Smiling, he pulled her head down onto his shoulder and held her to him. “If we stayed here, I’d do my best to run the Kingsley family business, and I would send your sisters-in-law to Lanconia, where they’d be treasured as wives. I would buy and sell ships and—”
“What about us?” Toby asked.
“We’d have six children. At least that many. You could grow acres of flowers and fill the houses with them.”
It all sounded so wonderful that Toby was afraid to move, scared that everything would disappear in a second.
“Do you like the idea?” he asked as he stroked her hair and ran his hand over her neck.
“We won’t have a choice,” she said, evading giving an answer. “I’m sure we’re here for a purpose. I wonder why? Maybe Tabby and Garrett have a child who saves the world. Maybe Lavinia messed with destiny when she forced her daughter to marry Osborne, so now the house has sent us back to right the wrong.”
“That would mean we might leave as soon as it’s sure that they’ll conceive such a child. We say ‘I do’ and poof, we’re gone? Think that’s the plan?”
She heard disappointment in his voice, but also a bit of resignation. She looked up at him. “Maybe we’ll stay longer. Perhaps until the morning after the wedding night.”
That idea brought the smile back to his face and he kissed her.
What started out sweetly soon deepened, and when Graydon rolled on top of her, Toby pulled him closer. She opened her mouth under his as his hand moved over her bare shoulder to the top of her breast.
“Yes,” she murmured as Graydon’s lips moved down to her neck, then lower.
The two of them were so absorbed in what they were doing that they didn’t hear the door open.
“Time for that later” came a voice that made Toby and Graydon reluctantly roll apart. The lawyer, Mr. Farley, was standing in the doorway, a piece of paper in his hand.
Garrett had a physical condition that made him reluctant to stand up. “Give me a minute,” he said as he sat up facing the wall.
“Better not take too long,” Mr. Farley said, “or Lavinia may change her mind. Osborne showed up and he’s threatening to sue. Says his reputation has been forever ruined by an ‘Almighty Kingsley.’ He’s offering money for Miss Tabitha.”
“I’ll deal with him. He better not—” Graydon began.
“How much?” Toby asked.
“You can’t be serious!” Graydon said as he came around the bed.
“I’d like to know how much I’m worth, that’s all,” she said.
“Where’s the paper?” Graydon asked and the lawyer handed it to him.
“Careful, the ink isn’t dry yet.”
Graydon scanned it, but the handwriting, so perfect, the s’s made into f’s, was quite difficult to read. The contract said he’d marry Miss Tabitha Lavinia Weber and support all the widowed women in the household, plus the children. A list of names followed. He would build Tabitha “a fine house” on Nantucket and never again go to sea.
Graydon didn’t hesitate as he asked for a pen and ink. He had a bit of trouble with the quill, but he signed it as Garrett Kingsley. He handed it to the lawyer, who witnessed it, then held out his arm toward the door.
“Are you ready?” Mr. Farley asked.
Toby went first, Graydon behind her, then the lawyer.
“Are you sure you want to take on Lavinia Weber as a mother-in-law?” Mr. Farley quietly asked Graydon. “The woman will make your life miserable. Wouldn’t you rather head out to a nice raging storm at sea?”
“I’d rather have Tabitha,” Graydon said firmly.
“Your brother Caleb is the only sensible one in your family. He would never lose his head over a woman.”
As Graydon started down the stairs, he gave a snort of derision. “Has my brother met Valentina yet?”
“Why, no … I don’t think he has. She arrived after he sailed.”
“Ah,” Graydon said. “In a month tell me again what my brother says about love.”
At the bottom of the stairs a dozen people were waiting to greet them, and he and Toby were separated. For all that the marriage was a hurried affair and in some ways forced, everyone knew it was a match of True Love, and they were glad of it. No one had wanted to see pretty little Tabitha married to Silas Osborne. The day had been joyous, with the marriage of Parthenia and John Kendricks, and now this new excitement. The island would be talking about it for years to come.
Graydon was surrounded by people he didn’t know and half pushed, half led down Main Street to the church.
All the wedding guests, even the original bride and groom, were there—and everyone was happily flushed from a lot of food and even more drink. Some of the men had their heads on the back of the benches and were snoring. If each man’s wife didn’t punch him awake, someone used a tall candle snuffer to reach out to do the job.
It was dark out, but enough candles were lit to give the church a glow that was soft and beautiful.
Graydon was positioned at the front of the church and Rory came to stand beside him.
“I figure you’d rather have Caleb but no one can find him.”
“He’s probably locked away somewhere with a keg of rum,” Graydon said. Rory nodded in understanding.
Valentina came down the aisle carrying the same bouquet she’d held a few hours earlier for Parthenia’s wedding.
Behind her came Toby in her dress that a queen had worn. Graydon knew there had never been a more beautiful sight in his life. She was on the arm of an older man whom he didn’t recognize.
When they stopped at the front, Graydon stepped forward to take Toby’s hand.
The words spoken by the pastor were different, but when Graydon pledged his love, his care, and his worldly goods to Tabitha, he meant every word he spoke.
