Love With an Improper Stranger (34 page)

“The bastard will never get anywhere near her.”  Blake hugged her about the waist and kissed her temple.  When she cast him a wary glance, he winked.  “As I intend to keep my duchess within reach, at all times, until you catch Sheldon.”

“Then I will focus my efforts on apprehending Sheldon, which has been difficult in the wake of Waterloo.”  Sir Ross stood and pocketed his notes.  “General Abercromby agreed to assist our endeavors and has issued false orders conferring a promotion on Sheldon, to lure our criminal into the open, and I will keep you apprised on any developments.”

“That is a relief.”  Uncle Samuel offered his escort, which Lucy accepted.  “And Miss Lucilla and I are due at St. Katharine Docks.”

“Already?”  A wave of panic rocked Lenore, as she had hoped Lucy might change her mind and stay in London.  “Are you hungry?  I can have the cook prepare a late lunch or an early dinner.”

“But we cannot be late, else we will miss our transport.”  Uncle Samuel led Lucy into the foyer, where he collected his hat and gloves and turned to Lenore.  “Fret not, Your Grace, as I will watch over her.  And she can visit you, any time she wishes.”

“Damian joins us for supper.”  Lenore tried but failed to stifle a sob.  “You could continue your discussion of the constellations.”

“Do not cry, Lenny.”  Lucilla, so grown up in a few brief months, gave Lenore a hug.  “Please, be happy for me.  And this is not goodbye, as I will see you again.”

From the entrance stairs, Lenore loomed with Blake and waved, as Sir Ross heeled the flanks of his horse, and the ducal coach steered through the main gates and into Grosvenor Square.  And as their guests drove out of sight, she burst into tears.

“Sweetheart, I know it hurts, but Lucy will be fine.”  Blake pulled her into his arms.  “And you always have me to keep you occupied, and I intend to keep you very busy.”  He tipped her chin, and she parted her lips to welcome his kiss.  “Come with me.”

It was no surprise that he took her to their suite and secured the door, as their daily routine revolved around multiple rounds of coitus, given her husband had resumed the christening of Elliott House.  In their bedchamber, he brought her before the long mirror.

“You are so beautiful, my duchess.”  Behind her, he untied her laces but did nothing more.  Instead, he sat in a chair.  “Now take off your clothes.”  The heat of his stare said,
For me
.

With fistfuls of her pale yellow sprig muslin dress, Lenore whisked the gown over her head and dropped it on the floor.  Next, she kicked aside her slippers and shed the sheer chemise.  Blake favored her with a sensuous smile, which she cherished, and she walked to him.  Placing her foot on the seat, between his legs, she unhooked her garter and slowly rolled down her hose.  She repeated the same ritual and stood before her husband as God fashioned her.  Yet he remained mute, as he studied her from top to toe.

“Blake, I beg you, do not hold me in suspense, as I need you desperately.”  Passion sparked, in a protracted capture of her senses, and gooseflesh covered her.  The telltale hunger blossomed in her belly, and her nipples ached for his touch, but he made no move to initiate the decadent dance.  “
Please
.”

“You know, even a Raphael needs a frame.”  Blake rose and swaggered to the armoire.  When he returned, bearing a black velvet box, he lifted the lid.  “I think this will suit our purpose nicely, and it brings out the color of your eyes.”

Displayed on a bed of white satin was a sinfully luxurious parure of sapphires and diamonds, and Lenore could not help but gape at the priceless treasure.  A decadent tiara featured large teardrop-shaped blue gemstones surrounded by clusters of the most precious jewel that all women preferred.  But the matched set also included a hair comb, a choker, a brooch, a bracelet, and a ring.

“Impossible man, this must have cost a fortune.”  She caressed the crown, which he took from her and set atop her head.  “It is magnificent.”

“Why stop there?”  With a smirk, to which she would have taken exception, if not for his unparalleled generosity, he bedecked her in his bounty and admired his work.  “Darling, you quite take my breath away.”

