‘Did anyone see you?’
Regina shook her head, still gripping him tightly. ‘They were too worried about you to even think about me. When Lord Cairnross showed up at my door, he unlocked it and took me outside the servants’ entrance.’
‘Thank God,’ he breathed. To his grandfather he added, ‘Well done, sailor.’ His grandfather saluted him, leaning back in the coach with pride.
Regina kept her hand in Dalton’s, so thankful that he was here with her now. She could hardly tear her gaze from his, and when they arrived at his father’s residence, he led her up the stairs to his bedchamber.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked, when they were alone. ‘Did anyone hurt you?’ He reached out and touched the bruise on her cheek.
She shook her head. ‘It’s nothing serious. Just a few bruises.’
‘This looks like someone hit you.’ His thumb caressed the spot, but she caught his hand.
‘I don’t want to think of that now. I’m home safe, with you. That’s all that matters.’ She brought his arms to her waist and rested her arms around his neck. Right now, she refused to consider what lay ahead or what scandal could impede their happiness. Instead, she needed to be in his arms, to let him know how much he meant to her.
‘Let me defend you, Regina,’ he murmured against her hair. ‘With whatever lies ahead.’
She lifted her face to his and kissed him. ‘I was wrong to leave you. And whatever happens, we will stay together,’ she promised.
He undressed her slowly, and she did the same to him, savouring each touch. It felt like an eternity since he’d held her, and she welcomed the hard lines of his body against hers.
‘I am sorry for pushing you away,’ she said. ‘I thought at the time, that I was protecting you from the scandal. I never meant to doubt your ability to defend me.’
His hands moved over her bare breasts, and she gave a soft cry as her body grew aroused to his touch. ‘The danger’s not over yet. Mallencourt wants to overturn the coroner’s cause of death.’
She had suspected as much, but hearing it brought the terror only closer. ‘Do you think he can?’
Dalton trailed his mouth down her throat, his hands sliding lower. ‘He can try. But I won’t let him hurt you, Regina.’ His mouth closed over her breast as he parted her legs. She gripped his hair, raising up her knees as she grew wet with need. ‘And when this is over, I want you to marry me.’
He entered her in one swift stroke. Her body welcomed him inside, and her heart was so filled with love and fear for the future, she could hardly bear it. ‘I will,’ she promised.
He clasped her hands in his, and his green eyes held the intensity of a lifetime. Slowly, he made love to her, and with every stroke, she felt their bodies becoming one. ‘I don’t want to die, Dalton. Please...don’t let them bring charges against me.’
‘I won’t let anything happen,’ he swore. ‘I will hire attorneys for you, if needed...but it is my hope that nothing is overturned, and we will put an end to it.’
To underscore his words, he seized her hips and thrust deeply inside. She squeezed him within and wrapped her legs around his waist. He quickened his pace, and she felt her breathing mimic his thrusts. As he penetrated her, she felt herself rising higher, straining as he pushed her to the edge.
‘I love you, Regina,’ he said. Over and over, he took her, and he demanded, ‘Let yourself go. I want to watch you reach the edge.’
He ground against her, and the contact was a searing touch that fisted inside her and then shattered into a thousand pieces. She clenched his length as she shuddered, and he rode her release, echoing her pleasure when he took his own. She heard his groan against her lips as he emptied himself and collapsed atop her.
‘I love you,’ she whispered. ‘And I have faith in you.’
He held her close, but neither knew what the future would bring. They lay together in the darkness, and she asked, ‘Was there any word from Anne?’
He shook his head. ‘She refused to accept my call a few days ago. Which was not surprising.’
‘What will you do about her?’ She traced her hand over his hard shoulder, marvelling at his lines of strength.
‘Sidney thinks I should leave it alone. I disagree.’ He caught her hand and brought it to his heart. Beneath her fingers, she could feel the beating, and she pressed a kiss to his bare skin.
‘I am going to meet with an attorney before we go to the magistrate. He will represent you and ensure that we follow the law. I believe that, in the end, we can prevail.’
She didn’t voice her fears, for there were two enemies against her—Mallencourt and Lady Anne. Though she wanted to keep faith that there was a chance of acquittal, a part of her feared the worst. She had heard of women who had been hanged for murder. A cold chill flooded through her at the thought. She didn’t want to die—especially when she had been a victim of Mallencourt’s violence.
A tremble caught her, and she clutched at the thin coverlet. If Anne had been the blackmailer, why would she turn against her? Regina had mistakenly believed that they were friends. Though she had known of her friend’s poverty, never had she imagined that their friendship was false.
What had Anne witnessed? Had she truly been there that night, waiting for her? Or was that a lie, too? She didn’t know. Though she tried to sleep, it would not come. All she could think about was the meeting with the magistrate and whether she would survive the outcome.
‘What of my father?’
