A Perilous Marriage (12 page)

She stared up into his eyes, eyes that were glowing with ardour, and then realized she had no choice but to grant his wishes. Nor did she even want to say no. Sighing, she puckered up her lips for his kiss. With a groan of relief, he obliged and set about his feasting until her lips were swollen with rapture and her emotions incandescing.

* * * *

Having surveyed the area with the meadow to one side, the river to the other, and guarded by a huge oak, he knew they would not be disturbed without him becoming aware of danger, so he began to divest more of their clothes. It was while he was lovingly persuading her out of hers that he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Jamal at Carley’s hindquarters, mounting her, evidently with her forgiving agreement.

The vigorous action that followed roused him to a state of eager lust, and he grew even larger at the thought he could soon bury himself in Lucie’s sweet body. But reason iced him for a moment as he knew she was a virgin and he must take his time and not frighten her. Thankful he still had on his drawers and was hidden from sight, he knew he must quell his impatience to make her his true wife.

Gazing down with satisfaction that he could at last teach her the ways of passion, he pulled on the ribbons of her chemise to bare a breast, and drawing the nipple into his mouth, began to suckle. Hardly knowing if she should be shocked at his action, but lost in the wondrous sensation creeping over her body, she made no further protest. He was elated that, at last, he had time to teach her to enjoy his love-making. So, step by step, he ensnared her in a web of feeling that so filled her with ecstasy she relaxed and responded to his loving, let him touch the very centre of her being where no one else had ever been.

Reacting to the strange feelings that increased with every movement of his long fingers as they penetrated into her tight, moist sheath, and a thumb that stroked a spot she had no idea she possessed, was like the opening of a door when her body all of a sudden took flight and exploded with pleasure. Never had she known such a feeling. As she quivered with delight and cried out with the surprise of it, Richard waited a moment for her climax to recede while pulling off his drawers. Then he moved swiftly over her, parting and raising her legs to allow him access before easing his erection gently a short way inside her body, helped by her silky wetness.

Catching a glimpse of his size and realising what was about to happen, her eyes opened wide in apprehension as she felt him filling her. Anticipating her fear, Richard swiftly bent forward to take her lips and said, “Relax, darling, a moment of hurt then never again.” As he kissed her he drove deep against the flimsy barrier of her maidenhood and then paused as she flinched and struggled for breath when the thrust took her virginity with a sting of pain. He drew back slightly to let her body adjust to him before resuming his desire to fill her.

“I’m sorry, my dearest, but it had to be done. Are you all right?”

She nodded, scarcely feeling the pain, only the strange fullness inside her. Although she had been vaguely aware how the sexual act was carried out, the reality was totally different from what she’d imagined. As he started to thrust again, she began to feel the tension rise within her, and eager to experience the wondrous feeling she had never imagined was possible, encouraged and copied him as he began a rhythm of intense power as old as time until, once again, she was awash with the wonder of another thrilling climax.

Fiery tension thrummed though them, the conflagration building slowly, layer on layer of consuming heat, of hungry flames blazing until feeling the passion of his wife escalating along with his own, all at once, he groaned. “Open your eyes. I need to see you enjoying this! You are wonderful, my love. This is truly wonderful!” His voice was urgent, his whole body on edge with incredible feeling and sensation as he thrust inside her.

Her eyes flickered open, and the sight of him taut with passion was her undoing. Her sheath pulsed around him as she climaxed yet again. He stilled for a second or two as he felt the ripple of her ecstasy until, with two more thrusts, he found his own heaven and came with her, flooding her with his seed. They fell together into a heated whirlpool of sensation. Holding her close against his temporarily sated body following the long awaited and the most joyous union he had ever experienced in his life, he said, “Now do you believe you are truly mine, my dearest wife, and I adore you?”

* * * *

Much later, curled sleepily half under his body, with his arms holding her close to his warm flesh, Lucie felt no compulsion to move until an errant breeze on her back made her aware that she was naked. And in broad daylight too! Naked! Oh, my God! What if someone should see them? Drawing back, she pushed her husband’s shoulder. “Richard! Wake up! Let me go! I must get dressed!”

