The Master's Lessons (10 page)

Amelia’s
stomach flipped over, but the words fell naturally from her lips
before she could even try to hold them back. “It is so, James.”

VIII.

Lesson
Eight

Amelia clenched
her lips tightly together as the vicar’s droning sermon echoed
around the church eaves. She barely heard a word he said, for not
only was she seated next to Cooper in the church pew, but before
they dressed for the Sunday morning service he had given her an
order that was impossible to defy.

Fixed to her
taut nipples were the two tiny brass clamps he had produced on that
first glorious encounter in his study. As he no doubt intended, the
aching pain they caused had awoken a simmering undercurrent of
arousal that simply would not abate. Despite the setting, she was
powerless to stop her thoughts from turning back to the weekend’s
glories. Just as had been the case last week, the headmaster had
escorted her to his cottage after they had taken dinner with the
staff on Friday evening, and they had not left again until the time
had come to escort the students to church. They had ventured out of
his bed only when it had become absolutely necessary to eat or
drink, yet still she craved him with more ferocity than ever.

The compulsion
to lean against his broad shoulder consumed her, and every grim,
secretive smile he chanced in her direction sent her longing for
him spiralling afresh. To her confusion, though, there seemed to be
something more than mere physical desire causing him to hold his
body tense in anticipation. He kept his grey eyes near unblinkingly
trained on the vicar, and when the elderly man finally reached the
parish notices, Cooper drew a sharp breath and squared his
shoulders.

Amelia’s breath
caught in her throat when the headmaster then reached across to
openly lay his hand on top of hers as the vicar spoke the very last
words she had expected to hear.

“I publish the
banns of James Dante Cooper of this parish of Little Hampton, and
Miss Amelia Mignonette Montague, spinster of the same parish.
 If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two
persons should not be joined together in holy matrimony, you are to
declare it.”

She must surely
have misheard him. Dumbstruck, her lips parted as she instinctively
turned to Cooper in search of confirmation – and received all she
needed in the face of the triumph in his eyes. He gave a tiny jerk
of his head as a low buzz of intrigue rippled through the pews
around them, muting the rest of the vicar’s words; not that Amelia
would have been able to pay attention to them, for her head was
whirling. Battling to retain a grip on any single thought amongst
the chaos that now reigned, she did not even realise the service
had concluded until the headmaster rose to his feet and pulled her
with him to stand at his side.

Cooper
smilingly accepted all the congratulations that instantly came
their way, and there was a defiant spark in his grey eyes that
dared her to challenge him. She wanted to, but the words would not
come. Instead, Amelia found herself smiling faintly and
unconsciously leaning against his broad shoulder as he slowly began
to steer them out of the church and towards the open courtyard
where the midday sun merrily beat down, oblivious to the seismic
shift she sensed her life was about to undergo.

As they stepped
outside, he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and then laid
his on top of it, the gesture somehow more intimate and bittersweet
than anything they had shared in his bed. “Amelia?”

His voice was
far tenderer than she had ever heard it before, and the sound of it
effortlessly stripped away all defence she had remaining. To her
chagrin, her lower lip trembled as she pulled her head back to gaze
up at him, unable to find any words to answer him through the lump
now constricting her throat.

Cooper’s thumb
brushed against the back of her hand, and a tiny furrow creased his
brow. “I have already asked Austin to see the boys back to the
school, so the rest of the day is our own, Amelia. Therefore, if
you do not object I would rather like to take a walk with my lovely
little fiancée. I suspect we will have much to say to each other,
after all. What do you say?”

Amelia arched
into him against her will, able to see no-one but the headmaster
despite the swarm of teachers, students and parishioners still
around them calling out their congratulations. Her heart was
pounding wildly out of time, and dazed by all she felt, she found
herself far more reckless than she would ordinarily dare to be.
“You did not need my permission for aught else, sir,” she said
under her breath.

His eyes darkened with the reminder despite the sharp breath
that betrayed his irritation. “Save it until we are alone, my dear
–
please
. Shall we,
then?”

“I think we
should, yes.”

The headmaster
stared down at her without speaking for a few more moments, and
then nodded slowly as he extricated them from the crowd and moved
away from the church in silence. The gentle incline of the hill
overlooking the village was before them, and though his face
tightened as his grey eyes briefly scanned the manor where Freddie
lived with his father, the earl, Cooper led her up the hill and
towards the copse that nestled halfway up.

When they
emerged into a small clearing, she thought he would finally offer
up an explanation, but still he did not speak. Finally coming to
the realisation he was content to wait for her to break the silence
that had settled between them, she glanced up at him warily as they
came to a halt under the shadow of an ancient oak tree. “Dante?”
she said eventually.

Cooper arched
one dark brow. “Indeed. My father is an ardent admirer of Dante
Alighieri and all his work. I have to say though, my dear, I did
not expect that my name would be what caught your attention from
all that the vicar had to say.”

“No.” Amelia
breathed in deeply, painfully aware of the gravity of the
conversation they were about to have – and coming to see, against
her will, how very much she wanted all he offered. “No, sir; if I
am not mistaken, the vicar read our banns. That can have only one
meaning.”

His lips
thinned. “Indeed.”

“Then it is
true – you want to marry me?”

“Very much, Amelia, and what is more, I
will
marry you. I understand this may
have come as something of a shock to you, but I see no reason to
delay in formalising all there is between us.” The headmaster
reached for her hand, enclosing it inside his and flashing the
briefest of smiles when she made no protest as he pulled her near.
“Come now, my dear, I know the thought probably never even crossed
your mind until this moment, but surely the idea of being my wife
appeals to you!”

