~
They rode home in the carriage in silence. Clara wasn’t sure what to say. What did last night mean? She frowned. The carriage came to a halt outside of their townhouse and Sam assisted Clara as she stepped out. The butler, Henson, opened the door for them. He smiled at Clara. “Mrs. Kincaide, would you like some tea?”
Clara smiled. “Yes, Henson, I would love that.”
He cast Sam a dubious look and hurried off to find one of the servants.
“Yes, Henson, I would love some tea,” Sam called after him with a chuckle.
She lifted a brow in his direction, and he smiled at her, sending her heart into somersaults. “It seems my butler has chosen a side, and it isn’t me.”
They made their way into the drawing room and sat. She studied him, wondering what he was thinking. Finally, she asked, “Will you stay?”
He looked at her, surprised, and the smile fell from his face. “I would like to. I think we should make a go at this. I know you always intended to marry a peer and I will never be that—”
“I don’t care that I am not married to a peer. What I care about is that you all but abandoned me.”
Sam scowled at her, and she glared back at him. How would this work? They were so different from one another.
He strode over to her and leaned down placing his hands on each side of her on the back of the sofa. “I wanted to give you time. Time to think about our marriage. I always intended on returning. As much as you say it doesn’t matter that I am not a peer, we are different. My reputation isn’t the best.”
Clara frowned at that. No, it certainly was not. He leaned forward nuzzling her neck. Clara’s body hummed at his closeness.
“Still, I have spent countless nights in Liverpool imagining what it would be like to touch you, to hold you, and be deep inside of you,” he whispered.
A gasp escaped Clara, and he chuckled, stepping back. “Now that I know, I would rather not give it up.”
She wanted him to stay more than she would ever admit, and the realization disconcerted her. Now that Sam was here, she didn’t want to let him go. Still, she couldn’t tell him that. Ladies did not vocalize their wants and desires the way men did. Instead, she said, “I agree we should try.”
He plopped down on the sofa next to her and dragged her onto his lap.
“Sam! This is scandalous.”
He chuckled. She could feel his desire for her against her bottom. She flushed but didn’t move.
His hand slid up her stocking and she grabbed it.
“I would like us to try to reintegrate into society and also win my parents over,” she stated.
It was as if she had thrown a pitcher of water on his head. He yanked his hand back and placed her on the sofa before standing. “I do not want you near them.”
“I want to see my brother,” she demanded.
How she missed Henry. It had been too long since she had seen her brother. All her letters to her parents had gone unanswered but perhaps once they saw her and Sam together, they would rethink their choices.
“I think if we show them we are a respectable couple, they will forgive us.”
“What do they need to forgive us for? They tried to marry you off to a man that if I had my way, I would beat to a damn pulp.”
“Sam!”
His eyes flashed with fury. She rose and said, “I would like us to move on. Promise me you will at least try with them?”
He looked unhappy but nodded. She did something that startled even herself, and she knew it startled him as his eyes widened in surprise. She wrapped her arms around him and said, “Let's choose to embrace this new life we have with each other.”
The fury left his eyes and his boyish smile returned. He scooped her up and said, “Well let's start now.”
He kicked the drawing room door open, almost colliding with Henson and another servant holding tea. Henson looked at them alarmed. Sam smiled wickedly at Henson and said, “My wife is ill, Henson. I am taking her to bed, and you will likely not see us for many hours.”
