“Come with me, Violet,” he growled in her ear, sounding as unhinged as she’d become. “I cannae wait—”
He came with a guttural cry, thrusting and pulsing in her, and the sensation toppled her over the edge again in a shower of bliss. His arms banded around her as they both trembled, binding her to him.
The carriage shuddered as the vehicle took a sharp turn and the road surface changed to rough-hewn pebbles.
“Shite,” Callum hissed, “we’re back already.”
There was no time for affection as they set themselves to rights. She was pinning her hat in place when Callum stopped her, tuckeda loose curl behind her ear. Kissed her as though she were precious while the carriage rolled to a halt at the pillared front entrance.
“I’ll ride around to the stables with the carriage,” he said. Was she imagining the regret in his eyes? For a wild moment, she longed to grab his hand and drag him through the estate in full view of everyone. Dare them to gossip about the woman who’d found a man who made her body and soul sing.
But a footman had opened the door, umbrella open while he did his best to not look put out for having to wait for her in a downpour.
So she settled for a wink and a murmured thanks and exited the carriage as though she wasn’t leaving a piece of herself behind.
Chapter 25
Valebrook stood over thetangle of metal at his feet, grinning as though he had felled a prize stag with a single shot instead of having his footmen drag bicycles down to the large open plateau overlooking the lake. “I bought an entire fleet of them. I thought they would be quite the thrill.”
Timothy leaned in from behind Violet. “Is he going to have us sweeping chimneys next?”
She whirled and slapped him on the arm, although far too gently to cause injury. “Stop it!”
“But he must be joking! Have you ever seen someone ride one of those things when they can opt for a carriage?”
“Not everyone is born with your advantages,my lord.”
He snickered, and she tried to force her attention to the spectacle unfolding on the plateaued meadow above the lake, but she couldn’t concentrate. Callum hadn’t been with the group that tromped out to the field late that morning to see Valebrook’s bicycles, and she’d been unable to stop wondering where he’d gone.
They’d avoided being seen too close together at dinner the previous night, and she hadn’t gone to his room for fear of being seen. But when he hadn’t been present at breakfast, she worried over the decision. While she feigned attention to Bridget’s lamentations over the most recent fashions from Paris—how dare they require so much corsetry!—Violet thought of nothing but the delicious soreness between her legs, craving the next moment she would be alone with Callum. Yes, he would still ruin her, but what they shared would no longer be superficial, a means to a decisive end.
But they hadn’t been superficial for some time, had they?
“What do you think, Trembly, can entitled toffs ride?”
Timothy’s cheeks flushed pink as James stepped next to him, his words jolting Violet from her thoughts. Timothy tugged at his collar. “Have you ridden one before?”
“Of course,” James replied, flashing him a grin. “Best way to travel around Edinburgh in a hurry, as long as you’ve got the legs to get you up the hills. Easy enough to learn as well.”
James passed a pair of the Lordlings, each looking a bit green from the previous night’s imbibing, and lifted a bicycle. Mounting it like a horse, he picked up speed with alacrity and made a leisurely lap around the field.
“There we go!” Valebrook called. “Well done, Taggart!”
“Would you look at him?” Timothy said, his voice wistful.
Violet looked up to see him tracking James’s progress. “You could try as well. There are plenty of bicycles.”
“No,” he huffed and shook his head, blinking as though clearing his vision. “Absolutely not. Have you seen my legs? I’d tangle my shins in the wheels and end up in traction.”
James pulled to a stop in front of them, his cheeks pink and hair mussed. His eyes darted between her and Timothy. “You should try it, Violet.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. I’m not the adventurous sort.”
“A shame, that,” James said. “And you, Trembly? Care to try?”
Timothy hesitated, then shook his head. “No. I will take risks, but not when I could get hurt.”
James held his gaze for a long moment before Timothy’s expression broke in a forced chuckle. “Well,” Timothy said, “I think I’ll make use of the refreshment cart while you all take your risks.”
