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The driver didn’t argue, but took possession of the landau immediately, loading Belgrave’s slumped form inside. Michael waited until he’d gone, then climbed inside the brougham to Lady Hannah.
‘Are you all right? Did he harm you?’
Lady Hannah clutched her head, tears streaming down her face. ‘No. But my head hurts. The pain—it’s awful.’
Her eyes were closed, and she was holding herself so tightly, as if trying to block out the torment.
‘Just try to hold on, and I’ll bring you home to your father’s house.’ Gently, Michael placed her back into the carriage seat and closed the door. Taking control of the reins, he turned them back towards Rothburne House. The other driver had already departed with the Baron of Belgrave.
It had been tempting to leave Belgrave in the streets for thieves or cut-throats to find. A man like the baron didn’t deserve mercy.
Michael increased the pace, turning towards Hyde Park, when he heard Hannah call out, ‘Lieutenant Thorpe! Please, I need you to stop.’
Damn it. If she were ill, he needed to get her home. Get her a doctor. Stopping the carriage would only blemish her reputation even more.
He slowed the pace of the carriage and asked, ‘Can you hold on a little longer?’
‘I can’t. I’m sorry,’ she pleaded. ‘I’m going to be sick.’
Michael expelled another curse and pulled the brougham toward a more isolated part of the park. With any luck, no one would see them or ask what they were doing.
He opened the carriage door and found Hannah curled up into a ball, her face deathly pale. ‘What can I do to help you?’
‘Just…let me stay here for a bit. You don’t have any laudanum, do you?’
He shook his head. ‘I’m sorry. Do you want me to go and fetch some?’ But even as he offered, he knew it was a foolish thing to say. He couldn’t leave her here alone, not in this condition.
‘No.’ She kept her eyes closed, resting her face against the side of the carriage. ‘Just give me a few moments.’
‘Let me help you lie down,’ he suggested.
‘It hurts worse if I lean back.’ Her breathing was shaky, and Michael sat across from her. A gas lamp cast an amber glow across the carriage, and she winced. ‘The light hurts.’
He’d never felt so helpless, so unable to help her through this nightmare. She was fighting to breathe, her face grey with exertion.
And suddenly, his worry about her family and her reputation seemed ridiculous in light of her illness. This was about helping her to endure pain, and that was something he understood. He’d watched men suffering from bullet wounds, crying out in torment. On the battlefield, he’d done what he could to ease them. It was all he could do for her now.
Michael closed the carriage door, making it as dark as possible. He removed his jacket and covered up the window to keep out the light.
‘I can’t…can’t breathe.’ Her shoulders were hunched, her eyes turning glassy.
He didn’t ask permission, but unbuttoned the back of her gown in order to loosen her stays. Hannah didn’t protest, and she seemed to breathe easier once it was done. He held her upright in his arms, keeping silent.
An hour passed, and in time, he felt her body begin to relax. She slept in his arms, but Michael couldn’t release his own tension. Her father would be looking for them. He needed to get her out of here, take her home. But he was afraid of causing her more pain.
Her hair had fallen loose from its pins, and the dark honey locks rested against his cheek, smelling sweetly of jasmine. He’d heard that some women suffered from headaches as excruciating as this one, but he’d never witnessed it before. Nonetheless, her unexpected illness had probably saved her from Belgrave’s unwanted attentions. It was a blessing in that sense.
The night air was cold, but Hannah’s body heat kept him warm. His neck and shoulders were stiff, but that didn’t bother him. She was no longer in pain, and he was grateful for it.
It had been a gruelling experience, one he didn’t care to repeat. He was unbearably alert, attuned to Hannah in a way he’d never expected. Against his chest, he could feel the rise and fall of her breathing.
There would be hellish consequences. And yet he wouldn’t have changed what he’d done. He’d rescued her from that bastard Belgrave and protected her innocence. She could go into her future marriage as an untouched bride, the way she should. That is, if he could get her home without anyone realising where she’d spent the last hour or two.
He had his doubts.
Michael watched her sleeping, the strands of hair twining around her throat and spilling over the curve of her breasts. Her beauty stole his breath away.
Innocence and purity. Everything he didn’t deserve.
From his pocket, he withdrew the strand of diamonds and fastened them around her throat. Bare skin peeped from the open back of her dress where he’d loosened her corset. He wanted to kiss her, to run his mouth over that silken skin. Like forbidden fruit, she tempted him to taste.
