The Lady & the Panther ~Chapter 17 Out of the Past (NC-17)
The Lady & the Panther
~Chapter 17~ (NC-17)
By Fedoralady
We’re back with another installment of our story. Lizzie and her Panther are continuing their day together at the borrowed townhouse (bath time, my darlings!) with sexy time and heart-felt conversation . . . enjoy!
Thank you, Leigh, for continuing to serve as beta. Your eyes and your ideas are much appreciated. This chapter rated for NC-17 for sexual content. All rights reserved.
* ~Chapter 17~ *
Sated with delicious food and sweet lovemaking, I had curled up in the elegant state bed, feeling well loved and gloriously happy. And my day with my Panther was not yet over.
“You may come out from your hiding place, my lady.” Guy said with a smile as he peeked at me through the silver-embroidered royal blue bed curtains.
“Thanks to the servants, there’s plenty of hot water in a large tin bath, sponges, soap and lovely soft towels with which to dry ourselves. Even a small fire has been lit to keep the chill away. I would be delighted for you to join me.”
He pulled back the curtains, made a bow and extended his hand with a flourish.
I fear I began to giggle as I moved to the edge of the bed and gave him my own hand.
“Pray, what is so amusing, my lady?” Guy said with a supercilious lift of a dark brow.
I expelled a breath as I daintily crossed my ankles.
“I have never had such an invitation given to me by a man as naked as the day he was born.”
I tilted my head and looked Guy up and down, taking in his Adonis-like physique, from his broad shoulders to those handsome feet.
“Although, I do believe I could become very accustomed to it.”
I could not fail to notice his state of arousal, either. I was discovering my Panther had amazing powers of-- renewal.
I thought I could grow accustomed to those particular powers as well.
“You did not seek out the servants in that-state, did you?” I queried, a smile playing at the corner of my lips.
Guy glanced down before shooting me a sly smirk as he helped me off the bed and onto my feet.
“Whilst I retrieved your parcels and gave instructions to the servants, I managed to keep my-passions--restrained beneath my clothing, milady, rest assured.”
He cupped my face with his hand and leaned down to kiss me. I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling his male hardness pressing against my belly.
My fingers entwining in his dark mane, I pulled my mouth away and whispered in his ear: “I am having such a lovely, lovely time, Guy. I- I wish this day did not have to end . . .”
*~*~*~*
When I heard Lizzie’s wistful words I closed my eyes, that now-familiar, still-painful twist of my heart returning.
I enveloped her in my arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her tousled head.
~I do not want it to end, either. But-how shall we make it happen? How can a titled -and married--lady and a highwayman of uncertain parentage have a future together? Somehow, I have to find a way~
“Nor do I, my darling. And now--” I gathered a few of Lizzie’s loose curls and re-anchored them to her pretty head. “We don’t want to spoil your tresses in the bath.”
I lifted her chin with my hand and smiled into those dark-lashed green eyes. “And I do think we should get into our bath before it gets cold . . .”
I leaned in to whisper in her ear as I took her hand. “After all, we do not want to waste--” I pressed her fingers around my hardened shaft.
She sighed and danced her fingers up and down its velvet surface.
“Oh, no, that shouldn’t be wasted.” Lizzie, a puzzled expression on her face, looked up at me.
“This may sound foolish, but-does everything still-work the same way-underwater, I mean?”
I laughed aloud with delight as I swept her up into my arms. “Oh, my darling mermaid, the joys I shall have continuing to give you tutelage . . .”
*~*~*~*
Thank fortune it was a large bath; otherwise, my highwayman would have never got those long, handsome legs of his tucked inside it.
After depositing me into the fragrant warm water-attar of roses?- with a minimum of splashing, Guy took a bar of soap from the stool beside the bath, then stepped in and slid down to sit behind me.
“There now, I shall be able to enjoy both that charming arse of yours--” He shifted his hips to rub enticingly against said arse. “And--” his arms reached around me to cup my breasts in his now-soapy hands. “And these twin pleasures . . .”
He gave a sigh before nuzzling my neck, the light stubble of his beard grazing my skin, his dark chocolate voice murmuring in my ear.
“So foolish that people who bathe usually do it in their shifts . . . much easier to get properly clean when all your skin is bared, mais non?”
Guy’s fingers were deftly massaging my breasts, those broad thumbs making lazy circles around my aureoles before teasing my nipples. Between the warmth of the water and Guy’s soap-slicked fingers, the bath was already proving very pleasant indeed.
I sighed. “I see-your point, Guy.”
A deep chuckle. “I was certain that you would, Lizzie, my love.”
He gave my breasts another affectionate squeeze before capturing the soap, those strong arms of his still wrapped around me.
Lathering those deft hands once more, Guy plunged them beneath the water. I felt his fingers caressing my belly, and then, my thighs. His touch was so welcome, so-invigorating. It was as if my flesh was burning, even in the bath.
