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His light touch cast Aurelia in a forest of thorns. Her body heated instantly while repulse and pleasure broiled in her guts. When her stare lifted to his, she saw an unyielding intensity which had never been in it before now. With that, heat spread in the same instant she called herself all kinds of fool. She forgot to breath, to move – solely feelings and sensations permeated her. His thumb drifted to her lower lip. Thousands of lightning criss-crossed her. Her eyelashes weighed down slowly. She stanched impulses of sucking that finger and biting it; and then leaning on him, then thrashing him. The heat of him reached her with a spicy tang and male that threatened to ensnare her.
No. Veto. Stop! She forced her mind to prevail and stepped back as she moved her face to get rid of his hand. Her feet retreated a couple steps more to stand behind the visitor’s chair, her trembling hands gripping its back until it hurt. She pushed herself to think clearly as she sucked in air several of times.
“There will be no children.” She stated. No marriage bed for that matter.
“There has to.” He replied evenly. “Who will inherit? An old distant cousin after my brother?” As his brother produced a baby daughter so far.
“I don’t care!” She was almost losing control.
“An heir and a spare, either you like it or not.” The ultimatum sent her blood boiling with rage.
Their eyes combated for long seconds. His dark eyes never wavered as she shuddered, but kept her ground.
She shrugged, trying to appear unaffected. “If you want something, I want something too.” The cue she needed presented itself.
“Very well.” He spread his hands, signalling his willingness to negotiate.
“I want to manage the estate myself.”
“Even when you are… with child?” He looked at her meaningfully.
“Yes!” For the life of her, she would not let two years of hard work go to the sewage, or to the gambling hells.
“Fine.” His legs drew apart, and he crossed his arms anew over his broad chest.
“I will also go live in the hunter’s cottage.” She pushed further. “We can schedule… meetings.”
“Negative!” His grave voice final. “Your place is here, and here you shall stay!”
Frustration ripped her; she tamped it down forcefully. “After the children are born, I want you to go to the London town house on a permanent basis.”
She did not want her children to grow up under his nefarious influence. By the time she produced an heir, an allowance would come to them. With her management of the estate, she and the children should be secure.
He glared down at her for long moments, unmoving. “That can be arranged.”
“Let us have it written, shall we?” She amended. “I will talk to the solicitor.”
He just nodded. Silence stretched thin between them. That agreement would put her in tenterhooks for at least a year. She did not know if she would be able to hold on to her sanity after that time, but she would try. Hard. Without more, she gyrated and left the study in dull strides.
As soon as the door closed behind her, his body sagged against the desk edge. She left no shade of doubt she wanted him out of her life. Out of their children’s life. He did not know if he could take it. To be far away from
a child of his; how hard would it be? He raked his midnight hair with his hand and sighed heavily. Never had his past mistakes felt so burdening! Regardless, he had just bought time. One year at least; he would have to struggle to change her mind. How he would accomplish it remained a mystery. He would take his chances though.
He had met her in those country social occasions. Her father, the Baron of Middleton, possessed lands not far from his. At that time, he began to run late to get married and too keen on partying. His father had issued an ultimatum: marriage or cutting off his inheritance. There had been no doubt as to which to choose. The bride was unimportant. Since he had been turning thirty, a debutante fresh from the schoolroom held no appeal. More than that, he had not been unaware of Aurelia’s interest in him. He remembered her rosewood eyes following him in those social occasions.
Fortunately, she had not been a debutante anymore. Thus, he proposed, married, consummated the marriage and continued merrily on his own way. He never gave a second thought to her feelings, or her welfare for that matter. Only when he lived away in India did he start considering his marriage and her. Then he realised the mistakes he made. The whole thing blew in his face now that he re-encountered her. Her mistrust in him, her unwillingness to live with him, the hardness with which she treated him all told about someone lost to him.
He dragged himself out of his memories. She certainly would go about her tasks during the day. He? He had one or two errands to go on as well.
It had been a hard working day and Aurelia thanked the fact she could take her mind off the morning’s confrontation with her wretched husband. She decided to have dinner in her chambers to avoid said husband and the tension weaved around him. She also needed to update ledgers which she did after dinner, at her secretary. This finished, she changed and lay down in bed. The fire on the fireplace almost extinguished by then.
To avoid contemplating the agreement the whole day had been a hard task. But now, she would not escape it. It counted as a victory she would be able to hold the estate affairs in her hands; the price, on the other hand, did not look up to be sure. Not at all. The motions of having a child ignited her and caused dread at the same time. The… mechanic part of it induced chills and a candent washing over difficult to conciliate. She wished she could pretend he did not exist, or that he still travelled far away. She should be happy, though, to have gained two years blessedly distant from him, acquiring the lead here and regenerating her household and finances. Who knew it would not take long for her to get pregnant.
A child. Boy or girl. To inherit what she built in these lands. It would come as a coronation of her efforts. The idea of being a mother attracted her, yes. She never dwelled of that. Her life had been busy lately, keeping her mind focused on surviving. Now that the subject emerged, though, she did not repudiate the idea in the least. If only she did not need to have any contact with the vagabond!
She became dumbfounded with her reaction to his touch in the study. Her blood heated at his proximity and her skin tingled and came alive. It was outrageous! The man was nothing short of untrustworthy! It had been a long, long time she had been touched for the last time. Five years. By him. Once. Maybe, her needs begun to get the best of her. She was aware she had needs, of course. Accepting the attentions of that man, though, sounded unacceptable!
That simple gesture stirred her, making unforgiving feelings surface. It was as if her body and her inner world entered in smashing collision. It stood beyond her comprehension. How was it going to be; tackle this heir and spare thing? Well, she would not muse on it now. Certainly days would pass until everything begun setting in motion. Apart from that, if the occurrence in the study was anything to go by, she would have to brace herself for what lay in store.