Only a few hours ago, he’d touched her back, indulging himself in a bit of wickedness. She’d allowed him liberties he never should have taken.
Not for you, his brain warned.
An honourable man would leave her alone to sleep, taking the reins and driving her home again. He wouldn’t run his palms over her arms, watching her skin tighten with gooseflesh. A good man would ignore the seductive glimpses of female skin and set his baser urges under control.
But he wasn’t good. He wasn’t honourable. Right now, he’d been given a few stolen moments with this woman. And he intended to take them.
Michael lowered his mouth to her shoulder blade, tracing the fragile skin up to her nape. Hannah shivered, lifting her face towards his as she awakened from sleep. He took possession of her softened mouth, not asking for permission.
Hannah awoke with her body temperature rising, as though she were suffering from a fever. The Lieutenant was kissing her, and she was sitting in his lap.
She couldn’t move from the shock of feelings coursing through her. No man had ever kissed her before, and she trembled beneath the onslaught. It was as though he were starving for her, his mouth hot and hungry.
His tongue slid inside her mouth, caressing her intimately. Hannah had never imagined such a thing, and desire poured through her, making her skin hotter.
Push him away. Beg for him to stop.
But her mind was disconnected from her body, once again. She felt herself arching towards him, needing to be closer. His hands slipped beneath the open back of her gown, and dimly she remembered the Lieutenant unlacing her, to help her breathe easier.
The touch of his bare hands on her skin made her cry out, ‘No! Stop, please.’
The remnants of her headache pressed into her, and tears spilled out. Not because of his unexpected kiss, but because of her guilt. He’d evoked shameful feelings inside of her, arousing her. And though she wanted to lay the blame at his feet, she knew in her heart that she couldn’t. She’d allowed him to kiss her, to touch her in ways that no good girl would allow.
‘I’m not going to apologise for that.’ His voice was low and deep, a man who had seized what he’d wanted. ‘You kissed me back.’
‘I didn’t want to.’
Liar. An aching throbbed within her womb. She felt damp, restless. The touch of his hard body against her pliant flesh was almost too much to bear.
‘Yes, you did.’ The the Lieutenant broke away, his breathing harsh. He moved to the opposite side of the carriage, resting his wrists on his knees. His head hung down, dark hair shadowing his face. He looked as though he’d been in a fist fight. ‘I need to drive you home.’
‘Please.’ She tried to hold the back of her gown together, but the edges wouldn’t hold. Exposed to him, she wanted to die of embarrassment.
‘I’ll help you get dressed,’ he said. ‘You’ll never manage by yourself.’
‘I don’t want you to touch me,’ she snapped. ‘Take me back.’
‘What do you think your father will say when he sees you like this?’
‘You should be more worried about yourself,’ she countered. ‘He’ll want to kill you.’
The the Lieutenant sent her a patronising smile. ‘For saving your virtue?’
‘You’re the one who tried to attack me just now.’
‘Sweet, I’m not a man who has to attack anyone.’ He pulled his coat from the carriage door, and Hannah winced at the flash of light from one of the street lamps.
She said nothing, her thoughts drifting back and forth, trying to decide whether he was a rogue or a man of honour. Yes, he’d kissed her when he shouldn’t have. But he’d also taken care of her.
Though he should have brought her home immediately, he’d listened when she’d begged him to stop the carriage. The excruciating, jarring sensation from the horses had made each mile an unending torture.
Another man wouldn’t have done the same. He’d have ignored her needs, riding as fast as he dared, back to Rothburne House. But not the Lieutenant.
So many questions gathered up, needing to be asked. Hannah traced her swollen lips, wondering what had driven him to do such a thing.
‘You don’t need to be afraid of me,’ he said quietly. ‘I’m not going to kiss you again.’ His cravat was loosened from his collar, while he donned the ill-fitting jacket.
‘I should hope not.’
He raised his gaze to hers, and she caught a glimpse of green eyes with flecks of brown. His cheeks held a light stubble, and for a moment, she wondered why the texture hadn’t scratched her skin.
‘You really are an innocent, aren’t you?’ He glanced over her ivory silk gown, and the remark didn’t sound like a compliment.
‘I suppose. You speak of it as though it’s a bad thing.’
He glanced outside the carriage window, as if searching for someone. ‘It’s what most men want.’
‘But not you.’
A dark laugh escaped him. ‘I’m not a good man at all.’
She didn’t entirely believe that. ‘Please take me home,’ she reminded him. ‘My family will be worried.’
