Viridis - A Steampunk Romance (3 page)

William raised a hand, his voice stern. “I’m not
asking you. I’m telling you as an officer of the law. This cannot
wait. Now, get him.”

“Right, then.” The footman stepped aside to allow
William entrance and then brusquely escorted him into the smaller
front parlor
.

Left alone, William took in the fine décor and the
feminine touch. It was well executed, effortlessly elegant without
being overdone. Any one of the beautiful pieces on display would
easily cost him more than a year’s pay.

He did not have long to wait. Lord Hawthorne entered
the room, and it shocked William to see a face so similar to the
one that had coldly stared up at him in death.

“Please. Have a seat, Inspector,” he smoothed his
hair and cleared his throat. “I cannot imagine what business has
brought you to my home at such an hour, but it must be of some
importance or I would assume you would wait for a more appropriate
time to call.” He paused and glanced to the footman. “Some tea,
Lucas.”

William gave a slight bow. “My Lord, you may want
something a little stronger. Perhaps some brandy.” Lord Hawthorne’s
eyes were clear and intelligent despite the early hour, but the
blood drained from his face upon hearing William’s words.

William sighed, his chest tight. “I’m sorry to be
the bearer of bad news, but I believe we just discovered the body
of your son, Lord Niles Hawthorne.”

Lord Hawthorne stumbled towards the closest seat,
collapsing into it. “No. It cannot be. How can you be so sure?
Surely you have made some terrible mistake.”

“I’m very sorry. Of course, we will need you to come
in and identify him, but I’m afraid there is enough of a
resemblance between you and your son to leave little doubt. I wish
it were not so.” William wished he could offer the man some
comfort, but there was little he could do but give him some time to
recover before asking the difficult questions. “Is there anyone who
may have wished him harm?”

Lucas entered the room with the brandy, but was
dismissed with a wave of his master’s hand.

“Allow me.” William poured a generous helping of
brandy into a glass of cut crystal, and handed it to his
Lordship.

“No. There is no one of suspicion that comes to
mind. Of course his life was his own, but there is nothing I can
think of that would lead to his death. He was a good man. I cannot
imagine him angering someone enough to make them want to take his
life. A robbery. Surely that can be the only logical explanation.”
He took in a breath, letting it out in a shudder. “He had his own
quarters, not too far from the center of the city. He had wanted to
be closer to his offices and his work as a solicitor.”

William asked several more questions, but it was
clear his lordship did not have any information, the shock of his
son’s death too much for him to handle. With the addresses for both
Niles’s home and work, William left Lord Hawthorne to the difficult
task of breaking the news to his wife.

Chapter Four

Luckily the ride in Seth’s steam coach was a short
one. With Seth manning the controls and traffic on the roads still
heavy, it was easy to avoid any conversation and ignore the growing
physical attraction between them.

The steam coach was Seth’s own design; he’d never
been one for a horse and buggy, and since he spent every spare
moment on his tinkerings, it was no surprise he’d created a
prototype for the coach. The extent of his ingenuity constantly
amazed and surprised her, his abilities seemingly knowing no
bounds
.

She still could not believe he had returned to her
and was seated by her side. She could not help but gaze at his
handsome profile, the street lamps casting him in mysterious
shadows as he maneuvered through the streets.

Phoebe’s family home, located in the desirable
neighborhood of Berkeley Square, was one of the more modest on the
street, especially for one belonging to the titled. Despite its
small size, the elegant little house was still far too much for her
to manage on her own while keeping up with her research and the
club. She had recently hired a couple of servant girls to help deal
with the upkeep, though they would be asleep this late at
night.

She let herself into the kitchen through the side
entrance, and Seth followed close behind. Most guests would have
been brought through the front door and into the sitting room, but
this was Seth, and that type of formality was not needed.

