Collector of Hearts Read online

  He stood, pulled his hand down over his face and then regarded her for a moment. She pulled out a kerchief and was patting her brow with it. A … purple handkerchief? Oh God!

  ‘No, this is not real...’

  ‘Shelton! Robert!’

  He jerked in the saddle and his horse sidestepped in confusion to his command, nearly unseating him. He looked over his shoulder to where she sat on her horse, looking concerned.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Yes, I was … daydreaming.’ He looked around him. It was at least another five minutes ride until they even got to the stream. This was bad, very, very bad. He really had to get some sleep.

  ‘It seems you have been doing a lot of dreaming lately,’ she replied, urging her horse a little closer to him. ‘Do you want to tell me about the dream you had last night?’

  Good Lord, no he did not want to discuss it. Not in the light of day and not with his slight hangover.

  ‘You never got around to telling me about the terms of our arrangement.’ He needed to change the subject and fast. ‘A week of talking and getting to know each other and then what?’ Yes, familiar ground.

  ‘I think we should get through the week first, don’t you?’

  ‘In other words, you haven’t decided yet.’ He laughed because if he didn’t he might scream.

  ‘Well, it isn’t like I had it all planned out.’

  ‘You had me fooled,’ he replied. ‘To tell you the truth, though, Bella, I don’t think I can comply with your rules.’ He guided his horse down the slope that would lead them to the stream.

  ‘I see.’ Her face showed her disappointment but he’d had to be truthful.

  ‘So,’ he began, waiting for her to catch up, ‘I thought we might come to some sort of compromise.’

  She cocked her head to the side in question. ‘A compromise? What exactly do you have in mind?’

  ‘You said every afternoon, right?’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘An afternoon could be counted as three, four hours?’

  ‘I suppose,’ she replied cautiously.

  ‘Then in all fairness, we could talk for two and play for two.’ He slid off his horse and came up to hers.

  ‘What do you mean by play?’ She let him help her down.

  ‘I mean just play.’ He held her waist, caught her gaze.

  ‘What, like playing chess?’

  He couldn’t blame her for her mocking tone. If he were in her shoes he would no doubt be suspicious of him too, and with good reason. He glanced over her shoulder to where the groom was keeping a respectful distance. ‘We could, but that would be boring. I am sure we can come up with more interesting things to do.’

  ‘I dread to think. I am not sure I can trust you to behave.’

  He grinned. Was she actually considering it? He led her closer to the stream, where they would have more privacy.

  ‘If I was the type to force a lady then we would have been done with this on the first night we met.’

  Arabella turned away for a moment. It was too hard to think clearly when he was looking at her. If his statement was meant to make her more comfortable, it didn’t. She turned back to him. ‘And we will do lots of talking?’

  He leant forward and whispered, ‘I promise to talk your ear off.’

  Her whole body broke out in goosebumps. It was ridiculous that just a few words in her ear in his deep timbre could have her body trembling like a leaf. When she looked up and into his eyes, they had fallen to half-mast.

  His lips were coming closer. Surely, he wasn’t going to kiss her, here in the open with the groom just over the hill? His lips curved into a smile just before they went out of focus and she felt them come down on hers.

  Hot open-mouthed kisses wore down her resistance in quick measure. She realised she had been craving his kisses; wanted the soft even pressure of his lips on hers. She opened for him and he swept inside. She had missed his mouth, his tongue and the feel of both of them as they consumed her. Her own tongue moved over his and matched his long languid strokes. He tasted of coffee and smoky bacon and she clutched at his jacket so she would not lose him as the world spun around her.

  Yes, he thought, as he took control and directed her to just the right position between his braced thighs. This was just the tonic he had needed, just a dose of Arabella and he was a full man again, all faculties and brain matter back on track. He left her mouth for a moment to put his lips on her cheeks, her eyelids, and her neck.

  God, she was a vampire’s hot dream, with a neck that tasted like the sweetest honey and a pulse that throbbed deliciously under his tongue and lips. He raised his head just a fraction to check their position and then continued his journey of discovery.

