Pride and Retribution (18 page)

They chatted a little while longer and then Evelyn went to her room and sat by the window debating about Markham. She had received another letter from Harriet Saunders and as Harriet had suggested, she had approached a few of the mothers in attendance. Of course, Evangeline de Lacey wasn’t prepared to get involved, but she knew that Suzette Allen was interested. Her and Richard had already had one close call with Markham sniffing around Imogen, so Suzette had endorsed full compliance with the secrecy rules and would wait until they were all back in London to meet with Harriet Saunders.

Harriet had managed to get a number of women interested and not all of them nobility. Apparently Madame Genevieve had already shown an interest, because she constantly had to replace working girls that the Duke had rendered useless.

Evelyn smiled gently as she penned a reply to Harriet, although it was addressed to Lady Geraldine Sharpe, the sister of the Markham’s first victim
, to explain that she had only got one more person interested in this venture.

*****

Wilfred spent the morning ensconced in Robert’s study with his father. ‘What happened, son?’ Roderick asked softly and patted Wilfred on the shoulder as he escorted him to the fireside chairs. On the table was a tea tray and Wilfred looked about for his mother. ‘No, your mother isn’t here. I thought you could do with something softer.’ He sat and picked up the teapot and poured Wilfred a cup of tea as he sat down. ‘How is Miss Hastings?’

‘She is better, I think. Her fever broke about ten o’clock last night and she turned into a spitting feline.’ He sighed. ‘I suppose it was rather a shock for her to realise I had seen all of her.’ He shook his head sadly.

‘Did you violate?’ Roderick asked softly.

‘Of course I didn’t!’ Wilfred snapped indignantly. ‘I’m offended you would even ask me that!’

Roderick waved his hand dismissively. ‘I was just making sure.’ He said and smiled. ‘I know you wouldn’t take advantage of her, but not everyone here feels the same.’

‘Has it been bad for you?’ Wilfred murmured and sipped his tea.

‘Not really, but I did have to give Phyllida the look!’ Roderick admitted and then laughed. ‘You should practice it, actually your grandfather taught me. It’s called the Ducal Stare and you should be able to render the most obnoxious man silent!’ They both laughed and Wilfred did try to achieve the same degree of iciness in his expression. ‘You should practice in front of the mirror. If you can scare yourself, then it’s working!’
They discussed various topics including the dowries and settlements. ‘I will need to talk to Bassett soon.’ Roderick murmured.

‘Yes, you will.’
Wilfred said with a soft smile. Roderick had never actually seen that expression on his son’s face before. He looked like a mooncalf! ‘He’s probably going to ask for Caroline’s hand. But you didn’t hear that from me!’

Evelyn arrived promptly at eleven and smiled broadly. ‘If you ask, she will accept.’ She said briskly. ‘I’ve already told her to get out of bed, so you should go and ask her as soon as possible.’

‘Didn’t she argue at all?’ Wilfred asked in astonishment.

‘
Not with me, but she might give you some angst.’ She smiled at him. ‘Don’t give her the chance to back out and use that legendary charm on her!’

Wilfred lurched out of his chair and left with alacrity, but by the time he reached the landing, he was having second thoughts about just how he was going to ask for her hand. His quick walk slowed to a saunter and by the time he reached Lucy’s bedroom door, he was so unsettled he didn’t know whether to knock or just walk in. He stood outside the door for a few minutes, realising this was why his father gave him tea, instead of brandy. He quickly rapped his knuckles on the door as he opened it and stepped into the room.

Chapter Twelve

‘Wilfred!’ Lucy blurted as she fell back against the chest of drawers. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I had to see you.’ The Earl of Buxton said softly and moved quickly to her, taking her hands and pulling her against his chest. ‘I’m so sorry.’ He murmured into her hair, the ringlets tickling his nose.

‘You should not be here!’ she demanded angrily, but the trembling of her body belied her feelings.

