by Wells, Nancy
“I should probably send for a maid to assist you. You are not feeling well.”
She closed her eyes tightly shut when she felt him licking at her folds with ferocity. The slit in her drawers was proving to be awfully convenient for him. Her folds were getting swollen as he increased the fierceness of his licks and she started to lose the battle. She was trying to hold back the pleasure that was threatening to weaken her knees, but she was not strong enough against his skillful mouth.
“Stop, please,” she whined.
Her swollen lips were quivering against his mouth while she tried her best to hold back her pleasure. He knew he would win in the end. He could already feel her defenses weaken. He wanted her to lose control before the man who was hoping to have a polite conversation with her.
“Did you say something to me, Lady Isabella?”
She was feeling helpless. She wished the old man would leave her in peace and go away, but it was highly unlikely. Unlike the man under her skirts, he was a gentleman who would never leave a distressed lady without offering his help.
She kicked again to warn the rogue, but it proved to be a mistake because he started to laugh silently which made him vibrate near her cunny. Shocking waves of pleasure went through her body at the further stimulation. She squashed a flower bud in her fists, trying her best to control the reaction of her body. He was licking her folds with a vengeance while Lord Harley was looking expectantly at her face.
“Oh, lord… I mean… this torture, my skirt. Yes! My skirt is tangled behind my back. Yes! Oh, no… I will follow you inside. Oh, God… this is agony… I – just – need – a second,” she said breathily.
It was her good fortune that Lord Harley turned around and took long strides towards the door to her house, no doubt to seek help. She expected the rogue to give her a little reprieve, but he had other things on his mind. He did not wait for the gentleman to vanish from her sight and pulled her folds further apart with both hands. He applied pressure with his finger on the nub that seemed to be the center of all these wild emotions and then licked all moisture from her cunny with his tongue. She bit her wrist to muffle her voice when her body started to tremble of its own accord.
She was still in the throes of passion when he sneaked out from under her skirts. He did not give her time to object before pushing her against the bark of the tree and kissing her hard on her lips. She tasted her own moisture on his lips. It should make her feel disgusted, but instead, she moaned loudly against his mouth and returned his kiss with a passion and desire that rivaled his own.
“Go before I lose my mind and ruin you for a respectable marriage.”
He was hard as a rock. If she made one more moaning sound or so much as licked her lips, he would not be able to hold himself back. He had never felt so out of control. No woman had ever made him so helpless before.
“What if I want to be ruined by you?” she asked.
She had lost her mind. She wanted him to take her to the ground and ravage her in broad daylight where anyone could walk up on them. Her senses had stopped working. Her heart throbbed for only one person and that person was standing before her with her hands pinned above her head.
“You will be the death of me, my Siren,” he groaned, touching his forehead against hers. “I will come to your room tonight. If your window is open, I will know you have not changed your mind. Think hard before making any decision. If you keep your window shut, I will not chase you again. I will be disappointed, but not angry,” he chuckled. “Go inside and entertain your guests.”
Grabbing her skirts in her fists, she ran away from him. Just before she entered her house, she looked back and found him gone. She smiled, waved at the empty spot and went inside. She knew it was a silly thing to believe that he was still watching her, but she had no control over the budding love she was developing for him.
She ran into her mother before she could hide in a corner and let her heart settle down. Her mother gasped, putting a palm to her mouth. She looked down at her dress, half expecting him to come out from under her skirts at any moment. Her dress was not muddy, yet her mother had a horrified expression on her face, which was usually reserved for the time when she was not dressed properly.
“What happened to your lips?” her mother asked. “Was it a bee?”
She touched her lips and found them swollen. Russell had been rough with her when he kissed her against the tree. She suppressed the mirth that was threatening to bubble out of her mouth at any moment.
“Yes, Mother,” she said. “A giant bee came down from the tree.”
Her mother came to her and inspected her mouth. She was trying her best to look as solemn as possible, but it was getting harder with every passing moment. Her mother tilted her head to the side and touched the side of her neck where he had kissed her hard.
“Put something on them, Isabella. Your whole skin is red and slightly swollen. I am not sure if it was a bee who stung you.”
It was definitely not a bee. It was a scoundrel who had reduced her to a pleading mess before Lord Harley. Russell had made her look like a deranged woman before the nobleman.
“What about Lord Harley?” she asked.
She was keeping her fingers crossed, hoping that her mother would not make her meet him after what transpired in the garden. She was afraid her blushing face and happy expressions would give away the fact that she was not stung by a bee.
“I will explain to him your condition. He will understand your predicament. After all, he was the one who sent me to fetch you inside.”
Isabella knew it was her chance to flee to her room and she did not waste that chance. She ran upstairs, without looking back and slammed the door behind her once she entered her room.
