And then Allie. . . candlelit and mussable, clad in only a dressing gown . . . helping him to his room.
Everything else surfaced like an iceberg toppling sideways, its depths sloshing upward.
Allie removing his shoes and coat . . .
Her husky voice telling him of her mother and Tristan . . .
And then . . .
The decadent feel of her body . . . the soft, lush roundness of her pressing into his every hollow . . .
He took a steadying breath, attempting to quell his pulse.
She had been right not to kiss him, but still . . .
Groaning again, he hit the mattress with his fist.
The rest of the journey to Muirford House would be torture.
First, he would have to resist pummeling Kendall for his actions toward Allie.
And second, Ethan would have to endeavor to forget how close he had come to claiming another kiss from hisladra.
The remainder ofthe voyage from Whitby passed as Ethan predicted.
With Kendall in Allie’s orbit once more, she was no longer free to do as she wished.
Consequently, Ethan spent most of his time entertaining the ship’s crew or closeted with Kendall’s secretaries, jotting down ideas in his notebook and ordering himself to be polite whenever he encountered the duke. Granted, that first day back at sea, Ethan struggled to merely remain upright given the depth of his hangover.
Two days after leaving Whitby, their party arrived at Muirford House.
Lord Hadley’s residence was impressive. Scarcely thirty years old, the building hearkened back to the architecture of earlier castles in the area with its preponderance of stone turrets and cantilevered ramparts. The entrance hall was paneled from floor to ceiling in dark-stained oak and featured medieval swords hanging above paintings of life in centuries past.
Ethan nodded as he handed his hat to the butler.
Ahead of him, Allie and Kendall finished greeting Lord and Lady Hadley and turned to climb a flight of impressive stairs that ascended to the right. Helplessly, Ethan’s eyes followed the sway of Allie’s skirts as she ascended on her brother’s arm.
“Ethan!” Lord Hadley boomed, dragging Ethan’s attention away from the retreating form of Lady Allegra Gilbert. “’Tis a pleasure tae see ye again, lad.” Hadley shook his hand firmly.
A tall, handsome man in his late fifties, Andrew Langston, Earl of Hadley exuded bonhomie and good sense. He also seemed the sort who wouldn’t hesitate to pound some sense into anumptywho crossed his aims.
Consequently, Ethan had always admired and respected Hadley in equal measure.
“It is a delight to welcome you,” Lady Hadley agreed in crisp English tones.
Jane Langston, Lady Hadley was a tall, comely woman. The auburn glints in her graying hair and the snap of her bright blue eyes hinted at the great beauty she must have been thirty years earlier.
“Likewise, my lady.” Ethan bowed over her hand.
“You have always had the most lovely manners, Mr. Penn-Leith,” she said. “As you may have heard, Lady Isolde recently returned from Massachusetts. She journeyed up from London this week to join us and is eager to discuss your latest book of poetry. I fear she finds us dreadfully dull after the mental rigor of her studies at Broadhurst College.”
The Hadleys’ eldest daughter, Lady Isolde, had sailed off to Massachusetts several years ago to complete a university degree in the United States. No university in Britain accepted female students into their ranks, and so Lady Isolde, with her parent’s blessing, had traveled halfway around the world to attend a university that did. Charitable members of thetoncalled Lady Isolde an Original.Less kind individuals preferred the wordstermagantorbluestocking.
Regardless, Lady Isolde was a fiery, red-headed lady with strong opinions and an even stronger sense of self. She was rather like his Allie in that regard, Ethan supposed. But where Allie’s personality held the vulnerable edge of a battle-scarred woman, Lady Isolde seemed more at ease. After all, unlike Allie, she had been raised in the secure, abundant love of her parents and younger siblings.
“I look forward to renewing my acquaintance with Lady Isolde,” Ethan replied.
“Please continue on upstairs. A maid will show you to your room.” Lady Hadley motioned to her left. “The rest of the guests have gathered in the blue drawing-room for afternoon tea and a goodblether. I know they are anxious to greet you.”
