“You’ve worked for your father your entire life, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever visited a hairdresser, or purchased a hand lotion that you were fond of, or had a length of silk sewn up for a new shift?”
“No. We never had money for such extravagances.”
“Now you do.”
She searched his face for the jest but saw only a seriousness in his eyes that made her go still.
“We’re going to be lovers, Faith, and we both know it. It’s been inevitable since the day we met.”
Faith’s breath caught in her throat.
“So,” he continued quietly, “allow me show you what it means to be desired, so that I can give you the desires of your heart.”
The sheer force of him swept over her like a great wave and she was trembling with such reaction, she thought she might fall down.
“I will never take you against your will, but don’t let what you’ve been led to believe about who you are, and what you can’t have, deny what you can have.”
She closed her eyes, hoping it might slow her racing heart. She’d never had such words directed her way, nor did she know how to respond. “I know nothing of this,” she whispered.
“I’m aware of that, so we’ll move as slowly as you need.”
He was speaking as if it was a foregone conclusion, and in the face of what she was feeling, she supposed he was correct, but: “And the future?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “To be honest, truly honest, I’m near the point of asking for your hand.”
She gasped and felt her equilibrium go awry.
“But you may find my half-wild ways not to your liking and want to leave after you’ve made your fortune selling your bread.”
In spite of her shock, her smile peeked through.
“So I’ll leave the future to you. However, it’s safe to say I’ve never met a woman who fascinates me the way you do, Faith. And as you have pointed out, I will lie to get what I want, but I can also be truthful.”
Faith wondered if he’d had too much ale or had a mind fever or was suffering from some other ailment that would account for this latest grand offer. “But you know nothing about me.”
“What I do know makes me hungry for more.”
The wave crashed over her again.
Nicholas had no idea any of this was going come out of his mouth, and now that it had, parts of him wondered if he had lost his mind, but the part that was touched by the smile she’d given him this morning during Trotter’s visit supported him wholeheartedly. His plan to marry her also had its advantages. By becoming his wife, she’d be spared any future machinations by her father and deny any gossipers further fuel. He wasn’t sure how he’d gone from proposing they be lovers to proposing marriage all in the space of a few minutes’ time, but it was a testament to just how off balance being around her rendered him. “So, your thoughts?”
She couldn’t find words, let alone express them. “You truly wish to marry me?”
“I do. I’ve no other prospects and apparently neither do you. Why shouldn’t we? The attraction is there, which puts us ahead of many couples embarking on a life together.”
Faith felt as if she were standing in a windstorm. “But this doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but I believe it will be fun. Think of it as an adventure.”
She studied his face. The offer was more than tempting. As he’d stated, they did share an attraction; it wasn’t love but Faith didn’t need that. “And you will be true?”
“Yes.”
She brought her hands to her mouth and tried to make sense of this. They did get along, and granted she knew as little of him as he did of her, but as he’d said, what they did know put them head and shoulders above other intended couples. And it wasn’t as if she had suitors beating down the door; more than likely his would be the only desirable proposal for marriage she’d receive in this lifetime, so did she really want to dismiss it out of hand? She knew she did not. Becoming his wife would without a doubt leave her father frothing at the mouth, but that wasn’t her concern. As far as she could determine, the issues he’d had with Primus had nothing to do with her and Nicholas. She met his eyes. She’d always liked adventure, and the prospect of being his wife held its own unique draw. “All right. If I say yes, what happens next?”
“We find a preacher to say the words and we cast off.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Would you rather something more complex?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s just . . . .” She eyed him, and wondered where this would lead. This man who slept on animal pelts, walked unclothed in the snow, and declared a hunger for her that still made her shake, was offering her the opportunity to turn her drab brown existence into one brighter than the sun. What other choice did she have but to say, “Yes. I will be your wife.”
“Even though I am half tamed.”
“Maybe because you are half tamed.”
He raised his eyebrow. “You do like adventure?”
“Yes, I do.” Now that she’d given him her answer, she sensed a bold new facet of herself emerging, one that enjoyed this subtle wooing.
“Then I can unleash my attraction.”
“Slowly, remember.”
He grinned. “I do.”
He walked towards her and Faith’s shaking returned in full force. He stood before her for a long moment drinking her in with his eyes, telling her soundlessly, what, she didn’t know, but it was powerful. He stroked his finger slowly down her cheek, then leaned over and gently pressed his lips against the tingling spot. Tiny shooting stars burst across Faith’s inner sky and her eyes closed.
He straightened and, no longer masking his desire, fed on her visually before bending again to gift her with a fleeting brush of his lips across hers. He repeated the gesture, letting her become reaccustomed to his touch, his nearness, and his desire. He accented the caress with tiny whispery licks from the tip of his tongue, and her mouth parted in trembling response. He raised his head, and as she shimmered under his blazing eyes, he slowly traced the curves of her lips.
“Such a gorgeous mouth . . .” he noted quietly. And to prove it, he kissed her deeply. When he finally backed away, she couldn’t even remember her name.