Guy’s voice purred in my ear. “Lizzie-you were quite lovely the night we met, but you are even more so now. You have bloomed, ripened; you are-delicious.”
I laughed. “My maid would be in agreement with you. According to Amelia, I have blossomed out very nicely since our first night together. And there’s a new spark in my eyes--”
I caught my breath as I felt his fingers teasing the entrance to my sex; felt the friction of his masculine hardness against the cleft of my arse. I wanted him so much.
Truthfully, I could not even imagine a time when I would not want him.
“Mon Ange . . .” A hoarse whisper.
“Slide forward and get on your knees . . . and hold to the sides of the bath. I want to show you yet another way a man and a woman can please one another.”
I did as Guy asked, and felt him lifting my hips from behind and then-he was inside my velvet channel once more, his shaft thrusting into me, filling me up.
~Oh, yes-it feels so very good when he is inside me~
I heard his breathing grow harsh and heavy, his big hands holding on to me possessively as he moved more and more quickly, pounding into me with ferocious thrusts.
It was-wild. A feral coupling as we moved in tandem, the water churning around us, the rhythm of flesh against flesh. I heard Guy’s breathless panting betwixt words of passion, muttered in French. And when he spilt his seed with a keening cry, I cried out, too, in pleasure and in pure joy.
He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me, pressing kisses to my back, murmuring my name before easing out of me.
“Stand up, my love--and turn towards me. I will--help you,” Guy said, his breathing still a little ragged.
And then I was upright and in his arms, looking up into my Panther’s eyes.
“I-hope that was not too vigorous for you, Lizzie,” he said, his brow creasing a little as he gave me a half-smile.
Shaking my head, I put my hands on Guy’s shoulders and rose on my toes to press a tender kiss to his mouth.
“No, not too vigorous, Guy. Exciting. Like-some of the things I have dreamt of doing with you.”
Guy gave me one of those lop-sided smiles, his voice a honeyed rumble.
“I suspect you have a very wicked imagination, Lady Montrose. May I say I heartily approve.” He kissed me, a kiss of such passion and tenderness I seemed to melt into his arms before he finally lifted his lips from mine.
“Let’s finish our bath before this water turns too cold. I believe that it is your turn to wash me, Lizzie . . .” He raised a single brow and gave me a devilish grin.
Truly, I had never had a more enjoyable time in a bath than I did that day. And Guy was correct. It was all much nicer without a chemise or nightshirt in the way . . .
*~*~*~*
We were stretched out on our sides in front of the fire, pillows beneath us.
“This reminds me of our supper on our first night together,” Lizzie said, her head propped on her right hand as the fingers of her left lightly grazed my chest. “In front of the fire in my bedchamber.”
I smiled. “Our meal was different but no less enjoyable . . . and today we got a bath, too.”
Lizzie’s fingers were now teasing my aureoles. “Better and better . . . our times together, that is.”
“I think so, too, Lizzie.”
I brushed back a stray chestnut tendril from her lovely flushed face, taking pleasure in how bright her eyes were.
~Like a queen’s emeralds laced with gold~
I sat up. I had been so distracted by my enjoyment of Mon Ange I had almost forgot.
“Guy, what--”
“Lizzie-I have something for you.”
She sat up, too, pressing her hand to her face. “And I for you, in those parcels. I almost forgot.”
Lizzie went to the table where I had placed her parcels and sorted through them, setting aside two. She frowned a little at one of the remaining parcels as she picked it up.
“I don’t remember this one . . .”
I reached around Lizzie and plucked it from her hands. “That is because it is my gift to you.”
“Ah-well, aren’t you going to give it me?”
“All in good time, Lizzie. I am greedy, you know, and I wish to open my cadeaux from you first.”
She gave me a distinctly saucy look over her shoulder.
“I do forget your profession from time to time. Let’s go back by the fire, shall we, my greedy highwayman and see what we have for each other.”
*~*~*~*
I confess I was eager to see Panther’s reaction to my choices for him. “Open this one first,” I said, handing him the parcel containing the robe, watching his face as he tore into the package.
I was rewarded by a boyish smile of delight reflected in those beautiful eyes as he lifted up the garment, stroking the heavy blue silk with those long elegant fingers.
“Oh, Lizzie. I have never had a finer robe . . . never seen a finer one, for that matter.”
“Go ahead, try it on. I thought the colour would be wonderful for your eyes and your complexion.”
Guy stood up and slipped into the robe. He lifted his chin and struck an exaggerated pose. “What say you, my lady?”
I looked up at him. I had chosen well. His eyes had turned a deep sapphire and his ivory skin had an almost translucent glow. I saw the reddish glints gleaming in those tumbled black waves as he flicked them back with a toss of his head . . .
