The Wedding Runaway (25 page)

~*~

The rain streamed down in a torrent. Helena snuck down the servants' stairs and out through the rear garden. A gate led to the mews and an alley behind their house. Trevor probably wouldn
'
t even be there
,
but she couldn
'
t miss the opportunity to see him. If the day had been normal
,
her maid and a footman would be glued to her backside during a walk in the park
,
but no one expected her to go out in this deluge.

Most of the afternoon Helena sat quietly with her embroidery in the drawing room
,
while her father slept on the chaise longue
,
and her mother sat at the escritoire making lists of tasks to be done in preparation for the season. Helena watched the clock slowly tick away the minutes
,
until she could stand it no longer.

She told her mother the rain gave her the megrims and she would be resting in her room with a cloth soaked in lavender water on her head. Helena asked not to be disturbed before time to dress for dinner. Her mother had nodded and shooed her out of the room
,
with an admonition to not take sick before the Sheridans
'
party.

Her mother fussed with the coverlet over her father
'
s legs
,
which was a good thing
,
for it kept her mother from noticing if Helena
'
s coloring gave her plans away.

Helena kept her head down so the rain would run off her poke bonnet as she hurried toward Hyde Park. He would fail to show
,
and she was ruining her boots and muddying the hem of her dress for a wild goose chase. And she was the goose.

She had always prided herself on her common sense
,
but this had to be the most illogical thing she
'
d ever done. Try as she might
,
she could find no good explanation for her stubborn hope.

By the end of the alley her walk turned into a scurry and by the third block
,
a trot. Oh
,
this was insane. She had gone quite mad and that would likely make her a good wife for Wedmont.

How many years had it been since she ran? Not since childhood
,
but as her feet splashed through the puddles she wanted to laugh
,
which was hysteria, most like. How long had it been since she
'
d been outside alone
,
without a maid or footman trailing her every step?

A lone carriage drove by
,
splashing dirty water over her pelisse. She knew she should turn back
,
but she could see the park just ahead. She crossed the street
,
and hurried toward Rotten Row. Normally the carriage
,
walking and bridle paths would throng with traffic
,
but the park was eerily empty. She scurried along the graveled pathway
,
grit clinging to the hem of her gown.

She would have to hide her ruined clothes or risk being found out. She knew she should return home
,
that being out in the rain alone
,
unchaperoned was the height of folly. A rumble of thunder made her start. She stopped
,
telling herself to go back
,
but the broad tree-lined path of Rotten Row beckoned.

She lifted her head and looked. Just ahead she could see a figure under a tree. He stood with the heel of one boot propped against the bark and he leaned back against the trunk. The rain had turned his blond hair dark
,
yet he wore the sort of caped greatcoat that one should wear in the rain.

She took a step toward him
,
and another. The rain penetrated the loose straw weave of her bonnet and a rivulet of water ran down through her hair and under her collar. Another trickle ran down her face. She dashed it away and her steps quickened. He pushed his foot away from the tree and stood on both feet as she flew toward him.

He held his arms open and she stopped three steps in front of him
,
out of range of his embrace. She stared into his blue eyes and wondered what innate modesty had made her forgo flinging herself into his arms. She failed to think of any reason to not leap into the expression of passion she craved
,
except it wasn
'
t seemly. It wasn
'
t done
,
and she was here to give him his congé.

He lowered his arms slowly.
"
I didn
'
t think you would come.
"

"
I was sure you would stay away.
"
She sounded out of breath. She hadn
'
t thought she had run so far
,
nor so fast to be winded.

He smiled gently.

She could watch his face forever. The way his cerulean eyes crinkled in the corners
,
just an instant before his sculpted lips curled up. His cheekbones were high
,
almost exotically so
,
and his forehead broad. She had not noticed so much before
,
but with his wet hair pushed back
,
she could drink in his features.

"
Where are your minders?
"

Helena glanced over her shoulder as if waiting for her maid to catch up. Then she looked down at her muddy pelisse.
"
I left them at home.
"

He stepped toward her
,
closing the distance she foolishly left between them.

With his height and the caped coat making his broad shoulders look even wider
,
he appeared indomitable. Her heart skittered in her chest. A feeling close to fear whispered through her veins. She took a half-step back
,
but she did not want to run.

"
Do you not have a hat?
"
she asked inanely.

"
I only brought one with me. I did not care to ruin it.
"

"
You only have the one?
"
That anyone could make do with less than a dozen
,
surprised her. And she was only delaying the inevitable with talk of hats.

"
We do not plan to stay long in England.
"

Helena felt each dull aching thud of her heart
,
as a drop of water trickled down her face. She dashed it away with her soggy glove.
"
Only long enough to retrieve your sister
,
I suppose.
"

He looked over her head across the empty park. Helena resisted the urge to swivel and see if she could follow his gaze.
"
Unless I should stay long enough to retrieve...another woman.
"

Did he mean her?

