An Improper Seduction (13 page)

Chapter 14

Angeline was exhausted and confused. Geoffrey had been so angry when he left her at her door. She reviewed her actions over and over and could find nothing she had intentionally done to make him so angry. Finally, when her body and mind could take no more, she had fallen into a deep sleep.

It seemed like only minutes later when someone was rapping urgently and loudly on her door.

“Lady Angeline. Lady Angeline, you must wake up. You are needed immediately.”

As Angeline sat up in bed, she rubbed her eyes and called, “Come in, Margaret.”

Her maid was not in the habit of waking her in the middle of the night for no purpose. Upon entering, the urgency of the matter showed on Margaret’s pale face as she pulled her dressing gown tightly around her.

“What is it? What has you in such a state, Margaret?”

“The stable boy from Colburn Park is here, my lady. He rode over in a fit. He says there’s a girl there about to have her baby who needs help. The boy said Lord Colburn sent him over to fetch you and asked you to come right quick.” Margaret was out of breath by the end of her story.

“Please get my blue morning gown. Don’t bother with petticoats.” Angeline climbed out of bed, hurried over to the washbasin and splashed cold water on her face. When her maid approached, she shed her night rail and threw on her dress.

“I will be ready in just a minute now. Go get our stable boy to saddle Aphrodite.”

“Oh, miss, you should take the carriage. It’s the middle of the night and you’re a lady.”

“I don’t have time for that, Margaret. There is a woman having a baby and I must get there as quickly as I can. Wake Jimmy and have him saddle my horse. I’ll be right down.”

The maid ran out of the room to do her bidding as Angeline turned toward the mirror to fix her hair. She would have to get it out of the way so she could concentrate on her task. Moments later, she had twisted and pinned it into a bun at her nape. She hurried out of her room and down the front stairs.

Lester, Geoffrey’s stable boy, stood in the front hall wringing his hands. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she said, “Don’t worry, I’m ready to go and we’ll get there in plenty of time. Do you know how long ago she started?”

The boy opened the door and let her walk through. “Not exactly, my lady. They called me into the room and Lord Colburn sent me to fetch you quick. I rode as fast as I could. It looked like Brenda was in a heap of pain. Will she be all right, my lady? She looked awful.”

As Angeline hurried down the steps and placed her foot in the hands of her own stable boy for a leg up, she said, “It’s always that way. It takes a lot of pain to bring a child into the world. But the mother seems to forget the pain once she has the babe in her arms. She’ll be all right. I will help her all I can.”

Once Lester gained his saddle, they were off. Angeline seldom rode at a full gallop but this night she rode as quickly as the moonlit darkness would permit. Instead of taking the long way over the roads, she led the ostler back over the fields and fences for the most direct route possible.

Geoffrey felt as if a year had passed as he continued to hold Brenda’s hand and wipe her perspiring face. Mrs. Nash had returned with all of the supplies she thought would be needed, and had placed a large kettle containing hot water on the hearth to keep warm. Now she stood on the other side of the bed holding Brenda’s other hand and talking in soothing tones.

It seemed the contractions were getting closer together and Geoffrey had not a clue as to what should be done next. He would rather have been on the battlefield in Burma with a wounded soldier than sitting next to a woman, a girl really, about to deliver a new child into the world.

The door flung open and Angeline rushed in. “Am I in time?”

Geoffrey couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief and thank the heavens the woman he had chosen would not lose her head in an emergency. How many times had she been through this trauma with other women? What would she really think of going through it herself? After seeing such pain and suffering in Brenda, he was not sure any man had the right to ask a woman, especially one he cared so much about, to go through it. He also knew not all women came through the ordeal.

Angeline hurried to the bed and bent close to Brenda’s face. “It’s all right now, Brenda. I will help you through this. Do not be afraid. I have helped many women go through just what you are now. You’re young and strong. Everything will be all right.” She placed her hand on the girl’s forehead and then smoothed her hair back from her face.

There was another racket at the door and everyone turned around to see Lester explode into the room. “Is she okay? She’ll be all right, won’t she?”

Angeline turned toward Geoffrey. “Has the doctor been summoned? Is he on his way?”

“My lady, we sent a lad to fetch him at the same time we sent for you. The lad has not returned yet, so I have no knowledge of when the doctor will arrive.” Geoffrey patted Brenda’s hand and rose from the bed.