“I say-you are beautiful, Guy. Simply-beautiful.”
He gave me an amused look, folding his arms across this broad chest and giving a great sniff. “Men are not supposed to be beautiful, Lizzie. Strikingly handsome . . . yes. Not beautiful.”
“But you are strikingly handsome. You also happen to be--beautiful.”
Guy blinked and cast his eyes down at the carpet.
I could see the Adam’s-apple bobbing in his throat as if some strong emotion had seized him.
“Did--I say something wrong, Guy?”
Guy shook his head and drew a deep breath before he lifted his eyes to meet mine.
His voice was husky. “You reminded me of someone from long ago. Someone else who was warm and generous, like you. She said I was beautiful, too.”
~A woman, of course. Could it be his French countess? ~
“You see. It must be true, then.” I smiled up at him and patted the pillow beside me. “Come back and open your other present, so I can finally open mine . . .”
*~*~*~*
I saw what pleasure Lizzie took in giving me that robe, along with the handsome topper for my walking stick. I had received few gifts in my lifetime. To be given such by the woman I dearly loved was a gift in and of itself.
“Amelia spotted that through the shop window. She thought it would be perfect for you.”
I admired the detailed carving of the ebony cat’s head and nodded. “May I say your Amelia has excellent taste. I shall have to tell her so when we say our farewells later.”
A shadow flitted across my angel’s lovely countenance and I silently cursed my tongue for even mentioning our inevitable parting.
~I have to believe that we shall find a solution to our dilemma~
Cupping Lizzie’s face, I looked into her eyes and smiled. “Thank you so very much. I have never received lovelier gifts in my life. Truly.” Leaning in, I gave her a tender kiss.
I picked up the parcel for her and put it in her hands, kneeling down beside her. “Now-your turn, Lizzie.”
*~*~*~*
I took my time opening the parcel from Guy, wanting to savour the moment; wishing I could somehow stop time from marching on that afternoon.
As I tore away the paper, I saw a box with a hinged lid, covered in dark green velvet. Lifting the lid, I looked at the contents and gasped. In the flickering flames of the fire, emeralds fit for a queen glowed with warmth and life.
The delicate-looking gold filigree in the centre of the necklace resembled flowering branches, with the stones as the blossoms.
Two more emeralds suspended from filigree settings formed a pair of earrings.
“Guy . . .” I looked from the exquisite jewels into Guy’s sapphire blue eyes, aglow with their own warmth and life.
“I had them made for you whilst I was in Paris. The jeweller does very fine work. The pieces look fragile but they are actually quite sturdy-his specialty.”
Guy gave me one of those sweet, boyish smiles.
~It is as if I catch a glimpse of what he was like as a child~
“Emeralds for my emerald-eyed angel. I hope they please you, Lizzie.”
I nodded, still drinking in the loveliness of my gift. “Of course they do. They are-beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Guy,” I said, pressing a kiss to each cheek and a final kiss on the lips.
Guy gave me a lop-sided smile, a sly twinkle in those blue eyes. “As beautiful as I, Mon Ange?”
I laughed. “Perhaps, even-a little more,” I teased him.
“Put on the earrings, Lizzie, then turn around and I shall help you with the necklace.”
Moments later, I was standing in front of the looking-glass in the chamber with Guy behind me, looking at our reflection.
He placed his hands on my bare shoulders and pressed a kiss to my neck.
“I dreamt, my lady, of seeing you in these baubles. Dressed just as you are now,” Guy murmured in a honeyed whisper in my ear.
“But I am-naked.”
A dark chuckle as he nipped my earlobe. “Precisely.”
My eyes met his in the reflection of the looking-glass. “I am not the only one with a wicked imagination, it would seem.”
I took the necklace between my fingers, tracing its intricate pattern, and gave a wistful little sigh.
“I-I will not be able to wear them in Horace’s presence. He will know they are not part of the family jewels. My appearance is one of the few things to which he actually gives attention, though he takes no pleasure in it.” I lifted my chin.
“‘Tis a shame, as I would love to wear them right under his nose.”
Guy turned me around to face him, his eyes searching my face as his fingers ran up and down my arms.
I sensed he wanted to say something. Instead, he kissed me on the forehead as he gently rubbed my arms.
“You are getting gooseflesh, my love. As much as I like your ensemble, Lizzie, I do not wish for you to catch a chill. Back into bed with you.”
*~*~*~*
I held her close beneath the bed linens, her back against my chest, my arm wrapped her waist. I said it was in order to warm her. But I had a selfish motive as well.
It helped me to pretend that I was not going to have to say goodbye again. That I would have to not see her return to an odious man who did not love her, to a life that she did not want to live.
“Guy?”
“Yes, Lizzie?”
“The woman you described as warm and generous, the one who told you that you were beautiful? Was-she your French countess?”