“Mmm! Why? I like you as you are.” His head came down, and he nuzzled her neck.

“No! You must get up. Anyone could come by...a keeper! They are all over the place.”

Reluctantly, but knowing she was right, he moved, and immediately, she was on her feet and hurrying to throw on her clothes. He rose also and began to dress, though slower.

“You’d better hurry, my lord, or I’ll leave without you,” she said, suddenly curt.

“Leave! What the hell for? We can have our breakfast now.” He frowned.

“Breakfast now? Not for me. I’m not hungry.”

“What the hell’s wrong with you? You were damned hungry for
me
a while ago!”

She blushed then said angrily, “I’ll thank you to stop swearing. As for what happened, you took me by surprise. I had no idea you felt this way, especially after we agreed...well, we agreed not to go down this path...”

“I think you did agree to let me make love to you, Lucie, and you accepted everything I did most passionately. Forgive me for the harsh language, but excitement brings it on. I’m going to eat! Cook would not appreciate having her offerings sent back. You can sit and watch me if you like, but you do not return home until I am with you. The park is no place to be on your own at this time.” He fetched the basket of food and sat down on the blanket, placing the hamper between them and casting a quick look at the horses that were now grazing quietly, their antics over. As indeed were theirs. She was patently very cool now, almost testy. Perhaps it was just as well she had not seen them performing so strongly.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Richard, I have roamed this park for years and by myself too. There is nothing to worry about,” she said abruptly. “The keepers have always been watchful, and the village has always known this place is out of bounds.”

He didn’t reply, just eyed her quietly as he took another ham roll.

Observing him eat caused a feeling of hunger to run through her as she watched him bite into the roll, so she sat down, leaned forward, and helped herself to a similar one.

Finishing the tasty food, he reached for a bottle of ale, took a drink and brought out the lemonade for her. Taking another roll filled with cheese, he took a decision to tell her.

“That was before we had to contend with Tasker,” he began. “He made threats two days before the funeral, and I wasn’t prepared to take chances on him causing trouble, especially as I think he sabotaged your grandmother’s carriage. I went to the village and examined the wrecked vehicle. No doubt whatsoever it had been sabotaged. In speaking to those who would know, no one local would have done such a thing. They revered your grandmother. So I had to make a guess at who might have caused the accident.

“There's no contest, Lucie. I also know I haven't a shred of proof to accuse him. Tasker is a clever man. Your grandmother knew he was dangerous. That's why she was so adamant about me protecting you. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I want honesty in my marriage. Think of all that’s involved in our lives. This place has to earn its keep and look after its servants, not only for your benefit but for the children we will have. Oh yes, I intend there will be heirs. Plus, there is my inherited estate. At present, I believe it to be a shambles, but with your help, it can be restored and be as valuable as this one. I expect us to go there shortly. I’m not asking you to love me. Perhaps...” He paused to consider his next words. “All I’m asking is cooperation to do what must be done.”

He paused again. “As for Tasker, I deem him still a threat. His history and actions so far and the tragedy of Eleanor’s accident is suspicion enough for me. So I will not hide the truth. I will seek to prove I’m right. Lucie, are you with me or not!”

He watched her face pale as he spoke and, inwardly, felt remorse at being plain-spoken. Yet he had to know how he stood. Was she with him or against him?

“I’m glad you have told me. Not knowing, guessing...hearing gossip from the servants…they, too, think that the coach was interfered with.” She sighed. “Grandmama was too close, secretive one might say. I never knew what she was thinking...she could change in a matter of seconds, and it was always difficult to know why, especially when she was in a temper. She never explained properly, just expected people…me…to obey. Yes, Richard I am with you if you promise you will always be open and straight with me. Tell me what is going on, and I will do my best to cooperate with you.”

She lifted her arms and retied the ribbon that held her hair off her face, and he felt himself yearn to take her again.

