Page 33 of The Moonstone Pirate
“Good morning, Imogen.” To be precise, it was shortly before noon. The sun was at its height and shining against a cloudless blue sky. Everything suddenly seemed beautiful, especially this girl before him.
That body of hers immediately put his thoughts in a roil—the shapely fullness of her breasts, the slenderness of her hips and long legs…
Her smile glittered through her eyes, and this was all it took for his heart to start thundering in his chest.
Bollocks.
Parrot ran to him and began jumping up and down the moment he dismounted. “Sit, you silly dog,” he said with a hearty chuckle. “Have you already forgotten everything I’ve taught you?”
One of the Burness grooms hurried over to take his horse. He thanked the lad before bending down to give Parrot a generous belly rub. Once his glutton of a hound was satisfied, he straightened and turned to Imogen. “How are you this morning, Butterfly?”
The wind blew lightly across the courtyard and caused the sheer overlay of fabric on her pretty tea gown to swirl about her body like butterfly wings.
“Frustrated,” she replied.
He arched an eyebrow as he rose to approach her. “May I ask why?”
It could not be frustration of an intimate nature, because she had never experienced anything beyond a kiss, and that was only the day before yesterday with him.Lord help me, that was a good kiss.She would be splendidly passionate and expressive if he ever got her into bed with him.
“Those drawings of your wizards are what have me so distracted. One was wearing a ring with a distinctive design that I am certain I have seen before, but I cannot recall where or when that was, or what it looks like exactly. So I’ve drawn him as well as I can remember and included a ring, but left off its design in the hope this elusive memory will eventually come back to me.”
He ran his thumb lightly over her furrowed brow. “Do not be too hard on yourself. You’ve done better on this investigation than any of us have.”
She barely acknowledged the compliment, her mind still straining to recall that lost memory. “It is there on the edges, but I cannot bring it forward.”
“No matter, it will come to you. Just be patient.” He offered his arm to escort her inside the manor.
Melrose, ever reliably at his post, opened the door as they approached. “Good morning, my lord.”
“Good morning, Melrose.”
“It is almost noon, Parrot’s feeding time,” the staid butler said. “Shall I take him to the kitchen?”
Draco grinned. “Yes, if he hasn’t eaten Lord Burness out of house and home already.”
One of the footmen took over duties at the front door while Parrot happily trotted off with Melrose.
Imogen motioned for Draco to follow her onto the terrace. “Phoebe and Cormac are down on the beach again today with their little boys and Deandra. Your Uncle Albert joined them, too. The weather is just too beautiful to spend it cloistered indoors. They are going to have a picnic on the beach, but Uncle Cormac said I should send for him if he is needed.”
“Sounds like a plan. I don’t think we’ll require his presence while I review these wizard drawings. Let me have a look at them. We can summon him if it proves necessary. I would also like to look at your other drawings. I did not get a chance to properly study them last night.”
This seemed to delight Imogen.
A light breeze blew several dark curls onto her brow and across her cheeks. He could not resist brushing them back. His knuckles grazed her soft cheek, and the silky tresses pinned at the nape of her delicate neck.
She blushed and turned away. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll have lemonade and cakes brought out for us and fetch my sketches.”
He stretched out on one of the long chairs that had been placed in the shade and took a moment to inspect the chair. He ought to purchase a few of these for Woodley Lodge, hemused. They were quite comfortable, and a man could properly stretch out and nap or read or just relax outdoors on a splendid summer’s day.
What a difference from the bustle of London and its ghastly smells. He could get used to this quieter life.
A refreshing breeze swirled around him. He inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar scent of the sea that had a touch of salt to it. As a privateer, he’d spent much of his time on the ocean and enjoyed the freedom of that vast expanse.
This was also the reason he’d chosen to settle in Cornwall. One had plenty of space for oneself here. A fresh sea breeze. No shrill noises. No London crowds or fetid odors. No bumping shoulders with anyone because so many people were on the streets one could hardly walk around without knocking someone over.
Unlike London, there were no darting carriages here that came at you from all directions.
Draco closed his eyes and placed his hands behind his head, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. He stretched out on his comfortable lounging chair, feeling as though he had all the time in the world to think without interruption. This was so much better than sitting for hours in elegant salons listening to frivolous ladies with laudanum-induced pallor and overly indulged men who drank too much, all of them gossiping about the same tired things.
