Page 75 of Taken By the Broken Duke
He made to rise but then fell back. He looked ashen. Juliet quite nearly jumped from the bed as she went to him.
“Do not attempt to do too much, Your Grace. You simply do not have the strength. It will come back over time as your body replaces the blood you have lost,” Malcolm noted.
“I heard what you said to Juliet about your father's medication. Begin planning your expedition. Ravenscourt will fund everything. A large enough expedition so that we will not run out of this medication in our lifetime,” Horatio said firmly. “For my wife, and for every other sufferer out there who may require it. Until a permanent cure has been found.”
Juliet threw her arms about Horatio, hugging him tightly, not wanting to miss a moment with him. Malcolm was struggling to keep a broad smile at bay. He looked like a man who had just been granted his heart's desire.
“Truly?” he whispered.
“Truly. Do you think I will let something like money stand between my wife-to-be and a long life?”
“It will be expensive,” Malcolm cautioned.
“I imagine it will. Alas, expense is not my concern. Go make your plans, doctor,” Horatio finished determinedly.
“I will. I will!” Malcolm enthused. “But first, I have a supply of the medicine here. It is sufficient for three months and is to be taken daily. Once a day.”
He produced a small tin and removed the lid. Within were a collection of tiny pills, white and chalky in appearance. Juliet took the tin, examining the pills tentatively. She showed them to Horatio who looked at Malcolm with narrowed eyes.
“Forgive our wariness, but we have both recently been on the receiving end of an attempt to control us through the application of…medicine...” Horatio said.
Malcolm took one of the pills and swallowed it, opening his mouth to show that it was empty.
“It has no ill effect on someone not suffering from Carmichael's Syndrome. You now have eighty-nine days’ worth of doses, Miss Semphill,” he said.
Taking a deep breath, she took a pill, tossing her head back to swallow.
“You won't feel any different, but you will not feel a return of your symptoms either. If my father's research proves correct. Now, I sense that you wish to be alone and I have a great deal of preparations to make. If you will excuse me.”
Malcolm took his leave and Juliet was alone with Horatio once more. She settled herself on his lap and nuzzled her lips against his neck. He put his arms about her, holding her tightly.
“I thought I had lost you,” Horatio whispered.
“I thought so too. I was ready,” Juliet murmured back, “I had no more strength left to fight with. I wanted my last moments to be in your arms. You… saved me.”
Horatio shook his head. “Doctor Carmichael saved you. His invention and quick thinking,”
“But you found him,” Juliet insisted, “you brought him to me. I love you.”
It was the first time she had said so to him. The first time either of them had said it to the other.
Juliet lifted her head to gaze into Horatio's eyes, stroking the side of his face. She marveled at his beauty. Such intoxicating handsomeness. The very paragon of masculinity. Strong, dark at times, powerful but gentle. A protector and a lover. A husband? She wanted him to be. A father? She wanted that too and the thought of carrying his children filled her with a combination of longing and irresistible desire.
“And I love you,” Horatio said simply.
He did not try to woo her with poetry or elaborate speeches on the subject of her beauty or virtues. Those four words were all she needed to hear. She embraced them, reveling in the significance of them. She knew that his love might mean that one day he would be stricken by grief at her loss. That grief might leave him a shadow of the man she had loved. But that fear no longer ruled her. She had lived her life based on its dictates for long enough. Now, she simply took to her heart the fact that she was loved by a man that she loved in return.
She kissed him, softly and slowly, savoring each moment. She tried to commit to memory each sensation of touch. The warmthof his lips, their softness and hardness which waxed and waned. The scent of him and the feel of his hands upon her body. Hands that seemed to be possessive, as though he was touching property that belonged to him and was enjoying the fact of his possession.
She trailed her fingers down his neck and beneath his unlaced shirt. Curling her fingers, she let her nails run down through the hair on his chest, pulling at the laces of his shirt as she moved her hand downward. She lowered her head to kiss his neck, biting softly, tasting rather than trying to leave a mark. Then she kissed his chest, pulling the shirt wider to accommodate her mouth. Her tongue traced a path across iron-hard pectoral muscles as her hands ran down his flanks over the shirt, ending at his waist. She could feel his hardness as she wriggled against him, her thighs rubbing against his growing manhood.
“Juliet…” Horatio moaned her name and the sound was pure joy.
It was pleasure and sensuality personified, making Juliet squirm. She rose, taking his hand as she went to the bed, leading him after her. Horatio followed, tugging his shirt up over his head and tossing it aside. Juliet knelt on the bed, moving back to give him room. Horatio lay down and Juliet lay next to him, one hand resting on his chest.
Moments later, she heard his breathing deepen. Looking up, she saw that he had fallen fast asleep. She giggled to herself. After whatever had been done to save her, she felt wide awake and full of energy. Part of her wanted nothing more than to lay withHoratio while he slept. But she could not. She had too much energy to release, to burn off.
Then she thought of the other reason for Horatio to come to Carlisle. The reason that Juliet knew of but had not spoken with Horatio about. A lady who Horatio had known asJane Ainsworth. A lady he had once loved.
