by Ella Edon
“I plan to.” He said gruffly, tugging his shirt off.
There was a ripping sound and buttons went everywhere as Derby threw his shirt onto the floor. Then he rolled over, sitting astride Amy’s hips. His eyes were dark as he ran his hands down her body, squeezing her breasts and pushing them together. His thumbs brushed over her nipples, causing Amy to shudder. Her climax was still coming down to a slow simmer, and any touch was still sending tingles throughout her body.
Licking his lips, Derby shifted down, sliding down so he could press a kiss to her skin between her breasts. Then he licked his way over to one breast.
Amy gasped and clutched at him as he started sucking on her nipples, teasing them to hardened points with his tongue and teeth. Whoa. It felt far more arousing that it should have been. She moaned, her hands tightening on his shoulders.
“Are you all right?”
Amy opened her eyes to see Derby looking at her. His eyes were still dark, his breathing ragging. His erection, still clothed, was throbbing against her inner thigh. Amy was surprised she could find her voice.
“I’m fine.” She stroked his cheek. “I don’t want you to stop.”
Derby grinned.
“Good.” He moved and started to get off the bed. “Because I’m not going to.”
Amy couldn’t move as Derby stood beside the bed. Her mouth went dry and her heart raced as he started unbuttoning his trousers, pushing them down his hips. He tugged them off his legs along with his stockings and kicked them aside. Then he stood there naked before her. Amy’s mouth went dry. He looked like a Greek statue, like he had been carved to perfection. She could see his manhood, large and proud, standing up from a nest of blond hair. It was almost touching his belly button.
Amy had expected to be shy at a moment like this, but, instead, she couldn’t look away. She licked her lips, which had Derby growling.
“You keep looking at me like that, Amy, and I’m not going to be able to last.”
Amy giggled.
“Then you had better come here, and we’ll do something about it.”
Derby was breathing heavily. Amy could see he was shaking as he crawled back onto the bed, pressing kisses up Amy’s body as he lay over her. Amy ran her hands down his taut back, allowing Derby to shift her thighs apart. Derby shifted onto his knees and slid his hand over his shaft as he tugged Amy into his lap, tilting her hips up. Amy rose up on her elbows as he rubbed the head of his penis over her clit before placing it at her lips.
“The first bit is going to be a little painful, and I apologize for that.” He rasped. “But, I promise, this will feel good.”
“Stop talking, Daniel.” Amy couldn’t take her eyes off him. She wrapped her legs around his waist. “Just take me. Now.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Derby nudged forwards. Amy felt her breath catch as his cock pressed inside her. He was much bigger than his fingers, so it took a moment for her body to get used to the intrusion. But it felt really good. She wriggled her hips as Derby withdrew a little and pushed in again, sliding in further.
He was going too slow for her liking. Amy tightened her legs around his waist and dug her heels into his back.
“Daniel, don’t tease me. I want you now.”
Derby loomed over her, his hands pressing into the pillows on either side of her head.
“As my lady wishes.”
He thrust. Amy cried out as he filled her, Derby’s mouth silencing her as he pressed in until his hips were pressed against her pelvis. There had been a momentary twinge of pain, but then it was gone. He completely filled her, and Amy wanted more. Could she get more?
“Amy?” Derby lifted his head. He was still breathing fast, his body still tense. “Talk to me.”
But Amy didn’t want to talk. She wanted him. She lifted her hips and felt him go in even deeper.
“I know I haven’t got any experience,” She panted, “But I’m pretty sure you’re meant to move.”
Derby chuckled, brushing a kiss to her nose.
“Your room. How’d you want it. Show me.”
Gripping onto his arms, Amy used her heels to dig into his lower back, urging him into a slow, gentle rhythm. Derby picked up on what she wanted very quickly, kissing and nibbling at her neck, jaw and ear as he made love to her. Each time, his shaft seemed to go in deeper. Amy’s body felt like it was on fire.
If she had known having sex with Derby would be like this, she would have made a move before.
Going slow didn’t seem to work with Derby, because he began to pick up the pace. He rose up onto his knees and gripped her hips, thrusting into Amy hard enough that Amy was sliding up the bed. His thrusts became more confident. Harder, faster.
Amy didn’t want him to stop. She grabbed onto his hips and urged him on. Then Derby licked his fingers and reached between them, rubbing them over her clit. Amy shrieked.
“Oh, my God!”
Bright lights exploded behind her eyes as Amy climaxed. As Derby pounded her, Amy’s whole body had intense tingles ripple along her skin. She writhed under him, trying to get more. In her haze, she realized how loud she was getting, and Amy clamped her hands over her mouth. But Derby grabbed her wrists, pulling them away and pinning them to the bed.
