Sebastian nodded. “Let us go back to the house and speak to him now. Hopefully, he will forgive us our transgressions and allow us to make a fresh start.”
He took Isabella’s hand, and they walked across the field. The sun had risen, casting an orange glow across the sky.
She squeezed his hand. It felt as if they were walking into the future together, and she had never felt happier.
Chapter 30
Isabella’s heart was pounding in her chest as she crept down the dark corridor. It had been a long day, but she was not tired at all. In fact, she was thrumming with excitement and anticipation.
Her father had agreed, finally, that she and Sebastian could marry. He said that he would set about securing a special license. Because of the scandal of the last few days, they had to marry quickly. The gossip would fade away, Isabella thought, and soon they would be just another couple in theton, and society would find something else to gossip about.
But now, as she sneaked along the corridor towards the guest bedchambers, she was not thinking about anyone apart from Sebastian. They had not been alone together all day, and she could bear it no longer. She had to see him. The yearning in her was too great to ignore.
It was risky, yes, but they were to be married, so perhaps it was not as risky as all that.
She had thought, throughout the day, about the revelations of the morning. It all made sense now, why Sebastian had seemed to be blowing so hot and cold with her. He had been distracted by his desire for vengeance, and clearly he had struggled with his feelings for her, when he suspected her father of such treachery. It could not have been easy for him.
And she knew, too, that he understood how difficult things had been for her, and the heartbreak she had suffered when she had seen him with Felicity. But now that she knew he had not betrayed her, those feelings were beginning to fade, and be overtaken by the passion she had felt for him before.
She reached his room and paused for a moment, collecting herself. She realized that she was nervous, with butterflies in her stomach and a dry mouth. She wondered how long that feeling would last once they were married. She hoped against hope that it lasted for a long time. She could not imagine a day when she would not be excited to see Sebastian.
She saw a light seeping through the cracks around his door. Late as it was, he must still be awake. She took a deep breath to steady herself, then reached up to knock softly on the door.
There was a long moment of silence, and Isabella wondered if perhaps he had fallen asleep with the candle still burning. Her heart dropped with disappointment at the thought that she might not be able to see him tonight. But then she heard a rustling sound and footsteps approaching the door.
The door swung open and Sebastian stood in the doorway, his hair ruffled and his eyes a little bleary. He gazed at her in surprise.
The look in his eyes when he saw her made Isabella’s heart skip a beat.
“Isabella,” he whispered. “It is late, what are you doing here?”
She glanced behind her quickly to check that no one was around, then stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.
“Forgive me for intruding on you, Sebastian, but I had to see you,” she said softly. “I felt that I could not wait another moment until I was with you again.”
He smiled. “I feel quite the same, you know, almost every minute of the day, but I had thought that our nighttime antics had caused quite enough trouble already …”
Isabella giggled. “Well, we are to be married in a few days’ time. What is the worst that can happen?”
He looked at her intensely, then reached out and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “I swear that you become more beautiful each time I see you,” he breathed. “I thought that when I saw you riding towards me in the field this morning, I had never seen a finer sight, but now, when I see you like this, with the candlelight reflected in your eyes …” He paused and reached out to stroke her cheek tenderly. “I do not know what I have done to deserve a woman as wonderful as you, Isabella.”
She shook her head in amazement. “I feel just the same about you.”
The touch of his hand on her cheek made her skin tingle. The soft glow of the candlelight illuminated his face and she thought he had never looked more handsome. A surge of desire flooded through her. “Sebastian …”
He held her gaze for a moment then pressed his lips against hers and kissed her softly.
She sighed and parted her lips, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth. His hands began to move across her body, slowly at first, then with increasing passion.
She responded in kind, feeling almost surprised by the fervency of her desire for him. He was dressed only in a shirt and breeches, and she found that she could not stop herself from pulling at his clothes, wanting to feel the nakedness of his skin underneath.
He laughed, a soft, low sound that made her smile, then pulled back from her. He unravelled her shawl from around her shoulders, threw it on the floor, then slipped his hands underneath her night dress, and pulled it over her head swiftly.
She gasped at the feeling of being almost naked before him. But before she had the chance to reach up and tug at his shirt, he had removed her underthings, and now she stood bare before him. He stepped back and gazed at her. The feeling of his eyes on her made her whole body thrum with anticipation of his touch.
He reached out and ran his hand over her shoulders, her breasts. She shivered with pleasure. But she could bear it no longer, not being able to touch him. She moved forward and began to unbutton his shirt. Before long, his muscular torso was bare, and she pressed her body against his, sighing with pleasure when their skin met. His body was warm and it felt like coming home, being close to him.
“Lie down on the bed,” he whispered, and she turned to look at the rumpled bed in the middle of the room. She obeyed him, lying on her back, with her head on the downy pillows. The sheets were soft and carried the musky scent of Sebastian. She breathed in deeply, wanting to enjoy every second.
