Jaclyn’s mind raced with the questions she couldn’t yet bring herself to voice. Her body still hummed with the memory of their passionate union, the lingering warmth of his touch a constant reminder of what they had shared. As she rode beside him, the rhythmic motion of the horse beneath her only deepened the ache inside her—a tender, beautiful reminder of their lovemaking, of what had been. Jaclyn was pleasantly sore from their lovemaking. He had promised to make love to her again. Would it indeed be even more scandalous? She did not see how it could possibly be more than it had been that first time, but she was also woefully ignorant regarding such matters. She would have to trust him. Not that that was a difficult task to achieve. Where had he planned for them to go? He had not shared with her what their final destination would be, but he definitely had one in mind.
They had been riding for a couple of hours now and the sun had started to rise on the horizon. There were so many possibilities to the day or days ahead of them and the sunrise seemed to highlight them all. He had not made her any true promises, and she had not asked for such. Would this be all that they had between them? Were they only destined to be lovers but nothing more to each other? She loved the blasted man and if that was all she could have of him… sadly, she would take it. She could not imagine never having him in her life.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He sat tall in the saddle, the morning light casting shadows across his sharp features, his face unreadable, as it often was. How she longed to read him—to understand what he was thinking, whether he felt even a fraction of the depth of her feelings for him. But she couldn’t ask him. Not yet. The walls he built around himself were thick, and she didn’t wish to be the one to tear them down. But she didn’t know how much longer she could endure the silence, the distance between them, when every part of her screamed to be closer.
The thought of him—the thought of them—stirred something inside her. Was this all they would ever be? Lovers with no future? She would never admit it aloud, but the question gnawed at her. She couldn’t bear to be just a fleeting affair. She wanted more. But what could she expect from a man like him? She wasn’t naive enough to believe that someone like him would ever settle for a woman like her. And yet, her heart—stubborn and foolish—whispered of possibilities.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his deep voice breaking through the quiet of the morning. Jaclyn’s heart skipped a beat, her thoughts momentarily scattered by the sound of his voice.
“Nothing special…” she said, turning to him, her brow furrowing. “Is something on your mind?” She could never speak aloud the fears in her heart. At least, not yet. Now was not the time.
He gave her a slow smile, one that made her pulse quicken despite herself. “Only you, love.” His eyes held hers, and something in them made her stomach flutter. “I have only been thinking about you.” They had that in common. Thoughts of him flooded her mind so much she did not have room for anything else.
Her pulse quickened, her heart beat louder in her chest. “Oh?” she asked her voice a little squeaky. Her curiosity was mixed with a hint of nervousness. She knew where her thoughts were headed but, as usual, he was a complete mystery to her. She wasn’t certain she was ready for whatever he had in mind, but she trusted him—God help her, she trusted him.
“I promise that they are not all lascivious,” he replied with a cryptic smile and then the blasted man winked at her. “I am not that much of a cad.” He flicked his gaze at her briefly. “But it occurred to me that you never questioned where we are going. Does it not matter to you?”
“Not particularly,” she admitted. “I trust you.” It was as simple as that.
He sighed. “I am glad you do, but please tell me you are not always so trusting of others.”
She shook her head. “Only with those who have earned it,” Jaclyn reassured him. Where was this all leading?
“That is reassuring,” he told her. “When we reach the village, promise me that you will not leave my side. There are things we need to do when we arrive, and I want to ensure it is all done quickly and without incident.”
She frowned. “What do we need to do?” He had not told her of any of their plans. He had not told her much of anything really. She had gone with him willingly and did not regret that. But now her curiosity was getting the best of her. He did not say a word. Did he think she would make a fuss about whatever it was he needed to do? “Kingston?” she said his name softly, though she had a feeling she knew the answer. What he wasn’t saying. Did he plan on leaving her in that village alone? Was that where they would part? Her heart hurt at that possibility.
“I will explain it all later…” he told her quietly. His voice low and rich with that intensity she had come to crave. “We have much to discuss.”
Jaclyn swallowed, trying to steady herself. “Yes, we do,” she agreed, her voice barely a whisper. “Are you going to leave me?”
His gaze snapped to hers. “Never,” he vowed. There was an intensity in his gaze that seared her to her very soul. It was far too vehement to be nothing but the truth. “I will never leave you,” he repeated.
“Then why can’t we speak now?” she asked. The question slipped from her lips before she could stop it. “I trust you, I do,” she told him. “But it would ease me some to have some of the details.”
His expression softened, and for a moment, the hard edges of his demeanor seemed to melt away. “You do deserve to know it all,” he told her. “But for now I can give you one thing. We are not going to the village where your dear friend Charlotte eloped with Easton. That is likely where we would find your brother.”
“I did not consider that an option…” Why would he mention that? “And I honestly do not know what village they eloped in.”
He grinned. “The one closest to Easton Abbey, of course.” As if that explained everything… “But we are not going there, so it doesn’t matter.”
She sighed. Why did he have to be so cryptic? “And I cannot know what village we are going to?”
“Of course, you can,” he told her but did not elaborate.
Jaclyn felt a tight knot of frustration settle in her chest. She hated the uncertainty, the constant barrage of half-answers. Yet, there was something in the way he looked at her—some quiet promise in his eyes—that kept her tethered to him despite the turmoil inside her. She had to take a deep breath, trying to calm the growing unease within. The truth was, she trusted him, even if every instinct screamed that there was more at play than he was telling her. She wanted to believe in him, to believe in the idea of them, but the lack of answers, the half-told explanations, were starting to wear on her.
“Why won’t you tell me everything?” she asked again, more quietly this time, her voice thick with the weight of all the questions that were still left unspoken.
He regarded her with an unreadable expression, a flicker of something crossing his features. Regret? Guilt? She couldn't be sure. “Jaclyn…” he began, his tone softer now, his words more deliberate. “Some things, at this moment, are better left unsaid.” He paused, his gaze drifting toward the road for a moment as if searching for the right words, or perhaps, for the right time. “The fewer you know right now, the safer you’ll be.”
Her brow furrowed. “You think I’m safer not knowing?”
“Not all truths are easy to bear,” he replied, his voice gentle yet firm. “But I promise you, once this is over, you will know everything.”
She could see the resolve in his eyes. He really had no intention of telling her anything about the village they were heading to and what they needed to do once they were there. What could possibly be so important and why was he being so blasted secretive?
“But I need to know something,” Jaclyn said, her voice breaking slightly, as if the very words she was about to speak could tear open a wound she was not ready to face. “Do you care for me? I mean truly, deeply… care for me?”
