Chapter Nine

 

If Annabel thought herself in a dilemma before, when Sunday arrived, her dilemma turned into a right state of perplexity. In less than two hours, Don Ricardo would be waiting for her at the gate to Scarlett Hall, and although Annabel had sneaked out of the house before, she only did so in the company of Juliet for one adventure or another. Never had she attempted to do so on her own. To even consider such an act, to meet a man alone titled or not, would bring about great shame if she were caught, and she could not do that to the woman who had cared for her more than her own mother ever had.

Annabel sighed. If her aunt had been there, she would have commented on Annabel wearing a path in the floor or some other sort of admonishment for her pacing, but Annabel found she could not help herself. Pacing allowed her to think, and now she had to think more than at any other time of her life.

She glanced at the hands on the mantel clock. They were moving all the faster. If she was to leave to visit Juliet next week, she may not be able to see Don Ricardo again. The thought brought on a heavy sadness. Either choice—to go or not to go—carried great risk, and Annabel could do nothing to unwind the knot of worry in her stomach.

The door opened, and Annabel spun about as Aunt Eleanor entered the room. Perhaps the woman’s appearance was a sign that Annabel should go to bed and forget about this covert liaison.

“Oh, good, you are here,” her aunt said in a hurried rush. “I must leave. A messenger arrived and Isabel is unwell and wishes me by her side.”

Annabel gasped. Here she was considering slipping away and her cousin was ill! “What is wrong? She is not deathly ill, is she?” Just the thought made her insides knot even further.

“No,” her aunt replied with a small smile that belied the concern behind her tone. “I am not certain, but I believe she may be with child.”

So, her aunt was not concerned but elated! Annabel had never been very good at recognizing people’s feelings through their actions. It did not help that her guilt kept her mind hostage.

“Oh, Auntie!” Annabel said as she threw her arms around the woman. “I am so happy for her. Do you wish for me to join you? It will not take long to pack a bag.”

“I appreciate your offer, but at this late hour, I believe it would not be prudent for His Grace to have too many guests.”

Annabel nodded, although she suspected James would not mind. Perhaps her aunt wanted to be alone with her daughter to share the special moment. As she thought this, a wave of sadness washed over her.

“What is wrong, my dear?”

“I am happy for you and for Isabel. If what you believe is true, she has a new life growing inside her, and he or she will bring great joy.” She wiped a tear from her cheek wishing she was not acting like a child herself at the moment. “Yet, I cannot help but think that one day when I am with child, my own mother will still not want to be near me. I worry I will be alone.”

Aunt Eleanor pulled her in for another hug. “I shall be there for you, as will your cousins. You will never be alone.”

Annabel sobbed into her aunt’s shoulder for several moments. She was acting childish! A woman of eighteen did not spend her days feeling sorry for herself. Therefore, she pulled away and took the handkerchief her aunt offered her. “Thank you for putting up with me,” she said with a sniffle.

“Nonsense,” her aunt said as she brushed aside a strand of hair from Annabel’s face. “Your feelings are your own, and I love you all the more for them. Now, Forbes is waiting for me. We will return very late, more than likely just before sunrise, so go to bed soon, and I will see you when you awaken in the morning.”

“I will.”

After Aunt Eleanor left the room, Annabel glanced at the clock once more. “Soon he will be waiting at the gate,” she whispered as she wrung her hands together. The sign she thought she understood had changed. Her aunt would be gone for the entire night and therefore would never learn if Annabel left the house. Viewing the constellation could not last long; she would be back and in bed long before sunrise.

Annabel despised choices, but she had to make one. Either she retire to bed as her aunt suggested or meet Don Ricardo at the gate. Although she was never one willing to disobey her aunt, this time she must, for the man waiting could very well be the man for whom she had always wished.

“We will not be leaving the grounds of Scarlett Hall,” she told herself firmly, a means to justify her decision. The property was so grand that heartache had never breached its walls, and so, with a new confidence, Annabel hurried to her room to collect her wrap and prepare herself to meet the marquess.

***

At fifteen minutes to midnight, Annabel stepped out into the night and pulled her wrap tighter around her. The moon was full, but it was not yet red, and to her disappointment, few stars filled the bright sky.

Perhaps that comes when the moon changes, Annabel mused.

She had no fear anyone would catch her sneaking away into the night. Forbes was with her aunt, and the servants had long since retired for the night. Yet, as she walked down the pebbled drive that led away from Scarlett Hall, she feared she may have made the wrong decision. Don Ricardo was the perfect gentleman; would her decision to see him alone change his opinion of her?

Yet, no. He had been the one to suggest this rendezvous in the first place, so why would he think less of her for a thing he had recommended? She could be quite silly at times!

Nonetheless, as she approached the gate, she stopped short when she saw someone standing in the shadows. He had come! A small part of her had thought he would not, that she had misunderstood the message of the poem he had recited for her. Yet, there he was.

With a glance over her shoulder at the silhouette of Scarlett Hall, her uneasiness dissipated. Within its walls were so many memories of her past, but her future could be with Don Ricardo. If she retreated into the shadows of the grand home, she may never know.

“You will only be looking at the stars,” she said to herself in a low whisper. “It is not as if you are going on a journey with him.”

