Wicked Deception (52 page)

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Catherine felt a hand clamp across her
mouth. Her eyes flew wide as she was awakened late by Caspian. He
stared down at her, his eyes filled with laughter. He drew his hand
away and she sat up, glaring at him.

“
You might try kissing me
awake?” she grumbled and he laughed, dropping to brush her lips
with his. “You will be the death of me! I will never get used to
being woken up in such a way.”

“
You must come, Catherine,
and do not ask any questions.”

She stared at him, alert to that look
he gave her. “What is it?”

“
I took the liberty of
waking your nanny and she is getting your children ready as we
speak. Pack nothing and do not delay. We must leave under the cover
of darkness,” he told her as he moved to the window and pushed back
the heavy velvet drapery, peering out.

“
Where do we go?” she
whispered as she slid out of bed and reached for her wrapper at the
end of the bed.

“
There are those questions
again, sweets,” he warned and his eyes narrowed. “Get dressed
quickly.”

He left her alone then to dress.
Catherine threw open her armoire and pulled out one of the black
gowns she despised. In less than ten minutes, he returned and tied
up the back of her gown. She tied back her hair and removed her
cloak, her green eyes filled with fear. “This is because of
Dartmouth’s accomplice, is it not?”

Caspian gave no indication he heard her
as he stood at the window. “Are you ready?”

She glared at him and nodded. They left
her room silently and joined Mrs. Gates in the hall. Caspian took a
sleeping Brionne from her and Devlin, while Mrs. Gates toted Giles.
Catherine held Aidan and they moved down the hall
silently.

Caspian held up a hand at the top of
the stairs and they stopped. Mrs. Gates looked frazzled and
terrified. They continued down the steps and left the house by way
of the side door in the kitchen. Caspian’s men waited there. She
would have protested when Brionne was handed to Ty but saw him
cuddling her daughter and relaxed, reminded these men protected
her.

They were led to a number of coaches
parked blocks away. It wasn’t until they were underway that
Catherine swung a gaze at Caspian, assured Aidan slept. For the
first time since she met him, she saw the cold detachment in his
face.

“
Where are we going?” she
whispered furiously, glad they were alone in this coach. Mrs. Gates
had the children in one, and another carried his men with them.
“You drag me out of my bed in the night so you better start
talking, Caspian!”

He smiled and folded his arms across
his chest. “We go to one of my hiding places for a
time.”

Her eyes widened. “But…we can’t…I can’t
do this! I have a household to pack! Not to mention I have
countless errands until I sail! I demand you take us back
now!”

He grinned and she could see he was
unmoved by her excuses. “That is what servants are for, sweets. Do
not worry; I left a detailed list for your butler before we left.
It will all be handled in your absence.”

She made a frustrated noise and cuddled
her sleeping son. “You have no right to make such decisions for
me!”

“
I beg to differ, sweets, I
have killed enough men this last year to protect you to earn that
right,” he drawled and shrugged. “Let us just say, the threat has
become such I weary of it. I thought you would be
pleased.”

“
Pleased?” she asked with a
dumbfounded expression. “You drag me and my children from our beds
at an ungodly hour, scaring my servant to death, only for a
holiday? Are you mad?”

Caspian leaned forward, his crystal
green gaze filled with amusement. “And here I thought I was being
romantic and spontaneous. Forgive me, sweets.”

Catherine was miffed and ignored him,
outraged he took such measures without her consent. Her Uncle would
be beside himself. Martha would go into fits. She thought of
Gabriel’s reaction to know she disappeared and bit her
lip.

The ink wasn’t even dry on their
agreement for their son and she jeopardized it running away with
her lover in the middle of the night. Panic filled her
gaze.

“
We must go back. They will
wonder where I’m and worry unduly. Please, Caspian, I cannot just
run off like this.”

“
We do not run, sweets, we
ride,” he mocked as he sat back to grin maddeningly at her. “If it
makes you feel better; my note claims you have gone to an
undisclosed location to enjoy your time with your child before you
leave. There, did I not cover you adequately?”

Catherine wanted to hit him if not for
holding her son. Caspian had thought of everything, successfully
getting her out under the noses of all, even the ones who sought to
kill her. In retrospect, she should thank him for thinking of it.
She’d been a nervous wreck the last weeks knowing Dartmouth’s
accomplice still hunted her.

“
That does not excuse you
scaring us all!”

“
Are you scared, sweets?” he
asked doubtfully.

Catherine glared at him. No, she wasn’t
scared at all. Fear of anything left her with him around. He was
like a protective shield. Being with him had always made her feel
inordinately safe.

“
That is really not the
point! Your way of going about this is just like something Lord
Iverleigh would do, without consulting me at all.”

“
You would have said no,” he
complained and wore a pouting expression. “I wanted to surprise
you. Are you surprised at least?”

Catherine saw his eyes twinkling and
knew he would not apologize for whisking her away in the night. He
was deaf to her complaints.

“
I’m very surprised,
yes.”

“
Later you will be delighted
and most pleased,” he promised, a small smile playing about his
lips. “I have been quite busy making these
arrangements.”

“
Why can you not tell me
where we are going?” Catherine asked, despising the fact she
sounded like one of her children.

Caspian chuckled and his hand reached
out to brush a lock of her hair out of her face. His eyes met hers
deeply and her heart fluttered madly at his look.

“
If I told you it would not
likely be a surprise, Catherine. My you’re an ungrateful little
minx! It is not often I indulge in such whims. Sit back and enjoy
it, my dear.”

She regarded him suspiciously. “If this
goes badly and there is an incident; I could endanger my agreement
with Lord Iverleigh, Caspian. You do not know him as I do. You
forget we have his child with us too!”

