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He nodded. “I know,” he whispered. “I have missed you so much.” His eyes raked over her. “And being on that stage with you tonight has made it unbearable.” He gripped her tightly around the waist. “Just one kiss, or else I shall surely die.”
She shuddered with longing. Acting alongside each other in the play had heightened something between them. The vicar had said it was as if they weren’t acting, and it was true. Theyhadn’tbeen acting, at least; she hadn’t been. She had poured all of her pent up passion and sorrow into the scenes between them. The longing Cinderella felt for her Prince Charming was the longing the lady truly felt for the coachman.
She tilted her face, gazing up at him with luminous eyes. He swore softly beneath his breath before pulling her closer. When his lips finally met hers, the passion exploded between them like fireworks.
They gripped each other tightly as the kiss deepened, his tongue probing her mouth feverishly. Evelina experienced a pang of desire so intense that she almost felt faint. She clung to him, drinking in his lips as his hands swept over her body, escalating the passion.
He tilted her back against the tree, his mouth trailing down her neck, roughly pulling the bodice of Cinderella’s gown aside. When his mouth fastened upon her nipple, she shuddered, closing her eyes in ecstatic delight. Bolts of desire were shooting through her body like arrows seeking their mark.
One of his hands sought her moist centre through the fabric of the gown, caressing her, leading her onto the road upon which there was no return. She gripped him tighter as the sensations intensified. The combination of his suckling and caressing was irresistible and before she knew it, she was shuddering with pleasure, her climax washing over her in long, deep waves of pure bliss.
“I want you so much, Evelina,” he whispered, as she slumped against him, entirely spent. “The thought that I will never have you fills me with sorrow.”
She caught her breath, gazing up at him. “I want you, Jude.” Hopeless tears filled her eyes. “Life is so cruel. Why did this happen to us when it was always meant to end?”
He gazed at her forlornly, without speaking. He didn’t have any answers, either. They clung to each other as a wave of powerful emotion passed between them.
“You willalwaysbe my girl,” he said eventually, in a fierce voice. “Nothing willeverbe able to change that.”
She extracted herself from his arms. She didn’t want to leave him, but she knew she must. Already her father and brother might wonder where she was. They had already risked far too much by taking this illicit time together.
She kissed him softly before slipping away, back into the hall. Bittersweet sorrow overwhelmed her. Their embrace had been wonderful, as always. But it was over… just like the pantomime. Just like everything.
Chapter 33
Evelina walked down the hallway towards the parlour, feeling listless and unsettled. It had been like this since the triumphant night of the Christmas pantomime. It was as if something had broken inside of her. Even the thought of the upcoming Christmas Eve ball, and Christmas itself, was not enough to console her.
Her betrothal would soon be officially announced. She and Jude knew that their time together was done. Somehow, their forbidden meetings only made the pain of the parting worse. As much as she rejoiced in the delirious pleasure he wrought within her body, the thought that they must part and never be together again overshadowed it. She just couldn’t endure it any longer.
And the knowledge that the maid knew about them intensified it. She might say something. They simply couldn’t risk it at Bosworth any longer. Sally Potter might see them again, and Jude promised the maid he wouldn’t go near the lady again. It was an attempt to pacify her and buy her silence. That dreamy illicit embrace on the night of the pantomime was destined to be their last. Evelina felt it in her bones.
She took a deep breath, willing herself to keep moving, to push her lagging feet along the floor. Papa had sent for her, and she must obey him. Her father most likely wished to see her to make sure the preparations for the ball were all in order. It was only a few days away now. The thought of it filled her with dread.
How she wished she had never pushed for it to be held now, but then, she hadn’t realised all that would happen since she had asked to arrange it. She hadn’t realised she would fall in love with a servant, nor that she would be betrothed to a man she despised. Her entire world had tilted on its axis and she was reeling from it. It was unbelievable to think that only a month ago,everythinghad been different.
She wasn’t the same person any longer. She had been transformed by her love for Jude. And simply, nothing would ever be the same again.
Papa was leaning against the mantelpiece when she entered the parlour. To her chagrin, Richard was also in the room, sitting in a chair, drumming his fingers impatiently against the arm. Her brother stood up quickly, not saying a word as he walked past her, closing the door firmly behind her.
Evelina stopped abruptly, staring at her father. A feeling of foreboding swept over her. Papa looked upset. So upset, in fact, that his face was pale and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes.
“Sit down, Evelina,” he said in a curt voice.
She sunk into a chair, not trusting herself to speak. The air was charged with emotion. And suddenly, she knew what this impromptu meeting was about. It was as clear as day to her. There couldn’t be any other reason for her father’s obvious displeasure and Richard’s closed, furious face as her brother sat opposite her. Her stomach lurched and hit the ground.
They know about me and Jude. The maid has prattled.
“We have discovered something very unsettling,” said Richard in a contemptuous voice. “It seems that you have been acting in a duplicitous way, Evelina. That you have been carrying on like a common whore with one of the servants.”
Evelina winced, feeling like he had reached out and slapped her soundly across the face. Her eyes filled with tears.
There was no point denying it. The thought didn’t even occur to her. And the strange thing was, she didn’twantto deny it. She wanted to admit it, to tell them how she truly felt about Jude. It wouldn’t change anything, but it would mean that her family knew they loved each other, and it wasn’t the tawdry thing they imagined. She owed their love that much, at least.
“I am no whore,” she said in a low voice, thickened by tears. “But itistrue. I will not deny it.” She took a deep, ragged breath. “We are in love.”
Her father gasped. Richard let out a short, contemptuous bark of laughter.
“In love?” He was sneering at her openly. “How can youlovea common coachman, Evelina? You debase yourself. It seems you have been debasing yourself for a while, ever since that man arrived at Bosworth. For shame, Sister.”