"This annulment won't happen, will it? Now I am no longer a virgin?"

"No, it can't. However, you could still divorce me if you could obtain enough grounds to make a case. Do you hate me enough to go down that path?"

Her face turned a fiery red with embarrassment. "You know I don't hate you."

"Then say you want to stay married, and I can relax and make a good life for us."

She reached out and took his hand. "I made my vows. I didn't know it then, but I do now, they were truly made. Yes, I want to stay married to you. Grandmama was right to join us together. I'm your wife, and I will remain your wife."

But maybe not love me,
he thought grimly
.
Then he remembered how he was able to get her to respond. Maybe things would turn out well after all.

Chapter Nine

Richard lay back on the blanket and gazed up at the sky, trying to subdue his elation. Daring to enlighten her with all the facts had paid off. His careful study of her reaction to problems over the last few days showed she was stronger than she looked. She was no simpering miss without a thought in her head. She had risen to his challenge and was proving to be every bit the bride he had wanted.

“Well, this picnic is the best ever!” He laughed as he sat up again, hoping to restore the colour to her face. “We have come to agreement beautifully in every way I find irresistible.”

“You can joke at a time like this?” she said in surprise, wondering if she’d ever understand him. “I thought we were speaking seriously.”

“What better time, my love, to be happy and enjoy what we have? I couldn’t be more pleased than to have you as my wife—particularly now I have possessed you—and I look forward to us creating a family. I have only one more irritating task to carry out before we go to Amberley Hall, which is the name of my home, and that is that I have to return to London. I’ll leave as soon as we get back to the house. By coach this time, as I am fetching back a secretary to deal with any problems here. You will have to take on the duties of the duchess, and although I know you are conversant with most of the affairs of the estate, it is too much of a burden to do it all on your own, especially as you will be involved with Amberley. I’ll be back no later than two days hence, and you must promise me you will not wander unless a groom or servant from the house is with you at all times.”

“I promise. Amberley Hall? That’s a pretty name, I like it. Is it a big estate?”

He humphed then laughed. “It’s big enough but not pretty at the moment, but maybe we’ll make it so in time. It fronts an old ruin of a castle. If I can remember my history lessons which were beaten into me, it was originally built by the Saxons in wood. It was burnt down, then later taken on and rebuilt by the Normans, and dates back to the days when the Welsh incursions into England caused trouble. It was the days of the Marches when there was war between the various lords in the area. Afterwards, it controlled the movement along the drover trails through the Clun valley when flocks and herds were driven from Wales to the markets in Middle England, and even down to London. It was in a lucrative position to extract tolls. The Normans mainly occupied the area north of the river Clun, and the Saxons continued expanding their settlement on the other side to the south.

“After Edward the First conquered Wales, there was little use for the place—though for a time, it was probably used as the hunting lodge—then it degraded during the Civil war, and the castle became a ruin. After that, a house was built in the grounds in front of it, in Queen Anne’s day, designed by an architect who copied the battlements of the castle but built a large manor house more comfortable and suitable for family living. Eventually, my father acquired it and we children were born. It was not a happy time for me as, unfortunately, I fell out with my father, decided I could not put up with him in any way, and left to seek my fortune. So I had no idea what happened to the family for a long time until I found out recently that, through one misfortune or another, I’d lost my two older brothers."

"Oh dear, how sad," she interjected.

"My mother died years ago and was only a distant memory, and now my father is gone, hence the inheritance, which though I am reluctant, I feel bound to take up. Coming here, meeting my godmother once again, and seeing this house and you, I’ve unexpectedly discovered my links with my family have not died.  I do want a family, children of my own, and a wife who respects me. It has become important to me, Lucie, more than I hitherto realised. I trust you are of the same mind.”

“My family has gone, too, with the passing of my grandmother. She was all I had, the only one who was close to me. My parents were drowned on the South Coast when I was a child, so I’ve had no siblings to love. I’ve only had the duchess to care for me until now, so yes, I’d very much like to stay married to you, and I’d also like a family.”

