Page 19 of Seducing an Earl under the Mistletoe
Tears welled up, blurring her vision as she tried to make sense of the tumultuous events. The weight of expectations, the secrets, and the growing distance between her and her loved ones weighed heavily on her heart. In the dimly lit staircase, she found a quiet corner and let her emotions spill forth.
Sobs wracked her body, the pain of the unresolved issues echoing in each tear that fell. The staircase, witness to the comings and goings of the household, became a sanctuary for her to release the pent-up anguish she had held inside.
“Catherine?”
The sound of his voice echoed softly, like a gentle caress on her cheek. With tears still welling up in her eyes, she looked up, only to see Arthur. She quickly wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her gown, not caring the slightest bit about the propriety of such an act.
“Have you spoken with Marcus?” she asked in an effort to prevent him from asking her what happened.
“I have,” he nodded. “I think he will have a lot to think about tonight.” He paused, watching her tenderly. Then, he lowered himself onto the step next to her. Now, they were on the same level, both seated in the darkness, like two thieves in the night. “But what about you?” he inquired softly.
“What about me?” she echoed, looking away. She didn’t want him to see her like this, so weak. But at the same time, she wanted him here, by her side.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She smiled nervously. “Families can be very challenging,” she admitted. “I’m sorry you have to see me like this.”
“Catherine,” Arthur’s voice was gentle, full of understanding. “You don’t owe anyone an apology. Every family is challenging in its own way. It is how we navigate those challenges that defines us.”
Surprised by his comment, she managed a small weary, but more confident, smile. “It would seem that dysfunction is our specialty in this part of the world, wouldn’t it?”
He chuckled softly. The sound warmed her heart more than she was willing to acknowledge. Not only that, but his mere presence had a soothing effect on her. She was no longer crying. In fact, she was breathing slowly again, without that heavy heartbeat that was suffocating her.
“It certainly appears that way sometimes,” he agreed with a heavy sigh. “I truly don’t know why people have a tendency to make everything so complicated, when it doesn’t have to be so.”
She lifted her eyebrow at him. “Your family seems utterly…normal.”
They locked gazes upon those words, both bursting into a chuckle.
“You know what I mean,” she added apologetically.
“I do,” he agreed. “But normal…that is a strange notion.”
He paused for a moment, and Catherine sensed that he wanted to share something with her, something from the depths of his very soul. She placed her hand gently on his, hoping that this would be enough of an indication for him to know that they were both safe here, and that their words would not leave the confines of the walls that surrounded them.
Finally, he continued. “My parents’ marriage was…normal before it all happened…I mean, before my brother disappeared.”
She could not help but notice how he referred to it as a disappearance and not death. Then again, how could one ever be sure without proof? Her heart ached for this man and his family, not knowing what happened to their loved one. She could not imagine such anguish.
“After that, it all changed,” Arthur continued, resting his hands on his knees as he was sitting next to her. “Father kept finding new obligations abroad, anything to keep his mind focused on anything else other than the fact that he had lost his son, the son he had placed all of his hopes for the family’s future with. I was merely a substitute all of my life, allowed to do whatever I pleased.”
“Then suddenly, with only my mother left in England, the weight of managing the estate fell on my shoulders when I was twenty years of age, a responsibility I never sought or wanted, but I could not very well turn my back on my mother when she needed me the most. And honestly, I’ve been trying to fill my brother’s shoes for the past five years, but I feel like I haven’t been doing a very good job of it.”
Listening to his words, Catherine felt her heart reach out to him. She couldn’t imagine the weight of such a burden, although everyone had their own, and no family was exempt from trials and tribulations. In that fragile moment of shared vulnerability, she still held her hand on his. Her touch was meant to console, to offer solace, but as their eyes locked, something shifted.
As she stared into his eyes, she knew that he allowed himself to be comforted by her. The connection felt inexplicably deeper, and the comforting touch that lingered began to convey a shared longing that neither of them could ignore.
Their eyes spoke volumes, silently confessing the unspoken emotions that had been lingering in the air. In that moment, any words that came to mind seemed inadequate. He didn’t want to be comforted with those, nor did she want to speak any longer. Their hearts took the lead as their lips met in a gentle kiss, allowing the sheer intensity of their hidden feelings to guide them.
The initial tenderness of the kiss soon transformed into something more as hunger took over. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. She could taste the liquor he’d had in the drawing room, drinking it into herself, becoming intoxicated with the sheer potency of his kiss. The weight of their burdens momentarily lifted, leaving only the overpowering sensation of each other’s presence.
She moaned softly against his lips the moment she felt his hand slide down her to her waist, even lower, grabbing the hem of her gown. The touch of his hand on her knee emblazoned her desire beyond anything she could have anticipated. Her body burned; it yearned for more of his touch. She never wanted him to stop as she felt his fingers slowly find their way up her thigh.
She was getting lost in this sensation, in the wild dance of their tongues as she raked her fingers through his hair, keeping him close, fearing that if she let go even for a moment, he might disappear.
He pulled away only for a moment, his eyes wide and dark, staring her down. “Your skin is like silk…” she heard him say, as his fingers caressed the inside of her thighs, higher and higher, titillating every single sense she possessed.
Their lips crashed against each other once more, her eyes closed. Her mind was blank. All she could feel was the explosion of a million little stars that tickled her skin. Pleasure washed over her, while her blood coursed through her veins fervently, making her forget all about the propriety she had been taught as a young lady.
