Chapter Twenty-Four

F lora oversaw the final touches to the decorations of the ballroom. It had been a miracle to organize the ball in the two weeks since they had concocted their plan. But with the help of her friends and Ailsa, they had sent out invitations to the peerage who remained in Edinburgh for the winter months. They had also decided on a menu and entertainment. Throughout the bustle of activity, they hoped word would spread to the culprit so they would make their next move. Everyone hoped the ball would be a success in ending their nightmare.

Lennox and her brothers had prepared for the outcome by setting diversions for possible scenarios. They had consulted with Somerville, Courtland, and Lockhart about how to lure the villain into their trap. Throughout their scheming, they had refrained from any brawls. Their only goal was to remove the threat in their midst.

However, while everyone planned and schemed, it left Lennox and Flora no opportunity to discuss why he had hidden the letters from her. Nor had they discussed their thoughts about their future. They may have confessed their love, but they hadn’t removed the obstacles in their path. Until they did, Flora was unsure where they stood.

She spent most evenings alone while Lennox and her brothers searched Edinburgh for clues. When they stole a moment together, their passion led them to explore their desires until they fell asleep. Neither of them voiced their fears. They declared their wants and needs through their lovemaking. Hopefully, the evening resolved their issues so they could start fresh with the happiness they held in their hearts.

Ailsa squeezed Flora’s shoulders from behind her. “This is beyond lovely. This evening shall be a grand success.”

Flora nodded. “I hope so. Then this nightmare can end.”

“Then you and Lennox can start fresh with the beginning you deserve.”

Flora turned around. “Do you believe it’s possible?”

Ailsa cocked her head to the side. “Do you still hold doubts?”

Flora shrugged. “I do not want to, but if I am to be honest, a few still linger.”

Ailsa’s inquisitive gaze unsettled Flora. She moved toward the table set up for punch to rearrange the centerpiece of flowers. It wasn’t wise to confess her doubts to Lennox’s sister, but they had grown as close as sisters during the past two weeks. She enjoyed their friendship and hoped her honesty wouldn’t destroy their bond.

“To admit to your vulnerability is a sterling quality that only proves how deeply you love my brother. ‘Tis normal to worry because it means you do not take your relationship for granted. Also, you and Lennox never had a normal courtship but one filled with deceit. Trust will take time to evolve. Even then, you must nurture it so as not to repeat the same mistakes,” Ailsa replied.

Flora raised her gaze and smiled. “How did you become so wise in love?”

Ailsa scoffed. “I am married to your brother. Need I say more?”

Flora’s smile widened with her laughter. “Nay. Ye have not had an easy road either, have ye?”

Ailsa laughed. “Nay. However, I would never trade a second for the love I have found with Hugh.”

Flora gathered Ailsa’s hands in hers and squeezed. “I feel the same with Lennox. Also, because of them, we are now sisters.”

“Perhaps together we can keep them in line,” Ailsa teased.

“Keep who in line?” Hugh asked from behind them.

“Why, you, my dear husband.” Ailsa twirled away from Flora into Hugh’s arms.

Flora smiled as her brother gave Ailsa a tender kiss and rested his hand on the swell of her stomach. The sweet affection Hugh expressed to his wife showed Flora a different side to the brother she had once run wild with. She had never imagined he held a tender side. It warmed her heart that he had found the love she had with Lennox. Now to find brides for Malcolm and Brodie, who groaned at the display of affection.

After Ailsa and Hugh shared a few whispered words, Ailsa smiled warmly at Flora before she left. Before Flora could follow Ailsa, her brothers surrounded her with pensive expressions. Flora frowned when Hugh guided her toward the settee and settled her on the cushions. Her frown deepened when her brothers sat across from her in a group of chairs. When they glanced back and forth between each other, Flora grew worried.

Flora gripped her hands together in her lap. “Has something happened to Lennox?”

Brodie shook his head. “Nay. Not unless ye wish something to happen to him. If so, ‘tis easy to arrange.”

Flora gasped.

Malcolm slugged Brodie in the arm. “You fool. She loves the bloke.”

Brodie snarled. “Really?”

Hugh sighed, shaking his head. “It has been more than obvious they hold a deep affection for one another.”

“Where is Lennox?” Flora demanded, growing impatient with her brothers’ meanderings.

“He had another appointment before coming home,” Hugh explained.

Flora sat forward, twisting her hands in her lap. “Then what is wrong? Mother and Father?”

Hugh rose from his seat to join Flora on the settee. He pressed his hands over hers to calm her. “No, they are as feisty as ever. We only wish to speak with you alone before we prepare for the ball.”