“And this is how it will be with us, Faith. Passion, desire, fun.” He offered her a muted smile. He traced her lips again as if they possessed an invisible lure he couldn’t resist.
Faith felt as though she were basking in warm, beguiling sunlight. Her nipples were taut, her breath uneven, and there was a sensual thickness between her thighs that had to be a sin. Nothing in her puritan upbringing had prepared her for any of this.
He slanted his mouth across her again and pulled her flush against him. His arm across her spine, the pressure of his kiss, and the solid strength of his thighs against her set off more fires. He ran a heat-filled hand lazily up and down her blouse-covered back and then moved it boldly down to circle her skirt-covered hips.
His dazzling lips traveled over her jaw, the skin beneath her ear, and the skin of her throat above the worn lace collar of her blouse. His hands roaming her waist burned through to her skin, as did everywhere his hard body pressed against hers. Faith had no idea kissing could lead to such mindless hunger. All her life, she’d been warned against the sins of the flesh, and now she knew why. Every press of his mouth made her want more.
For Nicholas she was sweet as a honeycomb and he wanted to taste every tantalizing inch of her. This would only be the opening movement of the sensual song he would create with her; he’d save the crescendo for their wedding night. In the meantime, he contented himself with the softness of her lips, the arousing sound of her breathless sighs, and the feel of her taut nipple against his circling palm.
His hands on her breasts stole what little breath Faith had remaining. Once again, she was caught unawares by just how powerful passion could be. The hunger in her blood increased t
he throbbing thickness between her thighs. When he placed his mouth over the crest of her nipple and bit her gently the fever made her cry out in a shock-filled moan. This was too much; she backed away.
Breathing hard with desire, her eyes lidded and her lips parted and swollen from his kisses, she fought for calm. “I thought we agreed to go slow.”
“This is slow, sweet Faith. You’re still dressed.”
Her eyes widened and he chuckled.
“All right,” he said. “We’ll stop. For now.”
The implication sent a rush through her blood. While her nipples continued to reel from their brief encounter with his pleasuring, she wondered why women weren’t told their bodies could respond to a man this way.
“Are you ready to see the rest of the house?”
She found it hard to think let alone move from where she was standing, but she nodded and let him lead her out.
They stopped next at the den with its book-lined walls and large desk, and although she was still filled with the echoes of his kisses, her spirits soared at the sight of the many books on the shelves of the bookcases. There was a complete set of the Bard’s comedies and dramas. She saw works by Chaucer, and poets like Pope and Spenser. She never realized Primus had such an extensive library.
“May I read when there is time?”
“You may read even when there’s not.”
She gave him a shy smile. When her father cast her out, one of her biggest losses had been leaving behind her small but precious trove of books, but now she had at her fingertips a collection that would do any public reading room proud. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.
“Again, my pleasure.
The word pleasure immediately transported her back to being in his arms. She looked up at him and was again filled with wonder that such a remarkable man wanted them to share their lives. “Are you certain you wish for us to marry?”
He answered by easing her into his arms and after a long, silent look down into her eyes, kissed her so thoroughly she swore her knees melted into her shoes. When he released her and she gazed up at him through the haze of desire, she had no more questions.
Chapter 15
With the house tour ended and Faith tired from all she’d done, she chose to go and lie down for a bit in an effort to stay on the path to recovery. Nicholas watched her depart, and he sat at the desk in the den and reviewed their morning. That he’d asked her to be his wife seemed right. As he’d noted earlier that had not been his initial intent, but he didn’t regret the offer, nor did he want to back out because even though they knew very little about each other, he continued to believe they would do well. He’d been a loner all his life. Growing up as an only child in a society where, due to the high incidence of infant mortality, parents often waited until their offspring reached adolescence before forming a bond, he’d suffered even more being motherless. Having no extended family that might have supplied him with cousins or other youngsters his age, except for his friendship with Arte, he’d led a very isolated existence in his father’s home. As he survived into adolescence, he and his father became closer and shared experiences as they hunted and fished, did the farming, and worked in his print shop, but Nicholas felt as if something was missing from his life. Once he left home to go to war and began to face the world on his own, there’d been no time or opportunities to forge lasting relationships. His times with the Iroquois had been the closest he’d come to having clan members, but having not been born into the Confederation meant he was still somewhat of an outsider in their eyes, and in his own.
So, why Faith? Because from the moment he saw her that first time at the inn, he felt drawn to her, and then when he learned that she had wit and sass and an intelligence many of her sex lacked, the desire to learn more about her increased. But he’d no desire to marry her. He’d resigned himself to finding a compatible woman and leaving it at that. Most marriages were arranged and usually contracted by parents with an eye towards improving social status, acquiring property, or gaining wealth. The average farmer or merchant with little status looked for a mate who was healthy and able to provide the children needed to help keep the business or the farm afloat. Few marriages were love matches or grand passions, so he’d had no illusions about what kind of marriage he would have, and would have been content to just find a woman he could abide, but now it appeared as if he’d stumbled upon one who excited not only his senses, but his mind as well. This unlikely adventure he and Faith were embarking upon could hardly be termed a love match; neither of them was that naïve, but there was passion; grand passion if his feelings for her were any indication.