As for Toby, she seemed a bit hesitant at first, but then she smiled and repeated her vows to him.
Rory handed them rings to exchange. “Jeweler was already here,” he said to Graydon’s questioning eyes.
“Would that it were a lavender diamond,” Graydon whispered as he slipped the narrow gold ring on Toby’s finger. It fit perfectly.
She closed her hand around it. She liked it just as it was.
After the ceremony, everyone on the island seemed to be happy—except for Lavinia, who still thought Garrett would renege and go back to the sea. She kept muttering, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
As soon as they got back to Kingsley House, the second newly married couple was kept apart with everyone toasting them and whisking Toby into dances. Girls gathered around Graydon to tease him about the coming night.
At one point he escaped long enough to go to a long table to get a mug of homemade beer. Valentina stopped beside him.
“I’m so glad you saved Tabby,” she said. “She was willing to sacrifice herself but it would have been a miserable marriage.”
“Very bad,” Graydon said, looking at her. She was exactly like Victoria, only years younger. Between her face and her outrageous figure, a lot of which was exposed by the low-cut neckline of the dress, he could understand why Captain Caleb had mistaken her for a lady of the evening. And if his time calculations were correct, she was the only one who knew that he was locked in the attic with no clothes.
“You wouldn’t know what happened to my brother Caleb, would you?”
Valentina looked away. “I’m afraid I’ve never been introduced to him.”
Graydon could see that her neck was turning red and the color was spreading upward.
“I was just thinking that after our lengthy sea voyage it might be good for him to have some time alone, time to remember that he’s no longer the commander of men.”
Valentina looked at Graydon with widened eyes, as though trying to figure out what he knew.
He lowered his voice. “Whatever you do, don’t give in to him. Show him that you’re worth more than all the seven seas combined.”
Valentina just stood there s
taring, unable to speak.
Graydon put down his empty mug. “Excuse me while I go dance with my bride.” He caught Toby’s hand and pulled her away from a little man who looked old enough to be her grandfather.
The wedding guests were lining up on two sides as they prepared to go into some complicated dance that required everyone to know the steps. When the fast, energetic music of the dance started, Toby pulled away to go to the women’s side, but Graydon wouldn’t release her hand. “We have to—” she began.
But he pulled her into his arms in the traditional form of a waltz—a dance that wouldn’t come to the U.S. for several years—and began to glide her about the room. Everyone stopped and stared at the scandalous close-body movement. The musicians quit playing, then frantically tried to come up with a tune that fit what the dancers were doing. The other guests stepped back to give the young couple room.
Graydon and Toby were dancing as they had before the dinner party—which now seemed so very long ago. A lifetime, centuries.
Toby closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sensation of being held by Graydon and of dancing with him.
When the music stopped, they reluctantly broke apart. He bowed to her and she curtsied to him.
When they looked away from each other, they saw how much they’d shocked the guests. But it didn’t last long. For all that these people lived on an island, they were very worldly. Their houses were filled with artifacts from the far corners, brought back from their travels.
It was Valentina who first applauded, and the others followed.
Graydon took Toby’s hand and didn’t let go as he led her to the front door. He’d had enough of being with other people and he wanted to be alone with her. Once they were outside, he stopped to breathe. Now where did they go?
“I was told that NEVER TO SEA AGAIN had been cleared out for the evening. For us,” Toby said, her voice hesitant. “But do you think you and I should take advantage of this night? After all, it isn’t really ours.” When she looked up at him, he had such an expression of Are you serious? that she laughed.
They held hands tightly as they walked to the house. As seemed to always be the case, the door was standing open.
“If we go in, we might find ourselves at home again,” Toby said. “Maybe we shouldn’t—”
Graydon’s answer was to sweep Toby into his arms and carry her across the threshold into the house. For a moment he stood still. In the twenty-first century the house was nearly empty and it looked old and long unused. But what surrounded them now was a much newer house full of the needs of a large family. It was dark but they could see flowered wallpaper and furniture and children’s wooden toys on the floor.
“Come on, Rhett,” Toby said, “take me to bed.”
Laughing, Graydon carried her up the stairs. At the top he saw that the bedroom connected to the little library had been prepared for them. Candles were lit and there were flowers everywhere.
When he put Toby down she couldn’t help opening the door of the library. Moonlight shone through the window enough that she could see the room was exactly as she’d envisioned it. The shelves were full of leather-bound books.
Graydon came to stand behind her. “Shall we hide all the books under the floorboards and dig them out two hundred years from now?”
“They wouldn’t hold up,” she said. “Damp and dust and mice and … No, no hiding of anything.” Turning, she looked up at him. “I don’t know how long we have before all this ends, but while we’re here I just want us to be together. No prince and commoner. No—”
He put his finger over her lips. “Never say that.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do.” He stroked her temple and smoothed back her hair. “Are you sure about this?”
She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Very, very sure.”
For a moment his eyes searched hers and he seemed to be looking for reassurance.
He gently kissed her cheek, then her neck. His hand touched the shoulder of her dress and pushed it down an inch. He was so very gentle, so very sweet.