Malcolm and Brodie slid their chairs closer to them. Their serious expression didn’t bode well and set Flora on edge. While she dreaded what they might say, she also wished they would tell her what troubled them. She couldn’t handle any more drama in her life. She longed for the days of peaceful enjoyment without a care in the world. Their silence and passing glances were maddening.

“Do you wish to stay married to the brute?” Brodie blurted out.

Hugh cleared his throat and muttered, “Subtle.”

“It was a simple enough question. She either does or she doesn’t,” Malcolm responded.

“We discussed this. We were to inquire with finesse like civilized gentlemen,” Hugh explained.

Brodie scoffed. “’Tis Flora, not a proper lady who faints at uncivilized conversation.”

Flora relaxed back against the cushions as her brothers argued with a familiarity she had missed. In their roundabout way, they wanted to inquire if she found happiness with Lennox. Or else they offered to help her escape if she wanted them to. Flora listened fondly as Hugh explained to Malcolm and Brodie that she was no longer a wild heathen but a proper lady and they needed to treat her as such. She rejoiced at how Lennox’s returning to her life had brought her back to her family. She hadn’t realized how much she missed them until she listened to them banter.

Flora rose and kissed each brother on the cheek. “Thank you for caring about me and my happiness. Also, for your help these past two weeks. To ease your worries, please trust me when I say I wish to spend a lifetime at Lennox’s side. I love him with all my heart.”

“We only want your happiness,” Hugh stated.

Flora smiled. “I know.”

Brodie stood and hugged Flora. “If you ever change your mind, do not hesitate to run to me.”

Malcom hugged Flora too. “Or me.”

Hugh wrapped Flora in his arms and twirled her around. “Or me.”

Flora laughed. “I have missed you heathens.”

Her brothers continued to tease Flora, making up for the time she had stayed away. While she spent years deep in her sorrows, she had neglected to see she had offered her family a great injustice. In her selfishness, her family had suffered from not being able to offer their regrets. She hadn’t allowed them because of her dire need to protect her heart, which had almost withered away from the lack of love so many wished to offer her.

Love she had missed dearly.

~~~~~

F LORA FLOATED UP THE stairs, her heart lighter after the caring conversation with her brothers. Her fear diminished a little more with her brothers present. Now for a successful evening. Once they exposed the villain, Flora and her friends could put the drama behind them and live enriching lives without fear clouding their happiness.

Lost in her musings, Flora failed to notice her husband leaning against the doorjamb to their bedchamber until she came upon him. The charming smile he bestowed on her brightened her mood even more. And to think only a few weeks ago, she found his infectious grin quite irritating. Her own grin widened at the thought.

“Can I only hope your enchanting smile is for me?” Lennox murmured.

Lennox didn’t give Flora a chance to respond before he drew her into his embrace and tenderly kissed her with the need to draw her happiness into his soul. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and fluttered her fingers through his hair, he lifted her enough to move them inside their bedchamber and kicked the door shut. Lennox stole one kiss after another from her sweet lips, savoring each sigh whispered from her mouth into his.

He had missed her more than she would ever understand. He swore to shower Flora with tenderness and all the love in his heart until their dying day and even beyond. When he pulled back, Flora wore the softest of smiles, and her eyes held a teasing glint full of mischief. He was a lucky bastard to have won her heart again.

“If that is how you shall greet me whenever you return home, I eagerly wait for you to leave again,” Flora teased.

Lennox teased Flora’s lips. “But if I never leave, my kisses will be much more irresistible.”

“Oh! How so?” Flora copied Lennox, teasing his lips with barely a brush of hers against his.

Lennox forgot about the evening of impending doom upon them and enjoyed the teasing nature of his wife. She was an incorrigible minx, and he couldn’t wait to learn more about her. Their time before had been too brief, but their future held endless opportunities before them.

Lennox dipped his head and ravished Flora’s lips like a man starved for her affection. He teased his wife with what passion she could expect from him every second of every day. He left her with no mercy as his tongue stroked a fire against hers. Their lips melded together in a fiery embrace.

When Flora’s sighs turned into moans of pleasure, Lennox pulled back with a smirk. “Will those kisses appease you, my lady?”

Flora was on the verge of melting at Lennox’s feet from the sinfully delicious kisses he dominated her senses with. However, she reined in her desire at his playful look. Her husband was a tease, and she would find immense pleasure in driving him insane with a desire he would struggle to resist. She pulled out of his embrace and sashayed over to the dressing screen.

With a glance over her shoulder, she winked at Lennox. “Perhaps.”

Flora chuckled at Lennox’s growl as she stripped her clothing away behind the screen. She slid on a provocative chemise to wear under the dress for the ball. After rolling on a pair of stockings, she strolled from behind the screen. If her husband could tease her, then she could tempt him.

Lennox gripped the bedpost to keep himself from stripping his wife bare. The minx set out to torture him and get revenge for his teasing. As much as he ached to give in to their desires, they must prepare for the ball. It would ease the tension, but he wanted endless hours to devote to her pleasure without the fear of a threat surrounding them.

But sweet mercy, she was a temptation he ached for. Delicate lace molded around her curves, leaving nothing to the imagination. The bold forest green highlighted her red tresses and displayed her bosom in a provocative manner. Her nipples pebbled against the fabric, showing her desires. When she bent over to retrieve a ribbon from the floor, Lennox almost fell to his knees to worship her until she cried out her pleasure. He could practically taste her desire on his tongue.

Lennox cleared his throat. “Lady Hepburn, you are a temptation I am finding hard to resist.”

Flora gave him an impish grin. “Then why do you, Lord Hepburn?”

“Lord Hepburn, your valet is ready to help you prepare for the evening, and Lady Hepburn’s maid requires permission to enter,” Murray spoke through the door.

Lennox swept a hand at the door. “For that very reason alone.”

Flora giggled at her husband’s frustration. She wrapped herself in a robe and pointed at the door. “Then I suggest we dress for our ball.” She strolled over to him and pressed a kiss on his lips. “Perhaps I can persuade you to continue later this evening once our guests have left.”

Lennox deepened the kiss, leaving Flora in no doubt that he wholeheartedly agreed. “Count on it.”

Flora held her fingers to her lips as she watched her husband saunter away. The man was a breathtaking phenomenon she was lucky to claim as hers. Her thoughts wandered to how their evening would end while her maid gabbed on about how grand Flora had decorated the house and about the members of the peerage who would attend. Flora murmured her agreement at any lull in the conversation.

Her scandalous thoughts helped to distract her from the purpose of the ball they were about to throw, the very agenda her husband had hoped for when he teased her with his kisses. Flora hadn’t been blind to Lennox’s intentions. His ability to soothe her worries only showed how perfect of a husband he was.

And he was all hers.

