She pressed her fingers to her eyes to stem her tears. “How did I get myself embroiled in the ton’s affairs? I should have known it would end badly.”
“Has it ended badly?” Despite every worrisome problem, the moments they shared were the most memorable of his life. “I’m not sorry we’re sitting here attempting to solve a mystery.”
In truth, he didn’t want the day to end.
Then, he would have the dilemma of where to sleep tonight. Did he leave Aaron alone at Fortune’s Den and join Eleanor? It shouldn’t be a difficult choice as being with her was his only desire.
“I bet you wish you’d never taken my wretched box.”
“I was destined to take it.” He had been unable to resist, compelled to have something belonging to her. “Fate granted me a boon the night you hid in my bedchamber.”
She brushed a tear from her cheek. “Part of me wants an end to the nightmare. Part of me doesn’t care what happens as long as I’m with you.”
He understood.
He wanted her with a ferocity that defied logic.
“Come here.” The need to touch her drummed a powerful beat in his blood. He called to Godby and instructed him to head to Finch Lane. Not because he cared about the recipient of Lady Lucille’s note. He wanted more than ten minutes alone with Eleanor. “Sit astride me.”
She crossed the carriage, gathered her skirts and straddled his lap. “You’ll need to hold me close. If we turn sharply, I’ll fall.”
“I’ll not let you go.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. He had no intention of ever letting go. “But I have a confession to make.”
Her eyes widened, and she swallowed twice. “You do?”
“I couldn’t stay away last night. I came to the shop at midnight and left at dawn. After what happened with Emily, I had to know you were all right.”
Her smile spoke of relief. “You didn’t wake me.”
“Gibbs said you cried yourself to sleep and I didn’t want to disturb your peaceful slumber.” He’d wanted to climb into bed beside her, hold her close and lose himself in the heat of her body.
Tears welled in her eyes again. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. If what Emily says is true, my entire life has been a lie.”
“It’s not a lie.” He drew the backs of his fingers across her cheek. “You’re a beautiful person with an extraordinary talent. The past is like a pebble in your shoe. You must discard it, or it will hinder your progress.”
She slid her arms around his neck. “My mind is full of other things. I cannot think about Emily or my mother now. The past is too painful to contemplate.”
“Is there anything I can do to ease your mind?”
“Yes.” Her gaze fell to his mouth. “You can kiss me.”
Kissing a passionate woman in a carriage was always a mistake. The moment their mouths met, they were consumed by a savage hunger. He didn’t tear his mouth from hers when he fumbled to close the blinds. He pulled her close. Kissed her harder. Though it wasn’t enough to satisfy his craving.
“Theo.” She pushed off his hat and tangled her fingers in his hair. She tugged a lock, anchoring him to her, as she devoured his mouth in a heart-stopping kiss.
He had never taken a woman in a carriage, but the need to push deep into Eleanor’s body had him fiddling with his trousers. “I need to be inside you, love, before I lose my damned mind.”
“Hurry,” she said, scrambling with her skirts and wiggling on his lap.
He entered her, their loud sighs like the notes of a beautiful symphony. Their gazes locked, the power of unspoken emotions passing between them with every deep thrust.
I’m in love with you.
The need to have her went beyond physical desire.
He knew what it meant.
He would have to disappoint someone.
As much as it pained him, that someone would be Aaron.
Chapter Seventeen
Finch Lane
Cornhill
By the time the carriage turned into the lane and stopped outside a quaint shop selling ladies’ trinkets, Theo had cleaned the evidence of their lovemaking from Eleanor’s thigh. They spent a moment straightening their clothes, looking at each other and smiling like they were the only two people in the world.
Were their thoughts aligned? she wondered. Was he imagining how impossible life would be if they did not spend every hour together?
“That’s the most scandalous thing I have ever done,” she said, tying the ribbons on her bonnet. “You’re a bad influence, Mr Chance.”
“You asked for a kiss.” Eyes a soft, sated blue lingered on her mouth. “I never do anything in half measures, Eleanor. You know that.”
No, he’d exceeded all expectations when tidying her shop. He had more than fulfilled his vow to put things right.
