Romance: REGENCY ROMANCE: A Duchess in Distress (Historical Regency Romance Duke) (Rake Duke Arranged Marriage Short Stories) (17 page)

''Take my arm, and I'll take you to your husband,'' Lord Melbourne said.

The organist saw the signal that the bride had arrived and started to play the Wedding March. The congregation stood and gazed at the beautiful bride as she passed them. When they reached the altar, Lord Melbourne gave his daughter to the Duke. When he did so, he scowled at him.

Lady Melbourne was busily wiping tears of joy from her cheeks when Lord Melbourne walked passed her. She looked nonplussed as he walked straight past her, down the aisle, and out of the church. Outside, he stood next to the door so that he could hear the service in progress. He listened intently as the vicar quoted the Book of Common Prayer and announced the first hymn.

After twenty minutes, it was time. He knew that the vicar would soon ask his daughter the question that he didn't want her to answer.

When Lord Melbourne gave the signal, they appeared. His cavalry. A bunch of old men, dressed in their moth-eaten uniforms, mounted on magnificently groomed horses. The sergeant, who had been the coachman, was now wearing his old Hussars uniform as well. In his hands were the reigns of Lord Melbourne's horse.

He handed him a silver sword. ''I thought the regimental sword may prove useful,'' he said.

''Thank you, Sergeant, very thoughtful of you.''

''Dismount, men. The sergeant will hold your horses. As we practiced, we will march into the church in formation and apprehend the scoundrel.''

Lord Melbourne heard the vicar say, ''Do you, Charlotte Emily Melbourne, take....''

''Quick, march,'' he shouted. Lord Melbourne raised his sword, and the soldiers marched into the church behind him.

As their boots crunched on the sandstone floor, the vicar looked up and stopped speaking. The congregation turned around and looked as the men marched in perfectly timed steps towards the altar. When they reached the Duke, Lord Melbourne said, ''We are arresting you. You will not marry my daughter today or on any other day. Men, seize him.''

Two burly soldiers took the Duke by the collar and held onto him while Lord Melbourne spoke to his daughter. ''Charlotte, do not ask any questions now. Everything will become apparent as time passes. I cannot allow you to ruin your life. You are to come with us.'' He then addressed the congregation.

''Ladies and Gentlemen. Today is a day, which will live long and proud in my family's history. It is the day when I finally realized how precious my daughter is. I am taking this deceitful man away from here. My men and I are going to teach him a lesson he will never forget. He will never abuse a woman again. Thank you all for your understanding.''

Next he addressed his open-mouthed wife. ''This is what all those regimental dinners were for. Practice for a day when someone needed a bunch of old Hussars to help them. I bid you farewell. You may keep the estate. It is after all, yours. My solicitor will be in touch with you regarding the divorce.''

He marched in front of his men again, back down the aisle and out of the door. ''Right men, mount your horses.'' As the men mounted, one of them slung the Duke, head first, over his horse and got into the saddle. Charlotte sat behind her father and put her arms around him.

“Let's go,'' he shouted. The nonplussed village women, who had been waiting to see Charlotte and the Duke appear as a married couple, looked on as twenty horses kicked up the dust and cantered away from the church.

After they had ridden a mile or so, they stopped at crossing in the road. Another mounted old Hussar was waiting for them.

''Were you successful in York?'' Lord Melbourne asked.

''Yes sir. All went splendidly well.''

''Good,'' Lord Melbourne said. He turned to the man riding the horse over which the Duke was lying. ''Set the Duke down.''

The Duke had said remarkably little throughout the whole incident. He was petrified. ''My Lord, I have noticed how you have such an affection for the ladies.  Do you see that field there?'' Lord Melbourne said, sarcastically.

The Duke nodded.

''Well, it's full of ladies. Let's see how you get on.'' He turned to the man who was by far the largest of the old Hussars and said, ''Throw him over the gate.''

The man picked the Duke up by the seat of his pants, walked a few yards, and hurled him over the gate into the middle of a group of curious cows. All the soldiers laughed as the Duke lay in the fresh cow dung.

''My Lord, please accept my apologies. I have deceived you. I told you the field was full of ladies. I lied. A lot of ladies plus one male. In fact, I believe he is right behind you as I speak.'' There was another round of hilarious laughter before the men rode off.

Chapter 9

Charlotte and her father stood on the quay and looked at HMS Sutherland. It was an imposing sight. She was a recently commissioned, ninety-gun battleship. Charlotte had never seen a ship before, and the sheer size of it made her feel giddy. ''Do men really climb those heights to drop the sails?'' she asked her father.

''Yes, dear. Brave souls, all of them.''

''Mary, thank God,'' Charlotte shouted as a carriage stopped at the entrance to the naval yard. She ran and took her maid and friend into her arms. ''Oh, Mary. How I have yearned to see you again.''

''Me too, me too. I have all your things here,'' she said as she pointed to seven large pieces of luggage.

''You are simply the best maid, no sorry, you are simply the best friend a woman could wish for.''             

''I have packed some very warm clothes, I thought you might need them where we are going.''

Two porters put Charlotte and Mary's cases onto a cart and wheeled them up the gangplank and onto the ship.

Mary stood next to Lord Melbourne and smiled at him, ''Thank you, Sir, for all you have done for me.''

''Don't mention it,'' he replied.

''Why are we leaving on a military ship, not on a liner?'' she asked.

