Stealing a Lady's Heart: A Regency Fairytale (Fairfield Fairytales Book 1) (8 page)

Will and Nick went diving out the sides of the boat.

Tom wrenched a piece of wood from the deck and set his toolbox onto the board, pushing it away from the sinking vessel and then he jumped in the water.

“We have to jump!” Graham stood with Charlotte in his arms.

“I can’t swim!” Charlotte screamed, panic choking her voice.

“Doesn’t matter,” Graham yelled back as he jumped off the side of the boat with Charlotte still in his arms.

Both plunged under the cold ocean water, but Graham quickly kicked them back to the surface. Charlotte gasped for breath. The shrieks of men pierced the air and the boats burned, lighting the scene. The larger boat seemed to heave its last breath and it sank below the water.

Graham made to shift Charlotte but she clutched him tighter and they both sank below the surface. Graham kicked them up again.

“Sweetheart,” he crooned softly to calm her fear. “I am not going to let anything happen to you. I have to put you on my back so I can swim to those rocks.”

Charlotte nodded but as he went to loosen her arms, she tightened again.  He held her tighter around her waist.  He leaned his forehead to hers. “Relax,” he took a slow deep breath fanning her cheeks.

“Kiss me again,” her mouth begged in more ways than one. 

“Charlotte,” Graham groaned out.  His lips came down on hers in a brief strong kiss.

* * * *

Charlotte felt like her bones were melting with that kiss. The first she had been half-dreaming and thought she was asleep. But this kiss curled her toes and made her forget where she was and what she was doing.

Graham broke contact and immediately shifted her to his back. He kicked towards his brothers who were already on a nearby rock.

“I didn’t know it would be like that,” Charlotte whispered in his ear.

“What?” he asked.

Charlotte could hear the smile in his voice. She would have swatted him if he wasn’t all that stood between her and drowning. “Kissing. I didn’t know it would feel like that.”

“That can’t be your first kiss?” Graham actually attempted to turn and look at her.

“Well a few men have planted their lips on mine but those were not like this.” She snuggled closer. “I’m freezing.”

“Of course, my lady,” he chuckled. They had nearly reached the rock. “Charlotte, kissing is…” He paused, “almost never like that.”

“You felt it too,” her voice came out huskier than she intended.

They reached the rock.  Graham pulled her back around him and then heaved her up onto the great stone.

If she thought she had been cold in the water, she was instantly frozen when she came up out of the ocean, onto the rock.  Graham hurled himself up beside her.  She scooted herself back into his arms. The heat of his body instantly warmed her.

They could see a few of the marquess’ men, but none of them made any attempt to swim towards them. On the rock, Will could easily pick them off with his bow. The soldiers were defenseless. They headed for the shore, hoping to survive the swim. Charlotte wondered how they were going to make it.

Tom jumped back into the water. He had already collected several boards and he grabbed four more as they floated by. “If we can collect enough wood, I can make a raft.”

Nick and Will jumped back into the water as well. Will grabbed a length of rope that was floating by while Nick grabbed a few more boards. Graham started to get up to help his brothers, but Charlotte looked at him pleading with her eyes. “Don’t leave me.”

“It’s all right,” Tom called. “Keep her warm. We’ll start a fire as soon as we hit land.”

“What will we start a fire with?” Nick pushed two more boards onto the rock.

“I have flint in my toolbox of course.” Tom rolled his eyes at his brother. He climbed back out of the water and began constructing the raft.

Tom worked with amazing speed and skill. Will and Nick continued collecting supplies from the wreck. Within half an hour, Tom had fashioned a serviceable raft.

Will and Nick pushed out of the water and on to either side of the small raft.  Tom climbed on the front.  Graham stood, still holding Charlotte, and his brothers steadied him as he maneuvered from the rock to the raft. 

“The tide should carry us in, but these two long boards can serve as paddles to speed the process.” Tom handed one to Will and the other to Nick.

The wind blew damp ocean air towards the shore, but Charlotte felt warmer than she had all night.  She was sandwiched between four large men on a tiny raft.  They blocked the wind and radiated an amazing amount of heat. Graham still held her tightly in his grasp as she sat in his lap.  Despite the danger, she had never felt safer in her entire life.

The group moved easily to shore.

Tom jumped off the front of the raft and pulled it up on the beach for the rest to disembark. Then he began taking apart the raft.

“Are you sure you want to take the time to do that?” Nick yelled over the surf.

“The raft is a giveaway of our location if more men come. Plus we might need the rope.  We will scatter the wood or burn some of it to dry out.”  Tom continued to work as he talked, handing any dry pieces to Nick.

Will began digging a hole with his hands to bury some of the wood.  The rest they would let the ocean carry away.

“Can we risk a fire?”  Will asked.

“I think we might have to,” Graham answered.  Now that Charlotte was not trapped between the brothers she was shivering again in Graham’s arms.

“Without m-m-me here, you w-w-w-would be able to g-g-g-go without a fire,” she chattered out.