He lifted her chin with his fingertips and looked down into those green and gold eyes. He was astonished to look right into her soul. It was there in her expression, all the heartache she had suffered. ‘I had to
come, Lucy.’ He gasped, ‘I couldn’t just leave you to face them. It wouldn’t be right.’

‘So instead you barge into my room and what?’ she asked and he saw the fire in her eyes. ‘Will you ravish me and then leave, because I would rather you didn’t.’ She tried very hard not to sob. ‘I would rather not know what I’ll be missing when you finally take a wife.’ She whispered softly.

‘I don’t want any other woman as my wife.’ He said gently and smiled. ‘I only want you.’

‘I wish I could believe you.’ she gulped as her breath heaved in her chest.

‘Why won’t you believe me?’ he asked softly, holding her hand up to his lips and kissing each pad before resting his lips in her palm.

‘You would only ask
because you would have to face my brother on the field if you didn’t!’ she spat and tried to pull away from him.

‘Not true.’ He said and held her firmly. ‘He understood why I did it.’ He continued looking down into her eyes. ‘Do you, yet?’

‘I’ll never understand why you ruined my reputation!’ she almost shouted at him.

‘
I did it to save your life! Did you not go and talk to Harriet Saunders?’ he asked in surprise.

‘Why would I go and visit your mistress?’ she spat and tried again to wrench herself away.

‘Because she was never my mistress.’ He said coldly, ‘not in the true sense of the word.’ He released Lucy and she stumbled away from him to land against the chest of drawers again.

‘What was she then, your Laundress?’ she asked sarcastically.

‘No. She was the Duke of Markham’s mistress and I offered her protection from him when she thought he might kill her.’ Wilfred sighed and seated himself on the edge of the fireside chair. ‘She had become truly afraid of him and she asked me to protect her, which I was glad to do. He would take a riding crop to her regularly. When he learned that she was to become my mistress, he almost beat her to death.’ He sighed deeply as he rested his elbows on his knees, scrubbing his hands over his face. ‘I had arranged to meet her to show her the townhouse I’d acquired for her, but she didn’t turn up and I became concerned so I went to the house Markham had provided and I found her bloodied body amongst the entire contents of her wardrobe.’ He looked up at Lucy and she saw the look of horror in his eyes. ‘He had taken a knife to every single item of clothing he had ever bought for her. He had smashed every single breakable item and beaten her so badly that I hardly recognised her.’ He shook his head slowly. ‘I called a physician immediately and waited until I could take her home.’ He took in a deep breath and looked her evenly in the eye. ‘It was why I wouldn’t let you walk out with Markham. If I had, you would have been raped, beaten and left to die before the sun came up. I knew and so did your brother.’

‘I can’t believe a duke of the realm would behave in such a disgusting fashion.’ She murmured, thinki
ng back to how Ernest Deptford spoke to her that made the hackles on her neck rise.

‘Lucy? I love you.’ Wilfred admitted at last ‘and I couldn’t stand the thought of you even being alone in a room with him, let alone a bedroom.’ He stood up and went to her, lifting her hands gently. ‘I have loved you since the first time I saw you, when I was so drunk that I insulted you. In my drunken haze I thought you were a figment of my imagination, so I propositioned you instead and got my just desserts.’

‘I was never one of Markham’s whores.’ She whispered. He could see the tears of injustice welling in her eyes.

He raised his fingers to her lips before she finished. ‘Ssh!’ he murmured. ‘I know.’ He said simply and stroked his fingers over her cheek. ‘I wanted you away from him and I knew your brother wasn’t watching.’ He stroked his hand over the back of her head as his eyes devoured her face. ‘He was too busy playing Faro in the card room.’

‘But why did you call me a whore?’ she asked softly and he saw the first tear run down her cheek.

‘Because I couldn’t think of anything else that would make you angry so quickly.’ He said and kissed the tear track on her cheek. ‘I love you.’ he whispered again.