Caspian smirked. “I took the liberty of
sending him a note, saying you were sneaking away to one of his
seldom used estates. I wouldn’t think he will follow. The redhead
has him up in arms. Redheads can be so distracting, don’t you
think?”

Catherine blinked at him twice, aware
the man was crocked. “You’re bloody mad, Caspian.”

“
Mad with the want of you,
dear lady,” he replied huskily, his long fingers sliding over her
knee, “for however long and under whatever circumstances. Do not be
cross with me, sweets. I did it for you.”

She was stunned a man like Caspian
could disappear at all, even if he wanted to. His entourage
consisted of nearly twenty guards and Ty. It was doubtful they
would not draw notice on the road.

“
Thank you. I don’t know
what to say.”

The darkness obscured his face but she
knew he was smiling.

“
Say you will dance naked
with me at midnight with only a flower in your hair, sleep until
noon everyday and indulge your every desire with me. That is all
you must say, Catherine, just yes will do.”

Catherine stared at him, knowing in her
heart this is exactly what she needed. It came at a time when she
picked apart her decision to leave daily, felt so unsure of
everything. Tears filled her gaze at his kindness.

Silence fell as she dozed against the
seat. Soon Caspian took her child and eased her down on the seat,
covering her with a lap robe. She fell asleep watching him holding
her baby a warmth within her she hadn’t felt since Nicholas died.
Caspian would let nothing happen to her or her children. Her eyes
fluttered closed and the image of his holding Aidan gave her a
content feeling she had not known since her husband
died.

They arrived in less than four hours.
Catherine sat up. She looked out at the first light of the morning,
knowing it was near dawn. She wiped her hair from her cheek and
offered to take her son. Caspian smiled, looking at home with her
son on his shoulder, his hand patting his bottom.

“
We are here,” he told her
and handed her the baby as he unlatched the door to the
coach.

Catherine looked out the window of the
coach and gazed in awe at the huge sprawling castle that lay
nestled in the valley below. She gaped as she got out of the coach,
eyes wide at the sight. It was straight out of a fairy tale with
its columns and towers, rising up like a jewel amid the valley
below. The huge grey structure held her stunned. Caspian smiled in
pleasure at her look.

“
Your castle awaits, my
lady.”

“
Who owns all this?”
Catherine asked in wonder, worried if they trespassed.

He smiled and his teasing look told her
he would give her no answer. “Let us just say we are on good terms
with the owner. You’re safe here.”

Catherine joined Mrs. Gates who looked
excited and chattered happily as she saw the castle beyond, eyes
bugging from her head to know they would stay here for a
fortnight.

“
Lady Catherine, we are to
stay here!” the woman exclaimed as she held Brionne and looked
delighted. “A real castle, my lady. What a truly wonderful surprise
for the children.”

Catherine saw Devlin and Giles still
dozed on the seat inside the coach and didn’t disturb them. She
took her daughter behind a nearby bush for a call of nature as Mrs.
Gates tended to Aidan. She was too stunned to react to their
accommodations.

Caspian and his men stood talking in a
group nearby. She let her eyes trace his handsome profile with an
appreciation for his startling looks. The early morning light
brought out the red tones in his hair. He took her breath away at
that moment and she looked away, knowing it was inappropriate the
way she looked at him.

Her dark prince looked over and grinned
naughtily at her, his eyes dancing with promises to collect. She
could see he was quite proud of himself for bringing her here under
the cover of darkness, giving her a safe place to relax before her
long journey. It was so thoughtful of him she was overwhelmed by
the gesture.

Mrs. Gates was agog over the castle and
eager to get there, ushering Brionne back inside the coach. She
took Aidan from her and that left her and Caspian alone for the
trek down the winding road that lead to their
destination.

“
You didn’t have to go to
all this trouble, Caspian,” she protested.

Caspian took her hand and brought it to
his lips. “You’re worth it, sweets. Now do quit thanking me. It is
not your gratitude that warms me, but another sweet spot I have
thought of all night.”

His hands eased up her skirts up the
seat, leaving her thighs bare to his gaze. Her eyes widened. “We
cannot! It is light out! We are but minutes away! Someone will
see!”

He opened her knees and slid between
her legs, kneeling before her on the floor of the coach, looking up
at her with a charming smile.

“
That is why we move so
slowly, sweets. Fear not, no one will wonder why it takes us so
long to get to the bottom of the hill.”

She gasped as his seeking lips slid
along the inside of her thigh, his hands urging her hips forward.
At the first touch of his lips within her secrets, she wept,
gripping the velvet cushions on the seat, her legs winding around
his neck in ecstasy.

Caspian brought her to pleasure
quickly, his tongue scoring her until she cried out and dug her
fingers into his shoulders. She gasped and her eyes flew wide. She
climaxed violently, her hands stroking his silky hair, urging him
to her.

Caspian kissed the inside of her thigh
and looked up at her with such a tender look she was lost in his
pale green eyes. He sat back upon the seat and brought her with
him, undoing his breeches and easing her onto his long, curved
shaft.

Catherine moved upon him hungrily, eyes
closed and rocking up and down wildly on him. He adjusted her
bunched skirts around them, arching upward, eyes filled with
admiration. His long fingers dug into her buttocks as he guided her
upon him, moaning in delight as she moved faster.

They kissed hungrily, bodies straining
together. The cries that escaped her were swallowed by his urgent
kiss as he moved under her.

“
Ride me, my sweet muse,” he
whispered as he felt her body tighten around his. “Yes, that’s it,
take what you want,” he urged moving with her faster, his breathing
unsteady.

Catherine threw back her head and a
low, carnal sob escaped her as her body began to tense and shake,
her eyes closed. Caspian felt the force of her orgasm and groaned
as waves of pleasure made him explode within her.