He looked down at her with tenderness in his eyes.
"
I volunteered to fetch Lydia home. You realize
,
I did not have to come back to London.
"

"
Why did you?
"
Helena mopped at the water on her face.

He shrugged
,
distracting her momentarily as she stared at the broad expanse of his chest. She could have been held against that wall of masculinity if she would have taken three steps forward into his proffered embrace. She condemned her temperate nature that kept her from passionate gestures
,
but then her even disposition would be a blessing as she watched him leave England again.

"
Why did you ask me to meet you here?
"
she asked
,
wanting more than hints
,
more than vague implications.

"
To see if you would show. I have often thought that I could open a shipping office here
,
expand our family business.
"

Horror spilled through Helena. If he was ever to be accepted as even an acquaintance to her parents
,
her mother specifically
,
he would have to appear free of the taint of trade
,
rich enough to live on its proceeds
,
without ever crossing that line of actually conducting business. She knew her expression reflected her dismay
,
and she took another tiny step back.

"
If there was ever reason for me to stay in England
,"
he said.

A trickle of icy water slid down her back, making her shudder.

He looked her over and smiled ruefully.
"
I guess not. Why did you come to the park in the pouring rain
,
Helena?
"

She unexpectedly burst into tears.

He stared at her a moment before he curled his arm around her shoulders and led her under the boughs.
"
Stand here
,
the rain is partially blocked by the tree limbs.
"

"
It should hardly matter as I am supplying my own watering pot.
"
She hiccupped.

"
Shhh
,"
he soothed
,
brushing tears off her cheeks with his thumb.
"
Whatever is the matter?
"

Helena tried to get control of herself
,
but only succeeded in slowing the flow of tears.
"
I have come to tell you that I cannot encourage you. You see
,
I really must settle this season. My father is ill
,
and he said he will have to sell the Coventry property, which was to be my dowry
,
because these last few years have been too dear
,
and my parents have determined I shall have to set my cap for the Earl of Wedmont.
"

"
And is the Earl of Wedmont old and ugly?
"
Trevor continued to rest his hand against her cheek. Actually
,
just his palm, because his fingers curled around the edge of her bonnet. With such great hands, he could be trusted to hold anything securely
,
from her kitten Sparks to a baby. His touch
,
so gentle and reassuring
,
calmed her.

She shook her head.
"
Actually
,
he
'
s rather handsome
,
and a very young widower. He
'
s mayhap seen thirty summers.
"

"
But you don
'
t want to marry him?
"

"
No. But I must.
"
Another fat tear dribbled out of her eye and down her cheek. Oh, la
,
and she thought she had gotten control of her fit of the vapors.
"
I do not know why I tell you these things.
"

He caught her tear with his thumb.
"
Actually
,
I am surprised to find you still unwed.
"

"
Yes
,
well...
"
When he had been here before, she had been held apart as if a proper bride for a prince. How silly those ambitions seemed now. Yet
,
her parents still considered her worthy of a better bargain than to marry a commoner
,
let alone a man in trade. She could not imagine a circumstance that would make Trevor acceptable to them.

He brushed her lower lip with his thumb. She tasted the salt of her own tears. His expression turned intense. The intimacy of his gesture surprised her. It was less than a kiss
,
but much
,
much more.

He moved his thumb under her chin and her lips tingled where he had touched. He tilted her head back and leaned toward her. He hesitated only a moment
,
his intentions clear in his blue eyes
,
but giving her the last chance to protest or turn away. Turning away was the last thing she wanted to do.

Then his lips met hers for the gentlest of kisses. Her eyes fluttered shut as his firm lips encircled her lower lip. With the lightest of tugs
,
he made this kiss unlike anything she had ever experienced before. His thumb traced down the underside of her chin
,
across the ribbon of her poke bonnet and down her throat
,
stopping at the hollow just above the top fastener of her pelisse.

The urge to throw open her wrapper so that his touch would find no impediment surprised her. Just as the mad shivers that such a simple little kiss provoked. Instead, she found the end of her ribbon holding on her bonnet and pulled the bow loose.

He transferred his attention to her upper lip, giving her the opportunity to mimic what he had done to her
,
back to him. She nibbled ever so slightly and his low moan made her fear she had done something wrong
,
but he tugged her against him
,
eliminating the gap between their bodies. Then his tongue touched her lips.

Her lips rounded into an "oh" of surprise as much from this variation on a kiss as from the rush of heat that slid down her spine that made her breasts tingle
,
made her stomach tremble and lower still provoked a tightening between her legs.

She could feel Trevor
'
s smile as he explored her mouth and coaxed her into deepening her participation.

He was laughing at her ineptitude
,
and just a slight sting of regret that she was not a passionate creature made her wince. His amusement was not so great that he stopped, and Helena wanted nothing more than for this moment to go on and on.

Yet
,
he seemed intent on letting her grow comfortable and then pressing on to a next step. He ended the kiss and pressed his lips against her neck. She tilted her head back to enjoy his attentions and her bonnet tumbled down her back. Trevor grabbed it before it dropped to the ground.