Page 49 of The Virgin in the Rake's Bed
She was entirely caught up in the sensation, longing for further pleasures, his tongue encircling her, his fingers searching her out. She felt her whole body tensing, a shudder then running through her, and she let out a cry as a searing heat ran through her loins. The intensity was quite astonishing, and she could barely contain her words, breathless and desirous for more. Her hands went to his head, holding him that same position, forceful for her pleasure.
“Again,” she gasped, and with fresh arousal, his tongue searched her more intimately, causing her to buck and writhe, his touch sending her into ecstasy.
Now, he brought his lips to her breasts again, his body over her, the tip of his sex touching where his tongue had searched her out. She took hold of it, running her hands along the length, his lips now on hers, and with a shudder he gave a loud cry, the seed spilling over her, each of them breathless. He took her in his arms, rolling her onto her side, their lips pressed together, catching their breath and smiling at one another in the light of the candle burning on the table by the bedside.
“And now to rest,” he whispered, as she rested her head on his chest.
“Do you think we will get to Gretna without being discovered?” she whispered, and he laughed.
“Do you not think I can outwit your brother? We will get there, Catherine, and we shall be married before anyone can stop us. After all, do we not have love on our side?” he asked, leaning over to blow out the candle, the room plunged into darkness and only the sounds of the horses in the stable below to disturb them.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“What time is it?” Catherine asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting up in bed.
The curtains had been drawn back, sunlight flooding into the room, dust dancing in the shafts of light. She had slept soundly, a dreamless sleep in Ian’s arms, and now she looked over to where he was washing at the washstand, a cutthroat razor at his neck.
“Time we were leaving. The landlord is to give us breakfast, but you looked so peaceful lying there, Catherine. I wanted to let you rest,” he said, smiling at her.
He was standing without his shirt on, and the sight of him reminded her of the tender moment they had shared the night before. She allowed her memory to linger, longing for the moment when he would hold her in his arms again. But she knew they must leave quickly, for surely her father and brother had discovered her deception. She was fearful for Jenny, knowing her father would be merciless in his interrogation, but she knew, too, they had made a day’s head start, and would soon be far enough north to be well beyond the grasp of either her father or Rickard, who would surely pursue her to gain their intended desires.
“It will only take me a moment to ready myself,” she said, climbing out of bed and pulling on her dress.
She splashed water on her face, combing her hair, and making herself look respectable as best she could. Downstairs, a simple breakfast was laid out and Catherine and Ian ate porridge and warm rolls with jam and honey. With the landlord’s payment settled and the carriage brought round to the front of the inn, they set off, assuring the landlord of their return on the journey south.
“And if your brother comes asking questions, the landlord will know only that a Mr. Edward Johnson and his wife lodged here for the night. No one will suspect,” Ian said, as he and Catherine sat back in the carriage.
“And where do we go to next?” she asked, and he smiled.
“Wherever the road takes us, but onto Lancaster now, and closer every moment to our marriage,” he said, leaning over and kissing her, each of them smiling at the thought of what was to come.
The journey continued in this fashion for several days. They would ride by carriage during the day and lodge at an inn – always under a different name – each night. Catherine grew used to having Ian at her side as she slept, to feeling his arms around her, though they had agreed he would not know her until the night of the wedding. Catherine was growing ever more eager to reach Gretna Green and make her vows and by the time they reached Lancaster, she hardly contained her excitement.
“One wonders how the Regent keeps order across his realms,” she marveled, for it felt as though they had traveled a vast distance in the time since leaving London.
“And we have not even yet reached the Scottish border,” Ian replied, and she shook her head in amazement.
“And to think there are colonies under the royal standard across the oceans,” she said, and Ian laughed.
“Perhaps you and I will travel to Europe together, a friend of mine has been to Venice, Florence, and Rome. He tells me such stories of their delights, I would wish to see them for myself,” he said, and Catherine smiled.
“Then we must go together. We must see it all when we are married,” she said.
They had just reached the milestone for Lancaster, and soon the city streets came into view, the ancient castle standing at its center. New buildings in the classical style were under construction, and the streets were busy with carriages and merchants plying their wares.
“We shall have time to board a mail coach today and travel north a little longer,” Ian said, as their own carriage came to a halt.
The driver himself had never been this far north, and Ian had paid him to bring them here and then return to London. The journey had been far from comfortable, but Catherine felt relieved to have finally completed this first stage and be all the closer to their destination.
“You will have no trouble in finding someone to bring you south, sir,” the carriage driver said, when Ian paid him off.
“It will be a few days yet, but Gretna is not far, some seventy-five miles or so north,” Ian replied, taking up their bags.
The carriage driver nodded to them, leaving them in a large square – the center of the city – around which lay several inns and taverns. There were mail coaches, too, several of which were accepting passengers, and Ian wasted no time in seeking out one bound for the northern country.
“I go as far as Edinburgh, sir,” one of the drivers said, after they had made their way along the lines of coaches
“We want to go to Gretna Green,” Ian replied, and he looked at them with a smile.
