First Down

by Paula Mabbel

  Louisa chuckled at the girl’s apologetic face. “I told you that you are free to speak your mind with me. You have no reason to apologize. You may ask me whatever you like. It was Sam, by the way, the handsome duke with the dark hair.”

  “Oh, I think that Duke Jameson is much more handsome than Duke Horseforth,” the maid said with a small shake of her head and a mischievous smile.

  “You might be right. Arthur is very handsome, and quite agreeable, too.”

  “Oh, wouldn’t you like to marry a man like him? Can you imagine how beautiful your children would be?”

  “I should think they would be quite beautiful,” Louisa agreed.

  “Miss, can I tell you a secret? It’s about something that I overheard a couple of days ago. I’m not one to gossip normally, but I think the information could be of some comfort to you,” the maid said with eyes full of longing to gain the permission she sought.

  “You may tell me anything,” Louisa said with a curious nod.

  “I was cleaning the room of Duke Jameson and I overheard him talking to one of his men. He was talking about you and, from the language he used, I think he’s quite keen.”

  “Is that so?” Louisa asked with focused interest.

  “I believe it to be,” the girl said with a small smile.

  “You are right. That is most helpful. Please, tell me something. I don’t mean to appear uncaring, but I seem to have forgotten your name,” Louisa said as her mind raced around with thoughts of Arthur.

  “Claire,” the girl said with a warm smile. She didn’t seem to be bothered that her mistress had forgotten her name, but simply touched that she had bothered to ask.

  “Well, Claire,” Louisa said with a smile, “I think that I’m going to reassign your chores. How would you feel about being my personal maid? It sounds like a lot, but if I’m right about your current position then I can assure you that your work will be greatly lessened.”

  “I would like that very much, Miss. Thank you,” the maid gushed.

  “Think nothing of it,” Louisa dismissed the girl. “I have to go and speak with Duke Jameson. I shall be back in my room after dinner, I should think.”

  *******

  Louisa let her eyes glance over to Arthur, who was riding on the horse next to her. She’d wasted no time after the conversation with Claire in gaining an audience with him, and even less time than that securing a date. They had agreed to spend the next day together, and when Louisa had woken up that morning, she had been relieved to find the day was dry and the sun seemed determined to remain out against the clouds that were insisting on drifting across the sky.

  They had been riding for over an hour before they pulled their horses to a stop by a small stream that ran through the woodland that surrounded the village. It was a serene spot with water falling over rocks and wildflowers dancing with the soft touch of the wind. Louisa dismounted her horse and walked over to the stream before crouching down and drinking from the water. It was icy cold, even with the heat from the sun, and it felt great rushing down the back of her wind-dried throat.

  “You are an incredible rider,” Arthur said as he joined Louisa by the stream.

  “My mother taught me,” Louisa said with a soft smile. “It’s a beautiful day today. I’m glad we chose this one to take a ride. I have no doubt that we will be back to rain and mist again tomorrow.”

  “The weather certainly is blessing us today. I was surprised to see you at my chambers last night. I was under the impression that Sam had taken you out yesterday.” Arthur looked at Louisa with big, curious eyes as he waited for her reply.

  “He did take me out yesterday,” she replied.

  “Then I suppose your outing together did not go as planned?”

  “I suppose you might say it like that. I think that Sam is a very admirable man, but I do not believe that he is the man for me.”

  “And why do you think him admirable, but not worthy of your affections?”

  “He seems appalled by the idea of a woman having an opinion. He seems only interested in my words if they are about him, and unfortunately I do not possess enough words to keep the conversation fresh when the topic is so dull.”

  The duke laughed at what Louisa said and smiled brightly. “Then I am not the only one to think that Sam is the most boring man on the planet?”

  “You think this, too?” Louisa asked with surprise. “I thought the two of you were friends.”

  “We are friends. I have a great respect for him; he is a good man and he carries much honor on his shoulders, but that does not make him interesting. I must ask though, because your opinion of him is so harsh, what do you think of me?”

  “I think perhaps opinions are better left unknown,” Louisa teased him.

  “Is your opinion of me really that condemning?” Arthur asked with a mock look of shock on his face. “I’m appalled, I’m outraged, I’m hurt at the very thought,” he continued with a grin.

  “Oh, hush. I think we both know which of the two dukes I prefer,” she said and casually pushed his shoulder a little with her own.

  “I must say, I’m most jealous of Sam. I always thought when we encountered a girl with spirit, she would fall in love with me, not the dullness deliverer, but you’ve made up your mind. What could I possibly do now?”

  “Oh, you think you’re so funny,” Louisa said with her eyes rolling back. “I should hope that you know there is nothing you can do. I am lost to you forever and shall forever be your friend’s love.”

  “I’m heartbroken.”

  “As you should rightly be,” Louisa said with a grin.

  “I think, though, that if I truly wanted to capture your heart, then I would still hold out a chance,” he said with a cocky smile that made Louisa’s face screw up in delight.

  “Is that so? And how do you suppose you would do that?”