I was not expecting that question. “She was-not a countess then, but-how, how did you know about her?”
Lizzie turned over to face me, pressing her palm against my chest. Her eyes were wide and curious; her voice, soft and a little hesitant.
“I--received a letter. Whilst you were still away. From the Countess de la Mare. She told me you had helped her with a serious matter and that was the reason for your delay.” Lizzie paused. “She spoke of the fine quality of your character . . . and I could see you meant a great deal to her, Guy.”
I smiled.
~That sounded like Antoinette. She is a good friend~
“I met Antoinette in London when I was 17. She was very kind to me at a time when I desperately needed a friend. I had-no-one else. No family, no home, no money.”
I tucked a stray lock of hair behind Lizzie’s ear and caressed her cheek.
“When I discovered her present predicament through a servant-who, like your Amelia, is faithful and determined to protect her mistress--I could only take it upon myself to help her. I do not forget those who are my friends.”
I gave her a wry smile. “Perhaps, there is a part of me that wants to be the gallant knight of old.”
~Please let her understand~
Lizzie blinked and bit her lip before nodding slowly. “I think--I would be disappointed in you if you had behaved any differently. You are a true gentleman at heart, Guy.”
I smiled into her eyes. “At heart, perhaps, if not by blood.”
~Will I ever be sure of who I am?~
*~*~*~*
So I was right. Guy had a long history with the countess in Paris.
And what I said was true. If he had not come to her aid, I would have been disappointed in Guy.
But there was so much more I wanted to know. Needed to know.
“Guy . . . are you still in love with her?”
His brow crinkled as he expelled a breath. He gave me a half-smile.
“She was my first lover, the one who taught me many of the lessons I have been sharing with you. I was a gangly, awkward boy hungry for affection and she was beautiful, charming and French. And an older woman. I could not resist.”
~Does he still find her irresistible?~
“Antoinette was honest with me. She warned me from the beginning not to fall in love with her; that our liaison would not, could not last.”
“Oh, Guy. You fell in love with her anyway, didn’t you?”
He shook his head, his mouth twisting. “I realise now it was calf-love, Lizzie. A boy’s infatuation and adoration for an older woman that grew into a warm and lasting friendship.”
A mischievous glint came into his eyes. “I find the company of the fairer sex most delightful, much more so than my own.”
Guy’s expression sobered as he cupped my face once more, stroking my cheek with the pad of his thumb.
“The truth is, Lizzie-I have had my infatuations, I have indulged my lusts, I have given my affections. But-I have never been in love, truly, deeply in love. Until now.”
His mouth curved into a lop-sided smile as one dark brow lifted.
“Until I was shot at by an apparition haunting the stairs of an incredibly ugly country manor house. My heart was irretrievably lost that night.”
He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to my mouth.
“Guy . . .” I found myself blinking very hard to hold back the unbidden tears.
A faint look of alarm came into his eyes.
“Lizzie. I know you sometimes shiver from happiness. Please tell me you are--crying from happiness at this moment?”
I sat up, wiping my eyes and sniffling just a little. “It is just-oh, Guy. Yes. Most assuredly, they are tears of happiness . . .”
“Lizzie.” Guy sat up and took my hands in his, looking intently into my eyes. “I have made a vow to myself that you and I will be together. Have a life together-if you want that, too.”
“Oh, Guy--” He shook his head and raised his hand to touch my lips.
“Hear me out, my love. There are more things you need to know about my past, about how I became what I am. I do not want to keep secrets from you.” He paused and inhaled a deep breath.
“And there are certain matters that must dealt with first--”
“Such as Horace.”
“Yes. I don’t suppose he is the sort to simply let you walk away.”
I shook my head, bitterness creeping into my words. “No, I do not suppose so, either. He sees me as one of his possessions.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“He does not love me; he does not respect me. But--he would never agree to a divorce. It would reflect badly on him and his family. If I left him, he would hound me until the day I died.”
Guy sneered as he shook back his hair. “I sometimes wish I had shot him the day I held up your coach.”
“No, Guy.” I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed it.
“I would not have his blood on your hands. Your reputation is not one of violence unless it is forced upon you. Let that remain so. As much as I want to escape him, I am glad now that Horace did not die by my hands that night.”
Guy nodded. He tongue darted out to nervously lick his lips as his eyes searched my face.
“But-you do want to be with me? If a plan can be devised--”
There was such yearning and hope in his voice.
“Guy-there is nothing I want more. And-I have an idea-or two-about dealing with his lordship.”`
“Oh, Lizzie.” And with a seraphic smile, my highwayman took me into his arms. For a while, we talked only with our bodies.
We were not certain what the future would hold for us.
But we did know it would be our future. Together.
And I suspected the man in the chequered domino might hold the key to unlocking the gilded cage in which my husband had placed me . . .
