A Countess of Convenience

by Sarah Winn

  She picked up her cards and studied them. “And what if I want to be a very circumspect lady?”

  He looked up from his own cards. “No one is born with a desire to suppress their natural human instincts. That has to be taught, and in the case of females, it's a rigorous lesson. You should welcome the opportunity to enjoy the physical side of your nature.

  “Do you want another card?”

  She shook her head. “I enjoy it. But I think there's a proper time and place for everything.”

  “Always being proper can become quite boring. That's the primary reason I avoid society. It's full of people saying and doing the proper thing—like a giant masked ball where everyone hides their true identity. With good friends, one should be able to remove the mask and show who they really are.” He dealt himself another card, smiled delightedly, and turned up twenty points.

  She tried not to smile too broadly as she turned up her two cards, a queen and an ace.

  He grimaced. “With your luck, you should gamble.”

  Feeling entirely too smug, she said, “Perhaps good luck is a reward for virtuous living.”

  Gathering up the spent deck, he raised an eyebrow. “Come now, madam. I'm the man who shares your bed. Don't pretend you lack passion.”

  She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Virtue is not a lack of passion, but the control of it.”

  He paused in shuffling the cards and leaned toward her. “But losing that control can be exhilarating.”

  “I lost control the first time I met you. Look at all the trouble that caused.”

  He laid the cards on the table and stared at her.

  Seeing the suspicion in his eyes, she heartily regretted reminding him of their first meeting. “Ah—are you tired of playing cards?”

  “Did you truly lose control, Pru?”

  Her cheeks flamed, but she forced herself to meet his searching stare. “I did not know what Neil planned that night.”

  “So why did you melt in the arms of a total stranger?”

  “Well—you were—I had never—the evening was so...” She gestured lamely as words failed her.

  He leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile. “So you do have improper desires.”

  Her back stiffened with indignation. “Well, of course, I have desires. I'm not a stick of wood.”

  His eyelids drooped lazily. In a husky voice, he said, “So tell me one of your secret desires. Perhaps I can make it come true.”

  She stared at him in total confusion. Being married to a handsome nobleman had been one of her girlish fantasies. It certainly wouldn't do to reveal that. Having the imagined nobleman love her devotedly had been another. That was out of the question. What other desires did she have?

  His fingers drummed impatiently against the table. “Come now, Pru. Don't try to dream up some ordinary, everyday desire. Tell me something that is truly yours.”

  She became aware of the rain beating steadily against the windows. “When I was a little girl I tried to run out into the rain in the altogether. Mother said I was very wicked. But I've always wondered what it would feel like.”

  A delighted expression came over his face and he raised his hand toward the window. “The weather is perfect. You can finally experience that fantasy.”

  She grinned self-consciously. “Don't be silly. I'm an adult now. I could never do it.”

  “Why not? We're in the forest miles from anyone.”

  “Clarence and Annie are here.”

  “They're in the back of the lodge or in their own cottage. I'm sure they won't go out in the rain if they can help it.” He stood and reached for her hand. “Come. I'll go with you.”

  She pulled back from him with a growing sense of alarm. He was teasing again, like he had the day before. He wouldn't actually make her go out in the rain naked—would he? “I will not. The front of the lodge is in sight of their cottage. Suppose Clarence did see me? If I didn't die of embarrassment, he would surely die of shock.”

  He paused for a moment and then grabbed her hand. Pulling her up from the chair, he fairly dragged her into the bedroom, stopping in front of the double casement windows on the far side of the room. “These windows are only a few feet off the ground. I'll step out first and then help you. Neither Clarence or Annie would have any reason to come to this side of the building in the pouring rain.”

  He stepped behind her and attacked her buttons.

  She pulled away from him. “Please, Malvern. That was a childish notion. I don't still want to do it.”

  His arms came around her waist, and he murmured in her ear, “Are you sure? Think of all those drops of water pelting your bare skin and then streaming down your body. This may be the only opportunity you'll ever have to experience it.” He lightly kissed her earlobe. “Do you want to miss this chance?”

  It was a scandalous idea. Wicked. But how would it feel to have water striking all over her body at the same time? She turned her back, offering him the buttons. As soon as her bodice was out of the way, she worked on her tapes as he hastily removed his own clothing. He was soon standing stark naked and urging her to hurry before the rain stopped.

  He opened the window as she stripped off her chemise. When she was as nude as he, he stepped over the window ledge, holding her hand as if he feared she might change her mind. He grimaced when his bare foot came down on unfriendly ground, and took a moment to find safe anchorage for both feet. The overhang from the thatched roof created a narrow dry area, but as Malvern turned to help Prudence out the window, his backside encountered some of the streams of water coming from the roof.

  His body jerked and a startled look came on his face. “Oh, that's cold!”

  She instinctively tried to pull away from him, but he held on to her hand. “You're not backing out now. This is your fantasy, after all.”

  Hesitantly, with one of his arms around her waist, she climbed over the ledge. A few drops of water struck her. Although it was August, the water was surprisingly chilly. Malvern pulled her away from the lodge. Water from the roof crashed into her face, momentarily blinding her. Sticks and stones pressed painfully into her soles. She hopped and gasped and felt a moment of panic.