He bent forward and kissed her gently. “Indeed that might already be possible.”

“Oh but why?” At once, she blushed. “Goodness me, I hadn’t thought... so soon?”

“Well, perhaps not.” He quirked his lips. “It will happen when fate decrees, so don’t worry.” He watched her frown and wondered how things would turn out between them. He knew he had rushed her into a relationship she was still unsure of. Though, actually, it was the duchess who had paved the way with her insistence. If events had not turned out this way, he would have paid his visit and his respects to Eleanor but, not lingering, would have soon left to carry on with his plans to renovate his house. He would have thought no more of Lucie other than that she was a passing acquaintance. Now, fate had provided him not only with a wife but someone he was eager to make love to again.

That first coupling had shown him she would be the responsive partner he had always dreamed of if he ever married. He could scarcely believe his luck. Was it fate or Eleanor who had managed to achieve this? If it was Eleanor, she was a very clever lady.

* * * *

By the afternoon, the day had clouded over and the wind freshened, bringing with it some heavy rain. Lucie retreated to the library, where a log fire took away the chill, after a solitary lunch after Richard had left and settled to read. She went back to the portfolios and, with her recent experience, made more sense of the pictures, though she marvelled at a few of the descriptions. She thought back to the morning and the momentous events that had taken her from relative childhood into womanhood.

Despite her original feeling only days ago to have little to do with a man she thought was overbearing and arrogant, the realty of his lovemaking had changed her mind, and at last, she could try to make sense of his words and what he would do to achieve a happy marriage. Thinking about an annulment, she was glad she had not held out for it. To her surprise, she realised she would have felt devastated if she had. She was also delighted that she could help him in restoring his home. His ideas for enhancing the estate had struck a chord in her mind, even though she was bemused with all that had happened. From tragedy to marriage, and what was to come? 

Richard had left as soon as they got back, kissing and touching her lovingly and vowing he would return as soon as possible. Rowten, alert as usual, had noted the embrace and gave thanks for the Earl having the wisdom to consummate their marriage. He knew everything that went on in his domain. He had been present at a most extraordinary marriage, then was aware that the bride and groom did not share a room following that marriage and had drawn his own conclusions. He knew Lucie as well as anyone could and knew she’d had a spat with Richard. Knew she had not wanted to get married but somehow was persuaded

Long experience had made him a good judge of people, and he liked the look and manner of the new Earl. He also felt Lucie could never have acquired a better husband had she gone to London and married a stranger. That close embrace spoke louder than words. Their union was achieved. He felt his duchess, whom he missed more than he’d thought possible, would have been very pleased with the result of her insistence.

The storm increased as night approached, and when Lucie went upstairs to wash and change before dinner, a sudden flash of lightning, followed quickly by a loud rumble of thunder, lit the room through the undrawn curtains. It startled Mary so much she lost her grip on the hot water jug she was just about to pour from into a basin and tossed it up in the air. It landed on Lucie’s bed with the contents spilling all over the bedclothes.

“Oh, my lady, oh dear,” she wailed. “I’m so sorry, that I am. It was the lightning...it gave me such a shock. Now I've ruined your bed...”

“Don’t worry, Mary, the bed will dry, but not this evening, I fear. The water will have gone through to the mattress. Strip it and leave it bare. No harm done. Make a bed up for me in another room for tonight. It won’t hurt to change rooms. At least we are fortunate in owning plenty of bedrooms, even if they are not as pretty as this one is.”

Much later, around midnight, Lucie still had not slept. Whether it was the strange bed or the thoughts that were still with her, or the slight soreness after her introduction to sex, she could not tell. She lay listening to the scouring of the wind and the groans of the house as it reacted to the buffeting and weathered the increasing gale and tried to relax.

All at once, she heard a loud, unusual, scraping noise, and shortly after, another coming from inside the house and quite close. From long familiarity, she knew all the creaks along the corridor, and the bedroom she was in was only four doors away from her own. Was Rowten making a tour of the house to make sure all was well? How odd. That was not his usual practice. She seemed to remember he had done it earlier and was in the hall locking up before retiring as she passed on her way to bed and they wished each other goodnight.