  He flicked the buttons of her riding jacket and spread the material enough to glimpse the valley of divine death and, like a good explorer, took the time to admire the surrounding hillsides before making for the fertile valley with his mouth.

  ‘Robert?’

  He heard her call his name and hoped to God that this time he was not dreaming. ‘Hmm?’ A middling response but who could blame him when his sole focus was on kissing her breasts and admiring the view.

  ‘Don’t you think we should stop now?’ Her voice was a strained moan.

  ‘No,’ he replied in a muffled tone.

  ‘But … the stream.’

  He lifted his head, kissing her on the lips again. ‘Ah yes, the stream. It is just down there through those trees.’ He waved a hand in the general direction before attaching himself to her neck again.

  ‘Shouldn’t we … go there?’ Her hands went to his face to detach him.

  He sighed loudly, two times, so she knew he was not pleased. Eventually, he rolled his eyes and gave in, grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the trees, then pointed to the stream. ‘There it is. Now …’ He went to grab her again but she had already moved away from him and was picking her way closer to the water.

  ‘It’s lovely.’

  He groaned, upstaged by a bloody stream.

  ‘Be careful,’ he warned. ‘I’ll not rescue you if you fall in.’ He deposited himself on a rock while she played an adventurer, thinking his version of explorer much more pleasurable.

  She bent down and scooped up a handful of water and drank it. He remained on his rock, his arms crossed.

  ‘Don’t sulk, Robert.’ Arabella scooped up another handful of water and, with a mischievous smile, directed it his way. He looked down at the sleeve of his jacket and his pants and then gave her an unimpressed brow. She smiled and then splashed him again.

  This time, he jumped off the rock in time. ‘Very funny,’ he said.

  ‘I thought so.’ She laughed at him.

  He squatted down beside the stream and splashed her back. She squealed in surprise and then sent another splash his way. He jumped out of the way, but some still got him. She laughed again and this time, he joined her. She always seemed to make him laugh. She scooted out of the way of his next splash and headed for higher ground. He was in pursuit a second later.

  She squealed in delight and ran into the meadow, pulling her skirts up so that she could run faster. His long legs carried him quicker than hers, even with the head start, and it wasn’t long before he caught her around the waist and they collapsed to the ground. They were both breathing hard and still laughing.

  He rolled onto his back and looked up at the sky, which was daubed with smears of white cloud, like that of an artist’s brush stroke on a canvas. He felt her hand on his chest, followed by her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her and caught her gaze, her smile radiant as the sun above them. His arms came around her and they fell silent for a long time, with him stroking her back and her hand over his heart.

  It was a strange kind of silence. It was a strange kind of peace, but so pleasant he never wanted it to end.

  Chapter 14

  ‘Arabella dear, tell me, how was the stream?’ Amy poured a cup of tea for her as she sat in the p
arlour. Isabelle was having a rest before dinner.

  ‘It was lovely, although Lord Shelton says it is fuller in the spring.’

  ‘Oh yes, I used to go there with Quinn all the time. Brian!’ Amy wagged her finger at her son. ‘Do leave the cat alone, dear.’

  Arabella smiled at young Brian, who resumed his fascination with the cat’s tail.

  She turned back to Arabella. ‘He would fish and I would explore and collect pretty pebbles.’

  She was reminded of her own time at the stream. Her heart was filled with a bittersweet understanding. This morning had affected her in a way she had not thought possible, a glimpse of what could be, but had Robert been affected in the same way? Had he felt the swell of emotions as she had? He was the Collector of Hearts, after all. A man who did not believe in love. Her temples began to throb. ‘You and Quinn, have you always been close?’

  ‘Oh yes, my brother is a man with a heart the size of the British Empire. How else would he have put up with Robert for so long?’

  Indeed.

  I wouldn’t have him any other way, of course.’ Amy laughed as she handed Arabella a slice of cake. ‘But really, I am so very happy he has found Isabelle. She suits him in every way.’