  He led her onto a patch of softer grass. She shook water out of her eyes. He brushed away a lock of hair that had washed into her face. Droplets of water fell on her shoulders, breasts, back. Streams of water collected and ran down her stomach and legs. It was chilly, but not really cold, and a shiver of delight ran through her body. She held her arms out, and with her eyes still closed, threw her head back and opened her mouth, catching raindrops on her tongue.

  His tongue suddenly touched hers, partly lapping and partly caressing. Then his lips fastened over hers for a deep kiss. When it was over, she opened her eyes and looked up into his dripping face. Locks of dark hair were plastered to his broad forehead. Water spiked his lashes and rivulets ran down his cheeks and the corded column of his neck.

  His eyes searched hers. “How do you like it?”

  “I feel so free.” She stepped back, held her arms up, and turned in a joyous dance. His deep laughter rumbled like thunder. Her foot came down on a sharp stone. She winced and cried out as much in surprise as from pain.

  His hands instantly encased her waist and lifted her away from the hurt. It seemed only natural for her to wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. The position opened her up so that cold drops of water created heat between her legs. She sought to shield herself by leaning against his chest. Her rain-slicked breasts brushed against the hair-covered wall of muscle. She couldn't resist sliding her puckered nipples back and forth against him.

  His mouth closed over hers again, but this time it was Prudence's tongue that probed and explored. A groan came from deep in his throat. Then he pushed down on her hips until she felt his full arousal bumping against her bottom. Oh, dear. She hadn't wanted that to happen. Not here.

  She tried to lower her legs but his arms trapped her. “We should go in
side,” she said in an urgent voice.

  There was a good deal of urgency in his voice as he replied. “Not yet. I've just gotten a fantasy of my own.”

  He moved unsteadily and she realized he had left the patch of grass and was gingerly picking his way into the trees that bordered rather closely on this side of the lodge. As they moved under the cover of the trees, the rain turned from delicate drops to fat globules that had gathered on the leaves and splotched down on them at irregular intervals. The light faded until it seemed as though twilight had fallen.

  Looking over his shoulder, Prudence saw him kicking a stick away from dried leaves piled under a large elm. He went down on his knees and she tightened her grasp around his neck. “No! I don't want to lie on those dirty leaves.”

  To her surprise, he lay back on the leaves, pulling her down over him. His arousal knocked against her opening. Surprised by this new position, she called, “I can't. I can't.” But with him, she discovered she could.

  A smile of relief washed over his face. His hands moved her hips up and down. “Please, love,” he whispered.

  She was startled by the sound of the word “love.” She knew he only meant is as a term of endearment in a moment of passion, but suddenly she wanted very much to please him. She began to move with vigor, watching his expression as his eyes closed and his features twisted from intense pleasure. In her brief sexual history, she had been so surprised by the pleasure sex brought her that she really hadn't considered what it did for him. Now she watched his response to her with growing pride. If she could make him feel this good, wouldn't he value her as more than just the source of his heir?

  As she leaned over him for better purchase, his hands cupped her breasts. Her own movement created an erotic massage and all thought left her as her passion reached the boiling point. With sharp cries, she melted around him. Then he gripped her hips tightly and surged up in his own release.

  As his organ slipped from her body, she collapsed onto his chest. For a moment she was in total repose. Then she felt him stirring under her. “What's the matter?”

  “There's something sharp,” he muttered as he tried to reach under himself and remove the offending item.

  Prudence giggled as she sat up and crawled off his body. Kneeling over him, she said, “Now you see why I didn't want to lie there.”

  He sat up and brushed ineffectively at the debris coating his wet back. “Very prudent of you, madam.”

  She moved so that she could pick bits of leaf and small twigs from his back. “I pride myself on being prudent but not prudish.”

  “I will never accuse you of the latter again.”

  She wondered if he were censuring her wanton behavior, but a quick glance at his face showed a contented smile. She rose to her feet. “Come, let the rain wash you.”

  He followed her out from under the trees, but the rain had slackened, no longer falling heavily enough to wash the debris away. Prudence tried to help by sliding her hands down his back. He gave a startled cry and whirled around to grab her hands. “Your hands are like ice. You must be freezing.”

  “No, I'm not,” she said and began to shiver uncontrollably.

  Capturing her hands between them, he pulled her against his chest. His arms surrounded her with warmth, security, and a sense of belonging. They stood silently in the gentle mist with the scent of the freshly washed forest enveloping them. To Prudence, it seemed a magical moment when everything in the world was exactly as it should be.

  “How do you like your fantasy?” he asked in a soft voice.

  With her head resting against his chest, she replied, “I'll never forget this day.”

  “Neither will I, and if Annie comes to call us for tea,” he said and chuckled. “I don't imagine she will either.”

  Prudence suddenly remembered their nakedness, the daylight, the terrible wrongness of what they were doing. “Oh, goodness!” She burst out of his embrace and pulled him toward the window. “Hurry! Hurry!”