~Chapter 17~ (NC-17)
By Fedoralady
We’re back with another installment of our story. Lizzie and her Panther are continuing their day together at the borrowed townhouse (bath time, my darlings!) with sexy time and heart-felt conversation . . . enjoy!
Thank you, Leigh, for continuing to serve as beta. Your eyes and your ideas are much appreciated. This chapter rated for NC-17 for sexual content. All rights reserved.
* ~Chapter 17~ *
Sated with delicious food and sweet lovemaking, I had curled up in the elegant state bed, feeling well loved and gloriously happy. And my day with my Panther was not yet over.
“You may come out from your hiding place, my lady.” Guy said with a smile as he peeked at me through the silver-embroidered royal blue bed curtains.
“Thanks to the servants, there’s plenty of hot water in a large tin bath, sponges, soap and lovely soft towels with which to dry ourselves. Even a small fire has been lit to keep the chill away. I would be delighted for you to join me.”
He pulled back the curtains, made a bow and extended his hand with a flourish.
I fear I began to giggle as I moved to the edge of the bed and gave him my own hand.
“Pray, what is so amusing, my lady?” Guy said with a supercilious lift of a dark brow.
I expelled a breath as I daintily crossed my ankles.
“I have never had such an invitation given to me by a man as naked as the day he was born.”
I tilted my head and looked Guy up and down, taking in his Adonis-like physique, from his broad shoulders to those handsome feet.
“Although, I do believe I could become very accustomed to it.”
I could not fail to notice his state of arousal, either. I was discovering my Panther had amazing powers of-- renewal.
I thought I could grow accustomed to those particular powers as well.
“You did not seek out the servants in that-state, did you?” I queried, a smile playing at the corner of my lips.
Guy glanced down before shooting me a sly smirk as he helped me off the bed and onto my feet.
“Whilst I retrieved your parcels and gave instructions to the servants, I managed to keep my-passions--restrained beneath my clothing, milady, rest assured.”
He cupped my face with his hand and leaned down to kiss me. I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling his male hardness pressing against my belly.
My fingers entwining in his dark mane, I pulled my mouth away and whispered in his ear: “I am having such a lovely, lovely time, Guy. I- I wish this day did not have to end . . .”
*~*~*~*
When I heard Lizzie’s wistful words I closed my eyes, that now-familiar, still-painful twist of my heart returning.
I enveloped her in my arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her tousled head.
~I do not want it to end, either. But-how shall we make it happen? How can a titled -and married--lady and a highwayman of uncertain parentage have a future together? Somehow, I have to find a way~
“Nor do I, my darling. And now--” I gathered a few of Lizzie’s loose curls and re-anchored them to her pretty head. “We don’t want to spoil your tresses in the bath.”
I lifted her chin with my hand and smiled into those dark-lashed green eyes. “And I do think we should get into our bath before it gets cold . . .”
I leaned in to whisper in her ear as I took her hand. “After all, we do not want to waste--” I pressed her fingers around my hardened shaft.
She sighed and danced her fingers up and down its velvet surface.
“Oh, no, that shouldn’t be wasted.” Lizzie, a puzzled expression on her face, looked up at me.
“This may sound foolish, but-does everything still-work the same way-underwater, I mean?”
I laughed aloud with delight as I swept her up into my arms. “Oh, my darling mermaid, the joys I shall have continuing to give you tutelage . . .”
*~*~*~*
Thank fortune it was a large bath; otherwise, my highwayman would have never got those long, handsome legs of his tucked inside it.
After depositing me into the fragrant warm water-attar of roses?- with a minimum of splashing, Guy took a bar of soap from the stool beside the bath, then stepped in and slid down to sit behind me.
“There now, I shall be able to enjoy both that charming arse of yours--” He shifted his hips to rub enticingly against said arse. “And--” his arms reached around me to cup my breasts in his now-soapy hands. “And these twin pleasures . . .”
He gave a sigh before nuzzling my neck, the light stubble of his beard grazing my skin, his dark chocolate voice murmuring in my ear.
“So foolish that people who bathe usually do it in their shifts . . . much easier to get properly clean when all your skin is bared, mais non?”
Guy’s fingers were deftly massaging my breasts, those broad thumbs making lazy circles around my aureoles before teasing my nipples. Between the warmth of the water and Guy’s soap-slicked fingers, the bath was already proving very pleasant indeed.
I sighed. “I see-your point, Guy.”
A deep chuckle. “I was certain that you would, Lizzie, my love.”
He gave my breasts another affectionate squeeze before capturing the soap, those strong arms of his still wrapped around me.
Lathering those deft hands once more, Guy plunged them beneath the water. I felt his fingers caressing my belly, and then, my thighs. His touch was so welcome, so-invigorating. It was as if my flesh was burning, even in the bath.
