt suddenly
ashamed. There she was, crying for herself and complaining of her fate, when
Alex must have seen so many horrors during the war. She had seen his scars,
touched, even kissed them, but she did not try to ask him how exactly he came
to obtain them. The fact that she sensed his reluctance to talk about it did
not justify her enough.

She
longed to be alone and read his letter. She also hoped that Nan did not notice
the love bite on her shoulder. When she finally sat down to drink a cup of
coffee, still warm despite Nan’s grim prophecies, she opened the letter with
her name on the top written in Alex’s sure handwriting.

Dear
Miss Benson,

I
hope you have spent the night comfortably at Mrs Thomas’s cottage. I have
arranged with her that her son, Richard, will drive you to your father’s house
in a hired carriage. We have packed your luggage into it. Nan shall go with you
and act as your maid for the duration of the journey.

I
have enquired after your servant and he is feeling much better today. He shall
soon be fully recovered from his injuries. I am assured that he is very well
looked after.

I
sincerely hope that your journey will pass without any more adventures. Please,
do not trouble yourself about any of the arrangements. Mrs Thomas and her
children are very happy to help you in your distress.

As
for me, it was a real pleasure.

I
wish you all the happiness in the future,

Yours
faithfully,

Captain
Alex Legrant.

PS.
I have found your lost glove in the carriage. Somehow it got under one of the
cushions.

After
Dinah read the letter, she sat for a moment completely puzzled by its tone and
content. She did not lose any glove. Then she nearly burst out laughing. Of
course! Here she was all ready to receive a passionate epistle, while she was
sent a coded message.

Well,
after all Alex had been a soldier.

She
selected a roll from a basket, poured herself more coffee and laughed reading
the letter again, feeling as if they were sharing a private joke.

He
hoped that she spent the night comfortably, how considerate of him! And it was
a real pleasure for him to assist her. Well, she should be insulted, had it
been otherwise. He wished her a journey with no more adventures. Was it supposed
to mean that he would feel jealous? But what, on earth, was the meaning of the
lost glove?

‘I
found it in the carriage, under the cushion…’ whispered Dinah.

Did
Alex try to tell her to look for something in the hired carriage? Did he leave
her a message which he chose not to disclose in the letter, in case someone
else than her would read it?

Excitedly
she finished her breakfast and called to Nan that she was ready to leave. The
girl did not bother to tidy up knowing that her mother would come and do so
later. Soon, they were on their way.

Guessing
that they were not very far from her father’s grand country mansion, Dinah knew
that she needed to act swiftly. Pointing to different sights on the way, she
kept Nan distracted enough for her to slip her hand under the cushions of her
seat unnoticed.

There
it was. A piece of paper rolled into a ball. Dinah kept it safely in her
clenched fist and waited for a moment when she could read it. Fortunately for
her, Nan, lulled by the movement of the carriage, soon fell asleep.

With
trembling hands, Dinah straightened the torn piece of paper. The same confident
hand that wrote her earlier letter put hurried words on it:

Dearest
Dinah,

I
cannot bear not to see you again. Meet me tonight at the old mill. I shall wait
until dawn.

Yours,

Alex.

It
was past midday when they finally arrived. Dinah expected her father to be
anxious, but he greeted her in an excellent mood. It seemed that he had already
been informed about what had happened to her. The messenger arrived in the
morning and brought him a letter from Captain Legrant giving him an acceptable
version of the last night’s events.