Page 21 of An Earl's Scandalous Return
“Sit,” he commanded, pulling an old crate from somewhere in the darkness close to her. “I will build us a small fire and dry our clothes while we wait out the storm.”
She nodded, shivering a little, watching in amazement as he worked. Her eyes adjusted to the gloom, and she looked on from her crate as he removed his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and began to collect a bit of kindling from the broken bits of wood around the empty barn. There was some dry straw, too, and he set them alight using a flint he carried in his pocket.
As he worked, he looked up once to find her staring. He cleared his throat and shrugged.
“I found it useful to carry around with me on my travels. One can never know what will happen on an adventure. I was taught by a friend there a very useful skill.”
A spark lit the fire, and he began to feed it bit by bit until Arabella could feel its warmth, and she reached out her hands for it.
“Amazing, Edward. If only the ladies of the ton could see you now.” The words toppled out of her before she could stop them, and she kept a firm gaze on the flames to hide her distress.
He made a little grunting sound in his throat. “I suppose they wouldn’t know what to do with such a thing. An earl who can light his own fire.”
He sat upon his crate, and together they warmed themselves, hands out, close to the flames while the storm raged.
“I must confess, I never thought in a thousand years I would be caught with you on such an adventure. Not again,” he said a little sullenly, and her eyes lifted to meet his heated gaze over the flames.
Instantly, she knew what he thought of, and it brought a tingle to her skin, and her fingers twisted together, unsure what to do with themselves. After their confession of love, she and Edward had taken to meeting out under the tree on occasional nighttimes when she’d been able to sneak away.
One such night, Edward had dared her to join him under the tree to watch the stars for as long as they could. She’d gone, her heart beating rapidly, excitement in her belly. To lay out under the stars was something she’d not done since she was a child. And she certainly had only been limited in how long she could stay.
When she’d arrived outside, her bare feet barely made a sound on the grass, but he’d looked up from his place on a blanket he’d placed there. She remembered just how handsome he’d looked, slightly dishevelled and so full of longing, thinking of their kiss under the tree after he’d shared his love and she, hers.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to come,” he said with that smirk she loved so much.
“I wanted to. Who can resist such an adventure?” She plopped down next to him. “Not many know this, but I am a glutton for adventure.”
He sat up on his elbows while she sat cross-legged next to him and grinned, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight. She looked up at the stars, and it made her breath catch. In the inky blanket of the sky, thousands upon thousands, millions of pinpricks of light shone through.
Her life had been so full of late: balls, soirees, the pressure of the Season, her father, that she’d hardly ever taken the time to look up. And now she was mesmerized by the sight. She was resolved always to love the stars, to learn as much about them as Edward knew.
“Incredible,” she breathed, and then she felt Edward’s kiss on her cheek.
“Yes. It is.” Turning into him, her heart thumping, she saw he was looking at her.
Her eyes darted to his mouth, and this time, his hand went to the back of her neck and drew her in. This kiss was something more now that they had declared their love and were sitting under the beauty of the night sky. It was a kiss of the future, of so much more to come.
Their tongues danced, their breaths commingled, and Arabella’s every sense was attuned to him. She wanted only him, forever and ever, and her one hand drew up to grasp his shirtfront in her hands.
“I love you,” he said, dragging his kiss to her jaw. “You drive me wild, my love.”
She giggled as he nipped at her ear. “And you think you do not do the same to me. I find it all rather unfair. Now,” she brushed a finger over his jaw. “You must tell me every constellation we can see.” Laughing, he’d laid back and begun the lesson, and she’d been reading about them ever since.
A crackle in the fire reminded her of where she was. Edward across from her, staring at her, his body tense, and no smile on his lips. No words of love between them either. And yet she knew his mind was on that very same moment, that it plagued him just as much as it did her.
But she could tease that out of him somehow, make him remember what it was they lost and that they could regain it if only they gave it a chance.
And so, she shivered, wrapping her arms more tightly about her. Instantly, Edward rose and went to sit next to her on the crate. He looked down at her for only a moment before his warm arm came to wrap around her. Smiling to herself, Arabella leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes.
He remembered but didn’twantto remember. He knew but didn’twantto know. As she slowly tumbled into slumber, she thought she could feel the slight movement of Edward’s fingers as they brushed rhythmically over her shoulder.
Chapter 23
When they woke, Edward yet again found his arms full of Arabella. He blinked his eyes open and winced at the feeling of hardwood underneath his back. Somehow, they’d made it to the ground to sleep. Turning his head, he saw the fire had died down, and the storm was gone. Sunlight crept through the cracks in the broken slats of the barn.
He looked down at Arabella. She was on her side, sleeping peacefully, her blonde hair laying across her cheek like dark golden strands. Her hand was underneath her cheek, and he could see her lips parted in slumber. She was unaccountably lovely, even in repose, and Edward cursed himself for having come to warm her the night before.
It had been far too easy, instinctual, in fact, and now they were laying there, his arm under her body, wishing he could stay like that forever. Even if it had been a foolish gesture last evening, he had wanted so desperately to protect her, to make sure that she came to no harm on their far-fetched plan.