“But it is too much.”  Of course, with her husband there was no such thing as too much.  “The Season has ended, and the city is still abuzz with news from the front, but I suppose it will keep until this fall or next year.”

“Actually, we have been summoned to St. James’s, and you will be presented to the Prince Regent, so you will need the fancy baubles.”  Retracing his steps, he emerged from his dressing room with an extraordinary garment.  “But you will also need this, and I purchased coordinating slippers.”

The fantasy creation, the stuff of every young girl’s dreams, boasted sumptuous sapphire silk satin, which shone in the candlelight, with a drawstring décolletage, a high waist, and shoulder plackets.  Bereft of ornamentation or embroidery, and strikingly simple in its construction, so as not to overwhelm the parure, the gown featured long, slender sleeves gathered at the tops, a one-piece front, and a gored skirt back.

“You dress me, you shower me in jewels to declare for all of London society that I am your duchess.”  Lenore rested her palms to his chest and rubbed her nose to his.  “Impossible man, I was yours when I kissed you in your cabin, aboard the
Tristan
, and I do so love you.”

“Sweetheart, you were mine from the moment we met.”  With a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin, he squeezed her bare bottom.  “And I love you, too.  Now, play the Dussek, and then I shall play you.”

#

Studying his reflection in the long mirror, Blake dismissed his valet, adjusted his cravat, and smoothed the lapels of his black formalwear.  When he rounded the screen that shielded his dressing area from the large suite he shared with his bride, he drew up short.

Standing at the center of the room, Lenore glowed as she rotated for him.  Trimmed in the confection he commissioned for the occasion, the diagonal pale blue riband and Brethren badge, which matched his, the priceless parure, with her chestnut locks piled in carefree curls, and a single flirty lock hugging her throat, she was a vision, and never was he more proud to call her his wife.

“My darling duchess, you are stunning.”  He took her hands in his and kissed her fingertips, before claiming her mouth in a sincere expression of his appreciation.  “Daresay you will be the talk of the ball.”

“I care not for what others think, as your approval is all that matters, and I thank you, for everything.”  Yet she furrowed her brow.  “Perhaps, in the spirit of giving, you might be honest with me about the armed footman stationed outside our apartment.  Do you fear an attack?”

“Sweetheart, as long as Sheldon remains free, I will spare no expense or effort to protect you.”  Of course, he should not be surprised by her query, as nothing escaped her notice, despite his attempts to conceal his defensive measures.  “But I cannot imagine he would attempt to harm you within these walls, as such an assault would be suicide, so it is just a precaution.”

“Just a precaution?”  Through the silk, he pinched her luscious derriere, but even that failed to distract her, as she folded her arms.  “I suppose that is why you sleep with a loaded pistol on your bedside table?”

“Lenore, as the head of this household, I do not have to explain my actions to you.”  And there ended the discussion.  “Shall we adjourn to the drawing room, as our family should arrive at any minute, for the pre-celebration?”

“Not until you tell me why you are concerned for my safety, Blake Thornton Deverell Elliott.”  To his chagrin, she did not budge.  “Now.”

“I do not appreciate your tone.”  He unleashed the unyielding visage that made many a sailor tremble.

She did not so much as blink.  “And you will appreciate, even less, when I remove to my old room if you do not share the details of your meeting with Sir Ross, yesterday.”

“How did you know about that?”  He needed to keep the Brethren brides away from his duchess.

“It is elementary.”  She sniffed.  “I did what any self-respecting wife would do and listened at the keyhole to your study, when Jennings delivered the summons.”

“You have spent too much time in my sister’s company.”  He rested fists on hips.  “I shall speak with her.”

“You will do no such thing.”  She mirrored his stance.  “I am a Brethren bride, thus an adventurous spirit is not only encouraged but also required.”

“While I appreciate your adventurous spirit, you may confine it to our bedchamber.”  In that instant, he changed his tack, pulled her close, and trailed his tongue along the curve of her neck.  “Or, more specifically, between our sheets.”

“You will not seduce your way out of this, Your Grace.”  With a shiver, Lenore gave vent to a breathy sigh.  “Constant as the northern star, I will not be deterred.”

