The Duke's Dilemma (18 page)

Hester wasn’t sure how long to wait. She closed
her eyes to visualize him taking off his outer garments, his boots, next his
shirt … a flood of heat
 
raced around her
limbs as a vivid picture of him semi-clothed, then sitting naked on the end of
his bed, made her tremble with an odd mix of fear and excitement.

Should she go now or wait a while longer? A
long delay might mean her courage would fail her and Ralph might be asleep. She
swung her feet to the floor, not bothering to find her slippers, but just in
case she met anyone, she slipped her arms into her robe. Her hair hung in a
thick plait almost to her waist - should she stop and loosen it? Like a wraith,
she stole from her bedchamber and closed the door quietly behind her.

‘Hush now, Jet, I’m going to see Ralph, you
must be a good boy and remain silent.’

The animal heaved himself to his feet and
padded along beside her. She hadn’t bothered to bring a candle as she’d made
sure the fire had been banked up before she had retired. The glow from the
coals was more than enough to light her way.

She hesitated outside his door. Should she
knock? What if he thought her an intruder and she was hurled to the ground as
before? Such a commotion might disturb the girls; sound travelled further in
the silence of the night. No, she would have to slip in and close the door
behind her before she announced her presence and pray she remained unharmed.

Chapter Eighteen

Ralph tossed his boots away and peeled down his
breeches, flinging them onto the floor also. He was too dammed
tired
to bother about niceties. He yawned, stretching his
aching arms above his head. He was getting too old for this and sincerely hoped
this was the last time his military skills would be called upon. His taste for
violence, for killing, had gone; what had occurred had left behind a sour
taste.

He relaxed on the bed certain tonight he would
be instantly asleep and his eyes began to close. As he settled back, he tensed
without sitting up and his eyes opened and focused on the door. Yes! There was
a faint sound, the door was opening. My God! What now? How could the bastards
have got in after all his closing of trapdoors and barricading of windows? He
didn’t have his pistol with him, no weapon of any sort and would have to rely
on his bare hands.

Alert, his head clear, waiting to pounce on
this unwary attacker who would be expecting him to be oblivious. Breathing in
slowly through his nose, making no sound, he sighed: he knew that aroma as well
as his own. A different kind of excitement flooded through him.

‘Come in, my darling, an unexpected visit, but
nonetheless a welcome one.’

*

His words coming from the darkness made Hester
jump and the door slammed shut. The noise echoed and she paused, waiting to
hear Birdie’s voice calling out, or Tom clattering downstairs to investigate.
He was holding his breath as well. There was a faint creak and he was beside
her.

All her wild imaginings had not prepared her
for the true
splendour
of his nakedness. The logs were burning bright and threw a red glow across his
broad shoulders. She held her breath; she’d never seen anything so beautiful,
so enticing. As if in a dream she raised one hand and her fingertips began to
trace the outline of his muscles.

His skin was burning. The heat travelled up her
outstretched fingers, along her arm and down to the very core of her being. Why
didn’t he move? Why didn’t he say something? Had she offended him by coming to
his chamber so brazenly? She should drop her hand, turn and flee before it was
too late, but something held her there, she was unable to step away from
danger.

Ralph seemed to be having difficulty speaking -
was he ill? His chest was certainly far hotter than it should be. ‘Are you
unwell, my love? Have you caught a chill from roaming around underground?
You’re trembling and I can feel your skin hot beneath my fingertips.’

Still he didn’t move. Then finally he spoke,
his voice deep and strained as though in pain. ‘Sweetheart, I don’t know what
possessed you to come here like this but unless you go this instant I shall be
unable to hold back. I burn for
you
,
darling. I want to make love to you, make you mine, smother you with kisses,
bury myself deep inside you and hear you cry out my name.’

She wasn’t quite sure of the exact meaning of
his whispered words, but his sincerity and passion was clear. Taking a
steadying breath she explained why she had come.

‘I decided earlier tonight, that if you came
back I should come to you. Who knows what tomorrow brings? I want you to know
how much I love you. If anything should happen to you then I shall have tonight
to treasure.’

