Lord Greyton's Fall From Grace (Lords of Avalon Novella Series) (6 page)

Owen re
turned to Grace and smiled
as he took her hand in his
.
“Come, I want to show you my favorite place, Grace.”
He gave her a playful tug and drew her up beside him.

They walked along a narrow path surrounded by
a
dense
copse of
trees and thick undergrowth
.

“I love this spot, Grace
.
I come here often
.
I think you will like it too.”

Grace smiled
.
“I am eager to see it, Owen
.”
As they neared what appeared to be a small clearing, s
he could already hear the splash of water
.
She sucked in her breath
, quite
i
n awe
of what she saw
as they
stepped off the path
.
Some of the undergrowth gave way to ferns and she saw a still pool before them fed by a stream that
splashed over several tiers of moss-slickened rocks
into the
basin
.
The stream continued to meander on
at
the far side of the pool
after
forming a small waterfall over
a myriad of rocks.
Large ferns surrounded the pool
.

“Oh, Owen it’s lovely
.
Like a f
airy land!
I’ve lived all my life but a few miles away and never knew it
existed,
” Grace said
with obvious
d
elight
. “Thank you, for sharing it with me.”

“I’ve always thought of this as my special place
.
I’ve never shared it with anyone before Grace…until you.
”

G
race saw his eyes darken
.
She found Owen to be
so handsome
.
His
eyes were
a deep, vivid blue and
were
framed by dark lashes
.
His features were strong, angled and almost harsh
, y
et w
hen he smiled the hardness of his features softened
.
His hair, so dark brown it
at times appeared to be
black
,
had a bit of wave to it. Grace longed to run her hands through
those
dark waves
.
As for his
sensual
lips, every
time she studied
them
she
ached for
him to kiss her
.
She blushed
as she thought of k
issing him
.

Owen stepped closer.
He wanted to kiss her but they just arrived
.
He no longer trusted himself when it came to kissing Grace
.
He longed to do so mu
ch more than kissing where she
was concerned
.

“You do not wear jewelry, Grace
.
Why is that?”
he asked softly
.
His hand rested on her should
er
.
It slid downward as he gave her
upper arm a slow caress.

Grace shrugged
.
“I do not have any really
.
My parents gave me some jewelry as gifts, but the style no longer suits me. Papa gave me my mother’s jewelry after she passed, but it is quite ornate, and I suppose I prefer simpler adornments
.
I never think to buy any the few times I do get to Town to shop. While I was in London I wore some of my aunt’s jewelry because she insisted.” In truth, Grace’s mother refused to buy her daughter what she called plain, ordinary jewelry
.
That’s what Grace preferred
.
Her father probably never even noticed she didn’t wear any
.
Truly, Grace only
saw or
conversed with her father during
tea or
their meals
.

“You are so beautiful
, Grace, you don’t need jewelry,
” Owen said softly as
he
thought he saw a glimmer of sadness creep into her eyes
.
“I
asked
because,” Owen reached into his pocket and removed something wrapped in
deep red
silk, “I found this Elizabethan pearl
pendant
many years ago when Jack, Micah, Charlie and I were poking through the ruins of an old Elizabethan manse about to be destroyed in Dorset, near Jack’s home
.
We discovered a false panel
in the library
and there were various jewelry items hidden in a forgotten priest hole
.
I was immediately drawn to this, and I’ve kept it all these years. I wish for you to have it Grace
.”
Owen opened the
bag to reveal a large tear drop p
earl pendant
.
At the top
of the pearl
were
three
fine
,
ornate gold acanthus leaves curling about
the
tip
of the tear
. Otherwise,
the pendant w
as simple
,
yet elegant
.

Grace felt tears sting her eyes
.
“Owen, it’s lovely
.
But, it must be worth a fortune. S
urely I should not accept such a gift!” Grace still looked
longingly
at the beautifu
l pearl lying upon the
red silk
bag
in Owen’s hand
.
U
nsure wh
at to do
, Grace looked into Owen’s eyes
.
She loved the pearl and
was quite overwhelmed that Owen would give her
such
a gift, yet at the same time she
knew
propriety demanded that she not accept such
from a man who was not her intended or
her
husband
.