''The captain's an old friend of mine. He told me he was going the way we wanted to go and offered us a lift. It'll be much more fun than sitting with a lot of stuffy people on a liner. Besides, if the Duke ever managed to get out of that cow field alive, he would be more likely to find us on a liner. He will never find us on this ship. And when we reach the other side, we will be beyond his reach, forever.

''I think we are all set now, don't you dear?'' Lord Melbourne asked his daughter.

''Yes I think we are,'' she said happily.

''Right ladies, take my arm. Let's go to the new world.''

****

Charlotte opened the door to her cabin and screamed, ''What are you doing here?''

''Your father and I thought it might be a nice surprise.''

''Kiss me, you fool. Don't ever frighten me like that again.''

Charlotte and Ralph kissed passionately. When their kiss broke, Charlotte was out of breath. ''I am not used to kissing for so long,'' she said.

''You'll have plenty of time to get used to it before we reach New York.''

''You were supposed to be waiting for me there. What happened?''

''Oh, my love, it has all been so sudden. One minute I was sitting in jail, listening to them building the gallows, and the next, there were what seemed like a hundred horsemen, breaking me free. They brought me to the docks and told me I was to sail to New York and wait for you there. Then I got a message I was to board this ship and wait for you here.''

''Thank the Lord. You are safe. I will never be able to repay my father for what he has done.''

''Neither will I. Never. Perhaps we can talk a little later? I want to have my way with you now.''

Charlotte nodded as he took her in his arms and kissed her again. This time, though, she felt his manhood pressing against her thigh.

They were both eager to be naked, and it wasn't long before Ralph lay between Charlotte's open legs. ''I want you, more than anything in the world,'' she said to him.

Ralph grunted, and Charlotte gasped when he entered her. As his shaft slid into her, he bent down and kissed her. She put her hand behind his neck and pulled him tighter to her. Her legs wrapped around his back as she bucked her hips under him. She matched his rhythm, encouraging him to thrust harder. 

They both felt the ship beginning to move as it left the harbor. Ralph looked at her breasts as he thrust into her. He loved the way they bounced in rhythm to the movements of his hips. Charlotte opened her legs as wide as she could and put her hands on his buttocks. When she dug her nails into him, he gritted his teeth and pumped faster. Charlotte felt him ramming himself against her clitoris and she quickly began to feel her arousal building.

By now the ship had left the safety of the harbor and on a windy day, it began to roll gently. Without warning, Ralph pulled out of her and stood up. ''What?'' she asked. ''The window again?''

He nodded. ''Except they aren't called windows. They're called portholes. Now I want you to get up and look out of the porthole while I take you from behind.''

''You are very inventive, Ralph. I'm sure we're going to have a fantastic sex life.''

''This is just the beginning, wait until I tie you to the mast,'' he joked.

She stood up and looked through the porthole. She put her hands on the wall, one on each side of the glass. When she bent forward and offered herself to him, Ralph was so consumed by animal lust that he got to his knees, and put his mouth to her. When she felt his tongue licking her juices, she pushed back at him and opened her legs wider. He could smell her arousal, and it drove him to lick faster and deeper.

Charlotte had never experienced a feeling like it. The man she loved was performing an act on her that was so intimate, she wanted it to last forever. When she felt his tongue at the entrance to her, she had an orgasm.

Ralph felt her legs shaking and in a gentlemanly gesture, he stood up and held her. Soon he was inside her again. Charlotte gasped as his thrusts threw her tighter to the wall. Her breasts pushed against the cold glass, and it made her nipples harder still. Ralph was grunting now, and Charlotte realized he was going to come. She put a hand to her vagina and began to masturbate. She was keen to come with him. The sight of his future wife pleasuring herself in such an uninhibited way drove him over the top. When Charlotte felt a gush of hot liquid inside her, she too came.              

****

''We've been lying here for hours. I need some air. Shall we go on deck?'' Charlotte asked.

''Yes, let's.'' They got up, put on some warm clothes and went into the bracing sea air.

''Ah look, Mary, our lovebirds have decided to leave the nest for a while,'' Lord Melbourne said, ironically.

''Yes, indeed. How kind of them to join us,'' Mary replied with a chuckle. Lord Melbourne and Mary were sitting on a bench looking at the gulls as they accompanied the ship on the first part of its journey.

''Very amusing, I'm sure,'' Charlotte said. ''Do you know, when we get to America, the first thing I am going to do is look for a husband for you Mary. Then I'm going to find a wife for my father.''

''In that case, please find one who is gentle, kind, and totally silent. My ears have had years of abuse, and they are in urgent need or repair,'' her father pleaded.

Charlotte peered towards the horizon. Black clouds had started to build up, threatening a storm. She glanced at Ralph, an inviting smile on her lips.

“A storm’s coming,” Ralph said, kissing Charlotte’s hand. “We had better get below deck.”

“Mmm. A storm.” Charlotte could already feel the warmth between her legs as she recalled that night at the inn. “I know just how we can ride it out.”

*****

THE END

Enjoy what you read? Please keep flipping to the end of the book to leave a review on Amazon. Thanks!

Sign up
Here
to receive links to the hottest new romance eBooks on Kindle delivered directly to your inbox every week! (Click the link or ente
r
http://bit.ly/1ll7iN
q
into your browser.)

****

Here is a FREE bonus 8000 word romance story by Sarah Thorn, “Rescued from a Rake.”