She laid face down on her bed and laughed hysterically. She could not believe she acted so brazenly in the garden and was not feeling an ounce of remorse. If she was lucky, he would do the honorable thing and court her formally in front of her family and with a chaperone present, but somehow she doubted he would take this path. Like he had told her before, he was not a gentleman and he proved his point in the garden when he licked her in front of Lord Harley.
“Bella, what happened to you?”
She jumped when the door burst open and her sister came barging inside. They might fight with one another, but their love surpassed their grievances with one another. The news of the bee sting must have reached her sister. She felt ashamed for yelling at her a few moments ago.
She sat straight on her bed and beckoned her sister by holding her arms out. Margaret came running towards her and the sisters embraced one another for a long time. Both of them were feeling embarrassed for misbehaving with the other.
“Does it hurt?” Margaret asked.
“It hurt me when I yelled at my baby sister.”
She knew her sister was referring to the swellings on her neck and mouth, but she had to unburden her soul and this seemed like a perfect opportunity. She was regretting her outburst. Her wounded pride had pushed her into taking out her rage on her baby sister.
“You are being silly, Bella,” Margaret said, giggling. “I was asking about the bee sting.”
No matter how much sage advice her sister gave, she was still just a child. No one could take away her innocence. Isabella realized that her outburst was not about her sister calling her delusional, but about her unfortunate situation. She knew her future was with Lord Harley, which made her upset and she needed an excuse to direct that rage onto someone else.
“There was no bee in the garden, Margaret.”
She lowered her neckerchief, allowing her sister to look closely at the markings that were hidden from everyone else. If her mother had seen those, she would have instantly known the scam she was pulling. He had left his love bites on her shoulders. Anyone with eyesight could tell the source of those markings.
“I see bite marks,” Margaret said, then gasped. “Who did this to you?”
She smiled mischievously before pulling he
r sister’s ear close to her mouth. She was about to confess her secret and she did not want any unwanted person hearing it. The scandal would ruin many lives. Her dalliance with a scoundrel should not become the cause for destroying innocent lives. She worried about her family’s name, but most of all, she worried about her sister. They had to look out for each other because no one else, except for their mother, cared about them.
“He was there,” she whispered. “I told you he exists but you did not believe me. He has left these as proof of his existence.”
“Oh my God,” Margaret said, her eyes getting wide. “You are being scandalous, Bella. I never believed you had it in you. You are the paragon of manners and rules.”
She should feel bad about corrupting her sister’s mind with her illicit affair, but she knew her sister would have found out eventually. Her sister had a way of dragging the truth out of her. She could never keep a secret from her sister. She might be senior by age, but her sister outwitted her when it came to logical reasoning.
“He promised to visit my chamber tonight.”
As expected, Margaret’s eyes got wide, then she giggled and soon both of them were laughing inside the room. Margaret might not be aware of the purpose for a man to visit a woman’s chamber, but she knew it was forbidden and could cause a scandal if anyone got wind of it. They should worry about their reputations, but neither of them cared about others’ opinions as long as the secret stayed between the two of them.
* * *
Russell was about to sneak out from his room when Shane came inside his room. Shane had no regard for his privacy. He did not knock nor ask for permission before entering. His brother was a madman, yet he loved him immensely. His brother might be a little unhinged, but he meant well. He knew his brother would lay down his life for him if the situation demanded, and he would do the same for his brother.
“Cancel all your plans for tonight, Brother,” Shane announced in a sing-song voice. “Elliot just found out that Emily is with child and he is distraught.”
Usually, the news of a child was a good thing, but for some odd reason, his friend was not taking it well. For someone who had promised his wife a family, Elliot was reacting strangely.
“Why is he distraught?” Russell said, puzzled at Elliot’s reaction. “This sounds like good news to me.”
“I know, I know,” Shane said, waving his hands in exasperation. “Enough with your silly banter. I need you with me when I make fun of him.”
It was always a bit difficult for him to understand his brother’s words. He was always making light of a situation. He saw the humor in things that seemed serious to sane people. It was probably his mistake that he was counting his brother among the sane people of the world. His brother belonged in an asylum, surrounded by other deranged people.
“You are a really nice friend,” he said sarcastically. “Remind me to keep you around when I am in such a situation.”
It just fell out of his mouth. He had not realized he wanted a family of his own until he said it out loud. He had no desire to start a family with a random girl though. He wanted little girls with auburn hair and gray eyes. He wanted a house of his own where he could spoil his little girls. He could leave his job any moment he desired. He just needed a strong reason to make him take that step. He smiled, realizing he had just found a reason to stay in one place.
“How dare you,” Shane said in mock anger. “You are not marrying until I find a pair of twin sisters with bodies made for sin.”
Shane was making obscene gestures with his hands, referring to different parts of female anatomy. Russell wished his brother was being hilarious and didn’t mean the words he just uttered. He was afraid his brother was only half-joking. Who knew what sort of future was planned by his brother for them? If, God forbid, his brother was left to decide for him, his future would contain a lot of voluptuous women, and most probably, at the same time. Shane’s fantasy consisted of a large number of orgies in their future.