‘You have not thought this through, my love.
What we are about to do could result in a child, have you considered how you
will be viewed if you produce a bastard?’

A baby? She hadn’t thought of that, but she
vividly recalled the despair in a letter she had received just before setting
out for Neddingfield; it had been from a married friend enduring her fourth
confinement in as many years; it told her it only took a single visit from her
husband to the marital bed to result in pregnancy.

 
Her lips
curved at the possibility of holding his baby in her arms in nine months’ time.
‘I love you and if tonight means I have a child, then so be it. I don’t care
one jot for society and have more than enough to provide for myself and a
baby.’ She felt a bubble of laughter welling up. ‘I must say, my love, that I
would prefer it to be a legitimate offspring and that you are there to share in
its upbringing.’

With something more like a groan than anything
else he drew her tighter until he was pressing every inch of her against his
burning flesh. His arousal dug into her stomach and for a moment she felt fear
as well as passion. Then she forgot everything as he scooped her up and carried
her across to his bed.

‘Darling, I’ve dreamt every night since we met
of being able to run my fingers through your hair, allow me to release it for
you.’

Deftly he pulled off the ribbon allowing her
hair to cascade around her shoulders. She loved the way his fingers dipped into
it, letting her tresses flow. She swayed towards him, wanting to feel his heat
again. Laughing he held her still.

 
‘Wait a
minute, my sweet, there’s more to do before we make love. Both of us have items
of clothing to remove.’

His hands took the edges of her wrap and slid
it slowly over her shoulders sending shivers of anticipation down her spine. As
it pooled around her feet his hands traced patterns on her back, molding the
shape of her buttocks, her waist, shoulders and then around her collarbone to
grasp the ends of the ribbon that held her nightgown firm.

She froze; she hadn’t realized she was to be
naked, wasn’t sure she was ready for such a revelation. He felt her hesitation
and his fingers stilled.

‘My darling, I want to feel your skin against
mine, want to kiss every inch of you. When two people are in love there can be
nothing between them, not even the cotton of a nightgown.’ He didn’t wait for
her response; his fingers took each end of the ribbon and released the bow by
tugging it sharply.

It joined her robe on the floor and she was
standing naked as the day she was born in front of a man she scarcely knew. She
closed her eyes not wishing to see him remove his final garment. She was glad
the room wasn’t lit, that only the flickering of the fire bathed them in a rosy
glow.

 
There
was no turning back, her reputation was gone, she was utterly ruined; whatever
happened if Ralph didn’t make an honest woman of her, no one else would. She
was a well- brought-up young lady - what had possessed her to behave like this?

It was too late to repine. She had made her
decision and must live with the consequences. She was about to spend the night
in the arms of the man she loved, loved so much she was willing to give him her
most precious gift. This thought gave her courage and instead of flinching away
in embarrassment she raised her head and stared shyly at him.

His lips curved and he straightened his
shoulders enjoying her inspection. Her glance travelled to his chest enticingly
covered with a sprinkling of golden hair. She wanted to entwine her fingers in
it, see if it was soft or springy. Her eyes were drawn lower and she was unable
to keep back her shocked exclamation.

‘I cannot - you are … you are too big ….’ Her
mother’s words of warning echoed in her mind. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have
come.’

‘Sweetheart, I promise I’ll not hurt you.’

She shuddered and began to turn away,
embarrassed by her lack of clothes. ‘Mama told me how it would be - how the
bride is treated on her wedding night.’

His arms circled her and he gently gathered her
close. One hand rested in the small of her back the other stroked her hair away
from her face. ‘Darling, forget what you were told.’ His hand cupped her face.
‘Look at me, my love.’ His smile was tender, the darkness in his eyes banked
down. ‘Do you trust me?’

She nodded, her mouth to dry to answer.

‘I’m going to show you how much I love you and
I guarantee you’ll enjoy the experience as much as I do.’

‘But your - your manhood will not fit inside
me. You will tear me apart.’

He chuckled and kissed her. ‘The good Lord has
arranged things perfectly. Remember that a woman’s parts are made to
accommodate the birth of the child.’

