He moved closer and took the reins from her. ‘Are you? Or are you starting to wonder what it would be like between us?’
His presence overshadowed her, though he didn’t touch her at all. It was his voice that had grown seductive, making her skin tighten with interest. ‘Were you wanting to touch me?’ he murmured. ‘Do you want that power, to know how I would respond to your hands upon my skin?’
Her breath seized up in her lungs, and his voice slid over her in an invisible caress. She was aching in secret places, wanting him to kiss her.
‘Do you want me naked in your bed?’ he said softly, moving his mouth to her ear. His warm breath gave her goose bumps, and her mind could not push the image away. She could envision him lying upon the bed, his green eyes burning into hers. And if she touched him, she wondered how it would feel.
His mouth brushed against her cheek in an invitation. ‘All you have to do is open the door between our rooms, Regina. You can have whatever you want from me.’
He gave back the reins to her horse and strode away. She was deeply shaken, uncertain of the feelings coursing through her. It was desire and need. God help her, he had awakened a temptation she’d never imagined. Her heart was racing at the thought of putting her hands upon him or kissing him.
She wanted that. When had he transformed her fear into need? She could hardly bear it, and as he ascended the stairs, she gave the horse to a groom and hurried to catch up with him. Instead of waiting on her, he continued up the stairs. ‘Will I see you later, Dalton?’
‘Perhaps.’ From his demeanour, he didn’t seem to care. ‘Do as you please, Regina. The house is yours.’
But after the door closed behind him, she felt a sense of restlessness. The truth was, she had enjoyed his company. And now she was beginning to realise that there was more to Dalton than she had known. There was a wildness to this man, an untamed Highlander who was more at home in his beloved Scotland then he had ever been in London. It was difficult to reconcile the two sides of the man. And strangely, she found that she was far more intrigued by the Highlander than the gentleman.
Regina desperately needed a distraction right now, or else she might follow him up the stairs. Instead, she decided to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the estate. She walked through the drawing room and the earl’s library, which was full of books. In the dining room, a large table seated twelve, and upon the walls, she saw various oil portraits. One was of the earl and his countess. Another painting was of his brother Brandon. She turned to look, but there was no portrait of Dalton. Strange. Yet, on one wall, there was a bare spot...as if a portrait had been removed.
After she had finished exploring the rooms on the main level, she decided to venture upstairs. Temptation warred within her as she imagined her husband in his rooms, waiting for her.
But she wasn’t ready for that yet. She pushed back her feelings and crossed the hallway beyond their bedrooms. At the far end of the hall, she spied a room apart from the others. She knocked first, and then opened it. The room held a faint aroma of sandalwood. In one corner, a portrait was covered with a cloth. She lifted it gently and saw that it was Brandon again. This must have been his old room.
The bed curtains hung open, and the coverings were dusty, as if they had remained untouched over the years. Inside the wardrobe, she found neatly hung clothes. On the bottom of the wardrobe was a crumpled handkerchief. It was embroidered—and from the looks of it, she guessed it had belonged to the countess.
Strange to see the pieces of a man’s life left behind. Clearly Dalton’s family had tried to keep the memory of their eldest son alive. But what about her husband’s needs? She felt a rise of protective instincts. Where was his portrait? Did they even care about him?
She was about to leave when a stack of letters on the desk caught her attention. The first was addressed to Dalton. Regina knew it wasn’t right, but she couldn’t stop herself from reaching for it.
Dear Brother,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am trapped in London while Father insists that I learn everything about being an earl.
I would much rather climb trees or go fishing with you. I envy the freedom you have. I would trade everything I have if I could be invisible like you.
Regina stopped reading, uncertain of what Brandon had meant by that. Dalton could never be invisible. He was bold and daring, a man filled with zest for life. Everything she wasn’t.
She put the letter down, and suddenly, she realised that she didn’t want to be that woman any more. She didn’t want to be a wallflower, letting life pass her by because she was afraid. Nor did she want a loveless marriage with a man she cared about. He hadn’t touched her, and he’d done everything she’d asked of him, giving her a marriage in name only.
But was that what she wanted now? Earlier, he had issued an invitation, giving her permission to open the door between their walls. What if she dared to reach for a very different sort of marriage?
Regina set down the letter, wondering how to even begin. All she knew was that she couldn’t continue living this way. It was time to change.
Dalton was startled to hear a knock upon his bedroom door. Right now, he was feeling restless and frustrated. But before he could speak, the doorknob turned slightly. ‘Dalton?’ came Regina’s
