Page 29 of The Duke's Carriage Window
“You cannot possibly take his death on your shoulders, either.” Darius’s voice deepened, turned rougher. “You are not a burden, Meredith. Not to Uncle Ben, not to me. If anyone ever makes you feel that way, remove them from your circle of acquaintances at once. The world will put every sin and fault upon your pretty shoulders if you let it, and you must resist. They are not your sins, not your faults, so cast them off.”
Meredith was spellbound by Darius’ words and the earnest gleam in his eyes. She wasn’t a burden? Her lip trembled at the thought, and she felt torn between kissing him and weeping.
“You must stop looking at me like that, like I’m some bloody hero because—” he bit off the rest of his words.
She curled her hands in his waistcoat, the silk smooth and rich beneath her fingers. It occurred to her then just how little fabric was between their bodies… “Because?”
Darius’s blue eyes darkened. “Because you make me want to be everything for you,” Darius murmured softly and leaned in, his lips touching hers. The kiss was almost chaste.
“You make me want to be everything for you.”
Darius’s words filled her head, making her dizzy with delight while his enchanting kiss had been potent enough to steal her soul. His tongue parted her lips, flicking gently at her own, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, clutching him. He made her feel alive, yet safe so long as he held her.
How could she feel so much for this man? Perhaps it was because of all she had been through, and right now she would cling to any source of kindness? No, it had to be something more. Because when Darius touched her, her body burned in secret places, her breath quickened and her heart jolted as though lightning had struck her.
Darius’s mouth moved over hers slowly, as if he had a thousand years to take his time kissing her and no other concerns to tear him away. Meredith slid one hand hesitantly into his hair, clutching the strands lightly.
“Meredith,” he growled when their mouths finally parted.
She nibbled his bottom lip, wanting the kiss to resume. “Yes?”
“I shouldn’t take advantage of you,” he said with an adorable uncertainty for a man who was so often so sure of himself.
“You aren’t,” she assured him. “It’s only a kiss.” Where this brazen, confident side of her came from, she couldn’t be sure. But she knew that this kiss was everything. They couldn’t stop now, not when it felt so wonderful. If she had her way, she’d never leave his lap.
He leaned his forehead against hers, breathing harder as he closed his eyes. His hands dug into her hips as he held her and she felt a little thrill shoot through her at the thought that he wanted to hold her so desperately.
“Only a kiss…” he echoed. “Quite innocent, really…” His gaze was a mixture of seductive and sweet. Then his lips were on hers again. Nothing else mattered but the taste of a duke’s kiss.
It was some time later before Meredith returned to her bed, exhausted, but happy, her mouth swollen from Darius’s attentions. It was only as she lay down, the candles and lamps having been extinguished, that the words of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet drifted through her mind.
“Thus with a kiss, I die.”
It was only a kiss… But Meredith would gladly have died to know the feel of Darius’s mouth again. To feel that sense of belonging to him, if only for a few forbidden moments.
7
Meredith and Darius took their lunch in the gardens the following morning, at a table Mr. Chelsea had arranged for them. When the household had heard how Meredith had dined with Darius’s uncle in the gardens, they seemed charmed by the idea and took the opportunity to offer it to her.
Meredith had tried to stop the footmen from carrying out a table to the back terrace, something she had always done, but Mr. Chelsea had politely instructed the servants to ignore Meredith’s orders and proceed as instructed.
“You are a valued member of this household, Miss Montague and we are pleased to serve you on such occasions,” The butler had said with such sincerity that her heart had clenched with a rush of emotions.
Meredith could do nothing but stand there, blushing as she witnessed such a thoughtfulness from people who barely knew her. But it shouldn’t have surprised her. They were Darius’s staff, and just like him, they were wonderfully kind. She knew of course they were paid to serve Darius and his guests, but they didn’t have to be kind or caring, yet they were. She credited that partially to the people themselves, but also because Darius was such a generous employer that he inspired such love and loyalty among his staff.
Darius came up beside her and gave her waist a gentle squeeze that sent butterflies through her belly. He led her out to the table and helped her into her seat, leaning in in to whisper in her ear.
“Never argue with our dear Mr. Chelsea, Meredith. The butler is always right.” Darius gave a wink to Mr. Chelsea, who nodded in agreement, but Meredith was convinced she saw Mr. Chelsea’s lips twitch with a smile beneath his stoic exterior.
Darius took a seat opposite her at the cozy little table, and they both accepted plates of food from the footmen. “You and Uncle Ben did this often?”
“Yes. It was our tradition when the weather suited.” Meredith’s face pinkened yet again as she tried to avoid Darius’s gaze. She hadn’t yet faced him after the endless kisses in his bedchamber last night, and she felt shier than ever. Somehow, being with Darius in the dark, she had been a different woman, a braver woman. He watched her steadily now, his eyes holding a gleam of mischief.
Is he truly not going to mention last night? Very well, she would not mention it either.
“Oh, that reminds me, Chelsea ran into Mr. Dobbs, the Crell’s butler. It seems that the Crells will be relocating to the countryside, somewhere just north of Surrey.”
“Was Mrs. Crell well? Was he able to ascertain why the bedroom had been stripped of its sheets? I noticed the room was still empty this morning.”
