“I think I want you to kiss me, Edmund,” she said slowly, and with a sound of sudden desire that was almost a growl, he complied.
The combination of Diana’s innocence and responsiveness was intoxicating to him. Her hands pulled his head down to hers for even deeper and less controlled kisses, but then her eyes opened wide as he cupped one of her breasts through the light muslin of her dress.
The small gasping sound she made at his simple touch set him on fire. His hand slipped inside her bodice and caressed her warm bare skin and hardening nipple with his palm as she moaned his name.
Edmund swallowed her small cries in his kisses, thinking that he had never wanted nor enjoyed a woman more in his life. A flash of satisfaction also shot through him at the knowledge that this was another first that Andrew Arnold would never get. It was Edmund whom Diana had first desired and Edmund who had first awakened her body to physical pleasure.
What other firsts with Diana did the absent Viscount of Birks not deserve to enjoy?
Their embrace was disrupted by the sound of Percy and Jacob calling their names. Edmund immediately withdrew his hand and allowed Diana to adjust her dress as he smoothed his hair.
“Do I look all right?” she asked breathlessly, and he reached out to adjust her crown of daisies.
“You look beautiful,” he said softly and leaned in for one more brief and daring kiss before he walked her back towards the lake.
“That water is damned freezing, Edmund!” Jacob complained, his teeth chattering as he pulled the lapels of his jacket up to his ears. His wet red hair was plastered to his head. “I got halfway across and decided that it wasn’t worth the effort. Percy wins by default, and now, I want to go back to the house for a warm bath and some cocoa.”
Cold but happy with his default win, Percy was toweling his bare torso vigorously, not having dressed as quickly as Jacob.
“You haven’t trained like Edmund and me, you see, Jacob. Years of practice…”
Edmund offered Jacob his own jacket for additional warmth, and it was gratefully accepted. Jacob laughed at himself, swore again at the coldness of the water, and then apologized to Diana for his language and dreadful appearance.
“You look best amongst all of us this afternoon, Lady Diana,” he added a compliment by way of redress. "The flowers in your hair suit you wonderfully.”
“Thank you,” she said with a slight blush that only made Edmund want to scoop her up and carry her back into the woods. He realized then that whatever happened with her marriage and her family, he would never be able to look at Diana again without desire.
* * *
After the lightheartedness, joy and passion of the afternoon, dinner that night was a somber affair. They talked in hushed voices about the doctor’s latest visit earlier that evening.
“Mother is still distraught,” Percy said. “Perhaps she should not have spoken to the doctors.”
“That would make it even worse, Percy!” Diana objected. “Mother isn’t like you. She doesn’t choose not to see the things that bother her. Not knowing could only make it harder for her.”
“That’s not what I meant, Diana.” Percy blushed. His friends said nothing, both silently agreeing with his sister about Percy’s preference for burying his head in the sand.
“Diana is right, Percy,” Henrietta said sorrowfully. “You must bear up bravely under this strain, and we must all face up to hard reality however little we might want to. My dear niece and nephew, your family’s future depends on you now. It’s clear that neither Dr. Hughs nor Dr. Kramer sees any hope of recovery.”
Percy dropped his cutlery on his plate and closed his eyes.
“They might still be wrong. They’re men, not gods!” he said petulantly. “Maybe… maybe we should get another opinion. In fact, maybe we should get two or three more…"
“Your dedication to your father is touching, Percy.” Lady Birks sighed. “But it helps no one to indulge in fantasy at such times as this. Dr. Kramer is the foremost heart specialist in the country. He does believe that there is more to this case than angina, but with your father in such an unresponsive state, further diagnosis is difficult and treatment is likely impossible.” She shook her head sorrowfully. “But Father must get well. He must!” Percy cried, looking again towards the still-empty seat at the head of the table where he had declined to move. Beside him, Diana put a comforting hand on his arm.
“He may not, Percy. We must look after Mother too. I suggested hiring a nurse, but she won’t hear of it. Could you help to persuade her, Aunt Henrietta?”
“I’m afraid it won’t be long now,” Lady Birks said. “As Dr. Kramer advised, your mother’s diligent care and ability to get broth into him whenever he stirs even faintly have kept him alive so far. But without solid food, it can’t go on indefinitely. I would let your mother make peace with that in her own way. There may not be a need for a nurse soon.”
Diana nodded at her aunt, knowing the truth of her words, and too upset to speak.
“Would Lord Templeton have welcomed a priest?” Edmund asked gently. “I do not know his religious views, but at the end, my own father was much comforted in the hours he had with Reverend Timmerson, hearing some of the psalms again for the final time.”
“He might,” Diana admitted very quietly. “Our local minister is new and has had the living for only a few months. But the Bishop of Winchester is an old friend of Father’s. Perhaps we might write to him?”
“Oh, my dear girl.” Lady Birks’s eyes overflowed with emotion. “How right you are! Here we are worrying about your father’s body and neglecting his soul. A bishop can do more for him now than another doctor or a nurse. Let this now be the focus of our efforts.”
“Percy and I will write to him after dinner,” Diana said bravely as her aunt lavished her with an extravagantly sad smile of compassion which her niece seemed to shrink away from.