It was nice, Toby thought. She liked his kisses, liked being so close to him, but something was missing. Where was the man who’d stood up to Lavinia and told her how it was going to be? Where was the man who’d tossed her around in their boxing classes? Where was the passion?!
She didn’t have to ask to know the answer. It was her blasted virginity that she’d held on to for so long. There were many times when she’d wished she lost it on prom night like most of the other girls. But her date had expected it, so she couldn’t bring herself to give in, then later …
Toby stepped back to look at him. What she was seeing was Prince Graydon of Lanconia. His eyes were alight, but he was reserved, holding back, probably because he was afraid of hurting her. Sometimes, she thought, men needed a little help.
She turned her back to him and lifted her hair. “Would you please untie the back of this dress?” she asked rather formally.
“Yes, certainly,” he said, just as formally. She let the beautiful gown slip to the floor.
One thing she’d learned this week was that historical clothing might be a bit dowdy on the outside—no hot pants or tank tops—but what was underneath was worthy of a stripper.
Turning to face him, she let him see her in the corset that Jilly had helped her into. Her breasts were pushed high up, the pink tips half showing. Her waist was pulled into a tiny circle and below that was a petticoat of cotton so transparent you could read through it. White silk hose covered her legs only to mid thigh, tied with garters with pink ribbons.
Toby had the delicious, soul-satisfying pleasure of watching Prince Graydon completely disappear. In his place was a man who was consumed with lust. For her.
He didn’t speak but grabbed her about the waist and lifted her off the floor as his mouth met hers, his tongue exploring, thrusting. His lips, his hands, seemed to be all over her body at once.
It took Toby a few moments to react. The sensation of him, of what he was doing to her body, seemed to change her from human to a flaming column of desire.
While he kissed her, his hand went down to caress her thighs. When she went limp in his arms, he picked her up and put her on the bed.
In seconds, his coat was off, then his big white shirt. Years of training had given him a chest delineated by muscle—and all of it on top of those tight trousers that slid down into knee-high leather boots.
“Now I know why the Regency ladies swooned,” Toby said, and Graydon gave her a grin that was appropriately rakish.
He took a few seconds to pull off the boots, then he stretched out beside her and very slowly began to undress her, covering every inch of newly exposed skin with his lips. Stockings and garters went first, then he slowly rolled the half-slip down her body to expose her modern underpants. Toby couldn’t help thinking that she’d discovered why Regency women didn’t wear anything beneath the slips. Between her corset and his tight trousers, there was an urgency created that made excess undergarments an unnecessary hindrance.
Toby ran her hands over Graydon’s chest, his arms, marveling at the hardness of his muscles, the curves of his body: so male to her female. She ran her hands down his body, over the backside of him, felt the power of him.
Feeling greatly daring, she moved a hand to the front and he groaned at her touch. She’d heard and seen all that she thought she should know, but the reality of it was different. She liked the way her touch made Graydon react.
“Toby,” he whispered, “I can’t wait much longer.”
All she could do was nod. She wasn’t going to let him know that she was a bit afraid of this unknown event.
He slid his trousers off and she was nude from the waist down. When he entered her, her eyes widened in surprise. She’d heard so much about the pain of the first time, but all she felt was pleasure.
“Am I hurting you?” he whispered.
“No,” she said. “Oh, that’s lo
vely.” He was slowly moving inside her. Gently at first and watching to see if she was hurt. But Toby put her head back and gave herself over to Graydon’s long, deep, slow thrusts.
Gradually, something inside her began to react and she raised her hips to let him deeper inside her. She was awkward but Graydon’s hands cupped her buttocks and held her, then guided her as she began to move with him.
“Oh!” she said. “Oh, yes!” She opened her eyes to see him smiling at her, but then his eyes changed, darkened, he buried his face in her neck, and seconds later his body stiffened. Groaning, he collapsed against her.
Toby lay close to Graydon, snuggled in his arms. It was nearly dawn and there was a blueish light seeping in around the closed wooden shutters. They’d made love all night, exploring, caressing, holding each other. Weeks of being close but forbidden to touch had left them with an insatiable need to hold, to feel, to caress, just to be together.
There were minutes during the night when Toby had wanted to talk, to ask questions of Graydon, but the feel of him removed all words from her mind. Besides, Graydon was showing her other things to do with her lips besides talk.
Now, at dawn, they were clinging to each other. The question of What happens now? hung between them.
Graydon untangled himself and got out of bed to open a shutter. The light nearly blinded her and she put her arm over her eyes. When she peeped through them she had a glance of a nude Graydon before he threw back the covers to expose an equally nude Toby.
Her first instinct was to cover herself, but she didn’t. He sat down on the side of the bed and she lay there quietly while he looked at her from toes to head. When he reached her face, he smiled at her, then gently turned her onto her stomach.
He ran his hand over her body and stopped along her left side. He caressed her ribs, and bent over and ran his lips along her side. “How did this happen?” he asked softly, sympathy in his voice.
“I was born with it,” Toby said, perplexed by his tone. Were a few pale birthmarks offensive to him?
“This isn’t …” he began but stopped. “Can you feel this?”