~~~~~

L ENNOX WAITED AT THE foot of the stairs for Flora to descend. He couldn’t trust himself to be alone with her. If so, he would say to hell with the ball and send his sister and Flora’s brothers home. Then he would spend countless days and nights making love to his wife until they pacified the hunger their bodies craved. Only, it would never be enough. His wife had become an obsession he never expected but one he loved.

Soon their guests would arrive and the tension bearing down on them would return. He hoped for a successful evening. Their intense planning to pull off the impossible rested on the appearance of a phantom. The mysterious person was a figment of their nightmares. His daily searches with Flora’s brothers had been unsuccessful. They were no closer to revealing the culprit than when he first started threatening Flora and her friends. Lennox held an eerie feeling that tonight would bring forth a revelation.

Lennox clutched the small jewelry box he held behind his back when he raised his head to see Flora gliding down the staircase. She was an exquisite beauty with her hair styled in curls, hanging down her back and over one shoulder. The gown she wore held the proper elegance of a countess but flowed around her body, displaying her curves to perfection. She teased him with the pearls dipping between her breasts, which pressed against the delicate material of her gown. Like the wild hellion Flora was, she kept her hands bare, which was perfect for the gift he held.

“My wife, you try my patience with your beauty,” Lennox growled.

A blush stole over Flora at Lennox’s bold declaration and what it implied. “I apologize, my husband.”

Lennox drew her down the remaining steps. “Never apologize, my love. For I desire you no other way than who you truly are.”

Flora tilted her head. “What do you hide?”

Lennox gulped, attempting to hide his nervousness. “A token of my love for you.”

Flora gasped when Lennox opened the jewelry box. The creation, a cluster of green jewels mixed with purple stones, reminded her of home. The wild hills in the Scotland Highlands covered in heather, a place where their love had begun before deceit descended upon them. While their marriage had had a rocky start, Flora held treasured memories of falling in love with Lennox. That love held the strength to defy all today.

Flora held her trembling hand out for Lennox to slide the ring on her finger. It fit snugly around her wedding ring. “It is stunning.”

Lennox tipped her chin and brushed his lips across hers. “As you are, my love. I give this ring to you to show my honorable intentions for our marriage this time around. I want you to hold no doubt of the love I hold for you in my heart.”

“But I have nothing to offer you.”

Lennox smiled at Flora with devotion. “I need nothing but you at my side for an eternity.”

Flora kissed Lennox’s palm. “A promise I gift you with.”

They stood staring into each other’s eyes as the servants bustled around them, finishing preparations for the ball. So much more needed declared between them. However, the love they held for one another was enough to strengthen their bond to where nothing could come between them.

Lennox held out his arm. “Shall we greet our guests, Lady Hepburn?”

Flora laid her hand in the crook of his elbow. “With pleasure, Lord Hepburn.”

With love guiding them, how could they fail?