Rolling his eyes, he pushed his brother towards the open door, putting a stop to his theatrics. Shane was in his element. His brother did not stop until he intervened and dragged him outside.
His brother complained the whole way until they reached the study of their friend. His brother’s face transformed into his usual mischievous self, mirroring Russell’s expressions, as soon as he opened the door to the study.
“Elliot, I heard congratulations are in order,” Shane said excitedly. “The household is abuzz with the news of a child.”
Elliot was leaning against a window with his head resting on his hand, eyes closed, deep in thought. He did not react at all to his brother’s excitement. He stole a peek at his brother who had an expression of worry on his face. Making jokes and laughing most of the time was his brother’s way of distracting people from their worries. He was proud to say that his brother’s habits had rubbed off on him too.
“What is it?” he asked.
He knew his brother wanted to ask the same question, but he did not want to give away his true emotions. His brother wanted others to believe that nothing could get to him, but this was all a façade. Shane worried about others more then he worried about himself, but he would never confess to it.
“How did this happen?” Elliot asked.
Elliot’s voice was full of misery and worry. There was no doubt whatsoever in Russell’s mind that his friend was thinking about his wife’s health. Elliot was smitten with his wife. He would die before any harm came to Emily. Their love was evident to anyone who was in their close proximity. Both of them were head over heels in love with each other.
“Do you want me to demonstrate how to impregnate a woman?” Shane asked. “I can give you a practical demonstration this very second.”
Russell wanted to smack his brother on his head for such a brazen comment to a man who was worried about his wife’s health, but then he saw Elliot’s lips twitching at the corners. In his own twisted way, Shane brought a small smile to Elliot’s face. His brother was a magician when it came to bringing a smile to a sad face.
“I am happy,” Elliot said, sighing deeply. “It’s just… I fear for her health. Birthing labor will be painful for her.”
Elliot opened his eyes and looked at them. His emotions were clear as day in his eyes. If the missing coat and hat did not give away his feelings, then the moisture in his eyes surely did the trick. Russell knew that if it were possible Elliot would trade places with his wife without thinking twice at this very moment.
“She is happy?” Shane asked.
“She is positively beaming with the news,” Elliot said.
Russell had promised the girl that he would visit her tonight. He was dying to know if she had left the window open or bolted it shut, but his friend needed him. Elliot had helped them all their lives. It was time for payback.
When they were only ten and alone in the world, Elliot had taken them under his wing. The young duke had fixed a stipend for the two stable boys and brought them inside his house. They learned reading, writing and other skills under the tutelage of a skilled governess and other tutors.
They had lived with him until they were fifteen. Shane and Russell both despised being dependent on others. They had gone out into the world at a tender age and built a future for themselves.
“Let’s celebrate tonight,” Russell announced. “For her sake, put a smile on your ugly face and open a bottle or two.”
“I have no interest in consuming alcohol.”
The way Elliot was averting his eyes, there was more to his story than what met the eye. Russell had known him all his life. Elliot never shied away from a drink or two before. Russell suspected that it had something to do with the event when Elliot had harmed his wife in a drunken state. It was a sweet gesture and he had no intention of making fun of his friend. He wished his brother would behave and keep his mouth shut about it too.
“Right, we can arrange a glass of milk for the father to be,” Shane said. “Though, I am sure he
will taste abundantly of milk in the near future.”
Russell rolled his eyes while Elliot laughed for the first time since they entered the study. The underlying meaning in his brother’s words was clear to everyone in the room. He was deliberately using the word father in his sentence because he was reminding him of a child’s source of nutrition. Russell was relieved Elliot did not get offended when his brother referred to his wife’s breasts.
“I am afraid to ask your name,” Elliot chuckled.
Elliot could never differentiate between them. The only person who could ever tell them apart was their father. A look of melancholy passed over Russell’s features at the thought of his late father. He knew the coachman was not his real father, but it did not matter to him. For him, the person who raised them and cared for them was his real father. He did not want to know about the people who had abandoned them at the doorsteps of a church.
His father used to tell them about the night he had found them in a church where an ignorant priest was shaking in fear and was praying for his soul. They would laugh every time at the story. Russell used to follow his father everywhere he went. Despite the same faces of the brothers, his father cared for him more.
“I am Shane if you have a mind to kick me, otherwise I am Russell,” Shane said.
Shane had a twisted mind. He was pushing Elliot into kicking Russell’s butt.
“I have a mind to hang myself,” Elliot mumbled. “You two spawns of demons make me miserable.”
They ignored his remark and spent the whole night in the company of the expecting parents. They opened a few bottles, arranged a feast, and brought joy to the house. Every last member of the household congratulated the expecting parents and shared their joy with zeal and enthusiasm.
Chapter 4