“Well, my lord, I am here now and we must get down to business so this child can be born. You take yourself and Lester out of here and we will let you know when the child arrives.”

Stepping back from the bed, Geoffrey said, “Lester, come over here.” When the lad stood next to him he continued, “Look at Brenda and tell her what you have to say. Do it quick, boy. She’s in a lot of pain.”

Lester shuffled his feet and wrung his hands as Geoffrey nudged him in the shoulder.

“Geoffrey, we have no time for this. Can’t you see her face? The cramps are coming quicker now and the baby is on the way,” Angeline protested.

“Angeline, this is important. And it will be done now. Lester . . .”

Lester looked down at the poor girl trying to breathe as her stomach heaved and cramped. “Brenda, his lordship here has upped my pay and made me head ostler. He says I can have the rooms over the stable where old James used to live. He says I’ll have enough money to help me mum and raise a family. He says I can marry now. I can marry you, now.” He lowered his eyes and shuffled his feet again. “If’n you’ll have me, I want to give the child my name and marry you.”

Brenda let go of another scream and grabbed for her swollen belly. “It’s about time you’re askin’ me, Lester. I didn’t get this way by meself, you know. Yes, I’ll marry you. And we’ll do it as soon as I get this babe out of me.” She groaned and screamed again.

“Out!” interjected Angeline.

“We are staying, Angeline,” countermanded Geoffrey.

“The hell you are,” returned the lady, now midwife.

“This lad is going to see what he got this girl into and he’s going to stay right by her side the whole way through. I will stay here with him and I will assist you in any way you need.”

“Men don’t have the stomach for this, Geoffrey. Both of you will just be in the way and it is not right.”

Brenda screeched again.

“Angeline, this is not the time to argue. Help this girl out. Deliver the babe and we will stay out of the way.”

The stress and contrary attitude showing on her face, Angeline mumbled, “Bloody hell.”

Geoffrey could only chuckle to himself.

Things started to happen quickly as Angeline took charge. The bed coverings were pulled out of the foot of the bed. Brenda was told to slide down toward the end of the bed and bend her knees. Angeline leaned over the bed to look between the girl’s legs and then she reached her hand in.

“All right, Brenda. The babe is on its way. I can feel the head so we are almost there. This is what I want you to do. The next time you cramp, I want you to push and push hard. Push like your life depended on it. Take a deep breath and then push again. Can you do that?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Brenda answered weakly.

“Lester, if you are going to stay in the room, sit behind Brenda and help her to sit up. Say nice things to her. Encourage her. This is your baby, too.”

Lester sat on the bed, took Brenda in his arms and sat her up. “It’s okay, my girl. Everything’s going to be all right. It looks like Lady Angeline knows what she’s doing and you’re going to do just fine.”

Geoffrey stepped back from the bed and watched the tableau in front of him. Angeline was concentrating hard. A wisp of hair had fallen from her bun into her face and she kept pushing it back with her arm. Her hand was red with blood but she was breathing regularly and staying calm.

He, on the other hand, was trying not to run from the room or faint. He had seen blood aplenty on the battlefield. Broken bodies. Torn bodies, blown to pieces. Yet this scene was more than he thought he could handle. He took deep breaths and told himself if a woman could go through this, surely any man could, too.

Lester was oblivious to what was going on at the end of the bed. He was holding his soon-to-be wife and talking to her softly. Geoffrey could see the love and worry written in his face. The lad truly did love the girl. It would all turn out for the best if they could just get this baby out.

Another scream from Brenda brought him out of his reverie.

“Push, Brenda. Push hard.” Angeline was standing at the end of the bed, both hands between the girl’s legs.

Geoffrey realized Mrs. Nash was still in the room. She had filled a small tub with warm water and moved to stand next to Angeline. A clean cloth was draped over her arms.

“We’re almost there, Brenda. Push, push hard again. We’re almost there.”

Brenda screamed again, then grunted deep in her throat. Her huge stomach heaved and Angeline leaned farther toward the girl.

“It’s here. It’s here.” She pulled a large, bloody wad of something from between the girl’s legs. She laid it on the bedding and lifted the knife.

Geoffrey swallowed hard, then realized she was cutting the umbilical cord.

“It’s a girl,” she said calmly. “It’s a beautiful, baby girl.” Geoffrey couldn’t see how anything so bloody and rough-looking could be considered beautiful. After tying the cord with the thread, she handed the baby to Mrs. Nash.