With a racing heart, she firmed her decision and continued toward the gate. As the man in the shadows walked out into the moonlight, her breath caught in her throat. Don Ricardo was even more handsome in the moonlight! He no longer wore his sash with its medals, but he had no one to impress. She did not care if he had a thousand medals or none; he was still a hero in her eyes.

“Miss Annabel,” he said with a bow. “You warm my heart to heights words cannot explain.”

Annabel curtsied. “Thank you, my lord.” Then, much to her surprise, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Oh!” she said with a gasp.

“It is a customary greeting in my country,” he said. “I hope I have not offended you.”

Different countries have different customs, she reminded herself. Who was she to disallow a man his customs? “Not at all,” she replied, glad her breath had returned.

She worried her bottom lip. Would he be like the others and force kisses on her? Do not be foolish! He is not like the others!

“I am glad,” he said with a smile. “My driver is not far. Let us go to my carriage.” He offered her his arm, and she hesitated before placing her hand on his.

She glanced toward the house as they began to walk away. “I am sorry, my lord, but I am uncertain if it would be proper for me to be alone with you in your carriage.”

The man stopped. Had she upset him in some way? “In my carriage?” he asked with a shake to his head. “Truly I am a fool for acting in such a way that would lead you to believe I wish to take you away with me.”

Confusion filled her. “That was not your intention?”

He laughed. “Not at all. I have a bottle of wine waiting for us to drink as the stars come together. I am sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

Annabel let out a sigh of relief. “It is I, Don Ricardo, who must apologize. I have not had the best experiences with men thus far.” She slammed her mouth closed. Revealing the unwanted kisses was not something she wished to do.

“You owe me no apology,” he said as they continued their trek. “And I must insist that you call me Ricardo. This Don Ricardo makes me sound like a rogue who sneaks into women’s bedrooms to steal kisses.”

She giggled at this, for on more than one occasion she had thought the same. “Then you must call me Annabel.”

“A most beautiful name for a beautiful woman,” he said.

Annabel did her best to calm her pounding heart. She had been called beautiful before, but to hear this man say it, in that Spanish accent, was exhilarating.

As they approached the carriage, Annabel noticed the driver perched in his seat as Ricardo opened the door. She hoped her aunt did not decide at that moment to return, yet she said she would not until the following morning.

“For you.” He held out a glass of wine, and she took it, thanking him. “Before the stars emerge, I must make a toast in your honor.”

Annabel felt that flush that had become common in this man’s presence. “I do not deserve such an honor.”

“Ah, but you do,” he replied as he raised his glass. “For a woman with a mind as wise as yours is rare, and to have great beauty to accompany such wisdom is unheard of. As the hour draws to midnight, I am happy, for I no longer am forced to wait for what my love will decide, for that woman is here before me.”

It took several moments to realize that her jaw had fallen open. The man now called her his love? Did that mean he had feelings for her? Or was that just an expression used in Spain? They certainly had not known each other long enough to consider love. She took a drink of the wine in order to calm her nerves, for all this was too much to bear.

“Now, allow me to put these away,” he said. She had not realized that the glass was already empty. He set the glasses in the carriage and then walked over to her. When he placed his hands on her shoulders, she shivered. “You are very brave to come to me alone.”

“I must admit, it was a difficult decision,” she replied. She held her breath as he trailed his hands down her arms. He was so bold in his familiarity with her! Yet, his touch sent bolts of electricity into her stomach. “My aunt left to see my cousin, and thus I was given time to escape without notice.” Where had the firmness of her speech gone? Who was this breathy woman who had taken over her skin?

“She is not at the estate?”

“No,” she replied, unable to fight the strange desires that rose inside her, not caring what she spoke as long as he continued to touch her.

He turned her around and placed an arm around her waist. “Look at the moon, Annabel,” he whispered in her ear, his breath sending tingles down her arms and back. “Do you see its beauty?”

Filled with both excitement and worry, she could not stop the “Yes” that spilled from her lips. What was wrong with her? And what made this man believe he could hold her so close? Yet, she could not have asked him to stop if she wanted to.

“It is much like you, a woman I was told was quite beautiful, but I did not believe it could be true.” He pulled her against his chest, and Annabel turned her head to look up at him.

“My lord,” she whispered, wondering if the man would kiss her and secretly hoping he would, “you are kind with your words.”

He chuckled, a deep rumble. “I am many things,” he said. “As we witness this night together, may I thank you with a kiss?”

Of all the lessons Annabel had learned in conducting oneself as a lady, allowing a man to kiss her was one of the most adamant prohibitions of them all. However, twice men had forced their lips to hers, and now a man sought permission, elevating not only her heart, but his status in her eyes.

“Two men have forced kisses on me, and now I wish to experience one of my own free will, one that my heart desires.”

Perhaps it was a trick of the low light of the full moon, but Annabel thought she saw a flicker of regret behind the man’s eyes. However, it passed as quickly as it appeared, and when his lips touched hers, all memory of what she thought she might have seen evaporated. Unlike those other kisses, this one felt right, for it made her heart happy and made her somehow feel safe.

As soon as it began, the kiss ended. “I am sorry,” Ricardo said as he touched the back of his hand to her cheek. “I did not mean to like you as much as I do.”

“I do not understand,” Annabel replied. “Was this invitation not to win over my heart?”

“No,” he replied as he cut off Annabel’s scream by placing his hand over her mouth and nose, cutting off her breath. “It was to get you away from your home.”