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Then his mouth was on hers, drawing her into a kiss of exquisite rapture that threatened to send her into that other world of bliss, while another burst of fireworks dazzled the sky.
The multicolored effect was so spectacular they broke the kiss at the same time. Lord Ludbridge turned and gazed at Araminta as if lost in the wonder of the moment.
“Yes, My Lord?’ she murmured, though he’d not spoken.
He seemed mesmerized, cupping her face as he whispered, “Miss Partington, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
A deep satisfaction reverberated to the depths of her very soul.
At last. Her moment had come.
Lord Ludbridge had gone down on one knee and was now gazing up at her as if hanging on her answer. Tears pricked her eyes and she did not stem their flow when they brimmed over. Reverently she bent to touch her lips to his forehead. Her joy was almost overwhelming. “Darling Teddy, I can think of nothing I want more in this world,” she murmured, her heart thundering. She cupped his face and gently drew him to his feet and into another kiss, a prelude to a more passionate coupling.
No, it would not end with a simple proposal. And what joy that she could throw herself with such genuine rapture into what lay ahead. Her desire was gaining hold as he deepened the kiss. She’d never wanted a man like this before and she couldn’t wait. To her chagrin, despite his ardor, he was showing magnificent restraint. She shifted a little in his arms, turning slightly and standing on tiptoe, so he would be unable to resist the temptation of her breasts swelling above her bodice when he felt her so exposed.
Lord Ludbridge kissed her like a drowning man but it was beyond irritating that he did not avail himself of the opportunity she was affording him.
“Darling Teddy, I’ve wanted this from the moment I first met you,” she murmured against his lips. With a judicious shifting of her person, she managed to orchestrate his hands coming into contact with her flesh, wriggling then giving a little hop and a jerk so that his fingers were beneath the fabric.
“Oh, Teddy!” she gasped as she put her hand upon his, guiding it over her bare breast, beneath her bodice, while tendrils of want spiraled through her. Her nipples were crying out for attention but he reacted as if in shock as he withdrew his hand. Clearly, he intended going no farther, though he continued to rain kisses upon her face and throat.
At last, Araminta managed to draw him away from the center of the room to the banquette, and to slide down upon it so that he was half on top of her, kissing her all the while.
Her womb was on fire. She wanted him. Needed him. Oh, dear God, she needed him now. Jane had told her that she would have to secure a marriage proposal, followed up with a joyful coupling by the end of this week, if there was any chance that the child she was carrying could be passed off as another’s. Even then, there would be questions if the child were large and went full term, Jane had warned her. However, Araminta chose to forget this bit.
“My lovely girl, my sweet Araminta,” His Lordship murmured against her mouth, as Araminta now guided his hand to her thigh. She’d rucked her skirt high and wore no impeding pantalettes. No, there was a clear path to where he surely wanted to go, now that the marriage proposal was out of the way. To where she needed him to go.
She felt the bulge of his erection against her stomach and the evidence of his arousal only deepened hers. She was conscious of the wetness between the juncture of her legs and she could barely wait for what would come next.
To her dismay, Lord Ludbridge suddenly broke the kiss and sat up, causing her to fall a little clumsily against the wall and seat.
“Miss Partington. Araminta,” he said, breathlessly, as he helped her assume a more demure position beside him. “We are not married yet. We cannot do this.”
“But we will be married. Soon, my lord.” She didn’t want to sound as desperate as she was. “You...you are not taking liberties. I want this as much as you do. I...I have never been kissed by a man before. It’s as if you’ve set me on fire.” She slid onto his lap and twined her arms about his neck once more, murmuring against his cheek, “Please kiss me again, Lord Ludbridge. Teddy.” She drew her head back and smiled coyly. “Now that we’re about to be married.”
Tenderly he looked down into her face. “Yes, but we may not be married for a couple of months.”
She thought she’d misheard him but when she studied his face she saw his regret. A deafening roar sounded in her head as she repeated, uncertainly, “A couple of months?”
He nodded. “You see, dear heart, there is something very important I must do first.” He took her hands and began to explain, speaking gently, smiling, as if it were only natural she would understand the reason for the delay.
Araminta stared while the silent screams of protest grew more deafening. He seemed not to notice for he went on in the same measured tone, “I had a dear friend once, a long time ago. Five years ago, in fact. Mother mentioned her to you—”
“You are in love with another?” Shocked, she pulled away but he captured her in his arms with a gentle, reassuring laugh, and rested his cheek against hers. “I was, but not anymore, for I love you only, dearest. However, listen to me, and then you’ll understand.”
Araminta was quite convinced that even if he were about to rescue his baby sister from Bluebeard himself, she’d not understand. She had no choice, however, but to hear him out.
“It’s been five years since my old friend, Bella, disappeared, and since then, I’ve felt I’ve existed in a desert. I truly believed I would never again experience feeling in this old heart of mine.” Lord Ludbridge touched his chest. She could hear the smile in his voice, which did nothing to soften her own heart. “Then you came into my life. With your beauty and spirit and passion, I realized I could love again, at last.”
“But you are going away to be...with this old love? Teddy, I don’t understand it!” She tried not to cry.
“Not to be with her, but to save her. You see, I made a vow to protect her, and although I no longer love her, I owe her this. Only two nights ago, I received an unexpected message after all these years. Her situation is not at all as I’d come to believe. It is very terrible in fact, but I have the means to extricate her from her dreadful life. And so that is what I must do. Ah, Araminta, please do not cry.”
“But you cannot leave me. You cannot ask me to be your wife and then leave me for two months!”
Tenderly he kissed away her tears. “My precious love, I have to live with my conscience, and though my heart is here with you, I am honor-bound to make this journey.”
“Journey? Where?”
