Page 47 of Lord Trafford's Folly
Audrey reached over to press her mouth to his, the fire in her belly reigniting. She brushed her palm down the slope of his back, letting the sheet drop to press her breasts against his arm. Julius groaned, biting at her lower lip to tug at it as he turned to lower her back on the bed.
CHAPTER 14
“Real love is the love that sometimes arises after sensual pleasure: if it does, it is immortal; the other kind inevitably goes stale, for it lies in mere fantasy.”
Giacomo Casanova
SEPTEMBER 2, 1821
Audrey savored the kiss Julius pressed to her forehead, reluctant to open her eyes and admit their night was over. He had made slow and passionate love to her one more time before pulling her into his arms to sleep. Audrey had lain awake for an hour, enjoying the unity of his heart beating against her cheek as he had drifted off. She had recorded how he felt, the warmth of his bare skin against her body, the shape of his torso with her hand. Every ticking second had beenbittersweet while she had resolved not to think of what came next but just be present.
She had a dreadful feeling that she would be ever so lonely when she left for Stirling. Separating from Julius after the wonderful time they had shared left her heart hollow.
At least she had gotten her one perfect night.
Audrey’s eyes flickered open to find Julius peering down at her in the morning light, his green-brown eyes reflecting the glow of sunrise.
“Good morning,” he whispered.
She realized this was what it would be like to be married to Julius. Waking up with the sunrise to greet him before embarking on the adventure of the day. Yearning pierced her very soul. “Good morning.”
“Filminster and Abbott will be here soon.”
Audrey nodded, accepting this aberration of a week was ending and it was time to return to Lord Stirling’s home. Swallowing hard, she sat up with a sheet draped over her front.
“What of Patrick and Rose?”
Julius paused mid-rising, his blond hair lit up by sunlight from the window. “I will speak with them, but they are far too fond of me to gossip. That we were here will never be shared. You witnessed their joy that you had rescued me from the brink.”
“That is a relief.” Her response was tense. Anguish at confronting the scandal back in the real world was tying her stomach in knots.
He cocked his head back to glance at her, his expression indecipherable. “I will protect you, Audrey. Your reputation will be restored.”
She averted her gaze, her eyes misting with trepidation over the coming days. “There is nothing to be done. I … do not regret … anything.”
Julius reached out a hand, cupping her cheek and coaxing her to look at him. “I have a plan to take care of you. I …” He halted, staring at her as if he wished to say something. Audrey waited, wondering what he could have in mind that would save her from ruin, but he released her to rise from the bed. “I have a plan, which we will discuss. Do not distress yourself over Lady Astley.”
He walked over to the washstand to clean himself. Audrey sighed, getting out of bed to search for her crumpled shift. She pulled it on before finding a robe in Julius’s wardrobe. Picking up her mourning gown, she silently left the room.
Returning to her own room down the hall, Audrey washed up while her thoughts remained on what was to come. Despite Julius’s assurances, she did not think there was anything he could do to mitigate the approaching crisis. Certainly he could not plan to wed her. She was a mere doctor’s daughter from Stirling, a wholly unsuitable match for the heir to an important earl, if Julius were inclined to wed at all.
Failing a wedding, she was ruined beyond redemption. Despite his assurances, Audrey knew she was in deep trouble, and she hoped the earl would support her in planning a future. She still held hope that they could prevent word from reaching Stirling and she could resume her life in the village with no one the wiser about her London adventures.
Flapper chirruped from his cage, as if to provide solace to her maudlin thoughts, making her heart squeeze even tighter as she dressed. She had succeeded as a physician, it would seem, but lost her heart along the way.
Crossing the room to collect his cage, she placed it on the dressing table before taking her seat. Opening the cage, Audrey reached in to lift the little starling. She unraveled the dressing on his wing, placing it aside to inspect the wing with gentle fingertips.
Tears sprang into her eyes as she placed the unbound bird back in the cage. As expected, Flapper was ready to take flight, not unlike the buck down the hall. For just a second, Audrey considered keeping the bird in the cage.
The needs of the patient outweigh any other considerations.
Audrey sniffed, wiping the moisture from her lashes. “I know, Papa, but who will mend my heart? Is there no remedy for me? Is the physician not a patient, too?”
She chided herself for being selfish. It was time for the bird to fly free.
Gazing up at her mournful reflection, Audrey brushed out her hair and pinned it up before jumping to her feet. Taking hold of the cage, she departed her bedchamber to go to the garden, lest she convince herself to keep the bird against its will. Flapper could not serve as a memento of her time with Julius. He deserved his freedom. She had not rescued him to break his spirit and turn him into a pet.
The garden was still cast with shadows as the sun made its way across the deep blue sky. It was a perfect day for a little bird to find its way home. Setting the cage on a bench, Audrey sat down by a neat box hedge and swung the little door open. To her dismay, tears threatened again as she reached to take hold of the trembling bird. It was as if Flapper knew his time had come.