“Grace, I tried to speak to you
r
father
about marriage
today before you came downstairs
, and he said he would hear nothing from me until I return from Italy.
I can understand his hesitation
because I will be gone for three months
.
I always
intended
to give this pendant to my
future
wife
as a wedding present. But I wish to give it to you as testament that upon my return from Italy I will offer for you
.
I would have done so already if your father had allowed me to
.
I want to marry you, Grace, if you’ll have me.
”

“Oh
!
If that is a proposal,
Owen,
my answer is
y
es
.
I accept.
” Grace nodded and smiled
brilliantly
. “
I will marry you
! For years I have dreamed that you would kiss me again, dance with me, court me and since that night you kissed me when I was eighteen, I
always hoped
the man I would marry would be you.
Oh, please tell me this is not just a dream.
”

“
It was a proposal.” He chuckled, “I believe I bungled it
badly
.
Grace, I never knew
you felt that way
.” Owen smiled down at her
in wonder
.
“I can
a
ssure you, dearest Grace, this is not a dream.
I don’t know why this year is different than the last, perhaps I have matured and figured out what is important in life, I can’t exactly say
.
But I know, without a doubt, that I am madly in love with you Grace Brackenridge
.
I love you, Grace.
I want you to be my wife
.
Will you wait the three months for me and marry me when I return from Italy?”

“
Yes, Owen, I will marry you
.
I love you too
.
Oh, this is wonderful!”
Grace’s eyes glittered with happy tears
.
She swiped
at her cheek
as
a tear escaped.

“Here, my darling.” Owen produced his handkerchief
.
He teased her, “I hope those are not tears of sadness.”

Grace giggled, “They are not and you know it
.”
She smiled
up at him
joyfully
.

Owen took the pearl and bag from her still outstretched hand and slipped it back in his pocket
.
“I have a chain for your pendant, I’ll put it on you later, Grace
.
Right now there is something else on my mind.
”
He pulled Grace tightly against him
.
He gathered her even closer to him.
He kissed her eyelids, her nose, her cheek, then feathered his lips against each corner of her mouth
.
He raised his head again and gazed down at the beauty who would soon be his wife
.
“I love you, Grace.
”
He lowered
his head and kissed her fully
.
His lips were demanding as they moved against hers
.
When she responded with equal fervor, his heart sang
.
He and Grace were well-matched in all ways, even passion
.

T
heir kiss deepened
, their excitement increased
.
Both of them gave in to the hunger, the need
licking at them like flames
.
Owen’s hands
skimmed
down her sides
to her hips. He pulled
her against him.
He reveled in the feel of her against his awakening erection
.
Though they were not formally engaged, they pledge
d
their love to one another, and for all practical purposes, he considered Grace
his
woman now.
And though he knew he should remain a gentleman, there was another part of him that wanted what was
his
.
He
managed to
shrug away his baser thoughts and just enjoyed kissing and holding Grace
.

H
e cautioned
himself
once
,
then
a second
time
,
he should end their kiss, but when he would try to pull away Grace would protest by moaning softly
.
The last time
Grace
cradled
his face with both hands and guided his head back down s
o
they
could
continue
kiss
ing
.

And kiss
they
did
.

His hands explored her lovely body, caressing her shoulders, arms, her sides and back
.
His fingers slid upward, over her ribs. His large hands
cup
ped
each one of her breasts
.
His thumbs and forefingers teased the hard pebbles straining against the fabric of her bodice
.
Grace arched against him instinctively
.

Grace felt his hardness against her belly
.
She trembled in his arms
.
She had never
experienced
such exquisite pleasure
.
She loved the feel of his hands on her, the sensations that jolted through her as he teased her breasts
.
She didn’t w
ant it to end but knew it must.

Owen was as hard as a rock
.
He knew he
must
stop now.
It would be so easy to become carried a way in the euphoria of the moment
.
Reluctantly
he softened his kisses
and
straightened
.
He captured both of Grace’s hands in his and brought her palms up to his lips, placing a tender kiss to each one. He smiled down at her
.
When she returned his smile, he felt his heart constrict
.
So, this was love
.