AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Epilogue
She smelt the sea before she saw it. A saltiness was in the air as the carriage climbed to the top of a hill. Her heart filled with pure delight as she stared out the window, breathing it in.
And there it suddenly was. Spread before her like a vision from heaven. The sea. It was turquoise blue, shimmering in the sunlight, as far as the eye could see.
She clapped her hands together in pure joy. “Oh, Jackson! It is even more beautiful than I envisaged in my mind’s eye.”
Her husband laughed at her delight. “I told you. It is one of the loveliest stretches of coastline in England.” He beamed at her. “But then, I am biased, I suppose.”
“Can we stop?” she begged, turning to him, her eyes gleaming. “Can we go for a walk upon the beach before we get to the manor?”
His smile widened. “Of course we can, my love. We have made good time. And we do not have to be at the manor at any particular time anyway.”
Patricia gazed at him bashfully. “I never told you,” she said, in a quiet voice. “On that terrible night when we were searching for you, I dreamed of walking with you upon this beach, hand in hand. Safe and secure in our love for each other…”
His eyes filled with tears. For a moment, he was silent, his face almost brooding.
“I dreamt of you that terrible night as well,” he whispered, taking her hand. “I saw you as an apparition at first. But then, you vanished into thin air. I was distraught.” He sighed heavily. “And when I was hovering between consciousness, after they beat me, I dreamt of you again. You were lying in a field of red poppies. The most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. And I was loving you.”
Their eyes locked. The air shifted between them. The yearning was so palpable that it could almost be cut with a knife.
Jackson shuddered. Slowly, he rapped on the top of the carriage. A footman put his head down, looking at him enquiringly.
“Tell the driver to go to the sea,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers. “My wife and I would like to go for a walk.”
* * *
It was almost exactly as she had pictured it in her mind’s eye. The sea stretching out before them, waves crashing against the shore. Seagulls circling above. The plaintive cry of a solitary marsh harrier, its wings outstretched, almost skirting the ground.
He reached out and took her hand in his own. They had shed their gloves so that they could feel each other’s skin. Slowly, they started the walk along the beach. It wasn’t pebbled like she had pictured; instead, this beach had brownish gold sand and was littered with seaweed.
The air was sharp, almost tangy with salt. They kept walking, swinging their hands, but they did not speak. There was no need to. Not yet.
She glanced back. They had come a long way. She could see the carriage atop the cliff, looking like a black beetle. They were the only people out walking. It was truly as if they were entirely alone in the world.
She breathed in that tangy air, her heart expanding. London was gone now, as if it had never existed. The scandal and the trial of Lord Cardigan and her family’s financial woes. They had dealt with it all. They had grown stronger through it and now it was finally their time.
He led her into the dunes, finding a secluded spot. They sat down, side by side, nestling against each other.
“I pictured a cove,” she whispered shyly, gazing up at him. “We made love within it…”
He grinned, his eyes gleaming. “I do not know any coves.” He paused. “But this is very secluded. I have been coming here since I was a boy. No one knows about it.”
They gazed at each other. She blushed furiously. She knew what he was asking. Her stomach churned with longing. A longing so strong that it took her breath away.
He slowly ran a hand down the side of her face. She gasped. It had been a long time since they had made love. Too long. He had been too injured. But he was better now. And he had promised her.
She took a deep breath. “Yes.”
He nodded. Very gently, he pushed her back, against the sand, touching his lips to her own.
They kissed, slowly and languorously. Her head tilted back as she lost herself within his lips. His tongue entered her mouth, opening it further. The kiss deepened. She shuddered as his hands explored her body, running over her breasts before dipping lower to caress her most private place through the material of her gown.
She gasped again, her eyes closing, with pure bliss. She felt his manhood as hard as a rock against her. Urgent with need. She reached out, stroking him there, through the material of his britches. He groaned.
Suddenly, he pulled back, lifting her gown high so that her legs were exposed to the air. His head burrowed beneath it, seeking her, like a man digging for treasure. She arched her back, no longer caring where they were, or if anyone might discover them. He had told her that no one ever came here, and she trusted him.
His tongue probed her through the thin material of her undergarments. The feel of it was so deliciously decadent that she gasped again. Those sensations were growing, nipping at her like a flurry of butterflies. Feverishly, her hands found his head through her gown and pressed him to her.