The housekeeper took the burden gently in her hands and moved to the tub of water. Moments later, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as a cry emerged from the new baby. The baby girl was fine.

“We need the afterbirth, Brenda. Push again. One more time, my girl. You can do it. We need to get it out of you so you don’t get sick.”

Brenda was obviously spent but Lester was talking into her ear. “Come on, lass. Push one more time. Lady Angeline says you have to push one more time for your own good. You can do it. Do it for me, Brenda. We don’t want you getting sick now, do we? How’re we going to get married if you get sick?”

Brenda grunted and pushed one more time.

“Thank goodness,” murmured Angeline as she wrapped the bloody mass in a rag and put it to one side.

Mrs. Nash returned with the swaddled infant in her arms and handed her to Angeline. As Angeline looked down at the small creature, Geoffrey moved over to see.

The child was tiny and pink. Angeline had placed a finger in the grasp of its tiny fist and was cooing soft words to it. Geoffrey could just make them out. “Well, aren’t you a pretty one, all shiny and new. Look at how pink and healthy you are. I bet you grow up to be a beauty just like your mama.”

Angeline must have sensed his presence as she tilted her face up to his.

She was radiant. Her face was filled with such love for this child that was not even hers. She had forgotten the mother’s pain, the pain that might be hers someday, and could only see the tiny new life she held in her arms.

As she handed the babe to him, she smiled a slow, knowing smile. He tried to step back but she moved with him until he took the child in his arms. Gently, Angeline showed him how to hold the baby. It was his first lesson, since he could not remember ever holding a newborn before.

“Here, my lord,” she said, “present this child to the staff that honors you so.”

Knowing this was an important moment, Geoffrey moved back to the bedside where the new parents were waiting.

Brenda was still leaning against Lester but her face was relaxed now, her color returning to normal.

“Brenda, here’s your baby girl. May you and Lester have only the best of luck with her.” And he placed the child in the maid’s arms and watched as the awe and wonder flashed across the faces of both the father and the mother.

It was then he knew why. Why a woman went through such pain. Why a man would ask her to go through it. And it was not just for the sake of an heir.

Swallowing hard, he turned back to Angeline.

He had so much he wanted to say to her. But it couldn’t be now. The weariness showed in her face. She was pale and leaning against the bedpost.

He walked over and gathered her up in his arms, lifting her feet from the floor.

“Mrs. Nash,” he said, “Lady Angeline needs some rest. I’ll tend to her if you will see after this little family here.”

The strangest look passed over the housekeeper’s face. There was no remonstrance, no disapproval, just a slight smile, a twinkle in her eye as she said, “As you wish, my lord.”

Chapter 15

Geoffrey gently carried Angeline to the wing containing his apartments. At the marchioness’s suite, he bent slightly at the waist, unlatched the door, then nudged it open with his shoulder. After passing through the portal, he kicked the door lightly with his foot and heard it close quietly behind him. He walked over to the settee in front of the fireplace and laid Angeline upon it.

Thank God, Mrs. Nash followed orders. The room was clean and a fire set to start in the hearth. He bent on one knee to light it and take the chill off the room.

It must be more than twenty years since this room had actually been inhabited.

He moved over to the bed with a lighted switch from the fire and lit the candle on the bedside table. Grabbing a handful of counterpane, he drew the covers back, relieved to inhale the scent of fresh, clean bedding.

Turning back to Angeline, as slowly and tenderly as he could, he proceeded to relieve her of the few pieces of clothing she had thrown on in the crisis. Though she groaned a few times, she did not wake. She must be totally exhausted. He knew he was. He hadn’t slept for more than twenty-four hours.

Once she was nude, he gently lifted her once again and placed her on the bed, drawing the covers over her for warmth. It amazed him that large, old manses such as his never seemed to gather any warmth.

With Angeline tucked in, Geoffrey moved to the other side of the bed, disrobed and climbed in. Moments later, he had drawn Angeline into his arms, immersing himself in the feel of her body against his.

His body hardened. Lord, the woman was going to drive him to Bedlam. Both of them exhausted beyond reason and his body still wanted to take her.

Taking deep breaths, he calmed his mind, his body, his needs, and closed his eyes. Finally, he fell asleep.

Angeline moved slightly and felt a warm hand holding her breast. She tried not to panic as her sleep-riddled brain made sense of where she was.

