Page 29 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
Breathless, Samantha sat back, pulling down her skirts with a mixture of embarrassment and delight in what had just occurred. There could be no doubting his feelings toward her, however scandalous their actions might have been. But Samantha did not care, she wanted adventure, she wanted to feel his touch again, she wanted to be by his side forever, and now he put his arms around her and kissed her, running his hands gently through her hair.
“I thought about that a lot on our voyage across the Atlantic,” he said, smiling at her as he took her hand.
“Then why did you wait so long to seduce me?” she asked, and he laughed.
“Because I was merely a pirate and pirates do not marry beautiful aristocratic ladies,” he replied.
“And what are you now? A pirate or a gentleman?” she asked.
“Does a gentleman seduce a woman as I have done? But does a pirate return her to the ball? No, I think I’m still a pirate and still a gentleman,” he said, winking at her.
“But why must we return to the ball? Could we not just slip away this night? We could take the mail wagon to Bristol and board a ship for the Caribbean, never to return,” she said, glancing around her for a means of escape.
“I have thought of that possibility several times myself these past days. But running away is not the answer, for I want to understand who I am,” he said, taking both her hands in his.
Samantha did not understand. If they remained, there would be such obstacles in their way as to be insurmountable. How could she ever escape from her father and her betrothal to Reginald Spencer? She was willing to give it all up in an instant, to flee with Nox and go wherever the wind and waves might take them.
“But can the past not be left there? You said yourself that you are unhappy here. Then let’s flee and together we can be happy,” she implored him, but he shook his head.
“I want to know who I am, Samantha. It is hard to explain. There is something missing, I know there is, some piece of the puzzle that I must learn before I can find peace. How could I lose thirteen years of my life to the fog of forgetfulness? I cannot even remember the faces of my own parents without the help of a portrait. There must be something more, something that I will remember if only I can force myself to do so,” he said.
Samantha nodded. She could only imagine what it would be like to have such a blank memory to ponder upon, to wonder as to a childhood she had forgotten. She wanted to help him, but she knew that if they remained in London, her father would never agree to their courting, nor to them even knowing one another. Reginald Spencer would spirit her away and they would be married, despite any protest she could give.
“I will do anything I can to help you, Nox,” she said, and he leaned forward and kissed her.
“Then that is all that matters, but you must know that I cannot leave, not yet, but when I do, I will not leave without you,” he said, still clasping her in his arms.
“I cannot marry that man; I will not marry him. It is… it is you I love,” she whispered.
The words caught her by surprise. She had not meant to be so bold, but she could not help herself. What they had shared together, the intimacies they had enjoyed, the way he made her feel – it all brought such joy to her heart that she would willingly have followed him to the ends of the earth. Samantha had never imagined that any man could make her feel as Nox did, and now she blushed, waiting for his reply. He kissed her upon the forehead.
“You will not marry that man; I cannot stand to see him with you. I have fallen in love with you, too. I love you, Samantha, and whatever barriers are placed in our way we shall overcome them. Come now, we must return inside, for they will be looking for us, but we will show them,” he said, taking her by the hand.
They walked back through the shrubbery and Samantha felt herself as if in a dream, caught up in the delight of all they had shared. Her heart wanted only to flee, to take their risk and forge a new life together somewhere far away. But her mind knew the folly of such a move. Her father would stop at nothing to seek her out, and it would only be through convincing the world of the legitimacy of their love that they could be married and live the life she so desired.
The sounds of the music could now be heard again, and Samantha and Nox paused below the terrace, not wanting to be seen together. They were still in the shadows, and he took her in his arms and kissed her, holding her close, as though he would never let her go. She felt her passions arousing once more, longing to know him again, imagining future pleasures, their bodies entwined, their lips pressed close–
“I will go first,” she whispered, and he nodded.
“But I must dance with you before the end of the night. We will show them all, I promise you,” he replied, and with their hands lingering together, she hurried up the steps to the terrace.
Catherine and Rebecca were surprised to see her when she returned, her face flushed and a smile playing across her lips. They glanced at one another, and Catherine raised her eyebrows.
“The shrubbery?” she whispered, and Samantha blushed.
“He was waiting for me,” she replied, and Catherine and Rebecca both laughed.
“You play a dangerous game,” Rebecca said, just as Nox swept through the doors, and heads turned to look at him.
“But I am in love with him,” Samantha replied, and in that moment she knew that nothing else in all the world mattered but that.
Chapter Fourteen
The rest of the evening passed predictably enough. Nox was feted by any number of ladies, the Thompson twins insisting on further dances, and others lining up for their pound of flesh. The protests of Samantha’s father had fallen on deaf ears, and no one seemed in the least bit troubled that the new Earl of Brimsey was also known as a notorious pirate. The consensus seemed to be that Nox had been the victim of a terrible injustice, and now that he was returned to society, he was cast as the most eligible bachelor in the ton.
Samantha now watched this show with bemusement, knowing what she and Nox had shared. She was forced to endure the attentions of Reginald, who seemed to think it his right to possess her whenever he wished, insisting that her dance card be his and his alone. It soon grew tedious, though she went through the motions, knowing that soon escape would be hers. Speeches were made, and Nox’s Uncle Albert lauded the return of his nephew, the prodigal son, as he constantly referred to him as.
“The return of my nephew is quite simply a miracle. A toast to him,” he said, raising his punch glass as the rest of the gathered assembly followed suit.
