More or Less a Marchioness
Page 32
“No! That is, not exactly. Grandmother knows Violet is writing something. She just doesn’t know quite what. But there’s no harm in it, and Violet needs the distraction, especially now Lord Derrick and Lady Honora will marry.” Iris sighed. “I’ve never seen Violet so dejected.”
Finn’s face softened. “Ah. I’m sorry for her, though I never did think Violet and Derrick would suit. That’s not much comfort when one’s heart is broken, however.”
“You’re quite right. They don’t suit, but Violet doesn’t see it.” Iris took the book from Finn and set it on a table beside the couch, then snuggled against him and laid her head on his chest. “I can’t bear to think Violet won’t find a gentleman she loves as much as I love you, but she swears she’ll never fall in love again, and no matter how much Grandmother scolds, Violet refuses a second season, and insists she’ll never marry.”
Finn stroked a hand over her hair. “Time will change her mind, sweetheart, and until then, we’ll do what we can to cheer her.”
Iris lay quietly in his arms and listened to his slow, steady breaths and the reassuring beat of his heart, but after a long moment she raised her head and met his gaze. “I do know of one thing that might help to cheer her.”
Finn was toying with the buttons on the back of her gown, releasing them one by one, his breath quickening as the thin muslin of her shift was revealed. “Hmm? What’s that, love?”
Iris pressed a kiss to his chest, over his heart, then reached into a pocket of her gown, pulled out the small book and handed it to Finn, her heart pounding.
He frowned down at it in confusion. “A Little Pretty Pocket Book. Why should Violet want a children’s song and instruction book?”
Iris laid a hand on his cheek and smiled up at him. “That one isn’t for Violet. It’s for us.”
For a single, breathless moment he remained baffled, but then his face lit up, and his eyes went a softer green that she’d ever seen them. “Oh, my love.” His hands were shaking as he took her face in his palms and kissed her with such tenderness Iris was certain her heart would break with happiness.
She turned her head to kiss his palm. “You like my surprise, then?”
He stroked a finger over her cheek. “Nothing in the world could make me happier, sweet.”
Iris bit her lip to hide her grin. “Nothing? What a pity, because I do have one more book for you. I thought I’d read it to you this afternoon.”
“You’ve another book secreted away somewhere?” He hooked a finger into the neckline of her bodice, a grin curling his lips as he peered into it. “No, it’s not down there, and I’ve already explored under your skirts.”
“Ah, but you haven’t turned out my pockets, my lord.” Iris burrowed into the folds of her gown. “Ah, here it is, but now I think of it, you told me once you’ve read this book before.” She held it up so he could see the title.
Finn’s lips parted, and his eyes gleamed as he gazed down at her. “School of Venus.”
“Yes, just so. I don’t like to bore you by reading it to you again, though, so perhaps we should choose another—”
“I don’t think so, sweet.” He took the book from her, opened it to a random page, then handed it back and went to work again on the buttons of her gown. “Read.”
Iris smiled at the note of command in his voice, and began to read.
“Kissing and feeling are two very good pleasures. Let us first speak of kissing; there is the kissing of our breasts, of our mouths, of our eyes, of our face. You must know then there are a thousand delights in love—”
“A thousand delights?” Finn brushed his lips over hers. “One…” He pressed his warm mouth between her breasts in a lingering kiss. “Two…” He touched his lips gently to one fluttering eyelid, then the other, and kissed her cheeks, her chin, and the tip of her nose. “Three, four, five, six…”
“You must speak to your gallant low, with little phrases, calling him your heart, your soul, your life, telling him he pleases you extremely, that he may perceive you love him.”
Iris slid her fingers into his hair and tugged gently. Finn raised his face to hers, and she caught her breath at the exquisite tenderness in his eyes. “You’re my heart, my soul—”
“And my life. You’re my life, Iris.”
“I think the minutes we spend in love are the sweetest of our life,” she whispered, her gaze holding his. “For there is nothing so pleasing as love.”
Notes
The School of Venus, or The Ladies Delight, by Michel Millot was translated from the French and published in England in 1680. All the lines of text that appear in the epilogue are in the original book, but I’ve taken bits of pieces from a series of different passages to fit the scene.
About the Author
Anna Bradley is the author of The Sutherland Scandals and The Sutherland Sisters novels. A Maine native, she now lives near Portland, OR, where people are delightful and weird and love to read. She teaches writing and lives with her husband, two children, a variety of spoiled pets, and shelves full of books. Visit her website at www.annabradley.net.