Notorious Deception

by Adrienne Basso

  “I went through with the wedding, didn’t I?” Diana said with a soft laugh, hugging Tristan tightly, clearly demonstrating she harbored no ill feelings toward him.

  Derek stood nearby, his gaze directed on his bride as she embraced his friend. His wife! The words sounded immensely pleasing to Derek’s ears. He waited until she moved away from Tristan before he approached her.

  “Happy, sweetheart?” Derek whispered, his lips softly grazing her temples.

  Diana placed her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel this much bliss, Derek.”

  “Just wait until tonight, my love,” he replied with a sensual grin.

  Diana blushed prettily and was spared further teasing by Sutton’s announcing dinner.

  “May I go to dinner too, Father?” Katherine asked, her gray eyes sparkling as she hopped from one foot to the other in restless excitement.

  “It is late,” the duke replied. “Besides, you have already eaten your dinner, Puss. ’Tis high time you joined your sister upstairs. Juliet is most likely asleep.”

  “But Juliet is a baby,” Katherine protested vigorously. Wrapping her delicate fingers around her father’s strong hands she said beseechingly, “Oh, please can’t I stay up.”

  Morgan sighed heavily. “If you promise to go to bed without a fuss, I shall save you a piece of the wedding cake.”

  “May I eat the cake for breakfast?”

  Tristan’s deep laugh rang out clearly. Morgan scowled at his younger brother before bending low and whispering in his daughter’s ear, “You may eat your cake for breakfast if you promise not to tell your mother.”

  “I promise,” Katherine responded immediately. Gripping the duke’s neck tightly, she pressed her small head to his chest. “Good night, Father. I love you.” With a parting hug, she quickly dashed across the room toward the young maid waiting to escort her upstairs.

  Swallowing hard, Morgan straightened up and joined the celebration in the dinning room. Reverend Penley declined an invitation to dine and bid a hasty good-bye to all.

  Alyssa shook her head as he left. “I am certain he thinks we all are candidates for Bedlam,” she remarked, smiling.

  “Yes,” Morgan agreed dryly. “I doubt he will soon forget this wedding ceremony.”

  The Reverend Penley was soon forgotten as everyone settled in to enjoy the marvelous dinner Cook prepared. Striving for a more informal atmosphere, Caroline dismissed the servants after they placed a large assortment of culinary delights on the dining room sideboard.

  “Since the ladies have spent an exhausting afternoon preparing for this evening’s celebration,” Caroline said, “I think it is only fitting our husbands serve us our dinner.”

  “Here, here,” Alyssa said, with a mischievous wink at Morgan.

  Diana tapped her wineglass with her silver fork in clamoring agreement.

  The three husbands exchanged pained glances before Tristan jumped up from his chair. “It shall be our pleasure, ladies.”

  With a minimal amount of grumbling, Derek and Morgan soon followed.

  Caroline gave Tristan a catlike grin of satisfaction as he set a filled plate for her, then returned to the buffet for his own dinner. Caroline’s grin faded quickly.

  “Tristan, you didn’t put any chicken crepes on my dish,” Caroline said, enviously eyeing Diana’s plate. “Nor any lobster and oyster pie, or fish pate or roast beef. And there is a very meager portion of honeyed carrots and spinach souffle.”

  “Oh really, my pet,” Tristan said, swirling his glazed roast pork loin into the apple brandy sauce before taking a bite. “I am sorry. After you have finished eating what I have brought you, I shall be pleased to fix you another plate.”

  Giving Tristan a suspicious look, Caroline lifted her fork, but she held it suspended above her dish.

  “Touche, my dear, for serving me my least favorite foods,” Caroline muttered under her breath, swallowing her creamed turnips.

  Tristan gave her a bold stare and promptly got up from his dinner to arrange a second plate of food for his wife. He poured wine into everyone’s goblets and made a toast to the health and future happiness of Diana and her groom.

  After dinner, Diana and the other women again defied convention by sitting at the table with the men as they indulged in their port. Then Caroline abruptly scraped back her chair and rose to her feet.