“Don’t. I want to hear you.” He leaned over her, kissing her neck. “God, Amy, I love how you feel around.”
His body was tightening up. His movements were becoming erratic. Amy felt it when he orgasmed, thrusting one last time into her with a low growl. He clutched her to him, burying his face into her neck as he shook in her arms. Amy could feel his heart racing against her breast.
Amy hugged him tightly, aware that her own heart was going fast. She felt like she had been on a wild horse ride.
And she wanted to go for a ride again.
Derby had wanted to stay. Making love to Amy had blown his mind. She was more responsive than he expected, her body so pliable under his touch. She must have screamed loud enough for the servants’ quarters to hear her, but Derby didn’t care. Amy had been screaming because of him.
And that was all that mattered to him. He didn’t care if anyone had heard them. At least they would know Derby had staked his claim.
Amy was his wife. Derby had known that before he came to her room, but now he was certain. There was no way he was letting Amy go. He would fight for her to stay.
If only he could stay the night. They had spent several hours exploring each other’s bodies, Amy getting more and more brazen with her exploration, with what she wanted. Derby had been more than happy to oblige. But it was when she was starting to fall asleep that Derby retreated, going back through the secret passage and heading back to his room.
The thought of falling asleep with Amy in his arms and waking up beside her was something Derby wanted. He had dreamt about it before. But he knew that he had already broken several Society rules by taking an unwed woman’s virginity. Waking up to find the maid standing over them was a step too far, even if the maid was giggling from the noises in the night.
Derby was exhausted, and he barely managed to undress before crawling into bed. His shirt was ripped and almost all the buttons were missing, but he didn’t care. It was worth it. Even if his seamstress raised eyebrows at the sight.
He smiled at the thought. The lady he sent his clothes to for mending was in her sixties, and a matronly grandmother. She was very strict on following the rules, and Derby would love to see her expression when she realized what had happened to his shirt.
He was still smiling as he fell asleep, the sun just peeking through the curtains. But it wasn’t long before he was awoken by a scream, one that jolted him awake.
Derby looked at the clock through bleary eyes. Seven-thirty-eight. He had only been asleep for two hours. Who was awake making that noise?
Then the scream came again. Derby sat up. It didn’t sound like someone in the throes of passion. That sounded more like a scream of fear.
Chapter Twenty-Five
> Wide awake now, Derby sprang from bed and shrugged off his ruined shirt, grabbing the fresh one his footman had laid out for him the night before. He was fumbling with the buttons when the door burst open and his footman came stumbling, grasping onto the door handle to stop himself from falling. His face was gray, and he was gasping for breath.
“Stephens!” Derby hurried to him. “What’s going on? Who’s screaming?”
“Body…” Stephen panted. He was struggling to get his words out. “Downstairs...library.”
“You what?” Derby froze. “Another body?”
“Yes...Lady Hartley...she found…”
Stephens looked like he was going to faint. Derby caught him as he swayed and led him over to the ottoman at the foot of the bed, urging him to sit down.
“Stay here and get your breath back.”
Then Derby ran out the room, just in his trousers and half-buttoned shirts. He ran barefoot down the stairs and through the house, following the screams into the library. Lady Hartley was there, on her knees beside her husband’s body, wailing like a banshee. Victoria stood over her, hands clamped over her mouth.
Derby’s heart momentarily stopped. Not another one. And not Hartley. The Viscount was sprawled on the rug in front of the fire, his body looking like he had been in the throes of a seizure. He was frothing at the mouth, his face completely devoid of color. His eyes were open, staring up at the ceiling. Derby could see the cut on his cheek, and his hands were bloody.
The man had put up a fight.
“Murderer!”
Derby started. Lady Beatrice was still kneeling by her husband’s body, but now she was glaring at him. She was a deep red and looking like she was frothing herself. She pointed at Derby, her hand shaking.
“You killed him, you bastard!”
Derby felt like she had slapped him. What? He raised his hands as he approached the group.
“Calm yourself, Lady Hartley. You’re getting hysterical.”
“I’m not hysterical!” Beatrice shrieked, jumping to her feet. “It was you all along! You’ve been picking off everyone one by one.”
“I…”
“You want Amy for yourself and anyone in your way dies. Now you’ve killed my husband!” She looked like she was about to collapse, tears streaming down her face. “He did nothing to you!”
Derby bit back a retort. There wasn’t anything he could say to that when the woman was in clear distress. Victoria hurried to her mistress’ side and took her arms, leading her away from Lord Hartley’s body.
“Lady Hartley, you need to sit down. Come with me.”
