"Swear it," Emily said against Jane's chest.

"I swear it. And if my stay becomes prolonged, I will send for you."

"I could come and stay with you in Portsmouth?"

"Yes. Would you like that?"

"Oh, I believe I would. Very much."

"It would be an adventure for you, I dare say. You could see the ocean and the city. We could ride on some of the ships my father is building. We could share my room like best of friends."

Emily had never been anywhere but to the nearby village. "That would be grand, Jane. Just grand."

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Just a bit."

"Let's get going, then. Your father is waiting for me downstairs."

Emily sighed with resignation as they rose together and headed down hand in hand. Richard, John and Meg, along with a few of the upper-level staff, waited in the front foyer and gave Jane quick hugs and words of reassurance.

Phillip, dressed casually in breeches and boots, had just finished tying a bag on the back of his saddle. He turned as Jane and Emily stepped through the door. For the first time, he was struck by what a pretty thing Emily was. The bright pink of her dress brought out the rosy hue in her cheeks, the azure sky was reflected in her eyes; and her dark ringlets danced in the light as she bobbed down the stairs next to Jane.

Jane herself was prettier than usual. Her green velvet riding habit perfectly silhouetted her trim figure, and the color of the fabric increased the deep emerald of her eyes. The sun flashed off the golden highlights of her beautiful chestnut hair as she pulled a bonnet over her head and tied the green ribbon under her chin.

They made a lovely picture, and it occurred to Phillip that he was a very lucky man.

He watched as they came closer, just the two of them. Others had said their good-byes inside and had chosen to remain there while Emily saw to her parents. Only a lad from the stables stood by to offer assistance.

"Are you ready?" Phillip asked the rhetorical question as Jane stepped next to him. He reached for her bag and handed it to the boy who went to work at strapping it on Jane's horse.

"As ready as I can be."

"Let's be off then." He offered her a hand, but she didnat take it, turning instead to Emily.

"I'll miss you." She held out her arms, and Emily fell into them.

"Don't forget your promise," the girl whispered.

"I won't." Jane smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "And I'll try to write every day to let you know what's happening."

"So will I." They hugged again, and Emily started to cry.

Jane's own eyes were tearing at the thought of how much she'd miss the girl. "Now, don't start that. Your father will think we're a couple of watering pots."

"I'm sorry. I can't help it. I'll miss you so much."

"I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too, Jane."

They hugged each other hard again, and Phillip couldn't believe the lump in his throat. The emotion between them was so visible, so palpable. He wanted to reach out and touch it. To breathe it in. To keep some of it for himself. What would it be like, he wondered, to have the two of them include him in their magic circle? His heart ached at just thinking about it.

Jane pulled back first. "We need to get going. Say good-bye to your father."

Emily turned to him, her lovely cheeks damp with tears. "Good-bye, Father. Have a good trip."

She spoke as though to a casual acquaintance, showing him her most polite courtesies. Not for the first time lately, Phillip ached with the realization of all that had been lost over the years. Something glorious had slipped away, and he had no idea what to do about it or how to get it back. "Good-bye, Emily."

Surprising them both, she jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. With her face against his chest, Phillip was assailed by the clean scent of her, the vibrant energy of the petite form pressed so tightly against his own. It was the first time in his memory that the girl had ever touched him. He placed his arms across her shoulders and hugged her back as tightly as he could.

Unable to resist the sudden urge, he placed a light kiss on the top of her head. "I'll miss you." The words sprang from somewhere deep inside, and after they were spoken, Phillip felt a terrible weight begin to disipate.

"I'll miss you, too, Father." Emily stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Without waiting for a response or a reaction, she turned and ran to the house.

Phillip rubbed his cheek, stunned, surprised and shocked by how wonderful the quick embrace had made him feel. Jane also stood on tiptoe and kissed his other cheek.

"That was wonderful," she whispered.

Yes, Phillip thought, we're off to a good start. Unable to think of how to respond, and unable to talk around the lump of emotion choking him, he helped Jane mount, and they rode off together.

Chapter Twenty-One.

Phillip halted his horse in front an inn where he stayed occasionally. He dismounted and handed the reins to a stable boy as Jane's horse sauntered into the yard.

"I thought we'd never arrive." She heaved a sigh of relief.

Smiling, he held up a hand. "Tired?"

"More so than I imagined I could ever be and still be awake."

Phillip chuckled. "Let me help you down."

Jane's brain gave the order to move, but her legs didnat seem to receive the message. "Hmmm .. ." She shifted in the saddle, feeling pain in places she hadn't previously known existed. "I seem to be a bit more stiff than I thought."

"Not surprising." He reached up both hands and settled them on her waist. "Can you grab my shoulders?" "I believe my arms still work. Let's see." They did, and she gripped her hands together behind his neck.

"Lean into me." Phillip tightened his grip about her waist and lifted her from the horse. "That's it. Just relax. Let me take all your weight." She was a tiny thing, and he pulled her close, taking his time in lowering her to the ground, enjoying the feel of her mound as it slid across his stomach and groin, her breasts as they passed down his chest, her thighs as they pressed against his own.