Guy’s voice purred in my ear. “Lizzie-you were quite lovely the night we met, but you are even more so now. You have bloomed, ripened; you are-delicious.”
I laughed. “My maid would be in agreement with you. According to Amelia, I have blossomed out very nicely since our first night together. And there’s a new spark in my eyes--”
I caught my breath as I felt his fingers teasing the entrance to my sex; felt the friction of his masculine hardness against the cleft of my arse. I wanted him so much.
Truthfully, I could not even imagine a time when I would not want him.
“Mon Ange . . .” A hoarse whisper.
“Slide forward and get on your knees . . . and hold to the sides of the bath. I want to show you yet another way a man and a woman can please one another.”
I did as Guy asked, and felt him lifting my hips from behind and then-he was inside my velvet channel once more, his shaft thrusting into me, filling me up.
~Oh, yes-it feels so very good when he is inside me~
I heard his breathing grow harsh and heavy, his big hands holding on to me possessively as he moved more and more quickly, pounding into me with ferocious thrusts.
It was-wild. A feral coupling as we moved in tandem, the water churning around us, the rhythm of flesh against flesh. I heard Guy’s breathless panting betwixt words of passion, muttered in French. And when he spilt his seed with a keening cry, I cried out, too, in pleasure and in pure joy.
He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me, pressing kisses to my back, murmuring my name before easing out of me.
“Stand up, my love--and turn towards me. I will--help you,” Guy said, his breathing still a little ragged.
And then I was upright and in his arms, looking up into my Panther’s eyes.
“I-hope that was not too vigorous for you, Lizzie,” he said, his brow creasing a little as he gave me a half-smile.
Shaking my head, I put my hands on Guy’s shoulders and rose on my toes to press a tender kiss to his mouth.
“No, not too vigorous, Guy. Exciting. Like-some of the things I have dreamt of doing with you.”
Guy gave me one of those lop-sided smiles, his voice a honeyed rumble.
“I suspect you have a very wicked imagination, Lady Montrose. May I say I heartily approve.” He kissed me, a kiss of such passion and tenderness I seemed to melt into his arms before he finally lifted his lips from mine.
“Let’s finish our bath before this water turns too cold. I believe that it is your turn to wash me, Lizzie . . .” He raised a single brow and gave me a devilish grin.
Truly, I had never had a more enjoyable time in a bath than I did that day. And Guy was correct. It was all much nicer without a chemise or nightshirt in the way . . .
*~*~*~*
We were stretched out on our sides in front of the fire, pillows beneath us.
“This reminds me of our supper on our first night together,” Lizzie said, her head propped on her right hand as the fingers of her left lightly grazed my chest. “In front of the fire in my bedchamber.”
I smiled. “Our meal was different but no less enjoyable . . . and today we got a bath, too.”
Lizzie’s fingers were now teasing my aureoles. “Better and better . . . our times together, that is.”
“I think so, too, Lizzie.”
I brushed back a stray chestnut tendril from her lovely flushed face, taking pleasure in how bright her eyes were.
~Like a queen’s emeralds laced with gold~
I sat up. I had been so distracted by my enjoyment of Mon Ange I had almost forgot.
“Guy, what--”
“Lizzie-I have something for you.”
She sat up, too, pressing her hand to her face. “And I for you, in those parcels. I almost forgot.”
Lizzie went to the table where I had placed her parcels and sorted through them, setting aside two. She frowned a little at one of the remaining parcels as she picked it up.
“I don’t remember this one . . .”
I reached around Lizzie and plucked it from her hands. “That is because it is my gift to you.”
“Ah-well, aren’t you going to give it me?”
“All in good time, Lizzie. I am greedy, you know, and I wish to open my cadeaux from you first.”
She gave me a distinctly saucy look over her shoulder.
“I do forget your profession from time to time. Let’s go back by the fire, shall we, my greedy highwayman and see what we have for each other.”
*~*~*~*
I confess I was eager to see Panther’s reaction to my choices for him. “Open this one first,” I said, handing him the parcel containing the robe, watching his face as he tore into the package.
I was rewarded by a boyish smile of delight reflected in those beautiful eyes as he lifted up the garment, stroking the heavy blue silk with those long elegant fingers.
“Oh, Lizzie. I have never had a finer robe . . . never seen a finer one, for that matter.”
“Go ahead, try it on. I thought the colour would be wonderful for your eyes and your complexion.”
Guy stood up and slipped into the robe. He lifted his chin and struck an exaggerated pose. “What say you, my lady?”
I looked up at him. I had chosen well. His eyes had turned a deep sapphire and his ivory skin had an almost translucent glow. I saw the reddish glints gleaming in those tumbled black waves as he flicked them back with a toss of his head . . .
