Page 52 of Almost a Countess

“Another reason tae getrid o’ this disguise.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek. “I wish taehave ye properly on my arm.”

Dora opened the door and led Finn downthe stairs and out the door toward the back of the Red Lion. Themassive stables were off to the left, so they turned to the right,walking back along the side of the building until they stood on theground below Finn’s room. The light had begun to fail, the shadowsfading to black on the lawn at their feet.

“The twilight is on ourside, at least.” Finn took her hand and led her into the woods justbehind the inn. The trees, while thin near the building, quicklybecame quite thick. Just as they lost sight of the inn, Finn pulledher behind one of the stout oak trees. “No’ perhaps the mostromantic o’ places, but I think it will serve.”

Startled, Dora froze. What did Finnmean to do out here? Dora peered around the woods, but with thegathering darkness, she couldn’t see very far. Still, this washardly the place for a tryst, especially when they had acomfortable room in the inn at their disposal.

Finn adjusted his skirt then, takingher hand, sank down on one knee. “My dearest love, we’ve scarcelyknown one another a fortnight, yet I’m sure as I am that my name isPhineas Macdonald that there’ll ne’er be another woman for me. Onlyye.”

He squeezed her hands and gazed intoher eyes, the love shining there making her heart want to burstwith joy. That look of absolute love that she’d longed to see wasstaring at her from Finn’s brilliant blue eyes. She wanted to weepwith happiness.

“I have nae right tae askye, as I dinna have permission from yer father, and I am no’ evenmy own man until this charge is resolved, yet I canna rest until Iknow for sure.” The pressure on her hands increased. “We spoke oncebefore o’ a proposal, but said I would ask ye again, and I realizedI havna done sae formally. And this I must dae. Dora, will ye daeme the greatest honor, and agree tae be my wife?”

Tears of joy trickled down her face,but she shook them off and squeezed his hands back. “Yes.” Throatso thick she could barely whisper. “Of course, my love.”

They were actually, formallybetrothed. Never again would she need to wonder if he would returnto her or not. Or if his affection for her might disappear. He hadanswered her as surely as she had answered him.

Dora grasped his shoulders and raisedhim from the ground then threw her arms around him. Rising up ontiptoe, she pressed her lips to his, kissing him with an abandonthat made her body flush with heat. This was the moment she’d beenwaiting for all her life, to kiss a man she loved and who lovedher. Whatever other intimacies they might share, this was thepinnacle of joy she’d sought. And now found. “Truly, I will neverchange my mind. I wish to marry only you.”

As though her words broke something inhim, a damn of pent-up desire perhaps, Finn picked her up and spunher around, laughing.

She joined in, throwing her head backlike a child and letting the moment take her. She was his. He washers. Nothing else in the world mattered.

He brought them to a gentle halt,clasped her head in both his hands, and lowered his mouth to hers.His lips were fierce, pressing kisses on her mouth, her cheeks, hernose, her eyes, down her neck. There he hit a spot that made littlefrissons of pleasure shoot all over her body.

She gasped as an unknown heat began tobuild within her, making her shift her weight from one foot to theother, seeking relief from a growing need she didn’t understand.“Finn,” she whispered, “I don’t know—Oh!” He’d sucked her earlobeinto his mouth, and now massaged it with his tongue, making hermove as in a sensual, silent dance. With each stroke of his tongue,her knees got weaker, her breathing became labored, and her corebegan to ache deep inside her.

“Dora?” With a groan, hemoved back from her, and the pounding of blood in her ears eased abit. Peering into her eyes, he seemed to be searching her soul.“Much as I desire ye, I think we should stop noo. More than thisand I fear I’ll nae have the willpower tae restrain myself. Wepromised yer aunt we’d dae nothing during our journey and we mustabide by that promise.”

“But we’ve already brokenthat rule when we kissed.” She leaned toward him, hungry for hislips once more, but he grasped her shoulders and held himself fromher.

“Aye, we’ve broken thatpart o’ the promise, and I dinna wish tae be guilty o’ breaking myoath completely.” His eyes still hungered for her, but thedetermination in his face said he’d not be persuaded. At least notthis night. “A wee bit o’ sin can be more easily forgiven than thewhole o’ the wickedness.”

“But I don’t want to wait,Finn.” She met his eyes, hoping the only thing he saw in her facewas the love she had for him. “Even Aunt Mimi has given us herdispensation, although I’m not exactly sure why. But she must thinkwe should be together, else she’d have me locked in her room thisminute.” She brushed the backs of her fingers across his cheek.“Don’t you see? We are meant to be together tonight.”

He leaned his forehead against hers,his urgent panting betraying how thin his control stillwas.

God knew hers was fraying.

“Just because we can daesomething, disna mean we should.”

“What?” Confused, she tooka step back. “Do you not want me, Finn?”

“Och, aye, I want ye,mo chridhe. More wi’ each minute that passes.” He cupped hercheek, his hand warm against her skin. “But putting our promiseaside, there’s another danger we should no’ takelightly.”

“What danger?” Granted,she knew almost nothing about what when on between husband andwife, but no one, not Judith or Violet or her sisters, had eversaid anything about the marriage bed being dangerous.

“Though ye are promisedtae me, we are no’ yet wed. Neither is my life certain until Ireach London and my uncle secures a pardon for my foolish act.Until then, I am no’ a free man.”

“All the more reason, mylove, for us to be together tonight as man and wife. What if…” Shepaused, unwilling to say the words that would kill her should theycome to pass. “What if something happens to you? Then I will atleast have the memory of this night together with you.”

“What if when ye leave mybed, ye’re carrying my child?” The dire tone of his voice snuffedthe incipient joy his words evoked.

“Then…I will have your sonor daughter to comfort me, Finn. To carry on your name.” Why musthe bring up such a horrible thought?

“Nae, Dora. What ye willhave is a wee bastard tae raise, likely on yer own.”

She jerked her head away to gaze intohis stern face. “What are you talking about?”