Bobbi Smith - Captive Pride

“Miss CC? Aren’t you feeling well? Shall I help you undress and have a bath sent up?” Anna offered as CC sank down wearily on the bed.

“A bath would be heavenly, Anna. Thank you…”

“I’ll tell the others right away.” Anna hurried off to order the bath, leaving CC alone for the first time in hours.

Exhausted, CC sighed as she slipped off her shoes, and then, eager to get to bed, she stood up and began to undress by herself. It was when she stripped off her chemise that she first noticed the smear of dried blood on the inside of her thigh. A potent rage filled her at the sight of the damning evidence that testified to her own weakness. How could she have been so stupid as to surrender to Kincade? She knew what kind of man he was! His behavior tonight only convinced her all the more firmly that he was an unprincipled opportunist.

Quickly, lest Anna return and discover her foolishness, CC rushed to the washstand to scrub the telltale stain. Even as she washed the reminder of Noah’s possession from her flesh, she could not erase the memory of him from her mind…the sensual heat of his touch, the thrill of his kiss, the rapturous glory of his total possession…

CC muttered a vile curse under her breath. Lord Noah Kincade was a filthy, arrogant…Her hatred of him at that moment was so fierce that she couldn’t think of any expletives horrible enough to wreak on his character.

CC frowned as she reflected on all that had happened during the course of the night. Noah had assumed, just as Matt had, that she was engaged to John. He had accused her of attempting to use Matthew, though she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to be using him or to what end. And even though she had fought him almost from the start, he had insisted that he was only taking what she was offering…

Suddenly, in a rush of revolting realization, it all became clear to CC, and she shook her head in stunned, outraged bewilderment. As naive as she’d been, she hadn’t understood Kincade’s accusations before, but now a disgusting awareness dawned. Lord Noah Kincade had thought that she was prostituting herself in hopes of winning them over to the rebel cause…

The knowledge that he had suspected her of such degrading behavior only served to intensify her already hostile feelings for him. He thought her no better than a common tramp! He had used her as such, and even the discovery of her untouched state had not altered his opinion.

Her anger was so powerful that she felt physically ill, and she was pale and trembling when Anna’s soft knock came at the door. Snatching up her dressing gown, she pulled it quickly on, fearful that without it Anna might somehow know of her indiscretion. Bidding her servant to enter, she forced herself to present a calm front as the maid directed the belowstairs servants where to put the tub and then supervised as they filled it with hot water.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Miss CC?” Anna offered solicitously.

“No. I think I’ll just soak a while and then go on to bed.”

“Shall I bring you a sherry? You’re still looking rather peaked,” she noted with concern.

The offer of a sherry did sound soothing, and CC agreed, “A small brandy might just be the thing, Anna. Thanks.”

Quickly and efficiently, Anna directed the other servants from the room and then followed them downstairs to get the liquor for her mistress. As she poured the brandy into a crystal snifter, she pondered the situation. Something was amiss, but she wasn’t sure just what it was. Usually after a party Miss CC was lighthearted and full of gossip and interesting tidbits of all that had happened. This unusual silence by her was troubling. Anna suspected that it all had to do with her earlier unkempt state, and she wondered if something terrible had happened. Something that maybe she should talk about.

Carrying the liquor, she returned to the room and knocked only once before admitting herself. It did not surprise Anna to find CC already soaking in the steaming tub, and she drew a small table near and placed the brandy upon it within easy reach.

“Thank you, Anna.”

“You’re welcome. So how was the ball, Miss CC?” Anna tried to encourage her to talk, hoping to discover the reason for her strange mood.

“Fine,” came her answer.

“Did your father seem to enjoy himself?” she asked as she moved quietly about the room picking up CC’s discarded clothing.

“I think so. He was quite pleased that everyone came.”

“Indeed, there was a crowd, and Lord Kincade was here, wasn’t he?”

At the mention of his name, CC couldn’t prevent herself from tensing, and Anna noticed but did not comment on it.

“Yes, he came, and so did his younger brother, Matthew.”

“Was the brother wearing dark blue?”

“I believe so; why?” CC cast a glance at her maid.

“I’d caught sight of him one time and thought him quite good-looking, too. Still, there is just something about the older one that’s-”

“I know.” CC cut her off sharply, not wanting to hear her sing Kincade’s praises. Anna knew nothing about the man; she only saw the gift wrap, so to speak. “I’m really tired tonight, Anna…”

Anna took the hint and started for the door. “Will you be needing me for anything else?”

“No. You go on. I’ll be fine.”

“Good night, then, Miss CC.”

CC was glad when Anna had gone. Sipping from the relaxing liquor, she soaked in the hot, perfumed bath for a long time after her departure, wanting to ease all the unfamiliar aches from her slender body. Only when she felt drowsily content and free of Kincade’s scent upon her did she emerge from the tub and dry herself. Clad in her most comfortable nightdress, she finally slipped beneath the covers of her bed.

Sleep should have come easily. She was warm, content, and safe in her own bedroom, but images of Kincade kept disturbing her rest. Whenever she closed her eyes, a vision of Noah as he had been in the summerhouse would loom before her, his silver eyes burning with passion, his hands reaching out for her with sensual intent. CC tossed and turned, growing more and more distraught over the heat that surged through her whenever he entered her thoughts. She hated him and all he stood for, yet he was haunting her. The memory of his touch alone had the power to send her pulses racing.

Getting up, she padded restlessly to the window. Parting the heavy drapes, she stared out across the quiet city as she tried to come to grips with the riotous feelings Noah Kincade stirred within her. From the very beginning, he had not fit any preconceived mold she had of English noblemen… He was not fat and ugly; he was not effeminate. What Kincade was, CC acknowledged grudgingly, was devastatingly handsome. She recognized now that he was the consummate rake and a masterful lover. Though she knew she hated him and his mercenary ways, her body had responded to him as to no other.

CC shivered and retreated to the warmth of her bed, protectively pulling her blankets up to her chin. She had given in to Kincade’s sensual demands in a moment of weakness, and she vowed that it would never happen again. She was going to make every effort to ensure that their paths never crossed again. Feeling slightly reassured and a little more in control, CC curled on her side and closed her eyes.

The remembrance of Noah leaving the ball with Eve Woodham pierced CC’s drowsy thoughts then, sending a pang of heart-pain echoing dully through her, and a silent tear was tracing a lonely path across the softness of her cheek as sleep finally claimed her.

Matt left the ball and returned to the inn a short time after Noah had departed with Eve Woodham. Since his discussion with the military men in the study earlier that evening, he’d found himself growing more and more aware of the loyalists’ attitudes and more and more annoyed with their puffed-up ways until he finally felt the need to escape their stifling presence.