“I say-you are beautiful, Guy. Simply-beautiful.”
He gave me an amused look, folding his arms across this broad chest and giving a great sniff. “Men are not supposed to be beautiful, Lizzie. Strikingly handsome . . . yes. Not beautiful.”
“But you are strikingly handsome. You also happen to be--beautiful.”
Guy blinked and cast his eyes down at the carpet.
I could see the Adam’s-apple bobbing in his throat as if some strong emotion had seized him.
“Did--I say something wrong, Guy?”
Guy shook his head and drew a deep breath before he lifted his eyes to meet mine.
His voice was husky. “You reminded me of someone from long ago. Someone else who was warm and generous, like you. She said I was beautiful, too.”
~A woman, of course. Could it be his French countess? ~
“You see. It must be true, then.” I smiled up at him and patted the pillow beside me. “Come back and open your other present, so I can finally open mine . . .”
*~*~*~*
I saw what pleasure Lizzie took in giving me that robe, along with the handsome topper for my walking stick. I had received few gifts in my lifetime. To be given such by the woman I dearly loved was a gift in and of itself.
“Amelia spotted that through the shop window. She thought it would be perfect for you.”
I admired the detailed carving of the ebony cat’s head and nodded. “May I say your Amelia has excellent taste. I shall have to tell her so when we say our farewells later.”
A shadow flitted across my angel’s lovely countenance and I silently cursed my tongue for even mentioning our inevitable parting.
~I have to believe that we shall find a solution to our dilemma~
Cupping Lizzie’s face, I looked into her eyes and smiled. “Thank you so very much. I have never received lovelier gifts in my life. Truly.” Leaning in, I gave her a tender kiss.
I picked up the parcel for her and put it in her hands, kneeling down beside her. “Now-your turn, Lizzie.”
*~*~*~*
I took my time opening the parcel from Guy, wanting to savour the moment; wishing I could somehow stop time from marching on that afternoon.
As I tore away the paper, I saw a box with a hinged lid, covered in dark green velvet. Lifting the lid, I looked at the contents and gasped. In the flickering flames of the fire, emeralds fit for a queen glowed with warmth and life.
The delicate-looking gold filigree in the centre of the necklace resembled flowering branches, with the stones as the blossoms.
Two more emeralds suspended from filigree settings formed a pair of earrings.
“Guy . . .” I looked from the exquisite jewels into Guy’s sapphire blue eyes, aglow with their own warmth and life.
“I had them made for you whilst I was in Paris. The jeweller does very fine work. The pieces look fragile but they are actually quite sturdy-his specialty.”
Guy gave me one of those sweet, boyish smiles.
~It is as if I catch a glimpse of what he was like as a child~
“Emeralds for my emerald-eyed angel. I hope they please you, Lizzie.”
I nodded, still drinking in the loveliness of my gift. “Of course they do. They are-beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Guy,” I said, pressing a kiss to each cheek and a final kiss on the lips.
Guy gave me a lop-sided smile, a sly twinkle in those blue eyes. “As beautiful as I, Mon Ange?”
I laughed. “Perhaps, even-a little more,” I teased him.
“Put on the earrings, Lizzie, then turn around and I shall help you with the necklace.”
Moments later, I was standing in front of the looking-glass in the chamber with Guy behind me, looking at our reflection.
He placed his hands on my bare shoulders and pressed a kiss to my neck.
“I dreamt, my lady, of seeing you in these baubles. Dressed just as you are now,” Guy murmured in a honeyed whisper in my ear.
“But I am-naked.”
A dark chuckle as he nipped my earlobe. “Precisely.”
My eyes met his in the reflection of the looking-glass. “I am not the only one with a wicked imagination, it would seem.”
I took the necklace between my fingers, tracing its intricate pattern, and gave a wistful little sigh.
“I-I will not be able to wear them in Horace’s presence. He will know they are not part of the family jewels. My appearance is one of the few things to which he actually gives attention, though he takes no pleasure in it.” I lifted my chin.
“‘Tis a shame, as I would love to wear them right under his nose.”
Guy turned me around to face him, his eyes searching my face as his fingers ran up and down my arms.
I sensed he wanted to say something. Instead, he kissed me on the forehead as he gently rubbed my arms.
“You are getting gooseflesh, my love. As much as I like your ensemble, Lizzie, I do not wish for you to catch a chill. Back into bed with you.”
*~*~*~*
I held her close beneath the bed linens, her back against my chest, my arm wrapped her waist. I said it was in order to warm her. But I had a selfish motive as well.
It helped me to pretend that I was not going to have to say goodbye again. That I would have to not see her return to an odious man who did not love her, to a life that she did not want to live.
“Guy?”
“Yes, Lizzie?”
“The woman you described as warm and generous, the one who told you that you were beautiful? Was-she your French countess?”
