AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nathan, please. I think we’ve moved beyond titles.”
She tightened her fingers around his. “Nathan.” The name was foreign but pleasant to say, and this new intimacy sent a flutter to her stomach that rivaled any interaction they’d had before.
“May I kiss you?” he mumbled, his head inching closer.
“Please,” she replied and leaned up to meet him. Their lips met with a silken caress, that familiar ache beginning to build as their mouths slanted together. His tongue leisurely teased her lips, and she opened to meet him in a gentle clash. After a few minutes, he pulled away, and she made her disappointment clear with a frown and a small hum of disapproval.
“Easy now,” he replied with a mild chuckle. “I’ll not take liberties whilst you are still injured. Besides,” he wrapped an arm around her, his voice tickling the shell of her ear, “If we keep going I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop.”
His shocking words only made the ache worse, and she swallowed to suppress the lurid imaginings that her mind was conjuring. “You are right, I suppose.”
“I’m always right,” he said with playful arrogance.
“You and I both know that is untrue,” she replied, though her words held no bite. She huddled into his side, enjoying the warmth of his palm as he stroked her arm and feeling more content than she had in quite a long time.
Nathan kissed the crown of her head. “When it comes to you? Absolutely.”
ChapterTwelve
As Nathan had hoped,it was Thurmont who’d waylaid them as they left the cabin come morning. He was in the process of helping Arabella back onto Highwind when his friend emerged from the trees, Derry and his two guards flanking him. “We had a feeling you’d be holed up here, Milton,” Thurmont called, pulling his horse to a stop before them. “And you found Miss Hughs.”
“Safe and sound,I hope,” Derry said, the mild smirk quirking his lips telling Milton that he had an inkling of what transpired.
“Very well, Your Highness,” Arabella said as she settled on Highwind. She adjusted her skirts and looked the prince straight in the eyes. “I found this cabin last night and sheltered until morning. Milton only found me a few minutes ago.” Her demeanor didn’t change, even as Derry eyed her speculatively.
After a moment, the prince nodded. “I see. How fortuitous. I’m sure your family will be relieved to know that you spent the night in relative safety.”
“Everyone was in quite a state once we realized you were missing, Miss Hughs. And when Milton left the party to find you and still hadn’t returned by sundown, the house was in a near state of pandemonium. Your sister, in particular, was quite distressed,” Thurmont said. He looked at Nathan, a teasing gleam in his eyes. “And it looks like you’ve survived the night’s cold well enough.”
The tension within him eased with the confirmation that both men were going along with Arabella’s near laughable excuse. No one at the house would dare question either their host or a prince, not openly, at least. In the event that their courtship didn’t amount to anything, Arabella’s reputation was safe, and they wouldn’t be forced to the altar. The thought of another stolen rendezvous in the next week was enough to send a delightful shiver of anticipation through him. “Shall we get going?” he said to distract himself from his growing arousal.
As he’d predicted last night, the trek back to the mansion took nearly an hour due to the slow pace with which they needed to travel. Nathan felt Arabella’s eyes on him for nearly the entire journey, and he tried his best to focus on leading Highwind through the rocky paths rather than stare back at her like the besotted fool he feared he was fast becoming. Thurmont and Derry were blessedly silent, but the knowing smiles the two shared when they thought he wasn’t looking told him they were well aware that his relationship with Arabella had taken a turn for the romantic. He tried to feel embarrassed, but there was only a stubborn sense of contentment with him, as if he’d finally solved a great puzzle and achieved some great victory. Ironic, considering that he’d lost any hope of winning Bellona.
Miss Caroline was already halfway down the terrace steps when they finally approached the house, Lady Thurmont following with a handful of servants armed with blankets. His mother stood on the threshold, a hand on her chest. Even from the distance, he could see how pale she was. Hell, he thought with a cold pang; he hadn’t even thought of how his impetuous rescue mission and temporary disappearance might have affected her.
“The duchess put up a calm and collected front the entire time you were gone,” Derry said quietly after dismounting. “But she seemed immensely distressed.”
“Milton,” Arabella’s soft voice took his attention. She smiled kindly. “Go to Her Grace. I will be fine from here.”
He hesitated for only a moment, before Miss Caroline descended upon them in a tearful hurricane. “Oh, Bella!” she cried as Thurmont helped her sister from Highwind. She crushed Arabella into an embrace. “I’m so glad you are safe.”
Arabella rested her head on Miss Caroline’s shoulder. “I am alright. Do not fret.” She looked at Nathan and nodded.
“We will talk later,” he assured and, after ensuring that Arabella was indeed taken care of, headed towards his mother. She’d already gone inside and was standing alone against a far wall. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Oh, mother. Forgive me.”
She shook her head. “Please, do not apologize.”
Nathan ignored the request and enveloped her in an embrace. She felt small and frail in his arms. “I wasn’t thinking. I should have realized how gallivanting after Arabella in the middle of a storm might affect you. I should have—”
“Milton,” she interrupted sternly and took one gentle step out of his arms. Her hands bracketed his face in a gentle grip. “Nathan. I am alright. You scared me, yes, but going after Miss Hughs was the right thing to do. I’ve come a long way these past ten years, and have had much time to come to terms with my grief. I wanted to take this season to finally move forward with my life, so please, do not treat me as a fragile child.”
He swallowed at the words, knowing in his heart that they were true. He’d spent so much time trying to carefully consider his mother’s feelings, that he hadn’t taken a moment to question how much she wanted him to. “I’m sorry, mother.”
“There you go apologizing again. I told you to stop, did I not?” she commanded, ever the brilliant duchess.
“Yes, m’am,” he replied, straightening his back.
She shook her head with an amused chuckle before sobering. “You’ve managed to build a life for yourself beyond Andrew and your father, and for that I couldn’t be more proud. Now, let me follow your example.”
