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‘We have to get out of here. We are going to get struck by lightning if we stay out here any longer,’ he growled, even though he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again.
The Sissy before him was someone he didn’t recognise and not just physically. The neatly coiffed curls, the prim somewhat shy demeanour, had completely vanished. The Sissy before him was wild, carefree, removed from all constraints placed upon her by society. He wouldn’t ever have believed it possible but in that moment, Morgan knew he fell in love with her a little bit more. He knew that he was looking at a real Sissy. He was stunned. Speechless. Amazed but so incredibly delighted that he almost didn’t want to move in case she disappeared again. There were few women who would allow their appearance to be wrecked by even a few small drops of rainwater. Most would have squealed and run for cover as soon as the first raindrop struck. Sissy, however, seemed in her element. She was like a child of Mother Nature, born from the rolling hills all around them. He adored her.
Sissy stared at him. She knew the storm was upon them, but bravely stood her ground when she knew she should flee. Boldly, she studied the rain sliding down his handsome features. Their gazes clashed. Without hesitation, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him but in the way she wanted. Instinct guided her, that and the love she felt for him. It was tender, loving, daring, but driven by passion she allowed him to see. His hands tightened on her waist, holding her steady. It was the only outward sight that he was affected by what she did. That, and the low moan that escaped him.
‘We have to get out of here,’ he hissed, resting his forehead against hers. It was the last thing he wanted.
Before she could object, Morgan swept her high into his arms and mounted his horse. Settling her against him, he dug his heels into the animal and guided it toward home. It was then that the Heavens really opened, and rain began to pelt them with icy shards of fury the likes of which hurt them both.
‘There is a shepherd’s hut over on the brow of that hill,’ Morgan called to her.
Sissy clung to him and buried her face against his neck. She trusted Morgan to guide them there and didn’t hesitate to follow his instructions when he said: ‘You have to hold on tightly. Once he gets running, we aren’t going to be able to stop him.’
The animal lunged forward and began to charge across open fields but not in the direction of the village. Sissy suspected that she knew where he was taking her. She wanted to demand Morgan take her home instead, to her home, but she also knew that by doing that it was going to prolong how long he had to be outside as well. She flinched when another streak of lightning lit the dark sky overhead. The thund
er crashed so loudly that it deafened them both and made the horse beneath them run faster. A huge gust of wind stole the shawl from Sissy’s thin shoulders and made Morgan curse. Sissy was already so cold it was worrying. Without her shawl she had absolutely no protection against the wind. While the horse ran, he did his best to wrap his great coat around her but it was difficult given how much they were jostled about.
‘We have to leave just as soon as the worst of the thunderstorm has passed,’ Morgan said as he guided the horse into the tiny shepherd’s hut. It was nothing more than a small square space with no windows and an open doorway but the roof was water-tight and they were at least out of the rain. The second the horse stopped, Morgan shrugged out of his great coat and draped it around her shoulders.
Shivering, Sissy murmured a thank you and huddled closer to him doing her best to wrap the coat around him too. Morgan clung to her not least because she needed as much body heat as he could give her.
‘But it is still raining,’ Sissy protested, peering at the sky that was visible through the open door.
‘The dark clouds cover all of the sky now, Sissy but it is dusk. I doubt this storm is going to blow over until morning. The thunderstorm won’t take that long to clear out of the way. When it stops lightning and the thunder gets quieter, we can leave,’ Morgan informed her briskly.
He too was starting to feel the cold. An icy breeze snuck up his spine and stole what was left of his comfort, but he didn’t care. What mattered to him more than anything was just how deep a blue Sissy’s lips were starting to turn. Desperate to keep his mind off just how dire their predicament was, Morgan tried to find something to say.
‘Tell me something,’ he said through chattering teeth. ‘Why did you run?’
‘I needed to get away,’ Sissy replied honestly, seeing no reason to lie to him.
‘From me,’ he stated flatly. It wasn’t a question. He silently prayed that she would deny it not least because her affirmation would hurt.
‘I didn’t want to lie to you if you came to invite us to your home again,’ she replied with a shiver. ‘I don’t want to lie to you.’
‘I came to see you, Sissy. I wanted to see you,’ Morgan growled. Even frozen he was annoyed.
‘You have no idea what life in the village has been like since that walk on the towpath,’ she whispered.
‘Because I am the wealthy Lord from the manor house and you are an impoverished spinster?’
Sissy decided that if he wanted to be frank then she had to be as well. ‘Well, you don’t know what I have to face in the village. You are a wealthy lord but also someone who has choices. People daren’t upset you.’
‘Really? How can you say that after what happened the other day? Charlton didn’t give a damn if he upset me, did he? And he belongs in my social circle,’ Morgan growled.
Sissy mentally winced because he had a point. ‘That wasn’t your fault. There is no need for you to apologise for it.’
‘I am responsible for how you were treated in my house. I am partly responsible for how greedy and calculating Mariette has become. If we had just put a few boundaries in place or stopped her behaviour when she had been younger she probably wouldn’t have gotten as bad as she is and wouldn’t have had to be sent off to Scotland. Unfortunately, neither Alicia nor I had any idea just how wayward she had become until you came to visit and she showed us how spiteful she was inside my house. I had no idea that she would object to you so vehemently,’ Morgan said. ‘I can only be glad that she has gone. Hopefully, by the time she returns, she will be able to behave with a little more maturity.’
‘I am sorry that she had to leave,’ Sissy whispered.
‘Are you?’ Morgan challenged. ‘I don’t see why. She has been nothing but mean to you.’
‘But she is your sister, Morgan.’
Some of Morgan’s annoyance vanished. ‘She doesn’t deserve your kindness,’ he said softly.
Sissy smiled gently. ‘She matters to you.’