I was not expecting that question. “She was-not a countess then, but-how, how did you know about her?”
Lizzie turned over to face me, pressing her palm against my chest. Her eyes were wide and curious; her voice, soft and a little hesitant.
“I--received a letter. Whilst you were still away. From the Countess de la Mare. She told me you had helped her with a serious matter and that was the reason for your delay.” Lizzie paused. “She spoke of the fine quality of your character . . . and I could see you meant a great deal to her, Guy.”
I smiled.
~That sounded like Antoinette. She is a good friend~
“I met Antoinette in London when I was 17. She was very kind to me at a time when I desperately needed a friend. I had-no-one else. No family, no home, no money.”
I tucked a stray lock of hair behind Lizzie’s ear and caressed her cheek.
“When I discovered her present predicament through a servant-who, like your Amelia, is faithful and determined to protect her mistress--I could only take it upon myself to help her. I do not forget those who are my friends.”
I gave her a wry smile. “Perhaps, there is a part of me that wants to be the gallant knight of old.”
~Please let her understand~
Lizzie blinked and bit her lip before nodding slowly. “I think--I would be disappointed in you if you had behaved any differently. You are a true gentleman at heart, Guy.”
I smiled into her eyes. “At heart, perhaps, if not by blood.”
~Will I ever be sure of who I am?~
*~*~*~*
So I was right. Guy had a long history with the countess in Paris.
And what I said was true. If he had not come to her aid, I would have been disappointed in Guy.
But there was so much more I wanted to know. Needed to know.
“Guy . . . are you still in love with her?”
His brow crinkled as he expelled a breath. He gave me a half-smile.
“She was my first lover, the one who taught me many of the lessons I have been sharing with you. I was a gangly, awkward boy hungry for affection and she was beautiful, charming and French. And an older woman. I could not resist.”
~Does he still find her irresistible?~
“Antoinette was honest with me. She warned me from the beginning not to fall in love with her; that our liaison would not, could not last.”
“Oh, Guy. You fell in love with her anyway, didn’t you?”
He shook his head, his mouth twisting. “I realise now it was calf-love, Lizzie. A boy’s infatuation and adoration for an older woman that grew into a warm and lasting friendship.”
A mischievous glint came into his eyes. “I find the company of the fairer sex most delightful, much more so than my own.”
Guy’s expression sobered as he cupped my face once more, stroking my cheek with the pad of his thumb.
“The truth is, Lizzie-I have had my infatuations, I have indulged my lusts, I have given my affections. But-I have never been in love, truly, deeply in love. Until now.”
His mouth curved into a lop-sided smile as one dark brow lifted.
“Until I was shot at by an apparition haunting the stairs of an incredibly ugly country manor house. My heart was irretrievably lost that night.”
He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to my mouth.
“Guy . . .” I found myself blinking very hard to hold back the unbidden tears.
A faint look of alarm came into his eyes.
“Lizzie. I know you sometimes shiver from happiness. Please tell me you are--crying from happiness at this moment?”
I sat up, wiping my eyes and sniffling just a little. “It is just-oh, Guy. Yes. Most assuredly, they are tears of happiness . . .”
“Lizzie.” Guy sat up and took my hands in his, looking intently into my eyes. “I have made a vow to myself that you and I will be together. Have a life together-if you want that, too.”
“Oh, Guy--” He shook his head and raised his hand to touch my lips.
“Hear me out, my love. There are more things you need to know about my past, about how I became what I am. I do not want to keep secrets from you.” He paused and inhaled a deep breath.
“And there are certain matters that must dealt with first--”
“Such as Horace.”
“Yes. I don’t suppose he is the sort to simply let you walk away.”
I shook my head, bitterness creeping into my words. “No, I do not suppose so, either. He sees me as one of his possessions.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“He does not love me; he does not respect me. But--he would never agree to a divorce. It would reflect badly on him and his family. If I left him, he would hound me until the day I died.”
Guy sneered as he shook back his hair. “I sometimes wish I had shot him the day I held up your coach.”
“No, Guy.” I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed it.
“I would not have his blood on your hands. Your reputation is not one of violence unless it is forced upon you. Let that remain so. As much as I want to escape him, I am glad now that Horace did not die by my hands that night.”
Guy nodded. He tongue darted out to nervously lick his lips as his eyes searched my face.
“But-you do want to be with me? If a plan can be devised--”
There was such yearning and hope in his voice.
“Guy-there is nothing I want more. And-I have an idea-or two-about dealing with his lordship.”`
“Oh, Lizzie.” And with a seraphic smile, my highwayman took me into his arms. For a while, we talked only with our bodies.
We were not certain what the future would hold for us.
But we did know it would be our future. Together.
And I suspected the man in the chequered domino might hold the key to unlocking the gilded cage in which my husband had placed me . . .