She looked up into his lavender eyes. ‘Why didn’t you tell me before?’

He looked down. ‘Because I am a coward.’

She laid her palm on his chest, over his pounding heart and he looked at it as he had a vivid recollection of her holding his cock while she was asleep. She lifted her other hand to his cheek and forced him to look at her. ‘I don’t think you are a coward.’ She searched his face for an indication that he was lying, but she couldn’t see anything but love in his expression. ‘But I think you may be a fool.’

‘Only if it’s foolish to love you.’ his voice was hoarse with emotion and very slowly he brought her lips to his and kissed her softly. He felt her fist clench his lapel and deepened the kiss, slowly opening her mouth like the petals of a flower, delicately flicking his tongue over the inside of her lips and being rewarded with her jerks of shock.

Could he truly love me?
Echoed through her mind as he kissed her so deliberately. She had not seen any clouding of his expression, as she had at other times. The question she should ask herself was if she truly loved him.
Oh! Yes!
Was the instinctive reply as her heart thumped so loud it sounded like thunder in her ears. As his tongue flicked across her lips, she jerked as the blood rushed through her veins and a thrill of anticipation thrummed through her. She slowly stroked her hands around the back of his neck, sliding one over his shoulders and the other into his hair.

He felt her body melt into his embrace and knew joy. She was his for the taking, but he wouldn’t just bed her.
She’s not some blasted Cyprian!
He scolded himself. His hands were sliding around her waist, as his palms itched to cradle her breasts.
No!
Almost screamed through his mind as he realised what he was doing.

Abruptly he wrenched her arms from around his neck and pushed her away, breaking the kiss and the contact of their bodies. ‘This is dangerous.’ He whispered hoarsely. ‘I should leave before things get out of hand.’ He turned away.

‘No!’ she almost begged and clutched his sleeve before he could reach for the door handle. ‘Please? Stay a little while?’

He stopped dead and indecision was visible in every tense muscle in his body. Slowly he turned his head to look at the hand clutching his sleeve. His skin burned even through the cloth. ‘If I stay, I cannot guarantee not to ravish you.’ he murmured and lifted his eyes to hers.

She gasped at the almost violet colour of his eyes as the colour deepened with his arousal. Lucy deliberately dropped her eyes to his groin and she was fascinated to see evidence of his arousal burgeoning in his britches. She put her fingertips over her mouth as her eyes sparkled with mirth and desire.
Not so small at all!
She thought in astonishment.

‘Is that what I think it is?’ she asked impertinently and flicked her eyes to his before resuming her appraisal of his manhood.

He turned back, reached for her hand and gently placed it on his groin. His breath hitched in his throat before he spoke. ‘Would it surprise you to learn this isn’t the first time you’ve had that particular part of my anatomy in your hand?’ He asked hoarsely. Slowly her eyes swung back to his as her mouth dropped open in surprise. He couldn’t resist that orifice and crushed his lips over hers, sweeping his tongue into her mouth and plundering her, emulating intercourse by sliding it in and out as his hands pulled her body against his again. This time there would be no stopping and one hand slid down to her buttocks to pull her lower body close as the other hand swept up to cradle the back of her head. Slowly his other hand smoothed back up her body, over her hips until it cradled her breast. He moaned as he felt the button of her nipple in his palm even through her gown.

Lucy lost all reason as his palm smoothed over her breast, making her breath hitch in her chest and a shiver of excitement made her legs tremble. She allowed herself to be carried away on a wave of his passion.

