Enticing Benedict Cole by Eliza Redgold

Author:Eliza Redgold [Redgold, Eliza]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Victorian, General, Family Life
ISBN: 9781460387740
Google: jKLBCQAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00YMWX2ZM
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

‘Go and see

The Gardener’s daughter: trust me, after that,

You scarce can fail to match his masterpiece.’

—Alfred, Lord Tennyson:

‘The Gardener’s Daughter’

Cameo found Benedict asleep by the fireplace, his head resting against the armchair and his long legs sprawled out in front of him. She revelled in the moment to study him unawares, his strong jaw, with the slight stubble outlining it, the shadows beneath his eyes. He’d been working too hard.

The studio appeared to be in even more chaos than usual. An empty bottle of wine stood on the table next to a heel of bread and some cheese on a discarded plate. Papers with sketches all over them were scattered on the table and the floor and the fire was out, leaving only blackened embers in the grate.

She dropped a kiss on his lips. ‘Good morning,’ she whispered into his ear.

Yawning, he opened his eyes. ‘Cameo?’

‘Who else?’ She smiled mischievously. ‘I caught you napping, Mr Cole.’

‘Never.’ With one strong wrench she fell into his lap, her bonnet pushed back, his mouth on hers. His hungry kiss told her without words that longing had not been hers alone. Her hands went to his hair, her fingers running through the dark thickness, yearning for him, seeking him. Her body refused to lie, she reflected with a guilty pang.

‘Now I’ve said good morning properly.’ He drew away, leaving her giddy against his chest. ‘We mustn’t forget the social niceties you’re so fond of. Will that do?’

‘Yes,’ she answered weakly, stumbling to her feet. Her knees buckled beneath her petticoats. She’d never have believed a man could make her swoon.

‘I missed you while you were gone.’ He caressed a tendril of her hair as he, too, got to his feet.

‘And I missed you.’ He’d never guess how much. Every hour without him at Warley Park had been a form of torture. She thought the visit there would never end with Lord Warley’s eyes constantly on her as if he were plotting his next pounce, as if he were hunting game. Here in the studio she felt safe and secure.

Benedict jerked his head towards the easel, draped in a cloth. ‘I’ve enjoyed an advantage while you’ve been away. I’ve had you with me day and night. I haven’t been able to stop.’

‘The portrait?’

‘Something else I’m making. You’re a distraction.’ His warm fingers glided along her curves, over her waist and hips. ‘I’ll show you, but first I’ve got something important to tell you.’

‘I’ve got something to tell you, too.’ While at Warley Park she’d worried that he might become so angry with her about her deception he might cast her out of the studio. But she had to risk it. There must be honesty between them now. She was going to tell him. She had vowed it. But she’d pose first and gather her courage. ‘Aren’t you forgetting? I’m here to earn my shilling.’

‘There’s no need for you to pose.’

Her heart thumped. ‘What do you mean?’

‘That’s what I wanted to tell you.’ Benedict smiled.

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