She glanced at Derby, and an understanding passed between them. She would look after the Viscountess, keeping her out of the way. As Victoria led Lady Beatrice towards the far end of the library, Derby heard someone behind him. He turned and saw Doctor Day in the doorway. The man was staring in shock at the body on the floor.
“Oh, God.”
He looked like he was about to faint himself. Derby took his arm and urged him towards the corpse.
“Tell me, Doctor, if he died the same way as the others?”
Day jerked out of his shock and knelt beside Hartley. He quickly checked him over, looking up at Derby with a grim expression.
“It looks like he was poisoned as well. And it looks like it was done by force.”
“So, whoever killed him would be sporting some marks of a fight?”
“There’s a good chance of that.”
“Murderer!” Beatrice shrieked.
Even across the room, she was loud. Derby sighed and turned to her.
“When did you last see him, Lady Hartley?”
“Why are you asking me?” Beatrice shouted back. “You shoved poison down his throat!”
There was no getting sense out of her. Day stood and put himself between Derby and the Viscountess, blocking his view.
“Go and get dressed, my lord.” He said quietly. “Make yourself scarce. I’ll deal with all this.”
Derby couldn’t begin to express his relief as he hurried from the room. This was getting ridiculous. In his mind, Hartley was still near the top of the list. He wanted his own way, and he wasn’t about to let anyone change it. But now he was dead, and Derby was back at square one.
He heard someone tittering and turned. Leicester was leaning against the wall, still in his bed robe. He smirked at Derby.
“First Lord Merseyside, then your valet, and now Lord Hartley. Am I next, Lord Derby?”
Derby rolled his eyes.
“If I was the killer, Leicester, I would have gotten rid of you a long time ago.”
“I’m sure you would have.” Leicester pushed off the wall, adjusting the belt around his waist. “I think I’ll go and wait in the morning room once I’m dress. Then I can intercept the magistrate first. He needs to be told the truth.”
He sauntered away. Derby had no doubt that he was going to talk to Lord Radford first. He spied one of the boot boys running past and beckoned him over.
“I need you to do me a favor, Richard.”
“Yes, my lord?”
The little boy looked up at him with big eyes. Derby didn’t want him going near the library and seeing the body; he was too young for that.
“I want you to go to the front gate and wait for the magistrate’s carriage. Tell him to go around the back way and come in via the terrace doors to my study. I want to see him before anyone else does.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Derby ruffled his hair.
“Good boy. Off you go.”
Richard ran away, disappearing into the foyer. Aware that there was still loud wailing behind him, Derby headed up to his room. Unless he wanted to be seen in a state of undress, there wasn’t much else he could do right now.
Amy poured a glass of water and handed it to her mother. Anna gave her a small smile and took a sip.
“Thank you, darling.” Her voice was raspy, barely above a whisper. “That’s much better.”
“It’s all right, Mama.” Amy sat on the edge of the bed. It was softer than the chair, and she was still feeling a little delicate. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better, Mama.”
“So am I.” Anna sighed, resting her head against the pillows. “I just wish I knew what was going on. I think I’m getting better and then I’m suddenly ill again. Going back and forth between the two is taking so much out of me.”
“You’re strong, Mama. You’ll get through it.”
If anyone could overcome what had been afflicting them for the last two years, it would be Anna Day. She was stronger than people realized. It had taken her a lot of courage to walk away from an abusive marriage, and even more to stand up in front of disapproving people and declare what her husband had done to her. She could manage this.
Amy just wished she wasn’t suffering so much.
“If only we knew what was making me ill.” Anna huffed. “It changes every time. At this moment, I’m coming to the conclusion that just breathing makes me ill.”
“James will figure it out.”
“It’s been two years, Amy. He still hasn’t found anything. I’m getting worse, and still nothing.”
Now Amy was stunned. She had heard Anna talk with such confidence about her husband. They had such a strong bond. Now it looked like the bond was breaking.
“You had a lot of faith in him before, Mama. What’s changed?”
Anna swallowed hard. She took another sip of water.
“I had faith in him before we got here. He’s always been devoted to me, looking after me whenever he can. And now he’s taken to prowling around the estate. I have no idea what he’s up to.” Anna made a face. “He thinks I’ve passed out due to the sleeping draft he gives me, but I know when he’s not there.”
This was something Amy had not heard before. As far as she was aware, James deeply loved his wife. He had been like that since the start. It was why Amy was confident that James could look after her mother better than her father.
“No, I don’t think so. He’s too loyal for that, and I know the signs.” Anna shook her head with a frown. “But he’s up to something. I just wish I knew what.”
That was when Amy heard loud voices downstairs, and footsteps thundering up, getting closer. She slid off the bed.
“Maybe that’s him now. Where did he go, anyway?”
“He went to investigate the screaming we heard earlier.”