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.He released her hand, and, as if possessed of a will of their own, his fingers reached up to wind a soft curl about them."Once we are both married," he said as he twirled her hair, "we will not be able to enjoy such cozy evenings.I suspect that neither Augusta nor Sedge would think kindly of my being forever at your side.I shall miss your conversation.I shall miss our friendship, Emily.""So will I," she whispered.My God, she was irresistible.Before he could control the impulse, Robert reached over and pulled her into his arms, trapping her hands flat against his chest.He gazed down into her eyes for a moment, giving her the chance to push him away.She did not.He lowered his lips to hers.Her lips were soft and yielding as he gently moved his against them.One hand held her head, buried in the silky softness of her hair.He felt her hands creep up his shoulders and slide around his neck, pulling him closer.He shivered at the touch of her fingers in his hair, and he deepened the kiss.She gave a soft moan as he parted her lips with his tongue.His passion flared, and his arms wrapped around her more tightly.Through the thin fabric of his shirt and her dressing gown he felt the softness of her breasts pressed against his chest, and the last vestiges of his control slipped away.He moved one hand to caress her shoulder and inched it down her side until he was cupping her breast.Emily pulled back with a gasp, pushing him away.Her hand flew to her mouth, and she disentangled herself from Robert's arms before abruptly standing up.Damnation, what the devil had got into him?If she hadn't stopped him, he would have made love to her right there on the library sofa.He must be out of his mind."Please, Emily," he said, reaching out for her, "forgive me.I don't know what came over me.It's the wine, I guess.But that's no excuse, of course.I had no right to do that." What was wrong with him? He felt suddenly stupid, not knowing what to say.She stared down at him with wide eyes, her hand still covering her mouth."I'm so sorry, Emily.I swear it won't happen again."She turned without a word and ran from the room.She left the library door open, and Robert heard her soft footsteps as she hurried up the stairs."Bloody hell!" he muttered aloud.What had he done?What he had done was to fall in love with Emily.And his engagement to Augusta was to be celebrated tomorrow.Chapter 18"So, you see, my lord, your suspicions were correct." James Huntspill, a middle-aged man of short stature, receding brown hair, and bright blue eyes, sat facing Lord Bradleigh's desk and handed him some papers from a leather satchel."This is an actual copy of the old earl's will?" Robert asked as he perused the document."Yes, my lord." Huntspill sat on the edge of a straight-backed chair, leaning forward."Chalmers had routinely made copies of many of the old earl's important documents.Very thorough man.He was willing enough to part with it when he realized that his employer's wishes were not being carried out.""Did he know why the old fellow decided to acknowledge his granddaughter after all?""Apparently after his wife died, the earl fell into a decline and became rather melancholy.He began to regret the estrangement from his only daughter, and that he had only the one son left to remember him.His daughter, Miss Townsend's mother, was of course dead by then, as was her husband.So he determined to acknowledge his only granddaughter in his will, to ease his conscience, you might say.""And so he settled thirty thousand pounds on her." Robert shook his head in disbelief."There is the stipulation, of course," Huntspill said."Yes.The thirty thousand pounds is for a marriage settlement only." He studied the will for a moment."If she is not married by the age of thirty, she is to be given a modest annual stipend—I'm sure Miss Townsend would not have considered five hundred a year modest—and the bulk of her inheritance would fall to her uncle and his heirs [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]