Amanda Scott - [Dangerous 02] (46 page)

“If I am, what do you propose to do about it?” His voice was low in his throat.

“I want to learn what married people do, Antony. Teach me.

Shrugging off his jacket, trying to control the surge of desire he felt for her, Antony told himself that he would take care. He reminded himself that she was his wife and he had every right to do as he pleased with her, that even if he should let his instincts rule his better judgment, he would do her no great harm so long as she did not become pregnant. And if she did … Even as the thought crossed his mind, she slipped her hand through the opening in his shirt to his bare skin. He stifled a groan. The wanton little baggage intended to seduce him.

Salving his conscience with the knowledge that he had warned her of the consequences, he gathered her into his arms and kissed her gently, beginning slowly to explore her body with his hands, pushing clothing aside as he encountered it. She responded at once, reaching for him, and he wondered if she was in some way reacting to the fear she must have felt before she had pulled the trigger and shot Michael, or if she was merely curious, as she had said. In either case, he had no wish to stop her.

He had wanted to hold her again, and to do much more than that, ever since the night of the storm, when she had come to his bedchamber. Reassuring himself yet again that he would do her no harm, he plunged his tongue into her mouth.

She moaned and pressed toward him, her hungry passion nearly overwhelming him. His fingers seemed to take on a life of their own as he stripped her clothing from her, and without another thought for consequences, he carried her to the bed. His shirt was open, and he knew she must have unbuttoned it, but he had no memory of it. His mind filled with the scent of her, the silken softness of her skin, and the feelings her slightest touch produced within his body. At first he wanted only to stroke her, to kiss her, to enjoy her passion.

She was silent except for the little moans and cries of pleasure she made in response to his touch, but her reactions produced stirrings within him that he had never experienced before. He was not unskilled, but his experiences had been casual, without emotional ties. Had he tried, he would have found it hard to remember a single partner’s name. Charley was different. She made him feel different, more alive than he had ever felt before. He kept his eyes open at first, watching her, enjoying the play of the firelight on her beautiful body.

As his hands moved gently over her breasts, making her gasp, her eyes opened wide, and firelight ignited flames of passion in their dark depths. She smiled and murmured, “May I kiss your body, too, the way you are kissing mine?”

“You may,” he murmured, his throat nearly closing on the words, “but take care. I’m having all I can do not to ravish you here and now.”

“But I want you to ravish me,” she replied. “I’ve never felt like this before, Antony, and I shall probably never feel like this again. I don’t want it to stop.”

“You do understand that this is how people get pregnant.”

“Yes, of course, I do. You know I do. But it won’t happen, and even if it does,” she added, looking mischievously at him, “the worst that will occur is that we shall have to stay married. I daresay even that will not be as bad as I thought, so long as you will engage not to interfere with me. You can do as you please, and I shall remain here and raise my child, and everything will go on as it did before we met.” Her gaze slid from his as she said the last words, and he knew she did not mean them, that she simply (and quite foolishly) assumed she would not become pregnant through a single incident. Still, anger that she could think even for a moment that he would abandon her to raise
his
child alone made him want to shake her again.

The anger ebbed swiftly when she began to explore his body with her lips and tongue. Her hand slipped lower, and he soon forgot his objections. When he could take no more, he moved to possess her, hesitating only at the last minute. Afraid to hurt her, he took great care when he entered her, but aside from a moan deeper than those that had preceded it, she did not protest. Taking her, he found it surprisingly easy to read her responses and to stimulate her until she writhed with passion beneath him. His senses reeled, soaring to a peak beyond any he had ever experienced before.

When it was over, he helped her clean herself, surprised but delighted that she did not seem at all shy of him.

“I thought it would hurt more,” she said.

“I’m no expert, despite what you think, but I’m told that women often differ in that respect,” he said.

Apparently content with the answer, she let him take her in his arms again and carry her back to bed. Not until sometime later, as they lay side by side, utterly sated, did he wonder when it would occur to her that, if she did get pregnant, he would not be the biddable husband of her fantasies. And if she did not become pregnant and still wanted an annulment, he wondered if she thought he would lie to the bishop when the small question of consummation arose. He would not, but he found himself looking forward to the moment, and imagining how she would react. It occurred to him then that, in his mind at least, they were married forever now, whether they liked it or not. The thought warmed him considerably.