Jane felt her feet touching the ground. Phillip was holding her tightly, and she had to admit, it felt good to have him do so. The day they'd passed together had been pleasant; he had been so playful and funny that she could almost see herself falling for his charms.

Still, nothing had prepared her for how difficult the ride would be, and she was exhausted in the extreme. As she took a tiny step away from him, she swayed slightly. He immediately gripped her about the waist, loving the excuse to keep her pressed tightly against the length of his body. "Hold on. I've got you."

"My legs don't seem to want to follow instructions."

"It happens after a long ride. Just rest a moment. Let your legs become reacquainted with the ground." Gradually, he shifted more and more of her weight onto her until she managed to stand on her own. "Better?"

"Much."

"Something tells me you were fibbing the last two times you told me you wished to continue riding." He raised a questioning brow.

"Perhaps. I didnat want you to think me a corn-plainer."

He tapped a finger against the tip of her nose. "I might think many things about you, Jane, but never that you complain. Next time you're tired, you must tell me."

They moved through the door together, Jane managing to walk under her own power, but Phillip kept a steadying hand on the small of her back, ever alert to grab her in case she lost her equilibrium and started to fall. The manager recognized Phillip when he entered, and with proficient haste, they were shown to their adjoining rooms. A maid was sent to tend to Jane; supper and baths were ordered.

Jane sat on the bed as Phillip gave instructions, fatigue quickly overwhelming her senses. Phillip kept watch on her out of the corner of his eye the entire time he talked to the servants he'd sent scurrying off to their tasks. He stepped to the bed, standing right in front of her, but his presence hardly registered, so he slipped a hand under her chin and raised her face. Her eyes weren't focusing too well. "I've ordered a hot bath to be sent up immediately. That should help with some of the stiffness in your muscles."

"It sounds perfectly lovely."

"I thought it would. I'll have my own next door; then I'll join you in here for supper in one hour. Will that give you enough time?"

"More than enough."

As Wessington turned to go, she managed to grab hold of one coherent thought. "Sir?"

He looked over his shoulder. "What is it, sleepy head?"

"Thank you for today."

"My pleasure." He smiled and walked out.

Jane sat immobile on the bed, letting the maid undress her and help her into the bath. The woman was pleasant and efficient, and Jane was grateful that she wasn't required to offer much assistance. Her arms and legs were completely beyond her control, her neck and back muscles a tangle of knots, her bottom black and blue from banging against the saddle all day.

When Phillip entered an hour later, refreshed by his own bath, but also extremely tired, he found Jane beautifully naked and sound asleep in the tub. Her head was tipped to the side, her cheek resting against the edge. Her sweet, full lips were slightly parted, the deep breaths of heavy sleep passing in and out. The maid had not washed her hair but had brushed it thoroughly, and it hung loose and radiant past the rim to the floor.

He stepped closer. The water level just reached the bottoms of her breasts; her nipples were visible above it. Below, in the soapy water, he could just make out her form, the slim waist, the hips, the chestnut hair protecting her womanly secrets. Her knees were drawn up and open in a most unladylike fashion. The sight of her, naked, wet and slippery excited him as nothing had in a long time. But the resta"the air of vulnerability, the quiet exhaustion, the simple beautya"stirred other things inside. He felt the strangest urges. To protect. To shelter. To cherish. To care.

He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her tight, sweet sheath, but he was surprised to also realize that he'd be perfectly content simply to hold her while she slept.

A knock sounded on the door. "Enter," he said softly.

The maid came in, carrying the supper tray. She set it on the table, then turned to Phillip with a knowing smile, whispering, "I tried to wake her a few minutes ago. 'Twas impossible."

"She had a hard day."

"Yes, but the water's getting cool. I can't think it's doing her tired muscles any service."

"I agree. Help me, please, and we'll put her straight to bed."

"Certainly, sir." The maid turned back the covers, then grabbed a towel.

Phillip rolled up his sleeves, baring his forearms, and reached into the water, slipping an arm under Jane's knees and the other behind her back. He lifted her and held her dripping form over the tub, while the maid gave her a quick drying. Jane didnat move, except to shift closer to Phillip, rubbing her cheek against his chest as though trying to burrow closer to his body's heat He tucked her under the covers, pulling them up and over her breasts. In sleep, she looked so young, so trusting. He leaned over and kissed her lips, then sat at the table to eat his meal. When the maid returned half an hour later, he was still sitting there, his plate empty, watching his wife.

"Shall I take the tray, sir?"

"Yes. But leave the cheese and bread. If she stirs in the night, I'm sure she'll be famished." The woman efficiently rearranged the food, tidied up and shuffled out. Phillip watched her go, then turned back to Jane. Funny, how things worked sometimes, that this glorious creature had fallen into his life.