Colburn Park. Brenda’s baby. Exhaustion.

Geoffrey must have put her to bed and climbed in after her. What would the hired help think? How was she to surmount this latest turn of events? Would the whole county know what she had been up to last night? And, exactly where in the manse was she?

She was just too tired to worry about all of it right now. And, Geoffrey felt so good, warm and close behind her. She wiggled back against him and smiled when his sex stirred against her backside. Would he ever fail her? It didn’t seem likely.

She laid her hand over his as it cradled her breast and drew in a deep breath. She silently reveled in the feel of this man holding her, protecting her. Her heart ached with the feelings that filled it whenever he showed tenderness toward her. Try as she might to fight it, her love of him was taking over her life.

She rolled in his arms to place light kisses on his face. First his lips, then his temples, forehead, chin. She cradled his face in both her hands and felt the roughness of his morning beard.

She had never thought of his beard before. Whenever he came to the cottage, his face was always smooth. He must have shaved before every visit. Just for her.

The stubble scrapped her palm and tantalized her senses. She moved her face closer to rub her cheek against the roughness. She felt her nipples tighten as they brushed against the coarse hairs of his chest.

And the scent of warm male, this male, filled her head.

Moist heat gathered between her thighs.

Dare she wake him? He was surely exhausted as well. Would he be angry if she roused him?

Moving her hips closer to his, she teased the soft fur of her womanhood against his sex. Her belly tightened as the hardness she found there nudged against it.

She shifted lower as she placed wet kisses on his throat, feeling his pulse beat beneath her lips. More kisses as she shifted to take his small nipple into her mouth.

A groan escaped his lips as he rolled onto his back. She moved her mouth to his other nipple and was rewarded with another moan as his nipple hardened between her teeth.

She slid her hand down his belly to take his sex gently in her hand. He was harder now.

Firmly she massaged it. Geoffrey’s hips moved with the motion of her hand.

Her lips trailed along his skin kissing and licking, tasting the heat and saltiness of his skin.

Her heart beat faster now. Her body ached to feel him inside her.

She moved under the covers, not wanting him to chill and waken. When she reached his hips, she took his cock into her mouth and heard a gasp from the head of the bed.

Ignoring this, she suckled him. Her tongue laved his sex as it grew rock hard in her mouth and pulsed against her lips.

Mmmm . . . he wanted her. Was he awake yet?

Trailing her other hand down his torso, she used both hands to fondle him while her mouth made love. His hips moved with her actions. Moans emanated from the pillow.

She felt his hand stroke her back, her derrière. He whispered, “Angeline!” in a rough voice.

She grazed his sex with her teeth as he squeezed her buttocks. She could wait no longer.

She moved over him, her legs straddling his hips. Taking him into her hand, she rubbed the smooth tip of his cock against her clitoris and felt the shiver tear through her body.

She was slick with her passion and ready for his penetration, but she rubbed him against her again and again, enjoying his moans of delight and the wild sensations coursing through her body.

No longer able to control her climax, she stroked herself once more with his hardness made slick by her own juices and then impaled herself.

Her body clamped tight around him as she welcomed him in. Geoffrey grabbed her hips as he sat up and found her mouth with his. His kiss was raw and plundering, his tongue savage as it searched for hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as her knees lifted and lowered her on his shaft and his hands squeezed her hips and rocked them.

She gasped for breath, their kisses wild. He released her lips to kiss her cheeks, her throat, to run his tongue around the shell of her ear.

Her eyes closed, white light filled her brain, and her body clenched around his. She lost all control as she felt him fill her with his seed and draw her tightly to him. Moments passed as they convulsed in each other’s arms. Every movement brought on another set of contractions. She held onto him for dear life. She felt his arms around her like steel bands, never to release her.

She gloried in the immersion of him, knowing there would never be another for her, she would never want another, would never settle for another.

Finally their bodies, still intertwined, quieted. Her breathing still heavy, she rested her head against his shoulder. He rested his head against her hair, his chest still rising and falling rapidly.

He lay back down on the bed, drawing her with him as he moved onto his side. As her legs shifted and his body withdrew from hers, she felt the emptiness go straight to her soul. The moment was fleeting as he gathered her into his arms and kissed her gently on her lips, then on her brows and cheeks.

She sighed deeply with satisfaction as her heavily lidded eyes closed and she drifted off once more.