left the boat to be secured by MacDevie and the crew, and rode home with the ladies. The first lightening along the horizon spelled dawn just as they drove up before the small town house. Her butler, Cargill, drew in a sharp breath at his mistress's disheveled condition.
"If we might have some tea, Cargill," she said, not responding to her butler's shock.
"Not for me, thank you," said Miss Hawarth. "I should rather hurry on abovestairs, but I am sure Lord Reginald would wish a cup."
He started to deny it, but recognized the private moment he had been granted. Cargill must have kept the pot simmering, for it seemed barely minutes before he brought in the tray to the drawing room.
"Thank you, Cargill. You may go. I shall see to things."
But Reggie would not allow her to pour, and did it for her.
"I must look a fright," she said.
"A lovely fright. I am sure I do not look as fine as you."
The lady smelled gammon and gave him the look that said so.
"I am sorry," she said.
"Sorry?"
"I'm afraid I did not make a very good sailor. And I did so wish I might."
He had not thought she might feel responsible. "If anyone is at fault, Miss Englefield, it is I. No one can become an experienced sailor in just one voyage. But even if you had been prepared, you could not have prevented the mishap."
Reggie rose to his feet and set down the cup on a little table beside his chair. "Miss Englefield, I should not keep you when I know you need to get yourself up to a warm bed. I am frightfully sorry. You cannot know how sorry I am."
Her lips drew thin over her mouth and she stood to walk with him. "You must not blame yourself, Lord Reginald. It was a sudden storm you could not have predicted."
"But there is always that risk, Miss Englefield." He took both of her hands in his. "I should not have gone so near the bar, for there was the sense that something was amiss. The sea is far too capricious."
"But then I could not have said I had been to sea." In the darkened room, her eyes looked the color of emeralds as she looked up to him. Her lower lip drew tentatively over her teeth.
"Miss Englefield, I could not forgive myself if I had lost you. I cannot tell you how afraid I was. I—"
She was so close. Reggie watched th e delicate curving of her mouth. The urge to lean down and kiss her rushed his senses. But he would not. It was much too soon. All his life, he had been plagued by outrageous impulses such as this, but he had learned to control them. He had only to step back and smile, had only to lift her long fingers to his lips, to show her both respect and affection. Despite the impulses, Reggie was disciplined, in control of himself.
Reggie kissed her.
Chapter Five
If she had willed herself to resist, she would have failed. He was her hero, the man who had thrown himself against the sea itself to save her, who had bruised her wrists rather than let the giant waves rip her from him. Then he had held her in his arms, comforting and protecting, as if she were but a babe.
She raised her lips to meet his, not quite knowing what to expect, fearing she might not give back to him what he wanted. Surely there were those who had been in his arms, who understood how to please a man, like the shocking Lady Lavington. Yet the moment he bent down to touch his lips to hers, and circled an arm about her to draw her to him, Chloe understood. The tingle that began at her lips flooded like warm wine all the way down to her toes and back again. This was where she belonged, in this man's arms.
She was trembling as he released her , guiltily unable to meet his gaze, then suddenly provoked to gape as if she had never looked upon a man before.
Chloe was still trembling as she peered out the drawing room window and watched Lord Reginald ride away in his coach. She shook as she washed up in the hottest water she could stand, only briefly thinking of the trouble Cargill must have had in obtaining the pitc herful at such an early hour. In
"If we might have some tea, Cargill," she said, not responding to her butler's shock.
"Not for me, thank you," said Miss Hawarth. "I should rather hurry on abovestairs, but I am sure Lord Reginald would wish a cup."
He started to deny it, but recognized the private moment he had been granted. Cargill must have kept the pot simmering, for it seemed barely minutes before he brought in the tray to the drawing room.
"Thank you, Cargill. You may go. I shall see to things."
But Reggie would not allow her to pour, and did it for her.
"I must look a fright," she said.
"A lovely fright. I am sure I do not look as fine as you."
The lady smelled gammon and gave him the look that said so.
"I am sorry," she said.
"Sorry?"
"I'm afraid I did not make a very good sailor. And I did so wish I might."
He had not thought she might feel responsible. "If anyone is at fault, Miss Englefield, it is I. No one can become an experienced sailor in just one voyage. But even if you had been prepared, you could not have prevented the mishap."
Reggie rose to his feet and set down the cup on a little table beside his chair. "Miss Englefield, I should not keep you when I know you need to get yourself up to a warm bed. I am frightfully sorry. You cannot know how sorry I am."
Her lips drew thin over her mouth and she stood to walk with him. "You must not blame yourself, Lord Reginald. It was a sudden storm you could not have predicted."
"But there is always that risk, Miss Englefield." He took both of her hands in his. "I should not have gone so near the bar, for there was the sense that something was amiss. The sea is far too capricious."
"But then I could not have said I had been to sea." In the darkened room, her eyes looked the color of emeralds as she looked up to him. Her lower lip drew tentatively over her teeth.
"Miss Englefield, I could not forgive myself if I had lost you. I cannot tell you how afraid I was. I—"
She was so close. Reggie watched th e delicate curving of her mouth. The urge to lean down and kiss her rushed his senses. But he would not. It was much too soon. All his life, he had been plagued by outrageous impulses such as this, but he had learned to control them. He had only to step back and smile, had only to lift her long fingers to his lips, to show her both respect and affection. Despite the impulses, Reggie was disciplined, in control of himself.
Reggie kissed her.
Chapter Five
If she had willed herself to resist, she would have failed. He was her hero, the man who had thrown himself against the sea itself to save her, who had bruised her wrists rather than let the giant waves rip her from him. Then he had held her in his arms, comforting and protecting, as if she were but a babe.
She raised her lips to meet his, not quite knowing what to expect, fearing she might not give back to him what he wanted. Surely there were those who had been in his arms, who understood how to please a man, like the shocking Lady Lavington. Yet the moment he bent down to touch his lips to hers, and circled an arm about her to draw her to him, Chloe understood. The tingle that began at her lips flooded like warm wine all the way down to her toes and back again. This was where she belonged, in this man's arms.
She was trembling as he released her , guiltily unable to meet his gaze, then suddenly provoked to gape as if she had never looked upon a man before.
Chloe was still trembling as she peered out the drawing room window and watched Lord Reginald ride away in his coach. She shook as she washed up in the hottest water she could stand, only briefly thinking of the trouble Cargill must have had in obtaining the pitc herful at such an early hour. In
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