In that instant, he yielded with a groan of frustration.  “Oh, all right.  Sir Ross tracked Sheldon to London, but the blackguard did not show for the appointment with Abercromby.  We suspect Sheldon knows his dubious deeds have been uncovered.”

“I should not have asked.”  The effervescent shimmer of her countenance faded, and he cursed the bastard that harmed her.  “And I am frightened, but I would rather know and be on guard.”

“My dear, Sheldon will never get anywhere near you.”  He cupped her cheek and patted her bottom.  “Please, Lenore, just for tonight, let it go, and enjoy the ball, as this is your moment to shine.  Daresay every member of the
haute ton
will envy my duchess, and I wish to show you off, to the cream of society.”

“Blake, have I told you, today, how very much I love you?”  The compelling truth of her statement flared in her gaze.

“You have.”  He toyed with her cleavage, and she gasped.  “But you may declare it again, as I never tire of it.”

“We should repair to the drawing room.”  She brushed his hair from his face.  “Else I may have to topple you into the chair and have my wicked way with you.”

“Save that for later.”  He winked.  “As I am yours to command in that arena.”

“I shall hold you to that.”  With the sultry glance that never failed to arouse him, she whispered, “To mark the special occasion, we should employ the two-seater bench.”

“Ah, I love it when my duchess flirts with me.”  Settling her palm in the crook of his elbow, Blake ushered Lenore into the hall and nodded at the skilled secret agents disguised as nondescript footmen.  “But I thought you did not care for that particular maneuver.”

“Well, it is not a matter of preference.”  When her cheeks shaded pink, he bit back a groan.  “I just never would have guessed that part of my anatomy could be used in such a questionable manner.”  Fanning herself, she giggled, as they crossed the gallery.  “To be frank, when you told me what you intended, I considered it rather vulgar, but I cannot deny I found it quite pleasurable.”

As he recalled that glorious coupling, and her achingly charming cries of completion, he tensed.  “Sweetheart, we are married, thus we are licensed to be vulgar.  And I believe I shall take you in the coach, on the way to St. James’s, as I am about to explode.”

“Poor aggrieved husband.”  At the top of the grand staircase, Lenore paused and kissed him hard.  “I shall endeavor to relieve your discomfit, to the best of my ability, as such is the arduous business of your wife.”

All right, he would make love to her on the desk in his study, before the family arrived.  “Lenore, so help me—”

“What is Sir Ross doing here?” she asked.

In the foyer, the veteran spy flagged them, and Blake came alert as they descended to the main floor.  “What is it?  Have you captured Sheldon?”

“He attempts to flee, and we are closing in on him and his anonymous accomplice, but they depart from St. Katharine Docks to destinations unknown.”  Logan shuffled his feet.  “As a consequence, I need the assistance of Her Grace to make a positive identification.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why, of course.”

“Lenore.”

“Blake.”

“You are not to endanger yourself and chase villains.”  Blake could kill Sir Ross for the mere suggestion.  “Rather, you will remain here, until I return.  Then we will travel to St. James’s for the ball.”

“Unacceptable.”  The firm set of her chin conveyed a wealth of meaning he understood too well.  “I am the only person who can provide irrefutable testimony against Sheldon, and I would have done with the entire dreadful affair.”

“Her Grace is correct,” Sir Ross asserted.

“You are not helping.”  Blake scowled at the head of the Corps.  To his wife, he said, “Damn stubborn woman.”

“You knew that when you married me,” quick as a wink, she replied.

“Unfortunately, I did.”  Thus it was an argument he would not win.  “You will stay behind me, at all times, else I will give you a sound spanking.”

“According to Caroline, there is much to recommend it.”  She averted her stare.  “And I shall accommodate you at your earliest convenience.”

In the face of such logic, Blake could only laugh at the absurdity.  “I yield, but you will stay in my wake, as I will not risk one hair on your precious head.  And if you disobey, I will beat your bottom raw, and neither of us will enjoy it.”