C
HARLEY AND ANTONY WERE
still asleep the following morning when Hodson arrived in a carriage with a driver and Kerra, but when they learned that Wellington’s ship was safe in the harbor, they made haste to dress and to break their fast. Upon learning that Hodson and Kerra both wanted to attend the consecration, Antony said with a smile, “Why don’t you ride our horses then, if you like, since we don’t have our grooms with us? Will that suit you, angel?”

“Yes, certainly,” Charley agreed as she stirred sugar into her tea. “Kerra, I will tell you what you must do to make Dancer let you ride him.” When they all were ready, they went to the harbor. There was not a cloud in the sky.

To Charley’s surprise, they found Rockland and Elizabeth awaiting them near the long dock. Rockland greeted them with his usual mischievous smile, but she sensed at once that something was different between the two. The way Elizabeth looked at Rockland would have given them away even if he had not been looking (in Charley’s opinion, at least) like the cock of the walk.

“You’re betrothed,” she exclaimed.

Elizabeth looked disappointed, and Rockland said with disgust, “If that ain’t just like you! By Jove, you’re as bad as Lady Ophelia. She took one look at us, too, and said exactly the same thing. I ask you, what’s the use of having a grand announcement to make if no one allows us to make it?”

“Well, I’m sorry, but you oughtn’t to go about looking like a pair of cats that shared a cream cake if you don’t want people to guess things. Where are the others?”

“On their way to Truro, of course,” Rockland said. “They were going by way of the Bodmin turnpike, in several carriages. Alfred made one of his usual dogmatic declarations, saying we would take the front seat in that great traveling carriage of his, with him and Edythe, but I thought not. The alternative was to ride with Lady Ophelia and Lady St. Merryn and the paralyzingly dull Miss Davies, or to take Letty with us. Alfred kept saying he did not see any reason for us to ride in a separate carriage. In all truthfulness, I think he believes it’s indecent of us, but I told him it was quite all right since we’re now betrothed, and that you had asked me to meet you here. I also said,” he added with an oblique look at Antony, “that
you
had promised to introduce Elizabeth to His Grace. Hope that don’t put you out. I thought it likely he wouldn’t mind, for by what I hear of him …” He paused with uncharacteristic delicacy.

Charley chuckled. “You mean that meeting one more pretty female won’t make a particle of difference to Wellington. Why didn’t you just say so?”

“By heaven, I thought marriage would tame that tongue of yours,” Rockland said, glaring at her, “but I can see that it’s done no such thing. I daresay that in another month you’ll have put a ring through poor Antony’s nose.”

Heat flooding her cheeks, Charley opened her mouth to deliver a hot retort, but Antony laughed and said, “Wellington has never yet refused to meet a lady, and if I present Miss Elizabeth on the occasion of her betrothal, he will be delighted.”

Looking warily at Charley, Elizabeth said to her in a low, rather tense voice, “Does it displease you, Cousin, our betrothal? I know you expected to marry our dear delightful Rockland, and after the shameful prank he played, tricking you into marrying Sir Antony, he must seem dreadfully fickle now. Indeed I should not be surprised if you are quite livid with the pair of us. I know that you have always disliked me.”

Caught up short by Elizabeth’s distress, Charley experienced a prickling of remorse. She had felt relieved, if anything, to find that Rockland had looked elsewhere, and now that she saw them together, she could see that they were right for each other. Summoning up a warm smile, she said, “Elizabeth, I have behaved wretchedly. I don’t dislike you at all, but after the way I’ve treated you in the past, I can’t blame you for believing I do. Please forgive me, and know that I wish you both only happiness. Look,” she added, seeing a stir of movement on the docks, “here comes the Duke with his party now. Just to prove that I am not distressed by your news, I want to make you a special betrothal gift. You must take my place in the ceremony.” When Elizabeth looked shocked, she added firmly, “Please,
do
say that you will.”