Knowing he should go to his own room, but also knowing he couldn't have left her side if a pistol had been held to his head, he stood and slowly disrobed, his ardor increasing as each piece of clothing fell to the floor. Naked, he walked around the room, snuffing the candles and extinguishing the lamps. At the side of the bed, with only the glow of the moon shining through the window for illumination, he stood silently, watching the rise and fall of the bedcovers. A breast had escaped confinement, and the nipple taunted him with promises of deep, hidden pleasures.

Stifling a groan, he pulled back the covers and eased in next to her. The bed was warmed by her body heat, and he was assailed with the fresh smell of her skin, the perfume of her hair, the musk of her sex. Jane lay on her back; he stretched out next to her, letting his body touch the entire length of hers. The agony was exquisite, and he shifted her to her side, curling his legs behind hers and spooning her bottom against his crotch.

One arm slipped under her neck, the other lay across her waist. His hand cradled the weight of a breast. As if Jane welcomed his presence, she shifted her backside, some unconscious part of her wanting closer contact with his heat and energy. Closing his eyes, he bit back another groan, kissing her shoulder and pressing his loins against her. It was going to be a very long night.

Jane's first distracted thought was that she was in the middle of a glorious dream. She'd birdied a beautiful babe, with Wessington's face and Emily's glorious blue eyes. It suckled her greedily, easing the ache that seemed to plague her nipples of late. Arching her back slightly, she moaned with pleasure. Ah, yes, this was what she'd been seeking.

Her brow furled in confusion as she came closer to consciousness. The physical pleasure of the dream was so exquisite, she couldn't bear to feel it end. Just a while longer . ..

When Phillip had awakened a few minutes earlier, he'd found, much to his delight, that Jane had fully accepted him in her bed. She had turned to face him, an arm across his stomach, a leg twined with his. Soft breath tickled the crook of his neck. Her nipples played with the smattering of hairs across his chest. Her relaxed stomach rested against his, her mound pressed against his cock.

He was rock hard.

Judging from the hint of daylight poking through the shade, they had an hour or two before the maid would come with breakfast. Since he couldn't imagine the agony of going another day without venting some of his passion, it seemed the perfect opportunity to introduce his wife to the true pleasures of lovemaking, as he should have done on their wedding night.

Once again, he cursed himself for a fool. If he'd bedded her properly the first time, he'd have been enjoying her all these long months, and with her natural affinity for the emotional, she'd be an experienced temptress by now.

No time like the present to begin her lessons anew.

He rolled her onto her back. In the dim light, her nipple flirted. Gently licking and wetting, he nipped until it was tiny and pebble hard. Only then di he suck it into his mouth. He licked, then suckled, then licked again, teasing and playing. With his teeth, he nipped his way around, then kissed where his bites had fallen, then nipped again, ending the teasing by pulling her deep into his mouth and working his tongue against the sensitive skin.

Jane groaned softly and arched her chest, her body knowing what it liked and seeking more of it. Happy to give her what she craved, he moved to her other breast, kissing the valley between the two, before finding the rough ridge surrounding the other nipple. Much as he'd done with the first, he nipped and teased, licked and sucked, waiting forever before finally taking the nipple deep into his mouth.

While his lips worked their magic, his fingers found their way down her stomach and into the thatch of chestnut curls. Her body was already wet with desire, her creamy essence pearling around the hairs and moistening his fingers. Suppressing a groan of frustration, he pulled his lips away from her nipple and rested them against the soft, silky skin between her breasts.

Easing a finger into the hot shaft, then another, he found the damp heat unbearably delightful. As if to torture him, Jane unconsciously flexed her interior muscles, tightening herself around his hand, holding him there, pulling him deeper inside. He moved his lips back to a breast, suckling her hard while he worked the fingers gently back and forth. It took every bit of restraint he'd ever mustered to keep from burying himself inside her.

When he di, he wanted her awake and participating. For some reason, her acceptance of his physical self had taken on grave proportions in his mind. He wanteda" no neededa"to have her.

The delicious pain invading Jane's body finally pulled her fully awake. In the back of her mind, she knew she should have been more surprised to see Wessington in her bed. But she wasn't. He was there, and her traitorous body was glad of his presence.

He instantly sensed she'd awakened and raised his mouth from her breast to smile into her eyes. His smile must have melted hundreds, if not thousands, of female hearts over the years, and Jane felt there was something perfectly lovely about having it focused on herself. He eyed her curiously, as though he expected her to scream or cry out, but surprisingly, to both of them, she regarded him silently.

"Good morning," he finally said. He kissed a path up the swell of her breast, across her neck, her jaw, to the corner of her mouth, where he playfully worked on her bottom lip.

"What are you doing in my bed?"

"I realize that, so far, I've been a very bad teacher, but don't you know?"

The mischievous smile he flashed her could have come from the Devil himself, he looked so wicked. Jane wondered how any woman had ever resisted him when he looked so. "I don't want this from you."

"Really? I could swear your body is telling me the opposite." The protest sounded feeble to his ears, and even if she meant it in some small part of her heart, he wasn't about to back off. With careful finesse, he worked his way back to her breast, his mouth hovering over her nipple so that each moist breath teased the aroused flesh.