Page 9 of Souvenir of Love

And please, God, no.His mouth shaped the wordno, his lips rounded just enough to suck a nipple in, and savor it with his tongue. Round and round his tongue swirled, again like the hands of a clock, only this time maddeningly fast, time sped up and crazed. Elizabeth arched against him, filling his mouth with the fullness of her breast. He turned his attention to the other, licking, kissing, suckling. Her nipples were wet, slick with his attentions.

Between her legs he knew she must be wetter still. If only he could find his way through the tangled labyrinth of fabric that lay between them.If he could pull her skirts up…He lifted his hips from hers; it was torture. He tugged. She helped him; it was madness. His fingers grazed the ribbons of her garters, felt the smoothness of her thigh, touched her damp curls.

“James?”

Beneath his hand, he felt her hips stiffen, uncertain whether to pull back or continue.Too late, he thought. “Elizabeth,” he said, as reassuringly as he could. And let his fingers advance.

“Enough, James.” Her voice wavered.

He stroked a moist fold. Closed his eyes, imagining himself, not simply his finger, sliding inside her. “Elizabeth,” he whispered, his voice nearly as unsteady as hers.

“James?” The voice was sure. Strong. Shocked.

“Anne?” He drew up.

“Anne!” Elizabeth clutched the front of her gown.

“Elizabeth!”Anne’s tone was scandalized, but she stepped forward into the room so the women behind her in the doorway could share her view. “LADY ELIZABETH HARCREST!” sherepeated loudly enough to make certain they all would know exactly who lay on the couch, half naked beneath her brother.

Four

Anne stood in silence as the crowd behind her stared. The moment seemed frozen. Then she turned abruptly and began quickly herding scandalized guests back toward the hallway. “This does not appear to be an appropriate time to discuss the decor of the library,” she said to the gaping faces of her invited guests. “If you will excuse me, I will rejoin you all in just a moment.”

And then she closed the library door.

“Well,” she said dryly, “this is a pretty tableau.”

Elizabeth, struggling to rewrap her mantelet, refused to look in Anne’s direction. She had a fair idea of what she’d see: shock and disapproval. This was all so embarrassing, humiliating, horrifying…and a tempest in a teapot compared to how her brother would react.Rafe, oh God, Rafe, how could she explain? Would he forgive her? Would he even listen?She pulled her mantelet tight around her waist, as if the velvet might protect her. Or at least fortify her spine. She’d have to turn and face Anne.

Worse yet, she’d have to face the people in the hallway.

The people who had seen…had seen her…exposed.

A tidal wave of shame swept over her. She, who’d kissed James, who’d wrapped her arms around him, allowed him to slide her bodice down and her skirts up, hardly dared look at him now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him straightening his stock, his eyes fixed on his sister. He smoothed his hair. He was missing a ribbon from the bottom of his braided queue, she noticed distractedly. She glanced about the floor for it, as if finding the ribbon might somehow tidy the mess into which they’d gotten themselves.

She heard Anne moving toward them, the rustle of her skirts, the rasp of her slippers on the nap of the carpet. Turning to look, Elizabeth saw a length of blue velvet dangling from Anne’s outstretched hand.

“James,” Anne said. “You’ll be needing this if you plan to return to the assembly.”

“Keep it.” His voice was oddly flat. “I won’t be returning.”

“But the night is young. There is still so much entertainment to be had.”

It was the oddest conversation, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, as if nothing more had come undone than James’s ribbon.

“I’ve had enough entertainment.”

Disgust was in his voice, and Elizabeth shivered; was his disgust meant for her? She straightened, staring openly at him, but his gaze remained fixed on his sister.

“As you wish.” The ribbon slid through Anne’s fingers and fluttered to the floor. “You’ve done more than enough this evening. I’ll see to the rest.”

The rest. Was she the rest?Elizabeth turned to Anne, completely missing the expression in James’s eyes as he turned at last to look at her. It was the expression of a man watching something inconceivably precious slip from his grasp. His fingers flexed, his arm tensed as if to reach for her.

“If you wish to leave unnoticed, James,” Anne said sharply, “use the door to the music room. I’ll take Elizabeth down the back stairs, through the kitchen to the mews. Her brother’s coach is waiting.”

Rafe’s coach…but how?

“I spoke with your brother and his wife earlier this evening, Elizabeth. They seemed most concerned about your mother. An inflammation of the lungs, I believe they said. They were worried about leaving her home alone, worried things might suddenly take a turn for the worse. As a precaution, I ordered his coach brought round to the front of the line. Most fortunate as it turns out, don’t you think?”