Flushing to the roots of her hair, Elizabeth exclaimed, “I couldn’t possibly do that, Cousin Charley. Mr. Gabriel wants you to have that great honor, and I daresay he will be unhappy enough when he learns that I have become betrothed, without my upsetting his arrangements for the ceremony. Perhaps you do not know this, but he has become most particular in his attentions to me.” Blushing, she smiled at Rockland. “Indeed, I think that is what caused my darling William to speak up when he did.”

When Rockland grinned, Charley said in amazement, “William? Is that your given name?” He nodded, making her grimace, but then she shook her head and smiled at them both, saying, “Mr. Gabriel will not see you open the coffer, Elizabeth. He felt obliged to escort a host of villains to the castle prison in Launceston today instead.”

Elizabeth looked more gratified than regretful. “He won’t be at the ceremony?”

“No, he won’t,” Charley said. Producing Gabriel’s key from the sensible reticule she carried and pressing it into Elizabeth’s hand, she added, “Here is the key. The dean or one of the deacons will tell you exactly where you must stand, what to do, and when to do it. Of course, if you truly don’t wish to …”

“I shall be deeply honored,” Elizabeth said, smiling in obvious delight. As they moved toward the approaching group, Charley heard her say in an awed undertone to Antony, “Is it true, sir, that you are personally acquainted with His Grace?”

“To my sorrow,” Antony answered with a wry smile.

Striding forward ahead of the others, Harry Livingston grasped Antony’s hand tightly and said, “Well met, Tony. Have you got everything in hand?”

“I believe so,” Antony told him. “There was a spot of bother last night—”

“We heard all about it,” Harry said, turning his attention pointedly to Charley. When Antony presented him to her, Harry laughed and said, “Your servant, ma’am. Tony wrote that he’d got married, but not that his wife is a raving beauty. Here, sir,” he added, turning to the Duke, “Tony neglected to tell us the best part of his news, and to punish him, allow me to present Lady Foxearth to you in his stead.”

Antony saw with relief that Harry’s antics did not disturb Charley in the least. Nor did she stand in awe of Wellington, whom she doubtless had met in London. She smiled and made her curtsy and was soon talking easily with the Duke.

Wellington had dressed simply but elegantly, as had been his habit since his days in the Peninsula. He had always worn civilian dress in the field, his blue frock coat and light pantaloons making him easily identifiable. Only for formal military ceremonies did he don a uniform. Today he wore a drab cloak and a simple cocked hat, cream-colored knee breeches and stockings, and a dark coat. He flirted with Charley—and with Elizabeth when Antony presented her—as easily as if he were thirty years younger.

They made a tour of the village, allowing its citizens to pay their respects. Then the Duke and his entourage piled into the several carriages awaiting them. Antony and Charley followed in theirs, with Rockland and Elizabeth just behind, and Hodson and Kerra riding in their wake. Charley settled back against the squabs with a sigh.

Chuckling, Antony said, “I hope you aren’t exhausted. It will take us another couple of hours to reach Truro, and the ceremony begins at two. Then we’ve the journey to Tuscombe Park, and dinner with Alfred and the others to get through.”

Her eyes twinkled. “If you must know, I was just glad to get away from Elizabeth and Rockland.”

“I thought you were pleased by their betrothal,” he said, aware of a small knot forming in his stomach.

It disappeared when she laughed and said, “I am delighted, but I got just a little tired of hearing Elizabeth continually referring to
our dearest Rockland
and
our darling William.
I have just as much regard for Rockland as anyone … well, nearly as much, but—” She broke off suddenly with an arrested look in her eyes.

“What?”

She shook her head, frowning. “I don’t know exactly. Something I said just then stirred a notion in the back of my mind, but it won’t come forward.” She thought a moment longer, then grimaced with exasperation. “That’s the trouble with trying to catch hold of a thought that doesn’t want catching. It disappears as if it had never presented itself at all. Talk about something else, Antony. Maybe it will come to me.”

They talked of nothing and many things, passing the journey in easy comfort with each other, but whatever the niggling thought had been, it did not reoccur to her before they reached the cathedral. As they drew up in the cobblestoned square, they saw that the party from Tuscombe Park had arrived just ahead of them.