Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

“ I saw the whole thing,” the Duke of Seymour was saying in his serious, calm voice as Stephen finally reached the party surrounding where Elizabeth had fallen.

His calm tones made Stephen’s heart ease a little, surely he would not be standing there speaking so calmly if Elizabeth were dying. As he approached he could see Herbert bent over Elizabeth, who was propped against a tree and made comfortable with coats bundled into pillows, listening to the Duke as he carefully fed Elizabeth small sips of brandy from a flask to strengthen her.

“I lost track of Lord Barnes shortly after we set out,” Seymour continued, severely. He was speaking loud enough to be heard by the whole company who had gathered, the women and the arriving gentry who had been intended to join them for the later shoot. Stephen thought that this was planned, it was well known how little love there was lost between the Barnes and Wilkins family and Seymour was ensuring that a neutral party was being heard to throw his support behind Stephen and his family so there could be no doubt about what had happened.

He felt a sharp twist of gratitude for his political rival. He had always known that Seymour was an inherently frank man, someone who did what he did because he earnestly believed it, but he had never before appreciated how his sense of justice would drive him to do what he thought was right before.

“He had been acting strangely all morning,” Seymour was saying as Stephen slowed his pace on approach. “Quite unlike himself, quiet and distracted. He left me in the woods, but I had an uneasy feeling about what was going on so I attempted to find him. I am sorry I was not in time to stop him, Westall,” he said to Stephen sincerely.

“Not at all, Seymour,” he said, knowing that he was a picture of dishevelment, his clothes muddied and bruises on his face. “It is not your responsibility to police the behavior of Lord Barnes. I am grateful you were able to see enough of what happened to be able to assist the magistrate when he arrives.”

“I shall be glad to,” Seymour said. “I arrived in time to see him trying to shoot you without provocation, and I will openly swear to it before any court of law.”

Stephen nodded to him and offered his hand, which Seymour took and shook firmly.

“Your brother is an evil of the kind that not even I had imagined,” Herbert was saying to Elizabeth, who was a little more aware now and holding her arm tightly. “I cannot imagine it was easy to grow up in the same house as him.”

“No,” she said softly, her eyes seeking out Stephen’s own. He saw something there that made his heart swell, something of warmth and - more. “No, it was not easy.”

“I have also not been easy to get along with,” Herbert said softly. “I know I have been cold and distant and suspicious, Your Grace. I cannot express my regret to you. You saved my brother. I will owe you my gratitude for all my life.”

“I am glad he has a brother who will protect him as well as you do,” Elizabeth said, a kindness from her that Herbert had clearly not expected for he was speechless in response.

It was something they had needed but now that what they needed to say was said, Stephen strode forwards and scooped Elizabeth into his arms. “Pardon my intrusion, brother, but my wife needs her bed and a doctor.”

“She has been scored in her shoulder, Stephen,” Herbert said, standing up. “It is not deep, but it has bled most profoundly.”

Stephen nodded, relief surging through him. It was not the kind of wound that might sweep her from him with a fever in the night. “Send for the physician and I leave you in charge of Lord Barnes. Men have gone to summon the magistrate, but he may want to send the matter on to London, no doubt the royal family will want answers.”

Herbert nodded and Stephen turned, and not caring for the party or the onlooking eyes, strode off towards the estate with Elizabeth’s head pillowed on his breast.

It was his room he took her to in the end. His room where she should have been all this time, near his heart and in his arms. As he placed her on the bed she whimpered a little and he hurried to put pillows under her shoulders, propping her up.

“I don’t want you to ever do that again,” he said softly.

“I promise I shall never go hunting with you and protect you from my brother’s shotgun again,” she said, her voice a little weak still but a smile on her face. “I do not think I shall have need to.”

“You know what I mean,” he growled, kneeling down beside the bed and pressing their foreheads together. “I nearly lost my mind, Elizabeth. I thought you had died.”

“And I thought you would be shot because you were next to me,” she said, voice wavering. “I thought that I had finally killed you with the bad luck I bring behind me wherever I go! I would never have recovered from it, Stephen, I could not let it happen!”

“What your family does is not your fault,” Stephen said, caressing her cheek with one hand. “I will never hold it against you, do you hear me?”

“But this all - it’s all happened because you married me!”

“No, it all happened because I wanted peace. Dudley would have aimed his shot at me no matter what you had done, and have you forgotten my wife how little choice you had in the matter? No, you are blameless here.”

“But you were poisoned instead of me,” she blurted, her cheeks flushing as he looked at her in surprise. “Oh I know I was not supposed to know it, but I have been lying to myself for long enough to be able to tell when I am doing it again. It was not your food that Annie was always trying to get access to.”

Stephen closed his eyes. “It is true,” he said softly. “But she did not know that the poison was lethal, my dear. And I would rather survive such a thing myself than have had you die of it.”

“No, I will not have you hurt for me,” Elizabeth caught at his hands, bringing them a little apart so she could look into his eyes. “You don’t understand, Stephen, I ached when I thought I had lost you! It was -”

“It was like dying myself,” Stephen finished. “I felt the same when I thought I had lost you. It made me feel -”

“Hollow?” she offered.

“Feral,” he said. “Alone. Angry. Lost. Grieved.”

Elizabeth traced his jaw with a finger. “What does that mean?”

“I think you know,” he said, catching her hand and kissing it. “I think you feel the same.”

“I want to hear it.”

“I love you,” he said, not in a whisper but loudly, loud enough that she would know how fiercely he meant it. “I love you, Elizabeth. I have loved you for some time I think.”

Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she pressed her lips together and ducked her head to rest on his shoulder. “I love you too,” she said softly, muffled. “I loved you a little I think the first time you defended me from Dudley. I knew it for sure when I rested in your arms after our night together. I knew my heart was beating for you alone.”

