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“Very well,” he said after a moment. “I shall leave for Bedfordshire this evening.”
“Y-Yes, Your Grace.” Samuel bowed so low to the floor that William was almost afraid he would topple over. But he straightened a second later and rushed out of the front doors, closing them behind him. William didn’t need to ask where he was going. Samuel, as annoyingly fearful as he was, was also a hard worker. There were, undoubtedly, other fires that needed to be put out.
Releasing his sigh, William turned just in time to see Elizabeth come to the top of the staircase.
She wore a lovely lavender walking gown, with a lace-trimmed spencer jacket that served to accentuate her gentle bosom, a fan in her hand. Wrapped around her blonde hair was a large bonnet that hid most of her face—except when she lifted her head. When she looked at him, when she smiled, it chased away all the worries that had been creeping in. Worrying about her father and betrothed, the issues regarding his estate matters—they all dissipated as she drew closer to him.
A gentle rose scent wrapped around him when she came to a stop. Entranced, William reached for her gloved hand, pulling her closer to him. She gasped when he did, but her smile was impish, a wicked gleam in her eyes that he loved to see.
“I must say,” she murmured. “When you said you had plans for me, I did not think we would be leaving the manor. I’d imagined they were plans better done indoors.”
For a moment, William was struck dumb. Her subtle words washed over him like a tidal wave, enough to bring sharp heat to his groin, his trousers tightening at the pleased look in her eyes. After a moment, he returned it. He didn’t care if any of the help were to see, and it was obvious that Elizabeth did not either.
“Those plans can always be arranged, you know,” he whispered to her. “You need only say the word.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks colored. Slowly, she licked her lips, then drew her bottom lip in between her teeth as she thought it over. William watched like a starved man, desperate to taste her. Though he’d been eager to bring her out of the manor, now he wanted nothing more than to whisk her into his arms and carry her to his bedchamber.
“No,” she said finally, shaking her head. “I may not show it, but I would so like to leave the manor for a spell.”
The heat smoldering between them didn’t lessen in the slightest, but William nodded, trying to tamper the yearning within him. “You aren’t worried about being seen?” he asked.
“I know I don’t have to worry about anything when I’m with you,” she said, licking her lips. “Though, I must admit I am still a bit nervous about it. I cannot help but fear we might be seen. But just in case,” she lifted a finger to her bonnet, running it along the rim with a grin, “I thought I’d put this lovely bonnet you had made for me to use.”
“Wise woman,” he chuckled. “The carriage is already prepared. Shall we?”
“Let’s.”
William gestured for her to take the lead, and with a bright smile, Elizabeth gave him a curtsy. He laughed as she went by. Outside, the manor felt brighter somehow with her present. The air was crisper, the rustling leaves of bushes and trees lining the driveway far greener than they’d ever been. William watched her as she picked up her skirt and went down the steps onto the graveled driveway and tilted her head at the footman who stood on hand to help her into the carriage.
Once they were settled inside and Wesley pulled away from the manor, she finally asked the question he’d been expecting. “Where are we going?”
“It is a secret,” he told her.
Elizabeth opened her fan with a thwap. She raised it to her face so he could see nothing but her narrowed eyes. “You aren’t taking me back to my father’s house, are you?” she asked.
William shook his head. It didn’t surprise him that she would assume that first. He hadn’t really given her much choice. “The next time you return to your father’s home, Beth, it will be with me by your side.”
“I’d like to hope so,” she told him matter-of-factly, which brought a smile to his face. “Is it something I will like?”
He thought about it for a moment before he nodded. “I hope so.” Elizabeth was quite for a moment and when he glanced at her, he saw that she was ruminating hard on his words, clearly trying to figure out where they were going himself. “Our destination is about an hour away from the manor, towards the countryside, so you may relax.”
She only pursed her lips, clearly deep in thought. “Now, I am only more curious,” she admitted.
