She shook her head. “He has a plan, but he has not discussed it with me. He merely informed me that it was necessary to sell.”
A surge of relief hit Aidan. He was practically giddy at the news. Gwen had been honest about what she knew, and knew no more. Whatever Smythe was up to, likely crippling debts and the murder of a peer, she was not involved. And soon she would be under his protection, cushioned against any forthcoming scandal.
“Tell me something of yourself.”
Gwen tilted her head in question, and Aidan hungrily took in the sight of her fiery red hair lit by the dying light. “Such as?”
“What do you do with your day?”
Her blue eyes found his, defiance reflected in their depths. “My mother was a scholar of the ancient world, like her father before her. I study in the library … and I have published papers.”
“Truly?”
“Yes, under a pseudonym, of course.”
Aidan smiled. “Of course.”
“As my mother did before me.”
“I would love to read them.”
“Truly?”
He nodded. “Truly.”
“You do not mind that I … engage in such inappropriate pursuits?”
“If it leads to reciting Manilius in the moonlight, I am all for it. Imagine what you will teach our children.”
The sun had fully disappeared and night was fallingquickly. But her groan was audible. “Your mother is obsessed!”
He chuckled. “My father chose to make our … situation … palatable by commenting on the benefits of our union. My mother has been distressed lately, but the idea of grandchildren has quite lifted her spirits.”
There was no response for several seconds before Gwen finally answered. “Then, I suppose I am happy to be of service in some small way.”
Aidan turned toward her. “You are of great service, Venus.”
With that, he gently drew her into his arms to lower his lips to hers. Breathing in her citrus scent, he sipped at her lips. When she sighed, it was all the invitation he needed to tangle his tongue with hers in a hungry, all-consuming kiss.
Gwen moaned as he cupped her head with one hand to deepen their union. Heat rose in a tidal wave to wash through his body and settle in the region of his groin. Repositioning her so she was caught against the banister, Aidan pressed closer to glory in her softness against him.
One hand found her right knee, where he tugged at the silk warmed by her skin until he was able to slip underneath to stroke the stocking-clad leg beneath. She was smooth and captivating, and he wished he could lift her in his arms to find her rooms and lay her down on the bed. He would release her hair and remove her gown …
Lifting his head, he found that he was breathless. Overtaken in a manner he had never experienced before. No matter what ugliness the coming days brought, he could never regret finding this woman.
Gwen slowly opened her eyes to gaze up at him in the night, her lips swollen from their kisses and her breath escaping in pants to mirror his own.
Bringing his hand around to cup her chin, he stroked athumb over her creamy cheek. “From her fair and unpolluted flesh, May violets spring.”
She stared back at him with awe as he did his best to stamp down his passions, and Aidan imagined being married to this wondrous creature for the rest of his days. He only hoped he could hold on to the admiration in her expression when events unfolded.
CHAPTER 8
“Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope.”
Aristotle
AUGUST 18, 1821
