Lord Strathmore laughed. “Oh, you sweet naïf duckling. I am amused. No dear, the gardens are not a place of sin…well, not mostly. It is a place of magic and mystery with a tinge of intrigue and interest. They have acrobats, fireworks, a manmade waterfall made from genius and utter ingenuity. I think you will like it.”
What he was proposing made Rachel mostly uncomfortable and a bit intrigued. The uncomfortableness came from knowing that she would be going against all of what her parents had drilled into her never to do. But she also felt intrigued. The urge to travel and see far and wide held the implication that she would be exploring new and frightening places, and certainly this Vauxhall could be one of them.
“It does seem very intriguing, My Lord,” she replied. “But I will have to think it over. I suppose you like to visit those places? Vauxhall, Drury Lane?”
“And more,” he added. “I love the racehorse track at Ascot, I go to the mineral springs at Bath, and I sometimes go to the Cornish Shores. I fence and ride every other morning, and I have some nights at my men’s club, White’s. I have a highly active life.”
Rachel felt a twinge of envy settle on her chest. “That sounds extremely exciting. I was not allowed to ride a horse, not even sidesaddle.”
“Never?”
“Not even once,” Rachel said as they meandered back to the front walk. “I was not allowed to have a pet, not a puppy or a kitten, not even a bird. I have few friends as my parents are assured they would pull me away from the path they set me on.”
She stole a look at him to see if he was getting nervous. Anyone should be terrified of knowing the baggage she came with. But Lord Strathmore looked far from scared…adversely, he looked thrilled. And she wondered why.
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Chapter 11
The next evening, while her mother was at church and her father was in London, Rachel was again in the garden, trying to find an explanation—any explanation—of why Lord Strathmore would be happy to be with her.
She could not fathom why a man would want to take her, a woman with little experience in society and who came with a list of preconceptions a mile long. Presumptions that would make her even more of an outcast to the fashionable society and would inevitably stain the person she was with. Why would he want to even court her?
His lifestyle was a full existence away from hers, and she knew nothing of what it was to be as…free and autonomous as he was. She came near to the pagoda in the middle of the garden when the strong crunch of twigs had her turning on the path.
William was striding to her with a look on his face that she had never seen before. His face was set darkly, and it made her take a wary step back. As he came closer, she saw a blistering flame in his eyes that made her take a few more steps back until she was pressed against the pagoda’s wall.
His elbows caged her head, and his eyes glowed a smoldering emerald, and before she could say a word—his lips were on hers in a hungry, relentless kiss. He did not ask her to yield to him; he took what he wanted. And Rachel found…she loved it.
His tongue surged through her mouth as if he owned her and his body pressed her tight into the boards behind her. Soon, she felt disoriented as the hot scintillating, sinful, and exciting sensations unfurled within her.
The tips of her breasts turned taut and throbbing and were chafing of her skin against her chemise. And for the first time, a swathe of gooseflesh ran over every inch of her skin. With her last ounce of willpower, she tore her lips from his to suck in a breath.
Her fingers were clutching his shirt, and the damp air from his pants skittered over her lips. William nudged his nose against hers before kissing her again, a slow, sensual kiss that turned her knees into water while he licked through her mouth.
Bravely, she sucked on his tongue, and William moaned deep in his throat. He pulled away, kissing the curve of her jaw to nibble on her earlobe before he dipped to spread kisses on the hollow of her neck. As he continued to kiss her, he slid his hands from above her to her breast.
The first thumb of his finger across her tight nipple made Rachel cry outa second before clamping her lips between her teeth. Ripples of shock ran through her body like the after-effects from a lightning strike, or the pulse of a strong tide. Though not large, her breasts were firm, and William fitted his left palm over one and squeezed.
She felt liquid heat pool between her thighs and panting. She tried to shut out the feelings. The exquisite pleasure began making her body feel light.
“My God, you are beautiful.” The words sounded torn from him and were guttural. “You are the most beautiful creature ever created on the earth.”
Dazed, she pulled away and licked her lips, and blinked some of the fog from her mind, “I don't think—"
“Yes, you are,” William growled, and a shiver ran over her body at the sound. He fondled her breast and Rachel’s head grew clouded and grew unfocused again. “I cannot tell you how fiercely I want you.”
“W-want me how?”
He kissed her chin. “In every way, darling. In every way, your mind is fascinating to me. Your heart is so pure that I envy you in some ways, and your body calls to me. I know that you are not mine to have, but I still want you.”
“I—” She braced her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away. Her eyes searched his, and when she spoke, her voice was hushed. “You have stirred a lot of emotions inside me, William, and in another lifetime, one where I would have the chance to choose my own path in life, I would have happily chosen you. But I cannot.”
He pushed away with a huff and turned to sit on the steps of the gazebo. “I know, and I do not trust that Lord Strathmore.”
Feeling a little confused, Rachel joined him. “Why? Why are you wary of him?”
William reached over to grasp her hand and held it tightly. “I have no solid reason, Rachel. It is just my gut feeling that something about him is not right. And I am jealous of him. Jealous that he can be with you when I cannot.”
