Page 22 of Snowbound with the Earl
Six
Noelle wandered amongthe purple laurentia and the red and pink cyclamens. The conservatory smelled heavenly, and the warm air was like an embrace. She vaguely remembered Eva talking about having pipes installed under the stone floors of the conservatory to provide heat. The design obviously worked because Noelle felt blissfully warm. She felt almost wanton enjoying such warmth while the snow fell steadily and the wind whipped bitterly cold air against the conservatory’s glass panes.
The conservatory was located on the south side of Dorsey House, away from the dining room and drawing room and the main activities of the house party. Still, it hadn’t taken her long to reach it. She’d expected Graham to join her a few minutes later. But she’d been here almost a quarter of an hour, and he’d yet to appear. Perhaps he wasn’t coming. Perhaps he hadn’t felt what she had when he’d kissed her in the parlor. Perhaps he still didn’t want her.
But the more she thought about that kiss, the harder it was for her to believe he didn’t want her. He’d been practically eating her up with his eyes in the drawing room during Move-all. Regardless of what he felt or didn’t feel, they were stuck in this house for at least another day. They had to discuss the kiss and how they would treat the inevitable rumors about them that were beginning to swirl as thick as the snow. Already Turlington had made a vague reference to her missing her bed. Once Swinton got the story, he wouldn’t be able to keep it to himself.
Poor Miss Halifax. Noelle didn’t worry overmuch for her own reputation. She didn’t need or want a husband. In his will, Bonneville had left her a cottage in Devon and three thousand a year, a fortune for a lady with no dependents or debts. But Miss Halifax needed to make a good match, and any scandal she caused would reflect badly on her younger sisters.
Noelle heard a sound and turned. Her heart thundered in her chest as Graham, wearing his charcoal coat and festive red waistcoat, stepped into the conservatory. His eyes met hers, and he stopped. For a long moment he simply took her in. His slow perusal of her made every inch of her skin come alive. She squeezed her legs together as she felt the tingle of arousal between her thighs.
Oh, he still wanted her. The question was what he would do about it.
Without saying a word, she moved deeper into the conservatory, out of view of the door and behind the fruit trees in the back. The scent of lemons and limes enfolded her as she turned to see him part the leaves of an orange tree and step into the private enclave. A stone bench was half hidden among the cluster of trees, and her legs were so shaky, she thought she might need to sink onto it. His blue eyes locked on her face, and her mouth went dry. She should say something. She should have prepared a witty bon mot to make him smile. She licked her lips and said, “I—”
Before she could utter another syllable, he reached out with one hand and tucked a dark curl that had come free behind her ear. “Come here,” he said as his hand slid down her neck to cup her nape. He exerted no pressure, but she moved closer, sliding into the heat of his arms. His fingers pressed gently into the back of her neck as his lips brushed over hers.
Yes. This was what she’d been missing. Ever since that kiss this morning, she’d felt a longing she couldn’t quite identify. The heat of his body against hers, the slip of his mouth over hers. This was what she’d needed.
With more finesse than she could have possibly mustered in that moment, he deepened the kiss, his lips taking hers slowly and thoroughly. She was dizzy and lightheaded, gripping his shoulders to keep from falling. Of course, it was far too late for that. She was falling in love with him at every flick of his tongue. Truth be told, she’d never fallen out of love with him. She’d simply taken all those feelings and pushed them down deep until she’d thought they were buried forever. But like seeds, those old feelings pushed their way to the top, making her heart ache even as she gasped when he dragged his mouth away and skated his lips over her jaw.
“I don’t want this,” he said in her ear. “I don’t want you.” His voice was hoarse and husky. She shivered as his breath tickled the sensitive skin behind her ear.
“Liar,” she whispered. “You never stopped wanting me.” She held her breath, hoping he didn’t recoil and laugh in her face.Shehad never stopped wantinghim. She had no reason to believe, other than two shared moments, he felt the same.
“I hated you,” he said, pulling back so she could see the way his eyes sparked blue fire.
“I hated myself.”
He searched her face. She didn’t know what he sought, but he must have seen whatever it was because he gave a short nod. “If we’re gone much longer, we’ll be missed.”
She sighed. This was the end then.
“Come to my room tonight. I don’t know what Lady Dorsey has planned, but I’ll go up after dinner. Try not to keep me waiting.” He stepped away from her, and she clenched her fist to keep from pulling him back. When she’d stepped into the conservatory, the air felt so warm and tropical. Now, without his arms about her, she shivered at the sudden cold.
“I’ll be there,” she said as he backed away, making sure the conservatory was still empty before he stepped out of the cover of the trees.
“We’ll see.” And he was gone.
She understood what he’d left unspoken. He was giving her a chance. Noelle didn’t know if he offered an opportunity to explain herself, one night with him, or an opening to his heart. She didn’t care. She would take whatever he offered and hope, against all odds, that she might make him love her again.
***
DINNER WAS AN AWKWARDaffair. Noelle still sat between Lord Foster and Mr. Turlington. Foster was polite and interesting. When he was younger, he’d spent time in Egypt with his father who was a scholar of ancient languages. He told stories of watching his father attempt to decipher crumbling scraps of papyrus and of climbing on the pyramids and trying to sketch the Sphinx. Unfortunately, Foster must also give part of his attention to Mrs. Rummage, on his other side, which meant Noelle must speak to Turlington. Clearly, he was still fuming at her. He kept his conversation to the weather (it was still snowing) and the latest fashion in haberdashery. Noelle had little to add to either topic.
She might have felt cold comfort seeing Graham in a similarly awkward position between Miss Halifax and Miss Rummage, but she could only feel sympathy for what Miss Halifax must be enduring, having to politely converse with the man she’d tried to trick into marriage. Her father was at the other end of the table and didn’t seem at all chagrined by the humiliation he’d wrought on his daughter or the shame he’d put on his own head. Perhaps the copious amount of wine he’d taken at dinner dulled the shame. He was red-faced and laughing far too loudly at whatever it was Mrs. Edmonton was saying.
Noelle had never been so relieved to see Lady Dorsey stand and announce the ladies would retire to the drawing room. “The gentlemen may join us at their leisure whereupon Miss Edmonton and Miss Rummage have agreed to sing and play the pianoforte. Tomorrow night there will be a ball. If the snow stops, we will have musicians. If not, we ladies will have to provide the music.”
Everyone clapped, some more enthusiastically than others. Noelle rose and followed the other ladies out of the dining room. She tossed one last look over her shoulder, catching Graham’s eye. He gave her a slight nod, and her heart clenched in her chest. Once in the drawing room, she took the tea offered and smiled and nodded at whatever the ladies said. She heard what sounded like a sandstorm in her ears and was on the edge of her seat, eager to excuse herself and go up to Graham’s chamber. When she’d changed for dinner, she’d asked Swift to find out which was his. Her maid had given her a long look in the mirror where she stood behind her mistress, styling her hair. Noelle held her breath, afraid the servant, who had been hired by Bonneville, would make a critical comment. Swift said, “The men are in the east wing—on the opposite side of the stairway, my lady. I saw the earl’s valet enter the third bedchamber on the right.”
Noelle sighed. “Thank you.”