“Could I get you a cup of tea? Perhaps a bite to
eat? I think there might be some meat and cheese in the frost box.��
At the sink, she busied herself with the kettle, not really waiting
for his response. She could feel his intense gaze following her
every move, sending her heart racing.

When he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled
her to him, she couldn’t help but lean back, her body seeking his.
A shiver coursed through her as he nuzzled her neck, and she
weakened at his touch. Each breath, each touch set her skin alight,
the energy between them like that of a tropical lightning storm,
her heart thundering in her chest. She wanted to blame it on the
Viridis, but in her heart she knew that what they had between them
was stronger than any herbal concoction she could ever hope to
invent
.

“Phoebe, I love you.” The words were a murmur
against her skin.

He spun her into his arms and kissed her hard.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she was lost in him, in his
touch. Everything else faded to black, his words crumbling the last
of her defenses.

Seth’s kisses never stopped as he lifted her into
his arms and carried her up the stairs towards her bedroom. Cradled
as she was against him, she could feel the power radiating from his
muscular frame, and his scent, a unique combination of sage and
spice, left her head swimming with memories of their nights
together.

Even in the dim light which had been left on for
her, he knew his way— had carried her up these steps so many times
before. He entered her room and closed the door behind him, the
only light coming from a small fire in the fireplace, lending a
golden glow to their surroundings
.

She was desperate for his touch, but Seth took his
time freeing her from her voluminous garments, his slow pace only
adding to her need. His kisses wandered down her neck, each one
sending a shot of desire through her body as he unlaced her gown,
letting it fall to the floor before freeing her of her
petticoat.

She stood there in just her corset, stockings and
heels, feeling vulnerable and naked. Unable to resist any longer,
she placed her hand on his chest, his muscles tensing in response,
his need palpable. Seth’s arm encircled her waist, and he lowered
his lips to the curve of her shoulder, the stubble on his face
sending a shiver down her spine. She pressed against him, her head
spinning as another wave of desire coursed through her body and she
felt him struggle to keep his own hunger reined in.

He removed the pins from her hair, letting her curls
fall down her back while she pulled off his jacket, and then worked
on the buttons of his vest and shirt with trembling fingers.

Once she’d freed him of his shirt, she ran her hands
down his chest. His skin was searing hot, his muscles hard as they
contracted under her hand, and the months of separation slowly
faded from her memory.

When he spoke his words were ragged with need. “I
missed you, Phoebe. With every fiber of my being, I missed you. I
swear you were my only thought in that frigid isolation, the only
thing that kept me going.”

He, too, had been her only thought, but she did not
want to think of that now. “We’re both here now. That’s all that
matters.” She tilted her head up and he kissed her, lowering her
onto the bed. Seth lifted her leg and flicked off her shoe, running
his hand up the length of her thigh, teasingly close to the
darkness between her legs, where she ached for him. He unhooked
each stocking, slowly removing them, the tips of his fingers
brushing down the length of her leg, making her gasp.

Phoebe lay in nothing more than her corset. Seth
knelt in front of her and her breath caught in her throat. He
teasingly trailed kisses up her thigh, then to the small swell of
belly that peeked out from under the stiff boning of her corset.
Her name escaped his lips in a whisper against skin, and she was
flooded with emotions, sensations, that she’d long since
forgotten.

His kisses lingered, teasing and nipping until he
finally found his way to the slick heat between her thighs.
Overwhelmed by sensation, she moaned in response, her fingers
tangling in his hair, as the waves of pleasure built, one upon the
other. He continued his exploration, finally driving her over that
delicious edge, her body shuddering as the orgasm ripped through
her, all the more intense because of the Viridis and their time
apart.

While she recovered, he undressed, and then slid in
next to her, cradling her against him from behind. He pulled at the
laces of her corset ever-slowly, kissing his way down her back, so
that by the time he’d undone the lacings, she was ready for him
again.