  “I believe it is time for us to adjourn to the drawing room.”

  “Will you play for us tonight, Caroline?” Tristan asked, pulling out his wife’s chair.

  “I would be delighted.”

  Diana and Derek followed the two couples into the drawing room. Caroline sat in front of the pianoforte and sorted through her music sheets. Tristan lifted a branch of candles from the mantelpiece and thrust it into Derek’s hand.

  “I am sure you are both tired from today’s excitement,” Tristan said with a straight face. “Mrs. Roget has prepared the corner suite for you. I believe you know the way, Diana. We will see you both in the morning.”

  “Late morning,” Derek said firmly, and Diana felt her cheeks grow warm. “Good night, everyone. Many thanks to you all for sharing this rather unusual but very special day with us.”

  Diana lowered her head, suddenly feeling quite shy, and she murmured her thanks and good night. She placed her hand into Derek’s and they walked side by side up the stairs.

  When they reached the suite at the end of the long corridor, Diana found her eyes riveted on Derek’s strong, capable hands as he opened the bedchamber door. She shivered slightly, imagining how it would feel to have those wondrous hands on her body again, caressing and stroking her.

  “Are you cold?” Derek asked. He held Diana’s hand as they walked into the room.

  “No,” Diana said, turning to face him.

  “Nervous?” Derek shut the heavy mahogany door and leaned back against it.

  Diana moved toward him very slowly. She reached up and stroked his jawline. “Impatient, my lord,” she said in a husky, sensual tone. “I am most impatient.”

  Derek gave a throaty laugh and claimed her lips with an intoxicating kiss. Diana pressed against him and she felt his already swollen manhood against her belly.

  “I feel as though I have waited a lifetime to have you near me like this,” Derek murmured.

  “It has only been a few days, Derek.”

  “A few days? It seems much longer.” He caught her fingers in his hand and began nibbling on the tips. “Besides, it is different now, Diana. You are my wife.”

  He said wife with such love and passion, Diana felt her stomach knot with emotion. Derek’s hands slid around her waist, reaching automatically for the small buttons at the back of her dress. Diana heard him curse softly as he succeeded in unfastening only one of the buttons while ripping out three.

  “Have a care, Derek,” Diana said, reproaching him, when she heard the buttons hit the floor. “This is Caroline’s dress and I’ll not have it ruined.”

  “Oh, all right,” he grumbled. “Turn around so I can properly unhook the damn thing.”

  Obediently, Diana presented her back to him and lifted up her unbound hair.

  Finally, he succeeded in separating all the fastenings and his hands touched her bare back and shoulders as the lovely dress fell to the floor. Derek leaned in closer, brushing his lips against her earlobes.

  “Are the petticoats and chemise you’re wearing also borrowed from Caroline?”

  “No.”

  “Good.”

  Diana heard a loud rendering sound, but not until she felt the cool air on her posterior and legs, did she realize Derek had torn off all her underclothes.

  “Derek!”

  “Sorry, love. But I am afraid I have reached the limits of my endurance. Too many damn buttons.”

  Diana shook her head and turned around to face him. He had somehow managed to remove his jacket, waistcoat and cravat, and they lay in a heap on the floor next to her gown. Sh
e glided her hands sensually up his chest, reaching for the studs on his shirt. With a wicked grin, she gripped the edges of the soft linen tightly, wrenching it apart.

  The fine pearl studs fell to the floor in a shower of light. Derek’s eyes gleamed as he looked into her eyes. “I truly am the most fortunate of men, to be so blessed with a wife whose lack of patience rivals my own.”

  Diana giggled and danced away from him toward the bed. A large fire roared in the hearth and the room felt deliciously warm on her unclothed body.

  Derek shrugged out of his breeches, tossing them casually on the floor. Quietly, he moved toward his unsuspecting bride as she stood near the bed, her back to him.

  “I love you, Derek,” she said.

  Derek smiled slowly. He did not answer her with words, but instead reached around her waist. He rubbed her soft belly; then his hands drifted up to cup her breasts, his thumbs teasing the sensitive buds of her nipples. Diana moaned softly and pushed back against him.