  By the time they reached the outside of the lodge, he was laughing so hard that he had difficulty lifting her through the window. Inside she rushed about the room, getting towels from the linen chest, picking up their clothes, helping to dry his back.

  A knock sounded at the door. Prudence scrambled behind the dressing screen.

  Struggling into his trousers, Malvern called out, “Yes?”

  Clarence called through the door, “The missus wants to know when you'll be wanting your dinner, your lordship.”

  “Later, Clarence. Lady Malvern would like to bathe. How's the hot water supply?”

  “Got a full tank. Shall I start bringing it?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  By the time Prudence had gotten her wrapper on and her damp hair twisted up onto the back of her head, Clarence and Annie were back in the room, and fussing over the hip tub and buckets of water.

  As Prudence came from behind the dressing screen, Annie walked toward the windows. “Surely you'll be wantin’ these closed.” The old woman stopped and stared down at the floor with a concerned expression. “The rain seems to have blown in.”

  Looking over, Prudence saw drops of water, bits of dead leaves, and two sets of muddy footprints on the floor in front of the windows. She glanced at Malvern with concern, but he had turned away, and his shoulders bobbed up and down suspiciously. Prudence darted back behind the screen, hoping Clarence and Annie had not seen her burning face.

  She told herself she must not let Malvern talk her into any more scandalous behavior. But it had been an exhilarating experience.

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  * * *

  Chapter 10

  Out for their morning ride, Malvern dropped back to better observe Prudence's seat. Her horsemanship had improved dramatically. Obviously, she had been well trained as a child and had just needed practice to regain her riding skills. Not that she was ready for fox hunting, but he could take her riding in the Hyde Park with pride—if she were in London.

  Today was the last full day of their week in the wilderness, and he actually felt regret. He had expected this week to be boring, during the daytime at any rate, but Prudence had proved to be an entertaining companion. She might be as impish as a child one moment, and as prudish as a spinster the next, but she was always strangely seductive.

  He had thought being married would accelerate the loss of interest he always experienced with women, but that hadn't happened. In fact, he'd found himself thinking of excuses to delay his departure to Scotland for grouse hunting. Why interrupt this pleasant interlude with something he did every year?

  But they couldn't remain at the hunting lodge; people would certainly think that odd, and his mother undoubtedly had plans to fill Malvern Manor with guests. Now that Parliament had adjourned and the season was over, he could probably find more privacy in London than anywhere else. But what excuse could he use for taking Prudence there this time of year?

  Redoing his house! His own mother had suggested it. That would be a perfect excuse. He could make it clear to Prudence that it was a temporary arrangement, so there would be no danger of her thinking their relationship had changed in any way. When he grew tired of her company, he could easily send her back to Malvern Manor.

  Prudence reached the brook and paused to allow her horse to drink. Malvern stopped beside her and let Thor drop his head. “We'll be leaving tomorrow morning.”

  She smiled wistfully and nodded.

  He cleared his throat. “I've been thinking that you might come back to London with me for a month or so.”

  Her eyes opened widely. “To London?”

  “My town house needs redecorating. Nothing's been done to the place in years. Mother recently pointed out how drab it looks and suggested you might take on the chore of sprucing it up.”

  Prudence sighed. “I know very little about fashionable furnishings.”

  “Oh, there are tradespeople to advise you about that sort of thing. They know what's fashionable, but someon
e has to spend a good deal of time dealing with them and making final choices. I really don't have the patience.”

  She looked perplexed. “But I thought you were going hunting?”

  He shrugged. “I do that every year. But now is an excellent time for redecorating. People are in the country, so guests aren't likely to pop in, and I can't very well send you there alone.”

  A smile spread across her face and she nodded. “I'll be happy to do it, if you're brave enough to trust my judgment.”

  Realizing he was opening a Pandora's box of disruption to his orderly life, he felt a twinge of doubt. “Well, I don't want the place changed too drastically. My man of affairs can advise you as to the best shops and, of course, he'll put a rein on the expenses.”

  She tilted her head and pulled her mouth into a pout. “Oh, and I was looking forward to dashing about London and spending your money with wild abandon.”

  He thought she was teasing, but just to be on the safe side, he said, “Even earls must live within their means.”

  With a twinkle in her eye, she reached over and patted his leather-covered hand. “Such a hardship.”

  Now he knew she was teasing. He yanked on Thor's reins, yelled, “Race you to the lodge,” and spurred the horse into a run.

  Prudence was so addled by Malvern's changed plans that it took her a moment to realize he'd started a race. Knowing poor Madge had little chance of catching Thor even with a fair start, she pulled the horse's head up from the stream and gently nudged Madge into a relaxed trot. As Prudence ducked her head away from a low branch, she wondered when Malvern had decided to redo his house and why he'd never mentioned it before. Could it be that he felt some of the same reluctance she did about their time together ending?

  She came around a bend in the trail and saw Malvern not too far ahead and looking over his shoulder. Obviously he'd reined Thor back to give Prudence a chance to catch up. He wanted her near him! She snapped the reins and her heels as she leaned near Madge's ear and crooned encouragement. The dear horse responded with a burst of speed that brought them even closer to Malvern.