  “Well, I think I’d start off like this,” Arthur said as he leaned towards Louisa and brushed his lips against her cheek.

  “You think a simple kiss might capture my heart?” she asked him with amusement in her eyes, daring him to go further.

  “I should hope not. I’m hoping that you will be a very hard woman to please,” he said in a sexy voice that seemed to stroke its way over to Louisa and then float through her ears.

  “Oh, that I can promise you,” she said as his lips returned to her skin and started to leave a gentle trail of flickering sparks down her neck and across her collarbone. She could feel her breath getting caught in her throat as she tried to swallow. His lips had moved across her collarbone and were climbing up the other side of her neck with a slowness that was driving her insane.

  She could feel her body trembling under his gentle touch. She wanted his lips to kiss her harder. She wanted to feel his desire building up for her, as she was so sure that it was. She could feel his throbbing anticipation for her against her leg as she pulled her body closer to his and entrusted him with her weight, leaning against him. She let her fingers slowly dance up his leg as they sat beside the stream. His skin was hot under her touch and she could feel goose bumps rising to mark the trail of her fingertips, as she continued the line that she was drawing up his leg and then across the line of his pants.

  His hands had moved from his side and she could feel them make their way around her so that they were resting on the small of her back. He pulled her in and she could feel her back arching against his touch as her breasts started to push against his toned chest.

  She lifted her fingers from the waistline of his pants and brought them to the hem of his top before lifting them further, so that his toned abs and chest came into her sights. The sun was still shining down from the sky and it seemed to be highlighting his body, as though it had been especially designed to make him look good.

  Louisa felt his hands dipping underneath the hem of her skirt as the breeze started to play between her newly exposed legs.

  “You are so beautiful,” Arthur whispered into her ear, before he dropped
his head to the line of her skirt and then disappeared beneath it.

  She laughed as his tongue tickled against the inside of her leg. She could feel herself growing damp between her legs as his tongue traced its way over her thigh and to the line of her panties. Breathing became harder, and her thoughts seemed uninterested in anything other than the feeling that Arthur was creating deep within her body.

  Her body stiffened as his tongue flickered over her clitoris. It felt hot and hard against the tiny part of her body and she cried out as he found a rhythm and seemed unstopping in his determination to make her feel every level of pleasure that could ever be felt.

  A burning, tingling, overwhelming sensation started to take over her body as her breathing got heavier. She ran her fingers through his hair and found herself pulling him up, the feeling becoming almost too much to bear.

  She let her eyes find his and she held them for a moment before she dipped her fingers below his waistline and let her hand wrap around the hardness that had been waiting for her with desperation. She could feel his body starting to stiffen as she slowly stroked her hand up and down on his throbbing hardness, before she slowly let her leg slip over him so that she was positioned on him in the same way that she might a horse.

  “Are you sure that you’re ready?” Arthur whispered into her ear, as he buried his nose into her lilac-scented hair.

  “I’m more than ready. I’m waiting,” Louisa said, biting her lower lip in anticipation.

  *******

  Louisa woke up with excitement burning away in her stomach. She’d had little chance to talk to Arthur after they had returned from the ride, but she was eager to change that. The time that they had spent in the woods had seared itself into her brain, and she was sure that she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

  Arthur was everything that Louisa had been hoping to find in a man. He was well educated, a duke, and willing to listen to her words when she spoke. He was handsome, too, and when he smiled Louisa had noticed that two dimples pushed their way into his cheeks.

  Claire, the maid, was already waiting for Louisa to wake up in the room next door and as soon as she’d heard Louisa’s footsteps she was on her feet and making her way to help. “Miss, it’s a fine morning outside. I thought you might like to wear one of your pretty cotton dresses today. I’ve taken a few out of the wardrobe to consider. I like the green one. I think it makes your pretty eyes stand out,” she said all in one breath.

  “Thank you, Claire,” Louisa said through laughter. “Have you seen Duke Jameson this morning yet?” she asked out of curiosity.

  “He went down to breakfast not ten minutes, before you woke up.”

  “That’s excellent, Claire.”

  “Did your date go well with Duke Jameson?” Claire asked with big, curious eyes that Louisa couldn’t help but enjoy.

  “I think our date went very well,” Louisa said with a smile.

  Claire finished helping Louisa into her dress and then Louisa dismissed her before sitting in front of the mirror and brushing out her loose curls. She wanted to make sure that she looked fresh and well rested before she went down to see Arthur. It seemed that their adventures the day before had changed her opinion about the importance of making a proper effort.

  When she was sure that she looked okay, she left her room and headed down to the dining room. She could hear the buzz of conversation floating down the hallway as she walked towards the room. She walked in with a smile on her face. She could feel Sam’s eyes flicker up as she walked over to her usual seat next to her father, but found only disappointment when she looked over at Arthur, who hadn’t bothered to acknowledge the fact that she’d come into the room.

  Louisa looked at him with frustration, and at first she willed him to look over to her, but it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t going to. “Did you sleep well?” she asked him with a little more snappiness than she intended.