He thought back on something he’d been told by an old fortune teller he’d encountered in Bombay years ago while sailing as an impressed seaman with the hated British Navy. She’d predicted that he’d find peace with the spawn of an enemy. At the time, he hadn’t given her words much credence; the only peace he’d been seeking was escape from the King’s navy, but had she truly known that Faith would enter his life? For most of his existence, personal peace had been as fleeting as trying to cage the wind. He’d fought wars, seen the world, and gotten a bellyful of death and man’s inhumanity to man. He’d returned to Boston hoping to be greeted by his father, only to find his headstone instead. There’d been very little peace in the world of Nicholas Grey, and now that world included a feisty, raven-eyed innocent who was indeed the spawn of an enemy.
So yes, he would marry her, clothe her, feed her, and do everything in his power to help her achieve all that her heart desired, and maybe, just maybe, she’d turn out to be the instrument of the peace he’d been seeking.
By mid afternoon the snow stopped falling, leaving the outdoors looking as if it lay under a fluffy white blanket. It was the first week of April and Faith hoped this would be one of the last snowfalls because she was sorely tired of winter. As Nicholas entered the dining room carrying plates holding their suppers, Faith turned from the window. He placed one in front of her and his at a spot on the table nearby.
She was still a bit overwhelmed by the morning’s events, but under the circumstances she supposed it was natural, seeing as how she’d gone from being his spinster housekeeper to his intended in the blink of an eye.
“Something amiss?”
She tasted the mixture of root vegetables and smoked pheasant and found it quite tasty. “Just wondering when the wedding will take place and where.”
“As soon as we can manage, I suppose, and we may as well have it here. Is there anyone in particular you wish to invite?”
“Only Charity and Ingram. How about you?”
“My list is short, too. Arte and Bekkah.”
“I don’t wish to embarrass you in front of your friends, Nicholas, but I don’t own anything suitable to be married in.”
“I’m not marrying you for what you have, Faith, and my friends won’t think less of you because of how you’re dressed. They aren’t that way.”
That made her feel better.
“Do you know a reputable seamstress?”
“Yes. Charity Trotter’s mother is highly sought after. She has a shop in town.”
“Do you think you’d like to visit her?”
She eyed him down the table. “I would.”
“Then how about we stop in and see her tomorrow?”
For a woman with her pride, it was hard for Faith to admit she needed new clothing. “That would be agreeable.” She turned the conversation back to the wedding. “Who will the pastor be?”
“Arte’s uncle Absalom. He has a church in Boston. I’ll talk to Arte about his availability later.”
She studied him and for the hundredth time that day, wondered where this would lead.
“Second thoughts?” he asked.
“No. Not in the least, I’m just wondering where this adventure, as you call it, will take us.”
“Hopefully into our old age, with our hair and teeth intact.”
The silliness made her chuckle. “That would be h
elpful, but on a more serious note, I’m simply curious, I suppose.”
“I say we let it unfold as it will and enjoy what comes.”
That made sense, but Faith wasn’t sure it was enough to keep her from wanting to take a peek at their future together.
“It isn’t as if we can control what comes and make it dance to our tune, you know.”
“True,” she admitted, meeting his eyes.
He shrugged.
A knock at the door made them both look up and Nicholas said crossly, “If it’s that ground squirrel again—”
The confused Faith echoed, “Ground squirrel?”
He left the table but didn’t respond.
It then occurred to her what he might be referencing, and her eyes widened. “Nicholas, you are not talking about Ingram, are you?”
He gave her a grin.
“That’s terrible of you!”
But he didn’t slow and left the room without a word, causing her to yell, “Be nice!” as he disappeared.
Nicholas opened the door. It wasn’t the ground squirrel. It was the ground squirrel’s wife.
She said to him, sounding nervous, “Mr. Grey, I know my husband’s already visited Faith today, and he said you weren’t pleased by it, but I must see her to make certain she is well.”
Assessing her, Nicholas remembered Faith’s parting shot, but the decision to comply or not was moot as she walked up behind him.
Giving him an amused yet quelling look, she said, “Good evening, Charity. Please come in.”
Nicholas smiled and stepped back so Mrs. Trotter could enter, but his eyes were on his soon-to-be housekeeper wife. “I’m wounded that you didn’t trust me.”
“I’m wounded that you’d think I would.”
He threw back his head and laughed.
Charity looked between the two of them.
Faith turned away from his too handsome face and said to her friend, “Pay him no mind. Lack of sleep has made him grouchy all day.”
“And whose fault is it that I’ve had no sleep?”
Charity’s eyes grew wide.
Faith wanted to sock him. “As I said, pay him no mind.”