“Oh my darling,” Stephen brought her face up and pressed his lips to hers, searing their mouths together in his desperation to show her how much she meant to him. She was his everything, his world .

She melted against him, her arms coming around him and her lips opening sweetly under his own. He tangled one hand in her hair, deepening the kiss and thrilling at the soft desperate noise she made below him. How had he ever gotten so lucky as to have the love of this woman? She was remarkable in every way.

His crip on her tightened and she hissed. He immediately drew back, panting. “My love, your arm -”

“It is but a flesh wound,” she said, her lips tilted upwards. “I need you, Stephen. I have been so scared for you, for us. I need you to show me that everything is all right. Please.”

Stephen found his mouth on hers before realizing he’d done so. It was natural, inevitable, like breathing. “I’m here my love,” he murmured against her lips. “You have me, as I have you.”

Elizabeth whimpered into him, her body arcing up against his seemingly of its own will. “Stephen,” she whispered, and kissed him. “Stephen, Stephen.” His hot mouth was on her neck and she let loose one of those embarrassing noises from the other night only to realize she wasn’t embarrassed. That she could never be embarrassed by anything that passed between them like this.

“Elizabeth,” he said rawly, looking at her with the wild eyes of a man who had had to physically tear himself away. “Elizabeth we can’t. You’re injured…”

“It’s just a graze,” she cut in. “It barely hurts. Please, I need you, please.”

Stephen groaned low in his throat “You are going to be the death of me.” But then his mouth was back on hers, and they were crashing together like waves on the beaches she’d only ever read about, losing themselves in the flood of need.

Removing her dress was quite impossible like this but Stephen pushed up her skirts, and she gasped as the air kissed her heated flesh. Stephen’s hand trailed up her leg, over stocking and ribboned garter to bare thigh and places more intimate yet. Elizabeth tossed back her head, another raw noise of need tearing its way free, and Stephen moaned as if she was the one with her hands on him and not his fingers driving her to distraction.

“I love you,” Stephen said, his voice so serious Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at him. He was gazing down at her with a perfect storm of emotions in his blue eyes “You have changed everything for me, and now I find that I cannot do this without you. I cannot be the Duke without you as my Duchess. I need you Elizabeth.”

“I love you too,” she said, voice thick with the flood of emotions he had engendered in her. “You have changed everything for me too Stephen. I need you.”

Stephen smiled at her then, and leaned down to kiss her gently. “Against my better judgement,” he said. “I’m willing to give us what we both desire, but you must promise me that you will be as still as you can. I would not have you harm yourself for all the world, my love. Be still, and let me take care of you.”

Something about his words send a warm pulse of desire through her and she closed her eyes. “Yes, I can do that,” she said, and felt the shock of realization that it was true. She could let someone else, she could let Stephen take care of her. His large, warm hands cupped her face and she could hear the smile in his voice as he said “good. Let me know if it hurts.”

Elizabeth opened her eyes and watched him as he freed himself from his breeches and carefully positioned himself above her. It seemed he had determined to keep his shirt on and when she pointed it out he laughed, a little ruefully.

“The doctor will be arriving soon my love, best not get entirely undressed and keep him waiting even longer when he does. Besides, tis only fair is it not? After all, your upper body remains covered.”

It was Elizabeth’s turn to laugh here, remembering how she’d chafed him about fairness and nudity that first time they’d made love. “Very fair, my love. Now, please , put us both out of our misery.”

It seemed that final please was the magic one because Stephen finally eased his way inside her, both of them groaning in mingled relief and pleasure. It felt just as good as the first time, better even, his body fitting into hers like they were made for each other, and when his hand slipped between them she writhed.

“Careful my love,” Stephen teased, his fingers slowly tracing circles that matched the gentle thrusts inside her. “You wouldn’t want me to have to stop, would you?”

Elizabeth made a noise that was half frustration, half pleasure. “Oh, you really are a very annoying man.”

Stephen laughed against her ear before his tongue snaked out to lick around the shell. “The most annoying. The worst. Perhaps I should remove myself from your presence. I’m sure aggravation can’t be good for your health right now.”

“Don’t you dare,” she growled, before another moan escaped her lips. “Don’t stop Stephen, don’t stop.”

“I won’t sweetheart,” he said, “Not unless you ask.”

The movement of him inside, his fingers stroking her so gently, so insistently made her breath catch in her chest. She felt herself rising to a peak of ecstasy driven with the flaming touches of his hands on her skin, his thrusting, the pressure of him on top of her - oh it was all so much, too much and she was holding herself so still for hm, just little gasps coming from her as he sped up so so carefully.

“Please -” she gasped out. “Love, my love, please. Please.”

“I’m here,” he rasped back in her ear, his muscles tight under her hand, their tension a testament to how he was keeping himself in reign to ensure that he was careful with her. “I have you my darling. Let yourself go.”

She tipped her head back as he angled his thrusts more insistently, his fingers circling the place where all the pleasure of her body seemed to center, keeping pace with his movement. She was surging towards that place of complete oblivion. A cry, wordless, desperate tore from her lips and he clutched her to himself and thrust, once - twice - again before he finished as well, the two of them tumbling over into ecstasy together.

He pressed a kiss, beautiful and sweet against her lips. “I am yours,” he murmured. “As you are mine.” His chest was heaving and his voice was still hoarse with exertion but there was a new warmth, a love in his voice that made her dizzy with joy.

“I am yours,” she echoed, her whole being flush with joy. “I am. I truly am.”

No matter what happened next, they had found each other at last.

She had longed for so long to have someone who would love her, who would care about her and he had wanted so long for peace and for justice. Neither of them would ever want for someone at their side, someone to support them into the future and to hold their hand. They would be each other’s, always.