  “You drive me beyond thought, Derek.”

  “As you do me, my love.”

  He gently pushed her onto the bed and rolled her on her back. His hand slipped between her thighs, just as his lips descended on her mouth.

  “You are so sweet, my love,” he whispered thickly as her felt her thighs relax and her legs part. He eased a finger into her damp heat.

  “Oh, Derek.”

  He moved his body down the length of her, kissing her breasts, her ribs, her flat stomach, and the silky skin of her upper thighs. Her fingers clenched his scalp as he lowered his mouth to intimately caress her inner softness.

  “My God!” she exclaimed, truly shocked at his actions. “Derek, you musn’t—”

  Diana’s voice trailed off as the excruciatingly sweet pleasure inside her tightened. She could barely breathe as he gently sucked on her sensitive flesh. Derek continued his intimate caress and she arched her back in savage surrender to him when the searing climax overtook her.

  Diana groaned and drew him deeper into her body, her legs hugging him, her hands frantically clutching the solid muscles of his upper arms.

  Derek moved inside her with slow, even strokes, and when her body begin to convulse, he increased the pace. He let out a loud, uninhibited shout as his shuddering climax broke, filling her with his seed. Fully sated, he collapsed on top of her and several minutes passed before he stirred.

  “Am I crushing you?”

  “No,” she lied, still too filled with languid delight and contentment to care.

  Derek rolled onto his side and gathered her close against him. She immediately placed her leg over his and cuddled up to his chest.

  Diana sighed. “I do believe this is the most wondrous part of making love, Derek.”

  “Now? After it is all over?” She felt, rather than saw, his questioning frown. “Pray, go on, Diana.”

  She struggled to sit up so she could see his face and better explain. He allowed her to lift herself up, but he shifted her body so she was pinned atop his chest, their chins nearly touching. Derek’s expression was unreadable.

  “You know, Derek, in some ways, what comes after can be even more intimate than the act of love itself,” she said solemnly.

  He cocked an eyebrow at her. “How so?”

  “I firmly believe, in these special moments, together, we form the true bonds of love and devotion.”

  “We do?”

  “Yes.”

  Derek gazed into her eyes. “This time we now share together is the merging of our hearts, Diana.”

  “Yes, my love,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears at his understanding. “And our souls, Derek. Our very souls.”

  “Caroline, you really must try to get hold of yourself, dear,” Tristan told his wife. He gently stroked her shoulder and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. “You will make yourself ill with all this weeping.”

  “I know, Tris,” Caroline said with a sniff. She stood next to her husband in the front hallway, bidding farewell to Derek and Diana. It was late afternoon, and the newlyweds were finally ready to depart. Their leave-taking had begun very amicably until, without warning, Caroline burst into tears.

  “Caroline, our house is only a few short blocks away,” Derek said softly, feeling very inadequate. He glanced nervously over at Diana. “We intend to see a great deal of you and Tristan.”

  “Of course,” Caroline said, waving her damp handkerchief. “Please forgive me. I don’t know what came over me.” She took a deep steadying breath and smiled bravely. “I have been so highly emotional these past few days. I don’t know why. Sometimes I feel as though I can’t control myself.”

  Diana’s eyes narrowed speculatively at her friend. Could it be possible? Lack of emotional control was an early sign of pregnancy. “Anything else unusual affecting you, Caroline?” Diana asked, injecting a lightness into her tone.

  “Not really. I have been feeling a bit more tired, but we have been keeping rather late hours this past week.” Caroline regarded Diana with a puzzled expression. Then her eyes widened.

  “Well?” Diana said, not needing to ask Caroline anything else.

  “I’m not sure,” Caroline answered, her eyes barely concealing her excitement and wonder. “It is possible, though. Very possible.”

  “Oh, Caroline.” Diana moved forward to embrace her friend, and Caroline burst into another round of noisy sobs.

  Tristan looked over the two women’s heads at Derek. “I don’t imagine you have any idea what this is all about?”

  Derek shook his head ruefully. “Not a clue, Tris.”