Phoebe took control this time, tossing her corset
aside and sliding her leg over to straddle him. She leaned down,
kissing him, her loosened hair falling forward, as she slid back
onto his hard length, gasping as he filled her, their bodies now
one.

She closed her eyes, losing herself in the moment,
her body tight around him as she shifted her hips, pulling herself
slowly up his length before working her way back down. Every nerve
in her body was on fire, whether from the Viridis or the year she’d
spent alone, she could not say. In that moment, the only thing she
knew, she wanted, she needed, was Seth. He was her very heart and
soul, and she surrendered herself to him, and to her need.

Seth sat up, covering her mouth with his, his arm
wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him to deepen their
coupling. She fought to keep from falling over the edge, needing to
draw out the moment, to savor each touch. Trailing his kisses down
her neck, he found his way to her nipples, taking each one in turn.
She arched in response, closing her eyes and picking up her pace,
as she struggled to keep herself sane, the sensations
overwhelming.

“Phoebe, look at me.” His voice was hoarse, barely a
whisper, but she could hear the need in his words, mirroring her
own. Her eyes opened drunkenly at his request, but when she bent
her head, her mouth seeking his, he stopped her. “I need to see ye,
love. I need to see ye look at me, so that I know it’s real and not
just a dream.” She honored his request, looking into eyes she could
drown herself in, her body locked around his as they shuddered in
their finality and together plummeted off the edge and into
light.

***

Phoebe awoke next to Seth, his arm still wrapped
around her waist, holding her to him even in sleep. Her lungs
filled with his scent, stirring in her something she had
desperately tried to ignore for the last fifteen months
.

She slid out from under his arm, unable to resist a
look back at his slumbering form. By the gods, he was beautifully
built— his face strong with neatly chiseled features, peaceful in
sleep, his body long and lean. It was no wonder she had been unable
to resist him, Viridis or no, though she knew it was not face nor
body that had captured her heart. It had always been about his mind
and his soul— he was her tinkerer.

Tinkerers were not really much different than
inventors of the past. However, the current misery surrounding the
poor of London had sparked a renaissance of sorts as the tinkerers
tried to change the world for the better using their creative
abilities. The creations being produced were of a complexity never
before seen, and though most tinkerers had ties to either the Cause
or the government, particularly the Secret Service. Then there were
others who tinkered for the sheer pleasure of creating something
never before made. Like her father
.

Moving quietly, she threw on a casual pair of
breeches, her scuffed work boots and a shirt, and headed to her
laboratory to catch up on some work. She had been neglecting her
research since she’d opened Viridis, as the late nights and the
day-to-day demands of the business ate away at her free time. When
not making batches of Viridis for the club, she had taken to
playing around with her formulations, with the hope of creating
something new. Indeed, she had a few herbals she was currently
experimenting with, many showing great promise.

Someday soon, she hoped to leave the running of the
club in Gabriel’s capable hands, allowing her to pursue more useful
outlets for her energy. Her true passion was tinkering with her
herbals, though, if she must deal with Society, she would rather
play hostess at her own club rather than subject herself to their
rules and games outside of work. She shuddered at the thought of
being forced to sit through endless evenings of idle gossip and
speculation. It would surely push her to the edge of sanity. No, it
was not a life she could endure— she needed to use her mind and her
hands or she would wither and die— and it was exactly the type of
life she would be forced to endure if she married someone like Lord
Victor Fenwick.

The laboratory was located on the upper most floor
of their home. Phoebe took the stairs at a jog, anxious to get to
work, but stopped on the landing when she found Sarah there,
dusting.

“Good morning to you, Mum.” Sarah bowed, then looked
hastily down at her feet, her small frame tense.

“And a good morning to you, Sarah.” Phoebe smiled at
the girl, hoping to ease some of Sarah’s nervousness. She and
Martha hadn’t been with Phoebe more than a few months, and with
Phoebe spending so little time at home, the girls, perhaps used to
more formality from their employers, were not yet at ease around
her.