  ‘My sister is very much in love with him. I could not be happier with her choice of husband, now I have come to know him. If I have to lose her to the married state, I can think of no better man than Lord Shacklesbury to love her as much as I do.’

  ‘Oh, dear Arabella, have no fear on that account. He is besotted. It is written all over his face.’ Amy paused to study her for a moment.

  ‘What is it?’ Arabella asked.

  ‘Oh, nothing. It is just I have noticed you and Lord Shelton have a... friendship of sorts.’

  ‘If by friendship you mean it was forced upon him by your brother, then yes.’

  ‘He and Quinn have an unusual friendship themselves. You know how they became friends?’

  ‘Lord Shelton told me your brother stopped him from jumping into the Thames.’

  ‘That is part of it. Quinn brought him back here to … convalesce. They have been inseparable ever since. I think Robert feels Quinn’s friendship is the only thing that keeps him level, keeps him from once again standing on that wall.’ She sighed then, as was her dramatic way. ‘Perhaps I am wrong. Maybe he is more worried about the fact Quinn will set him aside, once he cannot come out to play every night.’ Amy looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘Not that we should be worrying about Shelton. He is big enough to find his own playmates.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose so.’ Arabella was not quite sure how to take Amy’s speech. She knew so little about what had happened to lead Robert to that wall on the Thames. Would he fall back into despair? She again considered how he may be affected by Quinn and Isabelle’s marriage. Losing Quinn would be like losing a limb for him and if so it is expected Robert would be hanging on to that limb like a lifeline right now.

  ‘Don’t look so worried. Shelton will adjust, just as Quinn will. Do you know when they are in London they have an after-breakfast meeting every day? It’s true,’ she said when Bella’s eyes widened slightly. ‘They are just like a pair of old men, lost in habits and schedules. Of course, this is when Robert is not fighting a duel at dawn in some park somewhere.’ Amy frowned, before telling Brian to leave her mother’s cat alone, again, and threatening to call in his nanny.

  ‘I’ve heard about his duels, but I thought they were all just exaggerated gossip,’ Arabella said.

  ‘Oh no, the rumours are true enough, but Shelton is very skilled. Quinn told me he always aims for a limb to reduce the chance of actually killing his challenger.’

  ‘I heard he did kill someone once?’

  Amy’s smile died on her face. ‘It is not my story to tell, and well; we try not to bring it up.’

  So it was true, but Arabella realised immediately she would get no further information out of Amy, at least not on that subject. They both watched Brian playing with some blocks for a minute now that the cat had retreated to a window ledge.

  ‘I understand. So, how did you meet Lord Snowden?’

  Amy’s smile came back as a huge grin.

  ***

  Robert watched Snowden throw a dart at the board before asking his question. ‘Are you content? I mean with just the one woman?’

  John laughed. ‘One woman is more than enough, I assure you.’

  ‘They are? Since when?’ Robert joked.

  ‘Oh, yes. I’m sorry. I forgot who I was speaking to.’ John waited for Robert to throw his darts. ‘What’s the story with you and the enchanting Miss Arabella?’ He wiggled his eyebrows like they were two large blond caterpillars.

  ‘Quinn has warned me off, because of Isabelle. Though in all fairness, I did see them first.’ Robert gathered his darts off the board.

  ‘Ah, so you are on good behaviour then?’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘Painful?’

  ‘Excruciating.’

  ‘Amy thinks you’re in love with her,’ John said in an offhand manner.

  ‘Amy would. You should tell your wife to keep her comments to herself. I had both the Shacklesbury women at me this morning. Want to see the scars?’

  John put his hands up in surrender. ‘I believe you, and Amy will do as she pleases, despite what I say.’

  ‘But you rule the roost, don’t you?’ Robert narrowed his blue eyes on Snowden.

  John laughed. ‘Of course.’ Then smiled. ‘When she lets me. Domestic harmony is a blessed thing, let me tell you. And you don’t mess with that.’

