When she shook her head, he frowned. “You said yes once before.”
“That was before I knew about the agency.”
His tone deepened, became cajoling. “Don’t you wish to manage your own household again? Wouldn’t you like to have children? Build a family? Surely you don’t wish to be alone forever.”
Startled, she stared at him with wide eyes. Marcus Ashford discussing children? The longing that washed over her so unexpectedly scared her to death.
“You want an heir.” She looked away to hide her reaction.
“I want you. The heir and other progeny would be added delights.”
Her eyes flew to meet his again. Flustered by his nearness and his determination, Elizabeth turned toward the path in the cliffs.
“Do we have an agreement?” he called after her, remaining behind.
“Yes,” she threw over her shoulder, her voice carried by the wind. “A fortnight, then you are out of my life.”
His satisfaction was a palpable thing and she ran from it.
Elizabeth reached the top of the cliff and fell to her knees. Marriage. The word choked her throat and made her dizzy, leaving her panting for air like a swimmer too long under water. Marcus’s will was a force to be reckoned with. What the devil was she to do now that he’d set his mind on marriage again?
Lifting her head, she looked toward the livery with aching longing. It would be such a relief to go, to leave the turmoil behind.
But she discarded the idea. Marcus would come for her, he would track her down as long as she still wanted him. And no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to hide the depth and breadth of her attraction.
Therefore, the only way to be rid of his attentions was to accept the bargain he offered. Marcus would have to end his pursuit of his own accord. There was no other way the obstinate man would quit.
Wearily resolved, Elizabeth stood and made her way toward the guesthouse. She would have to move carefully. He knew her too well. The slightest intimation that she was uneasy and he would pounce, pressing his advantage with his customary ruthlessness. She would have to be relaxed and indifferent. It was the only solution.
Satisfied she had a reasonable plan of action, she quickened her pace.
Meanwhile, Marcus lingered on the beach and wondered at his sanity. God help him, he wanted her still. Wanted her more than before. He’d once hoped to satisfy his need and finally be done with her. Now he prayed his aching need would never end, the pleasure was too great to forfeit.
If only he’d known the trap that awaited him in her arms. But there had been no way to know. With all his experience, he still could never have imagined the searing rapture of Elizabeth’s bed or the ever-growing need he had to tame her and pin her beneath him, as lost to his desire as he was.
Picking up a rock from the pile Elizabeth left behind, he tossed it into the water. He’d created quite a challenge for himself. Her one vulnerability had always been their desire for each other. Naked and sated, Elizabeth was soft and open to discussion. Now he was denied seduction to achieve his ends. He would have to woo her like a gentleman, something he’d never managed even the first time.
But should he succeed, he would thwart Eldridge’s plan to replace him and prove to one and all that Elizabeth was his. There would be no doubt.
Marriage. He shuddered. It had finally happened. The woman had driven him insane.
“I want to see where you’re taking me.”
“No,” Marcus whispered in her ear, steadying her with his hands on her shoulders. “It would not be a surprise if you knew.”
“I’m not fond of surprises,” Elizabeth complained.
“Well, you will have to become accustomed, sweet, because I am full of them.”
She snorted and he laughed, his heart as light as the afternoon breeze. “Ah, love. Much as you wish it weren’t so, you adore me.”
Her lush mouth curved in a smile, the ends of her lips touching the underside of the blindfold that blocked her vision. “Your conceit knows no bounds.”
She shrieked as he hefted her into the air, and then sank to his knees. He set her down on the blanket he’d spread earlier and removed her blindfold, watching expectantly as she blinked against the sudden bright light.
With the help of the duke’s staff, he’d arranged a picnic, selecting a field of wild grass just over the rise from the main manor. She’d been unnaturally tense since their talk on the beach that morning and he knew something unexpected was warranted if he wished to make headway.
“This is lovely,” she exclaimed, her eyes wide and filled with pleasure. Sans the assistance of an abigail and unwilling to let him help her dress, Elizabeth was forced to attire herself in a startlingly simple gown. With her hair uncoiffed and tied back from her face, there was nothing to compete with the singular beauty of her features.
Basking in the glow of her surprise, Marcus silently agreed with her sentiment. Elizabeth was breathtaking, her fine features lovingly shielded by the wide brim of her straw hat.
Smiling, he reached into the basket and withdrew a bottle of wine. He filled a glass and handed it to her, the touch of her fingers against his sending a frisson of awareness up his spine.
“I’m pleased you approve,” he murmured. “It’s only my second attempt at formal courtship.” His gaze lifted to hers. “I’m a bit nervous, truth be told.”
“You?” She arched a brow.
“Yes, love.” Marcus lay on his back and stared up at the summer sky. “It’s distressing to think I may be refused. I was more confident the first time around.”
Elizabeth laughed, a soft joyful sound that brought a smile to his face. “You shall find another, far more suitable candidate. A young woman who will worship your remarkable handsomeness and charm, and be far more biddable.”
“I would never marry a woman such as you describe. I much prefer passionate, uneven-tempered seductresses like yourself.”
“I am not a seductress!” she protested, and he laughed with delight.
“You certainly were the other evening. The way you arched your brow and bit your lip before fucking me senseless. I vow, I’ve never seen anything as seductive. And the way you look when you—”
“Tell me about your family,” she interrupted, her cheeks flushing. “How are Paul and Robert?”
He glanced sidelong at her, relishing the view of her against the natural backdrop, freed from the constraints of society. The tall grass around them flowed like waves of water in the gentle breeze, filling the air with the scent of warm earth and salty sea. “They are well. They inquire about you, as does my mother.”
“Do they? I am surprised, but pleased they don’t resent me overmuch. They should venture out more. It has been almost a fortnight since they arrived, and yet they’ve not attended one social function.”
“Robert still has no interest whatsoever in social pursuits. Paul prefers his club. He spends most of his time there. And my mother has to order new gowns every Season, and refuses to be seen until they are finished.” His grin was fond. “Heaven forbid that she be seen in a gown from last year.”
She smiled. “Is Robert still the spitting image of you?”
“So I’ve been told.”
“You don’t think so?”