‘Of course they are, but… seeing you …’

His warm breath lifted
thehair
at the nape of her neck and the strange, internal tension returned. Her fears
were forgotten as his fingertips brushed her shoulders; the faintest of touches
but the pleasure was so intense she gasped and her legs all but buckled.

Her breasts hardened and heat pooled between
her legs. She wanted him to make love to her, teach her how to be a woman.

He swept her up and his mouth closed over hers
in a passionate kiss and they tumbled onto the bed. Her desire was as fierce as
his and she clawed at his back with a wanton wildness.

She stretched languorously, feeling sated,
feeling like a woman. The fire had burned down and was now a mere flicker in
the grate. Her head was resting against his shoulder, her legs tangled with
his, his arm heavy across her breast. She had never been so happy. She wanted
to lie there forever, secure in his love,

A faint scratching noise at the door alerted
her. What was it? The noise came again, a little louder. Jet was awake making
the noise he used when he wished to attract her attention.

‘I have to go, my love, it must be almost dawn.
Birdie will be waking up. She mustn’t find me gone.’

She tried to wriggle out from under his arm but
it tightened, holding her captive. She felt the rumble of laughter in his
chest. ‘An impossibility, my love. Miss Bird can hardly find you if you’re
gone.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. You know exactly what I
mean. I would prefer my whereabouts not to become common knowledge; I’m very
fond of my companion and have no wish to embarrass her if it can be avoided.’

The weight of his arm lifted. ‘In that case,
darling, return at once to your room.’

‘I would, but I’m stuck fast, I’m pinned
beneath the covers on one side and by your bulk on the other. Kindly get out,
your grace, so that I can also do so.’

‘It’s you that want to remove yourself from
this warm nest, my angel, not I. However, as a gentleman I’m obliged to
accommodate your slightest wish.’

Two hands gripped her firmly about her middle and
next thing she was sitting on her bare bottom, on the floor, whilst he remained
snugly in bed.

Definitely not amused by his antics she
scrabbled about until she located her nightgown and wrapper. Remaining on her
knees, out of his view, she quickly donned her night things. Her fingers were
clumsy and refused to tie the bow so she dropped the ribbon and left it
floating. Her hair was in the way - impatiently she tossed it behind her back.

‘You can’t return with your hair like that,
darling. Can you find the ribbon? I’ll braid it for you whilst you search.’

He smoothed it back from her forehead and then
with nimble fingers began to plait. Silently she handed up the ribbon and there
was a slight tug as he fastened it around the end. Although he’d completed his
task, she was strangely reluctant to move. Her limbs were heavy, she glowed all
over from his touch.

After
one night in his arms already she loved the feel of his hands on her body,
loved the exquisite feeling he had given her as he’d kissed every inch of her.
This would not do. If she sat here much longer he would fling off her nightgown
and they would tumble back into bed to repeat the blissful experiences of the
night. There had been a little pain at first, but the pleasure that followed
had more than made up for it.

‘I shall be getting up very soon, darling.
After the men have taken care of the livestock I’ll leave my band of intrepid
heroes across to Bracken Manor to confront the man behind all this. You’re safe
here. On my return I’ll locate the vicar and arrange for our bans to be called;
which means we can be wed in three weeks.’

He sounded confident, didn’t consider matters
might go awry. He and Robin were the only ones trained to fight, Tom was a fine
shot and could hold his own at fisticuffs, but he wasn’t a soldier and neither
were the two grooms. They were going to face six or more ex-soldiers who would
be fighting for their lives.

A shudder of apprehension shook her and sensing
her distress he lifted her from the rag rug and placed her on the edge of the
bed whilst he cradled her.

‘Please don’t worry, my sweet. I know what I’m
doing and we have surprise on our side. This matter has to be settled; I want
to be able to spend time with you, plan our lives together in peace, and we
can’t do that until it’s done.’

‘I know, but for all your confidence, you’re
out numbered and your men lack experience. I shall say no more on the
subject.
 
I’ll remain here and busy
myself with domestic duties and pray you all return safely.’

 
‘When
it’s over, I’ll send Tom to fetch the militia. I promise you, everything will
be over today.’

‘What about the snow?’

‘Listen, what can you hear?’