Page 56 of A Lady Igniting Wicked Passions
Now Aaron’s eyes widened and she saw the sudden flash of anger in his face. But she refused to back down. She would not be intimidated by his anger, nor would she simply accept it when it was not justified.
“You need not fear bankruptcy, Arabella. I am in control of the situation and will not allow you to go un-provided for.”
He seemed offended and she considered her words, not wanting to escalate the situation. He seemed so prickly, practically bristling with thorns. It was not how she had come to know and love him. The Aaron that had swept her from her feet, carried her away on a wild adventure of illicit encounters and forbidden love, was not this man of brooding silence and mercurial emotions.
But she sensed that pushing him too much would simply lead to her being pricked by those thorns. She felt a determination to get to the bottom of the change in him but did not know how to get past the defences he had erected against her.
“I do not. Because I trust you. We made vows to each other and while my family do not believe in them, I do. I absolutely trust you. I simply want to share your burden,” she said, putting her hand on his cheek.
Aaron closed his eyes, turning his face into her hand and kissing her palm.
“I should like very much to run away with you. To somewhere that no-one has heard of us or cares. Those Highlands that you mentioned sound perfect. Start again as my distant ancestors did long ago.”
Arabella nestled her face against his, kissing his cheek and then the top of a bruise on his neck, which she had placed there the evening before and remained just visible above his collar. She licked at it lightly, tracing its outline. Aaron responded by enfolding her in his arms once more.
Arabella reached past him to pull down the blind on his side of the carriage, blocking out the countryside rolling past. Then she placed her hand very precisely on his loins. She enjoyed the sense of possession this gave her, knowing that his body very much belonged to her, as hers did to him.
As her lips found his, she resolved not to ask again. Not to press him on a subject he clearly considered so delicate. But to trust him and trust in their future together.
Chapter 33
Ashenwood was a fairy-tale. Her first glimpse of it came as the road rounded a shoulder of hill, covered in a lush woodland of birch, maple, and ash. The trees covered the landscape in a riot of colour and shape, while on the other side the hill tapered into a gentle slope down to the glittering band of a river.
Rounding the trees, the hill atop which Ashenwood Castle rested became visible. It dominated the landscape and the castle sat atop it as brooding and magnificent as its master. Arabella was nestled in Aaron’s arms, the blinds lifted once more, as the road began to wind up the side of the hill. She gasped and Aaron grinned.
“You are not seeing the old place at its best. Not by a long chalk. My father and I have not done it justice. But I am determined. I will see it shine once more,” Aaron said.
“And I will help you all I can. Oh, Aunt Victoria is going to fall in love with this place. She is such a romantic.”
“I could tell,” Aaron replied dryly.
“She said she will arrive by dinner. I do hope she gets to see this magnificent approach while the sun is still in the sky.”
“We should be back by dinner,” Aaron replied.
“Back?”
“Yes, we will be meeting Bredwardine at Ascot for the racing this afternoon,” Aaron replied.
Arabella broke into a beaming grin. “Really? Oh, I do so love the races!”
Aaron laughed. “I had a feeling you would. We will have an extra stake in this meeting. Bredwardine owns a racer which he has entered into a race today. He is convinced it will be a winner.”
“Then I should be thrilled to get a look at it before the race. Will that be possible?” Arabella asked.
“I’m sure Bredwardine will be only too pleased. He always was a show off.”
“I shall leave a note for Aunt Victoria in that case. What time is the meeting?”
“The race is at six,” Aaron replied, looking at his pocket watch. “Which gives us an hour to change. Ascot is just a short ride from here.”
Arabella nestled into his chest, his arm about her shoulders. The last hour had been a diverting one, enclosed in the warm darkness of the carriage. A pleasant darkness full of exploring hands and lips, bringing pleasures that had to be muffled lest the driver by scandalized.
She felt better but knew it to be the all-encompassing glow of lovemaking. It was not a true contentment or happiness. None of the things that had been worrying her had gone away or changed. Aaron was being secretive and refused to share.
All she knew was that their liaison had exacerbated the money worries that Aaron already had. But the sight of Ashenwood Castle and the prospect of being around horses was a temporary balm to her aching heart.
The road led from between tall hedges, enclosing fields of grass that ran down the hillside. The castle loomed higher each time it was revealed. Ivy cloaked the walls, which rose in serried ranks, one set within the other. Towers soared at points, clustered towards one end of the castle.