He painstakingly opened the back of her gown and slipped the sleeves over her shoulders, exposing a magnificent array of creamy, pale flesh for his delectation. Slowly he traced his lips from hers, down her throat, across her collar bones and eventually onto that rise of humped flesh above the neckline of her chemise. Lucy arched her back to allow him access and he felt his manhood throb and test the buttons on his britches. ‘Oh! God! Lucy.’ He murmured as he slipped the ties of her chemise undone and gently pulled it open, revealing her nipples. She wore no stays and it was very liberating for him not to have to wrestle with ties and whalebone. Delicately he flicked his tongue over her nipple and was gratified to see it shrivel as if she was standing outside. He swirled his tongue around it again and she shivered, moaning as he engulfed it, suckling as a baby would, his right hand splayed on her back to hold her close.
God! I have wanted to do this for so long!
Screamed across his brain. He still didn’t know how he managed to resist it when she was fevered and he was wiping a cold wet flannel over her breasts, watching her nipples shrivel with the icy water and dying to feel one on his tongue.

At first his attention to her nipples was erotic, because it was so gentle, but by the time he sucked it into his mouth, she could feel each pull in her groin as her body told her it wanted something. Suddenly the fingers of his other hand were tweaking her other nipple and that sent paroxysm of desire coursing through her veins. ‘Wilfred?’ she gasped his name out.

He gently removed his lips from her breast and murmured ‘Will. Call me Will,’ before gorging on her flesh again.

‘Will? What happens next?’ she asked in a shivery voice and he straightened up and looked down into her honey and green eyes. He tried desperately to get his raging ardour under control,

‘I can either make love to you or maybe we can just find some relief, without going all the way.’ He murmured. She looked at him so innocently and he could see her weighing the pros and cons, ‘don’t think too much, or you’ll stop all together when you realise this should not be happening.’

‘Why shouldn’t it be happening?’ she asked in a dreamy voice.

‘We’re not married.’ Wilfred said quite harshly. ‘Marry me and I’ll make love to you for the rest of the day.’ He said and she could see the desire burn in his eyes.

‘Yes.’ She said softly and he looked in her eyes. They were smiling at him. ‘Yes, I’ll marry you Wilfred de Lacy.’

He made a rather inarticulate noise as he crushed his mouth over hers and her body to his chest. He kissed her deeply, as if he never wanted to stop, stroking his fingers up her spine. Suddenly he extracted himself from her arms and crossed to the door, turning the key and looking back to her. He stopped and just looked at her in dishabille, with her gown around her waist and her chemise gaping open to show her breasts, she looked like a half clothed goddess. ‘Do you know how beautiful you are?’ he asked in awe as he slowly walked back to her and gently kissed her again as his fingers deftly removed the pins and ribbons from her hair until it was rippling over her back and filling his hands. ‘It’s like warm silk.’ He murmured as he lifted a handful of waves to his nose and sniffed it. It smelled of orange blossom.

‘You are wearing too many clothes, my love!’ she said and it made his pulse jump, because he’d heard her say that in his dreams.

‘I know, but let’s finish you first.’ He murmured and gently slid the gown over her hips to puddle about her feet.

‘I do not think so.’ She said as she pushed his jacket over his shoulders, wrenching the tightly tailored garment down his arms.

He kissed her again. ‘Maybe you should leave me like this.’ He murmured, before his jacket slid off his arms and hit the floor.

She looked surprised. ‘But your hands would be useless.’ She said innocently, making him groan and his manhood flex.

‘Mmm. That’s the whole point.’ He murmured. ‘I would be at your mercy, completely.’ She frowned in confusion as he stroked his palms down her arms, grasped her wrists and gently forced them behind her back. ‘Just imagine being restrained so you couldn’t touch me or stop me from touching you.’ Holding both wrists in one hand he gently opened the front of her chemise again and delicately twirled his fingertip around her nipple.  He smiled wickedly at her as she gasped, her eyes widening in surprise.

‘You would do that to me?’ There was fear evident in her voice.

‘Not now.’ He whispered as he slowly released her hands. ‘But maybe one night in the future I could let you amuse yourself.’ She studied the expression in his face and eyes and suddenly her heart thundered away at the thought of being at this man’s mercy. ‘I believe you were in the process of removing my attire?’