‘Turn around,’ he ordered.
She knew what he needed to do, but she hesitated to let him touch her corset. It didn’t matter that he’d already done so; she’d been half out of her mind with pain. ‘No, it isn’t proper.’
The Lieutenant didn’t listen to her argument, but forced her to turn around. His hands fumbled with the stays, pulling them tight before tying them. ‘Proper or not, I won’t let your father think I ravaged you in a carriage.’
He was right. Her father would be angry enough at both of them, without him drawing the wrong conclusions.
‘How long have we been gone, do you think?’ Her stomach didn’t feel right, and her head still ached.
‘Longer than an hour. Two or three, perhaps. It isn’t dawn yet.’ His large hands struggled with the tiny buttons, and she couldn’t help but be even more aware of him. He muttered, ‘I’m better at taking these off than buttoning them up.’
Hannah didn’t doubt that at all. When he’d finished, she rested her head against the side of the carriage, waiting for him to go back to the driver’s seat.
‘Are you feeling better?’ he asked.
‘I’ll manage.’ Thank heaven, it had been one of the shorter headaches, swift and furious. The after-effects would dwell with her for a while, but the worst was over.
‘What are you going to tell my father?’ she asked.
Michael opened the door to the carriage, leaving it slightly open. ‘The truth. Neither of us has done anything wrong.’
I have, Hannah thought. The kiss might not mean a thing to him, but it had shaken her. The sensation of his mouth upon hers had been the most sinful thing she’d ever experienced. She’d fallen under his spell, wanting to know his touch in a way she shouldn’t.
Michael opened the carriage door the rest of the way, about to disembark, when they heard the sounds of men shouting and the rumble of another carriage approaching. Her father’s voice broke through the stillness, and within moments, he was standing in front of the door.
‘Are you all right?’ the Marquess demanded of Hannah.
Hannah gripped her hands together, cold fear icing through her. For she suspected the truth was not going to be enough to pacify her father.
Chapter Three
‘Get away from my daughter,’ the Marquess of Rothburne ordered.
Hannah tried to rise from her seat, but the Lieutenant motioned her back. With a horrifying clarity, she realised what her father must think. With a pleading look she insisted, ‘Papa, this isn’t what it looks like. Lieutenant Thorpe rescued me from Lord Belgrave.’
Though she tried to find the right explanation, her father looked more interested in murder than the truth.
Hannah continued talking, though she knew how unlikely it must sound. ‘Lieutenant Thorpe tried to bring me home but…I had one of my headaches. I didn’t have any laudanum, and the pain was unbearable. He obeyed me when I ordered him to stop the carriage.’
Her father gave no indication that he’d even heard her speaking, but gave a nod to one of his footmen. The large servant reached to seize hold of the Lieutenant, but Michael’s hand shot out and stopped him. With a twist to the man’s wrist, the footman had no choice but to release him.
‘Enough.’ The Lieutenant climbed down from the carriage and regarded the Marquess. ‘Instead of having this conversation here in the park, I suggest we return to Rothburne House. Take Lady Hannah home with you, and see to her health. I will follow in this carriage.’
‘I should have the police drag you off to Newgate right now,’ the Marquess countered.
‘He didn’t dishonour me, Papa.’ Hannah moved forward, but when she exited the carriage, the world tipped. A rushing sound filled her ears, and Michael caught her elbow, steadying her. ‘I swear it. He protected me while I was ill.’
‘Because of him, you may be ruined.’ Her father stared at her as though she’d just run off with a chimney sweep. ‘You just spent the night with a common soldier.’
But she hadn’t. Not really. Heated tears sprung up in her eyes, for she didn’t know how to respond to her father’s accusations. Never could she have imagined he’d be this unreasonable.
A defence leapt to her lips, but Lieutenant Thorpe shook his head. ‘As I said before, this is not the place to talk. Take Lady Hannah home.’
Hannah had never heard anyone issue an order to her father before, but the Lieutenant didn’t appear intimidated by the Marquess.
‘No one knows about this,’ she whispered. ‘My reputation is still safe.’
‘Is it?’ Her father’s face was iron-cast. ‘The Baron of Belgrave knows all about what happened to you. Nonetheless, he has graciously offered to wed you.’
She’d rather die than wed Belgrave. ‘Papa, it isn’t as bad as all that. Lieutenant Thorpe did nothing wrong.’
‘Belgrave informed me that Thorpe assaulted him and took you away in a stolen carriage.’
