Promises Unkept

The night of Great Mistakes.

It was the night of Great Mistakes tonight.

Eden’s very soul rocked with nervous energy as she finally rode into the stable of Ashleyton among all those men and His Lordship in lead.

Her fingers fussed with the leather leash. Her cape felt tight around her throat.

It was late in the night, which was also a good thing. With all this darkness swathing; Eden couldn’t read what expressions were wrapping Lord Adelwood’s face. He had pertained in his silence all through the ride and that had not changed so far, now that they were already home. His home, of course.

Not hers. Never her.

When the horse finally dug its hooves into the damp ground, Eden collected the harasses in one hand and made for her dismount when to her great alarm, Lord Adelwood got off his horse with the swiftness of panther and came up at her side in a quiet composure. Wordlessly, he slipped his hand into her waist setting a firm yet soft hold around her slim curve.

With great ease, he picked her up from the saddle and hauled her to his side, placing her down on the ground. However, because he had himself been standing so close to the stallion, when he was putting Eden down, her body_ the front of it glided intimately across his hard torso making her eyes go saucers in embarrassment and panic. Redness exploded on both her cheeks, with a slight hint of anguish. Her brain felt like it was floating in her skull, dancing like a fish, mocking her.

And again, since their clothes were quite wet and plastered to their skins, little needed be said on how inappropriately their shapes, his and her, filled each other’s curve.

Skin against skin. Heart akin. Eyes holding eyes.

Almost.

The friction ignited such heat that it could have lightened a whole furnace. Ripe and raw. Dangerous.

How dare he?!

Eden couldn’t tell if he had done it intentionally for as soon as she was down, she placed her palm flat on his dark lapels and pushed herself off his person. Besides, his face was too inscrutable and expressionless all this time. His eyes, too deep to be read into without loosing oneself. They looked angry as they read her face. And unlike his hands, the hold of his eyes were strong. Fierce. It could bruise, his gaze.

It did bruise.

Angry green oceans. Angry green feelings.

No matter what, she felt like punching him all the same, as she grate her teeth together.

Meanwhile, once she had broken her gaze from him, Lord Adelwood had turned around and started behesting orders to his guards, ignoring her simply in turn.

His conduct was odd tonight and if it was not anger, it was something much worse.

Perchance, Eden walked to Maggie who was talking to Devin with dipped head. On the approach of Eden, Devin fell silent. Maggie took Eden’s hand and sighed. “Let’s go to our room, shall we? I am so tired. And I must change.”

Eden heartily agreed. The idea of change seemed heavenly.

“Not yet, Miss Magpie.”  Lord Adelwood’s interruption from across the stable got them to freeze in mortification.

His voice was…..oh!....so dangerous, so precarious, with chilled biting edges in it.

“And don’t worry, I do not mean you exactly.” He said, pacing across cobbled floor, now in front of them, tall and dark. “I mean your friend_ Miss Henley, here. You, Magpie, may leave with Clarke as your escort.”