  Robert was horrified. ‘But... I thought—’

  ‘Thought what? She was a quiet, docile wife?’ John burst into fits of laughter. ‘You know her well enough to know she doesn’t have a meek bone in her body.’ John poured a drink for Robert and one for himself from the decanter by the window.

  He did know Amy. Why did he think she would be different once she was married? ‘You have my full commiserations.’ Robert had a sick feeling in his stomach. All the things he feared about marriage were true.

  ‘It’s not so bad. In fact, marriage is actually very nice. I am happily settled. I have a strapping young son and a wife whom I adore.’

  Robert wiped a hand down his face. ‘Good God.’

  John put a concerned hand on his shoulder. ‘When you marry, you will find out for yourself how nice it is to wake up with her in your arms. To know she is yours. Not for the hour, not for the day, but forever. Knowing that gives you a power far greater than the need to be in a constant fight for control.’

  ‘I feel a life is a journey speech coming on.’

  He sat down, contemplating the drink John had handed him. Waking up to Bella each morning would be nice, but not if she was going to order him out of bed and into the fields the very next minute. The thought of having Bella or any other woman grabbing him by the balls and leading him around like a lovesick imbecile was not on his agenda and it never would be. He had vowed never to be that man.

  ‘I don’t really know how to explain it, but it’s the way she looks at you after a tumble in the sheets, or how she rests one of her hands over your heart until she falls asleep. Everything else pales in comparison. Is this making any sense to you at all? Being married doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate a beautiful woman or a nice cleavage; just make sure you’re not caught at it.’

  Bella had placed her hand on his heart this afternoon and they had done nothing but lie there. And it had felt wonderful. She had made him feel like a man who could love a woman. Like he might just be able to divest himself of the Collector of Hearts. Was she trying to claim him and he hadn’t known?

  He drained his glass. This conversation had gone way out of control. Now he had even more confusing thoughts on the issue. Could making love be different from sex even though the motions were the same? Somehow he doubted it very much; pleasure was pleasure and when it was done it was done, as simple as that.

  Wasn’t it?

&nbs
p; ***

  That night at dinner, Quinn suggested to them all they have a picnic at the ruins the next day, and everyone agreed it would be most pleasant. Robert could not have cared less about tomorrow as he watched Arabella smile at Isabelle who was telling her all about the wonderful little treasures Amy had shown her on their tour around the house. Arabella looked like she was trying very hard to concentrate on the conversation but her eyes kept being drawn to him. She was beautiful tonight in a soft mint green, sprigged muslin gown. It suited her. He liked it.

  Her furtive glances made him wonder what she thought she might glean from her study of him. He had kept mainly to himself this evening. No doubt she wondered what devious little plans he was hatching. In truth, he hatched nothing, which even he admitted to himself was unusual, as he was still musing over his disturbing conversation with Snowden this afternoon,

  He thought about how he and Arabella had lain in silence in the middle of the meadow for almost half an hour this morning. How astonishing it had felt to have her in his arms in the sunshine, with her fingers working magic across his chest. He wanted to do that with her again, and more. Much, much more. Paying the groom to keep his silence had been worth every penny.

  He looked up then and noticed her looking at him; where normally she would have looked away, she held his gaze. He smiled and she smiled back. He picked up his wine glass and drank from it and she did the same. He cut a small amount of meat and brought it slowly to his mouth. She did the same. They continued to look at each other until they realised the whole table was also looking at them.

  ‘Ah, is everything all right down there?’ Quinn asked from his place at the head of the table.

  ‘Perfectly,’ Robert replied and continued to eat his meal. ‘This pheasant really is very good.’

  ‘Especially, when it’s gooseberry pudding,’ Amy replied with a dazzling I-knew-it smile on her face.

  Bloody hell and dammit! ‘Yes, well, I was going to comment on that next.’ Brilliantly executed, Shelton. Tremaine was turning a peculiar colour and John was sporting a frown between his impressive brows. Robert wasn’t game enough to look at Quinn.