Graham chuckled, “Without you, we would be warm in our beds.” He squeezed her tighter. “This is much more interesting.”

“Speak for yourself,” Nick laughed as well. “I don’t get to spend the evening holding a beautiful lady.”

Charlotte blushed. In that moment, she had never been happier to have met any people in her life than she was the Fairfields. She suddenly couldn’t imagine her life without them. She looked at Graham. She wasn’t sure she ever wanted to leave his arms.

The raft disposed of, the group went inland. Once they hit the cover of trees, Tom started a small fire. The three brothers stripped off their wet boots and shirts and laid them to dry.

Charlotte turned to Graham, who was still holding her. “Are you going to take off your shirt?”  Her voice pleaded in a way that she hadn’t intended.

A sly smile slid onto Graham’s face, “I think we’ll leave our clothes on.” He scooted closer to the fire.

Disappointment coursed through Charlotte. She had never felt desire like this before and she longed to explore it. She desperately wished to touch his skin and her hand skimmed down his arm and trailed across the back of his hand.

“Charlotte,” his voice held a warning. She drew her hand back like she had touched fire.

“I didn’t mean, I just wanted…” her words trailed off.

Graham laid them down, still holding her in his arms.  “I know,” he snuggled her closer with the fire to her back and his heat on her front.  “Let’s get some rest.”

Charlotte had slept the entire day, and this had been the strangest night of her life.  In addition, desire was curling through her center and spreading throughout her entire body. She didn’t think she would ever fall asleep. She lay there for a few minutes contemplating how she could sneak Graham away and plant more kisses on his mouth. But her thoughts were interrupted by a soft but definite snore.  Graham had fallen asleep.

Charlotte let out an exasperated huff. How could he fall asleep? 

She heard Will, Tom and Nick chuckle. Will leaned over, “He hasn’t slept in two days. He has carried you for the past four hours down towers and through ocean waters.”

Charlotte scowled. Will was always plain spoken and it irritated her now. She didn’t want to admit that he had a point.

Tom got up, “I’ll take first guard.”

She snuggled closer to Graham’s warm body and, in a matter of minutes, fell asleep too.

STEALING A LADY’S HEART

CHAPTER SEVEN

The next morning dawned far earlier than any of them would have liked. But they were thankful to have made it without being discovered by the marquess or attacked by his men.

Will, who had taken second guard, stoked the fire and then left to catch some breakfast. 

Tom gathered more wood, while Nick waited for Graham to wake. 

Graham winked at his brother. Charlotte was still sleeping and determined to stay that way. She pressed her body the length of his, with her arms wrapped tightly around him.  Graham’s entire body was rock hard, most notably between his legs.  She looked incredibly beautiful and his eyes lingered on her lips, remembering their kisses.

Nick looked pointedly at Charlotte, “We have a problem.”

Graham nodded and sighed. “We have several.  The first is finding Charlotte some clothes. She can’t travel through Scotland and England wearing a nightdress.”

“That wasn’t what I was talking about,” Nick stared more fixedly at his brother.

“I haven’t forgotten my place in this world,” Graham said as he stroked her hair.  He wished he could forget his place as the third son of a lowly baron.  He would sweep Charlotte up, marry her and keep her in his bed for weeks or months. Then he would build her a life that fulfilled her every dream.

It wasn’t to be though. She wanted him now, when he stood between her and danger. But when they returned--if they returned--to the civilized world, she would find a worthy duke, or prince, or a marquess to marry. That man would give her the style and comfort that she deserved.

His only source of revenue was as a locksmith. What kind of life could he provide for her?

“I just don’t want your heart broken brother,” Nick whispered.

“There is nothing to be done for it. I will do whatever I have to do to keep her safe as I return her home.” Graham’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“That is a heavy price to pay,” Nick shook his head.

Graham did not know how to explain to his brother that her happiness was more important than his own. He had never been in love and he didn’t recognize the emotion. Instead he changed the subject. “How are we going to hide from Lord Bard?”

Nick shook his head. “I don’t know. Nor do I know how we are going to acquire horses or clothes or food. We have no money.”

Will returned with seven fat crabs. “You worry too much brothers. I’ll catch our food and sell more. Tom is collecting sticks to weave a few baskets. We can use them carry our things and sell a few more and I found this.”  He tossed down a soggy dirty coat.  “It will have to do for Charlotte until we can get her other clothing.”

An hour later the group set out. Progress was slow because Charlotte had no shoes, Will was hunting and Tom was weaving. A few hours later, they reached a small fishing village where Tom sold his basket and Will sold his meat and fresh furs.

They used the proceeds to buy Charlotte proper attire. A simple dress and shoes for travelling. A comb and rawhide hair tie were also purchased.

The shopkeeper had raised his eyebrows but had accepted their story of a shipwreck. Graham told the man that Charlotte was his wife and the man had allowed Graham and Charlotte to use a small storeroom to change and dress her hair.