So who was it creeping by so stealthily? Sliding out of bed, she put on her wrap and went to the door. Edging it open carefully, she peeped through the crack and was just in time to see a figure disappear into the master bedroom at the top end of the corridor. She only caught a glimpse but knew it was not Richard suddenly returned from London. Nor was it Edgar, his valet, a slightly built man who, in fact, was away visiting his family.

None of the male staff would intrude up here, she thought, unless ordered to do so, and the stairs to the servant’s bedrooms were the other side of the house. So who would dare, apart from an intruder? And if it was, what should she do? Pushing the door almost closed, she listened and heard the master bedroom door shut. There was silence for a moment until another door opened. This time, when she took a hasty look, it was her own room.

Almost at once, she heard an angry curse, and shutting her door tight, slid a bolt across and put a chair under the door handle. Once she felt secure, she dashed across the room and kept pulling on the bell to call any servant on duty. They might not catch the man, but at least they would make sure the house and grounds were searched.

Much later, Rowten was utterly distraught. How something like this could happen on his watch was beyond overwhelming. In charge, specifically commanded to take care of her ladyship, and what happens? An unknown villain comes waltzing into the house. Why? Certainly to do something evil to either the Earl or his wife, for nothing was missing so he wasn’t a thief. He had got in the house easily as the watchman on duty was found unconscious from a cutting blow to his head. Entering the lobby door after that was simple as shown by the broken glass pane, especially with the storm’s rage covering any noise he may have made. Once the alarm was raised, the man had fled down the back stairs and away into the park as not one, but two, footmen came running up the main staircase to see what was wrong with her ladyship.

Lucie was still tugging on the on the bell pull until they banged on her door and shouted for her to open. She was a resourceful and competent lady. More than he could say for himself at this moment. All he could be thankful for after he had listened to her account was that Mary’s accident with the water jug had saved Lucie from whatever purpose the intruder had intended.

After some thought, he recalled the visit from Lord Edmund Tasker. The last thing he’d heard was that the man had gone to London, which was hardly the other side of the moon. Had he come back? When it was daylight, he would send someone to investigate to see if he had returned. Meanwhile, he organised a truckle bed for Mary to rest on in Lucie’s temporary bedroom so that Lucie could sleep in peace with company for the few hours left of the night. Setting guards at the vulnerable doors was the next step, and making sure the keepers were alerted followed before he, too, retired to bed, though not to sleep.

Tomorrow, or probably the day after, would come the reckoning with the Earl. He did not think he could hope for a chance to keep his job when the Earl returned. He would be justifiably furious with everyone, particularly him. He sighed, feeling his years. Maybe he was too old and it
was
time for him to retire, but it would be an ignominious ending, for there was no way could he pretend anything but failure. He could see no way out that would sidestep the inevitable shameful dismissal.

* * * *

It was past midnight when the coach drew to a halt at the front door of Ashbury Mead, much to the relief of its occupants and Hicks the coachman. He was congratulated by the earl when Richard stepped wearily out of the carriage. “Well done, Hicks. I didn’t think we’d make it all the way home tonight. You must have a fondness to sleep in your own bed, I’ll wager. Just as well that storm blew over and you had moonlight. Anyway, well done! I couldn’t be more pleased. Turn in as soon as you can.” He turned to the other occupant climbing out of the coach as two footmen appeared, shrugging into their jackets. “Welcome to Ashbury Mead, Rigby. Go with Irving.” He beckoned one of the footmen over. “Take Mr Rigby to his room, and make sure he has food and anything else he may require.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow some time, Rigby. When you rise, have breakfast then explore. I’m for bed now and a late rise. Ah, Rowten, you should have stayed in bed. Irving and Drew are seeing to everything, and I’m about to retire.” He stared at the butler, noting the downcast expression which was so unlike the welcome he usually got. His instincts flared instantly.