  Tristan shrugged his shoulders philosophically and waited for his wife to regain control. After several minutes of conspiratorial whispers, Diana moved out of Caroline’s arms.

  “We shall allow you one day of total privacy,” Tristan informed Derek. “Then Morgan and I will come calling.”

  “Be sure to bring Alyssa and Caroline when you visit us,” Diana said as the young footman held open the door. “And let Alyssa know the girls are also welcome. I’m sorry we did not have a chance to bid them all farewell today.”

  “My brother has often joked about his daughters’ sleeping habits,” Tristan said with a grin. “I always thought his stories were prone to exaggeration, yet it is my understanding little Juliet even beat the sun up this morning.”

  At the mention of Juliet, Caroline again began to snivel, and Derek seized the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat. With a quick nod of farewell, he firmly guided Diana out the door, down the front steps, and into his waiting carriage.

  “Was it really necessary to bring the coach, Derek?” Diana asked breathlessly as her husband motioned to his driver to leave. “’Tis only a short walk to your house and the weather is very pleasant this afternoon.”

  “I informed my staff last night to expect my bride today, Diana. It is fitting that the newest countess arrive in grand style at her London home.”

  Diana sat silently during the short ride. She experienced a myriad of emotions when the carriage halted in front of the familiar house. She could not help but remember the disaster that had befallen her the first time she had walked through those doors.

  Derek jumped lithely down from the coach and held out his hand. “Ready?”

  Diana placed her hand in his firm grip and gave him a solid smile. His strong presence gave her the boost of confidence she badly needed.

  Before they even began the short climb up the steps, the front door was opened by the butler, Dobbs. He bowed stiffly, signaling a footman to come forward to assist Derek and his bride with their outer garments, while another footman assisted the driver with their traveling trunks.

  “Good afternoon, Dobbs,” Derek said curtly, unbuttoning his midnight-blue greatcoat. “I see you have assembled the staff, as I requested.”

  “Yes, my lord,” the butler answered formally.

  A middle-aged woman, her black bombazine skirts rustling noisily, stepped nervously forward. “Mrs. Standen, my houseke
eper,” Derek said, his tone a bit less harsh as he introduced the woman.

  The housekeeper bobbed a small curtsy, and Diana automatically extended her hand in greeting. “So nice to meet you, Mrs. Standen. I am Lady Diana.”

  The housekeeper appeared taken aback at her friendly greeting, but after a slight hesitation, Mrs. Standen accepted Diana’s hand and dipped another curtsy.

  “Welcome, your ladyship,” Mrs. Standen said. She cleared her throat apprehensively. “On behalf of the entire staff, I should like to take the liberty of congratulating you on your marriage.”

  “How very kind of you, Mrs. Standen,” Diana replied graciously. She strolled casually into the large entrance hall, turning her attention to the dozen openly curious faces regarding her. “Would you do the honors please?”

  Breaking into a genuine smile, Mrs. Standen took her place importantly at Diana’s side and went down the rows of servants, introducing each one. Diana shook hands with all of them and spent a brief moment questioning them on their duties in the household.

  By the time she was finished, Derek could see by the staff’s amazed expressions that Diana had clearly made a favorable impression.

  With a haughty wave, Dobbs dismissed the staff, but Diana asked Mrs. Standen to remain for a moment. “My maid was unable to make the journey from Cornwall, Mrs. Standen, so I shall need your assistance in selecting a lady’s maid to serve me while I am in residence.”

  Mrs. Standen bit her lip thoughtfully. “We don’t have anyone who has been trained for the position, my lady. But Molly does have some skill with hair.”

  “Molly shall suit me just fine, Mrs. Standen.”

  “Excellent,” Derek said, approaching his wife. “You can inform Molly she may begin her duties tomorrow morning, Mrs. Standen.”

  His dismissive tone sent the housekeeper retreating to the servants’ quarters. Derek turned to Diana, smiling. “I am most anxious to give you a personally guided tour of your new home, my dear. Shall we being with the upstairs bedchambers?”

  Chapter Twenty-one