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Chapter Ten
Noel needed to satisfyher curiosity. She should wait for when Ravencroft didn’t observe her every move. However, patience wasn’t an admirable trait of hers. It didn’t matter anyway because he wouldn’t realize what she looked for. Her friend had marked the cottage during her time spent alone with her husband. Gemma Ralston had giggled over her action when she described it. Noel had sighed over the romantic overture Gemma made toward her husband.
She moved around the cottage to accommodate herself with her new prison. Ravencroft kept his gaze fastened on her with every step. She lifted the curtain away from the window, pretending an interest in the outdoors when she noted the heart carved into the window frame with G and B inside. Noel laid her hand over the carving, rubbing her thumb across the grooves in the wooden frame. A sense of security wrapped around her at the sight of the initials carved into the wood. At least she found comfort from the possibility of an escape.
Noel turned to tell Ravencroft the news but stopped herself. He had yet to prove himself worthy of her trust. Even though they had shared a few intimate interludes, doubts of his character still lingered. Lady L’s familiarity toward Ravencroft didn’t help his favor. She longed for Ravencroft to be Gregory again. Courteous and reliable Gregory who doted on her every word. The man before her now left her feeling uncertain, yet yearning for the passion he stroked to life inside her. His very presence in such close quarters heightened her senses. She wanted nothing more than to run to him and throw herself into his arms.
Her gaze strayed to the bed with longing. She pictured them tangled in the sheets with their limbs intertwined while they made love to one another. His bold caresses stroking her body into an avalanche of desire while his kisses demanded her surrender. Her eyes drifted closed as her thoughts turned into a forbidden frenzy. How would she resist surrendering to the desire that beckoned her toward him?
Ravencroft followed her every movement. She had yet to speak after Lady L departed. Instead, she wandered about the cottage as if it were familiar. Noel stood at the window, rubbing her fingers over the frame, as if she had stood there before. Which was nonsense. Now she stood facing the bed, and her gaze darkened before her eyes closed. Was she imagining them making love? Did she picture him worshipping her body with the softest of kisses while his hands boldly claimed her? He groaned at his fantasy and turned away from her staring at the bed. He rubbed his hand over his cock to ease the ache begging for him to lay Noel on the bed and satisfy his urges. How in the hell would he resist her when her very nearness undid him?
Ravencroft cleared his throat. “Can I get you anything?”
Noel opened her eyes, turning toward Ravencroft. “A way home?”
Ravencroft barked out a laugh. “I thought more along the lines of a cup of tea.”
Noel shrugged. “I suppose that will do, for starters.”
Ravencroft nodded. “Right.” He hesitated like he wanted to say something more but stayed silent.
Noel walked over to the table, staring at the drawing paper and pencils scattered across the top. She stacked them into a pile and moved them over. “Do you need help?”
“No.”
Noel sat in a chair, watching Ravencroft make tea. What struck her as odd was how comfortable he appeared performing the simple task. An act most uncommon to find a gentleman of his ranking doing. “May I ask how you learned to make tea?”
Ravencroft glanced up from pouring the steaming water out of the kettle into cups. “Before my father passed away, the number of servants we employed had dwindled down to a handful. When we couldn’t afford to pay them, they left. Except for the butler who had been with our family since my father was a lad. He taught me how to survive on the basics of life.” He paused, smiling at her. “Making tea being one of the necessary survival techniques. Then, when I located my mother and saw how Dracott lived, I refused to leave him alone in those conditions. Since he refused to leave, I stayed, and Dracott taught me a few more techniques in order to survive.”
Noel took the cup he offered her and sipped on the brew. While he told of his skills, he had flavored her tea the way she liked, without her even realizing it. “Mmm, delicious.”
Ravencroft smiled over her pleasure. “I apologize for the lengthy explanation.”
Noel reached for his hand. “No. I appreciate your honesty. Also, I wish to learn everything there is about you.”
Noel was sincere in her statement. She might hold a few doubts about Ravencroft, but she still held a profound affection for him. To understand him, she needed every detail about the true Gregory Ravencroft, not the gentleman he had portrayed himself to be since she met him.
He linked his fingers through hers, glancing around the cottage. “It would appear you will get your wish for the next week at least.”
“Only for a week?” Noel glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
“A lifetime if you still wish to,” Ravencroft murmured with hope.
“Mmm. We shall see how this week progresses.” She lifted the cup to hide how her lips lifted into a teasing smile.
He stood there, unsure how to respond to Noel. He couldn’t tell if she was serious or if she teased him. Her expression gave nothing away to show him the temperament of her mood. She set her cup down and pointed at him to take a seat next to her. He followed her command, waiting for her to ask her questions. And she didn’t disappoint him. Noel fired them at him all at once, not drawing a breath until she finished. And throughout the entire tirade, she still held onto his hand.
“What is the task assigned to you? How is my stay in this cottage going to help Lady L seek her revenge? What is your relationship with that woman? Have you made love to her before? Why does she insinuate knowledge of such intimate details about your preferences in the bedroom? Why did your mother’s men kidnap me? How is that obnoxious woman even your mother? Do I have to claim her as a mother-in-law? I understand that is horrible of me to ask, but I must know. Why has my family not rescued me? Why did you leave me in their clutches yesterday?” Noel finished her questions with a sob.
“Ah, love.” Ravencroft drew Noel into his arms and carried her over to the sofa. She cried her heart out, drenching his shirt with her tears. He tried to soothe her with comforting words, but the strength she had held firmly together for the past few days crumbled all around them. She clung to him one moment, then she balled her hands into fists and beat against his chest the next.
After she calmed down, the only sound in the cottage was her sniffles. They tore at Ravencroft’s soul. He wished he was a stronger man who had prevented the torture she endured. From this day forth, he wouldn’t allow anyone to dictate his actions. They would escape this hell, and no one would ever stand in their path again.
Noel had every right to hold onto her fury at him for abandoning her. At the time, he had thought he acted in a way that was best for her safety. But, in fact, his actions were a result of not defying his mother and Lady L because he was a coward. Well, no more. Noel came first and foremost and everyone else could go hang.
Ravencroft drew the blanket from the back of the sofa and tucked it around Noel before he answered every single one of her questions. “My task is to draw the layout of your townhome. Since I never secured the blueprints for Lady L in the timely manner she allotted me, she has forced us into this proximity. I am to use my charms to trick you into revealing the secrets of your home.”
