Captivated by the Viscount (The Captivating Debutantes Series Book 1) (12 page)

“I really did
have a horrible cold and it was ghastly. I was…I was…” Jasper waited with
anticipation.

“Ugly,” she
blurted out.

“Ugly,”
Jasper repeated in a bewildered voice. “I don’t understand.”

“Red nose,
streaming eyes, I looked like a pig, kept sneezing, lank hair.” Lucy blurted all
in a rush.

Jasper let
out a hoot of laughter.

“You let me
wait over two weeks to see you, making me doubt myself, doubt you cared for me,
because YOU thought you looked ugly?”

“Well, yes,” Lucy
replied. She felt rather pathetic about it now, but at the time she’d felt so
awful, looked so awful and her emotions had all been a tangle. She had sent a
note but her aunt had watched as she had written it. She’d been aware it had
not said much but she had been sure they were going to see each other soon
enough.

“You always
seem to see me bruised, tangled, ill or scared. I wanted to be pretty for you
Jasper. So the first day I felt better, I went shopping with Rosalind for some
new clothes. And then I waited…..and you never came back.”

“I thought
you didn’t want to see me foolish Lucy.”

“Foolish,”
she pouted.

“Yes foolish.
I have wanted you from the first time that I first saw you. Ugly, bruised or
ill, it makes no difference to me. At first my head came up with excuses, but
considering the dreams I had about you….well the rest of me knew the truth.” He
raised his head to capture her lips again in a fierce kiss.

“And what you
said outside the tavern, before Richard appeared,” Lucy whispered.

“And what was
that, hmm?” he mouthed the words against her cheek. He knew what she wanted to
hear but he’d suffered for two weeks because she’d had a runny nose, he wasn’t
about to let her off the hook that easily.

Jasper fell
back against the pillow; he could only hold his head up for so long with his
arms tied.

“You said…
you said you loved me Jasper. I wouldn’t of had the courage to come here if it
hadn’t of been for those words. I hear them in my dreams, and then suddenly you
were gone.”

“I love you Lucy,”
Jasper interrupted. “I love you with every fibre of my being. I love your
kindness, your intelligence, your humour. I could carry on, but the most
important thing is you make me so happy Lucy. I was ashamed at my plans and I
was prepared to let you go to Scotland if that’s what you wanted.”

“You wouldn’t
have fought for me?” she teased.

“My plan was
to take you to Scotland myself. I thought some days in a coach with me, and I
might’ve been able to convince you of my slavish devotion,” he teased. “Now Lucy,
fair turnabout, tell me you promise to love me for the rest of my life?” His
face went serious. “Do I make you happy Lucy?”

“I think I
may have been the tiniest bit in love with you when you were my suitor and
although I wouldn’t recommend kidnapping to every prospective couple I couldn’t
help but fall deeper in love with you even when I learnt everything.”

“I deceived
you Lucy,” said Jasper still not willing to let go of the past.

“Do you
regret it?”

“God yes.”

“Then we move
on. And we will always be honest with one another.” Lucy lent down and kissed
him. A kiss he wholeheartedly returned.

A thought
occurred to Jasper, “How did you get in the house? I heard Robinson bolt the
doors.”

She smiled a
canny smile. “Well…Rosalind and I might have ‘borrowed’ Stonebridge’s carriage.
I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to get in here but then I saw Bill lurking
outside. He was very helpful. Besides kidnapping, what does that man actually
do?”

“Guards the
house to prevent mad women from stealing into my bed chamber at night and tying
me up.” Jasper smirked. Lucy huffed, and Jasper decided they had talked enough.

“Untie me Lucy,”
he voiced huskily. “I want to touch you, I want to strip you of every item of
clothing and feel your naked skin against mine at last. Marry me Lucy? Marry me
tomorrow but don’t leave me tonight.”

Lucy lifted
her head and smiled “I will Jasper, but first...while I have you like this…and
speaking honestly…”

Lucy trailed
her hand over his chest and Jasper’s breath hitched, his arms straining against
the ropes. He watched her hand as it slid over his stomach, drifted over his
hip and then finally fitted over his hardness. He gave a strangled groan.

“What do I
call this Jasper? I don’t think ‘thingy’ is right.” Her hand softly tightened.

Suddenly
there was a loud crack and Lucy found herself flat on her back, Jasper looming
over her, his hips grinding into her. She looked above her head. He had broken
the bloody bed spindles.

“You ask the
wrong questions sweets.” Lucy opened her mouth to ask another, a wicked grin on
her face but Jasper smothered it with a hot kiss. He’d had enough of questions.

►▼◄

THE END

Book Two in ‘The Captivating Debutantes’ series.

Novella Available Summer 2016

Clara really did not want to go to the Earl of Rookdean’s
houseparty.

The Earl of Rookdean really did not want to host a
houseparty.

You don’t always get what you want….

Book Three in ‘The Captivating Debutantes’ series.

Novel Available Autumn 2016

The story of Lucas Mainwaring.

Emily Windsor

Emily
grew up in the north of England on a diet of regency romance and classical
mythology. She spent much of her teens devouring Masquerade Mills and Boon in
the local library (instead of doing homework) before progressing to the
delights of Judith McNaught and Shirlee Busbee.

Unfortunately
you couldn’t study regency manners so she gained a degree in Classics and History
instead. This ‘led’ to an eight year stint in engineering. Finally deciding
that city life was not for them (there was a husband now), they moved to a
dilapidated farmhouse in Spain. There her days are spent writing, fixing the leaky
roof, trying to encourage the recalcitrant vegetables to grow and keeping the
cat off the laptop.

She
is currently working on the second book in the ‘Captivating Debutantes’ Series
which involves putting together all the scribbled notes that are scattered
around the house!