  Arthur looked over at her with surprise and pointed to himself, as though he wasn’t sure whether or not she was talking to him. “I slept fine, thank you,” he said coldly, when Louisa nodded her head at his gesture.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Louisa said, trying to hide the hurt from her voice. She had spent much of the night before considering what breakfast would be like the next day. She had imagined stolen looks across the table and her father picking up on the blossoming love that she was sure was mutual, but instead there was only unexpected iciness rolling off of Arthur.

  ******

  Louisa watched her breath as it floated in front of her face in small clouds of mist. The temperature had dropped since the day before and the reddening leaves on the trees gave away the impending fall that was stretching out its fingers and pulling summer away.

  The dukes and their men were due to leave in only a short few days and Louisa was glad of it, too. Arthur’s behavior at the dinner table that morning had shocked her to her core, and she couldn’t wait for her life to return to normal. She couldn’t believe that she’d fallen for his act. She had met many men before him who acted in the same way, but normally she was quick to spot them. There was obviously something about Arthur that made him seem different than the rest.

  She pushed her feet forward through the gardens that led out from the back of the house and tried to push the thoughts of shame from her mind. When she had woken up that morning the memories of what had happened the day before were seared into her mind, but she was sure with enough icy water poured she could wash them away eventually.

  “Louisa,” Sam’s voice called out from behind her.

  Louisa jumped at the sound of his voice and turned quickly to see him walking towards her. She stopped and waited for him to catch up with her before she continued to walk down the winding path, which led to the stream that ran from the woodland where she had spent the day before.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see anybody out walking today. It’s bitterly cold out here,” Louisa said.

  “I saw you heading out here earlier and I thought that I would take the chance to steal just a little more of your time. I came to understand that Arthur took you out yesterday, and I was hoping to make a final attempt at your affections before I’m forced to leave.”

  “I’m not sure I’m worthy of your attempts,” Louisa admitted, before she instantly regretted the words that had tumbled out of her mouth.

  Sam looked at her for a moment with confusion. He’d heard the deep emotion that had poured out with her words, but he couldn’t understand why she believed her words to be true. She was a beautiful girl who seemed to have a smart head on her shoulders. “I’m sure you are just unknowing of how worthy you are,” he said in an attempt to comfort her obvious discomfort.

  “You are very kind for saying so,” Louisa said with a gentle voice before she stopped walking and turned to look at Sam.

  She had seen him before, of course, but she had never really taken the time to properly look at him. She had been so blinded by his apparent dullness that she had missed the kind spark in his eyes and the softness to his shoulders that made them look like the perfect place for a head to be rested. She smiled at him coyly as he watched her examining him.

  She let her eyes get captured under his gaze and shifted under the power of it. She realized that, whilst she was with him, she hadn’t thought about Arthur. Sam might not be perfect, but he was the perfect aid to her ailment, and that was enough. It didn’t have to be anything more than a night. She just needed to know what it felt like to be truly wanted, and she had no doubt that Sam wanted her, although she wasn’t sure that would still be true if he knew about what had happened between her and Arthur.

  What had happened didn’t matter though. All that mattered was Sam and his ability to make her feel better. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm before slowly stroking down to his hand. She could hear his breathing change as her touch caused it to get caught in his chest. She smiled and squeezed his hand in her own and then led him towards the stream.

&
nbsp; She wasn’t stupid. She knew that in the long run it wouldn’t make anything truly better, but it would in the moment, and that was where she was living. She wasn’t dwelling in the future and she was being tortured by the pain of her past mistakes.

  The water was crashing against its banks from the rain that had fallen during the night. The air held a heavy scent of dirt, and the wildflowers with their delicate scents were lost to the overwhelming smell of damp wood that hung between the trees.

  “Are you sure about this?” Sam asked Louisa with concern in his eyes when she started to lift up his top.

  She didn’t reply to him. She just continued to remove his clothes with a hungry look in her eyes. She needed him to take away her pain. She needed him to replace it with something that would make her feel good. She needed him to wipe her mind of all the badness that had seemed to crash into her over the last twenty-four hours, and she was sure that he could do everything that she needed him to.

  She let her lips reach out and brush against his neck. She could feel his skin pushing goose bumps up to mark the places that she’d touched, as she worked up to his jaw line and then across to his lips. He kissed her deeply when she reached them and for a moment all she could think about was the peppermint taste that he was filling her mouth with.

  *******

  Louisa lifted her head from the bucket that Claire had brought in and smiled weakly as she was passed a tissue. “I think I’m all done now,” she said with a voice weaker than her smile.

  Claire nodded and moved the vomit-filled bucket away from Louisa before returning to push her damp hair away from her forehead. “I think you should let me call a doctor, Miss,” she said with a concerned tone as she took in her mistress’s pale complexion and sweat-sheened skin.

  “There is far too much to do today to be bothering with the doctor,” Louisa said stubbornly. She tried to stand up but found herself falling back down.

  “I know that’s what you think, Miss, but you don’t look well. In fact, it isn’t that you don’t look well, exactly. It’s that I’ve seen all these symptoms before,” Claire trailed off into thought without finishing her diagnosis.