She was crying in earnest now, for herself, for Ralph, for Helene. She had no thought other than to get away and she hurried on, walking and running by turns. The steady rain soaked her, mingling with the tears that would not stop. The very heavens seemed to be crying in sympathy.
Lucy barely saw Hobart’s Bridge as she ran across it, great gasping sobs racking her body. She wanted Ralph more than she had ever wanted anything in the world before, but only if he wanted her. She would not be a substitute for his wife. The thought brought on more tears, this time for the man she had left behind. If his love for Helene was only a fraction of what she was feeling, how on earth did he bear it, day after day?
The violence of her grief could not last and when it began to abate she became conscious of her situation on the open moor, exposed to the elements. Her thin muslin gown was soaked through and the heavy rain was creating a thick grey mist that reverberated with the almost continuous roll of thunder. Lucy could see no more than a few yards in any direction and looked about her, wondering which way to go.
A solitary figure appeared out of the mist. Ralph.
Lightning flickered. She wanted to run, but what was the point? He was so close now there could be no escape. She waited for him to come up, flinching a little as the thunder crashed loudly overhead.
‘The storm is getting closer,’ he said urgently. ‘We need to take shelter. The rocks are nearest.’
Lucy made no protest as he took her arm and hurried her towards Druids Rock. Rivulets of muddy water ran along the path and in some disconnected part of her mind she was aware that her muslin skirts were no longer cream but brown as high as the knee. Soon Ralph was leading her off the main path and up the narrow track to the rocks themselves. He pulled her through a small gap between two of the stones and into a small, dry cavity. It was too low to stand and they knelt on the earth floor, staring out at the rain.
‘We should be safe enough here.’ Ralph shrugged himself out of his greatcoat and put it around Lucy’s shoulders. ‘These rocks have stood thus for thousands of years. They won’t collapse upon us.’ Lightning flashed outside, followed so quickly by the thunder that Lucy jumped. Immediately, Ralph’s arm was around her. He said lightly, ‘I said women go to pieces in an electrical storm. Is that why you ran away from me? Were you frightened?’
She bowed her head, too numbed to dissemble.
‘Not by the thunder. I could not bear it, to be in your arms, knowing all the time you were thinking of your wife.’
‘That is not why I kissed you.’
She managed a sad little smile.
‘No. You wanted to comfort me. That was very kind, but—’
‘Kind!’ He gripped her shoulders and turned her towards him. ‘By heaven, I was not being kind, Lucy. I have never been kind to you, more’s the pity. I kissed you because I wanted to do so, because that is all I have wanted to do ever since I brought you to Adversane.’
His voice was harsh, and she peered through the gloom at him, trying to see his expression and understand what he was saying. He let her go, sitting back on his heels.
‘It is true I hired you because of your resemblance to Helene, but I soon discovered that you are nothing like her. She never touched my heart as you do, Lucy. She was stunningly beautiful, yes, but there was nothing behind those blue eyes. At least, not for me.’ He took one of her hands and stared down at it, saying quietly, ‘I always believed I was not the kind to fall in love, but I was wrong. Since you have been in the house you have turned my world upside down. You question and challenge and stand up to me as an equal. You have invaded my head, Lucy Halbrook, but you have also touched me here.’ He pulled her hand against his chest. ‘That was why I want to kiss you, why I love you. Not because you are similar to Helene, but because you are different.’
Lucy could feel his heart thudding through the damp cloth of his waistcoat. She put her free hand on his shoulder, closed the distance between them and kissed him. She had intended it to be a gentle kiss, full of comfort and reassurance, but when their lips met the searing bolt that passed between them was as great as any electrical storm. She clung to him, almost swooning as his mouth worked over hers, his tongue flickering, caressing, calling up the now-familiar desire from deep in her core. There was no grace, no delicacy—just a passionate, urgent desire that drove them on. They began to tear off their wet clothing between a series of hot, breathless kisses.
Lucy’s thin muslin gown was soaked through and had to be peeled away, leaving her body slick and wet. Ralph’s greatcoat had slipped from her shoulders and once they had discarded their clothes he pulled Lucy down onto it. A shiver of delight ran through her when she felt his naked limbs pressed against her own and smelled the salty dampness of his skin. He wrapped her in his arms, covering her face and neck with kisses. When his hand began to caress her breast, she strained towards him. His hand slid away, and she felt his mouth on the hard nub he had aroused, sucking and teasing until she was moaning with the delightful torture of it. She dug her nails into his shoulders as he continued the delicious torment and when she pulled his head up so that she could kiss his lips again, his fingers continued their restless assault, moving down, stroking her thighs, caressing her so intimately that she arched, gasping against his mouth.
Ripples of delight were pulsing through her, growing ever stronger. Her body softened. She was opening like a flower, laying her soul bare to this man who could wreak such havoc with her senses. She was no longer in control; her body was responding to Ralph’s demanding fingers as they stroked and circled and eased her to the very edge of ecstasy.
She cried out when he entered her, a tiny pain, followed by the slow building of pleasure again as he moved within her, slow steady strokes that had her crying out with delight. She had never felt such elation. Instinctively, she moved with him, matching his rhythm, the momentum carrying them higher and higher until at last they crested in a joyful union. The world shattered—Lucy heard Ralph shout, and she screamed, afraid that she was falling, only to feel herself held close, safely wrapped in his arms.
* * *
They lay together, bodies entwined, cocooned in a peace of their own making while the storm raged on outside. Ralph closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his body relaxed. He felt an immense satisfaction, but he was also somewhat stunned by the ferocity of their passion. Lucy had returned kiss for kiss, and if her lovemaking was a little inexpert it had been no less ardent and arousing. His sense of contentment deepened. She had much to learn, and he would enjoy teaching her. No doubt he, too, would learn a great deal in the process. She stirred and turned towards him, one arm slipping over his chest while her lips nibbled at his neck.
‘Has the thunder been that loud all the time?’ she murmured.
‘Yes.’
‘I did not notice.’
‘Shall I take that as a compliment?’
She laughed softly, a low, delicious sound that stirred his desire.
‘I hardly know,’ she replied demurely. ‘After all, I have no experience with which to compare what we have just done.’
Any remaining lethargy disappeared. He rolled over and pinned her beneath him.
‘Then you should believe me when I tell you that was very good.’
‘I should?’ Even in the dim light he could see the mischief in her eyes. She moved slightly, and his body reacted immediately. He was tense and coiled like a spring again, ready for action. Her smile told him she was perfectly aware of the effect she was having, and she murmured provocatively, ‘Perhaps you should show me again, my lord.’
Growling, Ralph stifled her laugh with a kiss. She responded eagerly, but this time there was no urgency to complete their union. He covered every part of her body with kisses. Her reactions delighted him, and she was eager to please him, too, exploring him with her hands and her mouth, learning quickly how to enslave him until he dragged her