In the Arms of an Earl by Small Anna

Author:Small, Anna [Small, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Regency
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2013-02-21T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

The melodious patter of rain on the carriage roof had lulled them both into a stupor. Frederick drew the rug over her knees.

“Not too much longer, my love. We’ll be able to rest today, but I’ll be gone tomorrow, I’m afraid. Henry left a lot of unfinished business, and I must contend with our seat in Parliament.”

“Will you be gone for very long?”

Their eventual separation was difficult to acknowledge after sharing a perfect night. They hadn’t slept much, alternating between talking and making love until daybreak. With his brother’s recent death, she hadn’t expected a honeymoon, but she’d hoped for at least a few days together.

“I’ll try to leave what I can to Akers, my solicitor. I’m sure you’ll find plenty to do with London at your doorstep. And there’s Alice, of course. You and she will become great friends.”

Not wanting him to think she needed to be fussed over, she put on a cheerful outlook. “I cannot wait to meet her.” She sounded more sincere than she felt. His sister-in-law had been a countess for several years and, no doubt, was a fine and elegant lady. Jane studied her fingernails. She’d bitten them to the ends despite her mother’s application of bitters.

Weston and her parents’ cozy house seemed so far away. Amelia was preparing for her new baby, and Rosalind and Mr. Shelbourne were hardly ever at home, preferring to travel and visit their many friends. Jane suddenly longed for the old familiar ways: waking up before her family so she could practice her music in peace, and taking long walks to the village with her sisters.

Now, those days were gone. London loomed ahead, and she stifled a shudder at the smoky fog in the distance and the general sprawl of the place.

She closed the curtain and settled against him. He placed her hand on his knee and covered it with his hand as if he could press her flesh into him. A flush of heat suffused her body. Misty memories of the night before played through her mind in a haze of whispers and shadows, caresses and kisses. She blinked out of her reverie, returning his smile when she met his amused gaze.

“You appear tired, my little bride. I hope I did not deprive you of too much sleep.”

His sensuous voice caused the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle. Two of his fingers trapped hers. She remembered how skilled he’d been with those fingers the night before and closed her eyes. His lips were warm and sweet, and they kissed all the way into the gray city.

Jane stared at the medieval buildings of the Tower as they drove by, remembering stories from her father’s history books. She gulped, rubbing her neck at the thought of what had occurred beyond the forbidding stone walls. As the new Countess of Falconbury, she might even meet the current king, who, while no Henry VIII, was still a powerful man.

She almost shook her head at the idea. Who

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