Olivia shook her head while fastening her buttons once more. “Not at all. I adore your kisses.”
“And I adore yours. May I come to your bedchamber tonight so we may continue what we’ve started here?” He waited with bated breath for her answer. What would she say? Did she desire him as much as he desired her?
“I’d like that very much, Everett,” she said with a shy smile.
Robertson nearly jumped for joy. He’d never been happier. Tonight, he would make Olivia his and introduce her to the wonders of lovemaking. He pulled her into his arms and spun her around. “Then I wish this day to be over as quickly as possible.”
Olivia laughed. “Everett, put me down. Besides, you mustn’t wish away the hours of the day. Many wondrous things can happen, and if you wish them away, you may miss out on some of the best moments of your life.”
“You’re absolutely correct, my darling. Let us make the most of this day together,” he said, releasing her. “Are you ready to return?”
“I am. I’m quite famished.”
“As am I,” he said, his glance raking over her body. He saw the blush surge above the collar of her riding habit as he led her to the horses and lifted herinto the saddle.
They raced the horses back to the barn, and Robertson escorted her to the house. “I’ll see you later.”
Olivia smiled at him before starting up the staircase to her bedchamber. “I look forward to it, my lord.”
Robertson watched her until she was out of sight. Tonight, the lovely lady would be his.
After dinner, Olivia paced thegarden, waiting for Everett to join her. Although it was no secret that they’d been spending a lot of time together, they’d been very careful never to do anything untoward in the company of others. The last thing either of them wanted was to be the subject of gossip. Her relationship with him was a private, wondrous thing, and she wanted to cherish it without any criticism—not that there was anyone here who would criticize her, but she was taking no chances. Bett had encouraged her to explore her feelings for Robertson. But she didn’t need to explore them—she knew how she felt.
Against her better judgment, she’d fallen in love with the Earl of Robertson. How could it have happened so fast? Perhaps Bett was right—sometimes you know right away when you’ve met the one person who makes your heart sing, and boy, did Everett make her heart sing. She could hardly wait to have him visit hertonight, but first, she wanted to feel his luscious lips on her again.
She heard the bushes rustle near her and turned, ready to step into Everett’s arms… except it wasn’t Everett who stood before her.
“Well, Lady Armstrong, I knew you couldn’t resist me forever,” Lord Pressley said with a predatory smile.
“Lord Pressley, what are you doing here?” she asked, taking a step back.
“Meeting you, of course. I saw you slip out of the room after looking at me.”
“My lord, you are mistaken. I came out to the garden to get some fresh air.”
“Oh, is that what we’re calling this little rendezvous now?” Quick as a viper, he grabbed her and pulled her close. He was stronger than she’d have thought and held her in a vice grip as his mouth came crashing down on hers.
Bile rose in her throat as the viciousness of the encounter threw her back to the horror of cowering from Armstrong’s violence. She struggled and squirmed, but his hold was too tight. It was all too much, but she wasn’t a frightened eighteen-year-old any longer. Determined to defend herself, she crashed her heel down onto his foot.
“You bitch!” Pressley growled, momentarily releasing her. “You’ll pay for that. We could havehad a nice little interlude, but now you need to be punished.”
He tried to crush her back against him, but Olivia found enough strength to pull away before he could get a good grip on her. Unfortunately, he grabbed the back of her dress, and the fine silk ripped.
It was her worst nightmare come back to life. She held the front of her dress against her breasts as she tried to back away, but she wasn’t quick enough. Pressley had her again, and she was at the end of her strength.
Then, in the blink of an eye, she was free of her attacker, and Pressley was on the ground, groaning and holding his jaw.
“You bastard!” Robertson snarled, standing over the young lord. “You were warned to stay away from her.”
“She invited me out here,” Pressley said, wiping the blood from his nose.
Robertson pulled him up from the ground by his cravat, twisting it so tight that the young buck could barely breathe. “You’ll pay for this. I’ll make sure you’re never invited anywhere of note again.”
“You wouldn’t dare. Do you know who my father is?” Pressley croaked out.
“I do indeed. What do you think he’ll do when he finds out you assaulted a lady? Is that the behavior of a viscount’s heir?”
Pressley paled. “Come on, Robertson. I meant no harm. It was all in good fun.”