Amelia
shivered, conflicted by the powerful compulsion to gladly accept
his unconventional proposal; a compulsion so at odds to all she had
felt when he had first made his desire for her apparent that she
could barely comprehend the force of the changes that had been
wreaked upon her in so short a time. She whetted her lips,
searching around for a protest to make despite the fact that
already her mind was filling with quiet elation at the future that
lay ahead. “How did you manage this? I did not even sign the banns
certificate.”

“I falsified your signature, for I wanted to surprise you with
this,” the headmaster said as he steadily backed her up against the
tree trunk behind them. “I could not be certain you would willingly
sign the papers, but now it is a
fait
accompli
and we can logically talk through
any protests you might have before we return to the school for
luncheon. Amelia, you will be my wife, for I saw the thrill that
passed through your eyes when the vicar read our banns. Argue if
you like, but I shall simply silence your mouth with my own by way
of an answer. I doubt you will still find yourself able to refuse
me after that particular delight.”

She shook her
head in stunned disbelief at his renewed arrogance, even as the
merest thought of his kiss sent her lust for him soaring once more.
“You truly are a devil, sir!”

“Then why did
you not leap up and protest? Nay,” Cooper said, holding up a hand
to silence her attempted retort. “I know the reason, my dear, so do
not waste your breath. You did not do so because the thought of
being my wife and forever at my side is something you realise you
want beyond all reason. You need feel no shame in confessing it,
for have we not already shared much more than mere emotion?”

Amelia’s grip
on her outrage was rapidly slipping away to no more than a memory,
a whisper in the back of her mind that meant nothing in comparison
to the truth of the headmaster’s words. Dazed, her voice shook
wildly when she finally found the composure to speak again. “Then
if you are so convinced of that, James, why did you go to such
lengths of deceit to present this to me in such a way? The custom
is to ask a lady and her family’s permission first, after all.”

“Yet you have
no family for me to seek permission from; the only one to ask was
you, and I did not think that necessary,” he said calmly. “Your
reaction to me whenever I take you speaks your admiration and
ardour without the need for words. Forgive me if I sound arrogant,
my dear Amelia, but I am entirely convinced I will be able to
please you in every possible way. After all, you gain as much from
our marriage as I will, if not more. Your social and financial
standing will improve immeasurably.”

“As if I care
for that!”

A ghost of a
smile darted across his face. “I know you do not, not beyond the
basics of a lifetime’s security. That is part of your appeal to
me.”

Without asking
Cooper began to unbutton her white blouse, and the instant her
corset was exposed his hand slipped beneath it to remove the tiny
clamps that had still been sending fiery jolts of pleasure through
her breasts every time she drew breath. Amelia’s head rolled to the
side as heated arousal flooded her body in an instant, but he
simply cupped her left breast in his hand as he lowered his head
closer to hers.

“Pay attention
to me now, love,” he said quietly. “I will not be dissuaded on
this, for even disregarding the fact that the banns have already
been called, every moment we spend together only strengthens my
conviction that marriage is the very best path for us to take. I
have never known a woman whose company I enjoy as much as yours,
and there can be no denying the fact we are remarkably compatible
in bed. Yes, I am wholly convinced that a lifetime spent with you
will be a glorious one, Amelia, and that is why I am so determined
to marry you.

“Now, speaking
of which, the summer term is nearly over.” The headmaster delivered
a brief kiss to the bow of her parted lips as he began to gently
toy with her taut nipple, teasing and coaxing her arousal ever
higher as he spoke again. “I intend for us to be wed the first
weekend after the students have left, and then I shall take you to
my family in Scotland to honeymoon over the summer. An entire month
away from the school in which to adjust to being man and wife
before we return to Highdown Hall ready for September, love. How
does that sound to you?”

Amelia could
barely even breathe, let alone answer him in words. Her wide eyes
filled with tears as she reached up to encircle his sinewed neck
with her arms, hoping desperately that Cooper would understand her
wordless plea – and as always, it seemed he knew precisely what she
needed. He touched her flushed cheek with the back of his free
hand, then slowly moved it lower until her jaw was resting on top
of his hand. Her breath hitched, and her lips parted in willing
supplication even before he gently tilted her jaw upwards and
lowered his head to cover her mouth with his own.

Though the
headmaster’s hand still lingered possessively against her breast,
the kiss he led her through was by far the tenderest they had ever
shared. There was none of the frantic hunger that ordinarily
consumed them both the instant they touched, and instead something
far more powerful and enduring had sparked between them. Clinging
to it and all it promised, Amelia cried out into his mouth and
allowed her mind to fill with acceptance. There was nobody else who
could make her feel like this, for even the chastest of touches
from Cooper made her come alive. He had turned everything she held
true on its head, and her world had finally settled with him at its
core.

When he broke
the kiss, she stumbled backwards and would have fallen if not for
the tree behind them. Cooper lifted one brow as he reached out one
hand to steady her, reluctantly removing the other from inside her
corset as he did so. “No more protests, I see,” he said smugly.

“Sometimes,
James, I fervently detest you!”

“Only
sometimes?” he said as one brow lifted in evident amusement. “Then
I consider we are off to a good footing for our marriage already,
Amelia.”

Cooper smiled
down at her, and Amelia finally released the breath she had been
holding and allowed herself to smile at him in response. A heavy
weight lifted away from his furrowed brow, but still there seemed
to be something unsaid between them, and she was determined to get
to the bottom of it. As he slipped an arm around her waist to draw
her into the heat of his lithe body again, she tilted her head and
bit on her lower lip. “It strikes me that this is all so sudden,
James. You have spoken nothing of this before.”

“Did I not make
it plain from the very beginning that this was never to be a
fleeting affair between us, Amelia?”

“Then you
planned it to culminate in this from the beginning?”